Do Rangers have a easier route to ECF than the Caps by finsihing 4th instead of 1st?

[Wendy Clear]

SV% since 2013-14:

OK.

+ And since 2012-13?

+ Including playoffs?

And I think it's odd that if Holtby gets so much better in the playoffs, why have the Capitals failed to get past the 2nd round? Price has done it, why can't Holtby?

Because hockey isn't an individual sport, contrary to what so many naive people on this forum think. Your question is so incomprehensibly stupid I don't even know how to respond. Holtby has numbers Price can't even dream of. Then again I guess it's kind of simple: how can Holtby win with insane numbers like 1.9 GAA and a .940% if his TEAM scores 1.8< GF?

 

[sharks9]

OK.

+ And since 2012-13?

+ Including playoffs?



Because hockey isn't an individual sport, contrary to what so many naive people on this forum think. Your question is so incomprehensibly stupid I don't even know how to respond. Holtby has numbers Price can't even dream of. Then again I guess it's kind of simple: how can Holtby win with insane numbers like 1.9 GAA and a .940% if his TEAM scores 1.8< GF?

Price is still #1 if you go back to 2012-13. Keep reaching though!

You're right, hockey isn't an individual sport. But Price is a better individual at his position than Holtby.

Let me ask you, what matters more? A 200-game sample size? Or a 40-game sample size? What's more indicative of how good a player is?

 

[CH25]

OK.

+ And since 2012-13?

+ Including playoffs?



Because hockey isn't an individual sport, contrary to what so many naive people on this forum think. Your question is so incomprehensibly stupid I don't even know how to respond. Holtby has numbers Price can't even dream of. Then again I guess it's kind of simple: how can Holtby win with insane numbers like 1.9 GAA and a .940% if his TEAM scores 1.8< GF?

Price was the main reason why the Habs beat the Bruins in the 2014 playoffs and the Sens in the 2015 playoffs. No GM would take Holtby over Price.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Why do you and the other homers keep saying 8 years?

Price was bad -- far worse than Holtby has ever been -- in 2012/13. Unless the French Canadian calculators are different, that's not quite 8 years.

Price was great for most of the 2013 season. Near the end of the year he was the Eastern conference choice for Vezina by TSN panelists and was a sure fire nominee. He had a really bad eight or nine games and fell out of the running killing his stats. In a normal season you can recover from this (as he did this year) but it was a strike shortened season and there was no coming back from it.

Since the 2010-2011 season Price has been good to spectacular for the most part. There are a few rough patches here and there but he's an outstanding netminder.

As for Holtby, he's been pretty great himself the past couple of seasons. Washington has a really good shot at a cup this year.

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

Gotta love the same smug people counting the rangers out immediately before the playoffs even start. how many years must you be proven wrong before you get some common sense? Literally the only team that took them out immediately was the cup champs.

I mean the Rangers have to beat a superior Corsi team on the road with an elite goalie opposing them before even getting to the 2nd round. Not impossible (I think is NYR is a good squad overall) but I'd say MTL is the favorite there with all of those factors (even with the points discrepancy). Plus, MTL has been very hot recently.

MTL is better than any team the Caps will play round 1.

Can't really talk ECSF without first mentioning the quarter finals lol

So now, I don't think so.

You do realize the rangers have the best road record in the NHL and nearly shattered the record for most road wins in history, right?

 

[NYR713]

The new format is doing exactly what it is designed to do... more ratings in the 1st round. That's not to say I like it, but Rangers vs Montreal, Pitt vs CBJ, maybe Toronto vs Ottawa, even Caps vs Bruins would be a great matchup.

The old style would easier matchups for the higher seeded teams but the same value wouldn't be there.

As for Rangers/Montreal... I think it's a tossup. Montreal has a little more size, Rangers have a little more speed.

Defensive point production looks like a wash when you look at totals for Weber-Markov-Petry and McDonagh-Skjei-Holden. Montreal actual defense has the edge and they also have the slight edge in goaltending, not that I think Hank won't be good in the series.

Montreal has better advanced stats but Rangers have better scoring depth. The NYR 4th line has 60 pts between the 3 of them and still play terrific defense.

In the end, just like any series it's going to be about who can get and hold the momentum and could easily go 7.

 

[BrendanGallagher11]

Habs will win this series
The rangers may win 1 or 2 games

Book it

 

[CDN24]

For what it's worth, those numbers don't mean much. First, you should probably use relative numbers as it will at least tell you how they're doing vs their teammates. Secondly that number varies wildly from year to year.

