The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[slickdtc]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Why no afternoon hockey? Me wants the Saturday sunshine shinny!!

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

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[bhurst99]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

After Vancouver hit the post on the empty net, I had flashbacks of Vancouver-Nashville Game 4 and fully expected Edmonton to score twice with the extra attacker. They almost pulled that off.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

After Vancouver hit the post on the empty net, I had flashbacks of Vancouver-Nashville Game 4 and fully expected Edmonton to score twice with the extra attacker. They almost pulled that off.

Every Canucks win this postseason (and frankly, an awful lot of their regular season wins) has been of the "how exactly did they pull this off" variety. Incredibly fun while the ride lasts.

[Kobalt]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

*Reads about Nichushkin*

There's always next year, and there's the cap space for Landeskog next year (if he ever plays again, which I doubt). No idea how Nichushkin can come back next year, since this is the 2nd straight year he's missing the playoffs.

[Speedy]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Such a disappointment, Canes. [emoji1751]

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Such a disappointment, Canes. [emoji1751]

And thennnnn...

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

What would compel someone to attend a "watch party" outside Rogers Place, obviously a massive crowd of Oilers fans.....in a Calgary jersey?

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Walk along a knife's edge long enough, you'll fall off eventually.

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

So, uh…is Vancouver’s soon-to-be ~12 million dollar 1C going to show up for the playoffs, or nah?

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Walk along a knife's edge long enough, you'll fall off eventually.

I told you there was an early 2000s stink on these Canucks!

https://x.com/snstats/status/1790605868985114981?s=46&t=27UeJGS0pqYD5lMjSnMv7Q

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

So, uh…is Vancouver’s soon-to-be ~12 million dollar 1C going to show up for the playoffs, or nah?

Said this a few pages back, but Pettersson's been like this for the past 3 months.

28G-45A-72P in his first 55 games
7G-14A-21P in his last 37 games (including playoffs)

One or more of the following happened around the All-Star break:

1. He picked up a nagging injury that requires offseason surgery or a lot of time to heal properly. Tocchet insists this isn't the case, but Pettersson gets targeted enough as it is.

2. The contract talks and trade rumours around that time did... something to his psyche. Feeling pressure to live up to the contract? Crisis of confidence? Was Kuzmenko his best friend or something? Is he resented by the other stars on the team?

3. Tocchet altered his system to account for Demko's 1st injury, and Petey can't/won't adjust? I'm grasping at straws here.

I have difficulty believing he just sucks now, or that it's a playoff issue (he had 18 points in 17 games in the bubble while the Blues and Vegas kept running him). I suspect it's number 1, but who knows?* Regardless, I don't expect Pettersson to improve during the playoffs. Physical or mental, it doesn't look like this will be addressed until the offseason.

*I'm a little leery of the Canucks' medical staff: Lindholm picked up an injury on Feb 20 at Colorado, and it wasn't properly diagnosed for over a month! Also, the Canucks swore on a stack of bibles that Demko wouldn't return until he was 100%, and sure enough he's hurt again his 3rd game back.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

I told you there was an early 2000s stink on these Canucks!
r
https://x.com/snstats/status/1790605...pqYD5lMjSnMv7Q

Yup, but it still smells sweet compared to the decade-old reek of the Benning era!

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Does anyone want to advance?

Conference finals?? Anybody??

Bueller? Bueller???

[DrJones]

Re: The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Does anyone want to advance?

Conference finals?? Anybody??

Bueller? Bueller???

These are some pretty even matchups (thanks to no 1st round upsets), and home ice rarely matters in the playoffs any more, so I'm not surprised.