2020 Stanley Cup Final: Dallas Stars vs Tampa Bay Lightning | TBL leads 2-1

[Aoko]

throwing out excuses already? I believe the official excuse is "fatigue factor"

Every fan does it.

If it's not because they're fatigued, it's because your team is missing players to injury.
If it's not that, then it's the refs.
If it's not that, then it's something else. There are infinite excuses.

Dallas outplayed Tampa game 1 in every way. Simple as that. Like Cooper said, game 1's are feeler games. I like to think that Tampa will adjust their game and get better as the series progresses.

I said the series will go to seven so I'm not surprised at all by Game 1. It is just one game though, so they just have to shake it off and get on with the series.

 

[flying squirrel]

"Each time, the Lightening have one to blame but themselves"

and the Hawks, Pens, Caps, and Jackets of course.

"This is the biggest hurtle facing this Lightning bunch and if they can't find a way to sink their opportunities against solid playoff teams. They'll come up short again, period!!!!!"

Maybe I should've listed all those "solid playoffs teams" by individual names, but I figured everyone could fill in all those teams names themselves. Some folks reading comprehension just can't fill in the needed information themselves, so thanks for helping them out......... Anyways, I stand by what I pointed out in previous post.

 

[c9777666]

People want to excuse the fatigue factor, but....

Even if TB had closed out NYI in 5 games, the Cup Finals was apparently going to start on Thursday so it's not like they would have had any more/less rest had they finished them off earlier.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

People want to excuse the fatigue factor, but....

Even if TB had closed out NYI in 5 games, the Cup Finals was apparently going to start on Thursday so it's not like they would have had any more/less rest had they finished them off earlier.

Dallas is more rested due to the extra days off.

 

[AndreRoy]

Not worth of own thread?

I love your insight. I will definitely watch game 2 closer if Heiskanen indeed is shadowing Point.

Unfortunately it’s not the matchup it would have been if Point were healthy. His skating in game 1 was a shadow of what it usually is.

And without Stamkos or an effective Point all Dallas has to do is keep Kucherov on the perimeter and clog passing lanes to shut down his line. If the Bolts don’t start getting some secondary scoring this is going to be a very short series.

 

[KuchieKooRov]

People want to excuse the fatigue factor, but....

Even if TB had closed out NYI in 5 games, the Cup Finals was apparently going to start on Thursday so it's not like they would have had any more/less rest had they finished them off earlier.

Tampa would have played one less game, so the wear/tear would have been less (i.e. Cirelli almost lost a kneecap in game 6). Its not always just about the rest, it is also a war of attrition out there.

 

[Aoko]

Dallas is more rested due to the extra days off.

More rest can also equal rustiness though. Whereas some teams that won a game 7 hypothetically could still be in that mindset that they need to be desperate and win.

It's all a crap shoot. Now they're on equal footing. Thing is, Stamkos is close to coming back. They're teasing that he "could" play game 2 (doubt it). I think he returns for game 3. But again, rustiness.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

More rest can also equal rustiness though. Whereas some teams that won a game 7 hypothetically could still be in that mindset that they need to be desperate and win.

It's all a crap shoot. Now they're on equal footing. Thing is, Stamkos is close to coming back. They're teasing that he "could" play game 2 (doubt it). I think he returns for game 3. But again, rustiness.

With Seguin hurting and the games they played being very taxing, the rest is worth it for the Stars.
Rust starts to build up on long layoffs. Given how game 1 was played, didn't seem like there was rust for the Stars.

Brayden Point has a target on his body though.

 

[LT]

The Stars earned that rest by closing out their series sooner.

Seguin looked a lot better. His shot actually looked dangerous for the first time all playoffs. He was a weapon on the PP again.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

The Stars earned that rest by closing out their series sooner.

To be fair to Tampa, winning the ECF in 6 games and getting punished for it is the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

 

[c9777666]

To be fair to Tampa, winning the ECF in 6 games and getting punished for it is the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

I can't recall the last time a team had one day off before the Cup Finals.

In past years, if a team(s) went 7 games in the conference finals, they'd have 2 days off.

