The 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 9:21 am

The Islanders looked really tired in OT yesterday

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 9:28 am

I have never seen much of Steven Stamkos before this most recent handful of days, but he seems to be a guy who will do dirty stuff behind the play, then whine to the refs constantly about anything that happens to anyone in a Lightning uniform?

Fair assessment or just a fan of the opposite team in a playoff series?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:09 am

DSafetyGuy wrote:I have never seen much of Steven Stamkos before this most recent handful of days, but he seems to be a guy who will do dirty stuff behind the play, then whine to the refs constantly about anything that happens to anyone in a Lightning uniform?

Fair assessment or just a fan of the opposite team in a playoff series?

No way! says a fan of his team.

I'm befuddled by the Bolts. Game one they looked like they had a bunch of guys just back from injury (and they had 40 something shots, but none of them were dangerous). Game 2 they throttled Detroit. Game 3 they looked like the same team from Game 1, in that they just couldn't get anything dangerous going on offense. Detroit seems to be doing so much with so little, and the Lightning seem to be the opposite. If it makes you feel better, this series is driving me crazy.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:37 am

I've never seen it from him, but I'm a massive Stamkos fan. Still probably in the refractory period from our near-deal like 6 years ago.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:45 am

I want to go on record predicting a Downie cheapshot within the first 5:00 or so minutes of this one. He's long overdue.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 11:00 am

I think the fact that Stamkos is captain explains some of the whining. I don't get the impression that the Tampa Bay team has a lot of vocal leaders, and as captain he takes it upon himself to speak up (whine) with the refs.

Having said that, I'm a fan of the guy, but he really hasn't played up to his billing in this series.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:04 pm

degenerasian wrote:The Islanders looked really tired in OT yesterday

Going to get into the weeds a little:

Caps starting lineup -

Game 3
Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera–Eric Fehr–Jay Beagle
Curtis Glencross–Brooks Laich–Tom Wilson

Game 4
Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Jason Chimera
Andre Burakovsky–Jay Beagle–Troy Brouwer
Brooks Laich–Michael Latta–Tom Wilson

Fehr is injured and rather have him out there, which would drop Latta out of the lineup (we already have Wilson running around like an idiot, those two tend to wind each other up.) But the biggest positive net result here is inserting Burakovsky, who immediately makes the 3rd line an offensive threat. The Game 3 third line typically included Ward during the reg season, and they were nasty. Without Ward, they're just a tiny step up from a 4th line.

The game 4 lineup also put Glencross upstairs eating nachos, and that (IMO) is a very big addition by subtraction.

So, yes, I think the Isles have a much more difficult defensive task with the Game 4 lineup and it started to show in the 3rd and definitely looked to be tilting the ice in the OT.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:07 pm

sancarlos wrote:I think the fact that Stamkos is captain explains some of the whining. I don't get the impression that the Tampa Bay team has a lot of vocal leaders, and as captain he takes it upon himself to speak up (whine) with the refs.

Go. To. Hell.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:20 pm

Excepting Callahan, of course.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:05 pm

sancarlos wrote:I think the fact that Stamkos is captain explains some of the whining. I don't get the impression that the Tampa Bay team has a lot of vocal leaders, and as captain he takes it upon himself to speak up (whine) with the refs.

Having said that, I'm a fan of the guy, but he really hasn't played up to his billing in this series.

To clarify, especially in light of that I cannot write a coherent post lately (right, Rass?), what I am seeing is the raising his hands and pointing at "penalties" type of things while doing similar things as opposed to talking to/yelling at officials, which is standard fare.

Gamesmanship is part of this, of course.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 6:18 pm

mister d wrote:I want to go on record predicting a Downie cheapshot within the first 5:00 or so minutes of this one. He's long overdue.

I guess that doesn't really count. Undisciplined, but didn't seem like he wanted to hurt anyone. Surprising.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 7:22 pm

Nearly five minutes into the second period, the Rangers had three power plays and a total of two shots on goal.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 7:44 pm

[media]https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CDPG7T7WAAARYkN.mp4[/media]

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 8:58 pm

Awash in semen
Playoff overtime hockey
MAF MAF MAF MAF MAF

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:29 am

mister d wrote:MAF MAF MAF MAF MAF

fuck OFF

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:12 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote:
degenerasian wrote:The Islanders looked really tired in OT yesterday
Going to get into the weeds a little:

Caps starting lineup -

Game 3
Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera–Eric Fehr–Jay Beagle
Curtis Glencross–Brooks Laich–Tom Wilson

Game 4
Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Jason Chimera
Andre Burakovsky–Jay Beagle–Troy Brouwer
Brooks Laich–Michael Latta–Tom Wilson

Fehr is injured and rather have him out there, which would drop Latta out of the lineup (we already have Wilson running around like an idiot, those two tend to wind each other up.) But the biggest positive net result here is inserting Burakovsky, who immediately makes the 3rd line an offensive threat. The Game 3 third line typically included Ward during the reg season, and they were nasty. Without Ward, they're just a tiny step up from a 4th line.

The game 4 lineup also put Glencross upstairs eating nachos, and that (IMO) is a very big addition by subtraction.

So, yes, I think the Isles have a much more difficult defensive task with the Game 4 lineup and it started to show in the 3rd and definitely looked to be tilting the ice in the OT.

yeah I think the Caps depth will really show in this series and if they play the Rangers.

I saw this with Anaheim last night. A guy like Fleischman didn't play the first 2 games, was used sparingly in Game 3 and 13 minutes in Game 4. Same with guys like Etem and Palmieri.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:40 pm

Somebody hold Brian.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:02 pm

degenerasian wrote:Somebody hold Brian.

