I would love to see the Caps have to play the Flyers in the first round this year. I feel like the Caps would take the series in 5 or 6 but each game would be pretty competitive.
I'm actually surprised the Flyers are in playoff contention, their roster is fairly shitty outside of 5-6 players.
If I may rephrase ^^^^^your statement........ The Flyers will goon it up against anyone. :MARIS61: It's their way of celebrating they made the playoffs. lol
If the Flyers beat Pens twice in remaining games, they will not be one of the wildcard teams....... it could be the Isles or [God forbid] the Rangers.
Please stop. The Rangers are 4 points ahead of the Flyers with the TB. If we get 4 of 10 points the Flyers will need 9 of 10 points to finish ahead of us. Right now the Pens are 7 points ahead of the Flyers. If they don't get 1 more point the Flyers would still need 8 out of 10 points to finish ahead of the Pens. AND if the Pens lose twice to the Flyers good chance we can pass the Pens. If we win tonight you can almost write it in pen. Pens and Rangers will play in round 1. Home ice TBD. Flyers and Isles will be the WC teams. Order TBD...but Isles still have the edge.
That's a big IF these days Chuck. This team is what it is. A mediocre team in all aspects of the game. Even Hank has looked mediocre at times this season, which is unfair to him because of how much he's been left out to dry on his own. This is an AV team. Zero defensive focus, rely on the goalie to bail you out and hope to score. Enjoy it. Cuz it'll be even worse next year with this guy in charge. Player personnel won't matter. You can move whoever you'd like. This is AV's system. It's why the Vancouver fan base was glad to see him go. And don't bring up what AV did in the past. His first season here was with all of Torts' guys and the team played defensively sound and had a decent offense (anything was better than Torts). Last year you saw more of an AV style, with lots of pushing the puck up the ice but struggle some to deal with a forecheck and then this year, THIS is what an AV system looks like. Look at what he did to all his goalies in Vancouver. He burns them out. Hank looks burned out. A lot of these goals are saves he'd normally make. But he's run down from facing all these high quality shots all year long. I'm honestly not even upset watching this game tonight. I fully expect this team to make the playoffs, but I would be surprised if they win more than 1 game in the playoffs.
The Isles play like garbage 80 percent of the time but against the Rangers play each game like game 7.
It could be a possibility.......and watching the Rangers tonight, you just never know. Just sayin'. lol Hope for a turn around 3rd period vs Buffalo.
I don't think there's anyway that they don't make the playoffs as the 3 seed. But they sure are making it hard on themselves. I also don't think the Flyers can catch up simply due to lack of games. If there were 10 games left, then probably, but with only 5 left it's incredibly difficult.
With the Flyers and Bruins getting beat today, 8th is now out of play for us. We are 4 ahead of the Flyers...even in games...own the TB. Which means we only get 2 points and the Flyers will need 7 of 8 to pass us. Not happening. We are 4 ahead of the Wings...have a game in hand...own the TB. Which means we get 2 points via an ROW and the Wings cannot catch us. We are 5 points ahead of the Bruins...have a game in hand...own the TB. Which means we get 1 point and the Bruins cannot catch us. SO it is 7th and the Atlantic winner OR 3rd in the Met and we open at the Pens. The way the Pens are playing out of their minds, we would be much better off getting 7th and getting into the Atlantic bracket, but I still don't see it. We are 2 up on the Isles and have the TB, the Isles have a game in hand though. If we beat the Isles at MSG on Thursday night we are a lock 3rd in the Met. If we lose that game it would be a tossup, but even still the Isles play TB, at the Caps, Buffalo, Philly...not an easy schedule...plus they have been struggling. To me it still looks like we open at Pitt next week. The Isles get 7th. I think the Flyers get 8th. Wings or Bruins get 3rd in the Atlantic. BTW...Pens now have 12 wins in 13 games...wow.
