Too many people are giving the Hawks a bye in the SCF. There are a lot of good teams out there.
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Too many people are giving the Hawks a bye in the SCF. There are a lot of good teams out there.
LightningStrikes
Champa Bay Lightning
- Nov 24, 2009
- 26,241
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The Hawks are the team to beat again, IMO. Rangers and Panthers did load up as well. But I like our chances. We didn't get some complementary parts on some minor levels but I don't think it's a biggie. This is more or less the same team that went to the SCF last year. Now we have Condra over Morrow and the entire team has more regular season and playoff games under their belt. Namestnikov, Brown, Sustr etc. are more mature and more experienced. Should be a fun run!
The Rangers always load up. It's gotten them one SCF and a completely obliterated future.
Hudler might fit in well in Florida. That's not a bad move, IMO. The other two moves seem almost like a step in the wrong direction though. Teddy Purcell was a fringe hockey player on the worst team in the last decade. At least according to HF Oiler fans, he hasn't improved, despite improved numbers. (Not all that hard to believe, given what we saw here--the most pedestrian points in the history of hockey.) And it feels like the Wings have wanted to get rid of Kindl forever. Hudler, I get. The other two feel like moves for the sake of making moves.
We need Namestnikov to show us he's for real, as a depth player. He was abysmal in last year's playoffs, mostly because he couldn't handle the physicality. I'm cautiously optimistic that that has changed, but we'll need to see it.
We're better than we were last year though. Several of our young players are no longer the wide-eyed rookies they were. There are still holes on our team, sure. But, even with the PP, given how good it is at home, I don't think it boils down simply to a QB. I mean, that would help, no doubt, but the problem is obviously deeper than that. We have a very good PP at home and a frighteningly bad PP on the road. So it's not completely a personnel issue.
LightningStrikes
Champa Bay Lightning
- Nov 24, 2009
- 26,241
- 10,095
SFY himself speaks about the TDL: https://www.nhl.com/video/steve-yzerman-on-trade-deadline/t-279141024/c-41978803 (video)
Summary (I'm paraphrasing):
- team is playing well (balanced scoring, better PP), less pressure to be active at TDL
- wanted to address certain areas at TDL, couldn't
- was looking to improve PP, the player they were looking for "wasn't out there"
- if Drouin wants to come back and play "the door is open"
- technically Drouin can be traded but can't play in NHL, Yzerman is gonna wait until the off-season
- he's happy with Stammer's play and his official statement (Stamkos won't get traded) probably helped him
- uncertainty about the salary cap next year was a big factor and eventually led to sticking with what we got
- Tampa with same group as last year but with a year more experience -> better team than last year
Summary (I'm paraphrasing):
- team is playing well (balanced scoring, better PP), less pressure to be active at TDL
- wanted to address certain areas at TDL, couldn't
- was looking to improve PP, the player they were looking for "wasn't out there"
- if Drouin wants to come back and play "the door is open"
- technically Drouin can be traded but can't play in NHL, Yzerman is gonna wait until the off-season
- he's happy with Stammer's play and his official statement (Stamkos won't get traded) probably helped him
- uncertainty about the salary cap next year was a big factor and eventually led to sticking with what we got
- Tampa with same group as last year but with a year more experience -> better team than last year
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Coopers Gum
Extend Andrej Sustr
Exactly, I'm sick of hearing, "oh, the Capitals will crap out when it matters, like always." No. This is a much different Capitals team than we're used to seeing.
TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
This is where a lot of our experience comes into play and will hopefully make a difference. We made it to the finals, but it took us 20 games to do it. Getting there is the most important thing but that's too many if you want to have something left in the tank for the last round.
Game 1 vs Detroit, in our house, we out shot them 46-14 and some how lose. 2nd series vs Montreal, we have them on the ropes up 3 games to none, and they stretch the series out 6 games. Game 1 vs NY, it was tied up until 2:25 left in the 3rd. Game 6 we have a chance to eliminate them at Amalie, and they force a game 7 at MSG.
