If Montreal Wins the Stanley Cup - Biggest Fluke in NHL History?

[HuGo Sham]

they must've have also fluked out 18 high danger chances vs 0. ZERO yesterday. Or their 10-5 record. It's always the other team f***ing up and never the habs playing well or having quality players.
It's a good narrative for the fluke crowd, because when or if the habs lose, you can continue to push this erroneous narrative. You're in a win-win situation.
classic HF posting.
i'll tell many of you this, i'm not predicting a habs victory, but if you write them off this year - and next for that matter, you do it at your own peril lol
Allen is giving Price the needed rest he hasn't had in 6 years, and the young kids are developing very nicely.
Bergevin needs to find another dman that can drive offence though.
And they're doing this w/o drouin and tatar

 

[Rorschach]

I don't know what this means but I laughed

I'm making homonym jokes . If you eat totally raw fish of certain types like salmon, your liver will get infested with a parasite called a "fluke". The tail fins on a whale or a dolphin (that are sideways that flap up and down, instead of a fish's that are vertical and flap side to side) are called "flukes".

The OP wanted to talk about flukes so I took it there.

 

[LuGBuG]

I'm making homonym jokes . If you eat totally raw fish of certain types like salmon, your liver will get infested with a parasite called a "fluke". The tail fins on a whale or a dolphin (that are sideways that flap up and down, instead of a fish's that are vertical and flap side to side) are called "flukes".

Who knows what you'll learn while just talking hockey.

 

[beach]

Not the Habs' fault that the North Division was so weak. They came together at the right time and beat the teams they had to beat. If they get past Vegas and either TB/NYI, they absolutely earned the Stanley Cup.

 

[The90]

A little early to talk about it, but it reminds me of that 2017 (?) Ottawa run led by an amazing E. Karlsson.

I don't think they make the playoffs next season, and they finished 24th last season. So, definitely a "fluke"

I keep thinking this. There’s a good chance of montreal not making the playoffs next year. I Actually said to a buddy of mine, before the playoffs began last year, that winning the play in round and signing a bunch of vets would eventually work against them. And doubled down on if they won a series this year would be even worse long term. I still believe that. But obviously if they manage to win a cup, who cares about tomorrow.

I’m a firm believer that a hot goaltender has more of an impact on success than a hot player at any other position. A hot goaltender can mask almost all issues.

 

[kingsholygrail]

People will say anything to discredit the North division. Blah blah weak division. Why can't folks just admit that maybe Montreal isn't as much as a pushover as everyone thought they would be.

No one has to say anything about the North Division. I think it speaks for itself.

 

[Baaaaaaaaaaaaah]

Not a fluke. I think teams are realizing the top heavy superstar model is not the only way to win.

Addition of Caufield is a game changer that can't be ignored.

 

[KidLine93]

Habs started the year hot, they then got smoked with covid and crashed. With their full roster they were always solid and didn't give up the ice easily

 

[rocketdan9]

They still have a long way to go, but it's hard to think of a more "out there" Stanley Cup champion than if Montreal managed to win this year. 4th place team in a 7-team division that was considered by many to be the weakest in the NHL before and during the season. Weren't given a chance to do anything this postseason by most pundits. Not a team that was considered particularly good, dangerous or on the rise on the season. On paper, a team with a great goaltending (who is red hot) and not a whole lot else. They've had some fluky (not sustainable) things like their PK that would likely not hold over a very long sample size but in short series are more possible as well.

I know LA won the Stanley Cup in 2012 as an 8th seed, but at least they were viewed by many as a really strong roster heading into the season, and were largely getting screwed by terrible coaching during the season. They also further validated themselves that season by what they did in subsequent seasons, obviously we don't know what Montreal will do moving forward.

probably not. Came together at the right time

we will never know if this was a full season, if they turned on the jets right about now

Habs have a big mobile D core, a top 5 goalie and decent mix upfront

 

[IndustryLeech]

If they do, it will be against the NHL's plan to install Vegas as the Cup winners.

 

[Eisen]

A fluke would be if every opponent in every game they play accidently got violent diarrhea. Winning games playing hockey is not a fluke.

