Your ideal Stanley Cup Playoffs

[GalacticaActual]

Here are my ideal Stanley Cup playoffs:

Round 1: Toronto defeats Boston Bruins in 7 games

Toronto redeems themselves for last year's game 7 collapse. They exorcise the Bruins demons once and for all. Phil Kessel scores 4 goals and 4 assists in the series.

Round 2: Toronto defeats Montreal Canadiens in 5 games

Toronto with home ice advantage. Toronto wins the first three games. Game three ends with epic fights. Gallagher vs Kadri. Phaneuf vs. Subban. Lupul vs Moen. McLaren vs Gorges. Orr vs Bourque. Gleason vs Prust. Montreal is absolutely bloodied. Toronto loses game four in Montreal, and the Gazette's front page headline says "Espoir". In game 5, Gallagher then gets a 2-minute minor in overtime for embellishment, and Kadri ends up scoring the overtime winner in the ensuing power play to advance the Leafs to the conference finals for the first time since 2002.

Round 3: Toronto defeats Pittsburgh Penguins in 4 games

Phaneuf shuts down Crosby. Phaneuf finishes the series with 29 minutes of ice time per game on average and a +2 rating . Crosby finishes the series with 1 goal, 1 assist, and a -3. Fleury implodes again in the playoffs and has a 3.87 GAA while Bernier shuts the door and records three shutouts in this 4-game sweep.

Round 4: Toronto defeats Vancouver Canucks in 7 games

Vancouver with home ice advantage. Vancouver wins the first three games of the series and Team 1040 radio starts planning the Cup parade around the Rocky Mountains. Then Toronto wins game 4 in overtime. Leafs fans go crazy. Vancouver bloggers say "Don't worry, we got this."

Then Toronto wins game 5 in overtime again at the Rogers Centre. The Vancouver fans in the arena let out a collective gasp. They don't want to admit it, but they are feeling the heat. Team 1040 hand waves the issue and says they just need to double shift the Sedin line with another winger in order to secure a game 6 victory.

Game six is in Toronto. In game 6, the game is tied 1-1, and Henrik Sedin is all alone on a breakaway with 1 minute left in the third period. Bernier pulls a Tim Thomas and launches out of his crease and concusses Henrik Sedin with a clean shoulder check. Phaneuf retrieves the puck and makes a cross-ice pass to send Clarkson on a breakaway. Clarkson pulls off the Peter Forsberg inside-outside dangle and scores. Vancouver pulls their goalie and Bernier scores an empty netter. Gardiner Expressway traffic slows to a crawl - it takes 4+ hours for people to get home.

In game 7, in Vancouver, the Leafs go up 5-0 quickly in the first period and chase Luongo out of the net. Leafs throw out goon line and McClement line for the rest of the game, because Carlyle has class and won't run up the score. Even though the game is in Vancouver, half the arena is filled with Leafs fans, so you can audibly hear the crowd count down from 10, 9, 8, .... 3, 2, 1 and then the ending buzzer sounds.

Kessel wins the Conn Smythe.

Click to read more...

 

[Blufreezy]

I wouldn't mind sweeping Ottawa under the rug again

 

[Warden of the North]

Step one: make it to the playoffs

Lets not get ahead of ourselves..........

 

[Daisy Jane]

My idea is a total O6 round

Us vs Montreal
Us vs Boston
Us vs NY,
US vs Chicago

but for a pure storytelling angle - us vs.a team that hasn't won a cup yet and they expanded early.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Step one: make it to the playoffs

Lets not get ahead of ourselves..........

no i think - the way I'm taking it, is how you'd want it to be... when it happens

 

[TheThrill81*]

Leafs throw out goon line and McClement line for the rest of the game, because Carlyle has class and won't run up the score.

This is amazing.

 

[The Wall]

God that Vancouver series would be amazing but Bettman would pull a Tonya Harding on Vancouver's best players before they reached to ensure an All Canadian matchup doesn't happen.

 

[AustonMitchWilly]

Anything that involves the Leafs winning the SC. Im not picky.

 

[Pinto]

Taking out our rivals would be pretty satisfying

Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Vancouver

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

Round one: Toronto wins
Round two: Toronto wins
Round three: Toronto wins
Round four: Toronto wins

Don't care who we beat. No time to lick up tears.

