2019-2020 NHL Thread

[TrueYankee26]

And we'll see you, Monday Night!

[ninersdd]

California rivals have teamed up to keep the Stars afloat!

[habsfan1]

On 9/25/2020 at 11:37 PM, habsfan1 said:

One win away from ending the choking memes and UrinatingTree's 2020 "Congrats, Lightning!" video will be cancelled.

 

There will be a Game 6. 

[FCMacbeth]

2 minutes ago, habsfan1 said:

 

There will be a Game 6. 

And there'll be a Game 7 if Dallas continues to persists.

[PittsburghSucks]

[ManillaToad]

Maybe the best game of the playoffs. MNF is getting recorded this week

[Ridleylash]

On 9/23/2020 at 9:55 PM, Morgan33 said:

Well, this series is over.  Tampa wins!  What a bore...

Yeah, about that...Scorey Perry says "no".

[Kramerica Industries]

The Lightning have:

• Been outscored 13-10 at even strength
• Given up the first goal in three of the five games
• Been outscored 4-2 in the third period
• (as a result) - blown two third period leads

Frankly, that they're up 3-2 is fortunate. And if these trajectories don't change, don't be surprised at all if Dallas wins this series. Wouldn't even be able to say it's undeserved, either. The Lightning are trying to one-line their way to winning the Cup, because their second line is completely and utterly useless. Six goals in 16 games since the second round began, and only one goal in this series. They've given up the first goal to their opponent in eight of the last ten games, and as a result of that, are constantly playing from behind and, more importantly, not able to take leads and build on them. They've only held a multi-goal lead in three of the last ten games they've played, and two of those three games were the only two games they scored first in. 

 

And don't get me started on that last bullet point. Since the second round began, there have been six games where the Lightning held a one-goal lead at some point during the third period (only a one-goal lead, that is). On four of those six occasions, they were unable to hold onto that lead, and the tying goal was given up inside the last ten minutes of the third, at that. On the first three occasions, they were able to bail themselves out by scoring the OT winning goal. They finally got burned last night. But it's been a consistent, recurring problem and I have no reason at this point to think that, should they find themselves only up by one goal during the third period in Game 6 or (G-d forbid) Game 7, that they'll be able to hold onto that lead, either. Both in terms of that and in terms of giving their fans reason to think they'll be able to win this series, they've provided no reason to be given the benefit of the doubt. This Lightning team is renown as not being able to see things out at this stage of the playoffs, and until they win a fourth game in this series, there's every reason to think this series could turn out just as bad as those other ones from 2016 and 2018 did.

 

"Well, the Lightning have never blown a 3-1 series lead before"

 

Besides previous series having absolutely zero bearing on what will happen here - a) 3-1 comebacks in the NHL happen all the time, and not having had one happen to you is just as likely a result of not having had enough to begin with, and b) it's not 3-1 anymore, it's 3-2, so that stat which, plenty of Lightning fans tell themselves to comfort themselves over, is irrelevant under the current circumstance. 3-1 doesn't matter anymore, and this team has definitely blown a couple 3-2 leads before. 

 

As much as it would piss me off more than anything else sports-wise has pissed me off as in my adult life, if the Stars win this series, there would be zero surprise in it for me. And if this series does go to a Game 7 at this point, the smart money would be on Dallas to win that game.

[See Red]

2 hours ago, Kramerica Industries said:

The Lightning have:

• Been outscored 13-10 at even strength
• Given up the first goal in three of the five games
• Been outscored 4-2 in the third period
• (as a result) - blown two third period leads

Frankly, that they're up 3-2 is fortunate. And if these trajectories don't change, don't be surprised at all if Dallas wins this series. Wouldn't even be able to say it's undeserved, either. The Lightning are trying to one-line their way to winning the Cup, because their second line is completely and utterly useless. Six goals in 16 games since the second round began, and only one goal in this series. They've given up the first goal to their opponent in eight of the last ten games, and as a result of that, are constantly playing from behind and, more importantly, not able to take leads and build on them. They've only held a multi-goal lead in three of the last ten games they've played, and two of those three games were the only two games they scored first in. 

