Tampa Bay vs. Washington

[Klunzo 36]

+2

[greenrebellion 415]

Sucks to be a capital fan.

[Greatness=PavelDatsyuk 65]

Why the hell is the NHL making them play Back-to-back, nothing is going on at the arena on thursday and nothing after that at the verizon center besides the series

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Tampa's role players really showed up tonight, as they have throughout the entire series. Nate Thompson, Dominic Moore, and Adam Hall were all noticeable out there tonight. Blair Jones filled in well. Don't look now, but Steve Downie has 10 points so far this postseason. This guy is the real deal, folks. I believe he is a free agent come this summer.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Tampa's role players really showed up tonight, as they have throughout the entire series. Nate Thompson, Dominic Moore, and Adam Hall were all noticeable out there tonight. Blair Jones filled in well. Don't look now, but Steve Downie has 10 points so far this postseason. This guy is the real deal, folks. I believe he is a free agent come this summer.

Yzerman is not going to give up Downie with the way he is playing.

In fact, they don't need to. They have no issues with the cap right now.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Yzerman is not going to give up Downie with the way he is playing.

In fact, they don't need to. They have no issues with the cap right now.

He'll probably sign long-term this offseason. One of the most underrated acquisitions this season was Yzerman plucking Sean Bergenheim out of nowhere. He's looked great.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Am I the only one who thinks we could snab Thompson off the Lightning next season?

Seems to be a really tenacious depth forward who has at least some sand paper in his game.

No idea what I see in him, but I like it regardless.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Am I the only one who thinks we could snab Thompson off the Lightning next season?

Seems to be a really tenacious depth forward who has at least some sand paper in his game.

No idea what I see in him, but I like it regardless.

That makes two of us. Great penalty killer. He can skate a regular shift. Got at least some speed. Gotta think Stevie wants to keep him in Tampa.

[VM1138 1,921]

Wow, Tampa is up 3-0? I definitely didn't see that coming. But way to go, Bolts! I bet Washington steals the next game or two, but Tampa's got this locked up.

[Klunzo 36]

Tampa up 4-2 with 12:50 left in the 3rd. Come on TBL....you can complete the sweep!

[Klunzo 36]

5-2 with 3:08 to play. WOOT, at least one Red Wing is winning big tonight!

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

5-2 with 3:08 to play. WOOT, at least one Red Wing is winning big tonight!

I feel bad for Bruce. He is no doubt going to get fired for this series.

Inb4 "Is Yzerman a better GM than Holland?" thread.

[Klunzo 36]

I feel bad for Bruce. He is no doubt going to get fired for this series.

I totally agree with you about Bruce getting fired. Maybe if they shake things up in Washington they will get past the 2nd round. Washington had like a 2.4 GPG in the playoffs to the Bolts 3.3 GPG. Neuvirth couldn't stand on his head and now they're out.

Really impressed with Roloson, brings back memories of sitting in Edmonton watching him play in the 2006 playoffs.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Congrats to the Bolts and Stevie Y.

[wingfan1991 221]

YAAAAA Stevie!!!

[MGreenberg 105]

Congrats to Yzerman and the Lightning, they are going to take down the Bruins in the next round.

[LeftWinger 4,953]

YZERBOLTS!

Guess there is no doubt who the better GM has been this year! Yzerman over Holland....

Edited May 5, 2011 by LeftWinger

[Bradster1984 0]

I having a feeling Bruce Boudreau is getting fired.

[VM1138 1,921]

I'm loving the Bolts. Never rooted for an Eastern Conference team to win the Cup before, but I hope they make it.

[Majsheppard 203]

I have a feeling this forum is going to be a Tampa Bay forum for the near future.

That makes two of us. Great penalty killer. He can skate a regular shift. Got at least some speed. Gotta think Stevie wants to keep him in Tampa.

Honestly, I would rather as a player play for Tampa then Detroit, because they are moving in the right direction.

[VM1138 1,921]

I have a feeling this forum is going to be a Tampa Bay forum for the near future.

Honestly, I would rather as a player play for Tampa then Detroit, because they are moving in the right direction.

That's a little overreaction, I think. As much as I root for them, Tampa is probably just another flash in the pan team. Each year there is a crazy underdog team that goes deep and then disappears. Maybe they make playoffs on a consistent basis but...meh. The Wings, on the other hand, have just gone through 2 (3 if you count the Hossa year) bizarre seasons that make it difficult to judge just where the Wings really are. The leadership is there, the will to win is there and established...I think I pick the Wings if I had to choose to play for one team. Tampa Bay is building, Detroit is already there, just has to make a few moves here and there to tweak.

