*** Official Stanley Cup Playoff Thread ***

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Matt Murray played out of his mind last night.

Still let in 2 softies. While the Caps are the better team, the real difference in the series was goaltending. The Pens didn't need it the first round.

[dain11279 926]

Woo-hoo!!!

 

F the Pens!!!

 

Fock yeah

 

Got the Caps at 13-1 before the playoffs started to win the Cup, maybe this is FINALLY Ovie's year

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Pens had more issues than goaltending. Defense just was bad. Lost too many guys from last years cup run. Letang was way too invonsistent and phil kessel was invisible. Caps are strong with the force this year. Ovechkin looks like a totally different player this year. Really stepped it up

 

Rooting for fleury and the vegas knights!!!

[edjr 5,547]

Still let in 2 softies. While the Caps are the better team, the real difference in the series was goaltending. The Pens didn't need it the first round.

 

Too bad they didn't have a goalie like Marc-André Fleury

[Thornton Melon 542]

Hate Washington

Hate Tampon Bay

Ambivalent about Nashville

 

Go Vegas!

[edjr 5,547]

Hate Washington

Hate Tampon Bay

Ambivalent about Nashville

 

Go Vegas!

 

I want Nashville and Subban to win a Stanley Cup. Fock you Montreal.

[Thornton Melon 542]

 

I want Nashville and Subban to win a Stanley Cup. Fock you Montreal.

I forgot, Nashville hasnt gotten by Winnipeg yet. Go Winnipeg. Fock Subban.

[edjr 5,547]

I forgot, Nashville hasnt gotten by Winnipeg yet. Go Winnipeg. Fock Subban.

 

That's dumb.

[Thornton Melon 542]

 

That's dumb.

No, it isnt. Nothing I say is dumb.

[Sho Nuff 719]

I forgot, Nashville hasnt gotten by Winnipeg yet. Go Winnipeg. Fock Subban.

I dont get the Subban hate...dude is awesome (as always guy...hockey wise he is pretty damn good too...though needs to tighten up a bit defensively)

[Thornton Melon 542]

I dont get the Subban hate...dude is awesome (as always guy...hockey wise he is pretty damn good too...though needs to tighten up a bit defensively)

Hes a flopping fairy

[edjr 5,547]

Hes a flopping fairy

 

Have you seen Marchand play?

 

I'm with you, I hate the flopping too

[Thornton Melon 542]

 

Have you seen Marchand play?

 

I'm with you, I hate the flopping too

Marchand has actually toned down the flopping considerably the last couple of years. Hes notched up the Linseman-type weasleyness, though, for sure. If Marchy played for any other team, Id hate him too. Even more than Subban.

[edjr 5,547]

Marchand has actually toned down the flopping considerably the last couple of years. Hes notched up the Linseman-type weasleyness, though, for sure. If Marchy played for any other team, Id hate him too. Even more than Subban.

 

Hopefully he will next year

[Drizzay 644]

 

Have you seen Marchand play?

 

I'm with you, I hate the flopping too

 

Is he the window-licker?

[edjr 5,547]

 

Is he the window-licker?

 

[Thornton Melon 542]

 

Hopefully he will next year

That wouldnt bother me at all, as long as we can replace his production.

[patweisers44 697]

Hes a flopping fairy

You must love Crosby and Lebron James then.

[edjr 5,547]

That wouldnt bother me at all, as long as we can replace his production.

 

Games, 2, 3, 4 and 5 he had 4 assists, all on the PP and 14 penalty minutes.

 

Bergy, Marchy and Pasta were the best line in the NHL in the regular season on 5 on 5.

 

they got shut down this series. Bad

[patweisers44 697]

 

Games, 2, 3, 4 and 5 he had 4 assists, all on the PP and 14 penalty minutes.

 

Bergy, Marchy and Pasta were the best line in the NHL in the regular season on 5 on 5.

 

they got shut down this series. Bad

They got shut down pretty good in the middle of the Toronto series as well. If memory serves me right.

[edjr 5,547]

They got shut down pretty good in the middle of the Toronto series as well. If memory serves me right.

 

Correct. games 3, 4, 5 and 6

[Thornton Melon 542]

Go Vegas!

 

Hope it's an exciting final. Vegas in 7 would be nice.

[dain11279 926]

 

Fock yeah

 

Got the Caps at 13-1 before the playoffs started to win the Cup, maybe this is FINALLY Ovie's year

 

 

I think Washington is the better team between the two. But Vegas has been proving people wrong all year, just might be their year. I might hedge.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Nice run for Vegas. A trophy in their 1st year. Albeit in the weaker conference. Against patsies. I hope the Caps don't hurt anyone.

[posty 2,296]

The playoffs are so much better when Pittsburgh is not in it anymore...

[shotsup 830]

The playoffs are so much better when Pittsburgh is not in it anymore...