I feel it might have been fair to start the SCF on Monday. They're playing game 2 tomorrow, why not game 1? Both DAL/TB have played SCF game 1's on Monday (2000 and 2004, respectively)

 

[Nihiliste]

It’ll be pretty funny if TBL doesn’t win this after so many years of being an elite team but I would feel pretty bad for their fans

 

[Dr Pepper]

To be fair to Tampa, winning the ECF in 6 games and getting punished for it is the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

How exactly were they punished?

In the second round they steamrolled the Bruins in five and had the same advantage in taking on a tired Isles team.....they were off a full week, I think, or close to it, between games.

Dallas, by virtue of getting past Vegas so quickly, was given the same rest period - although the Isles did em a favour by prolonging the series of course.

Just saying there's some similarities there. Dallas's break between Game 5 and Game 1 was their longest since entering the bubble. And it looks like they took full advantage, even if they didn't lay 8 goals on Tampa lol. I doubt anyone expected that.

Hey, had the Bolts won their series in five games as well, maybe Game 1 wouldve played out differently.

Maybe not.

 

[Sgooter]

I believe having two days off before the SCF should have been built into the playoff schedule. That said, in a "normal" playoff season one of those two days off is actually a travel day for the visiting team, which could be an all-day, not-so-restful journey between the Panthers and Oilers.

 

[Benneguin]

I'm confused, does Tampa frequently lose games when they only have one day off and their oponent had more?

Edit to add: Had the roles been reversed but Tampa still loses would the reason be they were rusty for having too many days off?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

How exactly were they punished?

By being the first team ever in the history of the NHL to go into a SCF series, with a B2B in it, on a 1 day rest?

I don't even put the first game completely on energy, Dallas has a good chance winning that game either way just like they did the previous 2 series. The worst is probably to come down the line once (if) we get to the B2B then 3in4 and 4in6. That's really when the proper rest Dallas got pays dividend and they can wear the Bolts down.

I don't buy a single argument as to why both teams who have gone through the journey of multiple playoff rounds don't deserve a proper rest going into the freaking stanley cup finals. There's never been this concept that taking care of the conference finals one game earlier than the other team buys you multiple days of rest and the other team doesn't get the same.

And heck, i don't really care who wins but if i had to choose i'd like to see the Stars win. But come on.

I don't always agree with how they do scheduling in the earlier rounds, but at least it's been the same in a normal season too. Just like when the Jets had to deal with the Preds in 7 then only had a day off going into a series with Vegas couple years ago. But never do they do that for the finals. That same year when Vegas beat the Jets in 5 and Caps took all 7 games against the Bolts, Washington still got 4 days off for the finals. Tampa gets it done in 6 and cant even get 2 days.

I realize that they don't want to keep the bubble going any longer than they have to so both teams on long layoffs was unrealistic. But the NHL should've looked at the situation and tell themselves does this give us the best finals if we throw a B2B in there and give Tampa or any team for that matter 1 day to reset after 2 OT games? Doesn't take a genious to say that's probably not a good idea and yet they still do it. It's infuriating what this league does sometimes.

 

[LT]

The depth charts are playing huge roles here too.

Tampa has a better top 10 forwards than anyone in the league. But beyond that, they have guys who are barely NHLers right now. Their top 3 lines are playing 20 minutes a game, typically.

Dallas has 13 (and possibly more) forwards we’re comfortable with playing for 15 minutes a game.

That extra 5 minutes per game builds up over time - we’re looking at almost 2 extra games worth of playing time for Tampa’s stars vs. Dallas’.

Tampa also has so many long OT games that have piled up even more ice time for their players. Couple that with the injuries and it makes for a group that is going to be tired.

Everyone knew going into the bubble it was going to move quickly - there would be less time for rest but in return, there’s virtually no travel (except once from bubble to bubble). If teams want rest, they needed to close their series out ASAP. Everything else is out of their hands.

Fatigue and injuries play a role in every playoffs, and this one is no different, it’s just a matter of it being a different setting and them occurring in a different way. There are excuses every year and this is no different, but let’s not pretend like teams are getting the short end of the stick this year in a way they wouldn’t any other year. There are pros and cons that probably come pretty close to balancing everything out.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

The depth charts are playing huge roles here too.

