Is Tampa for real or just a matter of a weak division?

[BeingTheThunder]

For explanation: I am living in Austria and have a quite low sample of games for obvious reasons (games in the night and a daytime job). I am not trolling and I ask for reasons for the success of a very good team. I didn‘t write something about a weak East or AHL-caliber.
And some of you (93LEAFS, daver e.g. - sorry if I forgot a few) have brought good arguments for the Bolts to be for real. I personally like that team and think that Steve Stamkos and a few others should have a cup under their belt - at least one. This could be their year. And it should. Not a fan though.
Personally I am glad that some aren‘t mods. The question was about an idea with a too small sample to find too many arguments in favor so I was Auskunft for your opinions. Which is legitimate I think. Yes the title could have been less provocative and for that matter less trolly. More something like: „Is Tampa really that good or is their success to a certain extent also a matter of a weaker division?“ Way less sexy

Dude, seriously? They've got 59 freaking wins in 77 games. YES, they're that good.

 

[bobbyking]

Good lord. Have you watched one game of hockey in your life

 

[daver]

For explanation: I am living in Austria and have a quite low sample of games for obvious reasons (games in the night and a daytime job). I am not trolling and I ask for reasons for the success of a very good team. I didn‘t write something about a weak East or AHL-caliber.
And some of you (93LEAFS, daver e.g. - sorry if I forgot a few) have brought good arguments for the Bolts to be for real. I personally like that team and think that Steve Stamkos and a few others should have a cup under their belt - at least one. This could be their year. And it should. Not a fan though.
Personally I am glad that some aren‘t mods. The question was about an idea with a too small sample to find too many arguments in favor so I was Auskunft for your opinions. Which is legitimate I think. Yes the title could have been less provocative and for that matter less trolly. More something like: „Is Tampa really that good or is their success to a certain extent also a matter of a weaker division?“ Way less sexy

How do you qualify that their division is weaker?

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

wait, the Atlantic is weak?

the bottom 3 teams are very bad, yes, but Tampa only gets 12 games combined against them.

which is balanced out by the division having the #1, #2 and #5 teams in the NHL

 

[Voight]

FWIW the 5th & 6th place teams in the West would be the 8 seed in the east.....

 

[Nizdizzle]

Maybe Ottawa/Detroit/Buffalo being bad is a symptom of Tampa/Boston/Toronto being good, and not the other way around.

 

[Prince Pasta]

dumb thread

 

[Fighting Major]

How do you qualify that their division is weaker?

Well four of the eight Atlantic teams are not within the top 20 of the league. A fifth is on the bubble.

Nizdizzle: good point.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Title says it all. Thoughts?

3 of the top teams in the league play in that division. But yes okay sure.

 

[KingBran]

Tampa has an awful record vs the Central though. Nashville, STL and Minny all beat them twice (swept the season series).

 

[gtrower]

They’re a very well built team that benifitted slightly from a putrid bottom half of the division. But they’re so far ahead what does it matter. They would have won the PT playing in any division.

Playoffs are a different animal though. And they’re likely gonna have to go through the Caps or Pens, which nobody has been able to do in 3 years. Either way, obviously they are “for real.”

 

[MXD]

The Habs, who might miss the playoffs, would comfortably make it as WC1 in the West, and that's despite going 0-3 against the Lightning.

 

[The90]

No one said that the East is weak. And it was a question

This is a terrible thread my dude. You aren’t going to find many followers to what you’re trying to convince yourself

 

[Kelly]

Is Tampa for real, or just a matter of a weak league?

 

[filip85]

I don't remember this topic in 05/06 when Detroit won President and IIRC they played 32 games within (weak) central back then.

 

[Leonardo87]

Tampa is lucky to even succeed in a Beer League. They are not very good. They only have a plus 100 Goal differential, only 59 wins, their players like Kucherov, Stamkos, and Point are all useless, they won't even come close to 200 points. All a bust. Don't get me started about their goaltender, who only has a .927 save pct, dude could not even stop a beach ball.

 

[Sam Spade]

Yikes.

This pretty much sums up the original idea for this thread.

People should maybe do two seconds of research eh?

 

[daver]

Well four of the eight Atlantic teams are not within the top 20 of the league. A fifth is on the bubble.

Nizdizzle: good point.

Three are in the Top 5 of the league.

 

[ccman68]

Is Toronto for real or just a matter of a weak division?

 

[God King Fudge]

Jesus what a thread.

 

[MattMartin]

Look at their record outside there division. The Atlantic also isn't easy considering it has 3 of the top 7 teams in the league. Tampa's done extremely well vs the Atlantic, but they've beat the crap out of the Metro (21-2-0).

Islanders went 1-1-1 against Tampa, can't believe we managed that feat.

Also, Yeah, they are that good. Maybe not as good as the Leafs, but who is?

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Tampa wouldn’t even make the playoffs if they played in the Central

 

[The Shovel Penguin]

I'm not sure how an eastern conference finalist in 15, 16 and 18 and hasn't had any major overhauls for the worse wouldn't be considered "for real."

But if the Atlantic is said to be weak, and the Metro is said to be weak (because the Caps and Pens supposedly benefit from that), and since the West hasn't brought us a Cup winner since the Blackhawks and Kings, who aren't currently contending -- I think it's safe to say that nobody in this entire league is for real and everybody sucks.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Yes.

 

[Realgud]

Uh, how is it a weak division? Tampa has to compete against the leafs who already have the next 20 cups in the bag.