GDT: 2013/14 Out of Town PLAYOFFS - Stan Chistov Lucky #13 Edition

[JRull86]

Philly might be tough; but they always beat the Rangers.

Let's hope Philly can win 2 in a row; but my guy says it'll be the Rangers.

I said prior to that series that the Rangers need to win it in 6 or fewer if they want to win. Philly in a game 7 just isn't a team I'd want to see if I was the Rangers.

Really depends on which Steve Mason shows up.

 

[Greek_physique]

I said prior to that series that the Rangers need to win it in 6 or fewer if they want to win. Philly in a game 7 just isn't a team I'd want to see if I was the Rangers.

Really depends on which Steve Mason shows up.

Philly in there last 20 games at MSG have only won 1 game I believe; mind you it was game 2; I just don't have confidence in them winning another one there.

 

[Shoebottom]

Back on topic, how tightly do you think the Sharks are gripping their sticks right now?

Wonder if Jumbo Joe even knows/cares its gonna be game 7?

 

[Artemis]

Back on topic, how tightly do you think the Sharks are gripping their sticks right now?

Did McLellan give a reason for benching Niemi? Is he hurt/ill? I mean, he wasn't standing on his head, but it's not like they needed him to. Until the last game, the Sharks weren't having any trouble scoring. Seems like such a strange move, with the odds of it backfiring very high.

 

[JRull86]

Philly in there last 20 games at MSG have only won 1 game I believe; mind you it was game 2; I just don't have confidence in them winning another one there.

Oh I know histroically the Flyers have been horrendous in taht building recently, but there's just something about that Philly team I wouldn't want to mess with dealing with in a winner take all game.

 

[JRull86]

Did McLellan give a reason for benching Niemi? Is he hurt/ill? I mean, he wasn't standing on his head, but it's not like they needed him to. Until the last game, the Sharks weren't having any trouble scoring. Seems like such a strange move, with the odds of it backfiring very high.

Wasn't particuarly good. I still wouldn't have benched him, but I can at least see the reasoning. Regardless, he's managed to create a goalie controversy when there was no reason to have one in the first place.

Sharks are either going to come out and kill LA tomorrow, or lose. If that game is close, my feeling is LA wins.

 

[Greek_physique]

If you're the Sharks, who do you start?

Your number 1 goalie who got benched in the biggest game of the year or a rookie goalie?

McLennan is at fault IMO. He didn't name his starting goalie before the playoffs started and waited until game 1. Showed no confidence in Niemi.

 

[Shoebottom]

Did McLellan give a reason for benching Niemi? Is he hurt/ill? I mean, he wasn't standing on his head, but it's not like they needed him to. Until the last game, the Sharks weren't having any trouble scoring. Seems like such a strange move, with the odds of it backfiring very high.

Two reasons I know of: Niemi was shaky and w/o Vlasic they needed solid goaltending, and they also had to play Stalock (who was the better goalie in regular season) so that he wouldn't become an UFA next season ( some kind of clause).

 

[member 96824]

Stalock isn't chopped liver, had a 1.87, .932 in the regular season...but certainly putting him in seemed to be a panic move. Will be interesting to see who gets the call

 

[smithformeragent]

If you're the Sharks, who do you start?

Your number 1 goalie who got benched in the biggest game of the year or a rookie goalie?

McLennan is at fault IMO. He didn't name his starting goalie before the playoffs started and waited until game 1. Showed no confidence in Niemi.

Niemi

 

[patty59]

Niemi

I agree, you have to go with your #1 since Stalock didn't get the W in G6

 

[smithformeragent]

Shame on both St. Louis and San Jose for letting their foot off the snake.

There's zero margin for error when dealing with elite teams who have won. If you get a series lead on them, you have to clamp down and finish the job early.

 

[Greek_physique]

This reaks of the Vancouver Canucks situation when they played Chicago in the playoffs.

Luongo, then Schneider in game 6 in Chicago, then back to Luongo for Game 7.

 

[Greek_physique]

Shame on both St. Louis and San Jose for letting their foot off the snake.

There's zero margin for error when dealing with elite teams who have won. If you get a series lead on them, you have to clamp down and finish the job early.

No excuse for SJ; they were scoring so many goals on LA; Quick was horrible and then they took there foot off the gas.

At least with St.Louis, they ran into too many injuries and were only up 2-0. Chicago at home is a different beast; they regained the momentum after game 4 and never looked back.

Toews just took over.

 

[rkwittem]

Toews just took over.

