2013 - 2014 NHL Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[davidmatychuk]

I just bought David Thomson's 2013 book "Moments That Made The Movies", a collection of movie stills and commentary. It's typically excellent, but I swallowed my metaphorical gum when I saw his final selection: "Still Photograph, Vancouver, The Evening After The Canucks Lost The Stanley Cup". Amazing.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,If the Canadiens had won game four (and gone up 3-1 in the series), do you still think the series would have been won by Boston?

Scott,

I actually thought whichever team won Game 4 would win the series. The Habs would've had three chances to put the Bruins away had they won, and I liked their chances considering how well they had been playing. At 2-2 with Boston again having home ice... not so much.

 

[Ockeghem]

Thanks Scott.

"Still Photograph, Vancouver, The Evening After The Canucks Lost The Stanley Cup".

David,

I don't own that book, but I saw some of those photographs after the Bruins won game seven in Vancouver. Like the selected fans in Boston acting idiotically toward Subban, those types of fans are hopefully few and far between.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks Scott.

"Still Photograph, Vancouver, The Evening After The Canucks Lost The Stanley Cup".

David,

I don't own that book, but I saw some of those photographs after the Bruins won game seven in Vancouver. Like the selected fans in Boston acting idiotically toward Subban, those types of fans are hopefully few and far between.

Every city has a few moronic idiots (cannot call them fans) that can ruin the reputation of the 99% of decent fans.

 

[Ockeghem]

Agreed, Scott.

I wish I were at Madison Square Zoo tonight. I would love to be in that atmosphere. The Penguins - Rangers game has been a wild one. The Pens had better pick it up or we're going to a game seven. I picked the Rangers to win the series, so I'm happy with the score thus far.

 

[davidmatychuk]

Thanks Scott.

"Still Photograph, Vancouver, The Evening After The Canucks Lost The Stanley Cup".

David,

I don't own that book, but I saw some of those photographs after the Bruins won game seven in Vancouver. Like the selected fans in Boston acting idiotically toward Subban, those types of fans are hopefully few and far between.

I was working downtown that day until an hour before the game, just a few blocks from the rink. The streets were full of people milling about, and the mood seemed ugly already. I saw exactly one policeman, in the middle of an intersection, and I wished him good luck. Anyhow, that photo may not be what you think. Here it is:

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It looks like Montreal is making the move for Game 6 that I wanted back in Game 3 -- putting rookie defenseman Nathan Beaulieu in the lineup -- hopefully in place of the human pylon Douglas Murray. Beaulieu's inexperience could bite the Habs, but Murray is a major liability due to his tortoise-like speed -- the Bruins strategy whenever he is on the ice is to dump the puck into his corner, knowing he cannot beat the forwards to the puck. The Weaver - Murray pairing has spent almost all their time in the defensive zone the past three games.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

We will be treated once again to a Game 7 between the Habs and Bruins. I have to give the Canadiens credit for really showing up to play last night. They played a terrific game, and did a much better job protecting their 3rd period lead than in past games in the series. Pacioretty and Vanek finally found the net, which helped. Also, Beaulieu was a big improvement over Murray in limited minutes -- see, Therrien should listen to me . Now Montreal needs to do something they have been unable to do in this series -- win consecutive games. That is going to be a very difficult task in Boston.

CBC had an interesting stat last night. In every second round game except one (the last Chicago - Minnesota game), the team that has scored first has won every time in each series. That is pretty amazing.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,I did hear that stat last night and a few nights ago from Doc Emrick. That is amazing.I'm not sure this series is as good as the last seven-game series the Bruins and Canadiens played against each other, but there is one more game to play and perhaps it will be a game for the ages. It will be tough to top what happened the last time these teams played a game seven against each other, though. I am of course hoping for a similar result.

And how about this? Someone won a home game in the Anaheim - Los Angeles series!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Lundqvist was a machine in tonight's Rangers / Pens game. Given his track record, I suppose it should be expected; but he was unflappable. It was incredibly chaotic in front of the Rangers' goal those last few minutes.

- Walter.

 

[Jack P]

Way to go Rangers!!

 

[Ockeghem]

Well, I got my Rangers pick correct. But I still need Boston, Minnesota, and Los Angeles to win their series to go 4-0 in this round. I don't see them all coming true!

 

[davidmatychuk]

Maybe I'm paying better attention due to the non-involvement of my beloved Canucks, but this year's playoffs have been pretty intense and great. Having said that, Kevin Bieksa (or as Don Cherry always says, Bieska) is killing it as Captain of Team Canada at the worlds, like I knew he would.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Well, I got my Rangers pick correct. But I still need Boston, Minnesota, and Los Angeles to win their series to go 4-0 in this round. I don't see them all coming true!

Well, you got the Minnesota pick wrong, Scott. Here's hoping you are wrong on your remaining two picks, too.

