With Tampa out, Calgary on the brink and Toronto in a rough fight mean Size > Skill?

[SirClintonPortis]

Nathan Mackinnon IS skill embodied.
So is David Pasternak, Patrice Bergeron, Marchand. Krug isn't even big.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

nope.

simply means the same truth about playoffs still exists.

time and space disappear in the playoffs. everything is tighter and you need to fight for ice. soft players that want to float or teams that dont want to put in the work are the ones that lose.

 

[Stuzchuk]

1 Skinny, 3 Fat

thanks for the memories

 

[glucker]

NHL.com just released an article about Tampa saying Lightning needed more grit, less glitter to avoid quick end to Cup run,

"How do you reconcile tying an NHL record with 62 wins playing one way, and that way might also be the reason they couldn't win one game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference First Round?
How do you change playing style to have a better chance to win in the playoffs when doing so could mean winning fewer games in the regular season, making it harder to get to the playoffs?"

With Calagry on the brink to an early elimination and Toronto in a dog fight with Boston, is the idea that skill wins championships simply not true?

When you look at NYI/WPG/STB/Vegas/(Washington?), and the success they are all having with big gritty players should a team focus on that? Is Size + Grit >>> Speed + Skill

edit: I forgot to ask, if this is correct and Size + Grit is infact>>> Speed + Skill is that good for the game?

I find the Leafs being used as an example here kind of funny. Hfboards was all on the “Bruins in 3” bandwagon, and now the teams are down to a best of 3 series... with one of the Bruins wins having a huge asterisk beside it.

At the end of the day, the lower seeded team, built on skill, is giving the higher seeded “physical” team a run for its money, and could well come out with the win.

 

[McFlash97]

You need both in the playoffs. Canes and Caps comes to mind. Both built sort of the same way.

Speed and some size.

 

[Anisimovs AK]

Didn't Tampa have more hits than Columbus in every game of their series?

Sure did. And the Jackets out possessed, out shot, and outchanced them in every game. Tampa was actually 4th in the league in hits, Columbus was towards the bottom. Tampa took the 5th most penalties whereas the Jackets were one of the least penalized teams in the league.

This narrative of a big heavy team pushing around a small skilled soft team is being overblown.

 

[Territory]

Were the Leafs supposed to destroy Boston?

I seem to remember they were the underdogs. Most predicted a long series with Boston having the edge.

And Boston is quite skilled as well. Marchand, Pastranak and Bergeron not to mention Krug on the back end. You telling me Boston is winning games on size? I say when they win it's because they win on skill.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

edit: I forgot to ask, if this is correct and Size + Grit is infact>>> Speed + Skill is that good for the game?

No. Hockey is a game based on generating luck-based events in the highest amount over short iteration spans.
This doesn't happen if you are wasting your time hitting people. Teams with more skill and speed will inevitably win out in the long term.
In Toronto's series, Rask and Andersen have near identical EV S% and Andersen has been weaker SH S%. That's all.
Oh, and Babcock's end of game deployment cost them at least a tie.

Character is a flaw. Grit is a flaw. Leadership is a fatal flaw. Just dress guys that cna skate and move the puck and you'll win, more often than not.

P.S. Tampa Bay was out Hedman/Stralman, = huge amount of puck movement.
P.P.S. Penguins slower than Islanders, who overcame their dead puck zones from Komarov/Martin with timely scoring from...skill guys like Eberle.

 

[acor]

When LA and Boston were winning it was about "size"... When Pittsburgh and Chicago were winning it was about "skill" and "speed"... In reality its about winning 16 games and not let an opponent win 4 games against you...

 

[Svechhammer]

There are 3 important traits to have: Speed, Skill, and Size

If you have the advantage in 2 of the 3 vs an opponent, you're going to have a good chance to beat them

 

[haveandare]

I don't think it's that big a deal, it's being mostly used as an excuse for TB that doesn't put the blame on anyone specific. The fact is their coach did nothing to adjust and many of their players were comfortable floating around. Calgary is lacking top talent imo, that's a big issue in the playoffs. Toronto is doing well and if they lose it'll be close.

