Round #2: New York Islanders (M2) vs Carolina Hurricanes (WC1)

[pilldoc]

All discussion for the Islanders vs Hurricanes Round #2 playoff series here.

 

Schedule: TBD

Edited April 25, 2019 by pilldoc

[pilldoc]

This has the makings of a great series ......

[yave1964]

Boring snoozefest absolutely zero interest. The Winner of Columbus/Boston will win the East and represent in the finals no matter who wins this one. I will not waste one second of my life on watching this series.

 

 Canes in 7 just because. 

[yave1964]

And if anyone says they have a bracket that is in good shape I am calling shenanigans. 

[OccamsRazor]

I am going to go with my local Canes in this one.

 

I'm calling it in 6 games.

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

Boring snoozefest absolutely zero interest. The Winner of Columbus/Boston will win the East and represent in the finals no matter who wins this one. I will not waste one second of my life on watching this series.

 

 Canes in 7 just because. 

 

We'll see.

 

The way this season is going it's hard to say.

 

The Blue Jackets and Bruins series could take a huge toll on both teams.

 

I can see the Blue Jackets in the ECFs though.

[mojo1917]

I actually have come to like the 'canes a little bit. Not bad for a bunch of jerks.

They are "spunky". I thought they took it to the Caps for much of that series, game 5 being the exception.

They are on you so quickly, they do a great job of taking away time and space, and when they get the other team running around in the defensive zone it's kind of fun to watch.  

Seeing them do that to the caps really made me feel less bad about the times it happened to the Flyers, they have a good mobile defense. 

there are questions , I don't   think Mrazek is a championship goalie, but he was good enough, and when guys like Brock McGinn are laying out to clear the crease, maybe it doesn't matter.

 

I don't like the Islanders even a little bit they're boring and I never liked them ever anyway.

Go 'Canes !

[Puck_Pun]

Voting islanders in six, regardless of the winner I'm looking forward to this series

[Math]

Pwaaa, that's a tough one... Both potential Cinderellas. I'll go with the Isles in 7, that's what my coin tosses told me.

[Kings Redeem LA]

Cheering for the Isles.     

 

Don't know nearly enough about either team to wager an educated prognostication. 

 

 

Amazing breakaway save from Mrazek just now! 

 

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@thenewestlights

 

With regards to knowing about either team, in a nutshell, up tempo favors Carolina, more deliberate pace favors the Isles.

Canes love to shoot and a higher scoring game would seem to favor them, while the Isles are defense first (they've been playing effectively like that all year) and a low scoring, tight checking affair is more their game.

Both sides have battle tested veterans along with new young talent, so basically it likely comes down to which team can impose their style over the other.

 

Robin Leher of the Isles would seem to be the better goalie over Carolina's Petr Mrazek and Lehner has a better defensive system in front of him, although Mrazek has the luxury of having a team who really can keep the puck on the opposite side of the rink for large portions of the game.

 

Of course, all what I said is "by the book"...and seeing as how the first round went, with upsets, and all kinds of stuff flying in the face of logic, who knows what is gonna happen with these teams.

Once all the division winners got knocked down, I feel the Stanley Cup path just got busted wide open...wouldn't surprise me in this Bizarro playoff year, at this point, if ANY of the remaining teams won it all! 

[FD19372]

In spite of Game 1, Mr. Game 7, and the amazing way that Carolina is playing, I'm going with the Islanders in 7. I think Trotz's guys find a way. I think part of it is I like Lehner a bit more than Mrazek. That may be the difference.

[Alexandron]

I think McElhinney will finish this playoffs season like Murray replaced Fleury for Pittsburgh a couple seasons ago for their Stanley Cup. Tremendous success so far for the Carolina team, which able to eliminate a defending Champion Capitals in 7 games during the 1st round as well as to beat Islanders in first 2 games on their home ice during a 2nd round. IMO if they passed such a tough experienced team (Capitals) then they have a real chance to win the Cup.  Hope, Carolina will meet in an Eastern Conference finals against Columbus Blue Jackets where are going to play against each other two brothers of our Wild team (Jordan Staal and Nick Foligno). Also, I really want for Nino to get a Stanley Cup this season as well as for Jordan Staal. Just a dream.