If I just stop watching them, no one will need to.

Got home from playing ball and turned on the game with about seven minutes to go. Wings were up 2-0. And...

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:05 pm

We're back, baby!!

Fucking hell, this team drives me bonkers.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:28 am

govmentchedda wrote:We're back, baby!!

Fucking hell, this team drives me bonkers.

Feeling the same.

Post by **brian** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:43 am

That was the most inevitable three goals in the history of hockey. I'm not even sure why they're bothering to play the last two games.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:56 am

As Wings fans, were you guys expecting a collapse/comeback? It was just total domination up until the first Johnson goal. I agree with Babcock, in that the Wings stole game 1, and we stole the game last night.

Post by **brian** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:10 am

govmentchedda wrote:As Wings fans, were you guys expecting a collapse/comeback? It was just total domination up until the first Johnson goal. I agree with Babcock, in that the Wings stole game 1, and we stole the game last night.

They've been collapsing for the last 20-25 games, so yeah -- it seemed pretty inevitable.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:10 am

One other thought about last night's game. That tripping call on Bishop was complete horseshit.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 2:46 pm

govmentchedda wrote:As Wings fans, were you guys expecting a collapse/comeback? It was just total domination up until the first Johnson goal. I agree with Babcock, in that the Wings stole game 1, and we stole the game last night.

If you had told me prior to the series that it would go six games or more, I would have been happy with that.

They're talented, but inconsistent. They've had many games this season where they coughed up multiple goal leads, enough to make me happy near the end of the season when they would just make it to OT and get the guaranteed point.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 5:40 pm

Man I hate the "is playing in NYC affecting Player X?" argument. If the Pens lose tonight, I hope Yandle is the first star and tells Roenick to suck it in his postgamer. Fuck NY.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:03 pm

Malkin playing wing tonight?

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:10 pm

BTW, let's just get out there that the worst case scenario for me tonight is the Pens getting blown out, and killing the vibe on the MAF redemption story. NBCSN's two desk bound dumbasses already laid the groundwork for that, suggesting that this didn't really count since the pressure is so much different as an underdog.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:21 pm

ffuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuu
ccckkkkkkkkkkk

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:24 pm

Think we needed that Malkin. Shit.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:41 pm

Alright. Ridiculous what it takes to get past that handsome fucker.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:48 pm

Just takes a little bit of arm.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:22 pm

can't breathe

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:57 pm

Just read your first comment. Yandle is sick enough to miss a bunch of practices and is playing really well this series. Roenick is clueless.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:58 pm

Also, Dan Boyle should be forced to poop in a box until this series is over.

cerrano · Post by **cerrano** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:00 pm

mister d wrote:Also, Dan Boyle should be forced to poop in a box until this series is over.

dan boyle wrote:upgrade!

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:33 pm

That Hagelin goal was 99% Dom Moore.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:16 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:But the biggest positive net result here is inserting Burakovsky, who immediately makes the 3rd line an offensive threat.

It's nice to see a Caps fan so high on Burakovsky. I saw him play a few times in his season in Erie, and my eyes were always drawn to him. That's saying a lot considering he played on a team with Connor McDavid. (I would mark out whenever they were on the ice together.) He looked good in Game 5.

And I was thrilled to see Kuznetsov have a big game. I fell in love with him at the World Juniors several years ago, and I've been waiting for him to have a big NHL moment ever since. As long as the Caps have those two guys, plus Ovi, I will always be at least partly on the bandwagon.

Important Billy Corgan/Zwan update: He's doing some sort of acoustic tour this summer, and he's playing songs from his entire catalogue, including Zwan songs!

Also, that Oriana Small/Ashley Blue book became a chore to read. One of those books that made me dislike the author as it wore on. But on a scale of 1 to Peter Criss, it was probably only about a 4, so it wasn't that bad.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:12 am

Some other thoughts:

Ð rass, I'm sorry to hear about your pneumonia. You can at least be comforted in the knowledge that I'm joining you in sobriety and Penguins-related misery. Well, not so much misery, I guess, since this was the expected result. Two overtime losses are hard to take, tho.

Ð

That Hagelin goal was 99% Dom Moore.

Least surprising sentence ever. No matter who he plays for, Dominic Moore will kill the Penguins in the playoffs.

Ð Sometimes I pay attention to the music that is played between whistles. Pittsburgh is a classic-rock town. The most recent stuff that you'll hear at Penguins games is Guns N Roses and Alice In Chains. (And 'Cotton-Eyed Joe.') So it's fun to hear what fans in other cities listen to. During a game in Ottawa last week, I heard DMX's 'Up In Here.' Fuck, yes.

Ð I loved that photo that degen posted before the Calgary game a couple of pages back, but it reminded me why I could never be a Flames fan. I just don't look good in red. Maybe this is why I gravitated towards the Celtics and Jets when I was a kid: Kelly Green works for me. And the Pittsburgh teams are fine because anybody can look good in black.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:05 pm

bapo! wrote:Ð Sometimes I pay attention to the music that is played between whistles. Pittsburgh is a classic-rock town. The most recent stuff that you'll hear at Penguins games is Guns N Roses and Alice In Chains. (And 'Cotton-Eyed Joe.') So it's fun to hear what fans in other cities listen to. During a game in Ottawa last week, I heard DMX's 'Up In Here.' Fuck, yes.

I have a partially-fleshed out (that's code for 'have done almost no research") theory that you can tell a lot about a city based on the music they play between whistles at hockey games. The Pittsburgh/classic rock angle fits in completely.