Tampa has a better top 10 forwards than anyone in the league. But beyond that, they have guys who are barely NHLers right now. Their top 3 lines are playing 20 minutes a game, typically.

Dallas has 13 (and possibly more) forwards we’re comfortable with playing for 15 minutes a game.

That extra 5 minutes per game builds up over time - we’re looking at almost 2 extra games worth of playing time for Tampa’s stars vs. Dallas’.

Tampa also has so many long OT games that have piled up even more ice time for their players. Couple that with the injuries and it makes for a group that is going to be tired.

Everyone knew going into the bubble it was going to move quickly - there would be less time for rest but in return, there’s virtually no travel (except once from bubble to bubble). If teams want rest, they needed to close their series out ASAP. Everything else is out of their hands.

Fatigue and injuries play a role in every playoffs, and this one is no different, it’s just a matter of it being a different setting and them occurring in a different way. There are excuses every year and this is no different, but let’s not pretend like teams are getting the short end of the stick this year in a way they wouldn’t any other year. There are pros and cons that probably come pretty close to balancing everything out.

I think that's actually a great point.

That 11/7 has worked well for Tampa, but watching game 1 it was clear in the first 2 periods that they really could've used a 4th line that created energy for them. Instead they have 11 forwards and Pat Maroon who skated as fast as my grandpa.

Stamkos can help with this as well as on the PP so it should be interesting what he does for the team if and when he comes back at some point.

My bet is Dallas wins game 2 then Stammer comes back for game 3 whether he's 100% ready or not.

 

[DFC]

I think it comes down to Brayden Point. In the series against CBJ, and the series against NYI, he was our only forward who could consistently cut into traffic and get the puck to a high danger area. With him playing injured, we are unfortunately the same perimeter team that struggles against shell defenses.

All the talk about TB's added size is about 85% false narrative. The real difference in this year's playoffs has been our 1C finding ways to create offense against defense-first coaches, which we haven't had in the past (...sorry, Stammer). Well, Point's skating at about 60% right now, and he's a lot easier to shut down. So somebody's gonna have to step up.

 

[Sentinel]

I can't recall the last time a team had one day off before the Cup Finals.

Detroit - Pittsburgh 2009. Cost us the Cup.

 

[BMOK33]

I can't recall the last time a team had one day off before the Cup Finals.

In past years, if a team(s) went 7 games in the conference finals, they'd have 2 days off.

I feel it might have been fair to start the SCF on Monday. They're playing game 2 tomorrow, why not game 1? Both DAL/TB have played SCF game 1's on Monday (2000 and 2004, respectively)

Yeah, the only time you only see one off day is after the QF or semis. If you go 7 in either one of those series you'll generally start the next series two days later. I think its been more than 2 days following the conference finals. I've seen cases recently where both go 7 in the conference finals and its 3-4-5 days til the cup final starts.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Yeah, the only time you only see one off day is after the QF or semis. If you go 7 in either one of those series you'll generally start the next series two days later. I think its been more than 2 days following the conference finals. I've seen cases recently where both go 7 in the conference finals and its 3-4-5 days til the cup final starts.

Really?

Wow.

Please find an example of the NHL scheduling a five day break between playoff rounds, because I'd love to see it.

 

[T REX]

This ish is getting way over the top.

It's not an insult to the Stars that the Lightning experienced fatigue. It's not an excuse.

It just is...lose the stupid chip on your shoulder please.

 

[Dr Pepper]

This ish is getting way over the top.

It's not an insult to the Stars that the Lightning experienced fatigue. It's not an excuse.

It just is...lose the stupid chip on your shoulder please.

If you'd like to chalk up the Game 1 loss to "fatigue", that's fine.

Most Stars fans are happy with how the game went, and if Tampa ramps up the energy in Game 2 I'm sure Dallas will be ready.

 

[Merrrlin]

Stamkos coming back could be a really great storyline. Fingers crossed. Still can't believe Tampa rolled Boston and NYI without him.