[Joey v3.4 45]

Heard a joke tonight.

Go into a bar, and order an "Ovechkin". If the bartender doesn't know what it is, tell him:

"It's a white Russian, with no cup"

That's a little overreaction, I think. As much as I root for them, Tampa is probably just another flash in the pan team. Each year there is a crazy underdog team that goes deep and then disappears. Maybe they make playoffs on a consistent basis but...meh. The Wings, on the other hand, have just gone through 2 (3 if you count the Hossa year) bizarre seasons that make it difficult to judge just where the Wings really are. The leadership is there, the will to win is there and established...I think I pick the Wings if I had to choose to play for one team. Tampa Bay is building, Detroit is already there, just has to make a few moves here and there to tweak.

They'll be tweaking their golf game pretty soon.

Tampa probably won't

[mmamolo 287]

Tampa Bay is definitely playing really well and they have some nice pieces but there are two glaring problems with this team moving forward (beyond this year - long term future):

1. Dwayne Roloson is 41 years old. Sooner or later they need a legit replacement

2. We see teams make runs like these because their depth players play way, way, way above their abilities. Their third line is just ridiculous right now. THe problem is we've seen a ton of third lines do this one cup runs before. Edmonton 06, Anaheim 07 etc. Problem is although they have insane chemistry during the cup run these types of players cannot sustain that chemistry or production. Dominic Moore and Sean Bergenheim are playing way above their abilities and are just riding the wave of momentum. They're good players but the chances of them repeating this run are very slim.

[Joey v3.4 45]

Tampa Bay is definitely playing really well and they have some nice pieces but there are two glaring problems with this team moving forward (beyond this year - long term future):

1. Dwayne Roloson is 41 years old. Sooner or later they need a legit replacement

2. We see teams make runs like these because their depth players play way, way, way above their abilities. Their third line is just ridiculous right now. THe problem is we've seen a ton of third lines do this one cup runs before. Edmonton 06, Anaheim 07 etc. Problem is although they have insane chemistry during the cup run these types of players cannot sustain that chemistry or production. Dominic Moore and Sean Bergenheim are playing way above their abilities and are just riding the wave of momentum. They're good players but the chances of them repeating this run are very slim.

In the modern league, replacing a goalie is not a hard task.

It's not like the days of Roy and Brodeur, where high level goalies were rare. Now, heck, rookies make entire cup runs.

The question isn't, "Can they get a good replacement", the question is just, will they pick the right one?

I'm fairly convinced with the level of goaltenders today, you could draw from a hat, and potentially get a goalie that will get hot come playoff time.

Roloson is standing on his head for Tampa Bay, sure, but his track record prior to this year isn't spectacular.

Goalies get hot, and cold. Rookies can take a team deep, and veterans can flop like fishes.

They might not pick up a veteran, sure. But if they go all the way (IF, not saying they will just yet. Until the East Conf team plays the West conf winner, it's all flipped coins and dust in the wind), they could easily pick up a decent goalie that will give them a few years of relative success.

Nobody in the NHL really has a dynasty anymore though. One cup is kinda the standard now. Detroit is nearly out of this round. Pittsburgh is gone, and Chicago was out the first round too. The age of dynasty has come to an end.

I really don't see the point of discussing longevity of a team at this point in the playoffs. Simply because us Detroit fans have been blessed with two decades of playoff runs (And 16 exits, despite our 4 wins), is not cause for judging other teams longevity Cause Frankly, it's very unlikely we're winning this year either.

I wouldn't say it's wise to compare teams in terms of longevity to Detroit. Detroit accomplished it's feat in mostly a different time, and different era. The NHL is a changing place.

If Chicago can win a cup, and barely make the playoffs, then get pranced in the first round, that should tell you that longevity is not a part of todays NHL

[Finnish Wing 110]

2. We see teams make runs like these because their depth players play way, way, way above their abilities. Their third line is just ridiculous right now. THe problem is we've seen a ton of third lines do this one cup runs before. Edmonton 06, Anaheim 07 etc. Problem is although they have insane chemistry during the cup run these types of players cannot sustain that chemistry or production. Dominic Moore and Sean Bergenheim are playing way above their abilities and are just riding the wave of momentum. They're good players but the chances of them repeating this run are very slim.

Maybe they're just playing above their regular season abilities. I cannot speak for Moore here, but Sean Bergenheim is a former first rounder. He's never had the chance to play in the NHL playoffs before. He's always got the potential there. I know he won't turn out like Jussi Jokinen did, but it's a similiar situation. Bergenheim's NHL career was almost buried before Yzerman signed him. I'm sure he can pick some of this playoff run onto his regular season game as well (like Leino did).