This guy knows stuff

[tikigods 76]

I'm going to take Quebec in 7

[shotsup 830]

Yhought yous was a Habs fan

[tikigods 76]

Yhought yous was a Habs fan

 

1. Yes.

 

2. The Habs are in Quebec

 

3. This Vegas team should have been Quebec City

 

4. F#ck Bettman.

[shotsup 830]

Bad mood ?

[tikigods 76]

Bad mood ?

 

Good question.

 

I think I just hate Cleveland.

[MDC 5,876]

How does an expansion team make the championship in their inaugural year?

[ZeroTolerance 582]

How does an expansion team make the championship in their inaugural year?

 

Expansion draft rules were much more favorable for starters (fewer players could be protected, only players with more than two years professional experience could be included in the draft, etc). Still a very unlikely accomplishment, but it wasn't anything like the usual expansion scenario.

[shotsup 830]

St Louis Blues 1968 *

[MDC 5,876]

 

Expansion draft rules were much more favorable for starters (fewer players could be protected, only players with more than two years professional experience could be included in the draft, etc). Still a very unlikely accomplishment, but it wasn't anything like the usual expansion scenario.

Can you give me a quick rundown of the expansion rules? I remember the Houston Texans were the most successful NFL expansion ever and they went 4-12. Isnt it a bad look for the league that a new franchise can get to the cup finals?

[shotsup 830]

I disagree MDC. I think it's great for the sport.

[ZeroTolerance 582]

Can you give me a quick rundown of the expansion rules? I remember the Houston Texans were the most successful NFL expansion ever and they went 4-12. Isnt it a bad look for the league that a new franchise can get to the cup finals?

 

The NHL's mindset was more "lets not have a new franchise start out as a complete doormat", and the people running Vegas did an excellent job working within those rules. They were still massive underdogs in the sports books entering the season.

 

The other advantage they had was that they had a plan for what they wanted their strengths to be and how they wanted to play, and were able to build a roster from scratch with that in mind, rather than say a new GM/coach joining a team and having to gradually shift their roster over years because they can't just wipe the whole team clean.

 

The initial proposal of the rules for the draft were decided upon by the NHL in March 2016.^[5] They allowed each team to either protect seven forwards, three defencemen, and one goaltender or, one goaltender and eight skaters regardless of position. Because the NHL wanted to ensure the competitive viability of any new teams, the number of protected players allowed was lower than in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft which populated the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, when each team could protect nine forwards, five defencemen, and one goalie, or two goalies, three defencemen, and seven forwards. Under these rules, each of the 30 teams would lose one top-four defencemen or third-line forward per number of new teams.^[5] Only players with more than two years of professional experience — NHL or AHL as defined in the collective bargaining agreement — were included in the draft.^[6]

Teams had to submit their list of protected players by June 17, 2017, and they had to expose at least two forwards and one defenceman that had played at least 40 games in the 2016–17 season or more than 70 games in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons combined and had to still be contracted for the 2017–18 season. The exposed goaltender had to either be under contract for the 2017–18 season or became a Restricted free agent in 2017. At least twenty of the thirty players selected by Vegas had to be under contract for the 2017–18 season, and they were required to select a minimum of fourteen forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders.^[7] Vegas was granted a 48-hour window prior to the draft to sign any pending free agent (RFA or UFA, one per team) that was left unprotected. If a team lost a player to Vegas during this signing window they did not have a player selected from their roster during this draft.^[8]

Teams were required to protect any contracted players with no move clauses (NMCs) with one of the team's slots for protected players, unless the contract expired on July 1, 2017, in which case the NMC was considered void for the draft.^[9][10] Players whose NMCs had limited no trade clauses had to still be protected, and any players with NMCs were able to waive the clause and become eligible for the expansion draft.^[9]

Any player picked in the expansion draft cannot have their contract bought out until after the completion of the 2017–18 season. The expansion team was guaranteed the same odds in the draft lottery as third lowest finishing team from the 2016–17 NHL season for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft; after their first season the team will be subject to same draft lottery rules as the other teams in the league. The NHL's deputy commissioner, Bill Daly, said that teams that do not follow the expansion draft rules would face penalties, including possibly the "loss of draft picks and/or players."

https://www.tsn.ca/how-d-they-do-that-a-look-at-how-the-vegas-golden-knights-were-built-1.1093736

[MDC 5,876]

I disagree MDC. I think it's great for the sport.

Probably great for the casual fan but what does it say about the league that a team comprised of unprotected veterans and rookies can compete for a cup year one? Sort of makes it all look like wild luck. I admittedly dont follow hockey though so Im asking how its possible when expansion teams in every other sport are garbage.

[MDC 5,876]

Great summary thank you ZeroTolerance.

[tikigods 76]

Yet a Canadian team still hasn't won a Cup since the Habs in 93