Rite of Spring 2019: The Chase for the Stanley Cup

[Kramerica Industries 1,356]

17 minutes ago, tp49 said:

Two interesting facts from the Islanders sweep.  First, the Islanders held the vaunted Penguins offense to 6 goals over 4 games for a 1.50 GAA. Second, the Penguins played more time with an empty net than they did with the lead over the course of the four-game sweep.

 

Considering the Penguins scored the first goal of the game in Games 2, 3, and 4, that stat is absolutely nuts.

[Crabcake47 1,438]

My god, Carolina’s winning this series, aren’t they?

[BeerGuyJordan 1,218]

1 hour ago, Crabcake47 said:

My god, Carolina’s winning this series, aren’t they?

Good to see last year's Cup win hasn't messed with your panic button, bud! 

[Crabcake47 1,438]

17 minutes ago, BeerGuyJordan said:

Good to see last year's Cup win hasn't messed with your panic button, bud! 

What’s a Rite of Spring thread without a little pessimistic Crabcake?

[habsfan1 2,766]

Keith Kinkaid's Twitter is great!

 

 

[Dalcowboyfan92 328]

This, honestly, shouldn't even BE a series. But, it is.

 

I'm hoping this is a Raleigh thing, and not something really wrong. Hope they get their stuff together when the series shifts back to DC.

[rams80 3,664]

So the Blues won't lose in 6.  Neat.

[Mockba 1,678]

20 minutes ago, rams80 said:

So the Blues won't lose in 6.  Neat.

 

I admit to having given up on the series after two periods.  A stolen win will do quite nicely.

[infrared41 5,374]

11 hours ago, Bruins said:

 

Oh I knew you were joking, I was half-joking too, but sometimes a series win like that deserves a banner almost as much as a cup win. But whelp, I guess I shoulda figured that a guy with 36,000 posts wouldn't exactly be a noob to the playoffs. Sorry to insult your fandom, I'd wish you good luck but hopefully you'll be my mortal enemy in a week and a half.

 

I wasn't at all insulted. Apologies if I came across like I was. With everyone including me when congratulating McCarthy and Crash, your post basically gave me a good opportunity to explain how I ended up a Blue Jackets fan. I felt a little undeserving being included in the "long-suffering" CBJ fan stuff that rightfully belongs to those two.  So I used your post as a "jumping off" point to explain how I got here. 

[infrared41 5,374]

Three thoughts on the games I've watched tonight...

 

1. WTF, Caps? 

 

2. I thought the Blues were dead and then they reel off 3 unanswered and win a game I'm not sure they had any business winning. (Full disclosure, I didn't watch this one that closely) The GW goal was pretty sweet. 

 

3. Being a San Jose fan must be weird. 

[TrueYankee26 346]

If the Sharks come back in this series, will this be their 2018 Capitals moment when that team beat the Pens? And that is one big IF.

Edited April 19 by TrueYankee26

[Bucfan56 6,928]

21 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

3. Being a San Jose fan must be weird. 

 

Weird isn’t exactly the word I would use for it. 

[Bucfan56 6,928]

1 minute ago, TrueYankee26 said:

If the Sharks come back in this series, will this be their 2018 Capitals moment when that team beat the Pens?

 

Nope. 

 

[infrared41 5,374]

48 minutes ago, Bucfan56 said:

 

Weird isn’t exactly the word I would use for it. 

 

Difficult, maybe?

[AustinFomBoston 141]

I almost feel bad for The Sharks, mainly because I'd like to see ol' Jumbo Joe win the Cup. (Guy can't have too many years left in him)

Much like how Ray Bourque Won the Cup with the Avs. 

[MiK 312]

23 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

Difficult, maybe?

 

It's like constantly peeling the protective plastic layer off a shiny new device but at the last second, it rips. And just when you think you've gotten it again, you scratch whatever it was protecting so it's forever marked. And that one little piece remains. Every couple years you think, "This is it. This is the the year the whole thing will come off in once piece." But it never does.

 

It's like that. Go Sharks.

[Bucfan56 6,928]

Being a Sharks fan is like trying to cross the 405 on foot during rush hour and hoping you don’t get smashed by a bus or something. 

[Crabcake47 1,438]

I know this is SiG, but I have to say I think St. Louis-Winnipeg is a really good looking series, uniform wise. Especially when the Blues are at home - their home unis are really nice, and I think Winnipeg’s roads are severely underrated. 

[speedy 134]

On 4/17/2019 at 9:25 PM, Brass said:

No team will ever win a Stanley Cup with Tuukka Rask as their starting goaltender.

 

Strongly Agree.

 

On 4/17/2019 at 10:05 PM, Lafarge said:

That was so much more on the defense than it was Rask. The two goals at the end were Chara and Carlo leaving Matthews wide open on the doorstep, and Acciari deflecting in a shot fromthe point.

 

if anything will prevent the Bruins from winning the Cup, it’s the Backes/Johansson line. Almost guaranteed, when the Leafs had extended possession in the zone, that line was on the ice.

 

Slightly disagree. Johansson had some really clean entries into the zone and got in front of a few shots - I don't mind his play. Backes really isn't the problem either. That fourth line is abysmal and Chara has lost so many steps he literally has to interfere with any player gaining the zone on a dump and pray he doesn't get called. Don't get me wrong I love Chara's leadership but his game is sheeeeeet.

[SFGiants58 7,298]

8 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Being a Sharks fan is like trying to cross the 405 on foot during rush hour and hoping you don’t get smashed by a bus or something. 

 

I would compare it to trying to build a table with an eyeglass screwdriver while under strobe lights. Frustrating, painful to watch, and just an annoyance after a while.

 

8 hours ago, AustinFomBoston said:

I almost feel bad for The Sharks, mainly because I'd like to see ol' Jumbo Joe win the Cup. (Guy can't have too many years left in him)

Much like how Ray Bourque Won the Cup with the Avs. 

 

I hope Thornton gets the Mattingly treatment, where the team wins the Cup the year after he retires. The dude is a dirty player, while also not being a convincing leader. He (and most of the roster) should have been sent packing after the reverse sweep. The 2016 Cup appearance was a fluke.