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NHL 16/17 Season

 
 
 
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rousseau

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I gave up on NBA League Pass a while back (terrible) and got a package for the NHL instead. Have mostly been following the Penguins (adopted from my brother who was a bandwagon jumper in the Lemieux days), but have been checking out a few other teams.

Is anyone else watching?
 
I don't follow the LA Kings as much as I used to but funnily enough I was there on Saturday for the game against the senators. It was a good first period but pretty tame the rest. Kings won 3-1 and I think all three Kings goals were on power plays. Or at least two of them were.
 
I've been a fair weather fan of the St Louis Blues(love their logo) since 1973. They've been the classic great regular season team, but playoff choke artists.
 
I've been a St. Louis blues season ticket holder for the past two seasons, but have been watching since the '80s. I love the game, it is fast, hard hitting, and requires real dedication to become a top player.

As Tars noted, the Blues are nearly always in the playoffs, but have never won a cup in their 50 year history. Last season was the best chance in quite some time, but they blew it in the Conference Finals. In the off season they then lost three of their big playoff performers, Backes (who was also the team captain), Brauer, and Elliott (goalie). They still have one of the top goal/point scorers in the league with Tarasenko, and a stable full of young up-and-coming players, including Robbie Fabbri, who just scored his first NHL hat trick last night (I lost my favorite hat, but it was worth it). They have been great at home this season, but can't seem to hold it together on the road. It don't see them getting as far in the playoffs this season as they did last season. The current starting goaltender, Jake Allen, is playoff tested, and playoff failed. No team wins the cup without solid goal tending. Would be nice to be proven wrong, though.
 
Hockey is the greatest sport, period. Sadly, don't watch much anymore with real life intersecting too often. Been a life long Habs fan. They won a couple times, '93 was sweet! Life hasn't been as good in the last 20 years. Some ups, but mainly mediocre. In general, great goaltending... no scoring. The last few years, the Habs have started well and finished not so well.
 
Before this season I'd never really given the NHL a serious look since I was a teen, but with some disposable cash and way too much time I got a subscription to Roger's Gamecentre this year.

It's been interesting because during the first couple games I watched I barely had a clue what was going on (outside of the rules), but after watching many more and doing a bit of research it's been a lot easier to follow. I'm finding I'm understanding the game better and better from a strategic point of view as time goes by, so that's neat.

Ironically, being Canadian, I actually played hockey from about age 5 to 13, but at that age strategy doesn't get too complex besides the breakout so I never really got inside the game. When I started high school I quit and focused on studying. When my brother was 16 he was in the junior system in Ontario, and was scouted for Junior A, but decided to go to university instead (turned out to be one of his bigger regrets in life).

Anyway, now the further I get into the game the more I like it. Watching Dahlin play for Sweden in the World Juniors right now.
 
Booming thread, and I'm no contributor.

Good week for hockey on my end. Attending a Knights Playoff game tonight and Thursday, Columbus-Pens Wednesday and Friday. Looks like if the Penguins can get past Columbus alive they might have a good shot.
 
I'm picking the Leafs to win the Cup this year. Of course, I say that every year but they actually managed to flounder their into eking out a playoff berth this year, so it's a more viable prediction than usual. The good news is that they're playing the first round against one of the League's best teams which totally outclasses them on every level. Once they get that upset victory out of the way, everyone remaining will be much easier.

It's the 50th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup win, so it's nice they decided to do it this time.
 
Tom Sawyer said:
I'm picking the Leafs to win the Cup this year. Of course, I say that every year but they actually managed to flounder their into eking out a playoff berth this year, so it's a more viable prediction than usual. The good news is that they're playing the first round against one of the League's best teams which totally outclasses them on every level. Once they get that upset victory out of the way, everyone remaining will be much easier.

It's the 50th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup win, so it's nice they decided to do it this time.
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Habs are a year shy of their 25th anniversary. Habs have a great chance at winning if Price doesn't let a single puck by him. Only needs to sustain such an effort for 16 games.
 
Tom Sawyer said:
I'm picking the Leafs to win the Cup this year. Of course, I say that every year but they actually managed to flounder their into eking out a playoff berth this year, so it's a more viable prediction than usual. The good news is that they're playing the first round against one of the League's best teams which totally outclasses them on every level. Once they get that upset victory out of the way, everyone remaining will be much easier.

It's the 50th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup win, so it's nice they decided to do it this time.
Click to expand...

