Official 2017-2018 NHL Thread v. Break the Ice

[TAC]

Based on the regular season stats, the Bruins hit SIX GAMES worth of posts last night!

[pg1067]

Bruins look like they're going to roll over the Leafs. 

You were saying??     Just need the Leafs to show up like that again on Thursday, and it's a best of 3.

Holy shit Anaheim!  Are the Sharks that good, or the Ducks that bad?

Yeah...I also thought the Kings had a chance against the Knights and that the Sharks v. Ducks series would be a very close match up.  I think it's more of a matter of the Sharks taking their game to a new level than anything else.  The Ducks are also not doing any of the things they ordinarily do well.

Do or die for the Kings tonight.  I am not optimistic for a repeat of 2014.

[jingle.boy]

Based on the regular season stats, the Bruins hit SIX GAMES worth of posts last night!

Kapanen has a 2-game post streak of his own.

[axeman90210]

Oh man, what a blast to be at the Devils game last night. They didn't start great, but really came on for the end of the second and then the third period. Hopefully they can sustain that through game 4 on Wednesday. Things also got pretty heated at the end last night, curious to see if that bleeds into the next game at all. Only problem is that I was so damn amped after the game that I couldn't even think about going to sleep until after 1am Definitely feeling that today, but so worth it

[Nick]

There you have it, as everyone predicted at the beginning of the season the Vegas Golden Knights are the first team to finish off an opponent and proceed to round 2 of the playoffs.

[Dittomist]

Dammit, there goes my chance of winning the NHL Playoffs Bracket Challenge. I picked the Kings to win in 7 games.

[mikeyd23]

Dammit, there goes my chance of winning the NHL Playoffs Bracket Challenge. I picked the Kings to win in 7 games.

Impressive sweep from the Knights, that's for sure.

[jingle.boy]

Anyone shocked that it's Rinne, Vasilevsky and Hellebuyck for the Vezina?  I thought that Rask might've bumped Vas given the latter's sub-standard performance in the stretch, but I guess Rask was fairly ordinary in March as well.  Really tough year to narrow it down to 3, because Rask and Fleury were also very worthy candidates.

Predictions:
Hart - Hall, Kucherov, MacKinnon
Norris - Klingberg, Hedman, Josi
Calder - Barazel... doesn't matter who else, he's 100% lock.  Gourde should get a nomination.  Boesser might've if he hadn't gotten injured - still might get a nomination.
Adams - Gallant ... doesn't matter who else, he's a 100% lock.  Too bad, because Bednar and Cassidy are very deserving.
Selke - dunno who the best defensive players are.  Karlsson (VGK)? 

[Nick]

Coots will hopefully get a nomination for the Selke this year and I think Giroux should be getting one for MVP.

[jingle.boy]

Coots will hopefully get a nomination for the Selke this year and I think Giroux should be getting one for MVP.

I could see him bumping Kucherov.  MacKinnon led a team that had (I think this is what I saw) the 3rd biggest one year point increase in the history of the NHL.  Hall was almost 2x more in points than the next highest point-getter on the team.  I have to think those two are a lock for nominations - despite their respective 8th place finishes.  Almost all other playoff teams had some semblance of balance, without a single player that stands out as much as they do.

[TAC]

What about Marc Andre Fleury for Hart?

[Hellholming]

What about Marc Andre Fleury for Hart?

if Vegas wins the cup, then yeah.


COME ON BRUINS!

[pg1067]

Dammit, there goes my chance of winning the NHL Playoffs Bracket Challenge. I picked the Kings to win in 7 games.

Impressive sweep from the Knights, that's for sure.

Ugh...that was just depressing.  The thing of it is that I don't really feel like this was a situation in which the Kings crapped the bed.  Rather, I feel like all credit goes to Vegas.  They looked unstoppable.  At times, it reminded me of some of the early/mid-2000s games between the Kings and the Red Wings.  Most of the game would involve the Wings getting chance after chance and the Kings dumping and chasing and maybe getting a handful of scoring opportunities.  But the way Vegas played this series went beyond that.  They were fast and swarming and never seemed to lose energy or focus.  The Kings only gave up 7 goals in four games.  That's pretty damn good.  All of the teams that are up 2 games to 1 have given up more than 7 goals to their opponents in only 3 games.  But the Kings just couldn't score, so it really didn't matter how few goals they gave up.  When the Sharks finish dispatching the Sucks tonight, the next round between Vegas and San Jose should be really good.

Anyone shocked that it's Rinne, Vasilevsky and Hellebuyck for the Vezina?  I thought that Rask might've bumped Vas given the latter's sub-standard performance in the stretch, but I guess Rask was fairly ordinary in March as well.  Really tough year to narrow it down to 3, because Rask and Fleury were also very worthy candidates.

Predictions:
Hart - Hall, Kucherov, MacKinnon
Norris - Klingberg, Hedman, Josi
Calder - Barazel... doesn't matter who else, he's 100% lock.  Gourde should get a nomination.  Boesser might've if he hadn't gotten injured - still might get a nomination.
Adams - Gallant ... doesn't matter who else, he's a 100% lock.  Too bad, because Bednar and Cassidy are very deserving.
Selke - dunno who the best defensive players are.  Karlsson (VGK)? 

And whoever the Vegas GM is will win that award.

Drew Doughty is more deserving of the Norris than Roman Josi, and Anze Kopitar will be nominated for the Selke, as will Patrice Bergeron, because he always gets nominated, whether he deserves it or not.  Antti Raanta probably deserved a nomination for the Vezina, but he suffered from a crappy team in front of him and being in the Pacific time zone.  By comparison, Vasilevskiy -- 12th in GAA and tied for 8th in S% among goalies who played in at least 40 games -- benefited from being on a good east coast team.  The nominees should have been Rinne, Fleury and Raanta.

