2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Coach Cameron was emotional after the game, got to understand that. Both sides want to win bad, there could be some more fireworks in this one before the series is over. As a Leaf fan, yeah, I know, I stand in a neutral corner, although I do think Habs got a better chance of winning it all than the Sens do. If I can't see the blue and white win, let at least a Canadian team finally return the Cup to it's righteous country.
 
If you have Pavel Datsyuk and a hot goalie apparently seeding doesn't matter. Go Red Wings.
 
Which player is going to win the playoff scoring title this year?
I'll go with Perry, off to a good start mind you.
 
And so the Oilers get the first overall.

AGAIN.

Prediction: they draft McDavid, and then...finish way out of playoff contention again. Because that's the Oilers' entire problem - they keep getting the best draft picks, drafting the stars that come up (ie forwards), and then having no defense and goaltending to speak of therefore losing horribly because the best teams are built from the back end forward, not from the front end backward)
 
So what should they do with the first pick? I think the problem is that juniors/college programs are funneling all the talent forward. You can't take the number one pick and draft a goalie or defenseman that is way down the talent ladder from the available forwards just because that's more in line with what you need.
 
I don't think they'll trade their 1st pick but it will be interesting to see what they will do with any of their top young players. A player like Eberle can fetch them a few good players to change their dynamics.
 
I think the problem is that the focus has been forward for so long that there is a real shortage of quality blue liners. So whether you talk draft or trade no one is really inclined to give them up. Even teams with a "strong" D-corps have one pair that plays thirty and another that plays twenty. You can't make them an offer that gets one of those four guys, generally, and the other two are the other two for a reason.
 
Timsup2nothin said:
So what should they do with the first pick? I think the problem is that juniors/college programs are funneling all the talent forward. You can't take the number one pick and draft a goalie or defenseman that is way down the talent ladder from the available forwards just because that's more in line with what you need.
Click to expand...

I know. They need defense badly, but they keep ending up with the first overall pick, which PR demand you 1)Keep and 2)Use for the flashiest, most talented (eg, forward) hockey player available.

They're going to have to trade sooner or later, one of Eberle (not a 1st overall)/Hall/Nugent-Hopkins/Yakupov for some defensive talent, but after Gretzy trading a young star is another PR disaster in Edmonton.
 
Back to the playoffs...

Lot's of series tied 1-1, as usual. If you are a lower seed and come home with a split on the road you gotta be happy...but who is happier?

A) We lost game one, but came back strong in game two for the split, and we have momentum.

B) We came out and beat these guys in game one, and even though they slipped away with game two when their backs were to the wall we got on top once and we can do it again.
 
The answer is:

C)We're up 2-0 nyuck nyuck nyuck.

(In general I would say that at 1-1 happiness would be equal. It's not like 3-3 when it was 3-0 3 games ago)
 
Meanwhile, I apparently picked the wrong pair of Canadian teams to come unscrewed. Very impressive mayhem in Vancouver. Gotta say two five minute fighting majors and three game misconducts all at once is a pretty impressive accomplishment...for one guy. I've seen what I considered fairly good brawls where a whole team got about that.

Edit:

And chaos continues in Calgary. Either the NHL doesn't really want things to be reined in, despite their constant yapping about hockey purity, or they are inept. Whichever way I'm glad, because this is a great series.
 
Oda Nobunaga said:
And so the Oilers get the first overall.

AGAIN.

Prediction: they draft McDavid, and then...finish way out of playoff contention again. Because that's the Oilers' entire problem - they keep getting the best draft picks, drafting the stars that come up (ie forwards), and then having no defense and goaltending to speak of therefore losing horribly because the best teams are built from the back end forward, not from the front end backward)
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with this comment, spot on.
 
daft said:
Ducks over Canadiens in the finals, wait, not a prediction, just a thought.
Click to expand...

The Ducks have certainly looked strong through four games.

Chicago with two double overtime wins may challenge them if they aren't too worn out, but I haven't seen anything from Vanc/Calgary or Minn/StL that makes me think any of those teams can give them a serious challenge.

Long road still to go though.
 
Strange hit of the day comes from the NY Islanders v Washington Capitals game.

Washington guy is bringing the puck up right along the boards. NY guy is closing in, and the Washington guy apparently sees him because he passes the puck, or more accurately just dumps it in, whatever. So the NY guy cuts in front of him, executes a ninety degree turn without losing much speed, and just flushes him.

What made it strange is that the Washington guy took the hit looking for all the world like he somehow did not see it coming. I mean, you tell guys to "keep their head on a swivel", and everyone loves a good blindsider when someone gets caught admiring their pass, but this guy got hit totally "head on collision" style, so how could he have not seen it coming?
 
Well daaaaayum.

My Calgary-Vancouver prediction was SUPPOSED to be a tongue-in-cheek dig at the Canucks. Bravo to the Flames for actually making it happen (and in one fewer game than I predicted, too!)
 
Meanwhile the Blues choke another playoff series in craptacular fashion, go team
 
And the Sens playoff come to a sad end.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm glad the Habs won. But I would have loved for the Sens to land someone else and make it a few rounds into the playoffs. They earned it, and it's a shame we had to beat them.

(And yes, they got screwed over on that early whistle and the subsequent disallowed goal. Though my personal view is that this evens out Zibanejad's FIFA moment from our last playoff meeting :p
 
Predictions for 2nd round:

East:
Montreal vs Tampa Bay 4:3
NY Rangers vs Washington 3:4

West:;
Anaheim vs Calgary 4:1
Chicago vs Minnesota 4:3
 
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