Rite of Spring 2018-“What happens in the playoffs stays in the playoffs”

[Sport]

It seems like the Capitals are playing so much looser than they ever have in the playoffs and that's probably good for them to be the underdog without sky-high expectations. They've never been in that position and after going down 0-2 to Columbus they had nothing to lose by playing wide open and now they're playing with confidence in the postseason that they've never had with much deeper rosters. I think they're starting to get that look where they believe they can go all the way.

 

Just think the Blue Jackets had them down 0-2 and in double overtime of game 3. This could've been a very different playoffs with one more bounce our way. The Penguins would probably be up 2-0 on Tampa right now. 

[Crabcake]

10 hours ago, Kramerica Industries said:

 

Don't single him out. I know admiral did in his pre-series skepticism but don't single him out. It's been a complete effort from all 19 players Tampa Bay has iced in this series.

It's not all Vasilevskiy's fault but Holtby is far outplaying him.

 

That being said, I fully expect Tampa to come out firing in Game 3.  I'm pretty sure they're going to take at least one game in D.C.  Wouldn't be shocked if we go back to Tampa 2-2.

[Dalcowboyfan92]

Washington is playing so much looser and freer now that they finally got past their tormenting, bullying older brother in the Penguins.

 

That OT win in Game 6 has just fueled the Caps, and they punished a slow, lackadaisical Lightning team with a lightning fast attack.

 

Washington will be rocking and rolling. They are halfway there to the mecca of professional hockey.

[Crabcake]

Vegas could easily be up 4-0 at the end of this period. 

[The_Admiral]

Horrible loss, complete embarrassment.

[Morgan33]

I despise the Golden Knights

[Alex Houston]

I know I should hate the Knights and a good part of me still does, but I just don't like the Jets either for some reason. I keep trying to put a finger on it but I can't. In other news, good going for Sharks East. I'd be happy if they can seal the deal and get Ovi that Cup he's been sorely missing. 

[JQK]

8 minutes ago, Alex Houston said:

I know I should hate the Knights and a good part of me still does, but I just don't like the Jets either for some reason. I keep trying to put a finger on it but I can't. In other news, good going for Sharks East. I'd be happy if they can seal the deal and get Ovi that Cup he's been sorely missing. 

When the 'Peg got the Thrashers and they did nothing but bash America, American hockey fans, and American teams and didn't let up...

Made me go from being glad to see the Jets back, to hoping they don't get a bit of success...
...and to have them lose to an American market that "shouldn't have hockey" will be fun to witness...

[Unocal]

Let’s be honest- did we really think Winnipeg was gonna sweep Vegas?

[Kramerica Industries]

1 hour ago, Alex Houston said:

I know I should hate the Knights and a good part of me still does, but I just don't like the Jets either for some reason. I keep trying to put a finger on it but I can't. In other news, good going for Sharks East. I'd be happy if they can seal the deal and get Ovi that Cup he's been sorely missing. 

 

?

 

Oh, you're talking about the Capitals. That's really funny, because right now the Lightning, with this core, look an awful lot more like Sharks East than the Capitals do. Lets see - one Cup Final, a couple other appearances in the Conference Final, but no silverware that anyone actually cares about. Sounds about right.

 

I mean, the Capitals couldn't even get past the second round for the last 19 years. They were their own kind of playoff bottlers. 

[ozzyman314]

Excepts Bolts have actually won a Cup (even if it was more than decade ago) 

 

Sharks & Caps are teams that seem to always make The playoffs, but never win The Cup. 

[habsfan1]

Vegas is gonna win the Cup, aren't they?

[The_Admiral]

2 hours ago, JQK said:

When the 'Peg got the Thrashers and they did nothing but bash America, American hockey fans, and American teams and didn't let up...

 

Not 100% sure this happened...

[Cosmic]

4 hours ago, SabresRule7361 said:

Let’s be honest- did we really think Winnipeg was gonna sweep Vegas?

No, but I'd say a team going home tied 1-1 is in the (slight) "lead" in the series.

[Crabcake]

Caps have got to stop taking dumb penalties. The previously infallible Lars Eller takes a dumb penalty and it leads to another PP goal. 

 

Its the the only thing keeping Tampa in it, they’ve got one ES goal this whole series. Need to have better discipline. 

[Crabcake]

As soon as there’s an ounce of pressure on the Caps, they shrink back. This one’s probably lost already. 

[Crabcake]

Caps and Lightning totally switched places tonight. Lightning have all the energy and the good goalie play, Caps are sloppy and Holtby has given up some short side goals. 

[CraigJPritch]

If the Caps split at home I would be happy with that, hopefully they show us something here in the third

[The_Admiral]

6 hours ago, Cosmic said:

No, but I'd say a team going home tied 1-1 is in the (slight) "lead" in the series.

Winnipeg is 4-2 on the road, with one loss being the one where their flight to Minneapolis was all discombobulated and the other being in double-overtime, so they're surprisingly competent without last change. But I think the book is out: if you score first and trap, they can't figure out how to bust that trap. It's puzzling, given that they have the Kingsian size and speed to run the kind of guided-missile dump-and-chase that unclogged neutral zones so well in 2012 and 2014, but they choose not to employ it. I suspect it's because in spite of how far this team has gotten, Paul Maurice is still kind of a dumbass.

[Cosmic]

2 hours ago, the admiral said:

Winnipeg is 4-2 on the road, with one loss being the one where their flight to Minneapolis was all discombobulated and the other being in double-overtime, so they're surprisingly competent without last change

... and Vegas is 4-1 at home, so something has to give.