Jump to content

Playoffs: #2 (A)Tampa Bay vs. #3 (A) Detroit


pilldoc

Playoff: Tampa Bay vs. Detroit  

18 members have voted

  1. 1. Playoff: Tampa Bay vs. Detroit

    • Tampa Bay in 4 (Sweep)
    • Tampa Bay in 5
    • Tampa Bay in 6
    • Tampa Bay in 7
    • Detroit in 4 (Sweep)
      0
    • Detroit in 5
      0
    • Detroit in 6
      0
    • Detroit in 7


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 104
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Not sure what to make of this series.  I kinda of feel the Red Wings have struggled mightly during the month or so.  However they are making their 23rd straight playoff appearance for a reason.  However can they overcome Bishop, Kucherov, Johnson, Palat, Stamkos, etc.......  I think not.  The only thing that will hold back the Bolts will be Coburn. ;)  Seriously I think the Bolts can win in 5.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I see the game with Red colored glasses, but this is the matchup I wanted, really bad.

Bishop has never done it before, untested in the postseason, and the bolts defense banged up. My opinion is the Lightning are too pretty on the ice for the postseason, and can be taken. That said, if the Wings defense does not hit everything that moves, if the combo of Mrazek/Howard are not sharp, the Bolts WILL eat the Wings alive.

Wings in 7.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And to think I was rooting for you in the Nahana league. Harumph. :ph34r:

 

 

 Don't tell anyone, but rux told me that he traded away Nyquist just to get the Red Wing stink off his team.....true story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And to think I was rooting for you in the Nahana league. Harumph. :ph34r:

LOL

It's not like I'm cheering against them. Your goalies are going to kill you.

You mentioned Bishop in your post. He'd be my concern if I'm a Bolts fan. His save % is not world class. In the tighter play of the playoffs, that COULD level the playing field for your goalies.

This series is weird for me because I've always had a soft spot for the Wings. But with Bishop in fantasy and following them a bit more, I've become a little bit of a closet Bolts fan.

All that aside, this is not the Wings year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't tell anyone, but rux told me that he traded away Nyquist just to the the Red Wing stink off his team.....true story.

You weren't supposed to repeat that!

I did trade both him and Tater within a week or two. Partially because I thought I was getting good value back, but partially because I was becoming suspicious of Detroit.

I really do like Nyquist, though

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the Wings are lucky to be in the tournament and the 'ning are too strong.

 

I think the Bolts play in the ECF at least this year, i think they mow this version of the Wings down pretty easily.

I think the young line of kucherov johnson and palat has been dynamite this year and has been the best line on a really deep team .

 

too beaucoup the bolts  they smoke the wings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ruxpin@jammer2

Reported!!

No seriously, I see the Bolts as a soft pretty regular season team without that special thing that it takes in the playoffs. I think it is 60/40 bolts win the series but even if so, the winner of Montreal/Ottawa should make short work of them. Kind of a pretty girl with no brains, I see them as a team with no real substance. I am frankly not impressed. Harsh words, but how I feel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ruxpin@jammer2

Reported!!

No seriously, I see the Bolts as a soft pretty regular season team without that special thing that it takes in the playoffs. I think it is 60/40 bolts win the series but even if so, the winner of Montreal/Ottawa should make short work of them. Kind of a pretty girl with no brains I see them as a team with no real substance. I am frankly not impressed. Harsh words, but how I feel

You say that as if it's a bad thing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ruxpin@jammer2

Reported!!

No seriously, I see the Bolts as a soft pretty regular season team without that special thing that it takes in the playoffs. I think it is 60/40 bolts win the series but even if so, the winner of Montreal/Ottawa should make short work of them. Kind of a pretty girl with no brains, I see them as a team with no real substance. I am frankly not impressed. Harsh words, but how I feel

 

I think the Bolts are more likely than 60/40 to win because of the way Detroit backed in, but I agree with the rest of this. Tampa has road issues as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the Bolts are more likely than 60/40 to win because of the way Detroit backed in, but I agree with the rest of this. Tampa has road issues as well.

 

 

 There is probably a 90% chance that either Zetts or Datsuyk (or both) will go down with an injury in this series...that would be a death blow, cause once one of them goes down, the elite checkers are all over the one left standing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 There is probably a 90% chance that either Zetts or Datsuyk (or both) will go down with an injury in this series...that would be a death blow, cause once one of them goes down, the elite checkers are all over the one left standing.

 

What happens with the other 10%?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taking the homer pick and going the Lightning in 6 games.