 

[smirob]

A fluke would be if every opponent in every game they play accidently got violent diarrhea. Winning games playing hockey is not a fluke.

'Accidently' might be redundant there. But I would love if VGK all got violent diarrhea.

 

[habamillions]

Its not a fluke to win 16 games. A fluke is in march madness when you can beat a number 1 seed in a 1 game series

 

[HabsQC]

Fluke is a little harsh isn't it ? Biggest cinderella run no doubt though.

 

[TT1]

if we win, will you survive?

 

[koyvoo]

If they win?

If you win 4 rounds in the NHL playoffs, it’s not an accident.

 

[That Habs Fan]

Absolutely. It's a fluke they even won one game! Frankly I think the Habs should be relegated to the AHL, the only reason they're winning games is their goalie, defence and offence.

 

[shaner82]

They made the playoffs with an 86 point pace in the weakest division that also only had 7 teams.

So being in the playoffs was a definite fluke.

Then they got to avoid the #1 and #2 teams in the first and second rounds despite being the lowest seed.

Now to win it all, they will have to beat Vegas, and likely Tampa, so it's very much a real accomplishment. But the path up to the conference finals definitely is not on par, and is 100% flukey for the modern era, in that they were afforded opportunities and matchups in a way we'll likely never see again.

Toronto was and is a good team. Montreal didn't get an easy path in the 1st round. It took everything Montreal had to win that suits, and will take everything again to get past Vegas.

If they win it all, 3 of the 4 teams will have been legit contenders. I don't care that Toronto lost in the 1st round, the fact they badly outplayed Montreal most of the series, and did it without JT tells me they are a contender.

An argument can be made that playing 3 true contenders is a harder schedule than most previous Stanley Cup winners have had to deal with.

And I'm not a Habs fan at all. I can't stand them

 

[Sniper99]

You are confusing "fluke" with "undeserving"

Whoever wins is "deserving". A "fluke" is just what occurs when you take a high variance activity and a low probability event occurs.

a win is a win, are you serious? Are you goin to be one of those * guys who wants one in the record book. * team won cup by fluke. When the Kings won as an 8th seed was that a fluke too?

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

They were heavily underrated. It wasn't hard to predict they could/would beat the Leafs if Price was on his game. They aren't top heavy but every player contributes on that team.

 

[CupsOverCash]

I dont think so. Not easy to win the cup and if they do it will be against teams nobody thought they could beat. Considering they've done that the entire playoffs don't see how you would discredit that. Would be as legit as any other cup win.

 

[Incarnadine Sea]

It is NOT a fluke when a team wins multiple best-of-7 series. It's called outplaying the other teams.

 

[jfhabs]

I keep thinking this. There’s a good chance of montreal not making the playoffs next year. I Actually said to a buddy of mine, before the playoffs began last year, that winning the play in round and signing a bunch of vets would eventually work against them. And doubled down on if they won a series this year would be even worse long term. I still believe that. But obviously if they manage to win a cup, who cares about tomorrow.

I’m a firm believer that a hot goaltender has more of an impact on success than a hot player at any other position. A hot goaltender can mask almost all issues.

Price has been very good in the Toronto series, but he didn't have anything to do in the Winnipeg series, he was in fact the only reason game 4 went to overtime. He's been good so far against Vegas, but we're probably winning game 4 in regulation if he doesn't let a weak one squeak in, Vegas had no high-danger chances all game. Again our skaters are underrated.

 

[TJ21]

I'll never understand the notion that if one of the expected top teams don't win the Cup, it's somehow a fluke or not as legitimate. It was the same bullshit when Vegas was winning their first season and people were crying about how unfair it was since they didn't "pay their dues", which is equally as stupid of a thought process.

16 teams make the playoffs. All of them have a chance to win it. The Habs are doing what's necessary to win. It's that simple, there's no grand conspiracy, there's no fluke.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

Look, it's this SIMPLE.

3 of the 4 remaining teams were all in the Conference Finals last year, MTL was not one of those teams.

If they beat any of the remaining 3 (VGK,TBL,NYI) in a 7 games series, that is not a "fluke".