Hopefully our experience will help us win the games we should win and put teams away at first chance this year. That will help immensely for our guys to stay fresher and ovoid other chances for them to get hurt.
Lord Stan 2020
Elite fan
anaheim and tampa are the two hottest teams in nhl i figure thats your cup finalists
i do not think we match up great to florida or washington
florida scares me cause luongo can loungo lol and i fear him a hell of a lot more than price
luongo one of those guys that can win 1-2 series himself yet still like our team better a lot better just he is an x factor
washington is a great team i do factor in the history they have it to prove holtby has been simply lights out this year having a carey price season for sure
yet again if we play correctly we beat them
last year i said wanted chicago and not anaheim i hate their big guys they love to play at net and get dirty which is our only weakness I see with bishop in net
bishop will let an occasional long slapper in he will stop most breakaways but if get enough pressure at net and we stick check we might get lit up by anaheim
chicago? got to see how they play the next few weeks three good signings but still figure they are weak and absolutely positively think crawford had a one year like fleury and he will come back to life or death in major playoff series this year
meaning he just aint all that and will not do it again when won in past the chicago teams were deeper
they are plenty deep this year but again I think we are better if we are healthy play the system with how the two lines and line four is playing I dont worry much on anyone but anaheim
we need to keep perry from bishop that is a key they are very strong
i do not think we match up great to florida or washington
florida scares me cause luongo can loungo lol and i fear him a hell of a lot more than price
luongo one of those guys that can win 1-2 series himself yet still like our team better a lot better just he is an x factor
washington is a great team i do factor in the history they have it to prove holtby has been simply lights out this year having a carey price season for sure
yet again if we play correctly we beat them
last year i said wanted chicago and not anaheim i hate their big guys they love to play at net and get dirty which is our only weakness I see with bishop in net
bishop will let an occasional long slapper in he will stop most breakaways but if get enough pressure at net and we stick check we might get lit up by anaheim
chicago? got to see how they play the next few weeks three good signings but still figure they are weak and absolutely positively think crawford had a one year like fleury and he will come back to life or death in major playoff series this year
meaning he just aint all that and will not do it again when won in past the chicago teams were deeper
they are plenty deep this year but again I think we are better if we are healthy play the system with how the two lines and line four is playing I dont worry much on anyone but anaheim
we need to keep perry from bishop that is a key they are very strong
The 2010-11 Capitals weren't one dimensional. They had the 4th best defense in the league to go along with their offensive ability.
Their players have never gotten the job done in the postseason and neither has their coach. They have a lot to prove yet. Yes this is their strongest form yet, but that monkey is still on their back and it's latched on pretty tight.
I gotta say, Crawford looks really good this season. Like legit elite. I could be biased as I have him on my fantasy team, though.
Their players have never gotten the job done in the postseason and neither has their coach. They have a lot to prove yet. Yes this is their strongest form yet, but that monkey is still on their back and it's latched on pretty tight.
I gotta say, Crawford looks really good this season. Like legit elite. I could be biased as I have him on my fantasy team, though.
These Are The Days
Oh no! We suck again!!
Amen to that. And given our horrific road power play that shows zero sign of getting any better, it's gonna be damn near impossible to win a game in DC because Washington capitalizes (no pun intended) on every chance that comes their way and plus they just create their own. It's like watching a video game or the 90's Red Wings. And plus given the fact they went out and traded for TJ Oshie and signed a guy whose nickname is, "Mr. Game 7" it scares the freaking hell out of me. And given the fact that we routinely leave the nearest guy about 10 feet away from Ovechkin while he launches one-timer after one-timer until he eventually drops a hat trick on us, I think we're in for a short series if we face them. If we make it out of the Atlantic, I have full expectations of having to face them and I'm not excited about it.
I agree with Robert about the Panthers. Luongo scares the crap out of me. It's a winnable series if and only if we decide we are going to be competent defensively . They're a feisty group that will not go down easily. I really wish we had done more to improve our lineup because they're the kind of team we can launch 38 SOG to 15 and somehow we'll lose 2-1. It's a series that will boil down to our fortitude and will to win. It's a winnable series for either team and I just hope we're up for it.