If we look at relative numbers Weber is best in the league this year. Last year he was worst on his team. And over his career he's exactly zero. It doesn't mean anything.

That's messed up. If Montreal doesn't win I'd love to see Washington or Nashville take it. OV deserves a cup.

They mean as much as the post I was replying too where the poster implied Weber was poor because he gave up 53 SAT against. They provide context. Relative to teammates tells part of the story but not all (Weber is best on his team by a lot) but comparing to other D men who play similar minutes is more important. By taking d men with 1250 minutes I get 73 d men. generally top pairing guys who get similar usage against similar opponents. Comparing a no 1 to the no 5-6 on his own team is useless, they are not facing the same type of opponents or usage.

Any stat needs to be taken with a grain of salt, ask yourself why is this happening and then you have useful info. Rel stats are especially flawed as a result of the quality of competition. Guys who play against Ott/King and Mitchel when they play us better have better numbers than they guys going up against Pacioretty/Radulov.

 

[JT Kreider]

Yeah I couldn't be any less confident in the Rangers against the Habs.

The Rangers avoiding PITT/CBJ/WSH (and letting those teams run each other into the ground) until the ECF is the perfect storm you need to win a Cup. But you got to get there first and I don't see us beating the Habs.

And even if we do I'm petrified of playing the Sens if they're the 2 or 3 seed. They kicked our ass all over the ice in 2012 and probably cost a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's not like last year where the Rangers finished ahead of the Islanders but still were in the spot of death against the Penguins while the Islanders got the cake matchup against the Panthers.

The Rangers are great on the road but that is negated by the Bell being a house of horrors for Lundqvist.

 

[Volica]

I wouldn't look past the first round
That's all I'll say. This could be a good/bad thing.

Habs won't be an easy opponent for NY; it's not like they'll walk through them. Independent of who makes that WC2 seed, Washington is likely going to 4 game or at worst 5 game'em. Getting through a round easily = better than playing second round and beyond probables.

 

[TheDizee]

Yes, the current playoff format is beyond stupid and rewards teams in bad divisions while punishing teams in good ones. The reward last season for my Blues getting 107 points was the 103 point Blackhawks & Stars (109). Meanwhile the Sharks got 98 points and got to play LA (102) and NSH (96).

Whoever makes it out of that Metro division is gonna be in such bad shape compared to whoever comes out of the Atlantic, it isnt even fair. Pens/Jackets are likely gonna have to roll through 2 110ish point teams JUST to make the conf finals where they get to play a team with MAYBE 96 points. Odds are they will have nothing left in the tank.

 

[txpd]

Gotta love the same smug people counting the rangers out immediately before the playoffs even start. how many years must you be proven wrong before you get some common sense? Literally the only team that took them out immediately was the cup champs.

I don't have a dog in this fight. But I have noticed the Rangers struggling. They have won 3 of their last 10. Hank has been dinged and not sharp since his return. They built up a lot of standings points in the first half of the season when Grabner was scoring like Mike Bossy. He has 1 goal in his last 25 or so games and the Rangers have been pretty uneven in that period. Any argument there?

Meanwhile the Canadians have the best record(I think) in the league in the second half and have won 7 of their last 10. Any argument there?

I'd say those two things don't really shine in the Rangers direction.

 

[Evil Ted]

Weber is not even top 10 defensively overall in the league. His offense is actually one of his stronger points believe it or not.

I can't remember the exact stat but on the radio Marc Dumont said that Webber has been on the ice for only 2 even strength goals in his last 15 games or so. He's a beast in his own end his worst asset is he is just "okay" at moving the puck.

It's the playoffs so anything can happen but I watch a lot of Canadiens hockey this is one of the most complete teams they have had in ages.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Price was great for most of the 2013 season. Near the end of the year he was the Eastern conference choice for Vezina by TSN panelists and was a sure fire nominee. He had a really bad eight or nine games and fell out of the running killing his stats. In a normal season you can recover from this (as he did this year) but it was a strike shortened season and there was no coming back from it.

Since the 2010-2011 season Price has been good to spectacular for the most part. There are a few rough patches here and there but he's an outstanding netminder.

As for Holtby, he's been pretty great himself the past couple of seasons. Washington has a really good shot at a cup this year.

