what is your team's biggest concern heading into playoffs?

[neelynugs]

what's your team's biggest issue/question heading into the playoffs?

bruins have a bunch of them:

-lack of offensive depth behind pastrnak
-PP has been terrible
-how will the goalie situation be handled
-will thin center group get exposed

they had a physicality issue about a month ago but they at least seem equipped to handle that now

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[tarheelhockey]

Canes’ biggest concern is always goalie health. Andersen has been phenomenal since coming back from injury, but Canes goalies always seem to find a way to slip on a banana peel going into the playoffs.

 

[Mr Kot]

Goaltending. Skinners been playing well enough now, but if he poops again in the playoffs, then that's it for Oilers in playoffs.

 

[HanSolo]

Vegas' goalies can't stay healthy/consistent. Hill came back from an extended injury and played so well people, even outside Vegas, wondered if he could contend for a Vezina (but most felt he wouldn't have enough games played). Then his game completely tanked to the point that I'd put around 4-5 losses being directly impacted by Hill not making 1-3 very stoppable saves, but Vegas kept starting him hoping he'd turn it around and he got injured again. Logan Thompson stepped in and played a stretch of really good games, but the last two were pretty rough and he left a recent practice with what Cassidy called a non-serious injury. Either way, unless one of these two guys seriously locks in, I see it as a big issue going into the playoffs.

Vegas as a team has had a big issue with third period effort. I think, in general, the team has had a weird game approach all year where they have this air about them like if they play a highly technical and responsible style of hockey, they'll simply out talent/out sophisticate their opponents, but that hasn't always carried with it a gameday approach of outbattling their opponents. The Vancouver and Arizona games are bigger examples of the Knights just taking their foot off the gas with a lead in the third period. Vancouver didn't make them pay for it but the Coyotes sure as shit did with that 6 goal period.

As a whole, I feel like age is starting to catch up with some of their veterans like Martinez and Pietrangelo. I don't expect a follow up run this year to be as defensively tight as it was last year.

Then there's the issue that Vegas hasn't even locked in a spot just yet. They could still lose out and concede their spot.

 

[HolyHagelin]

Some of the Rangers key defensemen are not the guys they were when they earned the role they have. Trouba and Lindgren have been trending the wrong direction by nist analytics.

Fortunately, trouba still has the upside of “series altering clean hits” to make up for it.

 

[stator]

Sharks - not getting enough playoff tickets for the 23-man roster.

 

[noncents]

5v5 scoring if panarin gets neutralized.

 

[BonMorrison]

For Nashville, it will easily be depth scoring.

The Forsberg - ROR - Nyquist line is deadly at both ES and PP but if that line gets shutdown there's going to be a buttload of pressure on mid secondary scorers like Zucker, Sissons, and Beauvillier and also rookie Evangelista and second year Novak.

Also as the most physical team heading into the playoffs, there's definitely going to be concerns about longevity.

 

[The Management]

Toronto has a number of issues, but number one, I suspect, is whether our big ticket players will show up to play big ticket hockey. Converting opportunities into goals.

 

[NVious]

Toronto Maple Leafs:
1.We are the Toronto Maple Leafs

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Goaltending, depth scoring, and the Nurse-Ceci pairing

 

[Lt Dan]

That we are gonna get wrecked in the first round

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Depth scoring, defensive depth. Vasy would be on this list but it seems like he’s turned a corner.

 

[inthewings]

Ottawa - making sure to wear enough sunscreen on the golf course

 

[thekernel]

Canucks is goaltending. We've been riding DeSmith a bit too hard and the wheels are starting to falling off

 

[luiginb]

Bottom line, goaltending for almost everyone.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Tuba, Lindgren, Zibanejad

 

[Mitch nylander]

Goaltending.... Depends what version of Sammy we get. Back half of the year or first half of the year.

Defence is a concern as well, as we're prone to giveaways. Like putting in a timmins/brodie/liljegren gives you puck moving abilities but way more giveaways and defensive lols, but if we put in Edmundson/lybushkin/giordano, we're gonna have dman with an inability to create.

 

[NYI365]

Making the playoffs in the first place

 

[Szechwan]

Vancouver is one of the better teams in the league 5v5, but our special teams has completely disappeared and Demko will likely be cold having been injured for the last month.

Miller currently looks a bit banged up, and Petey is struggling too. Bad time of year to fall into a slump.

 

[ForumNamePending]

Leafs... The list is both long and distinguished.

 

[DiglettDangles]

Obligatory contribution (from MTL)

 

[GreeningOil]

Goaltending. Skinners been playing well enough now, but if he poops again in the playoffs, then that's it for Oilers in playoffs.

I’d counter this with we have a couple of defenders who can break down and leave a man open in the slot.

It typically happens in a game and we lose… but then doesn’t happen for 3-5 games later.

Goaltending has been good more often than bad in recent memory.

(Also, no team is perfect. These mistakes cost 31/32 teams every year)

 

[HolyHagelin]

Leafs... The list is both long and distinguished.

So’s my Johnson

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Panthers: Whether or not the team can just flip the switch and resume playing hard after sandbagging for over a month now. I'm obviously much less optimistic than Paul Maurice.