Boston is just a big "Oh hell no" in every fashion. Ironic that they are probably saying the same thing about us, but they have a very good power play, a very good penalty kill and balanced scoring. If we somehow run into them it's likely to go the distance or end in 6 games. Given our horrific history, the fact some kind of goofy **** always seems to happen that prevents us from beating them and the fact they are going to turn the series into a chess match like Detroit will... winning that series will come down to the same factors as beating the Capitals. Lucky for us, this seems to be the year where they just can't buy a win at home even if they paid top dollar.
The NYR don't worry me TOO MUCH even with Eric Staal. They're pretty much the same team as last year and we beat them them. Their offense is not a whole lot better than ours, their defense is not as good as ours. Sure I have reservations about facing Henrik Lundqvist since you know he is gonna steal a game or two in that series, but I think they won't be able to handle our speed and keep up with us. Beating them just requires scoring first and then putting the boot on their throat. I'll be stunned if they make it past DC.
As for the Wings they're not that good. They win out of scheme alone anymore. I just hope someone else does the dirty work of taking them out for us. I have my reservations about facing them because if they score first we can pretty much kiss the game goodbye. No team in the NHL has perfected, "death by trap" like the Red Wings have and I just hope the guys are up to a long series of rope-a-dope with 3 guys standing within 10 feet of Mrazek clogging every damn shooting lane on the ice. I'll feel a lot better about facing them if we can pull off a convincing win against them the last game. Playing them is like going to the dentist and getting a damn root canal.
Kramerica Industries
Registered User
Any bit of concern I have for the non-Washington EC teams comes from the fact that I have no faith in Jon Cooper to out-coach his opposite number in a playoff setting. He hasn't done it in five different opportunities and I won't expect that to change now. That is a legitimate concern, mind you.
Still, there is a shocking lack of faith in the talent of a team that was in the SCF a year ago. Just hope and try to avoid Washington as long as possible, because it's always possible that either of the NY teams or Pittsburgh could take them out in the first two rounds (unless PIT ends up in the Atlantic bracket, which brings about its own concerns). Besides the obvious reason why, the Capitals are the miserable scenario for the Lightning in any setting, and part of that comes from the fact that their PP tactics absolutely slaughter Tampa's PK tactics. In the two games in Washington this season, Washington scored six of their nine goals on the PP, and another one of them was an ENG. Tampa Bay outscored Washington 5-2 at even strength (with goalies in) and lost both games by two goals. Frankly, that just sounds impossible. And it's indicative of how any power plays for the Capitals, especially in their building, are a nightmare waiting to happen. I, for one, am not the least bit convinced that TB's PK'ing success rate is in any way real; their shot suppression rate is still bloody awful (28th in FA/60, sandwiched between...huh, Dallas and Chicago).
Still, there is a shocking lack of faith in the talent of a team that was in the SCF a year ago. Just hope and try to avoid Washington as long as possible, because it's always possible that either of the NY teams or Pittsburgh could take them out in the first two rounds (unless PIT ends up in the Atlantic bracket, which brings about its own concerns). Besides the obvious reason why, the Capitals are the miserable scenario for the Lightning in any setting, and part of that comes from the fact that their PP tactics absolutely slaughter Tampa's PK tactics. In the two games in Washington this season, Washington scored six of their nine goals on the PP, and another one of them was an ENG. Tampa Bay outscored Washington 5-2 at even strength (with goalies in) and lost both games by two goals. Frankly, that just sounds impossible. And it's indicative of how any power plays for the Capitals, especially in their building, are a nightmare waiting to happen. I, for one, am not the least bit convinced that TB's PK'ing success rate is in any way real; their shot suppression rate is still bloody awful (28th in FA/60, sandwiched between...huh, Dallas and Chicago).
The team's swagger is a double-edged sword, but it's always going to be there IMO. Their confidence can easily slip into over-confidence. We'd all love to see them have more of a killer instinct, but the sad fact is they're more likely to take a night or two off. This is where it probably comes in handy to have someone like Toews kicking around. :p I'm kidding, obviously, but I do wonder if the right kind of leadership can help.
