GDT: The 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Part II

[22FUTON9]

We used to be a fast team once. We might still be, I can't tell because of how messed up we play.

Ah MacKinnon, the guy was actually a more electrifying and better 2-way player in JUNIOR, somehow.

same goes for duchene
he was supposed to be a Steve Yzerman type player lol

 

[Hesher]

Looking at those ratings now I understand why Buffalo is on NBCSN every week.

 

[ASmileyFace]

The Kings won the cup right?



I know this is fake. It just gave me a small chuckle.

 

[5280]

Denver doing so well in the ratings is a good thing. We'll be on NBCSN quite a bit again next year.

I've always thought Denver was a good hockey market.....maybe it's just a good sports market in general. Too bad the local coverage isn't better.

 

[dahrougem2]

People really don't see why Crosby won the Conn Smythe? The guy was a monster in all three zones throughout the entire playoffs, and then took it to another level in the Finals. No, the points weren't all there but he still had 19 points in 24 games. I thought he was far and away the best player on the ice whenever he played in this series, and I thought he was very good vs Tampa Bay, too.

Pittsburgh's defensemen are also being underrated. They've got one elite defensemen in Letang, but Maatta and Dumoulin are pretty good defensemen, especially Dumoulin who has improved leaps and bounds in the skating department, which was his biggest weakness when he was drafted. Daley also played very well up until he got hurt. That's a very, very good top-4 if you ask me. Then Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy could be relied upon to kill penalties and take the odd even strength shift, and they did that to a tee. Very good team defense.

So, so happy for Kessel. I hope he goes right to Steve Simmons' door step and throws a hot dog in his face for all the crap he's written about him over the years.

One thing is for sure for Pittsburgh: Chris Kunitz needs to be put away. They have to find a way to get him off the team this summer. He kills so many plays.

 

[22FUTON9]

People really don't see why Crosby won the Conn Smythe? The guy was a monster in all three zones throughout the entire playoffs, and then took it to another level in the Finals. No, the points weren't all there but he still had 19 points in 24 games. I thought he was far and away the best player on the ice whenever he played in this series, and I thought he was very good vs Tampa Bay, too.

Pittsburgh's defensemen are also being underrated. They've got one elite defensemen in Letang, but Maatta and Dumoulin are pretty good defensemen, especially Dumoulin who has improved leaps and bounds in the skating department, which was his biggest weakness when he was drafted. Daley also played very well up until he got hurt. That's a very, very good top-4 if you ask me. Then Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy could be relied upon to kill penalties and take the odd even strength shift, and they did that to a tee. Very good team defense.

So, so happy for Kessel. I hope he goes right to Steve Simmons' door step and throws a hot dog in his face for all the crap he's written about him over the years.

One thing is for sure for Pittsburgh: Chris Kunitz needs to be put away. They have to find a way to get him off the team this summer. He kills so many plays.

The pens don't get out of round 2,3 or 4 (maybe not 4 but the pens just dominated the finals) without Kessel, same could be said for Crosby excluding round 2 which he was pretty bad, and probably their hardest series. If it's just the finals, then sure Crosby might have deserved it over Kessel, but Kessel was so much more consistent throughout the whole playoffs.
I dunno I'm not completely against Crosby winning the MVP and think he played great but I just think Kessel deserved it more.

 

[dahrougem2]

The pens don't get out of round 2,3 or 4 (maybe not 4 but the pens just dominated the finals) without Kessel, same could be said for Crosby excluding round 2 which he was pretty bad, and probably their hardest series. If it's just the finals, then sure Crosby might have deserved it over Kessel, but Kessel was so much more consistent throughout the whole playoffs.
I dunno I'm not completely against Crosby winning the MVP and think he played great but I just think Kessel deserved it more.

He had 3 less points than Kessel while playing against far superior competition and being an absolute beast driving possession and in general in all three zones of the ice. Don't get me wrong, I love Kessel more than most people do but the choice for Conn Smythe was painfully obvious for me. It was Crosby's to lose. He was on a mission.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I think the Conn Smyth is a dumb award anyway. There should be two awards. Finals MVP should be handed out on the ice. Then at the end of season awards they should give our another award for MVP of the playoffs overall. The guys just won the Stanley Cup, nobody gives AF about how someone played in round one. Give credit to the guy who performed when the games mattered the most on the ice and then appreciate the guys who performed better in the early rounds at the awards show.

As for the winner of the actual Conn Smyth. To me it came down to Sid, Kessel, Letang and Jones. If SJ won game 6 I think it would be Jones who got it even if the Pens took it home in game 7. With regards to Kessel, Sid and Letang it's really up in the air. One of the closest Conn Smyth picks I can think of. I don't think Crosby is the wrong choice though.