2025-26 OOTS: Playoffs Edition

[Carl Yagro]

Mods! 5th is barking at the team members for their bad posting practice habits.

Trade that toxic horse, man!

Go Buffalo!

[Nuckertuzzi]

That girl's so mean.


Flipped back to TB/MTL series during intermish and it's almost hard to watch with how dead it feels in the building. Almost preseason like at times. A jaded fan base I suppose but man what a contrast. Was excited about this series too. Will be much better in Montreal.

[Cousin Strawberry]

TB and MTL is a very violent series though. The local tamponers aren't liking it that their boys can't run them out of their rink

Ya gotta love the first round energy

[Nuckertuzzi]

Hello Cloutier!

[Meds]

Avs/Kings is a beauty. Fast, hard hitting, end to end at times.

There is nothing anywhere in pro sports like NHL playoff hockey.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Avs/Kings is a beauty. Fast, hard hitting, end to end at times.

Shit I'm missing it watching the OT.

[Carl Yagro]

Hello Cloutier!

Just saw the backhand beachball... compared to this, Cloots has (almost) nothing to be ashamed about.

[UWSaint]

Tocchet wanted players to train hard, and play hard. He wanted them to start on the defensive side of the puck.....this is notoriously difficulty for young players to naturally take to. The defensive side of the game at the NHL level requires focus and commitment. It's not something that gets hammered on at the junior levels the same way, and it also requires more physical strength and endurance. Strength to defend against bigger, stronger, attacking forwards, and endurance to transition to effective offense.

How many teams have gone anywhere in the post-season with an offense first mentality? Look at a coach like Gabby, a really good NHL coach, fair chance he makes the HoF. But he never won in the playoffs, and his teams struggled when matching up against balanced teams that could handle defense and then take the puck the other way against his team that often didn't have much of a gameplan in their own end.

When the Canucks bought into Tocchet's game, they had 50 wins and took Edmonton to 7 in the 2nd round.....and they did it minus their Vezina-nominee goaltender, missing their 40G winger for the final game, and an all but absent 2C who had produced almost 200 points over the last two seasons and suddenly vanished on them. If you took Draisaitl and Hymen out of the lineup for Edmonton in that final game, it's probably not even close. That was because of Tocchey-Hockey.

I don't think he stifled offense or creation, I think that some of the players didn't like the level of commitment and work that is required to be able to have the strength and endurance to be creative after being responsible defensively.

That being said, when it comes to you athletes, defense is often developed later in their careers after they realize that hey can't win without it.....and maybe Rick didn't know how to get them to see that at this point. Often it takes more than one playoff disappointment to realize it.

I have no problem with how Tochett coached former Canucks who are now in the playoffs to play defensively.

The problem was how he coached for Canucks who are now in the playoffs to dump and forecheck at the expense of possession and speed transitions. And yes, that had a direct impact on offense.

We will see if he's learned from that or whether it will affect the Flyers as they play in the playoffs.

[Hockey Widow]

Skinner is back

[Megaterio Llamas]

Skinner is back

He's workin' his magic between the pipes.

[Meds]

Skinner is back

When he got the nod for the first round I sorta hoped he would play well so that it was a poorer reflection on Edmonton.

But when some of the Pens players were lauding him as a great goalie I rolled my eyes and waited for this.

Game 1 wasn’t on him. Neither was game 2. However a “great goalie” stops a couple of them…..but Pittsburgh still loses

Tonight is just making Bowman Jr look like a he knew what he was doing. lol.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Get the pArty started.

[Todd Bersnoozi]

Yah, surprised they didn't give King Arturs game #3, prob too late now.

[Meds]

Anyone think Skinner gets game 4?

[Nuckertuzzi]

Nothing would surprise me, expect maybe that.