How did Ottawa get within 1 game of the Cup Final last year?

[joe dirte]

Context is your friend.

MacArthur played every single game in the playoffs. He was a big part of the Sens' run last season. Scored an OT series winner vs the Bruins, was on the ice for a large chunk of the Sens PP goals, drew the PP in OT that led to another OT win... Without him, the Sens don't go as far as they did.

But feel free to completely ignore that and continue fulfilling your (very obvious) agenda.

so a guy that played 8 games in 2 seasons somehow managed to play, and play well for your team????

the chances of that happening for a playoff run are astronomically low.

that's unbelievably lucky. like off the charts lucky.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

via a statistical anamoly

 

[joe dirte]

honestly what does it matter? Cinderella runs happen from time to time. and they're very rarely remembered. especially when they don't even make the final. better teams prevailed and the pens won the cup. in 10 years nobody outside Ottawa will remember their run.

we are starting a new playoffs and there are some phenomenal teams. there is going to be some great hockey. let's move on and enjoy what has been am amazing season by a lot of teams, and is shaping up to be a great playoffs. especially in the eastern conference.

 

[topshelf15]

Meh ,so we lucked our way..Past the Bruins and the Rags now.....They both lost in 6 games,yeah maybe its lucky we didnt sweep both of them ...

Yep our team sucked this season,it does need some work....We lost too many key players,through injury, expansion drafts etc...And we couldnt make up for it ...Doesnt take away from what we did last season

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

They got hot at the right time and Anderson played out of his mind. It happens.

 

[OUTHOUSE]

I choose to not acknowledge their run because it was so lucky.

 

[branch]

you're saying he knew stepan was going to turn and deflect the puck with his glove before shooting it?

He threw the puck towards the net because he had no other play, and got lucky

He literally scored several goals that year from that exact angle.

 

[Kamina]

The entire team was hot, especially EK. The Rangers and Bruins were more banged up than we were.

Also important: last year's team was actually good. The Sens got better and deeper with their deadline acquisitions (Wingels, Stalberg, Burrows), plus a surprise MacArthur for the playoffs.

We got the Bobby Ryan that we had been waiting on for years. Both Anderson and Condon were reliable when we needed them -- Condon to get us into the playoffs, Anderson to carry once we made it. Burrows wasn't (completely) useless either.

Let's not forget the intangibles. The team rallied around Anderson, MacArthur came back, and Neil took a few shifts punching people. Everyone was on board and playing for each other. They truly had a Never Say Die attitude and could have won it all if they got past G7 2OT

 

[Gnashville]

Kyle Turris is a better hockey player than everyone thinks

 

[MarkStone]

For all the whinging about the Sens getting lucky against Boston last year with their injuries, well the Sens swept Boston in the regular season last year when Boston was pretty much at full health and Ottawa was wracked with injuries. So explain that one...

 

[MarkStone]

They played way above their head in the last year. They played a little below their talent level this year. This regression was predicted by almost everyone outside of Ottawa.

Actually if anything Ottawa fans know this back and forth pattern better than every other fanbase in the league. We know this team all too well. Note that the thread certainly wasn't created by an Ottawa fan.

 

[MarkStone]

They got hot at the right time and Anderson played out of his mind. It happens.

Anderson was feast or famine last playoffs. Of course his poor performances get lost in the shuffle by opposing fanbases because the Sens were lucky narrative can only be supported by God mode EK and insanely good goaltending. More nuanced reasoning and analysis has to be thrown out the window.

 

[Chimpradamus]

Because of Erik Karlsson. The easiest question this week. He played more dominant hockey in the playoffs than anyone this decade, period. He dominated Boston and New York and almost single handedly defeated Pittsburgh. If Ottawa would've defeated Pittsburgh, he probably would've brought the cup to Ottawa.

For those claiming Doughty is the best defenseman of this era, yeah, get back to me when he single handedly brings a budget team to the playoffs and a conference final to 7 games and 2 OTs without much support at all. On one foot, after telling the entire league that he's playing on one foot.

That was probably the most dominating playoff performance I've ever seen by a player, period.

 

[Marner]

A hot goalie and defensman who can completely control and takeover a game/series

 

[AvatarAang]

The same way Carey Price tricked people into thinking Bergevin was a good GM.

