Post-Game Talk: 2021 NHL Playoffs - Round 3: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders

[bodi]

This is a season to forget. Played against 7 different teams only plus Islanders so far.

 

[Antiramie]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

There's definitely going to be a lot of doubt about whether it was a success if we lose 2 or 3 straight to lose the series.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

It won't be a success but we ain't out of it yet

 

[LightningStrikes]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

I’d say it is. We got into the playoffs without our best player, who could be argued is the best player in the world, and had several injuries along the way to other key players as well. A CF exit with at least two wins isn’t too shabby. We eliminated two of the hottest and most promising teams in the entire league as well.

That said it’s not over yet. We’ve got a best of 3 series!

 

[DFC]

I just mean, we look back at two particular 3rd round exits as massive failures/chokes. I really don't feel that vibe this year.

 

[Rschmitz]

Anything but multiple championships from this group I think can be considered a failure of expectations.

 

[DFC]

Anything but multiple championships from this group I think can be considered a failure of expectations.

There's so much luck involved in that though. And we're going to be a contender for a while yet, even when we take a step back next year.

 

[Antiramie]

I just don't see how you could view being knocked out by the team you eliminated in 6 in the same round the previous year as a success.

It's literally a regression.

And no, not winning the Cup I don't necessarily view as a step back. But a team you had success against figuring out a way to beat you is.

 

[Rschmitz]

There's so much luck involved in that though. And we're going to be a contender for a while yet, even when we take a step back next year.

Agreed, that's why I wish there would be more urgency because all it takes is one bad bounce in these games or a missed call and that'll decide the outcome. I felt like many postseason games last year we took the refs and bounces completely out of it, and completely dominated, I hope we flip that switch soon.

 

[Coopers Gum]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

I’d say no. Even the players are saying after each loss to this team, it’s not them, it’s us.

We are shooting ourselves in the foot with every loss not just this series but this playoffs. This team should win this series no problem. But they keep f***ing it up.

 

[DFC]

Agreed, that's why I wish there would be more urgency because all it takes is one bad bounce in these games or a missed call and that'll decide the outcome. I felt like many postseason games last year we took the refs and bounces completely out of it, and completely dominated, I hope we flip that switch soon.

I think that even though we CAN win playing a Trotz type game, we're just not as good at it. And sometimes we can just get really out of sorts for stretches, trying to play that way, especially if we don't have the lead. I think sometimes we try to clamp down too soon, rather than going for the throat, and it looks like complacency when really it's a strategy gone wrong.

I think a lot of last year was about Hedman having one of the best post-seasons I've ever personally seen. Better than any Lidstrom had, for instance. We have 85% of Hedman this year, which is still a great defenseman, but we're not quite in that "We don't even have to worry" mode that we were in last year while bulldozing our way to a cup.

 

[BoltzManConstant]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

I'd call it a push, neither success nor failure.

But if you're limiting to just one or the other, then I'd put it in the success bin.

It's still more likely than not that we will win this series, though. Not by a lot, but still.

 

[DFC]

I'd call it a push, neither success nor failure.

But if you're limiting to just one or the other, then I'd put it in the success bin.

It's still more likely than not that we will win this series, though. Not by a lot, but still.

Yeah I don't think success was the right word. But over any two season span, if you have a cup and a final 4, it's hard to look at that as a failure.

 

[Rschmitz]

I think that even though we CAN win playing a Trotz type game, we're just not as good at it. And sometimes we can just get really out of sorts for stretches, trying to play that way, especially if we don't have the lead. I think sometimes we try to clamp down too soon, rather than going for the throat, and it looks like complacency when really it's a strategy gone wrong.

I think a lot of last year was about Hedman having one of the best post-seasons I've ever personally seen. Better than any Lidstrom had, for instance. We have 85% of Hedman this year, which is still a great defenseman, but we're not quite in that "We don't even have to worry" mode that we were in last year while bulldozing our way to a cup.

Agreed about the going for the throat, the team keeps talking about needing to be patient but it's not been easy to change our aggressive style to win that way. When we've been aggressive, I feel like we are getting a lot of chances, we just have to capitalize on those chances because turnovers(from not being patient) have ended up in the back of the net. Varlamov has been really tough to crack.

 

[The Gongshow]

There's so much luck involved in that though. And we're going to be a contender for a while yet, even when we take a step back next year.

It might be a bigger step than we all think. None of us know what JBB will do but knew HAS to be cleared this offseason no matter what. Many names will be gone or traded. Kids are gonna have to fill gaps ans our depth won't be what it was last year and this year.

All part of the game. We still have our core and will/should be a top team for a few more season, depending on these important moves of course

But considering the core it would be such a disappointment to only get the one. Still very thankful for that one though!

