2025-26 OOTS: Playoffs Edition

[UWSaint]

Poor Edmonton.

Play had it all. Video review of an iffy call that ended up being the right one — but still fans confused about physics don’t know how it is possible to conclude puck over line. Big offseason acquisition Frederic with a don’t-clear-the-zone really-I’ll-just-skate-through-pressure turnover, a puck off the big boot of paycheck albatross Nurse (the guy drafted to show the Oilers care about D), and then goes through not-closed-up sieve Jarry, a bad goalie on a for a couple years on a not tiny contract acquired after a mini heater brought in to replace a subpar younger goalie.

Couldn’t happen to nicer people.

Thing is, I still think the series is a toss up. Because you can’t out the top end of this team, who have time and again stepped it up in the playoffs.

But I want them to lose. I want them to lose outplaying the ducks in the decisive game, but getting bad goaltending. Because that’s just desserts for a management group that thinks of goaltending as an afterthought.

[Meds]

I want them to lose because it’s Edmonton. That is enough.

But a deeper dive rings similarly to yours, and I’ll throw on there the piss poor assessment of their defensemen’s quality.

$20M on a pair of guys who shouldn’t total more than $14M.

Bouchard - IMHO, He’s an $8.5M player. Produces points, and moves the puck well in the offensive zone. But high risk/reward. Absent McDavid he probably puts up 15G 75PT in a good season…..which is elite scoring from the backend. But he also is going to directly cost you 20 or more goals going the other way over the course of a season through bad decisions in his own zone and through neutral ice. Hell he’s cost them at least 4 through 4 games in the first round alone. That’s not elite for a defenseman on a team where goaltending has been a massive question mark for a decade.

Nurse - He’s a 4/5 in my opinion. I would take Myers over him. Physical, decently mobile, but a complete bonehead.

[Meds]

Good take Lancer.

More and more we are seeing small, skilled, players relegated into obscurity in the post season as the whistles get pocketed. There are exceptions, but those exceptions are found in guys who are opportunists that often finish plays where others have done a lot of the leg work.

I would prefer it if they called the trip/hook/clutch-grab/interference more but let the rough stuff go. Let skill thrive but only if it’s tough enough.

Yeah, Jake Guentzel’s been atrocious. And how about those sub 6 footers on Montreal (Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson). Point a game sucks.

I actually thought of Caufield when I posted this. But see my reply in that thread…..

Also, this series hasn’t had as much of the passed over obstruction/interference. Both teams have a higher focus on skill and speed. It’s been my favourite series to watch so far because they look like very evenly matched teams. The Bolts have the edge in experience and goaltending, however outside of Kucherov (who is a superstar) I think Montreal edges them out down the lineup but Not by much. Tampa missing Hedman is also a factor.

I haven’t paid much attention to Hutson, other than knowing he’s skilled…..didn’t realize he was that short. However, in a series that hasn’t had a blowout game he is also a minus-3. He’s been on the ice for 4 of Tampa’s 7 even-strength goals. The other consideration is that all of his points have been on the PP. On this player I will also say that I have not really considered defensemen in the clutch/grab/interference argument when it comes to skilled scoring production. My initial thought is that they are less impacted by this because they often are not the players that create offense with speed, skating, and handling. Obviously there are exceptions from ranging over the years from Bobby to Quinn, but, with the exception of Orr, they often gained the zone and skated the perimeter forcing movement and the exploiting lanes with passes to guys who went to the scoring positions as they opened. The puck carrier in these cases was less impacted and the infractions would be on the other skilled guys trying to get there without the puck.

In the defensive zone how much gets a pass in the playoffs when a player like Hutson is going to retrieve a loose puck and gets held up negating a possession change? I don’t know. But I’d be curious.

I guess what a cranky old mountain scientist used to say, “cream rises” factors heavily into the conversation regarding playoff whistle pocketing versus regular season officiating.

Also, as an aside, Kucherov is a helluva player, but I don’t like him. Lol. That was a soft cross-check last night and he took a major dive and sold an injury only to Be back on the ice 20 seconds later.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Also, as an aside, Kucherov is a helluva player, but I don’t like him. Lol. That was a soft cross-check last night and he took a major dive and sold an injury only to Be back on the ice 20 seconds later.

Yeah, I thought our sport was above soccer. That was horse shit from Kuch last night.

You could totally tell. He took a peek behind him, turned toward the boards because he knew a nudge was coming. And the way he hit the boards with both shin guards making first contact. He knew what he was doing. Then the injury fakery and joining the PP a few seconds in...

I wonder if a rule amendment could/should come of it. Like maybe the hit player cannot join the impending power play. But that's probably too grey if a player is legit hit and good to go.

