Speculation: 2019 Off-Season Thread

[These Are The Days]

Capitals look like us when we play the Capitals

Caps just doing Caps things losing game 7 now

 

[Steazy Doo]

Caps just doing Caps things losing game 7 now

It was a really gross loss though. Like, how we played against the Caps in 6 and 7 last year gross. The last three periods were ugly

 

[These Are The Days]

Lmao caps are gone too.

On one hand, we could've had an "easy" route. On the other hand, these teams played with heart.

Ehhh with Boston having been next and potentially the NYI in the ECF that just sucks. Realistically what are the odds the injury bug would have struck us more than it already did?

 

[These Are The Days]

It was a really gross loss though. Like, how we played against the Caps in 6 and 7 last year gross. The last three periods were ugly

Dead puck making a comeback bro

 

[Lightning1995]

I agree with all suggesting the Lightning effort was woefully short of all other teams. Truly disappointing.

Also, I’m amazed at the lack of penalties called. The Lightning core is just not built for this.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Ehhh with Boston having been next and potentially the NYI in the ECF that just sucks. Realistically what are the odds the injury bug would have struck us more than it already did?

I can't subscribe to that line of thinking. At the start of the playoffs, if you'd been told that the Lightning's ECF opponent would've been the Islanders, as opposed to Washington or Pittsburgh, you would've sprinted as fast as you can to the sign-up sheet for that. The Islanders played an impressive first round series against the Penguins; all the credit to them. Really well done and deserved. But if we're going to start thinking "gee whiz I dunno" about the Islanders as a potential playoff opponent, then we were always in more trouble than we realized before the playoffs began, because the Islanders don't have anywhere near the talent this team has. On paper (I know), Lightning/Islanders should've had "Lightning in 5" written all over it. All due respect. And it's one of the many deserved criticisms for the Lightning that they didn't give themselves a chance to have that opportunity.

(And you can switch Islanders out for Hurricanes and much of the same still applies, fwiw.)

 

[Sky04]

Caps could lose in the first round the rest of ovys career and it wouldnt matter, that's what winning one can do for you.

 

[ccman68]

It's kind of depressing watching these playoffs. Hockey is honestly too random of a sport. It's fine when your team isn't that good but when you have a historically good team and still only have a 25% chance to win the cup it's kinda annoying.

 

[Lightning1995]

It's kind of depressing watching these playoffs. Hockey is honestly too random of a sport. It's fine when your team isn't that good but when you have a historically good team and still only have a 25% chance to win the cup it's kinda annoying.

Yep. Seriously what’s the point of the regular season?

The officiating is a big facto. People get away with murder in the playoffs.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Yep. Seriously what’s the point of the regular season?

The officiating is a big facto. People get away with murder in the playoffs.

Two rule books, one for the reg and one for the playoffs and nobody knows why.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Two rule books, one for the reg and one for the playoffs and nobody knows why.

It's the nebulous thinking on the part of referees where they don't want to be the ones who "decide the game", always failing to realize that you're deciding the game as well when you don't call the game by the rules that are in the rulebook.

 

[Todd1a]

Caps could lose in the first round the rest of ovys career and it wouldnt matter, that's what winning one can do for you.

we are the chokers now

 

[JoVel]

It's kind of depressing watching these playoffs. Hockey is honestly too random of a sport. It's fine when your team isn't that good but when you have a historically good team and still only have a 25% chance to win the cup it's kinda annoying.

It's not like outcome of the series was random. It wasn't an even series where a few bounces decided the outcome. We were dominated, Columbus was better in each of the 4 games. If we repeat that series with the same effort and execution from both teams, Columbus wins 9 times out of 10.

I get that you're upset. But don't be angry at the sport and its randomness, that's silly. Be angry at the team that sucked and got dominated in the series.

 

[TampaJay]

It's not like outcome of the series was random. It wasn't an even series where a few bounces decided the outcome. We were dominated, Columbus was better in each of the 4 games. If we repeat that series with the same effort and execution from both teams, Columbus wins 9 times out of 10.

I get that you're upset. But don't be angry at the sport and its randomness, that's silly. Be angry at the team that sucked and got dominated in the series.