[Puck_Pun]

Hmm, Islanders are in trouble against an assertive Canes. Some good games, still

[FD19372]

1 minute ago, Puck_Pun said:

Hmm, Islanders are in trouble against an assertive Canes. Some good games, still

Man, the Islanders miss Tavares in this series.

[OccamsRazor]

[WordsOfWisdom]

I'm actually kind of glad the Leafs are out now. This has been a farce of a Stanley Cup playoff with little to no intrigue remaining. I simply wouldn't want the Leafs Stanley Cup winning year to be tarnished by a victory path that includes teams like Columbus and Carolina. (I know @TropicalFruitGirl26 will be cringing somewhere as I say this but it's just how I feel.)   

 

A few years back the Lightning took on the Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, and Blackhawks (all original six teams) along their path to the Cup final. It's a d@mn shame that wasn't Toronto that year.

 

When the Leafs lost to Carolina in the conference finals back in 2002, it was the biggest slap in the face to hockey fans of all time because Toronto fans cared about that series while nobody in Carolina was watching. Nothing drives you more crazy as a fan than losing to a team without fans.  

Edited May 2, 2019 by WordsOfWisdom

[mojo1917]

1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

This has been a farce of a Stanley Cup playoff with little to no intrigue remaining. I simply wouldn't want the Leafs Stanley Cup winning year to be tarnished by a victory path that includes teams like Columbus and Carolina.

 

This might be the most ridiculous thing I've read on the internet today, and I've read a lot of what William Barr mumbled to the Senate Judiciary committee. 

This post reads like hot-take, elitist crap.  

The Stanley Cup playoff tournament is the most difficult to win in pro sports, the team that wins has won 4 best of seven series played every other night for almost 2 months.

The results this year speaks to the parity brought on by a salary capped league. Columbus is icing a very skilled and tough hockey club, Carolina is fast and highly skilled.

You can only play the teams in front of you- chances are this year's Leafs wouldn't beat this year's Blue Jackets either. 

 

I feel certain the players wouldn't care that they didn't beat the "OG other 5" or the Pens on the way to the championship. 

 

I understand not having interest in the teams that remain, but attempting to lessen the accomplishment of the eventual winner by saying "well  you didn't beat the right teams" comes off as immature petulance. 

 

[Podein25]

5 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

comes off as immature petulance.

 

Leafs fan. Just saying.

 

No offense WoW.

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, mojo1917 said:

I understand not having interest in the teams that remain, but attempting to lessen the accomplishment of the eventual winner by saying "well  you didn't beat the right teams" comes off as immature petulance. 

 

When the Leafs do win the Cup again (not holding my breath), I want them to either be the best team going in, or eventually defeat the best team along the path to the Cup. It makes it mean more to me as a fan.   

[radoran]

2 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

When the Leafs do win the Cup again (not holding my breath), I want them to either be the best team going in, or eventually defeat the best team along the path to the Cup. It makes it mean more to me as a fan.   

 

After 50 years you would honestly feel "less" about a Cup win in some respect?

 

Put your analyst on danger money, baby.

[Kings Redeem LA]

Since before game one for this series began, I've been thinking there must be a great "We beat the Bolts; we can beat anybody!" vibe permeating the Carolina locker room. Fun time to be Hurricane staff or fan!

 

If the Canes make the Stanley Cup Finals, forget what I said about trading all the for all the Lightning! We will take Carolina instead. I'll call Luc and with all my totally nonexistent LA front office power, we'll get something worked out.

 

May I also add how much I like to see peeps rocking Whaler jerseys at games!

Mercy I miss watching the Whalers and the Bruins knock the unholy Hades out each other.

 

I must, however, wonder about the Canes' current home jerseys:

 

What's going on there with the two cherry Life Savers motif?

Not exactly the way to get the opposition shaking in skates when

considering the Canes or Mother Nature's fury. But given how much

playoff backside the postseason-undefeated Hurricanes are

currently kicking, perhaps it's better for opponents that their

jerseys look good only half the time.

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

4 hours ago, radoran said:

After 50 years you would honestly feel "less" about a Cup win in some respect?

 

Sort of, yeah. 