The same was McDavid tricked people into think Chiarelli was a good GM.

Superstar players can make your team look much better than it is. Once said player is not playing at that level the team crumbles apart. Or in McDavid's case, having your GM single handedly destroy your team.

 

[karnige]

worst goal and shot differential in the playoffs. timely goals and anderson went into god mode

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

The Atlantic bracket was absolute ass, not sure how they took the Pens to game 7 OT though

Yeah, ANderson was playing way way above his usual .914-.917 and Karlsson was godly. Sens were allowed to clutch and grab all day and we got insanely lucky a few times. Goal off Chara against the Bruins, pinball goal by Brassard, we hung with Pitts because it turned into trench warfare. Eventually Pitts superior skill won out, and we lost. We would never have defeated Nashville, they were and are still too deep.

 

[Langdon Alger]

While Ottawa wasn’t an elite team last year (44 wins, 98 points), they weren’t a 7th or 8th seed that went on a Cinderella run either. They were a good, not great team that finished 2nd in a bad division. They were committed to team defence, and although Boucher’s style may be boring, it worked for them last year.

Having home ice in the first two rounds helped, facing a beat up Bruins team helped too, as did facing Lundqvist who did not have his best series.

They benefited from the flawed playoff system because the Rangers had more points, but because New York was a wild card team, Ottawa had home ice.

Taking the Pens to double OT in game 7 was probably not what I would have predicted because the Pens are a better team. Don’t think anyone would argue otherwise, but Pittsburgh was not completely healthy, so that helped Ottawa. They were also playing with confidence coming into the series and taking game one on the road gave them more confidence.

Karlsson was amazing of course, and they had four lines after picking up guys like Wingels, Burrows, Stalberg and getting MacArthur back. Depth always helps in the playoffs.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Ottawa had a group of guys who could perform in the playoffs. Brassard, Pageau, Ryan, Karlsson and Mac were all huge when the games mattered.

Boston was pretty beat up and Ryan played like a first line winger. The Rangers were a shitshow and Lundqvist was beatable. The Penguins were clearly a better team but Ottawa's was able to pull out a couple of tight games (and use tons of motivation and energy to stomp the Penguins in Game 3)

 

[JD1]

honestly what does it matter? Cinderella runs happen from time to time. and they're very rarely remembered. especially when they don't even make the final. better teams prevailed and the pens won the cup. in 10 years nobody outside Ottawa will remember their run.

we are starting a new playoffs and there are some phenomenal teams. there is going to be some great hockey. let's move on and enjoy what has been am amazing season by a lot of teams, and is shaping up to be a great playoffs. especially in the eastern conference.

I'm betting that 10 years from now you'll still remember that run Joe and that you'll still be salty about it and posting pot shots about Ottawa in every main board thread

 

[Kaapo Cabana]

He literally scored several goals that year from that exact angle.

many players scored several goals from everywhere. Does that mean its impossible to have lucky goals?

 

[joe dirte]

I'm betting that 10 years from now you'll still remember that run Joe and that you'll still be salty about it and posting pot shots about Ottawa in every main board thread

pot shots? they caught lightning in a bottle. they never won anything out of it though. who cares?

there are Cinderella runs, but nobody remembers them unless they make the final. like the sens when they got whooped by Anaheim. that one is worth mentioning, not last year.

 

[Sensung]

pot shots? they caught lightning in a bottle. they never won anything out of it though. who cares?

there are Cinderella runs, but nobody remembers them unless they make the final. like the sens when they got whooped by Anaheim. that one is worth mentioning, not last year.

So the Leafs haven't been worth mentioning since 67...thanks for clarifying your position.

Please follow your rule and never mention the Leafs again.

 

[Morbo]

They got lucky. It happens.

 

[NyQuil]

of course I'm salty

You would be too if the team you lost to was so lucky

That's ok, you guys had the lion's share of the luck when we were up 3-2 in our previous series against you guys.

Looks like things even out.

The Rangers lost because they just weren't good enough, blowing leads and folding like a cheap suit.

I've never seen so much bitterness about losing a year later. It didn't even go 7 games.