GDT: 5/6/18 - 3:00PM EDT - #2AT Boston VS #1AT Tampa Bay [ECSF GAME 5]

[These Are The Days]

I just gotta work so much. It's like all i do is work and write about an lowly bruins fans online. Trust me tho im flipping mad i missed this. I punched a couch cushion today when my boss called and me said he needed his best worker in today. I said then what the h are you calling me for??? He had a chuckle and said to get my ass into work or the whole place goes belly up. So that's why I missed the game

They needed that high level experience

 

[Steazy Doo]

They needed that high level experience

I do have that.

 

[UseYourHedman]

Need more goals not gonna win 2-1.

Well I guess you were right, kinda.

I do not miss Namestnikov one bit.

Amen brother.

McDonagh has been pedestrian this game, dude needs to step up

Not his best game but he's been huge this postseason. I still think he's the biggest addition this year.

Cup or bust, my friends. The window is only open so long. You have to take your shot.

I want a cup this year but the window is still open wide.

 

[LonLon Lei]

He sounds like he's moved on but many B's fans are not agreeing w/ him, right?

 

[LightningStrikes]

EZ win!

 

[C77]

He sounds like he's moved on but many B's fans are not agreeing w/ him, right?

First off congratulations for moving on to the next round. I don't think the Lightning will have many problems dispatching either of the Metro teams.

No doubt Tampa Bay was overall the better team. That said, the non-call in 3rd period of Game 4 leaves a bad taste in the mouth and took away what was likely to be a guaranteed Game 6 in Boston. In the end Tampa probably would have won the series anyway. Still, it's frustrating to have such a blatant officiating screw-up play a major role in a pivotal game.

 

[The Macho King]

I could hear Engblom botching about that empty netter despite not being on the screen.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

Did a single player have a bad game today? The closest I can think is Paquette, but even that wasn't bad by our usual standard.

McD & Gourde weren't good. Paquette ? I thought he was awesome lol

 

[LonLon Lei]

First off congratulations for moving on to the next round. I don't think the Lightning will have many problems dispatching either of the Metro teams.

No doubt Tampa Bay was overall the better team. That said, the non-call in 3rd period of Game 4 leaves a bad taste in the mouth and took away what was likely to be a guaranteed Game 6 in Boston. In the end Tampa probably would have won the series anyway. Still, it's frustrating to have such a blatant officiating screw-up play a major role in a pivotal game.

I've seen fans from the other teams also saying the officiating in these entire playoffs (all teams involved) has been bad. Maybe refs are having hard time adjusting their games, too.
Good luck in your future as well. Boston's been one of the best team this season for sure and hope we can have better rivalry again.

 

[Leonardo87]

 

[The S5]

Congrats to the Bolts and their fans!
I remember some despair toward the end of the regular season. They have stepped it up in the post season and I don't think they have been at their best. If Kuch and Hedman play better, this team will be extremely tough to beat.
Good luck in the next series.

 

[God King Fudge]

Love it when you dismantle a team so thoroughly that they blame the refs for their entire series loss because it doesn't make sense that they could be dismissed so easily.

IMO, we've removed our only roadblock in the East. I do not see the Caps or Pens posing absolutely any threat to TB if they play like this.

 

[CupsOverCash]

After missing the playoffs last year, is it fair to assume this year wasn't "cup or bust"? I think if we lose the ECF in a competitive series, I'm gonna consider the year a success. You guys?

Anytime you get to the ECF its a success. Even in years that you are real legit contenders. The Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports in my opinion. At this point in the tournament its not just about being a good team, its about staying healthy, staying hot, and getting some good luck too. You are guaranteed to run into some sort of adversity at this stage. You get tested to the point where some teams just cant overcome that adversity. It might not even be fair or make sense. Point is things get harder from here on out. I like our chances to go all the way and win it but the chances are just as high that we get bounced. Also I like our chances going forward after this season too. I think without too much roster change and without much to deal with injury wise this team should be even better next year. Means nothing to say that at this stage because so many things can happen but on paper this is true. Also to think about still all the talent in the pipeline. Our window is open and will be for a while.

 

[RegularSznAllStars]

First off congratulations for moving on to the next round. I don't think the Lightning will have many problems dispatching either of the Metro teams.

No doubt Tampa Bay was overall the better team. That said, the non-call in 3rd period of Game 4 leaves a bad taste in the mouth and took away what was likely to be a guaranteed Game 6 in Boston. In the end Tampa probably would have won the series anyway. Still, it's frustrating to have such a blatant officiating screw-up play a major role in a pivotal game.

