The NHL Thread

5v5 adjusted xg:
1. avs - 57.44%
2. canes - 56.57%
5. vegas - 53.63%
23. habs - 48.69%

prolly a reason this series looked like 2 vs 23...

Habs advanced stats were never pretty this season, but they have a lot of players who will look for the extra pass to get a better shot rather than get shats. I suspect if you could simulate 100 seasons with this group, that they'd pretty much always finish top 10 in shooting % but always be at best middle of the pack in team xG. As a result, they're very likely to outperform their xG #s (hence a top 6 record playing in the toughest division).

The problem with that philosophy is that the Canes are too disciplined defensively and the Habs just needed to take their medicine and just get pucks on the net rather than constantly looking for that extra pass (and usually giving the puck away as a result).

MSL is still new to non-tank hockey and doesn't seem like the guy yet to make any sweeping adjustments that the Habs clearly needed, although I suspect that even the greatest hockey tactician would struggle in this spot vs. a rested Canes.

Oh well, I think most Habs fans would've been ecstatic with 1 playoff series win, let alone 2. We've still got the youngest team in the league with 4 great players on very team friendly deals, a fully stocked prospect pool, and an elite young goaltending situation. The next 12-15 years should see plenty of Habs runs to the final 4, just gotta hope the breaks go our way a couple of those times.

Let's ****ing goooo!!!!!

GG Habs fans. If one, or both, of those OT games go your way who knows how the rest of the series goes? If you're up 2-1, I think we still grind you down and pull this out. If you're up 3-0, well, we know how that goes.

Losing both of those games took the wind out of the sails and then we capitalized in games 4 and 5.

Going to be a tough one against Vegas. I'm excited for the series to begin.

The only game I've been to all year, regular or postseason haha. I'm going back for game 2. I'm scared. Hold me.

I made one wager so far:

Carolina wins Game 1/VGK wins series +450

oh **** ..... we're gonna lose to finland?? classic

Running good so far. I was 518 in the queue of many thousands when the tickets were released and was able to lock in seats from the team at way cheaper than they'll be resale. Let's hope that luck carries over to the game and series!

Dunno man, we were pretty cooked. I mean, I guess 3-0, yah we prob find some way to gut it out, but it sounded like the team was in a bad way.

Pretty reliable Habs reporter:

Although, I mean, every team is banged up to some degree at this point so it sounds like sour grapes. I guess we wait to see what comes out later. I'd say for sure Guhle and Dobson should not have been playing, but then it goes back to MSL not ****ing rotating a few guys when you had Xhekaj or Reinbacher who could've stepped in defensively.

imagine if we lose bronze to norway... (lol?)

I said the same thing about th Stars. It's pretty to watch in the regular season, but when your continually getting out hit and out shot 2-1 in the playoffs it doesn't work near as well. Not to mention the pressure it puts on your goalie. I found myself yelling at the TV "SHOOT THE ****ING PUCK!"

INRE injuries. Yes every club is banged up to a degree by the time the playoffs come. Just depends to what degree. 4 of our best players were out or limited.

Seguin (already out for the season)

Hintz (hamstring, which the taem said was day to day, afterwards said he might have been able to play in the finals)

Rantanen (was playing with a torn ACL or MCL, one of the CLs in your knee)

Heiskanen (said he was about 75% in an interview, can't remember his ailment, probably just tired from having to play so many minutes every game)

I saw one guy on TSN say if Vegas wins the cup Markets a lock to win Conn Smythe even if he doesn't score a goal just to piss off Toronto

Sounds dumb. The final decides the Conn Smythe so much of the time, unless someone has done just amazing before that and just has a so-so final. I don’t think anyone has been THAT amazing so far that they should be that big a favorite or could coast to the trophy.

I was thinking this as well. Not necessarily a lock, or to piss off Toronto, but the narrative does give Marner a lot of extra win equity.

wattba

O Canada

Elbows up

Switzerland keep ruining the WC final by showing up in it

Closing in on 180 minutes of hockey played during the last three finals and they're yet to score a single goal. Only three in total.

switzerland not winning seems like a win for everyone else

lol those dudes getting trucked after the goal, talk about insult+injury

These mother****ers have been to three finals in a row and haven't scored a single goal despite two of them going to overtime. Get them out of here

So it has been revealed that Claude Lemieux son found him in the furniture warehouse were he had hung himself . So Sad

https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments...

so the only neutrals supporting vgk are the dozens of nic dowd and rasmus andersson fans? lol

0-0 to penalties in their national dna it seems

werenski wins norris on a lottery team because everyone has apparently developed a severe case of bouchard derangement syndrome

bouchard 95pts - 4th
werenski 81 pts - 1st
makar 79 pts - 2nd
hutson 78 pts - 6th
q.hughes 76 pts - 7th
dahlin 74 pts - 3rd
raddysh 70 pts - 11th
e.karlsson 66 pts - 9th
heiskanen 63 pts - 8th
mcavoy 61 pts in 69gp - 13th
j.carlson 60 pts in 71gp
chychrun 60 pts
seider 60 pts - 5th
schaefer 59 pts - 12th
sergachev 59 pts
lacombe 58 pts
morrissey 55 pts
josi 55 pts in 68gp
j.sanderson 54 pts in 67gp - 10th
a.fox 53 pts in 55gp - 14th
faber 51 pts
gostisbehere 50 pts in 55gp

that's 22 guys. so that's basically what a #1 dman looks like now, you need one of those guys.

then there's hronek, r.andersson, dobson, dunn, byram, m.samuelsson, ekholm, clarke, d.hamilton, theodore, sanheim, k.miller, rielly, harley, b.burns, l.hughes, letang, montour, s.jones, chabot, etc

it's crazy how many good dmen there are these days ... like 20 different ppl could be norris finalists in 2027 and i wouldn't be shocked

Bouchard sucks defensively and gets all his points on the powerplay with McDavid or Draisaital.

Vegas in 6