 

[DFC]

It might be a bigger step than we all think. None of us know what JBB will do but knew HAS to be cleared this offseason no matter what. Many names will be gone or traded. Kids are gonna have to fill gaps ans our depth won't be what it was last year and this year.

All part of the game. We still have our core and will/should be a top team for a few more season, depending on these important moves of course

But considering the core it would be such a disappointment to only get the one. Still very thankful for that one though!

Yeah, but our core will still be our core. We're losing the complementary players, and they're all forwards. It will be a step back from clear cup favorites to legit contender, which is a big step back, but definitely doesn't take us out of cup discussions.

I mean:

1. Kucherov
2. Point
3. Stamkos

1. Hedman
2. McDonagh (probably)
3. Cernak
3a. Sergachev

1. Vasilevskiy

As long as the rest of the team is remotely adequate, those guys can win a cup. Maybe they need a few breaks along the way, but that just puts us in a tier with other contenders rather than having a tier to ourselves.

 

[Antiramie]

Yeah, but our core will still be our core. We're losing the complementary players, and they're all forwards. It will be a step back from clear cup favorites to legit contender, which is a big step back, but definitely doesn't take us out of cup discussions.

I mean:

1. Kucherov
2. Point
3. Stamkos

1. Hedman
2. McDonagh (probably)
3. Cernak
3a. Sergachev

1. Vasilevskiy

As long as the rest of the team is remotely adequate, those guys can win a cup. Maybe they need a few breaks along the way, but that just puts us in a tier with other contenders rather than having a tier to ourselves.

Stamkos is part of our core in name only. He's almost a net negative in the playoffs at this point for what he's being paid.

Losing McD would hurt the most. I think that would put a big dent in our chances of winning another Cup if he ends up in Seattle.

Likely losing Coleman is going to hurt too.

Everyone else we might lose in the offseason is replaceable IMO.

 

[DFC]

Stamkos is part of our core in name only. He's almost a net negative in the playoffs at this point for what he's being paid.

Losing McD would hurt the most. I think that would put a big dent in our chances of winning another Cup if he ends up in Seattle.

Likely losing Coleman is going to hurt too.

Everyone else we might lose in the offseason is replaceable IMO.

Yeah, it will hurt, but I don't think it's the difference between us going from a powerhouse favorite to not even a contender. And there's room for JBB to work some magic.

Agreed on Stamkos, as much as it hurts to say it. I really believe he's played some of his best ever regular season hockey over the last few years, but the playoffs are still a huge issue for him. At least when we're up against a team determined to shut us down.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

It would feel like a failure to me. With the cap crunch we have coming up, we're probably not going to have as good a roster moving forward after this season. Not that they can't win another Cup, but it's going to get more difficult. And if they don't win another Cup, this core goes down not having been a failure (you can't be a failure if you did win a Cup), but they certainly will have gone down as underachievers.

Losing to a better team is not a flaw, but we have the better roster between these two teams. Barring a sudden injury barrage that makes things impossible, we should not be ok losing to the Islanders, with absolutely all due respect to them. We should not be ok losing to a team that's not as good as ours.

I just mean, we look back at two particular 3rd round exits as massive failures/chokes. I really don't feel that vibe this year.

Because we haven't taken a 3-2 lead and lost Games 6 and 7 yet. There's still time for that to happen.

 

[Hoek]

If we lose this series, is the season a success? I kind of feel like it is. I mean, obviously losing is never a success, but I don't think a 3rd round loss has the same sting after a cup win. And this Isles team, with Trotz behind the bench, is legit.

Success sounds weird. I would say it's not a disaster or failure any more, per se. Repeating is not something to expect.

Once we beat the Panthers in the first round, it's kind of been gravy to me. Just didn't want that first meeting with them to be an embarrassing loss.

 

[DFC]

It would feel like a failure to me. With the cap crunch we have coming up, we're probably not going to have as good a roster moving forward after this season. Not that they can't win another Cup, but it's going to get more difficult. And if they don't win another Cup, this core goes down not having been a failure (you can't be a failure if you did win a Cup), but they certainly will have gone down as underachievers.

Losing to a better team is not a flaw, but we have the better roster between these two teams. Barring a sudden injury barrage that makes things impossible, we should not be ok losing to the Islanders, with absolutely all due respect to them. We should not be ok losing to a team that's not as good as ours.

I just don't think there's a post-original six team that would be deemed underachievers for not winning back-to-backs. I think that's too much to realistically expect from any team in a sport like this where, no matter how good you are, you're never a favorite against the field.

 

[The Gongshow]

Stamkos is part of our core in name only. He's almost a net negative in the playoffs at this point for what he's being paid.