 

[aufheben]

There is no magic blueprint for being a true contender. The closest thing I can think of is to have a team capable of matching up with anyone. You need a good mix of grit, game-breakers, depth and chemistry/brotherhood.

That last one is often overlooked on HF because we are hockey nuts who want to analyze every little thing we can, but it's hard to analyze an intangible thing like leadership or chemistry.

No, but styles do go in and out of fashion. I noticed this during the season, it’s not just based on playoff results. This year could be looked back on as a sea change. It could also be a coincidence, but that’s my theory.

Maybe Chiarelli was actually ahead of the curve in Edmonton; just went about it very poorly lol.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Styles of play only go in and out of fashion when the teams acting as ambassadors for that style can’t or won’t continue to play the way that made them successful in the first place.

Has less to do with league-wide trends than people often realize. We aren't seeing the death of skill. We’re seeing the death of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and this year’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

[JianYang]

Size means nothing if you don't have skill. Skill is a prerequisite, and size/physicality is an enhancing feature that can get you to the cup.

 

[Nordique]

Bjorkstrand, Texier, Atkinson, Panarin..........the CBJ didn't outsize TB, they ouplayed TB.

The better team at this point in time won the series 4-0.

 

[Master P]

Its size > skill until skill wins. Then its skill > size until size wins. Then its size > skill unti..........................................................

 

[Butch 19]

What Gobbledegook!

I thought Canadians were supposed to know hockey!!

 

[tony d]

I think there's so many factors that go into winning. With Tampa I think blowing that 3 goal lead in Game 1 + the Hedman injury is what cost them.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Size narrative overplayed here.

2006 - Carolina (Skill) beat out Oilers (Size)

2007- Ducks (Size) beat out Senators (Skill)

2008- Redwings (Skill) beat out Penguins (Size)

2009- Penguins (Size) beat out Redwings (Skill)

2010- Blackhawks (Bad goaltending) beat out Flyers (worse goaltending)

2011- Bruins (Size) beat out Canucks (Skill)

2012 - Kings (Size) beat out Devils (Skill)

2013- Blackhawks (Skill) beat out Boston (Size)

2014- Kings (Size) beat out Rangers (Skill)

2015- Blackhawks (skill) beat out Tampa Bay (skill)

2016 - Penguins (skill) beat out San Jose (Size)

2017- Penguins (skill) beat out Nashville (Playoff Rinne)

2018- Washington (size) beat out Las Vegas (size)

2019 first round - Size teams have won their series so far....

If anything size is becoming very underplayed around here.

 

[Price is Wright]

This discussion doesn't happen if Cooper was a better coach.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Pittsburgh and Chicago 5 cups in less than a decade say skill >>>>

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

I find the Leafs being used as an example here kind of funny. Hfboards was all on the “Bruins in 3” bandwagon, and now the teams are down to a best of 3 series... with one of the Bruins wins having a huge asterisk beside it.

At the end of the day, the lower seeded team, built on skill, is giving the higher seeded “physical” team a run for its money, and could well come out with the win.

That Bruins in 3 bandwagon was driven by Toronto fans.

 

[member 298589]

TO and BOS is a good series and does not fit this narrative. Also don't feel like CLB is much larger than Tampa even if they were more aggressive.

 

[romba]

TO and BOS is a good series and does not fit this narrative. Also don't feel like CLB is much larger than Tampa even if they were more aggressive.

Exactly, it's not the size of the team in the fight, it's the size of fight in the team.

 

[CanadianHockey]

If anything size is becoming very underplayed around here.

If anything, people are forcing a stupid dichotomy to try and develop a narrative about winning.

Damn near every one of those successful 'size' rosters has its share of undersized skilled forwards, and those 'skill' teams had their share of big, physical players.