If Tampa gets swept, would it be the biggest choke of all time?

[OppositeLocK]

Record season to a horrific playoff start, and Kucherov is now suspended. Dark clouds are aligning.

Click to read more...

 

[Kreator]

Wings losing to Sharks.

 

[RebuildinVan]

Dont underestimate the ability of Torts to implode

 

[GlitchMarner]

I really doubt they'll get swept.


But if it happens, yeah, it might be.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Record season to a horrific playoff start, and Kucherov is now suspended. Dark clouds are aligning.

But doesn't that bode well for the Lightning?

 

[Shaman464]

Wings losing to Sharks.

The 93-94 Wings were no where near as dominate.

 

[OB34KNH]

When Kucherov or Stamkos are struggling --- ESPECIALLY in the playoffs. Tampa bay really has no one to carry there offensive load.

Brayden Point, in the playoffs, needs one of: Kucherov or Stamkos, on his line to create offense.

Do you really think CBJ is scared of Yanni Gourde or Alex Killorn? Lol. Laughable.


In the Playoffs, Stammer/Kucher have time and time again been invinsible. Thus, making Tampa a mediocre team at best.

 

[Juicy Pop]

I'm inclinded to believe that nothing in the salary cap era can really surpass Detroit-Anaheim in '02-03.

They might have only finished 3rd overall in the standings, but Detroit was still a reigning Cup champion with nine future HOFers on the roster.

 

[Clode]

Absolutely

 

[ecemleafs]

Yes. The only comparable is the 96 red wings and they lost to a powerhouse in colorado.

 

[bobholly39]

It might be

If they simply lose in round 1 id say hell no - there are worst ones. But if its an actual sweep - including adding insult to injury and having Kucherov be suspended - thatd be insane.

If its not off hand the worst choke job in nhl history it would definitely be in the running and comparable to any of the worst ones

 

[Halla]

biggest rd 1 upset for sure...62 or was it 63 wins?

if columbus wins game 3 at home, they are done

 

[Smokescreen]

Yes, biggest paper tiger in NHL history. Fooled everyone

 

[DFC]

Yes. The only comparable is the 96 red wings and they lost to a powerhouse in colorado.

A few years before Detroit lost to the expansion Sharks, which was a massive, massive choke-job. But that series went 7 and rookie Chris Osgood committed an all-time terrible blunder.

What we're seeing right now is a coach who doesn't know how to instruct his team how to fight through a neutral zone trap, so we're seeing the same plays over and over and over, which, terrifyingly, are exactly the same plays we saw vs. Washington last year. We can't generate speed through the neutral zone, so we dump the puck in. But CBJ (like the Caps) have a guy waiting deep in the zone, and Connor McJesus himself wouldn't be fast enough to win a footrace with a guy that close to the boards.

Whenever we DO get the puck in the offensive zone, which is actually a fair bit more than vs. Washington, CBJ just forces us to the outside, and our players are so used to finding/creating space, it's like they think, "Oh goody! Free space!" Except they keep skating to free spaces they're never going to score from, and nobody's driving the net with any intensity at all. Point used to cut to the net like a madman, but even he is playing like a perimeter superstar right now, and, honestly, it's been that way for 30 some-odd games. I just figured/hoped he was playing it safe in the regular season, rather than developing bad habits.

Oh but yeah. I don't think TB's past playoff failures were "chokes," because they basically did as well or better in the playoffs than in the regular season. But we're looking at a genuine, and epic, choke right now.

 

[Sky04]

If they get swept yes and 100 times worse if Columbus loses in round 2.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Yes. The only comparable is the 96 red wings and they lost to a powerhouse in colorado.

I'd argue the 58 win, 124 point Red Wings losing in 6 games to the #8 seed Oilers was comparable.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Haven’t we had this thread a few times already?

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

If they get swept yes and 100 times worse if Columbus loses in round 2.

That’s actually a fairly common thing to happen after upsetting a heavy favorite. The underdog can often take their foot off the gas thinking the hard part is already over

 

[Sky04]

That’s actually a fairly common thing to happen after upsetting a heavy favorite. The underdog can often take their foot off the gas thinking the hard part is already over

Yeah but from Tampas point of view that's just insult to injury. At least their last 3 exits have been from the team that went on to win the cup.

 

[Terry Yake]

I'm inclinded to believe that nothing in the salary cap era can really surpass Detroit-Anaheim in '02-03.

They might not have only finished 3rd overall in the standings, but Detroit was still a reigning Cup champion with nine future HOFers on the roster.

this 100%

 

[CRDragon]

Any upsets in the salary cap era wouldn't be any bigger than non-salary cap era.

The increased parity of the teams allows the lower seeds to beat the higher seeds more likely.

 

[McGarnagle]

I'm torn

Columbus is good. They're really talented, have a very good coach (for all his bluster there's a reason he keeps getting jobs), bought big at the deadline, and underachieved all year (i.e. they're better than a typical 8 seed).

But Tampa winning 62 games, looking unstoppable, and getting swept would be something astounding.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Haven’t we had this thread a few times already?

Why do anything more than once?

 

[rfournier103]

Just in hockey or all-time sports history?

No, to both.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

Is it really a choke if CBJ goes 16-0?