2017 NHL Playoffs

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:07 pm

Starts Wednesday. Here's my picks. Post yours.

Washington over Toronto
Montreal over New York
Ottawa over Boston
Pittsburgh over Columbus
San Jose over Edmonton
Anaheim over Calgary
Chicago over Nashville
St. Louis over Minnesota

2nd round
Washington over Pittsburgh
Ottawa over Montreal
Anaheim over San Jose
Chicago over St. Louis

Conference Finals
Washington over Ottawa
Anaheim over Chicago

Stanley Cup Final
Washington over Anaheim

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:53 pm

sancarlos wrote:Post yours.

No. You're not the boss of me.

Well, okay. But ask nicer next time. Douche.

First round
Washington over Toronto
Pittsburgh over Columbus
New York over Montreal
Boston over Ottawa

San Jose over Edmonton
Anaheim over Calgary
Chicago over Nashville
St. Louis over Minnesota

Second round
Washington over Pittsburgh
New York over Boston

San Jose over Anaheim
Chicago over St. Louis

Conference Finals
Washington over New York
Chicago over San Jose

Stanley Cup Final
Washington over Chicago

╚ San Jose has been slumping, but I expect them to be okay. But a lot of that depends on Joe Thornton's health. They could make a run, or they could crash out early. Neither would surprise me.

╚ My preseason excitement for Toronto was warranted, but holy shit, I did not expect that team to make the playoffs. Auston Matthews is the truth.

╚ The 4th-place team in the Metro (the Rangers) has an easier path than the top 3 teams. Yes, I'm going to continue complaining about this.

╚ I think I pick Washington every year. Going to be right eventually, maybe.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:59 pm

Washington over Toronto
Montreal over New York
Boston over Ottawa
Pittsburgh over Columbus
San Jose over Edmonton
Anaheim over Calgary
Nashville over Chicago
Minnesota over St. Louis

2nd round
Washington over Pittsburgh
Montreal over Boston
Anaheim over San Jose
Nashville over Minnesota

Conference Finals
Washington over Montreal
Nashville over Anaheim

Stanley Cup Final
Washington over Nashville

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:17 pm

Fuck you guys. Jinxing mf'ers.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:37 pm

Washington over Toronto
New York over Montreal
Boston over Ottawa
Pittsburgh over Columbus
San Jose over Edmonton
Calgary over Anaheim
Chicago over Nashville
Minnesota over St. Louis

2nd round
Washington over Pittsburgh
New York over Boston
San Jose over Calgary
Chicago over Minnesota

Conference Finals
New York over Washington
Chicago over San Jose

Stanley Cup Final
Chicago over New York

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:08 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote:Fuck you guys. Jinxing mf'ers.

Jinx or not, I don't think they lose more than one game per round.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:25 pm

degenerasian wrote: Calgary over Anaheim

To win this series, Calgary must get their first win in Anaheim since January of 2004.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:26 pm

govmentchedda wrote:
Nonlinear FC wrote:Fuck you guys. Jinxing mf'ers.
Jinx or not, I don't think they lose more than one game per round.

Winning series' early is a key to advancing. Need the rest that a quick series win provides!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:28 pm

sancarlos wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:
Nonlinear FC wrote:Fuck you guys. Jinxing mf'ers.
Jinx or not, I don't think they lose more than one game per round.
Winning series' early is a key to a deep run. Need the rest that a quick series win provides!

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:30 pm

sancarlos wrote:
degenerasian wrote: Calgary over Anaheim

To win this series, Calgary must get their first win in Anaheim since January of 2004.

Thursday would be a good time to break that!

(Calgary did win a playoff game there in 2006!)

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:30 pm

sancarlos wrote:Winning series' early is a key to advancing.

For posterity. Winning is key to winning.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:32 pm

rass wrote:
sancarlos wrote:Winning series' early is a key to advancing.
For posterity. Winning is key to winning.

You quoted that before I edited it!!

But... yeah...

eta: I thought I was editing it, but I had actually quoted it...

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:36 pm

I swear I'm going to bask in the glow of last year's Cup, and relax with the acknowledgment that winning without Letang, and with bunch of other dudes they need who haven't played lately and are hoping to jump back in for the playoffs, will be difficult. Hopefully Torts' smug little rat face doesn't make a liar out of me.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:50 am

This doesn't really belong here, but since we don't have an offseason thread yet, I'll note that the Los Angeles Kings fired their two-time Cup-winning coach Darryl Sutter and GM Dean Lombardi. I feel bad for those two guys, but nothing but schadenfreude for the franchise.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:48 am

Lombardi can get fucked after all the Richards stuff.

