I think the Hurricanes extend the series tonight with a Game 5 win. Colorado also wins at home to get a 3-2 series lead over Vegas. How about the Montreal Canadiens. Win a series Round 1 where they were outplayed every game, and then dominate the next series in a sweep. The Jets were the opposite. Swept the Oilers, then looked really bad against the Habs. Carey Price has been great. The Islanders are really impressing me too. 3-2 series lead over Boston.
I’m the opposite on tonight’s games. Tampa is going to end the series tonight and Vegas has been the better team the last three games so I’m going to pick them until Colorado shows me they can adjust. Montreal never trailed against the Jets; goes to show how bad the Oilers really were.
You are 1 for 1. The Canes just couldn't get over the hump tonight. Tough series for them. They were a great team but Tampa was just better.
@JetBlue needs to play the Powerball tonight, because Vegas came back from 2-0 in the 3rd, to win it in OT 3-2!!! 2 for 2 on the night. I was wrong on both games! The Avalanche are in trouble. I think they are the best team in the NHL, but they blew a 2-0 series lead and a 2-0 Game 5 lead. Going to Vegas won't be easy. Season on the brink for the President's Trophy winners.
Dammit, too late to buy a ticket. Going into the series I thought the Avs were the better team but the way the Knights adjusted in game 2 changed my mind. Even if they’d have lost tonight I’d have picked Vegas to win 6 and 7; as it stands I think they wrap it up Thursday.
Yeah, agreed. VGK have impressed me. Tampa Bay has really impressed me too. The Isles are tough and have played that way vs the Pens and Bruins too. Hope they can close out Boston. The one team I can't figure out is Montreal. Price is great but not sure about the rest. Having a hot goalie now is crucial though, so we will see how they do.
Tampa has the offense to beat you 5-4 and the goaltending to beat you 2-1; how do you beat that? The Isles, if my memory serves me correctly, lost three games against them in the ECF last year in which they held them to 2 goals twice and 1 goal once. what I take from the Canadiens is that as bad as the Canada division was believed to be, it was likely even worse, so no surprise the team with the best goalie made it through. It would be an upset of monumental proportions if they beat either the Knights or Avs.
I will be shocked if (hopefully) the Islanders or (hopefully not) the Bruins beat the Lightning in the next series. Tampa Bay is a much better team than either of them.
Not to mention whomever came out of the Canadian division would walk into a buzzsaw as soon as they jumped on the road. It has to be a culture shock playing "playoff" hockey in front of 2,500 for three games to 15,000+ in America. I imagine the series will likely already be over by the time the Knights or Avalanche end up in Canada. The Canadiens are probably going to be playing at what feels like half speed.
I agree but I would not count out the Islanders if they get past Boston. Nassau Coliseum is electric right now. Really tough to play there for a road team. If the Isles can steal a game on the road, they would definitely have a chance. If Boston somehow comes back, they have the ability to beat Tampa as well. I don't see how Montreal beats the Golden Knights or Avalanche though. The NHL is a crazy sport, so you never know.
Funny - I think the Habs have a much better chance of winning their series than the Isles or Bruins would have winning theirs.
Okay, I still think that the Lightning are considerably better than the Islanders, but if they play next series like they did tonight, the Isles do have a chance.
Tonight I would like Colorado to find a way to force a Game 7, but I am not sure they can do it. The Vegas crowd is tough, as are the Golden Knights. I think they close it out at home. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders in the ECF back to back years, but this year it doesn't quite count as the ECF but it is the same. Pretty cool.
Excited for tomorrow! I like the Final 4. I think Isles-Lightning could go 7. I am not giving much of a chance to Montreal, but you never know. I just think Vegas is on a roll right now. I guess the Habs are too, winning 7 straight.
That Fleury turnover may have turned this series like that major penalty two years ago against the Sharks.
Could be. Each team got a ridiculous gift goal, but the lack of a double minor penalty call against Vegas in OT on the high stick, and the fact that the Habs dominated the OT, means that the right team won.
Both series are 2-2 and both series have been up and down for each team. Truly any of these Final 4 could be Stanley Cup Champions. Tampa and Vegas have home ice advantage, but that has not meant much in these series so far.
Hey @The Dark Knight - obviously I hope that I end up being wrong about the other series, but I was right about the Habs! If the Lightning win their Game 7 I will be rooting hard for the Habs to break Canada's 27-year losing streak. If the Lightning lose, well, I'll be rooting for the other team to break their 37-year losing streak and win their 5th Cup.
