GDT: 4/4/22 - 7:30PM EDT - Toronto vs Tampa Bay

[Antiramie]

Are we not allowed to have faith that they can turn it around?

I have faith we can turn any playoff series into a dog fight. But that’s about the height of my confidence. The ceiling just looks noticeably lower than the previous two seasons and the competition looks better.

 

[Bob and 200 others]

Are we not allowed to have faith that they can turn it around?

Save your faith for God, this is a hockey team with a goalie who gets constantly outplayed by medicore counterparts.

 

[bigdaddio]

Case in point. Palat 20 feet away nobody around him and he puts the puck in a 100% save area. No juice. He's broken.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

I don’t Know, maybe they are gassed. We will see in the playoffs.

Either way back to back

That was Coop's reaction after the Montreal game, but he also didn't want to use it as an excuse, and it shouldn't.

Bolts should have been better tonight.

 

[Stammertime91]

Anyone who thinks this team is just magically gonna be fine Game 1 of the playoffs is delusional

I mean... who thought a 62 win team gets swept by a ragtag Columbus team? Not many...

Playoffs is a different monster. The issue is confidence carrying over. Play like entitled brats thinking skill will win it, we lose. Some of the overreactions here are a bit much. Yeah, we are playing like dogshit, but heading into the last two playoffs wasn't a masterpiece either.

 

[The Gongshow]

Are we not allowed to have faith that they can turn it around?

Are we not allowed to acknowledge our team is slumping and playing like shit and not just say "its fine"

We want to see the team succeed so the frustration is warranted because we all want them to turn it around.

 

[T REX]

I have faith we can turn any playoff series into a dog fight. But that’s about the height of my confidence. The ceiling just looks noticeably lower than the previous two seasons and the competition looks better.

AT some point the cap was going to start to hurt and this is the beginning.

Shouldn't get run over like this in April. Completely unacceptable. Vasy looks like ish tbh.

 

[Ducati Boy]

Well that game was certainly… played.

 

[Master P]

I mean... who thought a 62 win team gets swept by a ragtag Columbus team? Not many...

Playoffs is a different monster. The issue is confidence carrying over. Play like entitled brats thinking skill will win it, we lose. Some of the overreactions here are a bit much. Yeah, we are playing like dogshit, but heading into the last two playoffs wasn't a masterpiece either.

Yeah, there were worse threads than this one during the past two seasons.

 

[Fabiobest]

Not much to say. We're bad right now.

 

[SnakeIdol]

fwiw the board doom and gloom sounded exactly the same last year. The only difference was it was during the last week of the season.

 

[The Gongshow]

I mean... who thought a 62 win team gets swept by a ragtag Columbus team? Not many...

Playoffs is a different monster. The issue is confidence carrying over. Play like entitled brats thinking skill will win it, we lose. Some of the overreactions here are a bit much. Yeah, we are playing like dogshit, but heading into the last two playoffs wasn't a masterpiece either.

I actually think this is a big reason for this play as of late. They've won b2b so they're unmotivated, feel a little entitled to just coast to playoffs and don't have that same hunger.

I feel like a long off season would motivate them to get back to the dance next year. When you win B2B regular season feels meaningless

 

[T REX]

fwiw the board doom and gloom sounded exactly the same last year. The only difference was it was during the last week of the season.

Last year we were without STammer and Kuch EOY...there's no calvary coming to save us

 

[Antiramie]

I mean when your coach is constantly preaching “it really doesn’t matter what playoff spot we get”…it’s probably inevitable your team looks/plays like this.

Unless this is the plan, this ultimately falls on Cooper.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

I mean... who thought a 62 win team gets swept by a ragtag Columbus team? Not many...

Playoffs is a different monster. The issue is confidence carrying over. Play like entitled brats thinking skill will win it, we lose. Some of the overreactions here are a bit much. Yeah, we are playing like dogshit, but heading into the last two playoffs wasn't a masterpiece either.

I don't know if it's confidence anymore, just huge mental mistakes. In theory that can be fixed, but the fact that we keep repeating them over and over is very troubling.

 

[Stammertime91]

I actually think this is a big reason for this play as of late. They've won b2b so they're unmotivated, feel a little entitled to just coast to playoffs and don't have that same hunger.

I feel like a long off season would motivate them to get back to the dance next year. When you win B2B regular season feels meaningless

Agreed, but this could be part of it. Not excusing the entirety of bad play, but saving gas while these teams fight for positioning isn't the worst idea. We've won on the road, in the bubble, multiple game 7s, and back to back. Who else out of these teams has a core like that? NONE. Doesn't mean you automatically advance, but I get it to some extent. I'd rather be a wildcard and not end up with multiple injuries cause the boys tried to get home ice against a team that hasn't advanced in 20 years, or Boston who they've given a fit over the years. We pretty know the opponents... played them all the last one to two runs so it's nothing new.

Rest up, have a few solid games the last week or two, and a new season - the only one that matters - begins. I'm more concerned how this team with new faces adjusts in the playoffs than how we look playing Toronto a dozen games before the season is over. Let em have it.

 

[Major4Boarding]

Mentally broke

 

[Hoek]

We still have some time before the playoffs. It's not like they start tomorrow.

 

[CupsOverCash]

I dont know I think I'm still gonna take it by how we play when it's important. We've kinda gotten locked into a playoff spot. They've played a ton of games over last while. Need to be fresh for playoffs. I know we look like dump but its gonna take some playoffs games from them looking like this to convince me we just aren't in it this year.

 

[Stammertime91]

I don't know if it's confidence anymore, just huge mental mistakes. In theory that can be fixed, but the fact that we keep repeating them over and over is very troubling.

Kind of go together though. They force plays they like or normally hit with ease. It's not there and it's blunder after blunder. Trying to overcorrect or simplify the game takes away from how we dazzle for goals or burn the opponent. It'll iron itself out.

If it doesn't and we are out in the first round, so be it. Our team defense is the biggest issue and has been all year. Personnel hasn't been there to get accustomed and used to defending as a unit. Line juggling isn't helping.


I don't buy the fatigue excuse. The guys had two condensed seasons and several have missed time from injuries. Paul, Hagel, Colton (to an extent), Foote, Bogosian, Rutta, Cernak, Kuch, Point, Stamkos, and Bellemare were not regulars in both regular seasons AND runs - or even playing meaningful hockey -like the rest. I don't buy fatigue. Maybe from the string of so many games, but not because of "extra hockey" from the two runs.

Edit: Cernak was... but I threw him in cause he's missed time this year.

 

[Master P]

We still have some time before the playoffs. It's not like they start tomorrow.

^

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

We have a lot of non playoff teams to finish the month, but you can still circle Boston later this week, 1 more against Toronto on the 21st, and then at Florida the last week of the season.

 

[Antiramie]

Lol Cooper is finally saying that making the playoffs isn’t a guarantee now.

Clown shoes after acting like it’s a non-issue for weeks/months, watching your team embarrass itself night after night, and then having to backtrack.

 

[T REX]

It's the lack of compete...they just quit.

It's more than just bad passes

 

[Bob and 200 others]

You guys are delusional if you think Vasy is taking his foot off the pedal (for reasons). Guy has been consistently outplayed by goalies like J. Campbell this year. They'll only go as far as he takes them and that's bad news with his current play.