(It always seems messed up when a GM is fired and his awful decisions will handcuff the next GM possibly through his entire tenure. There are some really terrible deals on their books for a long time.)

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:07 am

Washington over Toronto
Montreal over New York
Boston over Ottawa
Columbus over Pittsburg
Oilers over SJ
Anaheim over Calgary
Chicago over Nashville
Minnesota over Blues

2nd round
Wash over Blue Jack-its (bullshit these teams play in the 2nd round, btw.)
Montreal over Bruins
Oilers over Ducks
Wildlings over Offensive to Some Mascot

Conference Finals
Washington over Entitled
Wildlings over Edmonton

Stanley Cup Final
Washington over Minnesota

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:21 am

Toronto over Washington
Montreal over New York
Boston over Ottawa
Pittsburgh over Columbus
San Jose over Edmonton
Anaheim over Calgary
Nashville over Chicago
Minnesota over St. Louis

Pittsburgh over Toronto
Boston over Montreal
Anaheim over San Jose
Nashville over Minnesota

Boston over Pittsburgh
Nashville over Anaheim

Nashville over Boston

(If Washington gets out of the 1st round, they go to the Finals and would be favored there, but the most Washington thing possible would be to lose even before the point where they're expected to lose because they're always expected to lose.)

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:33 am

Can someone explain to me like a 5 year old why the 2nd and 3rd best teams play each other or the 6th and 8th best teams play each other?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:38 am

mister d wrote:Lombardi can get fucked after all the Richards stuff.

(It always seems messed up when a GM is fired and his awful decisions will handcuff the next GM possibly through his entire tenure. There are some really terrible deals on their books for a long time.)

And the USA Hockey stuff. But mostly the Richards stuff. He's awful. Sutter will be fine, and employed again soon I would imagine.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:39 am

Jerloma wrote:Can someone explain to me like a 5 year old why the 2nd and 3rd best teams play each other or the 6th and 8th best teams play each other?

NHL moved to top 3 in each division on either side of the conference bracket, with the #1 overall in the conference team playing the 2nd WC team.

Essentially, it's not 1-8 in each conference any more, but 1-3 in each division and a wild card.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:41 am

mister d wrote:Toronto over Washington
Montreal over New York
Boston over Ottawa
Pittsburgh over Columbus
San Jose over Edmonton
Anaheim over Calgary
Nashville over Chicago
Minnesota over St. Louis

Pittsburgh over Toronto
Boston over Montreal
Anaheim over San Jose
Nashville over Minnesota

Boston over Pittsburgh
Nashville over Anaheim

Nashville over Boston

(If Washington gets out of the 1st round, they go to the Finals and would be favored there, but the most Washington thing possible would be to lose even before the point where they're expected to lose because they're always expected to lose.)

The series price on the Leafs started high, and only continues to rise. I think the Caps are unstoppable (through the East anyway), but +320 is almost worth throwing a few dollars on the Leafs.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:42 am

govmentchedda wrote:
Jerloma wrote:Can someone explain to me like a 5 year old why the 2nd and 3rd best teams play each other or the 6th and 8th best teams play each other?
NHL moved to top 3 in each division on either side of the conference bracket, with the #1 overall in the conference team playing the 2nd WC team.

Essentially, it's not 1-8 in each conference any more, but 1-3 in each division and a wild card.

Plus they don't reseed anymore after the first round, so you will potentially have the winner of PIT/CBJ (2nd/3rd best teams) against the Caps (#1 team) in the second round. Yay.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:13 am

govmentchedda wrote:The series price on the Leafs started high, and only continues to rise. I think the Caps are unstoppable (through the East anyway), but +320 is almost worth throwing a few dollars on the Leafs.

Yeah, that's kind of a good bang-for-the-buck prediction, not something I would actually take in a 50/50 bet. Although I do wonder if the Leafs forwards could create some trouble for the Caps D and then everyone would start saying "they're too young to know they should be nervous!" and some fluky playoff shit could just happen.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:13 am

(Really, I'd probably bet on a Washington sweep over a Toronto series win if I had to put actual money down, but this isn't actual money and the Caps can go F.)

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:16 am

rass wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:
Jerloma wrote:Can someone explain to me like a 5 year old why the 2nd and 3rd best teams play each other or the 6th and 8th best teams play each other?
NHL moved to top 3 in each division on either side of the conference bracket, with the #1 overall in the conference team playing the 2nd WC team.

Essentially, it's not 1-8 in each conference any more, but 1-3 in each division and a wild card.
Plus they don't reseed anymore after the first round, so you will potentially have the winner of PIT/CBJ (2nd/3rd best teams) against the Caps (#1 team) in the second round. Yay.