We win tonight I think and at least get the monkey off their backs. Thought this was interesting by Custance on ESPN: @CraigCustance: Even without Murray's experience in goal, I'm starting to like Pittsburgh's chances more and more because of all the other things you pointed out, Pierre. I'm not giving up on the Lightning, but their road back to the Stanley Cup final just got much harder without Stamkos and Anton Stralman. No team in the wild-card range looks like a threat to make a run. Florida got in, but it also recently lost a key piece in Vincent Trocheck. The Penguins know how to survive injuries; they've done it for years. At this point, I'm ready to put the Penguins on par with the Rangers as the team most likely to upset the Washington Capitals and emerge from the East. They look great, and if they can get a break with the injury news, they'll be that much more dangerous. See not everyone is freaking out over this teams garbage play the past couple weeks
At this point the Pens and Rangers are the teams with the best chance to beat the Caps. I don't think that is a big statement either really. If you go through the teams in the East it really is logical. With Stamkos and Stralman out TB takes a hit no doubt. The advantage they have going for them is the Atlantic bracket. They wouldn't play the Rangers/Caps/Pens until the ECF and they would only have to play one. But with TB beat up it is fair to say the winner of the Pens/Rangers series should be the Caps toughest challenge in the East. BUT I will also add...we have struggled. The Pens have won 12 of 13. Right now the Pens simply have to be a clear favorite over us. Now maybe that changes in the 9 days prior to game 1 but right now that is hard to argue I think. Also doesn't mean we cannot win just means the Pens will be favored going in. And I really would like to see the Flyers play the Caps. Out of all the potential 8 seeds I think the Flyers will be the toughest challenge...even though I think the Caps would win in 5 or 6.
I agree with all of this - But I also think the playoffs are different. They just are. Before last year MAF was terrible in the playoffs for a few years in a row. TERRIBLE. And he was really good in the regular season in all those years before the playoffs started. I just want to get in and see what happens. I think there is a lot of over analyzing that happens the 2 weeks before the playoffs start and it ends up meaning nothing. Who knows Fleury might not be back from concussion next week. Let's clinch tonight and see what happens in round 1
I agree Dis. The LONG regular season grind is just about done. Get those 2 points tonight and lock it down. Pretty much locking in the 3 spot in the Met. Then EVERY team starts even...so drop the puck and see what happens. I still hope that somehow the Rangers can flip that playoff switch once this long marathon is over...and honestly the regular season really didn't mean jack to us...just get in is all we asked for...so I hold out hope. We'll see...
After the wins tonight by us and the Isles it is a battle for 3rd/the top WC between us and the Isles. No doubt the better spot is the top WC/7th. The Panthers are now 4 up on TB with 3 games left for each team. So the Panthers are in a great spot to win the Atlantic. Meanwhile the other Atlantic matchup is TB against Boston/Detroit. None of the Atlantic teams scare me. 3rd means you open at Pitt...a team that has won 12 of 13 and is really playing well. The Pens and Caps are better than any Atlantic team. Getting in the Atlantic bracket is a huge edge IMO. I think you win by losing between us and the Isles. We are 6 up on Philly. Own the TB. Philly has a game in hand. Any combo of 2 points for us/lost by Philly and they cannot pass us. The Isles are 4 up on Philly and own the TB. Any combo of 4 points for the Isles/lost by Philly and the Flyers cannot pass the Isles. Philly has inside track for 8th I believe. Tied with the Wings and have a game in hand. BUT the Wings could also be 3rd in the Atlantic, they are 1 ahead of the Bruins, 3 games left each, and the Wings own the TB. Philly is 1 ahead of Boston with a game in hand. Detroit's next two games...home Philly Wednesday night. At Boston Thursday night. Going to be a close finish. Boston has an easy schedule though, and all home games. Could be Caps/Flyers and Pens/NYR in the Met. Panthers/Isles and Lightning/Bruins in the Atlantic. Good spot for the Isles IMO.
IMO, thats terrible mindset to have going into the playoffs and trying to finish 7th so you can avoid the atlantic teams. You just know the Isles will play like it is game 7 of the stanley cup finals on thursday and the rangers will be asleep...at least for the first two periods...LOL