 

And don't get me started on that last bullet point. Since the second round began, there have been six games where the Lightning held a one-goal lead at some point during the third period (only a one-goal lead, that is). On four of those six occasions, they were unable to hold onto that lead, and the tying goal was given up inside the last ten minutes of the third, at that. On the first three occasions, they were able to bail themselves out by scoring the OT winning goal. They finally got burned last night. But it's been a consistent, recurring problem and I have no reason at this point to think that, should they find themselves only up by one goal during the third period in Game 6 or (G-d forbid) Game 7, that they'll be able to hold onto that lead, either. Both in terms of that and in terms of giving their fans reason to think they'll be able to win this series, they've provided no reason to be given the benefit of the doubt. This Lightning team is renown as not being able to see things out at this stage of the playoffs, and until they win a fourth game in this series, there's every reason to think this series could turn out just as bad as those other ones from 2016 and 2018 did.

 

"Well, the Lightning have never blown a 3-1 series lead before"

 

Besides previous series having absolutely zero bearing on what will happen here - a) 3-1 comebacks in the NHL happen all the time, and not having had one happen to you is just as likely a result of not having had enough to begin with, and b) it's not 3-1 anymore, it's 3-2, so that stat which, plenty of Lightning fans tell themselves to comfort themselves over, is irrelevant under the current circumstance. 3-1 doesn't matter anymore, and this team has definitely blown a couple 3-2 leads before. 

 

As much as it would piss me off more than anything else sports-wise has pissed me off as in my adult life, if the Stars win this series, there would be zero surprise in it for me. And if this series does go to a Game 7 at this point, the smart money would be on Dallas to win that game.

 

As usual, you're more pessimistic than I am.  I have a hard time seeing Dallas win three straight games if the teams play like they did last night.  I think Tampa's been the victim of some bad luck too, like referees deciding to swallow their whistles last night which, of course, hurts the team that hadn't scored on 6 of their last 12 PPs and gives me 2011 ECF flashbacks.

 

Last night's tying goal came when Tampa should have been on a 4 minute PP for a highstick to Kucherov. They instead called one at the other end on TB.  The night before, the game tying goal came just after a Dallas PP that should have been a 4 on 4 if not for another missed high stick. Just crawly luck, is all.

 

My main worry is they swallow the whistle the rest of the series because it negates a huge advantage TB has and, given the way Dallas plays, is ridiculous.  Honestly, Dallas committing one penalty in five periods is ludicrous but that's how they call it sometimes. 

[Kramerica Industries]

33 minutes ago, See Red said:

 

As usual, you're more pessimistic than I am.  I have a hard time seeing Dallas win three straight games if the teams play like they did last night.  I think Tampa's been the victim of some bad luck too, like referees deciding to swallow their whistles last night which, of course, hurts the team that hadn't scored on 6 of their last 12 PPs and gives me 2011 ECF flashbacks.

 

Last night's tying goal came when Tampa should have been on a 4 minute PP for a highstick to Kucherov. They instead called one at the other end on TB.  The night before, the game tying goal came just after a Dallas PP that should have been a 4 on 4 if not for another missed high stick. Just crawly luck, is all.

 

My main worry is they swallow the whistle the rest of the series because it negates a huge advantage TB has and, given the way Dallas plays, is ridiculous.  Honestly, Dallas committing one penalty in five periods is ludicrous but that's how they call it sometimes. 

 

I agree with you on a lot of this, but, unfortunately, this is how NHL "game management" works and why the phrase "game management" exists in the first place. Because most Lightning fans would've said when it was 2-1 that Dallas was bound to get a power play at some point, and not only were they bound to get one, but the odds of the Lightning getting one were miniscule by comparison. Hence how you can see a double-minor high stick and trip missed on one end, only for a single-minor high stick to get called against you on the other end just moments later.

