Easiest path so far?

[alphabetical]

My Lightning. Jersey was cake and we got a beat up Boston who looked lethargic. Looks like more of the same with Washington

Just based on simple point numbers -

Winnipeg - Nashville (117p) + Minnesota (101p) = 218 points
Tampa - Boston (112p) + Devils (97p) = 209 points
Vegas - San Jose (100p) + LA (98p) = 198 points
Washington - Pitt (100p) + Columbus (97p) = 197 points

You're ignoring the relative strength of the divisions. Playing bottom dwellers more often inflates your point total. The Atlantic was easier than the metropolitan this year, with the bottom dwellers of that division making sure of that.

 

[Fire Benning]

Vegas. The Kings barely deserved to be in the playoffs and they didn't have too much of a hard time against the Sharks. The Jets are another animal compared to those two teams, they're going to have more trouble now.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

[QUOTE="puckIuck, post: 145875945, member: 297291"]boston wasn't battered and certainly not by a soft leafs team. they simply ran into a deep speedy group that can play excellent team defence.[/QUOTE]
They were battered. Some of it was vs the Leafs. I am sure the hit Bergeron took from Plekanic is what did it to him. Most of them were coming back too soon from last season injuries. Riley Nash, Chara, McAvoy, Bergeron. Tampa was still the better team no doubt. Everything else you said is true

Injury report for them, man talk about the walking dead
Acciari: Groin. Surgery.
Marchand: Groin last 7 games of the playoff. No surgery.
Chara: Upper body. fractured right index finger. Left shoulder. No surgery.
Riley Nash: Hip. Hopes to avoid surgery. Concussion. Sports-hernia.
DeBrusk: AC Join sprain. No surgery planned for now.
Krug: Fractured right ankle.
Bergeron: Pulled groin before start of season, flared up again late. Concussion-like symptoms.
Backes: Concussion.
Rask: Will undergo a minor procedure for a bursa in his ankle
(Last week before the playoffs they lost Carlo to a broken leg)

 

[Leafsdude7]

Vegas has certainly made it look easy.

Tempted to say this, too.

That said, while both the Sharks and Kings were maybe two of the lesser talented teams in the playoffs, they were also two of the biggest and most physical. Vegas may have made it look easy, but I imagine there's a lot of yellow, blue and purple in that locker room to go along with their black-gold-red sweaters...

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Kings and Sharks suck. Easy choice is Vegas

 

[Alwalys]

sharks were probably the 6-7th best team in the playoffs this year, without thornton.

 

[Hal 9000]

Winnipeg. They had a depleted Minnesota team for round one and Nashville (Rinne) was dreadful - and that's an understatement.

P.S - I don't care much about Nashville's regular season, they looked more like Arizona than Nashville and Rinne had a sub .900 save percentage at home and was pulled 3 times in series. The worst part is it actually took Winnipeg 7 games to finish them off.

 

[Plural]

Caps and Jets have had it tough. Tampa and Vegas have had it "easy" if there is a such thing in PO's.

 

[Zamuz]

Winnipeg. They had a depleted Minnesota team for round one and Nashville (Rinne) was dreadful - and that's an understatement.

P.S - I don't care much about Nashville's regular season, they looked more like Arizona than Nashville and Rinne had a sub .900 save percentage at home and was pulled 3 times in series. The worst part is it actually took Winnipeg 7 games to finish them off.

Maybe that was because the Jets were just that good? they made Rinne look bad. Also the Jets shutout Wild for 2 games in a row, missing Suter isn't that big piece if your team can't even score a goal for two games.

 

[Hal 9000]

Everyone says Vegas, yet all those people also predicted a Kings win as well as a Sharks win. Can we say hypocrisy

 

[Hal 9000]

Maybe that was because the Jets were just that good? they made Rinne look bad. Also the Jets shutout Wild for 2 games in a row, missing Suter isn't that big piece if your team can't even score a goal for two games.

No, I watched every game, it was a 7 game suicide from Nashville.

 

[Leafsdude7]

Everyone says Vegas, yet all those people also predicted a Kings win as well as a Sharks win. Can we say hypocrisy

That's only hypocritical if they now think Vegas is a good team.

 

[ryerockarola]

No, I watched every game, it was a 7 game suicide from Nashville.

Did you really watch the 2-1 and 4-0 Nashville road wins in games 4 and 6? Those games didn't look like Nashville suicide efforts.

 

[Zamuz]

No, I watched every game, it was a 7 game suicide from Nashville.

So did I, and Nashville was great in most of the games.

Obviously it's hard to admit that the Jets are just good,.

 

[Daximus]

Jets for sure. Super easy. We are a terrible team. Might as well just not play your A game and coast past us.

 

[Armourboy]

Vegas
Tampa
Winnipeg
Washington

Not much debate in my mind on that.

 

[Boxscore]

Tampa, without question.

1. They faced NJ who shouldn't have even been there if it wasn't for Taylor Hall playing out of his mind. The Devils were a one man show - the dropoff after Hall is startling. Their defense is average and their goaltending, good but not great. I'm surprised Tampa barely broke a sweat in the 1st round.

2. Then they get Boston, who are a very impressive team, if only they haven't been in a 7 game war with the Leafs and a couple of their players weren't playing badly injured. Not to mention Marchand self-destructed and became a sideshow circus act. The Bolts didn't get a rested, healthy, focused Bruins team.

As for Vegas, it appears they had the easiest route because they only lost 2 games heading into Winnpeg in round 3, but this is not the case. The games vs. the Kings were all close battles, including a game without Doughty. The Sharks are also a very talented team that kept coming - the Knights just simply outclassed them. Both were better teams that what Tampa faced when they did.

Forget about Winnipeg, they went through a tenacious Wild squad and the Presidents Trophy winner in an epic Game 7 battle.
The Caps beat the Jackets, after trailing 2-0, and then slayed the dragon and Stanley Cup champs.

This goes to Tampa, easily. Not even close.

 

[Hunter368]

Knights and Bolts have had the easiest path to get here. Jets & Caps the toughest. Appears the voters would agree.