I really thought that was a good no call. He got his left skate up and it came down on Kuch's right foot, and then he just kind of falls down. Yeah, kucherov got around him for a split second, but IMO is was a very permissible amount of contact for the playoffs. McAvoy fell from minimal contact, I dont see why we should have been punished because he slipped.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

After missing the playoffs last year, is it fair to assume this year wasn't "cup or bust"? I think if we lose the ECF in a competitive series, I'm gonna consider the year a success. You guys?

That they missed the playoffs last year to begin with was ridiculous. This is just as much about making up for last season's disaster as much as anything else.

We're in the final four of the playoffs. I'm greedy. I want it all now. I won't be satisfied with anything else.

 

[waterboy65]

As we exit the Bruins series, I believe that we still have all of our players healthy enough to play the first game against either Wash/Pitts. This is huge deal. In last 2 playoff runs, we had major injury issues to overcome which ended up costing us.

Our depth on defense is what really has me excited about winning the whole thing. We have 3 pairings that all have at least one player that can move the puck and we are not making the careless blue line turnovers that plagued us in the regular season. From what I have seen so far, our D is playing best so far, even better than Nashville.

 

[Sky04]

After missing the playoffs last year, is it fair to assume this year wasn't "cup or bust"? I think if we lose the ECF in a competitive series, I'm gonna consider the year a success. You guys?

Except missing the playoffs was completely unacceptable last year to begin with, that was a competitive year thrown to waste not a rebuild/retool year. You're right that ECF is not an unsuccessful season by any means but for a team 5 years into their window you gotta nail a cup down soon before every season becomes another monkey and you're just another Washington/SJS who are competitive but never win.

Not to mention the strength of the roster, performance of the players and health-wise, just about everything is in line this year. We will have competitive teams in the future but you can't bank on that, this is the best team we've ever had and the window has never been more open.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Except missing the playoffs was completely unacceptable last year to begin with, that was a competitive year thrown to waste not a rebuild/retool year. You're right that ECF is not an unsuccessful season by any means but for a team 5 years into their window you gotta nail a cup down soon before every season becomes another monkey and you're just another Washington/SJS who are competitive but never win.

Not to mention the strength of the roster, performance of the players and health-wise, just about everything is in line this year. We will have competitive teams in the future but you can't bank on that, this is the best team we've ever had and the window has never been more open.

I think last years team was a disappointment because the way we were playing at the end of the year, we could have seen a team make it far last year too. In fact I think we could have beaten the Pens too. However I think last year missing the playoffs made the team realize how important it is to start the season well. We were awful to start the year and I think the team thought they could just turn on the switch and still make the playoffs. This year they made up the ground and then turned off the switch. I would prefer no switch at all but at least its later in the season when we have already made most of our damage rather than having to make up for it later.

 

[The Macho King]

Except missing the playoffs was completely unacceptable last year to begin with, that was a competitive year thrown to waste not a rebuild/retool year. You're right that ECF is not an unsuccessful season by any means but for a team 5 years into their window you gotta nail a cup down soon before every season becomes another monkey and you're just another Washington/SJS who are competitive but never win.

Not to mention the strength of the roster, performance of the players and health-wise, just about everything is in line this year. We will have competitive teams in the future but you can't bank on that, this is the best team we've ever had and the window has never been more open.

I want to say "yes, but" to that.

We still had some roster dead-weight last season. Garrison, Flip probably most notably. Both of those guys were in significant roles and they shouldn't have been (add in Boyle who I don't think could play the way we're playing this year - I think he would be more suited on the fourth line of a team like the Kings or Jets). Point was a rookie who had some growing pains and wouldn't be Bergeron Jr... I know our expectations were high, but I think we don't move on from Flip without the emergence of guys like Point and Gourde (who may not have gotten chances but for the bad season last year).

Getting rid of Filppula I think was probably the best thing that could have happened to this team. Obviously cap space, but also just for some reason Cooper just could not resist putting Flip out there as a shutdown player. Last season was a disappointment, but I don't think we get this season (which I think is the best team the Bolts have ever iced) without last season happening the way it did.

 

[Blue Liner]

I want to say "yes, but" to that.

We still had some roster dead-weight last season. Garrison, Flip probably most notably. Both of those guys were in significant roles and they shouldn't have been (add in Boyle who I don't think could play the way we're playing this year - I think he would be more suited on the fourth line of a team like the Kings or Jets). Point was a rookie who had some growing pains and wouldn't be Bergeron Jr... I know our expectations were high, but I think we don't move on from Flip without the emergence of guys like Point and Gourde (who may not have gotten chances but for the bad season last year).

Getting rid of Filppula I think was probably the best thing that could have happened to this team. Obviously cap space, but also just for some reason Cooper just could not resist putting Flip out there as a shutdown player. Last season was a disappointment, but I don't think we get this season (which I think is the best team the Bolts have ever iced) without last season happening the way it did.