Maybe Stammer can be that guy. I don't know how the team views him, but I view him as more "one of the guys," rather than "The Guy." You could always sense something a little different when it came to guys like Messier and Yzerman, and even Toews now. They were somehow above and beyond. And their teams, good as they were, could turn into machines.
So much of our strength is good ole youthful exuberance. A cockiness. It's the thing that lets us go into NY, Game 7, and thoroughly shut down the Rangers. But it's also the thing that makes us so often "play down to the competition." Bluntly, they get lazy when they think they can get away with it because they're so sure they can win when it counts.
I think that confidence might have taken a hit this year. Maybe it's for the best, but maybe not.
JFleegs
Registered User
I feel like last year we were suppose to lose in rnd 1 to Detroit. They didnt know how to win in the playoffs and the year before getting sweeped by montreal was coming back to haunt them. Then TJ saved our ass's. That was the biggest lesson, and necessary lesson they needed. Then they realized we can do this.
This year I think they took the regular season for granted, but now realizing how to play well enough to win. Once in the playoffs I think they will be much more comfortable and know what it takes to kick some ass.
That's my theory.
Oh and the caps, I think we can out compete them when it counts. Guys like JT Brown Paq Namesy all improved tremendously. Brown and Pacman were made for the playoffs and could see them kicking some ass. I have faith in TJ Palat Kuch Killorn Hedman Garrison Coburn and Bishop all turning beast mode in the playoffs. (plus if stammer can keep going, oh boy)
I agree with that. I think it's promising that we are peaking at the right time. This is the time of the season where everyone says the regular season becomes a lot more like playoff hockey, and we are actually excelling at it so far while the less experienced or playoff ready teams are starting to fade a bit.
Coach Parker
Stanley Cup Champion
With this unique Drouin situation I still wonder if a team would want to add him for their AHL push and get him on the ice and under their roof. Wondered the same about Khokhlachev.
If it was for a draft pick(s) or prospects, why wouldn't these teams do that?
If it was for a draft pick(s) or prospects, why wouldn't these teams do that?
TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
Coach Parker
Stanley Cup Champion
Fair enough. Boston has a similar situation with a top prospect not happy about getting his shot (Khokhlachev) but he has been playing extremely well in the AHL and reported. Wondering if moving him to another franchise like Vancouver and letting him ride it out there would be better than trading him for less at the deadline.
Figured you'd have insight into post-deadline moves and if Tampa was thinking the same with their situation.
Cheers
CarpeNoctem
Chilling w The Chief
That makes sense for a few reasons, 1)wanting to improve now and 2)Use Drouin as a firewall if Stamkos leaves. Then you could work a trade to get another C by moving him.
How many 2nd year post season players will we have this year? Killer's 2nd year was obviously a sight to behold for what anyone could have expected.
The Gongshow
Fire JBB
I was going to say Hedman but he was apart of the 2011 run, wasn't he?
The 2013-14 run, as well.
Looks like JAM, Namestnikov, and Nesterov are the only ones in their second year (provided we make it). I'm not necessarily expecting the world from Nes and JAM, but I feel like Vladdy NEEDS to show something this year.
ArmaHedman
Registered User
Traditionally the President's cup winner has not done all that well in the playoffs. Washington should not be overlooked but I think they also have won (or got a lot of momentum) from the power play. We have been there before and know the refs tend to swallow the whistle more in the playoffs.
I think the playoffs this year will be of a very high quality right from the first round.
I think there will be 2 ever important factors on which team makes it through
I like how the bolts are really peaking, lets hope it not too soon!
I think the playoffs this year will be of a very high quality right from the first round.
I think there will be 2 ever important factors on which team makes it through
- Which goalie stays hot
- Which team stays healthy
I like how the bolts are really peaking, lets hope it not too soon!