 

That's how NHL refereeing works this time of the year. It's terrible and it shouldn't happen, but that's how it goes. That's how Brayden Point can get called for embellishing getting hooked in the nuts. 

 

Unfortunately, because of the fact this is how the NHL works, I really don't think you can count on power plays at this point. It's almost as if any power play you get at this point is a bonus. They got one last night in the first period and nothing for the remaining 3.5 periods of the game. And, just to try and hide any signs of potential bias, I'll just point out that, in Game 1 with a 3-1 third period deficit, the power plays were 3-0 in favor of the Lightning in that game as well. 

 

The scariest thing about is...well, maybe there's two scary things about this. One of them being that these are the highest-graded referees the NHL has to offer, and the other being that so many people endorse the "let the boys play" mentality. On the 50/50 type calls, by all means, let them play this time of the year. When it comes to the obvious ones? The double-minor high sticks and stuff like that? You have to call it. Otherwise you're making a mockery of the rulebook. And, yes, that includes giving a penalty shot against Hedman in OT last night. By all means, I'll never complain about the penalty call itself when an actual penalty has occurred. I don't mind Cernak getting called for a high stick. But I do mind Kucherov getting high sticked moments earlier being met with crickets. It's either both or its neither. 

 

--

 

As for pessimism in general - I wrote this in the NBA thread recently so I'll keep this brief, but the older I get, the more taxing and, in some ways, unrewarding I tend to find rooting interests to be. My generally pessimisic mood is fueled by getting burned by the Lightning getting close before, but, well, guess what? I'm not anymore special than Sharks fans who've been burned year after year by their team. Or Leafs fans, or Rangers fans, or fans of teams that suck more often than not...I mean, crap, at least I've seen the Lightning win a Cup once before. I might've been 10 when they did it but I remember it very well and watched/listened to a lot of those games back then. Nevertheless, I've seen series leads blown time after time and so when you're less than seven minutes from winning the series and end up losing the game, it's almost like an impulse is triggered in my head about "here we go again". And sometimes it's unfounded, but other times, it has been founded. More times than I care to have seen.

[monkeypower]

4 hours ago, Kramerica Industries said:

I mean, crap, at least I've seen the Lightning win a Cup once before. I might've been 10 when they did it but I remember it very well and watched/listened to a lot of those games back then.

This has nothing really to do with anything you just posted, but I always got the impression that you were older than that. Not that you will ever really know the age of other people on the internet unless explicitly told, but this is surprising to see you say you were 10 when the Lightning won.

 

 

And not like Infrared old , but definitely not only two years older than me.

[Kramerica Industries]

46 minutes ago, monkeypower said:

This has nothing really to do with anything you just posted, but I always got the impression that you were older than that. Not that you will ever really know the age of other people on the internet unless explicitly told, but this is surprising to see you say you were 10 when the Lightning won.

 

 

And not like Infrared old , but definitely not only two years older than me.

 

Your not the first person to say this. I only these days tend to be more open about saying how old I am because I know that most teenagers/early 20s people (which, for me, was 2007-2015 or so) on the internet are either complete idiots or are assumed to be complete idiots...I'm sure I've done plenty over the years here for people to arrive at that conclusion anyway, but I didn't want to make it too easy. 

 

Turned 27 three days ago. The 20s are well and truly starting to slip away.

[Morgan33]

1 hour ago, Kramerica Industries said:

 

Your not the first person to say this. I only these days tend to be more open about saying how old I am because I know that most teenagers/early 20s people (which, for me, was 2007-2015 or so) on the internet are either complete idiots or are assumed to be complete idiots...I'm sure I've done plenty over the years here for people to arrive at that conclusion anyway, but I didn't want to make it too easy. 

 

Turned 27 three days ago. The 20s are well and truly starting to slip away.