You have to smack him around and run him a few times. That's how I'd deal with them. Worked for the Blackhawks against the Blues. Get Backes out of there, St. Louis' offense crumbled. Attack them where it hurts. I am by no means advocating injuring one of their key players but you have to ratchet up the physicality in a huge way.
Same line of thinking applies to Sharp (remember how mad he got about a hip check by Boychuk last year? Pathetic.), Hossa (another player I will NEVER like or respect. Pick a team.), and obviously Kane. The Hawks don't have a single guy that will hold us accountable physically. Seabrook can't afford to because he will lose a whole series next time. Keith doesn't scare Thornton.

Let's just worry about getting there first....we still have to beat another team I despise.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Correct. Toews scored a shorty with around 2 minutes left in the game to tie, only to lose 2-1 in OT. Knowing what we know about the Canucks now, how VAN won that game after a late goal against is beyond me.

^
Chris Campoli is horrendous hockey player

 

[Fossy21]

http://web.stagram.com/p/709045151000127048_198321240

http://web.stagram.com/p/709032479424263046_173874875

Love Benn's face.

 

[Swervin81]

Going into it, I remember still being positive.

Then we went up 3-0 in the 1st period and my friends and I started looking at ECF ticket prices (do not do this).

Then they scored on that fluuuuuuukey ass goal by JVR to make it 3-1 at the end of the first, and I just knew. I didn't say anything, but I knew in my heart that there was a good chance they were going to blow it. Then that flukey ass goal from Briere, and I really knew we had no shot.

It sucked, but my rationale was if they were going to blow a lead like that, have a collapse like that, even with their myriad of injuries, they didn't deserve to be there in the first place anyway. That was not a Cup caliber team. For me the loss to the inferior Hurricanes the year before was worse, I felt like that was a potential Cup contender at the time.

I will say though, sweeping the Flyers, and then finishing it by winning the Cup the very next year, completely erased it. It caused the Flyers to completely blow up their core, which was a bad move in my mind. Ask the Flyers fans if they'd like to swap roles with us, have them have the collapse but win the Cup the next year vs having that comeback and not winning anything. They'd take that trade 101/100 times.

The Toronto fan in me felt the same thing when Horton scored to make it 4-2 with just under 11 to play in game 7 last year. When that happened, I just knew they were gonna blow it. In my heart, I just knew there was no way the Leafs would win at that point and that there was no way anyone could convince me otherwise. It's so helpless because you know in your heart they will blow it, you know a lot of the people who are riding high will crash down to earth, and the worst part is that there's nothing you can do about it. That still didn't prevent me from getting emotional and turning into a wreck for the next month and turning my room into a debris field. We both went through once in a generation sports meltdowns that could scar you for life, but at least you were vindicated the next year with a cup, as you said (and I wanted the Bruins to pummel the Canucks into the ice. Seeing the Canucks squirm brought a smile to my face, and I was glad the Bruins thoroughly disposed of them).

I know the Sharks went through a similar situation in 2011 against Detroit (won three, lost three, except won game 7) and heading into game 7, I wasn't as scared, because I thought we had been actually playing well in those three losses, and being a lot less invested in the Sharks and I wasn't on HF at the time, so yeah.

 

[Swervin81]

^
Chris Campoli is horrendous hockey player

I actually met Chris Campoli once because his mother was the secretary at my school back in grade 8 (So 5 years ago). This was back when he was with the Islanders. I remember bringing up that OT winner when he scored, but the puck went through the netting so nobody noticed and then he got the puck back and scored again, and this time it counted. He kinda laughed it off

 

[Shaun]

http://web.stagram.com/p/709045151000127048_198321240

http://web.stagram.com/p/709032479424263046_173874875

Love Benn's face.

he must be in tears since daisy buchanans is closing.

probably wishes he was still here too.

 

[Fossy21]

I actually met Chris Campoli once because his mother was the secretary at my school back in grade 8 (So 5 years ago). This was back when he was with the Islanders. I remember bringing up that OT winner when he scored, but the puck went through the netting so nobody noticed and then he got the puck back and scored again, and this time it counted. He kinda laughed it off

Against Fredrik Norrena of the Blue Jackets no less. I remember that, because Norrena played for my SHL team before and after his NHL years, and because not many have scored twice in the same OT.

 

[Fossy21]

he must be in tears since daisy buchanans is closing.

probably wishes he was still here too.

Had to google that, on a list of the 25 douchiest bars in Boston, it's 24th. He can do better.

 

[smithformeragent]

New thread is up

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?p=84314669#post84314669