The Official 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff Thread

[EagleFan]

The only playoffs worth watching. This needs a thread of its own.

1st Round
Capitals vs. Flyers (Caps win 4-2)
Rangers vs. Penguins (Penguins win 4-1)
Islanders vs. Panthers (Islanders win 4-2)
Red Wings vs. Lightning (Lightning win 4-1)

Predators vs. Ducks (Predators win 4-3)
Blackhawks vs. Blues (Blues win 4-3)
Stars vs. Wild (Stars win 4-2)
Sharks vs. Kings (Sharks win 4-1)


2nd Round
Penguins vs. Capitals (Penguins win 4-2)
Islanders vs. Lightning (Lightning win 4-1)

Stars vs. Blues (Blues win 4-3)
Predators vs. Sharks (Sharks win 4-3)


Conference Finals
Lightning vs. Penguins (Penguins win 4-3)

Sharks vs. Blues (Sharks win 4-2)


Stanley Cup Finals
Penguins vs. Sharks (Penguins win 4-2)

[EagleFan]

Good game going on tonight with the Islanders and Panthers. Looked like the Panthers were going to win easily but tied 3-3 now as things changed after an overturned goal scored by the Panthers. I need to see the replay again, only saw it once and wasn't sure what I saw to overturn the goal. Maybe missed something but I've seen that called possession before.

[EagleFan]

As for the other series...

Flyers may be finished, game two was their chance to make a statement. (though I guess I can cling to the stat that the Capitals are 4-6 in the last 10 series in which they got off to a 2-0 lead)

Rangers/Penguins may go 7.

I think winner of tonight's Islanders/Panthers game wins this in 6.

I think the Red Wings got their win tonight and Lightning win in 5.

Big game for the Ducks tonight, if they lose and fall behind 2-0 after losing both home games it is over.

Surprised the Blues came back tonight. That turnaround in game two felt like a series hinging point. Hopefully they stay straong and take it in 6.

As for the other two series, I think the Kings sweep and the Stars win in 5.

[EagleFan]

Nice overtime game winner for the Islanders. They should ride that to a 3-1 lead after game 4 and then a series victory in 6.

[henry296]

Kings are down 2-0 not up 2-0.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by henry296

Kings are down 2-0 not up 2-0.

They have the Sharks right where they want them!

On a serious note, the D on this Kings tea is not up to their previous standards.

[Chief Rum]

Ducks are in trouble.

[EagleFan]

That's a better start to this game.

[EagleFan]

So much for the better start...

[JPhillips]

Philly fans add another chapter to their glorious history.

[EagleFan]

That would be?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Flyers fans throw bracelets on ice versus Washington Capitals - YouTube

[EagleFan]

Meh, must be a slow news day...

[MizzouRah]

Nice to see Minnesota win one, I was thinking they might get swept.

Washington is going to make a run this year, they are legit.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Meh, must be a slow news day...

Shrug all you want, that was awful. Your own players were embarrassed. The guy who threw the bracelet at Orlov, who had just been checked head first into the boards and almost snapped his neck, and hit him should be charged.

[EagleFan]

I have now seen more about the issue from last night and I missed 98% of it as I had already given up and took the dogs for a walk. When I came back the Capitals were on a power play for the fans' delay of the game.

I will say that anyone who did that is a classless idiot that should not be going to a game ever again.

I will also say that the actions of a few don't define the majority. There are many more fans who are pissed about what happened than fans who were involved in the behavior.

The first problem is that the idiots who are prone to this type of behavior feed on the "reputation" and get off on this type of stuff.

The next problem is the lazy, ignorant people who paint with a broad brush when anything happens. This feeds the psychopaths from the previous statement.

Another problem is that any fringe group of fans from other areas also feed on this and try to antagonize. I got to deal with this first hand at a Reds game in Cincinnati several years ago. I was in the area and decided to take in a game between the Reds and Padres. One fan started yelling at me because I had a Phillies hat on and was trying to antagonize the entire game. I don't classify Reds fans as idiots because of that one person's behavior but I do classify that fan as an idiot. I had no horse in the race and was just trying to watch a game but I will say by the end of that game I was hoping the Padres won.

[EagleFan]

This Lighning/Red Wings series is a tough one for me. While I wouldn't mind seeing the Red Wings lose I also would rather see their group of fans still in the playoffs instead of what the Lightning bring. Hockey crazy fans are much better than indifferent front runners.

[EagleFan]

Who was that play by play announcer? His voice and speech pattern reminds me of a cross between Bernie Sanders and Richard Nixon.

[EagleFan]

Can't get much closer than that to being a goal. If the puck falls the other direction it's in.

[EagleFan]

Just a curious question here as it sort of ties back to the crap from last night.

