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Well … let’s preview the Stanley Cup Finals, I guess. Carolina/Vegas, Series starts June 2

Neither team is going to be an easy out. It’s always going to be scoring that decides (duh!), but I think the importance of no stupid penalties (stop giving refs a way to muck up a game), winning face offs, making the 2nd save, focus on the game in front of you and patience will be the key elements. I like the machine like focus, our depth and our team— top to bottom.
 
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andyt said:
Erik Johnson has Vegas in 5?
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Probably figures if they beat “his” Avs so easily, then they’re gonna roll Carolina. More than a few Canadian-centric writers and presenters are thinking similar thoughts about Carolina.

In truth, I’m not sure we’ve ever learned less about a pair of Finalists in the Conference Finals than this year’s duo. After they couldn’t figure out how to win Game 1, Colorado was just kind of done. And they definitely were done after they blew that lead in Game 3. On the other side, Montreal was never really in the series with Carolina other than a great rust off of 2026.
 
The initial pricing is a Ticketmaster issue, FWIW. Now it's just people with tickets to sell with a starting price point set by that ridiculous dynamic pricing model. They’re pot-committed
 
SlapShots said:
Neither team is going to be an easy out. It’s always going to be scoring that decides (duh!), but I think the importance of no stupid penalties (stop giving refs a way to muck up a game), winning face offs, making the 2nd save, focus on the game in front of you and patience will be the key elements. I like the machine like focus, our depth and our team— top to bottom.
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I don’t know. Hard to get a cross conference feel. Thought Ottawa and Montreal would be tough outs (or Buffalo and TB) but for those you have some meaningful results.

The knights have some high level stars and a veteran roster. Seems like they should be good. I could see this anywhere from the Canes in 4 to Knights in 5. I know the Canes are good. I feel like we all know them and are all suffering from lack of confidence and swagger due to past seasons but looking objectively- this Canes team is very very good and they’re not at any particular disadvantage against any system or style of play. How sweet would Canes in 4 be. They’ll say we didn’t play anyone but 16-1 would be quite nice.

Let’s win the first shift tomorrow and go from there!
 
Honestly, Carolina was always the most likely to come out of the East, regardless of how anybody wants to frame past seasons. They won the Conference while playing a rookie waiver wire pickup in net for half the freaking year and without their 6 man D group being intact for all but a quarter of the year. They were by far and away the best team in the East this season, so whoever they beat in the playoffs to get here was always going to be an issue for those looking for issues. Nothing anybody can do about that.

And who do they find in the Final? A team that scuffled all season and finished with 95 freaking points. Vegas got their mess together defensively, but it’s still the same team that won the pillow fight division with a point total that wouldn’t have gotten into the playoffs in the East. So, the “they never beat anybody” is always going to be there for those of a mind to use it, same as it was in 2006 when the Canes benefited from some serious bracket luck. You know what? Banners fly forever and that crap doesn’t matter.

That said, Vegas is NOT young, green Montreal. They are a grizzled, veteran team that won a Cup with much the same core they have now. Like Carolina they added a dynamic offensive forward over the summer to help bump up their scoring threat and they knocked off a limping but still formidable Colorado team to get here. You could make the case for them benefiting from some bracket luck as well … Utah and Anaheim kind of suck and Colorado was significantly weakened by injuries.

At the end of the day, you play the teams that are on your schedule and let the chumps say whatever they want.
 
I understand the arguments the pundits are making about this being a long series, Vegas did beat Colorado. They are good, no doubt. They have depth. They have experienced dmen, and their high end forwards include elite talent.

I get all that.

I'm not as convinced that Vegas is going be able to slow down the Canes as it seems many pundits think will happen. I'm thinking the Canes blitz Vegas early and shake the confidence of Carter Hart. Sure this is not regular season Vegas we are playing, but this Canes team is absolutely rolling and I would be making this same prediction if a healthy Colorado was our opponent.

Our 2nd line continues to roll, Slavin and the PK crew shut things down. Vegas gets frustrated on both ends of the ice.

Canes in 5.
 
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I get the crossover, but using the audio of a dead man pleading about fighting cancer and fighting for his life to hype a sports team struck me as creepy and disrespectful. That said, the video was well done, so I’ll give them that at least.
 
bagopux said:
I get the crossover, but using the audio of a dead man pleading about fighting cancer and fighting for his life to hype a sports team struck me as creepy and disrespectful. That said, the video was well done, so I’ll give them that at least.
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Agreed. A little too close to Bobby Bowden “Let’s Roll” territory
 
The hockey realist in me sees some adversity for the Canes in this series. But the hockey fan in me is hoping for the continuation of this undeniably historic postseason run. The match ups at center will be interesting tonight because I think that's the one edge Vegas may have. An "on paper" assessment for sure, because Stank & Jank ,have been lights out and Aho (fingers crossed) is trending upward. Gotta say tho' , every time I hear knocks on Aho, I'm reminded of that scene in "Airplane" when Kareem Abdul Jabbar chews out that little kid.
 
cmaleski2 said:
I understand the arguments the pundits are making about this being a long series, Vegas did beat Colorado. They are good, no doubt. They have depth. They have experienced dmen, and their high end forwards include elite talent.

I get all that.

I'm not as convinced that Vegas is going be able to slow down the Canes as it seems many pundits think will happen. I'm thinking the Canes blitz Vegas early and shake the confidence of Carter Hart. Sure this is not regular season Vegas we are playing, but this Canes team is absolutely rolling and I would be making this same prediction if a healthy Colorado was our opponent.

Our 2nd line continues to roll, Slavin and the PK crew shut things down. Vegas gets frustrated on both ends of the ice.

Canes in 5.
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One thing to watch for .. it took Vegas 3 or 4 games to figure out how to slow down Anaheim, and they never really did slow down Utah. Vegas won that series because Utah’s defense fell apart more than anything. People keep talking about Colorado’s speed, but that only really exists on their top line … unless somebody wants to convince me that Kadri, Nelson, Burns and Manson are fast. So this idea that Vegas has this ability to slow the game down against faster teams is kind of built on sand. I’m not saying that they won’t be able to frustrate Carolina, but the Canes are a LOT better than Utah and Anaheim, both of whom gave Vegas fits but didn’t have the depth to be anything more than troublesome.

Another thing to watch for … both teams have proven that Game 1 is a crapshoot. Vegas takes a bit to calibrate to the opponent and Carolina tends to run hot early. I wouldn’t get too excited about a Game 1 result one way or the other in this one.
 
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