I obviously have not seen as many games as many of you have the past few years but from the outside looking in I don't disagree with this. I watched most of their 2015 playoffs and much of the 2015-16 season, and then games here and there since with a heavy dose of viewing these playoffs. I think this is the best one in that stretch of years for my money, at the very least.

 

[Sky04]

I want to say "yes, but" to that.

We still had some roster dead-weight last season. Garrison, Flip probably most notably. Both of those guys were in significant roles and they shouldn't have been (add in Boyle who I don't think could play the way we're playing this year - I think he would be more suited on the fourth line of a team like the Kings or Jets). Point was a rookie who had some growing pains and wouldn't be Bergeron Jr... I know our expectations were high, but I think we don't move on from Flip without the emergence of guys like Point and Gourde (who may not have gotten chances but for the bad season last year).

Getting rid of Filppula I think was probably the best thing that could have happened to this team. Obviously cap space, but also just for some reason Cooper just could not resist putting Flip out there as a shutdown player. Last season was a disappointment, but I don't think we get this season (which I think is the best team the Bolts have ever iced) without last season happening the way it did.

In hindsight yes and the result is pretty much the best we could've hoped for as mistakes from previous years were rectified but I wouldn't say it's a stretch to say a year like last year wasn't predicted by some of us given all the obvious issues we've seen since 2015 piling up. I guess they needed a year like that to clean-up but at the same time it could've been avoided altogether. Cooper alone might be the biggest change from last season, he's done a 180 from his 13-16' self.

 

[Bolt 45]

I really thought that was a good no call. He got his left skate up and it came down on Kuch's right foot, and then he just kind of falls down. Yeah, kucherov got around him for a split second, but IMO is was a very permissible amount of contact for the playoffs. McAvoy fell from minimal contact, I dont see why we should have been punished because he slipped.

I went back and watched it a bunch, and I tend to agree. Their skates got tangled up. Kuch did get his free hand around, but it was pretty quick and he didn't really drag him down. It's one of those plays that gets called in the regular season, but overlooked in a tight, hard-fought playoff game. Consistency in that kind of call is a legitimate gripe, and I get why Boston's mad, obviously, but I also get why they didn't call it, too.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

Yeah, I have hardly anything bad to say about Cooper this season. From the way he handled Sergachev to the well balanced system put in place, heck I even like the way they're managing the 82 games to get playoffs ready, and yes I had no doubt the freewheel was done on purpose, they already did the same, 2 years ago.

I'd even dare to say that he's a changed man since Yzerman took away from him his 2 vets centers at the TDL last year, as if it was message that he had no choice but to learn to trust the youth. I think he learned from this experience, it's obvious he's more pragmatic, no-nonsense than he was before, and I love that. We tend to forget, but Coop had very little coaching experience related to his peers.

 

[Bolt 45]

Yeah, I have hardly anything bad to say about Cooper this season. From the way he handled Sergachev to the well balanced system put in place, heck I even like the way they're managing the 82 games to get playoffs ready, and yes I had no doubt the freewheel was done on purpose, they already did the same, 2 years ago.

I'd even dare to say that he's a changed man since Yzerman took away from him his 2 vets centers at the TDL last year, as if it was message that he had no choice but to learn to trust the youth. I think he learned from this experience, it's obvious he's more pragmatic, no-nonsense than he was before, and I love that. We tend to forget, but Coop had very little coaching experience related to his peers.

It's fun to make him the scapegoat, and I'm as guilty as anyone, but this season has been impressive given the preseason expectations. I actually really like the way he handled the Vasy situation at the end of the year, and Serg and Cirelli kind of show that he's gotten over his quasi-mistrust of younger players. I mean, his seat's clearly safe at the moment, and the team projects well moving forward, so I don't see why that would change.

And I'd love to say I'm done being hypercritical of every little thing he does, but, honestly, what else am I going to do in the sloggy, grindy middle portion of an 82 game season? It's not personal, I just get bored. And I'm also of the unrealistic mindset that every loss is preventable and unacceptable. 82-0, then 16-0, dammit. Otherwise, take a hike. Lol.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

It's fun to make him the scapegoat, and I'm as guilty as anyone, but this season has been impressive given the preseason expectations. I actually really like the way he handled the Vasy situation at the end of the year, and Serg and Cirelli kind of show that he's gotten over his quasi-mistrust of younger players. I mean, his seat's clearly safe at the moment, and the team projects well moving forward, so I don't see why that would change.

And I'd love to say I'm done being hypercritical of every little thing he does, but, honestly, what else am I going to do in the sloggy, grindy middle portion of an 82 game season? It's not personal, I just get bored. And I'm also of the unrealistic mindset that every loss is preventable and unacceptable. 82-0, then 16-0, dammit. Otherwise, take a hike. Lol.

That's what hockey fans do, the first group bitches about the team and the second group bitches about the first group bitching haha