 

[666]

O6
Boston, Detroit, Montreal finals Chicago

Local
Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit finals Winnipeg

Canadian
Ottawa, Tampa, Montreal finals Winnipeg

Revenge
Carolina, NJ, Flyers finals L.A.

Sweeps
Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston finals Vancouver

Stars
Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa finals Anaheim

 

[indigobuffalo]

OMG it would be Leafs vs WPG in the Finals because I have Jets season tickets and I WOULD CRY TEARS OF JOY... Aside from my dream of seeing my son wear the blue and white, this is my greatest hope in life.

 

[Radiohead]

Here are my ideal Stanley Cup playoffs:

Round 1: Toronto defeats Boston Bruins in 7 games

Toronto redeems themselves for last year's game 7 collapse. They exorcise the Bruins demons once and for all. Phil Kessel scores 4 goals and 4 assists in the series.

Round 2: Toronto defeats Montreal Canadiens in 5 games

Toronto with home ice advantage. Toronto wins the first three games. Game three ends with epic fights. Gallagher vs Kadri. Phaneuf vs. Subban. Lupul vs Moen. McLaren vs Gorges. Orr vs Bourque. Gleason vs Prust. Montreal is absolutely bloodied. Toronto loses game four in Montreal, and the Gazette's front page headline says "Espoir". In game 5, Gallagher then gets a 2-minute minor in overtime for embellishment, and Kadri ends up scoring the overtime winner in the ensuing power play to advance the Leafs to the conference finals for the first time since 2002.

Round 3: Toronto defeats Pittsburgh Penguins in 4 games

Phaneuf shuts down Crosby. Phaneuf finishes the series with 29 minutes of ice time per game on average and a +2 rating . Crosby finishes the series with 1 goal, 1 assist, and a -3. Fleury implodes again in the playoffs and has a 3.87 GAA while Bernier shuts the door and records three shutouts in this 4-game sweep.

Round 4: Toronto defeats Vancouver Canucks in 7 games

Vancouver with home ice advantage. Vancouver wins the first three games of the series and Team 1040 radio starts planning the Cup parade around the Rocky Mountains. Then Toronto wins game 4 in overtime. Leafs fans go crazy. Vancouver bloggers say "Don't worry, we got this."

Then Toronto wins game 5 in overtime again at the Rogers Centre. The Vancouver fans in the arena let out a collective gasp. They don't want to admit it, but they are feeling the heat. Team 1040 hand waves the issue and says they just need to double shift the Sedin line with another winger in order to secure a game 6 victory.

Game six is in Toronto. In game 6, the game is tied 1-1, and Henrik Sedin is all alone on a breakaway with 1 minute left in the third period. Bernier pulls a Tim Thomas and launches out of his crease and concusses Henrik Sedin with a clean shoulder check. Phaneuf retrieves the puck and makes a cross-ice pass to send Clarkson on a breakaway. Clarkson pulls off the Peter Forsberg inside-outside dangle and scores. Vancouver pulls their goalie and Bernier scores an empty netter. Gardiner Expressway traffic slows to a crawl - it takes 4+ hours for people to get home.

In game 7, in Vancouver, the Leafs go up 5-0 quickly in the first period and chase Luongo out of the net. Leafs throw out goon line and McClement line for the rest of the game, because Carlyle has class and won't run up the score. Even though the game is in Vancouver, half the arena is filled with Leafs fans, so you can audibly hear the crowd count down from 10, 9, 8, .... 3, 2, 1 and then the ending buzzer sounds.

Kessel wins the Conn Smythe.

We couldn't get home ice advantage in the 2nd round, assuming Boston wins the division.

 

[BonMorrison]

The Vancouver summary had me in fits.

I'll try - I hope someone reads this - I spent too much time working on this.

Quarterfinal - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Lower-seeded Leafs face the the red-hot Lightning and a newly rejuvenanted Steven Stamkos. Stamkos, who was shockingly invisible during the Olympics, rebounds in a huge way as he scores five goals in the first two games (including a hat trick) as the Lighting storm to a 2 - 0 series lead over the Maple Leafs. Home ice however takes affect as the Leafs win game 3 in OT and pummel the Lightning 5 - 0 in game 4. Heading back to Tampa Bay for game 5, the Lightning take a two-goal lead in the third period only to have goals by David Clarkson and Nikolai Kulemin to tie the game. With a minute left in the third period, a Jake Gardiner shot ricochets off of Andrej Sustr in the slot and behind Ben Bishop to give the Leafs the lead - they would proceed to hold on aided by a Tyler Bozak empty net goal. Back in Toronto for Game 6, the Leafs win a nail-biting 2 - 1 game to take the series and their first series win in many years.