The lockout year was a weird year for goalies. Anderson although a fantastic goalie ended up finishing with the best save percentage of any goalies to play at least half the games in a full season (Beating Elliott's previous year). Niemi, Reimer, Emery had fantastic stats. Elliott, Price, Rinne (Although Rinne before the hip injury was neck in neck with Crawford in stats and even had a better ES save percentage when he was neck in neck with Crawford despite playing on a far weaker team (Yes even defensively), Kiprusoff, etc. had below average to terrible in Kiprusoff's case stats.

 

[BLONG7]

What's the over under on Kreider taking out a goalie this year? You know where he goes skates first into the net...

Vegas odds, anyone?

 

[Crease]

What's the over under on Kreider taking out a goalie this year? You know where he goes skates first into the net...

Vegas odds, anyone?

I would say this narrative needs to die, but then I'd be a hypocrite because I chant Potvin sucks every game I go to

 

[BLONG7]

I would say this narrative needs to die, but then I'd be a hypocrite because I chant Potvin sucks every game I go to

Hockey fans, all have long, long, memories!!

 

[Pandaman11]

They need to go back to the old 1v8 format. This division stuff is nonsense

Agreed, and yes, I think the Rangers are going to the EC final

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Rangers were resting 4/5 players.

Just saying,.,

These facts can easily be verified, just saying.

The Rangers' scratches that night were Grabner and Klein...

That's it.

Mind you, one game doesn't mean that much, nor the season series, for that matter, but there's no need to bodly lie.

Link: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/2017/03/04/2016020956#game=2016020956,game_state=final,game_tab=stats

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Which Babcock and Julien? Two of the three best corsi coaches of all time? That Babcock and Julien?

(...)

Isn't that demolishing your argument that so-called "advanced stats" (the shiny new toy) is the ultimate panacea ?

 

[Machinehead]

Isn't that demolishing your argument that so-called "advanced stats" (the shiny new toy) is the ultimate panacea ?

The fact that every successful coach in the NHL consistently has great CF% teams?

No, it isn't.

 

[Dr Pepper]

The current playoff seeding system is a joke.

The second and third best teams in the conference shouldn't be facing eachother in the first round of the playoffs.

The Metro division is essentially being punished for fielding some very, very good teams this season. Same thing happened to the Central last season.

I wish the league would just scrap this pathetic "divisional rivalry" thing they've got going, or whatever they used to justify these seedings.

Give a top spot to the division winners, but then 3 to 8 should be in order of points, regardless of division.

Problem solved.

 

[nmbr_24]

As a rangers fan I find nothing better than not being the favourite for once. Montreal are bragging about their depth, but if you put their 3rd and 4th line against ours we're ahead by a huge margin. Grabner/Zucc/Kreider can tear that slow, big Boston style defense a new one, and with the most loud, negative home audience in the league when things aren't going well we can get them on the back foot pretty quickly.

The big thing for this round is that the men in stripes need to clamp down on goonery. Julien is known for it, and he's been in charge of his players wrecking other player's careers many a time. Shaw needs to be controlled, if not he'll eventually ruin someone's career too. (Yeah I know that about half of Montreal will scream "KREIDER!!!!!!" like a lynch mob, but the guy hasn't done anything of the sort since 2014 and Emelin's stick.)

The rangers are fit, rested and have Zucc this year. He got knocked out with a brain contusion in the first round last year, if he hadn't the rangers would have scored a hell of a lot more than they did. Ultimately I think Montreal won't cope with NYR's speed - while the kind of goonery that Julien is known for will cost them too many penalties. For once the Rangers actually have a hot powerplay, this hasn't happened since 2012.

Exactly who are the many players Julien has been in charge of wrecking their careers?

 

[nmbr_24]

Like that's some sort of crime.

He hasn't had a season as good as Price's best, but he hasn't had a season anywhere NEAR as bad as Price's worst, has a better career save %, GAA, SO%, and absolutely ***** all over him in the playoffs, too.

Which is funny, considering this thread has a bunch of Habs homers pointing at the Caps' playoffs failures, so they should be real quick to tip their hat to Holtby in this regard.

In fact, Holtby's playoff performance is so much better than Price, who WOULDN'T take Holtby in net over Price in a game that matters?

As a Bruins fan I can say without a doubt that Holtby is tougher for the Bruins than Price. Holtby has been pretty much the toughest goaltender in the league for the Bruins.

 

[Butch 19]

To respond to ayyyy. Only you would take Holtby before Price.

I would too.