[Meds]

Also, as an aside, Kucherov is a helluva player, but I don’t like him. Lol. That was a soft cross-check last night and he took a major dive and sold an injury only to Be back on the ice 20 seconds later.

Yeah, I thought our sport was above soccer. That was horse shit from Kuch last night.

You could totally tell. He took a peek behind him, turned toward the boards because he knew a nudge was coming. And the way he hit the boards with both shin guards making first contact. He knew what he was doing. Then the injury fakery and joining the PP a few seconds in...

I wonder if a rule amendment could/should come of it. Like maybe the hit player cannot join the impending power play. But that's probably too grey if a player is legit hit and good to go.

If after a hit a player is exhibiting a potential injury where he remains down on the ice for greater than 30 seconds and/or requires the trainer to leave the bench to attend to him, then he is ruled ineligible for the next X minutes. This covers off player safety and embellishment.

If he’s embellishing then mission accomplished by the rule.

If it’s legit, then he likely won’t be back in the next few minutes anyhow.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Makes perfect sense to me.

That was a bad look for him stepping on the ice shortly after all that.

I actually love the sport of soccer but hate the shenanigans that they continue to allow and never try to eradicate. Like it happens so often it's become an acceptable part of the game. A player rolls around for 5 mins like he's shot, then gets up and sprints up field the moment play's whistled in. No difference from Kuch last night.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Anyhoo....

Do we now have a series in Penn State?


EDIT: maybe spoke too soon. 2 zip 5 mins ago now tied.

[Meds]

Anyhoo....

Do we now have a series in Penn State?


EDIT: maybe spoke too soon. 2 zip 5 mins ago now tied.

3-2 after 40.....

Starting Skinner 3 in a row was stupid. Shoulda made the switch after game 2.....sent a message.

[Nuckertuzzi]

I really hope Pens pull off the pArty and go on a run with him, just to stick another arrow into TFG™.

And Tocc to blow a 3 game lead.

Tall task, doubtful, but would be fun to see.

[Carl Yagro]

I'm with ya, 'Tuzzi. Would definitely be fun.

Tocch is going out of his way to make another Russian available. He just hates them commies.

(Someone should tell him the fall of the Soviet Union happened in 1991)

EP for Michkov.

[Nuckertuzzi]

EP for Michkov.

If only he didn't hate both players.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Phew, those missed empty netters are gut-wrenching as hell.

Talk about tension, Flyers fans are sure gonna have fun in Game 6. The extreme tension in the building may reflect on their young players.

Clinchers are always the hardest to win for a reason, psyche has everything to do with it. That's why I fully expect the Oil to come back.

[Carl Yagro]

If only he didn't hate both players.

As long as Daniel Briere or Ken Holland likes Peter...

[rats19]

Knights tied at 2 with Utah

[UWSaint]

Good take Lancer.

More and more we are seeing small, skilled, players relegated into obscurity in the post season as the whistles get pocketed. There are exceptions, but those exceptions are found in guys who are opportunists that often finish plays where others have done a lot of the leg work.

I would prefer it if they called the trip/hook/clutch-grab/interference more but let the rough stuff go. Let skill thrive but only if it’s tough enough.

Yeah, Jake Guentzel’s been atrocious. And how about those sub 6 footers on Montreal (Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson). Point a game sucks.

I actually thought of Caufield when I posted this. But see my reply in that thread…..

Your points are fair, but I just think overall people exaggerate the playoff haplessness of the small and the playoff dominance of the bigger. They point out the smaller guys who are struggling (and attribute that to size) and ignore the bigger guys who are struggling (and don’t attribute that to size). But this doesn’t mean I think size doesn’t help and doesn’t help a little bit more the looser the games are called, it’s just all too exaggerated to the point where there will be declarations like “we must get a tank because little guys can’t hack it” when the attributes you need to win are multi variant and the ability to hack it is more nuanced than size alone.

Then there’s the shifting goal posts. Suzuki almost 6 feet? The size rules nhl philosophy wants every forward 6 feet or over; every defender 6’2” or over, and every goalie exactly 6’4” (the last of which I kind of agree with…..) Sure, Suzuki is close but that he was not big as the arbitrary height requirement was a demerit his draft year and was a question mark by the “must have size down the middle” crowd. Didn’t know Hutson was a shrimp? That’s the whole reason he was drafted where he was.

Another over performing little guy these playoffs? Logan Stankhoven — another guy whose resume would have had him drafted sooner but for the size. It’s just 4 games, but he was the Canes best forward by a good margin in that impressive sweep.