Author Topic: Playoffs around the league for 2018  (Read 29993 times)

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Offline OurLadyOfPatience

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Playoffs around the league for 2018
« on: Sunday April 15, 2018, 07:48:20 AM Eastern »
Figured I would create a place for us to chat about the success or failure of other teams in the Playoffs and how they are looking.


The stats I read recently discussed the impact of the schedule for playoffs and what this year looked like vs last year.  Interesting article, will try to locate it and post when I can find it.


Hoping for Preds/Knights for their respective matchups even though I’m a fan of Colorado I still think Preds are the better team.


Kings/Knights are a tough match up to watch, would have preferred they were paired up as a R2 or higher.



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Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #2 on: Sunday April 15, 2018, 10:39:44 AM Eastern »
    I'm hoping Nashville comes out of the west. I also like the Jets. I am probably one of the few people that don't want Vegas to advance.
     In the east Tampa looks strong but if the Devils got some decent goaltending they would be right in their series. The Bruins look good. Pasternak is lighting up the Leafs by himself. A lot if teams by passed this guy in the draft including us. Instead we draft Vrana. Pasternak probably wouldn't have developed the same on another team. He has very good linemates. Being on a line with Bergeron has had to help.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #3 on: Monday April 16, 2018, 02:21:11 PM Eastern »
McPhees Goldenk Knights have one of the most dangerous lead in sports, 3-0 against The Kings . . .


I haven’t been able to watch most of this series, but sans a brawl or two, this is what playoff hockey should be.


Damn shame for either of those two to be out, particularly as either team could assuredly walk right through the East



Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 02:52:21 PM Eastern »
...they swept The Kings. . .  (?). . .  nope not a typo, They sweep The Kings


The team that won a cup after being down 3-0 in the first three rounds to win their last Cup. . .





Vegas first team to advance

Oh, and the first expansion to sweep their first playoff series, and I think to beat a Cup winner too.


Great Job GMGM!





Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 04:09:26 PM Eastern »
EI Radek in VGK:
“Absolutely relentless in all areas of the game, all 285ft of the ice”


That’s that way it needs to be done all the tine , every game.


“Anyone that thinks this team can’t go on to win the Cup, haven’t been watching”
« Last Edit: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 04:21:46 PM Eastern by DC_1908 »

Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 04:29:40 PM Eastern »
...they swept The Kings. . .  (?). . .  nope not a typo, They sweep The Kings


The team that won a cup after being down 3-0 in the first three rounds to win their last Cup. . .





Vegas first team to advance

Oh, and the first expansion to sweep their first playoff series, and I think to beat a Cup winner too.


Great Job GMGM!
    This series was a lot closer than it looked. All low scoring one goal games. That's how to win in the playoffs. Vegas looks very good. I think they get to the western final or further.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 07:06:58 PM Eastern »
    This series was a lot closer than it looked. All low scoring one goal games. That's how to win in the playoffs. Vegas looks very good. I think they get to the western final or further.
Yep, . . . and from a certain point of view, not really.


These were my ideal types of games. The majority of that series was the lethal one goal defense.  While high risk, focuding almost solely on distrustrupting and countering the opponents strategies and tendencies, not making offense plays that could generate a chance for the opponent, just countering them and wearing out their bodies and playbooks while they’re trying to “just get that one goal”. . ,


Keep the scoreboard close while making the use up and expose resources. . .  :devil:


Offline Devise

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 07:20:27 PM Eastern »
Yep, . . . and from a certain point of view, not really.


These were my ideal types of games. The majority of that series was the lethal one goal defense.  While high risk, focuding almost solely on distrustrupting and countering the opponents strategies and tendencies, not making offense plays that could generate a chance for the opponent, just countering them and wearing out their bodies and playbooks while they’re trying to “just get that one goal”. . ,


Keep the scoreboard close while making the use up and expose resources. . .  :devil:


Fleury played excellent but absolutely. What was telling for me about this entire series was watching Vegas employ a 5 man defensive structure everytime they were on the ice almost. They would allow their speed to carry them in transition, and forecheck where applicable. But when the puck was in their end they saved most of their youth/speed for that, to close the distance and allow very few odd man breaks. Then once the Kings would forecheck and win some battles, Vegas would again use all 5 in the back end to try to impede the shots.


