Back to hockey.
Exciting game in TO as Leafs hold on to home ice advantage.
The next two games in Florida will be street hockey, correct?
Lack of ice, and all that Jazz Mammoth
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I still donât know how Rodrigues gets lined up by Laughton from 40 feet, run head-first into the boards, and he gets 2 for embellishment.
Iâm sure the Department of âPlayer Safetyâ will be on top of it by doing absolutely nothing, then fining someone $25,000 for accidentally sneezing in the direction of the other team during the pregame warmup.
Edmonton is trying really, really hard to show âhave a mediocre goalie and a mediocre defense, score a bunch of goals and simply outscore everyone and win a Cupâ can work.
Alex Pietrangelo absolutely fucking up defending the 2-on-1 helps with that.
Maybe no way to defend against McDavid.
Edmonton always seems to be able to find another gear to win games. Would not be surprised to see them go to the Final again if they stay healthy.
Hellebuyck finally has a solid playoff game as Winnipeg blanks Dallas 4-0 on the back of two early goals, the 2nd a complete fluke off Stars defenseman Esa Lindell.
Florida score in OT, also on a fluke bounce off an opposing player. That series looks like it could go 7, but I think Woll steps up and steals a game.
Carolina weathered early uncertainty to shut down Washington yesterday and take a 2-1 series lead. When the Hurricanes play like that, theyâre practically unbeatable; the problem is, when they donât they can look really, really bad and theyâve tended to do that at the worst times in the playoffs.
Vegas rips the heart out of Edmonton, scoring with 0.4 seconds to go. Iâm not saying Stuart Skinner was the problem, but I am saying that if Skinner is in net the Oilers are going to have to even more goals.
Maybe Hellebuyck will be fine at home, but thereâs clearly a problem with him on the road, 10-minute review on a goal notwithstanding. I would have liked Winnipeg in this series with everyone at full strength, youâd think with the Stars missing Heiskinen things would tip even more toward the Jets, but Hellebuyck is doing his all to shift momentum and confidence back toward Dallas.
Florida-Toronto is now a best-of-3. I still have a feeling about the Leafs, but Auston Matthews is going to have to show up and guys in the bottom-6 not named Max Domi are going to have to start chipping in goals.
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We could be headed toward a Western Conference Finals rematch, because I donât see Vegas overcoming a 1-3 hole and I donât see Winnipeg winning 3 more against Dallas when 2 of the next 3 games would have to be in Dallas and Hellebuyck has been total ass on the road and only vaguely decent at home during the playoffs.
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Meanwhile, Florida Panthers VC gets his wrist slapped.
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About that, ⌠Fucking oof, Toronto.
Itâs hard to be a longtime Leafs fan. Baffles me how they could get beaten so badly in such a big game.
Nice 1-0 overtime game! Oilers advance.
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A 0-0 regulation time game like last nightâs is more exciting to me than a high-scoring game.
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Oilers work hard. They are only realistic hope for the Cup to return to Canada this year.
I might make an argument that the Oilers are better with Skinner in net. Not because Skinner is a good goalie [heâs not] but because the rest of the team has to play better defense to account for his mediocre play. The Oilers are a better team when they play defense, which is what they hate to do but run-and-gun draws them into poor defensive choices and a team like Dallas will exploit that.
Gutsy performance by the Leafs to extend their series to 7 games. Didnât look like the same team that got shellacked in the previous game. They have the talent but sometimes not the effort.
Leafs leafed (leaved?) (left?) hard
The worst Game 7 performance by this Leafs core, the worst Game 7 performance by this Leafs core, or the worst Game 7 performance by this Leafs core?
Just once I wish the Leafs would prove me wrong.
If the thought is âthis Leafs team is capable of winning a Cupâ then yes ⌠theyâre proving you wrong.
Itâs safe to say there will be changes for next year. How far they go, I donât know, but outside of Nylander, Domi, Berube (and whatever staff he brought in) and maybe Treveling I donât think anyone from Shanahan on down should assume theyâre safe - and Shanahan should be shit-canned and marked with a big red F for FUCKING FAILURE and never given another job in professional or amateur sports again, even as far down as cleaning toilets.