NHL 2023-2024 Vegas Edition: Mojave, Mo' Problems

[Firesprocket]

With Vegas formally condemned to the regions of the 9th green the rest of my second round picks look like this:

(previously picked Carolina in 7)
Florida in 6.  Swayman is the reason they get 2.
Stars in 7.  Have to stay true to that prior to first round pick.  If not for that fact the Avs have plenty of reasons why they can win this series.
Oilers in 6.  I can't conceive a back up's back up stonewalling the Oilers.  If this were the Leafs the Canucks were playing I'd say it's anyone's game.

[Fat Guy]

I already picked the other 3 up thread, so Stars in 6.

[JadeHellbringer]

OH BOY HERE I GO PREDICTING AGAIN

Vegas @ Dallas: This is a really interesting matchup, with the Knights... ah, 'stacked' (cough) roster facing a really underrated Stars squad. I know the Stars just won the whole West, but it feels like they're still under the radar a bit compared to teams like the Avs and Oilers, but a big series from guys like Hintz and Robertson, and heroics from Oettinger, could make this a very dangerous series for a Vegas team that... I admit a lot of it is that I'm tired of the cap shenanigans, but I just don't have any real feeling that this team is going to make a deep run this time. Something's off here. It's weird to call the top team in the conference winning in the first round an 'upset', but... you know what I mean. Dallas in six OK, one game off, but I had a good feeling about the Stars in this series. I will say that while I still think Vegas is playing some blatant games with the cap, Mark Stone never did look right in this series- whether that's because something was really wrong and he got rushed back, or he was out of conditioning after sitting for several weeks, who's to say? But he looked very unwell overall- so did the Knights in-general the last couple of games. Dallas is rolling at just the right time.

Colorado @ Winnipeg: Nathan MacKinnon is not human. I refuse to believe it. We've just witnessed the greatest season in franchise history by one guy, and when you consider some of the names that have played for them, that's one hell of a statement. But... no Landeskog still (I'm not really sure we'll ever see him again at this point), and it feels like the supporting cast isn't as strong overall as the past couple of years. Winnipeg is a team built around shutting down a high-flying offense, starting in net, and this is going to be a tough challenge for both teams. But... you cannot stop the Big Mac, only hope to slow him down. Colorado in five Got that one dead-on, but holy crap, who among us foresaw the beatdown poor Hellebucyk got subjected to? The Avs are firing on all cylinders right now- this is a terrifying team that ran a very good Jets team up one side and down the other. Very impressed.

Nashville @ Vancouver: Remember back when the Canucks were the laughingstock of the NHL? Like, a YEAR ago? I was pretty uninterested in Rick Tocchet as a head coach, but the results speak for themselves- and of course, having a very scary offense backed by a young goalie in Demko who finally seems to have come into his own certainly doesn't hurt. Nashville, meanwhile, is a hard team to figure out- there doesn't seem to be a lot there to love, and yet they've run all over their opposition since New Years. This despite struggles in net (not something we say often about the Preds!). I'm not convinced that their momentum can overcome raw talent though- but this is a tough one to call. Vancouver in six I'm looking good so far here! Nashville had some very unfortunate bounces go against them, but that massive late-game collapse mid-round was a blow they never were able to recover from. The Canucks need to figure out who's going to play in net, with the injuries piling up at the wrong time- Demko sounds like he's going to be ready soon, but I'd wager he's not 100%. Just in time for an offense-minded second round, great.

Los Angeles @ Edmonton: Every year there's a push to crown the Oilers before the show even starts, because THIS time is the year. This one... feels like it might finally be it, honestly. And a big chunk of that comes from finally adding a third ridiculous offensive talent to the McDavid/Draisaitl show in Hyman. If they can get consistent goaltending, defense, and some help from other lines... it's still a lot to ask long-term, but for THIS round it's probably enough to overcome a Kings team that just hasn't impressed me enough. It also needs to be a success this time, because there might not be a lot more chances for this Oilers build to keep falling short. Oilers in four The Kings are starting to feel like the Leafs- they keep running into the same team, and the results keep looking the same. I won't pretend to have watched a lot of this series- I can't pull that kind of 11PM start time these days- but there was never a realistic chance for Los Angeles- that they did as well as they did was honestly a win.

