No pressure on Winnipeg right now, but if they blow this series it’s almost certain to be a franchise-altering loss and it will be an 800,000 pound gorilla on the back of Connor Hellebuyck, who’s 4-14, 3.98, .874 since carrying the Jets past Edmonton in 2021.
Rant:
Finally start telecasting the LAK-EDM game, about halfway through the second period, as if no one is watching. HEY, you got three networks, probably a fourth as well. OT’s can go on forever. Make it work! My YouTubeTV should be able to find last-minute switches. (The TiVo would not be able to do that, nor would it accept a single show more than six hours long, but if I want to check offside calls for myself, I COULD do that with TiVo, slo-mo’ing the slo-mo, down to the frame. No such luck with streamers.)
Leafs are gonna Leaf
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They gonna make like a tree?
This is primarily for DTNF as he is a Kings fan.
We bid adieu to:
- New Jersey, who falls to Carolina 4 games to 1 on Sebastian Aho’s PPG winner in the 2nd OT. It’s probably a different series if the Devils are healthy, but that’s irrelevant in reality.
- Montreal, who was plucky as hell and has a bright future ahead - especially if the Habs can supplement what’s on the current roster - but still fell to Washington 4 games to 1.
- Tampa Bay, who falls much more quietly than I expected in a 4-1 series loss to Florida and must now look at the current roster and ask “can it really make another Cup run with the right tweaks, or is the Cup window shut and a decline to falling out of the playoffs looming on the horizon?”
Winnipeg survives to push the series back to St. Louis and leave a Game 7 at home available, but all-in-all Hellebuyck did not look that stellar in net and they may have to do without Schiefele for Game 6. If there ends up being a game Sunday, I might be inclined to bet against the Jets to win it.
4 games on the docket tonight, all a Game 6. We’ll find out in about 16 hours whether we have any Game 7s on Saturday.
What a goal in the leafs senators game!
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Thankfully no game 7 for Leafs on Saturday night!
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Bye, LAK
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Kings have to play a different team next time in the first round
Not a huge fan of the current playoff structure. Feels like the same teams are always destined to play each other in the early rounds. Liked the old 1-8 seeding much better. Variety is the spice of hockey.
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58 years ago today that the Leafs won their last Stanley Cup. I remember it well. Oldest team ever to win: the players on the ice for the EN insurance goal were 31, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 41 years old. Their backup goalie was 42 years old.
Hellebuyck not turning out to be the advantage that the Jets need to win this series.
Leafs will have their hands full against the Panthers.
Wow what a 3rd period last night. Stars advance
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The Avalanche are the first team in MLB/NBA/NHL history to lose seven straight Game 7s.
I turned on the game near the start of the 3rd period and figured Avs had it in the bag. What a meltdown by them/comeback by the Stars!
Bring on Game 8!
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What a game! Heartbreaker for the Blues but a lot of happy folks in Winnipeg tonight.
“J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS!!!”
I was on the road so I didn’t get to see the game, but when I heard the Blues were up 2-0 just over 7 minutes in I expected a full-on rout, especially with Schedule not dressed and Morrissey in the locker room. At 3-1 and pulling the goalie, I expected at least one ENG and the Blues advancing. The mental toughness the Jets showed was incredible, it’s the kind of attitude and desperation they needed throughout the series.
It doesn’t redeem Hellebuyck. He’s still a massive question mark, I wouldn’t give him much of a leash, at this point he has to earn that trust back and not just from one or two games. But he did what was needed in the OT to keep the team in it, and now it’s a question of whether guys can get healthy enough to return because Dallas is going to be a massive challenge if the Jets aren’t at full strength, especially among their top guys.