Around Hockey XXII (All Non-Jackets Hockey talk in here)

I want Stamkos to come back, score a goal, and help the Bolts win the cup. Then I want everybody on the Bolts with their cup victory to decide not to sign team friendly deals anymore and we somehow get somebody as a result - like Cirelli. Oh, I also want a sweep.

 

I just can't bring myself to like Dallas. Not sure if it's Benn or Seguin, or Dallas fans hyping Heiskanen (yes he's good). I just don't like them though not with the same way I dislike MTL, TOR, NYR, NYI, PIT etc.

Then there's watching Kuch and Killorn and the sneaky dirty crap they pull. But man is watching point and gourde and hedman fun. Cooper did a great job modifying how they play and it's been fun to watch (when they weren't playing the jackets).

 

I’ve always hated Dallas. Another fan base that didn’t have to go through any growing pains when they got their franchise. And I’ve grown to respect TB for learning from their ass whipping at the hands of the CBJ and altering their team in response. Go Bolts.

 

The only reason I’d be okay with Dallas winning is if Khudobin wins the Conn Smythe, that will be an ultimate Cinderella story

 

It they win it and he doesn't, that would be shameful. He's the real rainthey've made it this far.

 

In the last round and last game I'd say so. He wasn't that good before that. At one point in the Colorado series there was a storyline running about both teams struggling without their #1 goalies. At that point Heiskanen was doing the carrying.

 

Recency bias, the Vegas series > Colorado

 

Our old friend (serious) Bill Zito traded for our old friend (sarcastic) Patric Hornqvist.

 

You're welcome.

But seriously congrats to Tampa. Well deserved, and am very happy for them. Congrats to Curtis McElhinney.

 

Beat us and you have a really good shot at winning the Cup, apparently.

 

I wonder, had we not played Tampa in round one, could we realistically have made it to the conference finals this year?

Im sure we could have beaten the Caps and Bruins. The Flyers would have been harder.

Regardless of what people say about Toronto, they are a great team and we beat them

 

I honestly didn't see a team in the playoffs that I didn't think the Jackets could beat besides Tampa.

 

I think we would have beaten the Capitals, because from reports it didn't seem like they were that interested in playing.

Bruins? Nah. They were basically the same team as who beat us last year, except we didn't have our big guns.

Pittsburgh? Nope. Big brother.

Philly? Probably not. They were really hot in the early rounds.

NYI? A toss up, but probably not.

CAR? We don't play well against them, but they're not daunting offensively. Probably not though, but not impossible.

 

I don't know about Bruins but I like our chances against all of the other clubs. F*ck "big brother". That shit lives in your head. The Penguins aren't close to being the team they used to be.

 

Losing to Montreal? Not impressed

 

And they looked awful doing it.

Sid and Geno have a combined 3 G, 5 A over the last two postseasons, where they won a total of one game.

I don't know if they win one versus the Jackets.

 

Congrats to my adopted second team. Watching them I'm still amazed we swept them last year. They are solid top to bottom. As to the fan biys who think had the Jackets beat TB they would have been in the final whatcha smokin'?

 

Im not playing, it lives in THEIR head. We’ve lost like what, 15 of the last 18 against them? Some teams just have a kryptonite. My chargers never beat the chiefs and the bengals don’t beat the Steelers. Just how it is.

 

Marijuana mostly.

 

I think that record might have more to do with the Penguins being really good, which they haven't been in either of the last two playoffs.

 

Well, I keep/kept hearing how we’ve been really good too. And we keep making the playoffs. Yet the narrative remains true that we rarely ever beat big brother.

 

Sid had a hard drop off this year. Not so much in points, he wasn't good defensively. If you catch Geno in one of his cold streaks the Pens are just a middling team. I watched the Pens-Habs series and it wasn't like the Habs stole one, the Pens were just vacant.

 

And yet, we still don’t beat them.

 

50% win rate in the regular season this year vs PIT, one game went to OT (1-0 loss). I'm with major on this one. Not the same ol' Pens.

 

“this year.”

do the last 5-6 years now. Ever since torts got here. Because that same core for PIT is still there.

My point is no matter how even/better than them we are on paper or in the standings. They hold some sort of psychological edge over our players/coaches/whoever. And it’s a reason why we rarely ever beat them. Atkinson (iirc) even admitted to it.