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Misc 2018 Playoff News Thread

Better team in the series won. Good on them, too. I'm nobody's idea of a Caps fan but at this point I hope they win the thing so Ovechkin can shove all that "choker" talk up some backsides.
 
Finals Schedule

Game 1 Monday 5/28 Caps @ Knights 8pm

Game 2 Wednesday 5/30 Caps @ Knights 8pm

Game 3 Saturday 6/2 Knights a@ Caps 8pm

Game 4 Monday 6/4 Knights @ Caps 8pm

++++++ If Necessary from here ++++++++

Game 5 Thursday 6/7 Caps @ Knights 8pm

Game 6 Sunday 6/10 Knights @ Caps 8pm

Game 7 Wednesday 6/13 Caps @ Knights 8pm

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That's a LOT of two night breaks between games. I don't particularly care for that because it breaks up the natural rhythm of the normal playoff structure. But whatever ...
 
TheBigKahuna said:
Drag it out over 2 weeks! Holy cow!
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Yeah. I know the Western Conference GMs have been lobbying for a 2 day travel break when the series shifts from East to West and back again for awhile now, but when it actually gets inked into the calendar ... I really don't like it much.
 
Finals start tonight!

And remember ... if you want to avoid Las Vegas' over the top pre game nonsense, tune in about 10-15 minutes after the start of the broadcast.
 
Tom Wilson is a dirtbag...last night confirmed that idiots that get suspended seem to learn absolutely nothing from their previous misdeeds.
 
CanadaCanes said:
Tom Wilson is a dirtbag...last night confirmed that idiots that get suspended seem to learn absolutely nothing from their previous misdeeds.
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Well, he learned not to leave his feet when making the hit. He was supposed to learn more than that.

Thankfully, Marchessault was not hurt, as far as we know. That shouldn't stop the league from suspending Wilson. Marchessault could have had his career ended on a dirty hit like that. That should weigh a lot in my opinion.

Wilson is using the "admiring his pass" defense. That defense is sometimes valid for non-blind side hits, like Weight's hit on Brandon Sutter. What's Marchessault supposed to do? He passes the puck forward and is skating forward toward the O-zone because that's where the puck is and that is where the play is going. So, Marchessault is supposed to turn his head 180 degrees away from the play to check to be sure that nobody is going to illegally check him? Horse crap.

I was pulling for the Caps. A lot of those guys have paid their dues. But after that hit, I wanted Vegas to win.
 
I'm rooting for the Caps only because I think a fan base (i.e. Vegas) needs to suffer a bit before appreciating the true value of winning the Cup, I think Ovi deserves it after all these years and I like Barry Trotz. A POS like Wilson, however, is making it hard to do so.
 
Vegas takes game one 6-4 with a couple of late-ish goals from Nosek. That was a wild game and I seriously doubt that the whole series will follow suit. Vegas' propensity to put the pedal to the metal got Washington revved up a heck of a lot more than we normally see from them. They were in it the whole way, but they won't want to keep that pace going and I'd be shocked if Trotz doesn't hit the brakes hard on this thing going forward. It's a veteran team, and they know how to slow things down. Gallant is either a genius or an idiot savant with the breakneck pace he demands from his teams. It tempts even the most buttoned down opponent to run and gun with them and for most teams that isn't really their game so they eventually start to pull apart at the seams.

This series will either be a VERY interesting test of wills and tactics or else it will be a runaway for the Knights. We'll see how it goes. As for the Wilson stuff ... I mean, he's always been a dirtbag so if you're surprised now I don't know what to tell you. Vegas ain't exactly playing in their white confirmation dresses out there. Stuff happens.
 
IMO, Wilson was penalized appropriately for the hit. It was shoulder to shoulder but it was late. 2 minute minor for interference, no suspension.

However, that was an example of the horrific officiating we saw last night. That the 4 officials had to confer before concluding that it was a penalty was ridiculous. And the missed cross check by Reaves on Carlson on his goal? McCauley and Joanette were judged to be among the 4 best referees over the course of the season and this is what we get from them?
 
