2015 NHL Playoffs

@LHoffman:

@Young:

No… he’s saying that PK and DSP will get a nice warm Southern welcome. Nothing matters tonight… after the Habs went down 3-0, all the Hab fans I know including myself said “wake me up if there’s a game 7”. Just ask Ottawa how they felt going into game 6 after being down 3-0, than ask them how they felt 3 hours later.

Oh jeez… that went totally over my head. Just shows how race conscious us white people are.

And sorry for your loss.

Heard an interesting stat last night during the game… we all know that out of the 120 times (or something like that) in which a team went down 3-0 in a playoff series, only 4 times a complete comeback was made. The interesting thing is that only 9 times a game 7 was needed. So when the Habs went down 3-0, history said that they had a very very slim chance of even forcing a game 7… crazy.

@Young:

Heard an interesting stat last night during the game… we all know that out of the 120 times (or something like that) in which a team went down 3-0 in a playoff series, only 4 times a complete comeback was made. The interesting thing is that only 9 times a game 7 was needed. So when the Habs went down 3-0, history said that they had a very very slim chance of even forcing a game 7… crazy.

A stat I heard a few days ago was that, in the team’s 100-plus year history, the Habs had never previously managed to get to Game 6 of a best-of-7 playoff round after initially being down 3 games to 0.  So in one sense getting to Game 6 was an accomplishment, but in another sense the statistic showed just how steep a hill they had to climb to win the playoff round.

I had a look at a couple of local papers today.  One indirectly conceded and one openly acknowledged that the Canadiens have been relying too much on strong goaltending and good defense to compensate for their lack of offensive power.  One paper said that two of the team’s best players are Price and Subban – a goalie and a defenseman – but noted that the Habs lack a first-rate centre.  This would be fine if hockey could be won by simply keeping the puck out of you own net, but that’s not how the game works.

@LHoffman:

My point is that I hope the Montreal media is not just now realizing or admitting this. Been this way for the past few years.

I don’t really follow the local sports news (though I pay more attention at Stanley Cup playoff time), but in one of the papers I checked this morning out of curiosity a sports commentator basically expressed the opinion that the Habs already have in place all the player elements that they need and therefore that the owners need to start reflecting about whether they should get a better coach.  Even to someone like me, who’s not well informed about the subject, this struck me as being a very odd remark.  My guess would be that, in the same way that the Canadiens management seems to think that their “victory through Price” strategic theory is sound, there seem to be some sports reporters who likewise agree with this strategic theory and who therefore conclude that the explanation for its failure has to reside elsewhere.

Given the unpredictable nature of hockey playoffs I was surprised to learn the Rangers became the first team to overcome 3-1 series deficits in consecutive postseasons.

I hope everyone is ready for the Rangers North vs. Rangers South Eastern Conference Finals!

Yep, that will be one of the narratives of the series, along with Stamkos’s first trip to the conference finals and the Rangers trying to get back to the finals.

I’ll tell you who wins.

The person who updates the hockey pool instead of posting at A&A.org in their spare time!

@Gargantua:

I’ll tell you who wins.

The person who updates the hockey pool instead of posting at A&A.org in their spare time!

Why G? …are you knocking on the door to second last place?

Utica and Grand Rapids should be good

The cup finals should be good, Tampa is a talented team but they are facing their biggest challenge in Chicago. It’s sour grapes but I wish I didn’t pick the Hawks to get bounced in the first round, or I’d be in real good shape for the Playoff Pool. Well I can just hope for a huge series from my Tampa picks.

@General:

The cup finals should be good, Tampa is a talented team but they are facing their biggest challenge in Chicago. It’s sour grapes but I wish I didn’t pick the Hawks to get bounced in the first round, or I’d be in real good shape for the Playoff Pool. Well I can just hope for a huge series from my Tampa picks.

You can have my Chicago players, it’s all I have left and I dropped fast after the first round.

Hawks in 6

Should be some fast and high scoring games.
Gotta love playoff hockey

Congrats to the Blackhawks, 3 in 6 is very impressive.

For game 6 I bet on the Blackhawks and my buddy took the lightning and I won $10, so I broke even with Hoffman’s pool :)

Cheers