Was this a better Cup Final than last year?

[c9777666]

Might as well ask.

Did Nashville acquit themselves better vs. the Pens than San Jose?

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[SEALBound]

Preds kept it closer than the Sharks did.

Excitement game to game goes to last year unless you're a Pens or Nash fan.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Nashville did better, but they played a worse team. 2016 pens would destroy the 2017 pens.

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Nashville put much more of a scare into the Pens than the Sharks did, imo. On the other hand, this Pens team was weaker. Not a bad Final, I think the final game was a classic.

 

[c9777666]

This was like a role reversal.

Last year, the Pens wildly outshot the Sharks and Jones kept them in it and no game was decided by more than 2 goals.

This year, they didn't outshoot the Preds by as big a margin but Rinne in defeat was not as good and we had only 2 games decided by 2 goals.

First time in a while we had zero one-goal games in the Cup Final after a run of them with CHI/TB and NYR/LA.

 

[maxmn]

Last year the pens and the Sharks were both better.

The pens this year won on determination, and guts. Their injuries were many this year. Plus they had to deal with continued cheap shots allowed at them. The Sharks, last year were better than the Preds. The Sharks actually played the game and didn't rely on cheap shots.

 

[PromisedLand]

last year pens seemed to have earned it; this year refs seemed to have earned it

 

[Goldenshark]

Might as well ask.

Did Nashville acquit themselves better vs. the Pens than San Jose?

I would take last years Sharks team over this years Preds team any day, but that's just me being biased.

 

[Riptide]

Entertainment wise? Because I thought it was very meh - even as a Pens fan. As a hockey fan in general (if it hadn't been my team) I would probably struggle to watch most of the games.

 

[maxmn]

I would take last years Sharks team over this years Preds team any day, but that's just me being biased.

I'm a pens fan and I agree. At least the Sharks fans had class and respect for the game, and behaved with dignity, while heartbroken. Nashville fans were disgraceful and completely ignorant of the game. Hope to see you next year in the SCF!

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Nope. Pens were never in danger of losing the series. The games were dull blowouts and the refereeing was some of the worst the NHL has ever seen on its biggest stage.

 

[Mike Lange Version 2]

I would take last years Sharks team over this years Preds team any day, but that's just me being biased.

For what my opinion's worth, I agree. Sharks played well last year, the 2016 Pens were just dominant. The preds would have been swept by the 2016 Pens

 

[JesterOnly]

Hell no.

Last year's game by game goal differential - 1, 1ot, 1ot, 2, 2, 2

This year's - 2, 3, 4, 3, 6, 2

Last year's was better. Nashville won by 3 and 4, so their goal differential in total was -13 vs the Sharks total -3. Every game last year was close. There were two ot's. The Sharks/Pens series could have been entirely different on one puck bounce.

This year, the only games that felt like they were a coin toss were games 1 and 6. Every other game was cleanly won. Who cares if Nash beats the Pens 5-1 and 4-1 if they lose the tie breaker 6-0?

There's a recency bias that the more recent team did better than the past team. People point to the shot differential and speed advantage that the Pens had over the Sharks to say that San Jose barely held on, when the truth is that the Sharks made that series a coin-toss competitively in spite of those short falls. The Sharks may have looked beaten in their loss whereas the Preds looked like they went down fighting, but the Sharks series was closer and the Preds may have went down fighting but got kicked hard in the teeth doing it.

 

[RickyHP]

I guess I have my biased opinion...

Was hoping to see a game seven, but I thought the PENS were going to take this series anyway.

Congrats to the preds on a good season.

Hope to see the preds in the playoffs next year and I hope to see the pens in the finals next year (wishful thinking, lmao.)

 

[neXis]

Slightly better. Both teams just collapsed.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Better Reffing last year. Better play this year

It's dead even if you ask me. But I'll choose this year if I had 2

 

[Hackett]

The sharks came in with higher expectations, but the pens systematically beat them with relative ease.

The Preds came in as the underdog, but they looked alot more competitive to me than the sharks were.

Based on that, I'll say this final was better.

 

[Iceman]

Yes.

 

[ChiefWiggum]

Depends on what you are looking for

If you want close scores, but games where the outcome is never in doubt based on one team continuously carrying the play, then SJ vs PIT is better

If you want a series where you get six or possibly seven games with the series outcome always in doubt and it doesn't matter if you get there by blowouts or nail bitters, then NSH vs PIT is better

 

[Steve Durbano]

Nashville could match the Pens speed and at times looked faster. The Sharks had no answer for it, the Pens skated around them with ease.

 

[orby]

It was more even but the quality of hockey played was worse imo, due in large part to both teams being down a key player (Johansen, Letang)

 

[Braunbaer]

This year's - 2, 3, 4, 3, 6, 2

Last year's was better. Nashville won by 3 and 4, so their goal differential in total was -13

So 13 - 7 = 13?
I see.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

I would take last years Sharks team over this years Preds team any day, but that's just me being biased.

I agree.

Both Finals went to 6 games and last year's was fun to watch.

Even with my Pens in the Finals again this year, this series was pretty meh. I was honestly looking forward to the end.

 

[Lacaar]

This was the worst finals I may have ever witnessed in the cap era.

The losing team didn't score a goal in the last two games...........

 

[Ducks in a row]

Last years was better. Too bad this year had both teams missing a key player with injury.