Pre-Game Talk: 2018-19 NHL Playoffs: Potential 1st Round Matchup

[The Macho King]

We are probably going to play a red team

Odds are pretty good.

 

[DFC]

Montreal shutouts the Islanders 4-0.

For about the next hour, our current matchup is vs. Montreal, I believe. But Columbus is in Edmonton, tied, going into the third, so I'm guessing that's gonna change.

 

[Stormbreaker]

For about the next hour, our current matchup is vs. Montreal, I believe. But Columbus is in Edmonton, tied, going into the third, so I'm guessing that's gonna change.

Oilers take the lead early in the 3rd

 

[Stormbreaker]

4-1 Oilers

 

[JoVel]

4-1 Oilers

Looking good for the Habs on the first round.

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[LightningStrikes]

Columbus (86P) 2 points behind current 2nd wild card spot Montreal (88P), but with a game in hand.
Carolina (91P) 3 points ahead of Montreal with a game in hand.

 

[Stormbreaker]

Thursday might determine who's in and who's out

 

[meatwad4343]

i think it's gonna end up being columbus, after thursday against the jackets. the canadiens play the jets, bolts, caps and leafs. that's a brutal stretch to end the year. jackets get the senators, sabers, rangers, bruins and predators. three cupcake games for them .

 

[LightningStrikes]

WC1 Carolina 91P 6GR
WC2 Montreal 90P 5GR
9 Columbus 88P 6GR

 

[Zeus Bojangles]

Carolina's the "happy-to-be-here" team of this year's playoffs, just like NJ was last year. Plus is anyone at all intimidated by their goaltending? I think the 'Canes are the best match-up in terms of getting through the first round as quickly as possible. We all know how those quick early series can help in later rounds.

 

[JayfromNB1219]

Habs please.

Does it matter? short of Pittsburgh and to a lesser degree Carolina you guys absolutely steamroll the first round...if you don't sweep it then there should probably be a tiny bit of worry...that being said your hardest round will probably be the second round winner of Boston/Toronto (as a Leafs fan I fully expect it to be Boston, we are too inconsistent) after that series it's all gravy for you guys...damn it must be nice to have a loaded team that is locked in and plays the system the coach asks!

 

[JoVel]

Does it matter? short of Pittsburgh and to a lesser degree Carolina you guys absolutely steamroll the first round...if you don't sweep it then there should probably be a tiny bit of worry...that being said your hardest round will probably be the second round winner of Boston/Toronto (as a Leafs fan I fully expect it to be Boston, we are too inconsistent) after that series it's all gravy for you guys...damn it must be nice to have a loaded team that is locked in and plays the system the coach asks!

Dude, you're a Leafs fan... you should know how good it feels to beat the Habs.

 

[JayfromNB1219]

Dude, you're a Leafs fan... you should know how good it feels to beat the Habs.

I do haha...I didn't think the hate extended beyond the border though...I thought we were the only ones who get on nerves south of the border lol

 

[JoVel]

I do haha...I didn't think the hate extended beyond the border though...I thought we were the only ones who get on nerves south of the border lol

It's settled down a bit in the past few seasons but whenever you face the same team in back to back playoffs you start to dislike them.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Habs have a brutal final stretch of games. I think it's Columbus or Carolina, although Montreal can buy themselves some cushion if they beat Columbus tonight.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Pointless conversation. We are going to lose anyway

 

[These Are The Days]

Habs have a brutal final stretch of games. I think it's Columbus or Carolina, although Montreal can buy themselves some cushion if they beat Columbus tonight.

They're likely all but done if they don't win tonight. They're already giving up the ROW tiebreaker and the CBJ have an easier schedule ahead. The CBJ aren't completely screwed if they lose this one because there's still plenty of games left and of course said tiebreaker but that exponentially raises expectations of their final games of the season. But odds are it's the first (but probably not the final) nail in the coffin for Montreal if they lose. It's about as "must win" as it gets for them.

I'm very intrigued to see how Bobrovsky holds up to the pressure tonight. If he fails miserably I'm gonna be licking my chops if he and the CBJ squeak in as the #8

 

[These Are The Days]

Carolina's the "happy-to-be-here" team of this year's playoffs, just like NJ was last year. Plus is anyone at all intimidated by their goaltending? I think the 'Canes are the best match-up in terms of getting through the first round as quickly as possible. We all know how those quick early series can help in later rounds.

For the Lightning's sake I'd prefer a 5 or 6 game series to start with should we emerge victorious in round 1. Rest vs Rust is a real thing for them. IF and big "if" we were to sweep our 1st round opponent (again, assuming we win round 1) it is absolutely possible we're gonna get our faces caved in during games 1 and 2 of the 2nd round -especially if it's against Boston. This final stretch of games is going to be very telling of how this team deals with rest. I won't be in the least bit surprised if they are sloppy and uncoordinated. This is a team that needs to play often in order to stay efficient.

We were singing the All-Star Break blues for a week after it ended. If we can't handle this little break here I don't like how this team is gonna deal with rest come postseason

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

For the Lightning's sake I'd prefer a 5 or 6 game series to start with should we emerge victorious in round 1. Rest vs Rust is a real thing for them. IF and big "if" we were to sweep our 1st round opponent (again, assuming we win round 1) it is absolutely possible we're gonna get our faces caved in during games 1 and 2 of the 2nd round -especially if it's against Boston. This final stretch of games is going to be very telling of how this team deals with rest. I won't be in the least bit surprised if they are sloppy and uncoordinated. This is a team that needs to play often in order to stay efficient.

We were singing the All-Star Break blues for a week after it ended. If we can't handle this little break here I don't like how this team is gonna deal with rest come postseason

Besides the fact that I don't think you can allow yourself to think that way as a player or as a coach, I'll just point out that we beat the Devils in 5 last year, faced the Bruins in the second round, despite having a week off to the Bruins' two days of rest...and we beat them in five games as well. Which doesn't entirely refute your point; the Bruins did convincingly win Game 1 after all, but rather just to say that getting too much rest after a round isn't something to worry about. And if you want to point out the Capitals after the second round, the difference in rest there was all of one day; we ended the Bruins series on a Sunday, and the Caps knocked off the Pens the next day. Negligible by comparison if you wanted to go there.

So, to me, it's whatever. Beat the team put in front of you as effectively as you can, hopefully. Hoping for what I'll call "strategic losses" (for lack of better term) is a fools' errand.

Carolina's the "happy-to-be-here" team of this year's playoffs, just like NJ was last year. Plus is anyone at all intimidated by their goaltending? I think the 'Canes are the best match-up in terms of getting through the first round as quickly as possible. We all know how those quick early series can help in later rounds.

More and more I find myself partial to Carolina as well, honestly. Columbus is a good team with mental stumbling blocks, which aren't easy to get over, but if they do, they're dangerous. They had last year's eventual Cup winner on the ropes in the first round, and they have a better roster this year. Out of the Habs, Jackets, and 'Canes, the Jackets are the least desirable for me, by a country mile.

 

[The Macho King]

Watching this game...

...

Tampa in 3. No matter who.

 

[Hockey4Life91]

Montreal is falling apart at the seams. No stucture at all. And that’s all she wrote. 5-2.

 

[These Are The Days]

I selfishly wanted Montreal to succeed

 

[These Are The Days]

CBJ now have a legitimate chance at surpassing CAR. Gonna be a fun last few weeks

 

[AlphaCatalyst]

I selfishly wanted Montreal to succeed

Yeah a good friend of mine is a Montreal fan. I wanted to see his spirit crushed