WCF opponent preference

[Mr Positive]

Blues. They are more balanced but we have the top end advantage.

Don’t want our guys to deal the the altitude in Denver which is a clear advantage to the Avs. Makar also scare the crap outta me, I have never seen a D man like him before.

Either way we are clear underdogs.

Makar is somewhat like a prime Karlsson, no? I'm not an expert on Makar but the thought crossed my mind watching him a few times

I feel like Colorado is the right opponent. If we beat them, that will give more confidence for the next opponent

 

[bone]

Colorado Positives: Mac vs. Mc should be a blast. Regular season games were very close.
Colorado Negatives: Kadri has always played McDavid tough, and Colorado has an extremely deep team offensively and and the ones who don't score don't have the puck in their end often.

St. Louis Positives: Injured goalie. Edmonton scored at will vs. them in regular season.
St. Louis Negaives: Recent cup win, St. Louis scored at will vs. Edmonton this year, and St. Louis along with Carolina are the only two teams that Connor averages less than a point against throughout his career (though 2 matchups in the first week of his career are a factor there).

Ultimately, I want St. Louis to win tonight obviously, but either team will be extremely difficult to beat

My biggest concern if Colorado wins (especially tonight), it would squash their second round demons of the past three years which might be similar to how Edmonton winning their first round finally energized them to take over the next round as well.

St. Louis winning will likely take a lot out of them to get it done and they could be weakened by it especially if Binnington is done and Edmonton gets a couple on Husso early in the series.

Oilers have a better chance at beating St. Louis, but ultimately I don't care. Whoever they face will teach them a lot win or lose about what's needed to win a cup.

 

[jeffff]

How do they seed the teams? If we play the Blues do we get home ice?

Would St. Louis have home ice advantage?

Does it go by points? Or is P2 higher than C3?

Points first. St Louis would have home ice.

 

[illegalsmile]

I couldn't care less who we get, they'd both be tough, but not unbeatable. I think Colorado would be a more evenly balanced match up, but it doesn't matter. I want the Oilers to be champions, champions take on any challenger.

 

[bone]

I'm torn. The Avalanche look and feel like a team destined to win this year to me, but St. Louis is a former cup champion, with a similar roster, so they're certainly no slouch either. So I don't really care, we can beat either if we play the right type of game. I just really don't want Tampa Bay in the final.

I felt like this until Game 5. Let's not forget the Avs have been a force in the first round the last few years but have bounced in the second round three times in a row. Twice in Game 7 and then last year blew a 2-0 lead losing four straight to Vegas.

Blowing a 3-0 lead including a 3-1 third period lead and then blowing it again after regaining the lead with less than 3 minutes left will totally bring those demons to the surface. That and St. Louis has erased 3rd period leads three times now vs. Colorado.

As such Colorado is ripe for the picking from St. Louis right now, but if Colorado settles down and finishes them off tonight, I don't think Colorado can be stopped.

 

[Mr Sakich]

Blues have 9 twenty goal scorers. They are sooooo deep. If they had Binnington in net, they would roll us. Their backup is playing pretty poorly

Colorado has skilled but softer dmen. With Girardi out, they are even more vulnerable to a heavy press. Also, their goaltending is unproven. I would call him a wash with Smith but we could easily get an advantage there.

Surprisingly, goaltending is the path that might allow us to beat either team

 

[Leonardlizard]

For entertainment I want the Aves... For best chance of winning I like STL. I can't stand the Colorado fan base or their players... Bunch of diving entitled pricks.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

As someone who believed in this team the entire year, even during the losing streak I was confident we were a very good team going through a rough patch and highly capable of going deep in the playoffs, but I do think Colorado and TB are likely a bridge too far for this team and Carolina would be a very tough match-up.

I believe we can beat any of the other remaining teams, aside from COL & TB to beat them I think it'll have to be some combination of outcoaching the opposition coach and some unexpected heroics out of some unlikely candidates.

 

[TennisBalls]

Heart says Colorado (entertainment), head says Blues (probably the more beatable team).