[jingle.boy]

What about Marc Andre Fleury for Hart?

if Vegas wins the cup, then yeah.


COME ON BRUINS!

Considering voting is already in - as it should be so Playoffs don't influence the regular season awards - it won't matter.  I don't see him getting a Hart nomination.  That team was balanced as fuck - they had to be.

Fuck the Bruins.   

[King Postwhore]

 

Chad, does our son like Hockey?

[Hellholming]

Fuck the Bruins.   

oh.. my dear sir.. You just made yourself a mortal enemy.

[jingle.boy]

Chad, does our son like Hockey?

Since when did you bear children of mine? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?!?!?

[King Postwhore]

Hockey dads. 

[jingle.boy]

jingle.son is a casual fan at best.  He's an arts kid - sports ain't his thing ... but he takes a mild interest in the Leafs success.

[King Postwhore]

Brian's son if full blown brainwashed.  He'll get up on the weekend turn on the X-Box One and watch NHL highlights until his parents get up.

[dparrott]

Sharks sweep the Ducks!

[Dittomist]

Yeah, that was quite surprising. The series seemed like an actual shark was facing off against a duck. Colorado is doing a hell of a lot better than I anticipated because tonight they came so close to tying up the series.  I'll be rooting for the Maple Leafs tomorrow because I'd love to see that series go to 7 games!

[gmillerdrake]

Yeah, that was quite surprising. The series seemed like an actual shark was facing off against a duck. Colorado is doing a hell of a lot better than I anticipated because tonight they came so close to tying up the series.  I'll be rooting for the Maple Leafs tomorrow because I'd love to see that series go to 7 games!

Colorado could just as easily be up 3-1 right now. The two games they lost by 1 goal were that close.

F’n Predators.

[mikeyd23]

Good win for the Pens last night! 

[TAC]

Good win for the Pens last night! 

They're just playing on another level than the Flyers.

[mikeyd23]

Good win for the Pens last night! 

They're just playing on another level than the Flyers.

Last night was the first time so far in the playoffs that I honestly thought they looked like a championship caliber team. There was a moment in the third period where they were just so sharp, shutting down every chance the Flyers had, transitions and passing was perfect, the team was just stellar from top to bottom.

All without Hornqvist.

[jingle.boy]

And Sid just passed Lemieux as the all-time leading playoff scorer for the Pens.  *He* is playing on another level too.  It's like he saved everything for the playoffs.

[pg1067]

Yeah, that was quite surprising. The series seemed like an actual shark was facing off against a duck.

 

Pretty much.  Anaheim getting outscored 16-4 in a four game sweep makes me feel just a teensy bit better about the Kings getting outscored 7-3 in a four game sweep.  At least all of the Kings' losses were one-goal games.

[mikeyd23]

And Sid just passed Lemieux as the all-time leading playoff scorer for the Pens.  *He* is playing on another level too.  It's like he saved everything for the playoffs.

Yup and Murray is now the fastest goalie to 25 playoff wins. Pretty impressive post season performer.

[Anguyen92]

Yeah, that was quite surprising. The series seemed like an actual shark was facing off against a duck.

 

Pretty much.  Anaheim getting outscored 16-4 in a four game sweep makes me feel just a teensy bit better about the Kings getting outscored 7-3 in a four game sweep.  At least all of the Kings' losses were one-goal games.

I concur.  That particular game 4 between Sharks/Ducks, I wanted either the Ducks to get swept or for the Sharks to lose four in a row and choke away another 3-0 lead against a SoCal team in a playoff series.  Only those two options would made me feel a bit better about the Kings getting eliminated, so Ducks losing yesterday made me feel a bit better about the scenario.

[dparrott]

If the Kings are out I'm glad the Ducks are too.  SJS/VGK should be a good fight.

[dparrott]

I was hoping to like Vegas when they were announced, and I would except I can't get past that name.  Same with Univ of Oregon.  I like their uniform ideas, but hate the name Ducks.

[gmillerdrake]

Good lord Colorado just got F’d. That goal was kicked in.....called no goal by the ref.....then reversed after the replay shows it was kicked in?

Fn Preds literally get near every call they need to get. It’s unreal and annoying as all hell.

And that 8th grade softball chanting crap their crowd does is Busch league. So annoying.

[gmillerdrake]

Great job Colorado. 

[jingle.boy]

Ryan O'Reilly over Bergeron as a Selke finalist?  Guess the league wants to spread the love.

Well, I've finally settled down after the Leafs loss the other night.  Got home late from business travel, and stayed up until 12:30 to watch the game.  I'd had a cup of coffee late in the evening to make sure I made it thru... well, that caffeine wasn't out of my system by the time I went to bed, so I slept like shit, and ended up tired and grumpy all day yesterday.  Those 2-on-1 goals were pathetically defended by the Leafs - particularly Zaitsev on Marchand's goal.  He looked like it was the first time he ever defended a 2-on-1.  Totally hung Andersen out to dry - Marchand had the entire net to shoot at.  Polak's wasn't much better.  Leafs had their chances, but couldn't bury them.  Reilly Nash was a beast on the face-offs.  Wonder what the lineup change is going to be with Kadri coming back.

Series is over - no way the Leafs win 3 in a row, having to take 2 out of those 3 at the TD Garden.  It's just a matter of time.