I agree that regardless of the two rule books, there is no excuse for getting outworked. If you have the arrogance to think you can get by on talent and don’t put in the effort, you deserve to lose. But the reason to be pissed off about the two rule books is that it directly affects how you build a team and what style of play you choose and what philosophy or team identity you adapt. The team identity the Lightning management and coaching staff has chosen works under one rule book but not under the other. They are too one dimensional and seem to fail to accept the reality that there are two rule books and you need to build a team and have a strategy that can succeed under both.

 

[BeingTheThunder]

I agree that regardless of the two rule books, there is no excuse for getting outworked. If you have the arrogance to think you can get by on talent and don’t put in the effort, you deserve to lose. But the reason to be pissed off about the two rule books is that it directly affects how you build a team and what style of play you choose and what philosophy or team identity you adapt. The team identity the Lightning management and coaching staff has chosen works under one rule book but not under the other. They are too one dimensional and seem to fail to accept the reality that there are two rule books and you need to build a team and have a strategy that can succeed under both.

There is definitely something to the different set of rules from regular season to playoffs making a difference. Take a look at the special team stats from the first round. We only got 6 PP opportunities. That's 1.5 power play opportunities per game. San Jose on the other hand, they had and average of 5 opportunities per game. And that's with that 5 minute major counting as only 1.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't believe that's why we lost. We lost because we had no heart and didn't put in the effort we needed to win. And we allowed Columbus to score 5 goals on their 10 PP opportunities. And Cooper didn't make proper adjustments or properly motivate the boys...the list goes on and on.

I do think we were unfairly penalized because our forwards are on the smaller side and referees were chalking up our guys getting interfered with, hooked, tripped, and so on as just being "playoff hockey". It's a joke to me. The rules should be applied the same way, at all times.

 

[Felonious Python]

I will say that having seen the Solar Bears change from a more Toronto styled game to a skill+grind game in just the last few years has changed the tone of penalties. It felt like the rougher teams committing more penalties weren't getting them, while OSB was getting nailed at every opportunity. Once the team adopted a grittier game, the penalties began to seem fairer.

There's some serious Overton Window action happening with the refs.

 

[Fabiobest]

Justin Williams...
UFA.
2/3 years at 3.5 mln...

I believe in you, Mr. BriseBois.

 

[TampaJay]

From today’s Joe Smith article

“Size is the last of our criteria that we worry about. We don’t want to be the smallest team in the NHL, but we want to have smart, competitive, fast people.” – Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray

 

[God King Fudge]

The reffing in these playoffs have just further highlighted how bad the reffing is in this sport. It's bad enough the calls through the regular season are already inconsistent AF, but when you have a series clinching game completely changed by a bad call and then such a huge penalty difference between teams in different series, it just illustrates an officiating crew that is not on the same page and just calls a game how they prefer it to be played vs calling it to the actual rule book.

 

[God King Fudge]

From today’s Joe Smith article

“Size is the last of our criteria that we worry about. We don’t want to be the smallest team in the NHL, but we want to have smart, competitive, fast people.” – Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray

Which is fine from a scout. He's just saying he's not gonna scoop up a 6'4 220 guy with a 7 skillset over a 5'11 170 guy with an 8 skillset.

As long as the GM of the team builds properly around those guys, which ours haven't really addressed outside of the blueline.

 

[Felonious Python]

Which is fine from a scout. He's just saying he's not gonna scoop up a 6'4 220 guy with a 7 skillset over a 5'11 170 guy with an 8 skillset.

As long as the GM of the team builds properly around those guys, which ours haven't really addressed outside of the blueline.

Al Murray also was Dir. of Amateur Scouting for the LA Kings for like 15 years, so it's a matter of direction.

 

[Todd1a]

Justin Williams...
UFA.
2/3 years at 3.5 mln...

I believe in you, Mr. BriseBois.

no i don't want another old morrow type guy

 

[Felonious Python]

no i don't want another old morrow type guy

But Williams got 100% of the credit for the double-OT goal last night he didn't score.

 

[God King Fudge]

Justin Williams...
UFA.
2/3 years at 3.5 mln...

I believe in you, Mr. BriseBois.

We gotta be able to get to a game 7 for him to be useful.

 

[Felonious Python]

We gotta be able to get to a game 7 for him to be useful.

The problem is that there's 82 of them.

I don't see Williams leaving Carolina now. He chose Carolina when no one expected it, became captain, and he was the catalyst for the Storm Surge. He's Mr. Hurricane at the moment.