Oh no ... it's was a hideously officiated game. But honestly, it was badly called in exactly the same way virtually every NHL game is called, so ... the low bar was leaped, I guess. How many full home run swing leg hacks did Engelland get on Oshie on the last Caps power play of the 2nd period? Good lord guys ... call the game.

I agree on the Wilson hit. It was late and heavy and appropriately penalized.
 
andyt said:
IMO, Wilson was penalized appropriately for the hit. It was shoulder to shoulder but it was late. 2 minute minor for interference, no suspension.

However, that was an example of the horrific officiating we saw last night. That the 4 officials had to confer before concluding that it was a penalty was ridiculous. And the missed cross check by Reaves on Carlson on his goal? McCauley and Joanette were judged to be among the 4 best referees over the course of the season and this is what we get from them?
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Wilson knew exactly what he was doing on that late hit, trying to knock one of Vegas best players out of the series, it was predatory in nature but you are correct andyt, based on the way the rules are written the minor penalty for interference was essentially the right call. It would be interesting to see how that same play is reviewed if Marchessault is concussed and done for the year...after all, the league has based many suspensions based on the net result of the hit.
 
andyt said:
IMO, Wilson was penalized appropriately for the hit. It was shoulder to shoulder but it was late. 2 minute minor for interference, no suspension.

However, that was an example of the horrific officiating we saw last night. That the 4 officials had to confer before concluding that it was a penalty was ridiculous. And the missed cross check by Reaves on Carlson on his goal? McCauley and Joanette were judged to be among the 4 best referees over the course of the season and this is what we get from them?
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I'm bewildered the Reaves goal was allowed to stand. How was that not disallowed with 2 in the box for the cross check?!? Swallowing the whistle is one thing, but deep throating it and blatantly disregarding rules is another. I expected much better than this. Tighten up NHL, you're seriously losing what credibility you have left.

Jim
 
Game 2 tonight. Look for the refs to bounce back after a rough start ... HAH.

Seriously, look for the Caps to try and slow the game down at least one notch and for Vegas to keep trying to push it ever faster. Should be fun.
 
jeffbear said:
Game 2 tonight. Look for the refs to bounce back after a rough start ... HAH.

Seriously, look for the Caps to try and slow the game down at least one notch and for Vegas to keep trying to push it ever faster. Should be fun.
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4 new officials tonight, Chris Rooney and Greg Devorski were the backups on Monday, so we should see Rooney with Kelly Sutherland and Devorski with Derek Amell on the lines.
 
CanadaCanes said:
Wilson knew exactly what he was doing on that late hit, trying to knock one of Vegas best players out of the series, it was predatory in nature but you are correct andyt, based on the way the rules are written the minor penalty for interference was essentially the right call. It would be interesting to see how that same play is reviewed if Marchessault is concussed and done for the year...after all, the league has based many suspensions based on the net result of the hit.
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I agree it was only a minor penalty during the game, but the league should have stepped up and down something with Wilson like a 1-game suspension. The guy is a complete piece of crap and he CONTINUES to try and injure people. That hit was WAY late and like CC said, he knew exactly what he was doing. That was as predatory as it gets. He is going to end up killing someone on the ice the way his career is progressing and the NHL will have no one left to blame.

I am hoping the Knights sweep them, mainly due to Wilson and Trotz. Would love nothing more to see Vegas up big in one of the games so Reaves has a chance to pummel Wilson, but you know Wilson would just turtle against Reaves. Dirtbag.
 
Washington hung on by the skin of their teeth (and the paint on Braden Holtby's goalie stick) to take Game 2 by a 3-2 score on a game winner by Orpik off of a really nice setup by Eller on a semi-odd man rush that left Fleury flapping in his crease. Ovechkin also contributed a patented off wing power play marker for his first goal of the Finals. I thought that Washington would try to slow down the pace, and they did do a better job of pressing Vegas into the extra pass in the neutral zone, but Vegas is like a rabid animal out there. They just overwhelm the trap with speed and aggression. You can slow them down a bit, but actually controlling them might be something to be hoped for rather than achieved. I don't know that I can recall a team so fully committed to wild abandon since the go-go days of the 80s. This series is an absolute joy thus far.

And footnote ... the officiating maintained its Game 1 level. Get used to it, I guess. Nobody's calling anything unless they absolutely have to.
 
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