Would Ottawa have beaten Nashville?

[Riptide]

Likewise if Ottawa was healthy. All of Pitts big guns were healthy.

Uhh what? Letang is one of the biggest guns we have, and he was watching from the pressbox.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

The gameplan would have been different too. I don't think they would have played the same way. We would have probably taken more chances offensively against the Preds.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Ottawa's 1-3-1 would have driven Nashville's up tempo, speed through the neutral zone attack to frustration IMO. Ottawa is too disciplined to not follow the blueprint that has gotten them this far. I don't think Nashville would have adapted. Ottawa would have won the cup in 6 or less games IMO. Now given Johansen and Fisher are out. I am even more confident of this.

 

[hagelin1381]

Ottawa's 1-3-1 would have driven Nashville's up tempo, speed through the neutral zone attack to frustration IMO. Ottawa is too disciplined to not follow the blueprint that has gotten them this far. I don't think Nashville would have adapted. Ottawa would have won the cup in 6 or less games IMO. Now given Johansen and Fisher are out. I am even more confident of this.

I mean.. the Penguins had no problems at all entering the zone for the last 3 games of the series. Anderson just went super saiyan for games 6 and 7

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I mean.. the Penguins had no problems at all entering the zone for the last 3 games of the series. Anderson just went super saiyan for games 6 and 7

Nashville doesn't have that type of speed and skill. Not even close.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

Nashville doesn't have that type of speed and skill. Not even close.

Pens don't have any D-men that can carry the puck like Nashville's can either.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I mean.. the Penguins had no problems at all entering the zone for the last 3 games of the series. Anderson just went super saiyan for games 6 and 7

I saw it differently. Malkin and co tried to carry the puck over but their rushes were slowed. There was no up tempo end to end play which the Pens would be deadly against Nashville. Pens won on the cycle. Not beating the 1-3-1. Pens can also put up a good 1-3-1 so obviously all teams use it. Some better than others. But as Sid said himself post series interview. The Sens are a very difficult team to play with their team approach and system.

 

[Riptide]

Pens don't have any D-men that can carry the puck like Nashville's can either.

Yes... and no. They have no one who's as good as any of Nashvilles top 4 - no question. But Schultz, Daley, Maatta and Dumoulin are all good top 4D (or better), and all can skate and move the puck well enough.

But more importantly, Pittsburgh doesn't need to have 4D like that when they have the forwards they have. And the gap between Pittsburgh's forwards and Nashville's forwards is significantly larger then the gap between Nashville's and Pittsburgh's blueline and goaltending.

I believe that Nashville can seriously limit Pittsburgh's chances and limit them to a couple goals a game. I just question whether Nashville's offense can score enough to take advantage of that.

 

[OmniSens]

If anything, Ottawa got Lucky, not the other way around...

So we've been told for nearly 7 months now.

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

Ottawa's 1-3-1 would have driven Nashville's up tempo, speed through the neutral zone attack to frustration IMO. Ottawa is too disciplined to not follow the blueprint that has gotten them this far. I don't think Nashville would have adapted. Ottawa would have won the cup in 6 or less games IMO. Now given Johansen and Fisher are out. I am even more confident of this.

That same discipline is what kept them from shooting and ultimately probably cost them.
I think Nashville's very mobile defense would have enabled them to get through Ottawa's Red Rover defence and then ....

 

[Wings4Life]

I could picture a few 0-0 multi-OT period games, being decided around 4am PT or so.

 

[PerdFan]

Yes or No?

I think yes.

We'll all know by June 14th at the latest.

 

[Rob Brown]

Could have gone either way. Ottawa would have beaten Pittsburgh, and Nashville beat Chicago, Anaheim. Would have been close, IMO.

 

[WilliamNylander]

No lol

 

[3074326]

Ottawa can beat anyone on any given night with their mix of players and system. They offered as much resistance as any other opponent the Pens have played in the last two runs.

This post is more about the Sens than what I think about NSH. I'm really impressed with both.

 

[Up the Irons]

i don't think so.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

No lol

I'd like to think of it this way, even though I think it would be pretty even.

If Nashville beats Pittsburgh (I don't think they will), it would definitely make the "what could have been" thoughts much less painful.

 

[PerdFan]

Ottawa's 1-3-1 would have driven Nashville's up tempo, speed through the neutral zone attack to frustration IMO. Ottawa is too disciplined to not follow the blueprint that has gotten them this far. I don't think Nashville would have adapted. Ottawa would have won the cup in 6 or less games IMO. Now given Johansen and Fisher are out. I am even more confident of this.

Preds can chip and chase with the best of them. They won the Chicago series with speed, speed and more speed. They won the STL series with great defense and they won the Ducks series grinding it out with extreme physicality. Nashville has amazed even me with their ability to adapt to any style that can beat a given opponent. Lavy has really upped his game in the adjustment department.

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

Preds can chip and chase with the best of them. They won the Chicago series with speed, speed and more speed. They won the STL series with great defense and they won the Ducks series grinding it out with extreme physicality. Nashville has amazed even me with their ability to adapt to any style that can beat a given opponent. Lavy has really upped his game in the adjustment department.

Off topic...but you think Nashville will play chip and chase with speed speed speed against the Pens?

As you know...that's how the Pens like to play.

 

[PerdFan]

Off topic...but you think Nashville will play chip and chase with speed speed speed against the Pens?

As you know...that's how the Pens like to play.

I've honestly thought about this a lot since yesterday. I think it's going to come down to who's healthy come Monday. Smith contributes a lot to Nashville's speed game and Fisher to the grind game. Gun to my head, I think we try to really push the tempo and use the D advantage with a fast transition game since that is what Lavy prefers. Probably gonna end up being whatever allows us the best ability to possess the puck and play keep away from an offensively gifted Pens club.

Nashville has been such a chameleon these playoffs (even within the same series) that I'm just not sure what Lavy has up his sleeve.

 

[SpeedDemon]

The thing about Sports- the minute you get the attitude of "there is no way this team will beat us" you've already lost.

 

[braindead]

Off topic...but you think Nashville will play chip and chase with speed speed speed against the Pens?

As you know...that's how the Pens like to play.

Absolutely. That's the Preds (Lavy's) favored approach by far and the Preds will live and die by it in this series imo. They will try to out-Pen the Pens. Might work, might not but pretty sure that is the plan.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Yeah, sweep for Ottawa

 

[Fazkovsky]

Yes for sure

In 6

 

[ScaredStreit]

Ottawa hasn't beaten the Predators since 2014, so I'd go with they'd lose against them.