 

[T-Funk]

At the end of the season we almost had Dallas in the first round, but we got the more difficult opponent in LA. Round 2 we almost got Dallas again, and we got the more difficult opponent in Calgary. No expectations, but I also prefer Avs for that reason. Like the BOA, it will be better for the sport, and anything can happen. If we aren't winning it all, I want the best learning experience possible.

 

[Aerrol]

Surprised the Avs are losing here, I agree with OP completely. We match up with them a lot better and it'd be more fun to watch. I thought we contested all our games vs the Avs well this year, whereas we really struggled at times with the more physical Blues.

I think between his drive to destroy the narrative that he isn't the best and getting a lot more open ice, McDavid vs the Avs would be a friggin treat.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Smith will fight binnington

 

[walktheboulavard]

Doesn't matter who. They're getting lit up like Markstrom did.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Think Colorado is all wrong for the Oil. Would be a fun series, but I'd prefer not to see Kadri hanging all over McDavid and something happening 'accidentally on purpose" to him.
No matter who wins, I do hope it goes seven games though, lotsa OT too.

Yeah I'm not sure if everyone remembers how effective Kadri was as Leaf at shutting down McDavid. Possibly can do it as well as anyone in the NHL.

 

[saucesaitl]

Both Kuemper and Husso are going to get smoked by our forwards, but I'd probably rather see Smith vs St. Louis than Smith vs Colorado.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

I think it would be a tight matchup either way.

Regardless, f*** the Avs and their fanbase. They've been as bad as the Leafs homers this year, just not as numerous. Don't want Kadri targeting McDrai's knees or running Smith. Blues at least play a clean game and since Binner is out I wouldn't rate them as better than the Oilers right now.

 

[oobga]

Both will be extremely tough. Blues style of play has given our team fits. They're slower, but loads of skill and are very opportunistic. Neither team is gonna make our job easier with outside shots all night, they both look for quality chances. Colorado has loads of firepower and thinking about that makes me think about Smith. I don't like our chances in any off game Smith has vs Colorado.

My gut says Blues because Binnington is out, but with our luck he will be back just in time and go full hasek on us Will need to play a lot of near perfect games vs either team, so bring on whoever it is.

 

[Zenos]

I won't bother picking a favourite here. Against either team, I still see Edmonton as the clear underdog. Which is fine by me as I think this team reacts better to that kind of challenge than going in with big expectations.

Edmonton had a little rivalry going with the Avs in the late 90's (shoutout to CuJo and Bo Mironov for winning in 98!), but has yet to play St. Louis in meaningful games. So we're either looking to rekindle and old hatred or get a new one going.

 

[Bank Shot]

I'd rather face St. Louis.

The team is worse and it looks like the tickets are cheaper on ticketmaster.

Plus they had these seats last round selling for $300 with all you could eat, food, beer, and wine.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

The team without Cale Makar. He does the equivalent of a defenseman for what McDrai does to teams.

Makar is somewhat like a prime Karlsson, no? I'm not an expert on Makar but the thought crossed my mind watching him a few times

I feel like Colorado is the right opponent. If we beat them, that will give more confidence for the next opponent

Makar's shot is far more threatening than Karlsson but otherwise yeah the elite playmaking/control of game/effortless skating are all peak Karlsson esque. I honestly think he's better than Karlsson (better than Josi and Fox too for that matter).

 

[bellagiobob]

So Tuesday Or Thursday for Game 1, depending on what the result is tonight.

 

[Luongoisthegoat]

Blues. They seem beatable. Similar to Calgary.

The Avalanche's speed and blue line concerns me. Plus, Kuemper is better than Husso.

As a neutral fan I want to see Colorado but all things considered you guys have a better chance against the blues.

 

[Mav3rick07]

As a neutral fan I want to see Colorado but all things considered you guys have a better chance against the blues.

I understand that. I mean, the whole world wants to see MacKinnon versus McDavid.

 

[MessierII]

I take Colorado. They can be rattled. Blues have that championship mentality. They don’t get rattled and can come back from anything.

 

[Satire]

Either/or. Both excellent teams that will be insanely difficult for us to beat.