2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Can't believe it's been 20 years since the Wings and Caps met in the Finals.  Doug Brown went into Beast Mode in that series.  

[Jersey Wing 1,521]

What a history between these cities in the Final, who can forget the Redskins beating Las Vegas in Super Bowl VIILXIMCLXI? UNLV beating the then-Washington Bullets in the 77 NBA FInals was a classic.

[13dangledangle 958]

6 minutes ago, Dabura said:

I am all about this SCF matchup.

Oh I'm stoked for this final!  It'll be amazing hockey, and somehow I don't hate a player on either team, it will most definitely be a series for the history books.  I'm going with Vegas but Id be happy to see Ovi win too.  Looking forward to this

[amato 3,210]

On 5/22/2018 at 7:16 PM, Neomaxizoomdweebie said:

Not anymore. The league learned from past expansions that putting a bad product in a new market is a recipe for failure from which some teams never recover (see AZ, CBJ, ATL). They remedied that problem by giving Vegas a more competitive roster. It has turned out to be a huge success for that market and exactly how you grow your brand.

If you are expanding your business into a new market, how successful do you think it will be if you only send your worst employees from other locations to operate it? Obviously you don't take your best guys and hurt your current locations. You send some of your solid, if not remarkable, employees and younger, less experienced guys with promise in the hopes that they turn into "all stars". I don't know why people think that the NHL shouldn't follow basic business principles.

I wouldn't. Fleury has been the better goalie. He has been really good for a long time. I was never completely sold on Murray.

I just said I’d go with Murray because he’s younger and has had success. I get the injury concerns, but I’d go with the much younger starter personally. 

I can see why someone would agree with the argument for either though. I was mostly just trying to say the penguins deserve some credit for Vegas’ success without calling their move dumb the same way I would some of the other expansion draft moves that have led to Vegas’ success. 

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

VEGAS ALL DAY BAYBEE YOU NEVER BET AGAINST THE HOUSE

Ovechkin winning it all is a heart warming minute and a half and all, but I'd rather seem him cry. His pain will make me laugh. Plus,

IT'S VEGAS BAYBEE THE CHAOS KNIGHTS RAGING AGAINST THE SYSTEM

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

Let's be real here. The real reason for the Caps success this year:

The Official 2017-2018 Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Playoffs Commemorative Logo.

Edited May 24, 2018 by Neomaxizoomdweebie

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

On 5/20/2018 at 8:47 PM, chaps80 said:

A movie? Great. Not like we don't already have five mostly s***ty movies about the "Miracle" USA olympic team. Guess as long as they don't blow it out of proportion and overdo it through the years like they have with that, it might be ok. It was one game where they beat the Russians by one goal with Tretiak playing one period. Fun story, but nothing that's really worth rehashing over and over.

Yeah. A roster made up of college kids who ended up mostly being fringe NHLers or less beating a roster full of future Hall of Famers and some of the best hockey players of all time. A team that was arguably the best international hockey team ever who beat a squad made up of NHL All-Stars (20 of whom are in the HOF) in 2 out of 3 games the year before. Yep. No big story here. Way overblown. Not deserving of a movie cause it wasn't true hockey players (Canadians). Not a "Miracle" at all. Tell me more Colin Kaepernick.

https://www.nhl.com/news/look-at-miracle-on-ice-players-after-lake-placid/c-286973684

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/1980-soviet-union-squad-historys-greatest-international-hockey/story?id=42117760

[kickazz 5,459]

Now this is a SCF matchup. 

I have no idea who I want winning anymore. Part of me wants Vegas to prove everyone wrong but then I want Ovie to get a cup too. Guess I'll be glad either way since it's not Blackhawks or Pittsburgh.

[Mckinley25 677]

4 hours ago, kickazz said:

Now this is a SCF matchup. 

I have no idea who I want winning anymore. Part of me wants Vegas to prove everyone wrong but then I want Ovie to get a cup too. Guess I'll be glad either way since it's not Blackhawks or Pittsburgh.

This is exactly how I feel, the Caps have been working to get better every year and it’s paying off, but I doubt a Vegas situation ever happens again, so it’d be a great sports story if they completed their journey.  

[krsmith17 7,191]

Vegas would be a pretty cool story, and I'd like to see them win because it would piss a lot of people off. However, I have to root for Washington in this one. I'd like to see Ovechkin finally win a Cup (this may be his last chance), and I have 160 bucks on the Caps, so that's a bonus.

[xtrememachine1 795]

11 hours ago, Neomaxizoomdweebie said:

Murray had help in the playoffs. He only won 7 games in the 2016-17 playoffs to Fleury's 9. The fact that Murray isn't playing as well since MAF left makes me wonder if his early success was a benefit of having a tandem goaltending situation.    

You're kind of picking and choosing what numbers here you want to focus on here.  Yes, Fleury won more playoff games, but he also played in more playoff games.  Murray's GAA and Save percentage were vastly superior to Fleury's in both regular season and playoffs and Murray came in relief of Fleury who was shellacked by Ottawa in Game 3 and the team fell behind in the series, 2-1.  Another Fleury playoff meltdown appeared to be in the making, they switched to Murray and the result was another Cup.  

Quote

Because Murray is so young, I am not convinced that his success will be long term. It wouldn't be the first time a young goalie stormed into the league for a year or 2 and then fizzled out. Fleury may not be spectacular (I never said otherwise), but I know what I am getting there.

