GDT: Around the League: Playoff Edition Part IV

[oobga]

True, I can't see Martin Jones holding up though. They might beat a weak Colorado team that is prone to wild inconsistency, but I think Dallas is the biggest stumbling block to St. Louis.

Yeah, was just thinking, if the Avs play with the pace they did against the Flames, they will be skating circles around SJ. It really would require Jones channeling his inner Hasek. Seems unlikely right off the bat. Then again, if they get some 5 min PP's at the right time next round, never know what can happen

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

and this is why "making the playoffs" is the goal
Nashville made it to the Finals as a WC a couple years ago and now the playoffs are chaos

the margins are so thin in a cap system, it's anyone's time

Unless you’re run by incompetent morons.

 

[VainGretzky]

The Islanders have nowhere near the draw the Rangers do.

No really lol the city and state will still get behind them

 

[These Are The Days]

I would like to make a toast to all the chaos we've seen this postseason

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Jones had one great game and 6 very average ones. He won’t take them very far. I just don’t think of the Sharks as an impressive team. The Avs absolutely murdered the Flames, and the Sharks aren’t a very fast team.

Didn't he get pulled in three straight games?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Didn't he get pulled in three straight games?

He definitely got pulled a few times. I don’t have his stats on hand but I’m sure they’re ugly.

He stole game 6 but other than that he was Koskinen tier.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

No really lol the city and state will still get behind them

Almost like alberta gets behind Calgary.

 

[oobga]

 

[The Panther]

This playoffs is crazy, and I'm not gonna get into whether in a good or bad way. But I am thinking of what a missed opportunity it is for, of course, Edmonton... and particularly for Toronto.

In a year when the Pacific was notably weak, if the Oilers' "braintrust" hadn't sent Eberle away for spare parts and lost Maroon for essentially nothing (thereby depleting the team of wingers), they might have had enough right there to earn 11 more points on the season. Then, if they hadn't traded a future Hart trophy winner for a middling NHL defenceman, and signed a past-it grinder to $7 million a year, they'd certainly have been in the playoffs this season. And this season, it's so wide open that anything could have happened once they were in.

But the Oilers do suck right now, so there's that. The fanbase that I feel almost bad for is Toronto's. It's now 52 years without a championship. They haven't won three playoff rounds since the early 1930s. If they had just won their game 7, they might today be one of the Cup favorites....

 

[Porkleaker]

This playoffs is crazy, and I'm not gonna get into whether in a good or bad way. But I am thinking of what a missed opportunity it is for, of course, Edmonton... and particularly for Toronto.

In a year when the Pacific was notably weak, if the Oilers' "braintrust" hadn't sent Eberle away for spare parts and lost Maroon for essentially nothing (thereby depleting the team of wingers), they might have had enough right there to earn 11 more points on the season. Then, if they hadn't traded a future Hart trophy winner for a middling NHL defenceman, and signed a past-it grinder to $7 million a year, they'd certainly have been in the playoffs this season. And this season, it's so wide open that anything could have happened once they were in.

But the Oilers do suck right now, so there's that. The fanbase that I feel almost bad for is Toronto's. It's now 52 years without a championship. They haven't won three playoff rounds since the early 1930s. If they had just won their game 7, they might today be one of the Cup favorites....

I was thinking the same, had they even squeaked into the playoffs they could've just as easily destroyed the flames. Too many "what ifs" though, too much Chiarelli and "cap space" on McDavids ELC. We're never going to live that down so hopefully we get a semi-competent GM that can rid of us of these horrible contracts so they can maybe, luckily make a playoff appearance next season.

 

[harpoon]

I’ll never cheer for the Canes.

Exactly. Didn’t bother watching most of this series cause I dislike both teams.

Folks predicting a cakewalk for the Isles are going to be mistaken I think. Isles have been sitting on their asses for ten days. I’m cheering for them all the way this year, but the Canes didn’t just dispose of the defending champs with smoke and mirrors. That’s a club that knows how to hang around.

 

[oobga]

This playoffs is crazy, and I'm not gonna get into whether in a good or bad way. But I am thinking of what a missed opportunity it is for, of course, Edmonton... and particularly for Toronto.