I am fully on board with the opinion that the fans who took place in that were shameful. Hell, I've had a few back and forth moments on twitter with idiots who were defending it. Passion does not equal acting like a two year old that doesn't get his way when things go wrong.

With that said...

What does the phrase "idiots being idiots" mean to you?

[EagleFan]

I think the Blues' player made that save. Looks like it had space to get in if it didn't deflect off the player's skate.

[EagleFan]

Goalie fight, well half of one. How did Chicago get a powerplay out of that?

[Fidatelo]

Yeah that was bizarre. St. Louis should have had a powerplay if anything.

[EagleFan]

How the hell did the Blues player get a goaltender interference call? He was pushed into the goalie and there was no call until Crawford came out of the net and went after him.

[Fidatelo]

He actively tried to avoid the goalie too. Terrible officiating right there. Blues need to put it behind them and play but I can see why that would be super hard to do. I think if I was Elliot I'd have broken my stick over my net after Keith goal.

[Fidatelo]

Dola

However if I was Elliot I'm not sure I'd have stood at the other end during the scrum. I can't remember what the rules are on that so maybe it's too punitive to cross the ice but when you see your team down 6-5 in a fight usually you get over there to even up the numbers.

[Neuqua]

Players on both teams are going to wake up really, really sore tomorrow.

[EagleFan]

It is a penalty if the goalie leaves the crease during an altercation. Not sure what the extent is though, imagine it is worse for going that far.

Though in typical NHL manner I have seen that called incorrectly; have seen a goalie get called for leaving the crease when all he did was leave the crease to get away from the mess going on. That was shortly after they introduced that rule so it was a while back.


Now we have a tie game again as I type all of that.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Players on both teams are going to wake up really, really sore tomorrow.

this

[EagleFan]

Sadly, as much as I wanted the Flyers to make the playoffs it is actually nights like this that I like better. I have no horse in any of the races so I can just watch and enjoy the games and they have been really good. When the flyers play I am too into that game and games like yesterday make me want to not watch the later games.

[EagleFan]

How was that not an interference call? He didn't seem to be pushed in and whipped his legs into Elliot.

[tarcone]

This whole series has been terrible officiating.
I can go conspiracy theory: League wants their darling Blackhawks to advance.
Or I can go ineptitude: These officials are horse sh*t

Take your pick.

[EagleFan]

That third Blackhawks goal was crazy. This final 3 minutes should be good.

[EagleFan]

Stupid play by Shaw there.

[EagleFan]

Announcer.. "that's a bad penalty"


Thank you captain obvious. Here I thought it was a great one to take with your team down 1 and 2 minutes left.

[EagleFan]

The empty net power play goal seals it.

[EagleFan]

That looks like offside, no goal. Still have a game.

[MacroGuru]

I have introduced hockey last year to my GF and we have been watching it all season long (mainly my Sabres as I bought center ice just to watch them)

So with the chippiness and fighting that has taken place she looked at me last night and said, last year wasn't this bad was it...I just smiled and said, I love playoff hockey.

[EagleFan]

I'm just happy that they won a period.

Hope Laughton is okay.

[MizzouRah]

Shaw suspended Game 5 for slur towards the referees.

Time to wrap this series up tomorrow Let's GO BLUES!!!

[EagleFan]

So much for that comfort buffer...

[EagleFan]

That's one! Baby steps.

[EagleFan]

The Rangers are getting spanked tonight, they are now in a hole.

[EagleFan]

Lighting are the first to advance. How long will the players be thinking about that couple seconds that led to the late goal?

[EagleFan]

Will the Blues be the second team to advance? This should be a fun game to watch (who needs sleep).

[EagleFan]

I agree with what the announcer was saying before they got cut off, why these late starts? I can see having to stay up late to see a west coast game but central?

[EagleFan]

Ducks have done a nice job getting back in the series with a couple road victories... still waiting for the first home team to win in that one.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I agree with what the announcer was saying before they got cut off, why these late starts? I can see having to stay up late to see a west coast game but central?

Kind of stuck with the imbalanced geography of the NHL where 22 of the 30 teams are in the East or Central time zones but only 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, which pretty much forces games in the Central time zone to start late. The NHL and NBC seem to prefer a consistent on-day-off-day pattern for each series (with exceptions) and carrying double headers on NBCSN plus one other Comcast network. This means East matchups are pretty much guaranteed to be put up at 7 or 7:30 Eastern time each night, leaving West games to start usually in the 9:30-10:30 Eastern time slot and that includes games that are played in the Central zone.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Ducks have done a nice job getting back in the series with a couple road victories... still waiting for the first home team to win in that one.

It didn't feel like they were on their game until Game 3 for some reason. But they're much more like they were in the last few months of the season now. Hopefully they keep it up.

[Logan]

That was a curb-stomping put on the Rangers last night. I have no idea why they play so dead at home. Surely wasn't a crowd issue last night.