Who thought this was a good idea? Like, what problem was high seed plays low seed causing? I know they don't know how it's going to shake out, but they've created a system whereby 2 of the top 3 teams have zero chance of making it to the final. What's the point of the regular season after you've clinched a playoff spot?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:32 am

Jerloma wrote:
rass wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:
Jerloma wrote:Can someone explain to me like a 5 year old why the 2nd and 3rd best teams play each other or the 6th and 8th best teams play each other?
NHL moved to top 3 in each division on either side of the conference bracket, with the #1 overall in the conference team playing the 2nd WC team.

Essentially, it's not 1-8 in each conference any more, but 1-3 in each division and a wild card.
Plus they don't reseed anymore after the first round, so you will potentially have the winner of PIT/CBJ (2nd/3rd best teams) against the Caps (#1 team) in the second round. Yay.
Who thought this was a good idea? Like, what problem was high seed plays low seed causing? I know they don't know how it's going to shake out, but they've created a system whereby 2 of the top 3 teams have zero chance of making it to the final. What's the point of the regular season after you've clinched a playoff spot?

they wanted divisional rivalries like in the 80s!

I think the key in the Caps series is will the Caps go out of their way to hit the young Leafs? It's not really the Caps game to get super physical.
If the Leafs were playing a series against the Ducks for example, the Ducks are built to and would annihilate the Leafs.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:43 am

I don't even think its that, its that they thought they could piggy back off the NCAA brackets. Which is so upsettingly dumb I hated even typing it.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:56 am

Wow. They really did this for office pools? Is that a theory or did someone hint at that?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:15 am

it is easier to fill out a bracket.

but what's the point when your sport is on NBCSN.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:38 am

Malkin will play for the Pens tomorrow. Expected, but now official.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:51 am

Jerloma wrote:Wow. They really did this for office pools? Is that a theory or did someone hint at that?

I definitely didn't come up with it myself, so its out there somewhere in some context.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:03 pm

Having never seen my team lose a playoff series, I think that a potential Penguins exit would be especially devastating to me, and I'd really appreciate it if you all could be sensitive to that if it comes to to be.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:08 pm

Jerloma wrote:Having never seen my team lose a playoff series, I think that a potential Penguins exit would be especially devastating to me, and I'd really appreciate it if you all could be sensitive to that if it comes to to be.

Snowflake Jerloma is the best Jerloma.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:09 pm

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 1:20 pm

They thought that the new seeding system would lead to series' between teams like Anaheim/Los Angeles/San Jose and Edmonton/Calgary/Vancouver. But, ha ha, instead you have San Jose vs. Edmonton and Calgary vs. Anaheim. Not exactly rivalries, although you could have one of those rivalry series in the second round.

But, this year is kind of an anomaly in that one Eastern division is so much better than the other. New York is a wild card team because they finished 4th in the best division and has just as good a record as Montreal who won their division. Not much of a reward for the Canadiens, but as noted above, this particularly fucks Columbus and Pittsburgh in the first round, and probably Washington in the second round.

As far as Lombardi and Sutter - they did a masterful job 10 years ago in building a team to win those two Cups. But, now they have an old, slow team that is handicapped by bloated contracts for underperforming aging veterans, and Sutter is the kind of coach ideal for a grind-it-out defensive game, not the currently-in-vogue fast-skating game. (The new GM will probably beg Vegas to take Dustin Brown and his contract off their hands!)

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:31 am

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:50 am

I'm sure the fans who paid for actual seats will appreciate having their concourse jammed up and extra long concession/bathroom waits.

...do not include a seat or a view of the ice surface.

Right, because the fans who paid $80 to get into the door aren't going to gravitate towards any views of the ice or attempt to fill some empty seats. Ushers/security are going to have a field day directing traffic around any entrances to the seats & views of the ice. That has to be a fire hazard.

That is SUCH an Oiler thing to do.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:52 am

Yeah, I mostly posted that for you.

Post by **brian** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:07 am

That is an exceptionally dumb idea for a hockey arena.

I've heard of selling "standing room" for football and baseball, but usually they at least have a dedicated area for standing room people (and a lot more room in the concourses, etc. to support an extra few hundred people who don't have seats.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:10 am

brian wrote:That is an exceptionally dumb idea for a hockey arena.

I've heard of selling "standing room" for football and baseball, but usually they at least have a dedicated area for standing room people (and a lot more room in the concourses, etc. to support an extra few hundred people who don't have seats.

The UC does this and while I've heard it's not a great way to see the game, it's an actually area for SRO, like a terrace, that everyone goes to. I'm with you guys, this is an exceptionally dumb idea.