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CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
- 16,384
- 7,113
Traditionally the President's cup winner has not done all that well in the playoffs. Washington should not be overlooked but I think they also have won (or got a lot of momentum) from the power play. We have been there before and know the refs tend to swallow the whistle more in the playoffs.
I think the playoffs this year will be of a very high quality right from the first round.
I think there will be 2 ever important factors on which team makes it through
- Which goalie stays hot
- Which team stays healthy
I like how the bolts are really peaking, lets hope it not too soon!
That's why they say you have to make it in first and after that anything can happen. At this time of year everybody always has their picks in for who is going to win it all and it's always the teams that are in first place in the conferences. Last year nobody picked TB to go to the finals because NY had been the team winning all the games in the reg season. This year everybody thinks Washington is automatically a team going to the finals. All it takes is a team that out works them and you have an upset. Washington is beatable. Their defense isn't all that great. Holtby can be scored on. If the Lightning play them in the ECF they can beat them. Will it be hard?? Of course but they can beat them.
These Are The Days
Oh no! We suck again!!
The problem with the Capitals is that this is legitimately the best defense they've had in the Ovechkin era. Dumping Mike Green and putting less responsibility on Alzner is a big part of it. Their offense finally has a second center after Backstrom in Kuznetsov that actually knows what he is doing out there and it's provided them with multiple scoring lines, not just the line Ovechkin is playing. For years and years Marcus Johanssen would go AWOL on them in playoff time and I doubt Kuznetsov is going to do that. Justin Williams is having arguably the finest season of his career (or in at least in the last 3+ years) because he's in a more free-wheeling offense than in LA and plus he's also good defensively on his own right. He's the kind of guy that DC has been missing for all these years... someone who has been there, done that and is a legitimately good 2 way player. I don't know what to make of Oshie (because come playoff time he goes AWOL too) but he's a solid 2 way player in his own right. Adding guys like them helps counter a 3 game pushback from a desperate Rangers team last year because guys like them help control the pace of the game. In Williams' case, it helps in the locker room. As for Holtby, he's a somewhere below the NHL's elite and has the benefit of a stacked team playing in front of him. He'll win you almost every game you ask of him so long as you don't make him stand on his head. And the last problem is Barry Trotz.. he's the best damn coach no one has ever heard of. How he managed to make the playoffs with Nashville having the most anemic offenses in the league is a testament to his ability.
This is a very balanced and very talented Capitals team that would beat all of its previous forms in a playoff series. If they somehow manage to screw up their Eastern Conference playoff run then I will be stunned. So how do you beat them? Go 1990's-2000's NJ Devils on them and you'll win in 5 or 6 games so long they get frustrated and give in to the dump and chase game. If they give in, make sure your guys are first on the puck in the defensive zone. Clog all the shooting lanes, be sound on the penalty kill, have timely goaltending and the Capitals are toast. They can't win if they don't have the puck.
Watch the film on the Red Wings vs Lightning last year and just repeat what Detroit did. We were VERY lucky that Tyler Johnson felt like being a hero
CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
- 16,384
- 7,113
I understand they are a good team but we are too. I think people underestimate how good our team is. We have everything they have. Four lines capable of scoring. Stingy defense and good goaltending. And we have playoff experience of going deep.
The reason people underestimate our team is because of our "slow" start.
I think we kind of half assed it in the beginning to be honest. We were probably still a little banged up from playoffs. Mentally and physically. I think only now and for the rest of the season will you see our team give our best.
Also I think fans are very narrow minded on why our team is successful. We say it's only the triplets, or it's only the talent. We only give credit to the goal scorers or to the talent. When the team is not winning we lay into the coaches. I will tell you now that this team wins together and they lose together.
That team beat the Wings last year. It wasn't only Tyler Johnson. Cooper did an amazing job in the playoffs last year. Was he perfect? No. Our team did an amazing job in the playoffs last year. Were they perfect? No. But all played well enough to get us to the finals. We coached well enough to get us to the finals.
They have it in them to do it again. There is not one team that is that far superior to us that we can't beat. We have the players and the coaching to do it.
/end of rant