 

I don't just want Toronto to win, I want them to win in an acceptable manner. I think a good victory path might be:

1. Buffalo (division semi-final)
2. Montreal (division final)
3. Philadelphia (conf final)
4. Los Angeles (cup final)

Or how about:

1. Detroit (division semi final)
2. Ottawa (division final)
3. New York Rangers (conf final)
4. Edmonton Oilers (cup final)

Or (if the Leafs are on top going in):

1. Philadelphia (wild card)
2. Montreal (division final)
3. Pittsburgh (conf final)
4. Chicago (cup final)

 

Thoughts?  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@WordsOfWisdom

 

Well, now, I am not exactly "cringing" at anything, but honestly, whomever wins the Cup, even if its a team I don't think should be there quite yet (**cough, Colorado...cough... Carolina...cough Dallas**), you will NOT hear me say it was a 'tarnished win'.

As some have stated already, the Stanley Cup is THE most difficult prize to attain of all the major team sports championships in North America, bar none!. And when a fantastic franchise like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, the old Colorado teams, and even the more recent LA  Kings can do it on MORE than one occasion within a short time span, it is super impressive.

 

Yes, I certainly hear you when you say you'd like your team to tear through the best on their way to a title...its why I honestly wanted the Bolts vs. the Pens in the 1st round at some point met and beaten the Washington Capitals, and in a Cup Finals would have loved to have seen a team like Nashville, Winnipeg, San Jose, or even the former defending Western Champ Vegas Knights go against TB.

But even had the Lightning moved on, faced teams OTHER than those mentioned and won it all, it STILL would have been a legit win due to simply how hard that was to do that.

 

As for the teams left, look, I feel very strongly about who should be moving on and who shouldn't, but regardless of that, teams that are moving on, such as the thread titular Carolina Hurricanes (gotta get that final win though!), will still have my respect, even if its a grudging respect, due to the fact that they DID get the job done....while favorites such as my Lightning, your Leafs, the Preds, Jets, Caps, even the Flames, all fell by the wayside.

 

Thing is, I have started measuring teams overall "greatness" for lack of a better term, by how often they are in the mix for a Cup, but even more importantly, how MANY Cups they actually win in a given amount of time.
Which is why I mentioned those teams above starting with Pittsburgh and ending with the LA Kings.

Those guys got it done more than once and even on years they didn't win, they certainly could have.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to reward teams for simply being in the mix for a Cup...because ultimately if they are a favorite to win every year for say, 5 or 6 years, but never actually get it done, they just can't, CAN'T be held with any sort of high regard in hindsight.

 

This is why I have a hard time respecting teams like the Blues and to lesser degree the Sharks, even though I mentioned them as a team I would have loved TB to have beaten for the Cup, because those teams seem to be "in it" every year, but can't seem to get the job done.
Then again, the Caps were that team too, until they finally won it all....and now THEIR quest becomes, "Get Another One"....before they need to reset.

But I digressed a bit with my post...not looking to take away anything from what the Hurricanes are doing to the Islanders.
Whomever wins it all will have earned it...plain n simple.
I don't feel Carolina should be in the Cup conversation, but just look at what they've done so far....and if they dispose of the Islanders, they are in the East Finals with a legit shot to go to the Cup Finals....there just isn't any way to deny their play so far.  Defying the naysayers (like me), beating the defending Champs, and are now about to remove the defensively tough NYI.

 

Nah, no farces in these playoffs....but yea, once the "favorites" went down, then the field to win the Cup became VERY wide open.
Like the Wyatt Earp's wild frontiers...… any gunslingers got a chance if they are quick, fast...and a little luck helps too.

[radoran]

2 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Nah, no farces in these playoffs....but yea, once the "favorites" went down, then the field to win the Cup became VERY wide open.

 

Wide open, yes, but still a long way from someone "unexpected" actually winning the Cup.

 

Vegas was in The Final last year - and lost.

 

There are still teams that many at the start of the season thought "could win" The Cup.

 

Even if an "unexpected" team wins it, it's far from validating the "make the playoffs and anything can happen" theory. It would be the exception - not the rule.

 

Look back over the years since expansion and find the "shocking" winners. They are few and far between - if any really exist at all.