2016 Nhl Playoffs

[Dubey 1,035]

If I was fletcher, I'd be trying to unload Suter on anybody who would take him this offseason.

[Zach6668 513]

Unpopular opinion: I find the difference between the west and east to be exaggerated.

[digitalmonkey 929]

Unpopular opinion: I find the difference between the west and east to be exaggerated.

 

Ditto

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

You guys want to offer up reasons, or show some kind of measure of who is and who is not overrated in the West, or underrated in the East?

 

Looking at my tiers, you think thats an exaggeration?

[Zach6668 513]

The west is probably better, I just think people think it's a way wider gap than it really is. The top teams from the east can compete with the top teams in the west.

 

Did the math quickly in my head, but the east won more games against the west than they lost this year (including OT/SO losses). By my quick count, they were 4 games over 500.

 

I think it just boils down to that the west had the 2 best teams over the last 4-6 years. I don't know for the rest of the conference is that good compared to the east. STL, SJ... Very good. Are they better than Washington? Pittsburgh? Dunno. Maybe.

 

Is Minnesota better than the Flyers? Islanders? Wings? Rangers? Is Nashville?

 

[Zach6668 513]

(I forgot Dallas existed - they are also good, that team that won the whole conference.)

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

I think over the last year, and last couple of years, teams like St.Louis+Anaheim+Nashville have all been as good as any top team in the East.

So while I think the West has some horrible teams playing really poor hockey (ie Edm, Cbj, Van), their 2nd tier is as good as anyone in East,(ie Wash/Pit/Nyr) and their 3rd tier would be better than anyone in the East thats left. ie, I think San Jose > Tampa/Florida/Detroit/Islanders.

[Dubey 1,035]

Also, it seems like the top teams in the west are good, smartly run, and have been really good for years. Chicago, LA, Anaheim, St. Louis etc..

 

In the east, you've got a team like Florida, who has the best goal differential in the league, and the 5th best record, but can we unequivocally say they are a great team? Or, are they just a decent team that is on a fairly prolonged lucky streak.

 

I don't know, is the difference exaggerated? possibly, but it's almost certainly there. I know I'd rather be in a divison with any combination of teams in the east than the Central.

[Zach6668 513]

James Neal is having himself a good game.

[Dubey 1,035]

Can't remember if we've talked about this, but I hate the new video review.

 

Fast pace, tense, exciting game in St. Louis last night. St. Louis scores to go up 2-1, place is rocking, amazing atmosphere, amazing viewing experience on TV. Oh wait, Chicago is challenging. 15 minutes later after all energy has been sapped out of the building, they determine that the blues were about a millimeter off side earlier in the play. No Goal.

 

I get it, they "got it right". hooray. but at what cost? Who's viewing experience is this enhancing? The NHL is constantly trying to manufacturer excitement and more goals, why are we taking them away on ticky tack crap that is meaningless in the grand scope of things?

[Zach6668 513]

Yeah, that bothered me too.

 

I don't like the off-side reviews.

 

Somebody made a point on Twitter last night. I don't know if it means anything, but, the alternative - an ONside play that was blown dead by the officials, that can't be "made right".

[Dubey 1,035]

on another note, I think Abdelkader should be suspended for going full Alexander-semin-bongos on Mike Blunden's head in the line brawl last night.

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

I have a tough time deciding on the challenges. I was watching that game then too, it really sucked for ST.Louis in many ways.

I feel like you gotta get it right, and that should be held above all else. I dont know how to make it better.....maybe 5min review tops? I dont know.

[Dubey 1,035]

I would vote for getting rid of the review for offside. The spirit of the offside rule is not violated when a guy's skate is 1 centimeter off the ice when the puck crosses. If it's close enough that it looks onside to the naked eye, it's good enough IMO. We want excitement? we want goals? we want fast paced? ticky tack offside calls that happened an extended time before a perfectly good goal happens are directly counter-acting all of those things.

 

 

I'm ok with keeping the reviews for goalie interference, since that is much tougher to see on the ice sometimes, though I would also be ok if they scrapped that completely as well. If they keep it, there needs to be some consistency, because there is none right now. Chicago's second goal should not have counted IMO yesterday.

 

 

Reviews for whether a puck actually went in the net are of course good.

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

offsides should be like penalties: if the officials don't see it, it's legal.

 

read that on twitter, and I agree with you guys. Makes sense, we dont catch every penalty, so let offsides be decided by the refs, not reviewable.

[Zach6668 513]

offsides should be like penalties: if the officials don't see it, it's legal.

 

read that on twitter, and I agree with you guys. Makes sense, we dont catch every penalty, so let offsides be decided by the refs, not reviewable.

 

I kind of like this way of thinking.

 

Like, there are two individuals who have like 2 jobs when the puck is in play, and one of them, probably the one they spend 70% of their time doing is watching for offside.

 

That goal in St. Louis was basically something that wasn't even really detectable by the naked eye. Had to go to slow-mo, zoomed in replays, and spend like 7 minutes watching it. That's a crazy level of detail on one specific thing, when everything else is so vague in the league.

[Dubey 1,035]

yes yes yes to all of the above

[Zach6668 513]

I was going to come in here and post about how awesome the offside review rule is if they had overturned that Brassard goal, but they made the right call there. Lol.

 

I'm ok with keeping that onside as long as the linesman thinks it is in real time. It's like the icing rule. We give teams the benefit of reaching the red line all the time when they're like 6 inches back. Who cares.

[Zach6668 513]

Chimera just scored maybe the worst goal in NHL history?

[digitalmonkey 929]

That was a bad call on the DAL goal. The puck only went in because the net came off. Dubnyk pushed his back against the crossbar to prevent the puck from rolling down and into the net.

[Zach6668 513]

Oh WOW, that's horrible. How exactly is the integrity of the goal frame intact there?

[Dubey 1,035]

Not to mention distinct kicking motion if nothing else? Congrats NHL, you took the best product in pro sports (NHL playoffs), and are ruining it.

[Dubey 1,035]

There's a really tense exciting SJ/la game on right now but there's at least a 50% chance it is going to turn into a joke so I'm just going to watch big brother Canada instead and go to bed. Playoff Hockey in 2016

[Zach6668 513]

Another thought.

 

If the concept of "getting it right" was the holy grail, teams wouldn't lose their time outs, and thus, their ability to challenge further plays, if they get a challenge "wrong",

[digitalmonkey 929]

The Red Wings sure could use a sniper. I don't know why Pulkkinen isn't playing.