 

I thought you were older as well.  I would expect the kind of cynicism you have for your team from someone at least 5 years older but given the recent history of the Lightning, it's not unwarranted.  That being said, I fully expect the Stars to raise my hopes with a win tomorrow before bowing out in 7.  There is just no way my second favorite team is winning a championship in 2020.

[Ridleylash]

3 minutes ago, Morgan33 said:

I thought you were older as well.  I would expect the kind of cynicism you have for your team from someone at least 5 years older but given the recent history of the Lightning, it's not unwarranted.  That being said, I fully expect the Stars to raise my hopes with a win tomorrow before bowing out in 7.  There is just no way my second favorite team is winning a championship in 2020.

To be fair, people said there was no way the Stars would beat the Flames, Avalanche or Golden Knights, either...

[FCMacbeth]

5 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

To be fair, people said there was no way the Stars would beat the Flames, Avalanche or Golden Knights, either...

:censored:, you know what this means?

 

Dallas could give every single doubters the middle finger by winning the whole thing in Game 7.

 

Anyone got a panic button ready?

[Sport]

On 9/24/2020 at 4:42 PM, Ridleylash said:

Seems like the Pegulas might actually have figured out that there's a bit of a problem with how the fanbase views the organization.

 

 

"How can we grow our fanbase?" Maybe don't suck for an entire decade? That'll be 100,000 dollars, Mr. Pegula.

 

The funny thing about roles like this is they're largely unnecessary if the team wins. Winning is the single most effective marketing strategy any professional sports team could ever employ. The Blue Jackets spun their tires for years with fan outreach programs, improving their in-game and arena entertainment, and kept coming back to "I just don't understand why people aren't coming to see their beloved Blue Jackets". It's because the team was bad! When they started being a fun team who regularly makes the playoffs people came to the arena. WEIRD!

[Fitzy0220]

14 hours ago, Kramerica Industries said:

 

Your not the first person to say this. I only these days tend to be more open about saying how old I am because I know that most teenagers/early 20s people (which, for me, was 2007-2015 or so) on the internet are either complete idiots or are assumed to be complete idiots...I'm sure I've done plenty over the years here for people to arrive at that conclusion anyway, but I didn't want to make it too easy. 

 

Turned 27 three days ago. The 20s are well and truly starting to slip away.

You're still a baby! I'm 47, my childhood (including teen years) is getting fuzzy in the rear view mirror LOL. Every time a AARP commercial comes on TV, my wife is like, 3 more years (meanwhile she's 44) LOL

[The_Admiral]

4 hours ago, Sport said:

The funny thing about roles like this is they're largely unnecessary if the team wins. Winning is the single most effective marketing strategy any professional sports team could ever employ.

 

Counterpoint: "the only marketing we need is winning" was Lamoriello's attitude with the Devils, and that proved insufficient even with Stanley Cups such that people thought they should be relocated because the Meadowlands was always half-empty. The Blackhawks proved that you have to win a lot and hustle relentlessly in a competitive market -- it took the Hawks at their highest to pass the Bulls at their lowest. But Buffalo isn't a competitive market, so things must really be bad for them to have to do this.

[Ridleylash]

1 hour ago, the admiral said:

But Buffalo isn't a competitive market, so things must really be bad for them to have to do this.

There's infighting with the Bills, I guess; but the Pegulas are trending sharply in the Melnyk direction at this point with the amount of blunders they've had over just a single season.

 

Perhaps it's fitting that the season that's supposed to be of grand import for the organization, a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary for the organization...is the one that became an endless cavalcade of PR disaster thanks to the Pegulas' incompetent ship-steering and continues the team's decade-long playoff drought. Meanwhile, their West Coast brothers do pretty much everything right for their 50th and make the second round the same season.

[habsfan1]

2-0 TB Lightning. Stars are slowly beginning to deflate.

 

Tampa I don't think they're going to blow this one.