2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Thread starter Bushay
- Start date
Bushay
NHL Expert
I wonder if Montreal has enough momentum and mojo to knock out Washington?
5 out of the 8 Canadian teams made the playoffs.
Hockey is always better when the Canadian teams are representing.
Toronto goes into these playoffs with the best team they've had in quite a few years.
Colorado traded away one of the top 10 players at the deadline....lost the trade, but retooled and looks very capable of coming out on top in the West.
The REAL season starts Saturday
5 out of the 8 Canadian teams made the playoffs.
Hockey is always better when the Canadian teams are representing.
Toronto goes into these playoffs with the best team they've had in quite a few years.
Colorado traded away one of the top 10 players at the deadline....lost the trade, but retooled and looks very capable of coming out on top in the West.
The REAL season starts Saturday
Bushay
NHL Expert
I like them both. Little worried about the Oilers' health, but if McJesus goes another year without a cup, he'll never be mentioned in the same breath as Crosby's and McKinnon's of the league. They keep getting him a little more help every year, but they are entering these playoffs with some serious injuries. And Scotty Bowman's son is now in the organization. Can't hate that either.
Four of the five Atlantic Division teams are on fire entering the playoffs. The only team that isn't is Florida, the defending champs. I liked both TB and Toronto more than Florida last season, and they hurt my feelings. Florida, like the Oilers, is also not very healthy entering these playoffs, so it may be vulnerable, especially in these early rounds. So, TB is as qualified as any team in the East. I think I like Toronto a hair more this year, though.
Good luck, you could pick a lot worse teams than these 2 IMO.
How did Carolina win that trade? It was nowhere near the deadline but I can only assume that's the one you're talking about.
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Bushay
NHL Expert
Amen. I didn't realize till just now these 2 teams represented the East in the finals the last FIVE seasons.
Every time I think they are better this time and pick the Leafs they lose. Hockey is just better with the Leafs in the public eye. So no comment this time around.
I just read up on Rotowire about the Cats injuries. According to them, most everyone will be back except Ekblad till game 4. They just wont be in very good game shape. Vasilevskiy seems to be having a good a season as he's had in years. So you are correct, this ones gonna be a war. They both represent Florida well. For those who think hockey doesn't work in the south.
Bushay
NHL Expert
Well, I may have worded that incorrectly. Colorado traded a top 8 scorer in the league and got Martin Necas, Jack Drury and a no.2 pick and a 4th rounder and some cap relief. Carolina turned Rantanen into Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and 2 no. 1 picks and 2 no. 3 picks. The Avs made that trade mainly because they were not going to be able to afford him. In the end, they made out well, but Carolina clearly helped their team more. IMO.
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Are you drinking tonight?
Bushay
NHL Expert
No, I don't drink. I cleaned that up. Accidentally put Drury in there twice.
Fair enough. I really like Necas.
kane
EOG master
I give a slight edge to Tampa, both teams have SC winning coaches, both teams have SC winning Goaltenders, both teams have elite front end talent, but where I give the edge to Tampa is even though Tkachuk is expected back, he's missed 25 games, that's a lot off time, I think it will take a game or two for him to get his conditioning back, he might have shorter shifts, also it will take some time to get used to the game speed, the same thing with Ekblad, I believe he's expected back for game 3, but he's facing the same conditioning and game speed issues as Tkachuk. It's always important to score first in the playoffs, but in this series I think it's even more important, I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking about blindly playing every game under, I'm assuming every game will be 5.5, likely juiced to the under. I have a future on Tampa, so if my Panthers lose that will help cushion the blow
Bushay
NHL Expert
I like him too. A lot. He's a great skater who seems to be fitting in nicely with this high flying team. But he's not the stud Rantanen is/was.
I'm sure in a world with no hard cap they would have been very happy to have kept him.
Bushay
NHL Expert
Interesting question. For which i'm pretty much wrong on every time putting an opinion out this early. I remember I was on the EOG hour once with Dink and John and John asked me who I liked to win it all that year. Whatever team it was I choose, I forget now, Dink jumped in and said dont answer that, you shouldnt do that. Because things can change so quickly with injuries and hot streaks.
With that said....I'll take a flyer on Vegas
kane
EOG master
I'll go Dallas and Tampa in the finals
Bushay
NHL Expert
Yzerman
Probert
Kocer
Denny Savard
Troy Murray
Doug Wilson
Doug Gilmour
Al McGinnis
Brett Hull
Rick Vaive
Wendel Clark
Domi
B Salming
Harold Ballard in his suite Bitching at the world on Hockey Night
Mike Modano
Bobby Smith
Brian Bellows!
I miss those days also.
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Bushay
NHL Expert
Attachments
choslamshe
EOG Master
Such a weird year for the Oilers - will always be the team no one wants to play because player for player are hands down the most talented team on the ice. But we all know what this time of year comes down to, and the Oilers will always arguably have the worst matchup between the pipes...this series no different.
Wouldn't surprise me if the Kings just out body/muscle and frustrate the hell out of the beat up Oilers, just as it wouldn't surprise me to see an Oilers sweep if they magically hit the switch.
Aside from the Sens/Leafs, no series I'm looking forward to most.
Bushay
NHL Expert
I've had a good day. Think I'll tail on the AVS.
Bushay
NHL Expert
Both these teams are relentless. Much closer game than the final score suggests.
Both are finals worthy. A shame they had to meet this early. Dallas really missing Heiskanen and Robertson.
There is so little space out there to maneuver. IOW, there is no room to get cute out there with the puck. The opposition is on you quickly.
It's only one game, but props to Avs GM turning the Rantanen trade into a positive.
Ottawa/Toronto going to be another good one tonight. These teams do not like each other. Ontario is going to be crazy.
As long as these Eastern Conference teams are alive, It's gonna feel like the Super Bowl throughout Canada. Ticket prices are already through the roof.
Bushay
NHL Expert
Anyone with the under in this Vegas game has a reason to be pissed. Vegas scored an empty netter as time expired. Not sure i've seen a call that close before. And because it was a total as time expire and had no effect on the winner or loser, it did not go upstairs to be reviewed. Or to Toronto actually. Replay room is in Toronto. Tough break for under bettors.
I had OVER 5.5 and I can't remember any time in the past 20 years winning a bet due to an empty net goal (but lottsa loses)...UNTIL NOW...I couldn't be happier!
Bushay
NHL Expert
They replayed it in Slo-Mo a couple times. But if that was a situation to review weather the goal counted or not, especially in a playoff game...they'd have been diagnosing that one a hell of a lot longer. To my naked eye, as it scored I was sure it beat the buzzer, but the replay that I saw, I swear ....it litterly crossed that goal line as it was showing 0.00. Just extreamly cose.
kane
EOG master
I had the under, I looked at the clock and saw 3 seconds and figured it was a win, it didn't occur to me the guy would even shoot it down the ice, on repay I couldn't tell if it was a goal, the scoreboard said 3-2 for about two minutes, I kept my eye on the score the whole time, then bang, they change it to 4-2, the announcers knew right away the repercussions, one of them said the over was 5.5, and even mentioned the puck line coming into play. Anyone who had the over or the Vegas puck line should run right now and buy a lottery ticket, needless to say I had a tough time falling asleep last night