Losing McD would hurt the most. I think that would put a big dent in our chances of winning another Cup if he ends up in Seattle.

Likely losing Coleman is going to hurt too.

Everyone else we might lose in the offseason is replaceable IMO.

Stamkos is still a PPG regular season player who provides up offence to get us some needed wins the in the regular season, while regular season doesn't matter we still gotta get into the post season.

Playoffs he's just never been able to elevate the team, but he brings leadership and at least can be useful on the PP (which was great the first two rounds).

Losing McDonagh would hurt the most. People don't seem to realize how important this guy is. Besides the obvious Vasy and Point (Kuch as well with his 22 points but man he tends to take games off a lot, still a great playoff performer though), McDonagh has easily been one of our best players. Shutdown guy, PK guy, leadership, blocks a ton of shots. Cap isn't terrible, but I get its a tad high.

The way Serg has been playing these playoffs and injured Hedman I doubt we are even in the ECF without McDonagh

Our strength is in our extremely talented top 4 D core.

 

[The Gongshow]

Success sounds weird. I would say it's not a disaster or failure any more, per se. Repeating is not something to expect.

Once we beat the Panthers in the first round, it's kind of been gravy to me. Just didn't want that first meeting with them to be an embarrassing loss.

While the Florida round was big, I just think we're so close to another Cup Final that it would be a damn shame if we let it slip away. 2 wins away! Thats why last nights loss has me pretty bummed still. Its hard as hell to win a cup, let alone get there. You need a lot to go right. We're so close!

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

I just don't think there's a post-original six team that would be deemed underachievers for not winning back-to-backs. I think that's too much to realistically expect from any team in a sport like this where, no matter how good you are, you're never a favorite against the field.

But expectations can be, and are, a fluid thing. If we had not gotten 86 (or 91, for tha matter) back in time for the Florida series, I would've said Florida had the better roster, would've been expected to win, and while I would've been disappointed to be eliminated that early, I wouldn't have been hugely surprised.

That was the potential at the end of the regular season. The reality in terms of how things have played out since is that we have a final four this season awfully reminiscent of last seasons, which means there's no Avalanche (the only team I considered more talented than ours) and no Capitals (a traditionally awful matchup for us) and the other three teams left standing besides ours? Our roster is better than all of them. If Colorado was still in the field, I would still have rated them favorites, and if we'd lost to them, then so it happens. I wouldn't have been surprised. But once (I feel, anyway) we have the best remaining roster of the teams still playing? My expectations become Cup-or-bust. Can you imagine if the Habs win the other series? Granted, the Habs don't look like a bad team by any means and their regular season record means little in the context of how their roster looks now, but if you'd talked about potential SCF opponents, you would've talked about the Avs, Knights, or maybe somebody from the East before you would've talked about the Habs, you know? Point being, we'd like our chances. It would be a similar situation with facing the Stars last year. And if we end up losing one round short of being heavy Cup favorites (for the second time in four years, at that)? Rubbing alcohol on a fresh wound. It would sting like a motherf*cker.

 

[DFC]

Stamkos is still a PPG regular season player who provides up offence to get us some needed wins the in the regular season, while regular season doesn't matter we still gotta get into the post season.

Playoffs he's just never been able to elevate the team, but he brings leadership and at least can be useful on the PP (which was great the first two rounds).

Losing McDonagh would hurt the most. People don't seem to realize how important this guy is. Besides the obvious Vasy and Point (Kuch as well with his 22 points but man he tends to take games off a lot, still a great playoff performer though), McDonagh has easily been one of our best players. Shutdown guy, PK guy, leadership, blocks a ton of shots. Cap isn't terrible, but I get its a tad high.

The way Serg has been playing these playoffs and injured Hedman I doubt we are even in the ECF without McDonagh

Our strength is in our extremely talented top 4 D core.

McD was one of those "It won't look bad when the cap rises" deals. And now the cap isn't going to rise, so luckily it wasn't as bad as it could have been. (How crazy good does Hedman's deal look right now?)

With Stamkos... His whole game has been great in the regular season lately. This is the best we've ever seen him make plays and create space for his teammates, while playing a pretty responsible game at both ends and not taking needless risks to create offense.

But we did just make the playoffs without Kucherov, while kind of in coast mode all year. So I don't think that's an issue. And we won a cup without Stamkos. Sadly, I don't think it really matters how good anybody on this team is in the regular season anymore. If you're not living up to expectations in the playoffs, you're not living up to expectations. And I can even give a guy the benefit of the doubt for a bad post-season or two (Killorn). But Stamkos has just never, ever had a big post-season. And that's a problem when he's making 8.5.