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The Rite of Spring: 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread


Brass

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Normally I’d say the Bolts being down 2-0 isn’t a huge cause for concern (heck, they were down by that same margin just the previous round), but this feels different now. That’s the kind of loss that can sink a team’s soul. Especially after the Avs were dominating the first part of Game 1 but almost let it slip. Goes without saying but G3 is ridiculously huge now, no way Tampa comes back if they lose that one. 

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13 hours ago, DoctorWhom said:

7-0 Avalanche win. 

Most goals allowed in Vasilevskiy's career. 

 

Honestly they should have just sat him in after the 2nd when it was 5-0. 

 

The only thing I can think happened here was Cooper talked to Vailevskiy and asked if he wanted to sit and take a mental reset for Game 3 and he said no this is my net, then Cooper said "They scored 10 goals, Jim. Right now it's everybody's net." Or something like that.

 

Literally the only reason he was out there was because he wanted to be. It might be pride in being the only goalie to play minutes on their current run or maybe he just wanted to find his game again, I don't know - but it was a really odd thing to see him out there.

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5 hours ago, speedy said:

 

The only thing I can think happened here was Cooper talked to Vailevskiy and asked if he wanted to sit and take a mental reset for Game 3 and he said no this is my net, then Cooper said "They scored 10 goals, Jim. Right now it's everybody's net." Or something like that.

 

Literally the only reason he was out there was because he wanted to be. It might be pride in being the only goalie to play minutes on their current run or maybe he just wanted to find his game again, I don't know - but it was a really odd thing to see him out there.

Especially because he gave up two more and Colorado kept pushing even after that. It's not like he had a moment to take a breather.

Maybe he was hoping to inspire his teammates? But I mean... I never played at anywhere near the NHL level, but goaltender is my position. And it's never fun to be in that situation. Refusing to concede is one thing but when they knock a few more past you, you just look and feel like a schmuck. 

 

I'm not sure I'm ready to consider Tampa dead just yet. They're too good. 

But I will say that this doesn't feel like either Toronto or New York at all, where even when they were down you could tell they were dangerous. Outside of that brief two goal spurt in game one they've looked awful. 

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26 minutes ago, IceCap said:

But I will say that this doesn't feel like either Toronto or New York at all, where even when they were down you could tell they were dangerous. Outside of that brief two goal spurt in game one they've looked awful. 

It also really doesn't help them that Colorado's been an absolute monster of a team this postseason. They're 14-2 so far; I imagine even the best team in the league would have a hell of a fight on their hands against them.

 

Struggling against most playoff teams in the postseason isn't great. Struggle against the Avs...and you get last night's utter annihilation. Their skill level magnifies basically any mistake into a potentially deadly one. And even worse is that the Avs are undefeated on the road...which is exactly where they're headed.

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Tampa looks plain gassed to me.  They've had two very deep playoff runs in years with short off-seasons beyond what a championship team would normally face.  They're also without the Gourde line which was so good for them the last couple years.  Speaking of the finals I wen to the watch party at Amalie last night and noticed that there was no Stanley Cup Finals logo anywhere on the ice as in years/decades past.  Didn't see one on the ice in Denver either.  Is this a new thing?

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11 hours ago, tp49 said:

Tampa looks plain gassed to me.  They've had two very deep playoff runs in years with short off-seasons beyond what a championship team would normally face.  They're also without the Gourde line which was so good for them the last couple years.  Speaking of the finals I wen to the watch party at Amalie last night and noticed that there was no Stanley Cup Finals logo anywhere on the ice as in years/decades past.  Didn't see one on the ice in Denver either.  Is this a new thing?

 

I think this is it. They've played only 3 more games in these playoffs than Colorado, but Colorado had 9 days off between the conference finals and the final and Tampa only had 4. Plus Tampa's played 23 extra playoff games over the last two years compared to Colorado. That's a lot of extra mileage.

 

Plus I think the Avalanche are just damn good. 

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12 hours ago, tp49 said:

Tampa looks plain gassed to me.  They've had two very deep playoff runs in years with short off-seasons beyond what a championship team would normally face.  They're also without the Gourde line which was so good for them the last couple years.  Speaking of the finals I wen to the watch party at Amalie last night and noticed that there was no Stanley Cup Finals logo anywhere on the ice as in years/decades past.  Didn't see one on the ice in Denver either.  Is this a new thing?

The broadcast had digital logos for the Cup final on the ice in rotation with ads in the offensive zones similar to what was done in the Covid bubble.

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Colorado has looked dominant, but I'm not ready to write Tampa off just yet. They've always brought their best to closer they've gotten to elimination, and as the old cliche goes, you aren't in trouble until you lose at home.

 

I still think the Avs win it, but I'd be very surprised if it doesn't go at least 6 games. Maybe that's just wishful thinking since this is too good of a matchup to be done so quickly.

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It’s like all of the sudden the Lightning remembered they were facing an average goalie that wasn’t particularly hot (which is usually a death knell in the playoffs, it’s just that the Avs have been playing so ridiculously out of their skin that it never really mattered).

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The Avs played what seemed like the best game to their abilities. All 4 lines performed. The Avs players all played like they're hungry for their first Cup. Most of the Lightning players already won it twice.

 

It's not over, though. A 2-time Cup winner doesn't win 2 straight Cups without being able to handle and overcome adversity. Game 5 is not in the bag, for Colorado. They're going to need a mega performance, even if by chance the Avs get a lead by several goals.

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