LA had some good chances, but they would usually have to work 2-3x as hard to get those good chances, and even then there is still Fluery to deal with. LA also had an awful hard time getting bodies to the front of the net, more so than I've ever seen for the way they traditionally play. This allowed Fluery to challenge far more aggressively, you could see him coming far out of the paint to challenge long shots. A lot of that had to do with the gap control and spacing of the Knights imo. When LA would get the puck, by employing man on man coverage in the Zone very tightly and chasing very hard they would force the Kings to space out so far when they were in the offensive end. This would keep a lot of open holes, and prevent crowds from forming around their goalie, in the shooting lanes, etc.


We've talked about this before but this is the type of "speed" game I think you and I reference. It isn't that they don't employ speed players, it's that the system works as such so everyone regardless of skillset can be in on it, and the speed players aren't just trying to force breakways and scoring chances, they are smartly leveraging their assets in a way that impedes the opponents abilities.


Gerard Gallant though deserves so much of all this credit, fantastic coach, Florida was boneheaded for letting him go he's the perfect type of coach to give to younger players looking to become full time NHLers, and given the crop Vegas has had to work with he was absolutely ideal for them.

Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #9 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 07:39:30 PM Eastern »
Yep, . . . and from a certain point of view, not really.


These were my ideal types of games. The majority of that series was the lethal one goal defense.  While high risk, focuding almost solely on distrustrupting and countering the opponents strategies and tendencies, not making offense plays that could generate a chance for the opponent, just countering them and wearing out their bodies and playbooks while they’re trying to “just get that one goal”. . ,



Keep the scoreboard close while making the use up and expose resources. . .  :devil:
     Vegas is playing a strong defensive system with all 5 guys involved. And they do it with speed. The system where all 5 guys are playing defensively responsible in my kind of game. Wish all of our guys played like that. Funny thing is that is the kind if system Trotz tried to implement the past couple of years. Wtf happened this year?

Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 07:50:37 PM Eastern »
   I have a question about the Vegas/Kings series. Is the 10 total goals scored the lowest in a best if 7 series. I dont recall any lower scoring series.

Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 08:39:41 PM Eastern »
   I decided to check and 10 goals is the fewest in a best of 7 series. This series tied Anaheim/ Minnesota series but in that series the Wild scored only 1 goal.
   The 7 goals for Vegas is the fewest goal scored for a team winning a best of 7 series.

Offline Devise

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 09:16:28 PM Eastern »
     Vegas is playing a strong defensive system with all 5 guys involved. And they do it with speed. The system where all 5 guys are playing defensively responsible in my kind of game. Wish all of our guys played like that. Funny thing is that is the kind if system Trotz tried to implement the past couple of years. Wtf happened this year?


We still at times attempt to employ that system, but we also can't do five man systems all the time with our personnel. But ultimately what happened this year is our core got older and our depth got worse, for the most part. Trotz has to do what he can with what we have, and I don't really think he should be the one on the hot seat even though I recognize he is, but I just think that is atypical of struggling franchises. Management doesn't want to admit it was their fault when things go bad so they put it on the coach, especially if it's been a few years of said same coach.


The players almost never take the brunt of the responsibility in these situations, and it's starting to become a bit tiring. Because for us, it is mostly on the players, and then the personnel decisions second imo. For me Trotz has proven that it wouldn't matter if it was Babcock or Guy or Gerrard in here. You can't make players find a playoff gear. You can't make them adapt to the harsher conditions. It's not like your going to "teach" John Carlson to not panic under the fire of playoff hockey pressure.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 09:50:59 PM Eastern »
   I decided to check and 10 goals is the fewest in a best of 7 series. This series tied Anaheim/ Minnesota series but in that series the Wild scored only 1 goal.
   The 7 goals for Vegas is the fewest goal scored for a team winning a best of 7 series.
Hehehe what’s even cooler, their leading goal scorer was also good enough to be on the ice in the last seconds of a 1-0 playoff game, but laid out to block the final shot, which could, or could not, have effected the aim of the shot going wide  and/or Fleury getting there.  He wasn’t lookin for an empty net goal. . .


Just shows the character and what’s important to them




Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #14 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 10:00:34 PM Eastern »
Hehehe what’s even cooler, their leading goal scorer was also good enough to be on the ice in the last seconds of a 1-0 playoff game, but laid out to block the final shot, which could, or could not, have effected the aim of the shot going wide  and/or Fleury getting there.  He wasn’t lookin for an empty net goal. . .