Semi-final - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Contrasting the start of the quarter-finals, it is the Maple Leafs who build a 2 - 0 series lead on the Penguins on opposing ice. Phil Kessel is red hot, scoring the GWG in both games (one in OT). The Penguins manage to take some momentum back in Game 3 but the Leafs would take a commanding 3 - 1 series lead when Nikolai Kulemin steals a puck from Evgeni Malkin in launches it behind Marc-André Fleury for the Game 4 OT winner. The Leafs would be on their heels for the entirety of Game 5 as the Penguins attack in waves in a 0 - 0 game. However, it would be Joffrey Lupul, who has been under much scrutiny for his lack of production, that would break the tie with ten minutes to go. Clarkson hits the empty net 9 minutes later and the Penguins for the second straight year are stunned by a quick elimination. The Leafs are going to the finals to face...

Conference final - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Here we go again. Every Leaf fan is looking for revenge but at the same time is absolutely terrified of what is in front of them. And a back-and-forth series it is again, although there is no 3 - 1 commanding series lead from the Bruins. A back-and-forth affair in the truest of forms. The Leafs would take game 1 in OT on a Tyler Bozak rocket but the Bruins would take game 2 and 3 in incredibly tight games. The Leafs tie the series in game 4 via a Phil Kessel hat trick and proceed to win game 5 on Bruins ice. With the chance to make the Stanley Cup Finals on home ice, the Leafs would come out with a purpose. Milan Lucic, however, had other things in mind as he scores 2 goals in a 6 - 1 beatdown of the Leads in game 6. Heading back to Boston for game 7 and it's all too familiar. Cody Franson would score first followed by Nazem Kadri. In a familiar narrative however, David Krejci scores early in the 2nd period and Johnny Boychuk would laser one later in the 2nd to bring us to the 3rd period tied 2 - 2. On the powerplay with ten minutes left, Patrice Bergeron - famed Leafs killer, would power the Bruins to a 3 - 2 lead. With everything looking too familiar, Leaf fans are ready to give up. A minute left to go and Bernier is on the bench, this is screaming empty net goal and a heartbreak - that's not to be the case though as a Morgan Rielly slapshot banks off the back boards onto the stick of a waiting Phil Kessel who snaps it home to tie the game and send it to OT. Sweat running, nail biting, we're 10 minutes into OT when Torey Krug makes an ill-advised pinch leaving Adam McQuaid on a 2 on 1 with Phil Kessel and James Van Riemsdyk. A give-and-go later, Phil Kessel has the OT winner in game 7 against the Bruins and sends the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stanley Cup Final - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. St. Louis Blues
If the Bruins weren't physical enough, the Leafs are going into a series where they are pretty aware of the physical **** kicking they are going to be in for. And ****-kicked they were as David Backes and Alex Steen would score two goals while Derek Roy hits the empty net for a 3 - 0 game 1 win. It doesn't look like it'll be the Year of the Blues though when the Leafs dart up with three straight wins (one in OT) with all the role players kicking and carrying the team through. Goals from Bolland, Gardiner, Kulemin, Clarkson, McClement, and Ashton would bring the team their chance to win the Stanley Cup in game 5. T.J. Oshie however says other wise as he scores two goals to force a Game 6. But maybe this is the narrative the Leafs want as they have a chance to clinch the Cup on home ice. Game 6 - Alex Pietrangelo scores the opening goal 30 seconds in but Phil Kessel would tie the game late in the 2nd period. Tensions are high heading into the third which turns to elation when Nikolai Kulemin jams home a Nazem Kadri rebound for the 2 - 1 lead. Clutching to their lead, playing Randy Carlyle-holding-the-lead hockey - the Blues attack wave after wave non-stop. Thirty seconds left on the clock and Tim Gleason is sitting in the penalty box. The Blues have their six-man unit on the ice. David Backes, T.J. Oshie. Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, and Kevin Shattenkirk. They are facing off head-to-head with the Leafs unit of Jay McClement, Nikolai Kulemin, Dion Phaneuf, and Carl Gunnarsson. One shot, two shot, three shot - Bernier saves on all of them. Tarasenko with a one-timer from the right faceoff dot goes over the crossbar and around the boards to Alex Pietrangelo. Jay McClement has the play read though and pokes the puck past him. Speeding down the right win, Pietrangelo hooks him from behind and the ref's arm goes up. It won't matter though as the former Blue McClement would slide the puck to centre ice onto the bulleting Nikolai Kulemin who deposits the puck in to the empty net for his second goal of the game and the Series winner. Phil Kessel wins the Conn Smythe.

