The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

Panthers over Oilers in 6

I predicted Edmonton to win the Cup at the start of the playoffs just to spite me. I'll stick with it and predict Edmonton to beat Florida in six games.

Just feels like this is the year McDavid gets his Stanley Cup. I think they mentioned every player who has scored 30 points in one Stanley Cup playoff year has won the Cup at some point.

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

My only complaint with the finals schedule, Game 7 is on a Monday when Game 6 is a Friday. Meaningless if it doesn't happen, but I guess they prefer the hype of the media talking about it all Monday over doing a Sunday night game 7?

I got lots of complaints. Three days between Games 2 and 3 and three days between Games 4, 5, 6 and 7. That's ridiculous. I realize they're trying to avoid going head-to-head with the NBA but I'm going to forget this series is even on.

I'm old enough to remember when these two cities were tied together by baseball.

The Edmonton Trappers were the Triple A affiliate of the expansion Florida Marlins in 1993 and 1994. Talk about a long flight for prospects getting the call up to MLB or dudes getting sent down.

[slickdtc]

7 games in 3 weeks stay awake boys lol

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by bhurst99

It was anti-hockey at it's worst. I had flashbacks to Jacques Lemaire's New Jersey Devils.

Oh, New Jersey was far worse. The DPE Devils never won games like way Edmonton did last night. They were the ones winning 2-1 games while outshooting teams 35-10, not the other way around. (I'm sure you and Maj both remember the Devils outshooting the Leafs 26-6 in an elimination game back in the day.) Between 1995 and 2002, the Devils outshot their playoff opponents in 83 of 96 games (2 games were tied in shots), usually by wide margins.

[DrJones]

As for the schedule, the problem is they have to wait on the NBA, and the NBA in their infinite wisdom has decided to have a 3-day gap between each game (this is a relatively recent development). It's forcing the NHL to more or less follow suit.

The real problem is the NHL's regular season and playoffs are starting too late. The last pre-COVID regular season opener was October 2. It was October 10 this season. It should start around September 25 or so. Move the start of training camp to immediately after Labo(u)r Day, and most of these problems go away.

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

The real problem is the NHL's regular season and playoffs are starting too late. The last pre-COVID regular season opener was October 2. It was October 10 this season. It should start around September 25 or so. Move the start of training camp to immediately after Labo(u)r Day, and most of these problems go away.

I just don't see that happening. Many of the U.S. teams don't want to compete against college football and the NFL more than already have to in the fall. They'd probably rather start the season in November rather than October.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by bhurst99

I just don't see that happening. Many of the U.S. teams don't want to compete against college football and the NFL more than already have to in the fall. They'd probably rather start the season in November rather than October.

Wasn't that the report before? The league wants to start later than it already does even though that would suck a lot.

Late September start which leads to late May/early June finish would be better but they'd rather have summer hockey and go up against NBA playoffs and MLB season over football in September, even though you could just not schedule NHL games on Sunday, or Monday (for US teams at least), or just have the teams not in cities with an NFL team play those days.

[DrJones]

The NHL is going head to head with the NFL and NCAA regardless of whether they start the season on September 25 or October 10. Like Maj said, try to rig the schedule so that weekend games early in the season mostly take place in Canada, the Northeast, etc. Start the playoffs the day after March Madness ends.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

The NHL is going head to head with the NFL and NCAA regardless of whether they start the season on September 25 or October 10. Like Maj said, try to rig the schedule so that weekend games early in the season mostly take place in Canada, the Northeast, etc. Start the playoffs the day after March Madness ends.

Wouldn't be the worst thing having more games in Canada to start the year too, although Canadian teams stuck with nonstop road trips during the more grueling part of the year would suck.

Save all these all Canadian matchups for later in the year. Don't waste Toronto vs Montreal up by November where that's the last time they face off.

More games in Canada in September-October would mean fewer during the winter months when everyone complains about the travel even though half of them are from Canada anyways.