Just shows the character and what’s important to them
     We have guys that make foolish plays going for an empty net goal and end up icing the puck unnecessarily. I'm OK with that if up by 2 goals. Up by one goal get to centre before shooting for the empty net. Vegas looks like a team with unselfish players.
    I still dont like the fact that an expansion team got such an easy ride. They still deserve credit for their season. I thought they might make the playoffs but didn't expect this much from them.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #15 on: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 10:09:05 PM Eastern »

We still at times attempt to employ that system, but we also can't do five man systems all the time with our personnel. But ultimately what happened this year is our core got older and our depth got worse, for the most part. Trotz has to do what he can with what we have, and I don't really think he should be the one on the hot seat even though I recognize he is, but I just think that is atypical of struggling franchises. Management doesn't want to admit it was their fault when things go bad so they put it on the coach, especially if it's been a few years of said same coach.


The players almost never take the brunt of the responsibility in these situations, and it's starting to become a bit tiring. Because for us, it is mostly on the players, and then the personnel decisions second imo. For me Trotz has proven that it wouldn't matter if it was Babcock or Guy or Gerrard in here. You can't make players find a playoff gear. You can't make them adapt to the harsher conditions. It's not like your going to "teach" John Carlson to not panic under the fire of playoff hockey pressure.
Exactly!  It comes down to orginizational philosophies and agendas.  The intelligence, ability and chatecter, or the willingness to follow a system like this, or be coached to, is simply not a high priority for Monumental. 


It’d be nice to think it did. . . But look at the VGK/LA and Caps/CBJ side by side. . .particulary the fact we fired the VGK GM for not making the playoffs, who went made an elite team out of cast offs with low contracts that other teams practicly didn’t want, so GMGM knows how to win, we look god-awful in the playoffs every year   . . .  its simply orginizational.

« Last Edit: Wednesday April 18, 2018, 11:15:00 PM Eastern by DC_1908 »

Offline richkrt99

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #16 on: Thursday April 19, 2018, 07:06:50 PM Eastern »
Looks to me like PHilly should have worked a little less in the last few games of the regular season and drawn a different opponent in round 1.  [size=78%]Really hoped they would have taken some starch out of Shittsburgh.  Why does the copy size change?[/size]



Not that it would matter as far as the Caps are concerned.


Also thought Toronto would hold up a little better against Tampa Bay.


Who knows...we'll see.

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Offline waynerivers

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #17 on: Saturday April 21, 2018, 12:40:30 PM Eastern »
Still gotta like the Pens in the East.  TB is good but susceptible to teams that play a physical game which would mean trouble with Boston who they were 1-3 against during the season.  I don't think the Caps can beat Pittsburgh (when do they ever?) assuming they advance, and neither can Boston.  In the West it's a bit dicier.  Nashville will have all they can handle with Winnipeg which probably plays the most physical game in the league.  They absolutely mauled Minnesota.  SJ-VGK should be a good series as both play a swarming, attacking style in the offensive zone.  From what I've seen, I like VGK in that series.  So, either VGK-NSH or VGK-WPG in the West.  Hard to say who comes out on top.  I see the Cup winner coming out of the West, regardless of who it is.

Maacoshark

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #18 on: Saturday April 21, 2018, 01:11:29 PM Eastern »
Still gotta like the Pens in the East.  TB is good but susceptible to teams that play a physical game which would mean trouble with Boston who they were 1-3 against during the season.  I don't think the Caps can beat Pittsburgh (when do they ever?) assuming they advance, and neither can Boston.  In the West it's a bit dicier.  Nashville will have all they can handle with Winnipeg which probably plays the most physical game in the league.  They absolutely mauled Minnesota.  SJ-VGK should be a good series as both play a swarming, attacking style in the offensive zone.  From what I've seen, I like VGK in that series.  So, either VGK-NSH or VGK-WPG in the West.  Hard to say who comes out on top.  I see the Cup winner coming out of the West, regardless of who it is.
   The teams in the west are getting a lot more rest. The Jets are looking very good. Either that or the Wild suck. Probably a bit of both. Colorado is giving Nashville a run and Nashville isn't looking so good defensively in this series. I'm not overly impressed with the teams in the east other than the Bruins. The Pens are dynamic offensively but don't bring it every game.
   In our series we are easily the better team but we are tied at 2 against van offensively challenged team. All they have up front in Panarin and Atkinson. Never paid much attention to Atkinson before. Didn't realize he was such a floater.

Offline Mickstix

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Re: Playoffs around the league for 2018
« Reply #19 on: Sunday April 22, 2018, 04:53:08 PM Eastern »
And here I thought our D was bad.. Oof.