I just cried. Goodnight.

 

[Mess]

Step one: make it to the playoffs

Lets not get ahead of ourselves..........

Agreed this thread is going to become a Lightning rod for criticism if the Leafs miss the playoffs.

My ideal playoffs is when Leafs are in them and preferable Montreal and Vancouver are not.

 

[hockeyfanz*]

Agreed this thread is going to become a Lightning rod for criticism if the Leafs miss the playoffs.

My ideal playoffs is when Leafs are in them and preferable Montreal and Vancouver are not.

lock it up mess. pointless thread. Leafs win the Cup is what Leafs Nation wants. Who cares who they beat. And furthermore..its an outlandish thread made to make us look stupid as a fanbase considering the Leafs have played in one playoff round in the last 9 years.

 

[LeafOfBread]

Sweep Ottawa, Boston, Montreal and Vancouver, in that order.

 

[TheThrill81*]

lock it up mess. pointless thread. Leafs win the Cup is what Leafs Nation wants. Who cares who they beat. And furthermore..its an outlandish thread made to make us look stupid as a fanbase considering the Leafs have played in one playoff round in the last 9 years.

Going by that logic, the trades/proposals forum shouldn't even exist since most of them are outlandish and wouldn't happen. Not to mention they serve as fuel for fanbases to engage in flaming wars.

 

[The Apologist]

Going by that logic, the trades/proposals forum shouldn't even exist since most of them are outlandish and wouldn't happen. Not to mention they serve as fuel for fanbases to engage in flaming wars.

Agreed. Seriously people, you don't like it, don't read it. Who gives a flying **** what other fanbases think?

 

[Tak7]

Leafs vs Habs

Everyone else.

 

[The Apologist]

My thoughts:

Round 1: Toronto vs Montreal (Toronto home ice)
The Leafs end the season red hot and take the division. Facing bitter rivals for the first time in years, game one is a blood bath. Carey Price is red hot and shuts down the boys in blue, while Bernier is equal to the task at the other end. The Leafs hit everything in sight led by monster performances from Phaneuf, Clarkson and Bolland. Halfway through the third overtime of a 0-0 game, Lars Eller gets in deep and spots a streaking PK Subban pinching, and the Habs take the opener. The Leafs then take over, pummelling the Habs into submission in games two and three, taking them 4-1 and 5-1. Using their size and physicality, the Leafs set the tone again in game 4 but Price is up to the task. For the second time in the series, the game goes to overtime at 0-0. This time, Kessel goes beast. Fed a perfect pass by his best buddy, Kessel breaks in alone and Price has no chance. Game 5, back in Toronto, the Leafs put it way. Bernier shuts the door and Price crumbles. Kadri goes ape on his boyhood team, gets the hat trick and the Leafs win 4-0.