In a year when the Pacific was notably weak, if the Oilers' "braintrust" hadn't sent Eberle away for spare parts and lost Maroon for essentially nothing (thereby depleting the team of wingers), they might have had enough right there to earn 11 more points on the season. Then, if they hadn't traded a future Hart trophy winner for a middling NHL defenceman, and signed a past-it grinder to $7 million a year, they'd certainly have been in the playoffs this season. And this season, it's so wide open that anything could have happened once they were in.

But the Oilers do suck right now, so there's that. The fanbase that I feel almost bad for is Toronto's. It's now 52 years without a championship. They haven't won three playoff rounds since the early 1930s. If they had just won their game 7, they might today be one of the Cup favorites....

This year definitely has the 2006 vibe. And here we are on the outside looking in. Damn this stupid management group.

 

[BlackDogg]

This year definitely has the 2006 vibe. And here we are on the outside looking in. Damn this stupid management group.

I really don't understand why Chia is still unemployed...

 

[oobga]

I really don't understand why Chia is still unemployed...

I wonder if he only asked to be GM and didn't insist on that POHO title day 1, if he would have just been promoted to POHO to make room for a new GM. What a dummy

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

If Benn and Seguin keep playing like they did in R1 the Stars are a legit contender. Defense is flying, Bishop having a Vezina year. Only reason they're a wild card is because their forwards didn't show up in the regular season, but they showed up in the first round.

First blush I'd take Stars, Avs, Isles, and Blue Jackets this round. Maybe Boston wakes up again but I wasn't impressed with them in the first round.

Don’t forget Radulov has been insane good too.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Boston - Columbus I got the Jackets. Rested with better goaltending, deep scoring, good D, and they can out-Boston Boston. Jackets in 6.

Isles - Canes I got the Isles. Like above they are rested, better goaltending, consistent and healthy. Isles in 5.

Blues - Stars I got the Blues. Figured they’d go to the Conference Finals anyway why change now. NHL best team since Jan 1 and the rise of Binnington. StL in 7.

Sharks - Avs I got the Avs. Rested and healthy, a more mobile D than the Sharks and younger legs versus tired and beaten up older legs. Avs in 5.

Isles - Columbus - Columbus in 7.
Blues - Avs - Blues in 7.

Blues - Columbus - Flip a coin I have no idea but a city that’s never won a Cup before is winning a Cup. Coin came up tails, Blues picked heads.

Columbus will be the 2019 Stanley Cup Champ.

Then half it’s players bolt for free agency and the money a Cup brings to their wallets.

Columbus out of the playoffs for another decade.

Who you guys got?

 

[The Hound]

Boston - Columbus I got the Jackets. Rested with better goaltending, deep scoring, good D, and they can out-Boston Boston. Jackets in 6.

Isles - Canes I got the Isles. Like above they are rested, better goaltending, consistent and healthy. Isles in 5.

Blues - Stars I got the Blues. Figured they’d go to the Conference Finals anyway why change now. NHL best team since Jan 1 and the rise of Binnington. StL in 7.

Sharks - Avs I got the Avs. Rested and healthy, a more mobile D than the Sharks and younger legs versus tired and beaten up older legs. Avs in 5.

Isles - Columbus - Columbus in 7.
Blues - Avs - Blues in 7.

Blues - Columbus - Flip a coin I have no idea but a city that’s never won a Cup before is winning a Cup. Coin came up tails, Blues picked heads.

Columbus will be the 2019 Stanley Cup Champ.

Then half it’s players bolt for free agency and the money a Cup brings to their wallets.

Columbus out of the playoffs for another decade.

Who you guys got?

Boston all the way baby

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Boston all the way baby

I think they may be a bit gassed and Chara looked like he was running on fumes there for a bit but they are the favourite by points now.

 

[Cloned]

If this is the rationale of the NHL they deserve what they get in terms of being considered a respective joke league amongst the major NA sports. A call ought to be based on what the actual infraction was, not what injury result culminated from the players own awkward fall. Pavelski slammed himself into the ice essentially. This is not a situation where he was concussed standing up, or knocked out and going down like a sack of potatoes (in that instance if there is a headshot that causes a player to lose motor control then yes the perpetrator should be responsible) But not for a hit like this wherein the injury is actually due to Pavelski's own fall, while being completely conscious.

My lord. One of the first things you ever hear when you lace up skates is if you fall don't fall straight backwards onto your head. Don't do that. Don't ever do that.