Leafs only needed one more point to play Ottawa, instead end up against the best team in the league, who are out to prove everything. ugh. Go Leafs Go,.
 
OLDMAN said:
Tom Sawyer said:
I'm picking the Leafs to win the Cup this year. Of course, I say that every year but they actually managed to flounder their into eking out a playoff berth this year, so it's a more viable prediction than usual. The good news is that they're playing the first round against one of the League's best teams which totally outclasses them on every level. Once they get that upset victory out of the way, everyone remaining will be much easier.

It's the 50th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup win, so it's nice they decided to do it this time.
Click to expand...

Leafs only needed one more point to play Ottawa, instead end up against the best team in the league, who are out to prove everything. ugh. Go Leafs Go,.
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Exactly. Think of what an inspiring story it will be when they blow them out in four games. Or when they win the first three, then lose three straight and are up by a few goals with only ten minutes to go in game seven and yet still manage to somehow blow it.

That would teach us a valuable lesson about why it's bad to have high expectations.
 
The Blues post season last year put me through the emotional ringer, but maybe this year with less expectations they can do something. If I was a betting person, though, I'd go with Chicago.
 
Tars Tarkus said:
The Blues post season last year put me through the emotional ringer, but maybe this year with less expectations they can do something. If I was a betting person, though, I'd go with Chicago.
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At least the Blues made it to the Conference Finals last year, it was the best they have done in quite some time. Without Backes and Brouwer this season they are a smaller team, but I think they have made up for it with speed and skill. Allen has been the best goalie in the league down the stretch, and he has a decent amount of playoff experience now. His backup, Hutton, doesn't have the experience, but he has been shutting good teams out left and right recently. Hopefully we won't even see him in the pipes for the playoffs, as that would mean bad things for Allen. The Blues are hitting on all cylinders right now, and if they can keep up the pace, I think they can make a good run at the cup.

Chicago is almost always a playoff contender, and I don't see the Predators taking them out in the first round, like the Blues did last year. I think it will be Blues v. Hawks in the second round, which will make for some exciting games given the rivalry, but I really don't want to see Chicago move past the first round.

I would also be happy to see the Leafs knockout the Caps in the first round, and it is certainly possible. Ovechkin had quite the dropoff on goals scored this year, but the rest of the team has made up for it. Oshie is playing the best hockey of his career, and Backstrom has stepped up as well. Washington's weak point is their goaltending, Holtby is solidly in the middle of the pack league wide, and his backup Grubauer has almost identical stats. Holtby has a good amount of playoff experience, but Grubauer only has one playoff game under his belt from two seasons ago, at least he won that game. Meanwhile, Andersen has had one hell of a year between the pipes for Toronto, and goaltending can make or break a team in the playoffs. I will be pulling for the Leafs in that series.
 
Tom Sawyer said:
I'm picking the Leafs to win the Cup this year. Of course, I say that every year but they actually managed to flounder their into eking out a playoff berth this year, so it's a more viable prediction than usual. The good news is that they're playing the first round against one of the League's best teams which totally outclasses them on every level. Once they get that upset victory out of the way, everyone remaining will be much easier.

It's the 50th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup win, so it's nice they decided to do it this time.
Click to expand...

Didn't they just over-haul their entire management structure, with Mark Hunter the lead scout? If the turn-around of the Knights re: Hunter is any indication, I could see the Leafs getting a lot better in the coming years.

Sports success seems to be more or less a combination of money, managers, and coaches.
 
Little write up on Mark Hunter.

Quite the story. He bought the London Knights with his brother Dale and Basil McRae (all former NHLers) in 2000 and took them from the bottom of the league to memorial cup champions in a couple years.
 
Have to hand it to the leafs, they're fighting pretty hard. Quite the series to watch.

I've also been watching Pens/Jackets, which is like watching a player use a cheat code in a Nintendo game. The Pens are just way too good, they're playing well, and the Crosby line are reading each other's minds.
 
Fuck the Capitals and fuck the NHL. When you're winning by hitting a guy in the head with a stick, that's not a real game.

This is what every reasonable person hates about hockey.
 
rousseau said:
Fuck the Capitals and fuck the NHL. When you're winning by hitting a guy in the head with a stick, that's not a real game.

This is what every reasonable person hates about hockey.
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Yeah, seriously. Pens getting two goals with less than 2 minutes remaining had me thinking the caps were going to be down 3-0 in the series. Not that I like Pittsburgh.
 
Looks like Nashville's defense is too much for St Louis. I swear watching this sport is bad for my health.
 
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