Tampa @ Florida: The Battle Of The Panhandle is renewed, and this time it feels like the roles are a bit reversed, with the strong Panthers holding off an attack from a Tampa team that doesn't feel as scary as past years... or do they? Stamkos had a great season, and no one notices because Kucherov was out of ****** control all year long- turns out not stashing him on IR for the last few months of a season is good for him! This is a really tough series to call, but Florida's grit to me gives them a very slight edge. Guys like Tkachuk are built for this time of year, drawing penalties and scoring on the man advantage they create- it worked all spring last year, and I don't see a reason it won't this time. Florida in seven I really thought Tampa would put up a better fight than that. They're on the decline from the superteam they were a few years ago, but still... that was a whuppin'. Florida looks scary as hell, and to make a statement like that against your archrivals upstate is a big flashing 'OUR YEAR' sign. I'll be interested to see what the Lightning look like next year after all this.

Toronto @ Boston: AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- OK, ok, had to get that out of the way. Honestly, and you won't believe this, but I'm worrying about this one. Toronto isn't a great team- stacked up top, and to their credit the Samsonov experiment's second act has paid off surprisingly well. But there's not a great bottom-six, and their defense is just trash. But... Boston hasn't looked great lately. Part of that was finishing with a couple of games that they didn't really care about- they seemed to just want to get off the ice this week without injuries and didn't care about seeding, and after last year's Ulmark injury derailed things for them it's probably the right move. But it makes for a tough team to feel confident in going into the postseason like this, and I'm genuinely worried that the Leafs' raw offensive power might be too much for the Bruins' vaunted defense and goaltending tandem this time. Just... not enough to pick against them. Boston in seven It was ugly, it was nerve-wracking, it was a seven-game series that should have only been five if not for a couple of astonishing stinkers by Boston in 5 and 6... but the long tradition of booting the Leafs out in the first round continues. Like Tampa, the Leafs have a LOT of question marks about how things look going into next year, and it's hard to imagine them keeping this core together any further. Tough-fought series, but the results were the same- lack of offense.

Washington @ Rangers: I can't think of ever having seen a race to the finish between multiple teams playing hot-potato with a playoff spot the way we just saw. It was like no one really wanted to get that last wild card, and were desperately trying to miss out. The 'loser' of it, in the end, were the Capitals, a team with an absolutely wretched goal differential, stuck staring down one of the best teams we've seen in a good while in New York. The Rags have scoring, defense, goaltending, special teams, it's a genuinely impressive team this time around. The Capitals... Lindgren has been a pretty surprising story in goal, and Ovechkin's awakening after Christmas has been nice to see, but there's not a ton here to feel confident about. Sorry, Caps fans, but the reward for winning this week is to be a Big Apple speed bump. New York in four This wasn't even competitive. The Caps looked totally gassed from the moment Game 1 started, and never really got going against the Rags' juggernaut. Not much more to be said... other than 'Ovechkin, where art thou?'

Islanders @ Carolina: HELLBIE UPSET SPECIAL! The Canes are a team designed from the keel up to win this time of year, and yet every time I watch them they just feel... off, somewhere. I can't quite put my finger on it- goaltending hasn't been a strong suit, but injury has been a big part of that. Just... something has me looking at them as another past-few-years Oilers team, seemingly fantastic but deeply flawed under the surface. They're not- at least not as openly- but I'm having a lot of trouble looking at them, despite all the firepower, and feeling confident. The Islanders are an openly wretched team with talent but no direction- they've never inspired confidence all year long, and despite the coaching change they still seem adrift most nights- someone will win this, why not make it fun and throw a little chaos into things? New York in seven I almost went 8-for-8! Damn you, Isles! Kudos to Freddie Anderson for regaining top-tier form (I didn't know for a while if he'd even play again), a sound and undramatic thumping by the Canes- I'm still not 100% sold on them as a legit deep-run team, but they at least took care of business here. A bigger threat awaits...

I'll keep it briefer for Round 2:

Colorado in 6
Vancouver in 6
Boston in 7
New York in 5

[chanman]

I'll keep it briefer for Round 2:

Colorado in 6
Vancouver in 6
Boston in 7
New York in 5

I've seen the Bruins-Leafs series described derisively by some (jaded fans, mostly) as a playoff choking competition 

[rebs]

Brendan Shanahan, popular though he may be, may have to take the hit for this Leafs build foundering like it has.  That's the rumbling.

[chanman]

Brendan Shanahan, popular though he may be, may have to take the hit for this Leafs build foundering like it has.  That's the rumbling.

He's been there for a decade or so, but he still hasn't found where Hellbie hid his dice in the facilities 

[gyedid]

Well...that was certainly not the expected outcome.  But not entirely surprising. Rested
often = rusty.  Will be interesting to see how ( or if) the Cats rebound from this.

Cheers,

Gabe

[Firesprocket]

I've seen the Bruins-Leafs series described derisively by some (jaded fans, mostly) as a playoff choking competition 

I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but I can tell you where I was when the 2012-2013 Maple Leafs lost in game 7 

[rebs]

He's been there for a decade or so, but he still hasn't found where Hellbie hid his dice in the facilities 

Impressive!  Means somebody is actually using them whilst thinking an orange-red 2d6 pair from a gas station outside of Spokane in the never-to-be-used-except-if the-opponent-needs-to-borrow-them drawer are the real snake eyes boxes.   