Alternately kids are taught;

1)Protect your head. If falling backwards just cradle your head with your arms/ hands, you'll be fine. Protect the head.

2) Simply bend over. While falling just bend your back, motion forward, go into a fetal, this makes it impossible to hit your head straight back.

3)Contort body on way down so you fall on side, but not directly backwards.

4)Fall on arms and break fall instead of falling back on head.

Any of the above or combination thereof completely mitigates injury in this circumstance.


What occurs to Pavelski there is simply due to his own bad fall. Not falling properly. How is that Eakins fault that Pavelski doesn't have the on ice sense that a preschooler would be taught regarding on ice safety?

Gonna have to disagree entirely.

Not falling properly? That’s like blaming a head shot entirely on the victim for not keeping his head up. Or blaming a hit from behind on the victim for “turning into the boards.”

Whatever culpability Pavelski has in this situation pales in comparison to Eakin and Stastny. Don’t crosscheck someone in the chest right off the face off and don’t push someone down on the ice when they’re in the air and essentially defenceless.

In regards to the penalty length being proportional to the severity of injury to the victim, that’s always been how the league has called it. It is what it is.

 

[harpoon]

Not falling properly?

I think he was going for the embellishment. Hoping to sell the cross check he throws his arms up in the air and starts turning away. Unfortunately for him that’s the exact moment Stastny tries to skate through him to get at the puck. Worst call I’ve seen in forty years of watching the NHL.

 

[Cloned]

I think he was going for the embellishment. Hoping to sell the cross check he throws his arms up in the air and starts turning away. Unfortunately for him that’s the exact moment Stastny tries to skate through him to get at the puck. Worst call I’ve seen in forty years of watching the NHL.

It’s technically a cross checking penalty that resulted in severe injury. By the book it’s a major penalty.

Also it’s not like Vegas was dominating possession and the play. They had insane puck luck to be up 3-0 and in some regards it was only fair that they lost.

If you want to see a play turning an entire series around where one team was clearly superior beforehand, look no further than Oilers-Hurricanes Game 1...

 

[Tobias Kahun]

It’s technically a cross checking penalty that resulted in severe injury. By the book it’s a major penalty.

Also it’s not like Vegas was dominating possession and the play. They had insane puck luck to be up 3-0 and in some regards it was only fair that they lost.

If you want to see a play turning an entire series around where one team was clearly superior beforehand, look no further than Oilers-Hurricanes Game 1...

Then rule book says nothing for cross checks that result in injury being a major penalty

 

[Quality Oil]

Boston - Columbus I got the Jackets. Rested with better goaltending, deep scoring, good D, and they can out-Boston Boston. Jackets in 6.

Isles - Canes I got the Isles. Like above they are rested, better goaltending, consistent and healthy. Isles in 5.

Blues - Stars I got the Blues. Figured they’d go to the Conference Finals anyway why change now. NHL best team since Jan 1 and the rise of Binnington. StL in 7.

Sharks - Avs I got the Avs. Rested and healthy, a more mobile D than the Sharks and younger legs versus tired and beaten up older legs. Avs in 5.

Isles - Columbus - Columbus in 7.
Blues - Avs - Blues in 7.

Blues - Columbus - Flip a coin I have no idea but a city that’s never won a Cup before is winning a Cup. Coin came up tails, Blues picked heads.

Columbus will be the 2019 Stanley Cup Champ.

Then half it’s players bolt for free agency and the money a Cup brings to their wallets.

Columbus out of the playoffs for another decade.

Who you guys got?

With you on every pick there. After Columbus handled Tampa I'm convinced they'll take it all.

 

[Quality Oil]

Then rule book says nothing for cross checks that result in injury being a major penalty

Not that you were asking me just butting in - I did a skim through it, nothing about injuries, but it seems the refs can assess a major crosschecking penalty as they see fit.

59.3 Major Penalty - A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who “cross checks” an opponent (see 59.5).

59.5 Game Misconduct Penalty - When a major penalty is assessed for cross-checking, an automatic game misconduct penalty shall be imposed on the offending play

 

[Cloned]

Then rule book says nothing for cross checks that result in injury being a major penalty

I meant it in the sense that it's a textbook definition of cross checking, and there is precedent to call a major penalty if it results in injury.