Point taken with the Cam Ward and Jim Carey examples.  (Not Brian Boucher, he had one good year).  However, none of those guys won back to back Cups.  They were good and showed plenty of potential, but none of them did what Murray did.  Murray is more comparable to Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy in terms of early success than those other two.

Quote

The Pens reached the Cup Finals 4 times while he was there. He has his name on the Cup 3 times. That's LONG TERM success IMO. Murray's is not certain.

You're REALLY pulling information out of context here.  Fleury was the starter for only two of those four trips to the Finals.  His name is on the Cup 3 times because Matt Murray won it twice as a starter.  How many playoff failures did they have with Fleury during seasons where the Pens were expected to win it all?  Murray's been in the league three years and this is the first time he won't win it.  That's insane.

 

Quote

That doesn't mean that going with Murray wasn't the logical choice. It was. I just would have tried to keep Fleury a little longer until I was sure that Murray was my long term solution.  I would have made a deal with VGK not to take either goalie in the expansion draft. Then I would have traded MAF later for a good return. Right or wrong, it's just how I would have done it. Even if I am the only one (among humans anyway).

Winning back to back Stanley Cups isn't enough of a body of work to demonstrate you have what it takes to be a long term starter in this league??  Fleury needed to be exposed in the expansion draft and that's the guy Vegas wanted the most, as they took him first overall.  Working out a trade with Vegas to NOT take Fleury would have cost the Pens a price they didn't want to pay just to keep a $5 mil backup goalie.

[AtlantaHotWings 983]

Prefer Caps just cause it moves us up ONE position in the draft. 

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

2 hours ago, F.Michael said:

 

This makes me giggle cuz now I know who she is, and likes sexy fun times wit deh hockey guys.

Porn stars partying with hockey players is nothing new.  Just ask the Flyers when they had Richards and Carter.  Maybe someone can post the pics for me.  

[greenrebellion 415]

On 5/11/2018 at 10:43 AM, greenrebellion said:

Caps in 7

Boom, ez

Caps in 5 this time around.  Won't be that close of a series.

[kliq 3,755]

10 minutes ago, greenrebellion said:

Boom, ez

Caps in 5 this time around.  Won't be that close of a series.

I tend to agree, but I also picked LA, SJ, and Winnipeg. 

[joesuffP 1,746]

I keep counting out Vegas. Part of me thinks the Jets ran out of gas against them and they took advantage. I don’t think they’ve played a team as physical and stingy defensively as the Caps. Vegas lives off of turnovers and the Jets are fun to watch but a little sloppy coming up ice

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

3 hours ago, joesuffP said:

I keep counting out Vegas. Part of me thinks the Jets ran out of gas against them and they took advantage. I don’t think they’ve played a team as physical and stingy defensively as the Caps. Vegas lives off of turnovers and the Jets are fun to watch but a little sloppy coming up ice

I think it's understated how effective the modified trap was against Winnipeg. The jets had a real tough time entering and setting up, and Vegas is a fast team, every turnover in the nuetral zone results in Vegas counterattacking with speed.

I think if Ovie puts this on his back the caps got it. But if they give Vegas any wiggle room theyre gonna be in trouble.

[marcaractac 3,962]

1 hour ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

I think it's understated how effective the modified trap was against Winnipeg. The jets had a real tough time entering and setting up, and Vegas is a fast team, every turnover in the nuetral zone results in Vegas counterattacking with speed.

I think if Ovie puts this on his back the caps got it. But if they give Vegas any wiggle room theyre gonna be in trouble.

A lot of it also comes down to MAF vs Holtby. That will likely be the difference.

[LeftWinger 4,951]

I have to go with MAF over Holtby...BTW I also need a MAF sensor in my truck.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

19 hours ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

VEGAS ALL DAY BAYBEE YOU NEVER BET AGAINST THE HOUSE

Ovechkin winning it all is a heart warming minute and a half and all, but I'd rather seem him cry. His pain will make me laugh. Plus,

IT'S VEGAS BAYBEE THE CHAOS KNIGHTS RAGING AGAINST THE SYSTEM

Yet Vegas casinos risk losing millions if they do win.

 

GO CAPS!!

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

A team with a Knight using the softest metal on earth for armor or a team who spells Capitals with 2 a's. (It's Capitols...Capitols!) IDK. For sake of redundancy I won't say who I am choosing and why.

(See my above post for the answer)

Edited May 24, 2018 by Neomaxizoomdweebie

[Prolix 65]

2 hours ago, Neomaxizoomdweebie said:

A team with a Knight using the softest metal on earth for armor or a team who spells Capitals with 2 a's. (It's Capitols...Capitols!) IDK. For sake of redundancy I won't say who I am choosing and why.

No, it isn't.

[LeftWinger 4,951]

I thought that looked funny with an "O" in it...unless he is from the Madison area..

 

Here is the run down of Capital/Capitol

 

The "O" still looks funny...

Edited July 23, 2018 by LeftWinger

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

14 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

I thought that looked funny with an "O" in it...unless he is from the Madison area..

Here is the run down of Capital/Capitol

The "O" still looks funny...

It's like offense/offence, gray/grey, labor/labour, etc. There are multiple spellings for certain words depending on where ur from. I prefer Capitols. Spelling it Capitals is fingernails on a chalkboard for me...or should I say chaulkboard.

[joesuffP 1,746]

I still can’t accept MAF being consistently this great for an entire playoff run