Post-Game Talk: 2021 NHL Playoffs - Round 2: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes

[DFC]

lol, Erik Cernak has 6 assists in 10 games while primarily in a shut down role.

 

[The Gongshow]

lol, Erik Cernak has 6 assists in 10 games while primarily in a shut down role.

and yet I still think he's underrated

maybe not by us fans but this guy is so damn good and his offensive abilities have improved this past year.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

It's also why I still think, no matter how this year turns out, that it would be extremely risky to expose McDonagh in the expansion draft. I understand his contract, but you can't put a price on having a legitimate shutdown D-pairing like McD and Cernak come this time of the season. And I'm not inclined to think McDonagh is going to age poorly, either. I see no reason to think he won't be an effective player through 2025, when his NMC expires.

 

[LightningStrikes]

lol, Erik Cernak has 6 assists in 10 games while primarily in a shut down role.

He’s having a monster season so far.

 

[Felonious Python]

News not relevant for Carolina.

 

[DaBolts]

News not relevant for Carolina.

 

[BoltzManConstant]

Yeah, but the Caps most definitely had us figured out.

In games 4 and 5?

 

[CupsOverCash]

In games 4 and 5?

I don't know how others saw it but i thought it was similar to the pens series in that we aren't on the same planet as these team but we are winning and have a chance to close it out. Games 6 and 7 basically confirmed what I was feeling. Funny how similar the two series were for me.

 

[Sky04]

Again, you said "Washington vs Tampa where the other team just had you figured out at 4 games". We won games 3, 4 and 5. I can't know what you think happened in game 4 and later, but it certainly wasn't the Caps "just figuring us out". We got two of our three wins in that span.

We also had 2 shutout losses in that span but ok Mr. Semantics.

 

[Sky04]

Yeah, but the Caps most definitely had us figured out. Even though it was a seven game series, it felt like we needed a lucky break to win. We got breaks, and then we didn't.

I think the most impressive thing about this year and last year is it looks like Cooper has really grown as a coach. But at the time, he had no answer for Trotz other than to hope our stars could break through.

The Pittsburgh and Washington series was Tampa holding on by a thread too, they were dominated 5v5 in both series and won games by opportunistic counter attacks. Cooper has improved but the roster/team is much better at ES as well, it's why they were so dominant last year, felt like the game was in control at all times. Noteworthy that we didn't need a game 7 at all last year or any in the last 5 rounds when we had at least 1 in 15',16, and 17'.

 

[BoltzManConstant]

We also had 2 shutout losses in that span but ok Mr. Semantics.

Still don't know what you think you remember from that series, but "like Washington vs Tampa where the other team just had you figured out at 4 games" just ain't how it played out.

 

[Sky04]

Still don't know what you think you remember from that series, but "like Washington vs Tampa where the other team just had you figured out at 4 games" just ain't how it played out.

You're right it was after 5 games not 4, you win the semantics battle!

The point was they got solved at the end of the series and lost despite having the lead but let's ignore that and nitpick semantics, so, do you not see similarity between that series and leafs or are you just being purposely difficult?

 

[The Gongshow]

It's also why I still think, no matter how this year turns out, that it would be extremely risky to expose McDonagh in the expansion draft. I understand his contract, but you can't put a price on having a legitimate shutdown D-pairing like McD and Cernak come this time of the season. And I'm not inclined to think McDonagh is going to age poorly, either. I see no reason to think he won't be an effective player through 2025, when his NMC expires.

Agreed. I'm not moving McD. He's apart of the core tbh. Huge on the PK, wears the A, a true shutdown guy (along with Cernak) who can provide offence as well at times.

I'm eating that contract. Our top 4 D is easily one of, if no the, best in the league.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

If we had this PP in the playoffs last year we might have gone 16-0 lol

 

[Stammertime91]

Nice to see Colorado is coming back down to earth!

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Colorado isn't that far from potentially being down 3-1 in this series. Las Vegas has been the better team the last three games. Even if they fail to win this series, at least they've provided something of a blueprint and at least worn them down a little bit. Then again, whoever wins this series should (in theory) basically be getting a free ticket into the SCF by facing the Habs, so how much they'll actually be worn down remains to be seen.

 

[Stammertime91]

Imagine us vs Montreal in the finals lmao

 

[StaySalty]

Imagine us vs Montreal in the finals lmao

I would love that

 

[Sky04]

Nice to see Colorado is coming back down to earth!

Courtesy of JAM

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Courtesy of JAM

The original Verhaeghe blunder. Not that I blame him for leaving; I'll always blame Cooper for not giving him more opportunities when he clearly showed he was up to standard when he filled in during an injury crisis.

That was the year @Hoek did the "this is fine" avatar theme and I chose the "Marchessault scratched again!" version, for that very reason.

 

[NatoGhost]

and yet I still think he's underrated

maybe not by us fans but this guy is so damn good and his offensive abilities have improved this past year.

I listened to a Spittin Chicklets episode this week and they barely know who Cernak is. They think we reinserted him in the lineup like he's our 7th defenseman. Entertaining episode though with a great story from Torrey Mitchell. Episode 336. Anyways these guys are clueless about the Bolts. If i used twitter I'd try to set them straight.

 

[Coopers Gum]

I listened to a Spittin Chicklets episode this week and they barely know who Cernak is. They think we reinserted him in the lineup like he's our 7th defenseman. Entertaining episode though with a great story from Torrey Mitchell. Episode 336. Anyways these guys are clueless about the Bolts. If i used twitter I'd try to set them straight.

I don’t listen to the show but I catch their highlights on Instagram. The bolts are never ever ever ever mentioned. Not two years ago, not last year, not this year.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

The original Verhaeghe blunder. Not that I blame him for leaving; I'll always blame Cooper for not giving him more opportunities when he clearly showed he was up to standard when he filled in during an injury crisis.

That was the year @Hoek did the "this is fine" avatar theme and I chose the "Marchessault scratched again!" version, for that very reason.

I remember going to a game against the Panthers back in the day and Cooper scratched Drouin for some callup named Jonathan Audy-Marchessault. I almost lost my mind.

In hindsight... Probably the right call.

 

[Hoek]

I don't know how others saw it but i thought it was similar to the pens series in that we aren't on the same planet as these team but we are winning and have a chance to close it out. Games 6 and 7 basically confirmed what I was feeling. Funny how similar the two series were for me.

Both series we got destroyed 5v5 and only won 3 games on Vasi's heroics and the power play coming through. And yet people still held those series against Vasi somehow...

 

[Hoek]

Imagine us vs Montreal in the finals lmao

Yeah I know it should be "easy" for Colorado or Vegas, but who's to say they don't get goalied by Price? I haven't been watching too closely other than the Leafs collapse, but they're obviously doing SOMETHING right over there.