Much like @yave1964 thinks this is a good match up for his Wings, I happen to think the opposite, and believe this is a good match up for the Lightning.

It had been ALL season (save for that masterful effort by the Wings on the final meeting), and I see no reason why that would change for the playoffs.

 

The one big thing I believe the Wings will have going for them will be Peter Mrazek.

That guy might be a star in the making and he may very well be the one that turns this series on its ear in Detroit's favor, but overall, I like the Bolts lineup top line to bottom line.

They ALL play equally important minutes...and the TB defense, while still missing some key elements, has actually performed better than I thought they would even with less experienced guys in there.

 

Make no mistake....I prefer the likes of a Jason Garrison, Braydon Coburn, and Andrej Sustr to rooks such as Luke Witkowski, Nikita Nesterov, and Slater Koekkoek (at least at this point in time), but those young D-men have made a decent accounting of themselves and shown some of the reasons why TB believes they are in good shape defensively moving beyond this season.

 

But with Victor Hedman back in and Andrej Sustr possibly making his return during the Detroit series, I believe the Bolts will be fine on the blue line and Ben Bishop will prove he has matured in leaps n bounds as a money performer (even though this season hasn't been one of his best in particular...AND that he hasn't had to shine just yet on the big stage that is the NHL playoffs), and Big Ben should help propel the Bolts.

 

I am giving Detroit two wins here because again, I believe Mrazek will shine and he will be a key factor for the Wings.

Also, Detroit DOES have the more physical overall defense and team and that will help them grab at least a win or two as well.

 

Tampa Bay IS  a mostly finesse team, but over the course of the season, I have seen the team grow and take a bit more pride in finishing checks a bit more and just taking the play to the opposing net instead of always trying to find that 'perfect' set up.

 

I think the Bolts are a bit underrated as far as physical play....Ryan Callahan, Cedric Paquette, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle, and Brandon Morrow lead the way in that department....and Wings players look out around the crease:

 

Crowd Ben Bishop a bit too much, and not only will you find Bolts players getting in the faces of Wings players, but Bishop himself has channeled his inner Barrasso or Hextall in the closing games of the regular season and is not above taking shots at offending skaters in his 'house'!  ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smart money seems to have the Bolts winning this one easily, I am going against the grain with my Red colored glasses.

 

Detroit is relatively healthy, Abdelkader is likely to miss the start of the series but that is it. Tampa is without both Coburn and Garrison on the back end and Killorn may miss the start of the series, Hedman is playing through an injury.

 

 I am not sold on Ben Bishop. At all.

 

Everyone talks about the Bolts rolling four lines while in truth the second half of the year they were in essence a two line team. And they have had lots of trouble on the road.

 

They do not like to play a physical game. They are, in short, a regular season pretty team that I do not believe comes close to having what it takes to get down and dirty.

 

 If Mrazek takes the reins and runs with it, the Wings will win. Not might, not could, THEY WILL win if Mrazek plays at his top form. A lot to ask of a 22 year old kid but he could do it.

 

 I agree the talent in Tampa is remarkable, a fun team to watch.

 

 

Detroit over a soft inexperienced Lightning team in 7. It really could go either way, I think the Wings are being overlooked in this series and to do so, do it at your own peril.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

I do like the Bolts, missing both Coburn and Garrison (and Sustr) on the back end really, really will hurt these guys. You mentioned a bit about how the Lightning are underrated with team toughness but guys like Morrow and Boyle and their 9-10 minutes a night really do not play much.

 

If Mrazek is not playing at an elite level, I give the Wings little chance to win.

 

 I do not believe in Bishop. If the Lightning get knocked out in the first round, I could see Bishop being dealt to someone like the Oilers and the two kids with unpronounceable names but elite talent taking over in net, ala the same as the Ducks, dumping hiller and handing the reins to Anderssen and Gibson. I love the two kids that are pushing Bishop. I could even see the Bolts dealing Bishop even if they have a deep run, kind of like the Hawks dealt Niemi after a cup win. I see Bishop as an average netminder on a nearly elite team but postseason wise, along with the banged up defense he is a weakness. Hedman is playing at 80-90 percent which still makes him better than almost any d-man in the game, 90 percent of Hedman is still better than anyone on the Wings. I acknowledge that. I just don't see it with the Bolts this year.

 

 If you can come up with a wager, something all in fun, we can bet something on the series. Maybe the loser has to write a post stating how great the winning team is :hocky: .

 

Seriously good luck in the series. I think it will be a better series than anyone seems to think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...