Round 2: The Bruins are back, and hungry. After dispatching of the Lightning in six games, the Bruins look like they are starting right back where they left off, beating the Leafs 7-1 in game one. Bernier looks shaky and Reimer gets the call in game 2. The bruins go up early 3-0 after two periods and the crowd starts to turn. The "Fire Carlyle" chants begin when the unlikely happens. After being a super pest all game, Kadri goads Marchand into a brutal cheap shot. Marchand receives a five minute major and the Leafs go to work. On the power play, Kessel nets two while a suddenly OK Kadri grabs the tying tally. The teams then trade scoring opportunities throughout the rest of the period, when with two minutes left, Dave Bolland breaks in alone. He gets tripped by Chara's long stick and the ref signals penalty shot. Bolland makes no mistake, and the Leafs take the lead. With 30 seconds left, Bozak salts it away and Leaf Nation goes crazy. Game three the Leafs continue their momentum and take Boston 2-0 on a solid performance from James Reimer. Game four is a different story. While the Leafs play solid, nothing seems to go their way. The Big guns seem snake bitten, while Reimer struggles with routine shots. The frustrated Leafs lead a parade of stupid penalties to the box and Bruins take advantage. They head back to Toronto all even after an easy 5-2 victory. In game 5, the Bruins seem to have the Leafs number again and despite a solid night from Bernier, again take it 3-1. Leaf fans are going mad as they begin to feel the Bruins monster once again choking out their hope. The radio lines fill up with rage and Damien Cox trots out an article about how this current team could never win the way its built. Phil Kessel is lambasted as a lazy one dimensional player and Dion Phaneuf is offered for the first third round pick anybody will offer. Meanwhile, back in Boston, both respond. The game five snakebite is put to rest early as Phil Kessel scores 30 seconds in. Its a sign of things to come. The Leafs carry the play for the rest of the game. At the final buzzer, Phil has a hatty, Phaneuf has two points, and the Leafs win 6-1, setting up a game seven in their home barn for all the marbles. In game seven, both teams come out flying. The game is intense, the bodies are flying, and neither team is willing to give an inch. Once again, Kessel strikes first, but Patrice Bergeron responds quickly for the Bruins. The turning point comes halfway through the second. On a Bruins powerplay, Milan Lucic runs Jonathan Bernier. At the same time, Zdeno Chara puts the puck into the net. Despite the strong objections of Carlyle, the goal is allowed to stand. Not only that, but Bernier has been injured on the play. Forced into play, James Reimer goes into beast mode, while the rest of the team exacts revenge their own way. The Leafs pound the Bruins, hitting them on every chance while JVR becomes best friends with Rask, nudging him on every sight push, making sure he knows that he could just as easily be next. It eventually works as Rask starts to play deeper into his net. Halfway through the third, Nazem ties it up on a beautiful tip in on a Gardiner feed. 30 seconds later, JVR puts the buds up for good with a beautiful rebound off a Bozak snap shot. The Leafs return last year's favour, taking game 7 3-2 in their own barn.

Eastern Finals: Bring on the Wings.
After a shocking upset of the Penguins, and a brutal seven gamer against the Flyers, the Wings are ripe for the picking. Although fans are expecting a tense, hard fought series, the red hot and angry Leafs make short work of the aging Wings. After a 3-0 win in Detroit to sweep the series, fans in Ottawa are quick to point out the fact that maybe it's Alffie? 0-5, just saying.

In the finals, the Leafs meet a shocking San Jose Sharks team (shocking in that they finally slayed the beast and go to the finals). The teams split the first two games, feeling each other out. Back in Toronto for game 3, the Sharks dominate. The Leafs look tired and Reimer is showing signs of cracking. A 6-2 win is followed by a 4-1 domination in game 4. Contrary to all expected reactions, Leaf Nation fortifies and rallies the team. A large continent makes their way to Cali (like we really needed an excuse) and despite a lack of tickets, turns the outside of the Pavillion into Maple Leaf Square. The team feeds off this and nabs a 4-2 victory. Game six back in Toronto is a nail biter. The Leafs grab a 2-0 lead early but sit back, oviously exhausted. The Sharks rally, and even grab a 3-2 lead late in the second. With three minutes left in the third, Dave Bolland takes a tripping penalty and it appears that the Sharks are about to win their first Cup. Bozak has other plans. While the Sharks play it safe, he manages to steal the puck on an errant pass. He spots Clarkson sneaking behind the defence and hits him with a perfect pass. He makes no mistakes and we head to overtime. 30 seconds in, Kessel pots a perfect pass from Phaneuf and were headed back to Cali.
Game seven is a bit of a let down after the previous game's excitement. Kadri scores early, Rielley gets his only goal of the playoffs and Jerry D'Amigo (who has had a very solid playoffs) nets the clincher with ten seconds left as Leaf Nation goes insane.

Conn Smythe goes to Phil

 

[Al14]

Step one: make it to the playoffs

Lets not get ahead of ourselves..........

This for sure!

 

[Pyrophorus]

16 wins and games would be the best
I'd even settle for 28 games

The teams don't matter

 

[TootooTrain]

Gotta make it first. Any opponent I'd be happy with.

 

[blue82]

just as the threadstarter picks, if i had my choice i would enjoy eliminating mtl, bos, pit, van