[JadeHellbringer]

Impressive!  Means somebody is actually using them whilst thinking an orange-red 2d6 pair from a gas station outside of Spokane in the never-to-be-used-except-if the-opponent-needs-to-borrow-them drawer are the real snake eyes boxes.

Pfffft. Fool. Imagine thinking there's only ONE set of Hellbie Dice. I've got an entire bag, marked with a biohazard logo. In particular, I'm fond of the swirled-green set that say 'SON OF A BITCH' on the '1' side.

(The Spokane set were translucent-blue, by the way. I hope they suffered.)

I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but I can tell you where I was when the 2012-2013 Maple Leafs lost in game 7 

100% with you there. I had given up completely and was getting ready for bed when it was suddenly no longer a Toronto blowout, and I got that little glimmer of hope that one should never get in that situation, because it never turns out well... and then, suddenly...

[rebs]

Outsiders can't understand that it's an energy, and not any single set of dice.


Anyway... well, it looks like the Canes were more than a match for the Rangers in the first period tonight.  But it's a long series until it's over.  Let's see how it plays out.

[rebs]

Rangers held on and took it from the Canes in OT. 

[Fat Guy]

Stars were up 3-0 when I went to bed...and they LOST?!

[Kit deSummersville]

Stars were up 3-0 when I went to bed...and they LOST?!

It was in OT, so they still get one point.

[Fat Guy]

[rebs]

We're all dead right there sometimes 

[Firesprocket]

I think it is safe to say that the Panthers came ready to play tonight.

[gyedid]

I think it is safe to say that the Panthers came ready to play tonight.

1
This was more what I expected.  But WTF was that third period?  Bruins just completely lost their cool, if not their nerve.  Six players from each team tossed with misconducts.  Total of what, 134 minutes in penalties assessed?  Pasta and Tkachuk mixing it up, seemingly by mutual agreement? 

Are they going to start Game 3 with a line brawl?

They keep going at each other like this the whole series, the eventual winner won't have anything left in the tank for the conference final.

Cheers,

Gabe

[JadeHellbringer]

If I didn't know any better, I'd say the bad blood from last year kind of carried over a little this year. I honestly figured we'd see the Panthers get a little more feisty after the first game got out of hand, but better late than never. I will wager Game 3 is a VERY tightly-called affair.

Hard to gain a feel for the series outside of that so far- with two blowouts, neither team seems to have a clear advantage so far over the other.

[gyedid]

To nobody's great surprise, Sheldon Keefe is done as Leafs head coach:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-maple-leafs-sheldon-keefe-fired-1.7198701

Cheers,

Gabe

[chanman]

It was in OT, so they still get one point.

So they came out ahead of the Oilers then!

This round does seem to be rather high-scoring for the playoffs though.

[rebs]

Florida - Boston is a cool new rivalry for a new era.  They just can't stand each other.

[gyedid]

Just like that, the 'Canes are on the brink.  They've been outplaying the Rags in just about every category except the one that really counts...pucks in the net...

Cheers,

Gabe

[Firesprocket]

Rangers are going for that flawless post season.

[Firesprocket]

List of team names up for vote for the fka Coyotes:

https://sports.yahoo.com/ice-outlaws-yeti-among-20-options-fans-can-vote-on-to-name-utahs-nhl-team-014410345.html

Can't say I'm really fond of any of them.  Mountaineers would be cool if WVA didn't already have that name.  Utah HC is fine, but I don't know how that translates to hearing it over broadcast.

[rebs]

Just like that, the 'Canes are on the brink.  They've been outplaying the Rags in just about every category except the one that really counts...pucks in the net...

Cheers,

Gabe

One thing - Shesterkin is learning how to really backstop and not just play.  That is a big part of it too.  Grant Fuhr only needed to be as good as Grant Fuhr (which still was great, I'm not shading him).  I think if Iggy can be as good as Iggy during the right post season, and the right parts of the regular one, this guy will win a Cup or two.  If not this year then somewhere else some other time.

[Fat Guy]

Stars almost blew a big lead again.

Almost.   

[JadeHellbringer]

As of this morning, the Rangers have been shorthanded 28 times in the playoffs.

They're outscoring their opponents 3-2 in those situations.

[Fat Guy]

Shesterkin has pretty much singlehandedly won the last two games.

[gyedid]

So...has the clock struck midnight for the Bruins, and Swayman has turned into a pumpkin?

Cheers,

Gabe