I got both the Rangers and Hawks series correct. I am hoping to go 3 out of 4 in this round with Anaheim and Montreal winning. BTW, in my office playoff bracket, I have only picked one series incorrectly -- the Avs in the first round. Hopefully I get #2 wrong tonight.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,

I think the Blackhawks are going to make it out of the west again. Who stands a chance against them?

In AHL news, the Griffins broke through and won game three against Texas last night. The Stars are a heck of a team. And it's a quick turnaround since the two teams play game four tonight.

I heard recently that the Griffins have announced a three-year television contract deal. I would love to get some of these games next year.

http://www.mlive.com/griffins/index.ssf/2014/05/grand_rapids_griffins_announce_3.html

 

[Scott Merryfield]

That's cool news about the Griffins and their TV deal, Scott. I wonder who will carry this new local network, though, and what type of video quality will be delivered? Our local Plymouth Whalers home games are broadcast on a Comcast channel with the production being done by Schoolcraft College. While I never see the games live (we are always at the game), I have caught parts of the replay occasionally the following week and the video quality is pretty poor.

While the Hawks are going to be tough to beat, Anaheim has the wildcard of a hot young, unknown goalie. I still remember Cam Ward coming out of nowhere as a rookie and carrying Carolina to the Cup after Montreal chased Martin Gerber from the net in Round 1.

The "hot goalie" scenario would be the only thing that scares me about the Rangers in the next round, too -- regardless of whether it's Boston or Montreal playing them. Lundqvist is in top form right now, and when that happens there is no better goaltender in the world.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Here are a couple of Lundqvist stats that I find amazing, considering he's played his entire career for a rather mediocre Rangers team:

1. Last night was his NHL record fifth straight Game 7 win.
2. He is 10-2 when facing elimination.

Can you imagine what this guy could accomplish on a quality team?

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,

Congratulations. Your team played well and deserved to win the series. It will be an interesting match-up against the Rangers. It's a toss-up for me right now. As good as Price was against Boston, he'll have to be even better since Lundqvist is the hotter goaltender right now. I'll make my third-round picks after the Ducks - Kings series has concluded.

 

[Richard Travale]

I am glad your pick was wrong Scott (M) for this round. Scott (A), you are right about the Rangers. Price will have to find yet another level of excellence. As will the rest of the club. I have said it all along though. If my Habs could beat the Bruins, there is no reason they can’t go all the way. I’m looking forward to another hard fought series against the Rangers

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Richard,

I am also relieved that my prediction was wrong. In order to not offend the hockey gods, I will be picking against the Habs in the next round, too.

Before the series started, I listed what I though had to happen for the Habs to win this series (see below). Overall I think the Habs did well in all categories.

1. Price was outstanding, and outplayed Vezina candidate Rask, who really seems to struggle against Montreal. I think he is now 1-10 lifetime vs. the Habs in Boston. This was probably the single biggest reason Montreal won the series.

2. The Boston PP only scored three goals (two in Game 5), so mission accomplished. Also, Montreal's PP was much better than in Round 1.

3. This line was split up, but Vanek quietly scored some key goals and Pacioretty finally got going in the final two games. Not as much as I thought they needed, though.

4. Bourque did not have nearly as good a series as against Tampa, but for the most part all the lines played well. Montreal's speed at forward was a key point in beating the Bruins. Weise was terrific on the 4th line.

5. This started out very bad in the first half of the series. Bouillon and Murray were huge liabilities on defense, and the Habs struggled to get out of their zone whenever one of them was on the ice. Inserting Beaulieu for the final two games made a huge difference, although Beaulieu didn't play much in the final two periods last night.

6. The Habs did well in not getting caught up in the Bruins antics.

This will be a tough series for the Habs. In order for them to beat the Bruins, I think the following will need to happen:

1. Price must be at his absolute best, which means much better than he played against Tampa.

2. The Habs have to find a way to slow down the Bruins power play that destroyed the Wings. There will be lots of penalties called in this series, so Montreal's penalty kill unit will need to perform much better than Detroit's.

3. The Canadiens top line of Vanek, Desharnais and Pacioretty will need to produce more points than in the first round. They played well against Tampa, but had issues putting the puck in the net... too many missed chances. They cannot afford to miss that many against a much better Boston team.

4. The 2nd - 4th lines will need to continue to produce like they did in Round 1. Rene Bourque, Lars Eller, Gionta and Briere all played much better against Tampa than they did the entire regular season. Plekanec, Gallagher and Bournival all had solid series, too. This must continue in Round 2.

5. Not get burned by Boston's great forechecking. That means playing solid in their own zone, and not turning over the puck.

6. Not get engaged in Boston's after the whistle antics. Nothing frustrates the Bruins more than when Montreal refuses to play their caveman games.

It will not get easier in the next round. Lundqvist is playing tremendously for the Rangers, so Price will need to continue his excellent play to match him.