Series Discussion: The less important playoff series' (non-Caps ones) Part the Second

[AussieCapsFan]

All 4 of those goals are the result of good luck because they didn’t deserve to be in the position to begin with. You can say they took advantage of their good fortune and that Vegas should have killed it off, but the fact is they wouldn’t have been in that position if not for a dreadful call out of both team’s control.

It was a bad call but as others have pointed out, giving up 4 goals in 5 minutes is a next level choke by Vegas. If they'd allowed a couple of goals you could say "fair enough, the Sharks were angry about Pavelski and that made them super motivated". But FOUR goals is ridiculous.

I don't know the exact detail but apparently the Sharks also got a major break in the Colorado series.

And as I commented earlier, I still feel like the Sharks have been playing on tilted ice in these playoffs. It has nothing to do with a "fix" because I am the last person to believe in such stupidity. I just think the officiating has been terrible - which is saying something considering how bad it's been this regular season.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I think luck and things that cannot be reasonably controlled by the team (good or bad bounces, injuries, refereeing, etc.) are probably the most important factor to winning a championship.

Funny, I thought it was outscoring your opponent.

Who knew it was Sports Hoodoo all the time? Tom Brady must be a fraud!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

All 4 of those goals are the result of good luck because they didn’t deserve to be in the position to begin with. You can say they took advantage of their good fortune and that Vegas should have killed it off, but the fact is they wouldn’t have been in that position if not for a dreadful call out of both team’s control.

Kill the penalty (without giving up 4) instead of shitting all over themselves. Has a team ever floundered so poorly on a major PK situation in the playoffs in the situation the Vegans were in?

Next level choke job indeed.

 

[marcel snapshot]

There's still one period to play, and I'll probably jinx them, but once the Bruins get a lead, they've been pretty adept at snuffing out any hope the Canes might have

 

[Calicaps]

That pretty much settles it.

 

[StrikingDistance]

Poor lil caniacs.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I’m more disappointed now than I was the day we lost. Hey World Championships though right? Sigh....

 

[Raikkonen]

No ill feelings towards Boston. Rat isnt good guy but overall thats a team I respect. Have a soft spot for Rask who was my goto goalie in fantasy for many years (until I quit that time killer for other types).

Also thats a city where nobody murdered me after Ward scored his G7 OT goal. That one I will remember forever.

So Boston wins and no new SC winners in the league. Im good with it.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

No ill feelings towards Boston. Rat isnt good guy but overall thats a team I respect. Have a soft spot for Rask who was my goto goalie in fantasy for many years (until I quit that time killer for other types).

Also thats a city where nobody murdered me after Ward scored his G7 OT goal. That one I will remember forever.

So Boston wins and no new SC winners in the league. Im good with it.

I'm cool if any of the three remaining teams. Johansson was always one of my favorites and I think he continues to be underrated and under appreciated so I'll be stoked for him if he wins, and I just like the makeup of that Bs team.

Seeing the Sharks and Blues win would be cool too. First timers winning is always fun.

 

[islandersdynasty]

I would prefer not Boston since it would mean the Bruins get 2 Cups in recent memory to our 1.

 

[twabby]

Bruce Cassidy also appears to have become a much better coach since his first stint in the NHL with the Caps. Has the team firing on all cylinders and even seems to embrace the analytics!

 

[hb12xchamps]

Don't care who wins in the west as long as they beat Boston. At this rate I think best case scenario is SJ moving on as their team seems more equipped to play against Boston's style. The Thornton vs the team that dealt him years ago story line also plays out well.

 

[Capsman]

Poor lil caniacs.

Absolutely love it. Wanted to see Brind'amour suffer.

 

[43sfriends]

Boston getting this far and potentially winning the cup is a tough pill to swallow considering we've beaten them something like 17 out of the last 20 games. I'm tired of dirty Joe and Ref Jose so hopefully Tank and the Blues will pull it out and get their cup.

Judging by the Canes series, we had all the talent and ability to repeat, just lacked the drive. We dominated short stretches of the games, put up a lead, then reverted to a minimum effort game that the Canes slowly chipped away at. It's so weird that Ovi beating the crud out of Svechnikov was somehow the reverse turning point of the series for us. Definitely frustrating and hard to understand how that moment took the wind out of our sails so badly.

 

[Hivemind]

It was a bad call but as others have pointed out, giving up 4 goals in 5 minutes is a next level choke by Vegas. If they'd allowed a couple of goals you could say "fair enough, the Sharks were angry about Pavelski and that made them super motivated". But FOUR goals is ridiculous.

Those aren't mutually exclusive. It can be a choke by Vegas AND a result of a horrific call (which is good luck for the Sharks). The fact that Vegas' collapsed doesn't mean that the Sharks weren't the result of some tremendous luck.

 

[AussieCapsFan]

Those aren't mutually exclusive. It can be a choke by Vegas AND a result of a horrific call (which is good luck for the Sharks). The fact that Vegas' collapsed doesn't mean that the Sharks weren't the result of some tremendous luck.

Yeah I don't actually like the Sharks or Vegas, so I really couldn't give a f*** if both of them were eliminated

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Sharks bothered by people saying they're lucky — ESPN

 

[IafrateOvie34]

All the teams I despise are out of the playoffs, so it's just about watching the rest of hockey for the year. I do love that the officiating this playoffs is getting exposed for the debacle it is and just maybe we'll finally get some changes.

 

[sycamore]

Worst playoffs in recent memory, particularly in the East. Drunk, bumbling teams staggering their way obliquely into the
conference finals, while the titans collapsed around them. Sweeps everywhere. No competitiveness whatsoever. I will erase it from my brain very quickly, that I assure you.

 

[Hivemind]

If you ignore the Caps losing, round 1 was the most spectacular playoffs hockey I can recall.

 

[third man in]

Don't hate the sharks but I would really like to see the Blues win their first cup. They are like the western conference Caps (having consistently quality teams over the years but not able to get over the hump in the PO). They've suffered longer than we have.

 

[Calicaps]

So much of this discussion is backward looking. Maybe the traditionally great teams, especially Pens, just weren't really great anymore. Tampa was lights out in the RS, but I know I wasn't alone here in never thinking they looked like a playoff beast. The Caps? I say it's too soon to tell. They had major injuries and a clear fatigue factor. But ultimately it seems to me that maybe the worm is just turning on the perennial contenders. It happens.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Ex-Hurricanes Player Tears Into Bruins' Bruce Cassidy: 'Piece Of S--t' — NESN

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

Ex-Hurricanes Player Tears Into Bruins' Bruce Cassidy: 'Piece Of S--t' — NESN

Heard Bates' interview on the Spittin' Chicklets podcast. He did NOT think highly of Bruce Cassidy

 

[Calicaps]

Yay Blues!