Playoff scheduling/results/discussion/rants

[AR_Six]

Well I guess the east guys are waiting for us west guys. Tagg3r and I were supposed to finish off our series tonight but he couldn't make it. Scheduling is a bit of a bitch. It looked like the Dallas / Phoenix series wasn't done yet either.

[kobasew19]

Justin aka Dallas is tough to get hold of, even through text. It's 1-1 in the series with no end in sight

[AR_Six]

He was on xbox tonight, saw him on there.

[3 Justin 3]

As University is ######ed during the the last 2-3 weeks of every semester I've had no time to game unless it's midnight or later.

We should get it done this week hopefully.

I haven't been able to text because my Text+ was having issues (apparently if you don't use it basically daily it gives your number away).

[BigDogg]

Thats true with text plus, I checked it the other day and it made me reclaim my number. Looks like they made a new app as well... instead of... you know... updating the already existing one?

School is understandable. I'm in the same situation, done on the 14th.

[kobasew19]

All good Justin, yeah let's try and finish it this week. Could you PM me your personal cell number? I promise I won't spam you

[AR_Six]

Late November / December is always nuts. Me and Tagg3r's problem is we have exactly opposite work schedules; I'm getting home right before he's on his way out the door.

[slybomb]

How about we hurry up, so we can get to the off season stuff.

[lox888]

Originally Posted by slybomb

How about we hurry up, so we can get to the off season stuff.

Yes please on the hurrying up...i understand it's a busy time but been a week and a half so far when we were originally supposed to advance in 3 days or so.

It was probably a deliberate move by the West so us Eastern teams lose our touch of the game before we play the finals lol.

[FanIn80]

As an outsider from all of this, my take on poke-check mashing is that it's the most frustrating part of playing online against people. I use poke-check too, but I hit the button ONCE as the opportunities present themselves. Out of every 10 attempts, I would estimate that 4 times it's successful, 5 times it fails and 1 time I get a penalty.

I have no idea what type or strategy you use, but if it consists of spamming the poke-check button multiple times whenever your player is near the puck-carrier, it's "mashing the poke-check button" and it sucks the fun out the game for the other person.

As mentioned earlier, I'm not involved in this league anymore, but I do play the game online every single night and have a pile of online experience against random people. I'm not saying that button-mashing was happening, but I am saying that it's pretty easy to spot, and it has nothing to do with positional strategy. If you're skating up the ice and the player in front of you is sticking his stick out repeatedly, it's a pretty clear indication that at least one button is getting mashed.

Putting everything else aside, I would never quit a game or a series over it. Mashers can be beaten by just moving the puck into open ice. Get in the slot and bang around to knock the puck loose and get a few rebounds. Shoot the puck from everywhere. Dump it in and hammer them against the boards. Individual player stats will drop as they get "intimidated" by big hits. Their passing will become worse, their shots will start missing the net, they'll cough the puck up more. On top of that, the real button-mashers usually don't know how to react once you stop skating directly into their players. Change your game and force them to try to play hockey against you. Read and react, etc.

Edit: Holy crap, am I ever late to the party. I thought I was responding to something that just happened, but it appears I simply just didn't bother going to the last page in the thread... Such a noob am I.

[kobasew19]

Phoenix and Dallas are done their series. Justin set his team as CPU and I won the series in 6. Waiting for Oilers and Blues to finish their series now. That one is at 2-2.

[AR_Six]

[Tagg3r1]

Sorry everyone work has even insane blues and I are playing tonight and I will advance after

[AR_Six]

St. Louis vs. Edmonton Game 5
---------------------------------
The Blues outshot the Oilers 15-5 in the first period including four wide open chances in front by Ovechkin, but he couldn't beat Price. Michael Grabner opens the scoring in the second on a rebound past Tim Thomas. Price stood on his head but was unable to keep the Blues at bay forever as Brooks Orpik scored on a top shelf wrister with 5 minutes left in the third to tie the game at 1. In overtime, Jason Spezza managed to get away on two separate breakaways but couldn't beat price. Guillaume Latendresse managed to get wide open in the slot and fired a shot that beat price, but rang off the iron. Shortly thereafter, the Oilers score on a harmless looking turn-around wrist shot from the blue line. Carey Price made 42 saves on 43 shots in the win.

... Basically this game is $*@ing me in the butt right now. Tagg3r has two overtime wins in this series, both on flip shots from the blue line. This one bounced off Thomas's chest, who was inexplicably facing SIDEWAYS, and in. This after price stops about 15 good chances in the slot. The game is just ######ed right now... it determines the winner of more than 50% of the games through stupid crap like that or catch-up logic.

Anyway I imagine we'll play the last game (or two if I manage to win this next one somehow) and then it'll advance.

[AR_Six]

Well, Edmonton moves on in game 7. In game 6 I got my third shutout this series - won games 2, 4 and 6 by a combined score of 12-0. Game 7, though, Thomas lets in 3 of the first four shots, and 3 straight long range slappers as Tagg3r beats me 7-3 (2 of my goals were basically catch-up logic anyway).

Essentially the game decided games 1, 3, 5 and 7 in his favour and the other three in my favour. There wasn't really much point in playing them, they were predetermined. As soon as he scored his 2nd goal on his 2nd shot (a half clapper from the wall with no one around) I congratulated Tagg3r and wished him luck. When the AI just decides who wins the games, there's no real reason to play. I think I'm just going to have to find something else to do with my time and give Trapper his wish here.

Good luck to Tagg3r and Kobasew, beat those damned easties.

[BigDogg]

East is beast. Sabres are taking it, my prediction.

[lox888]

Philly vs Buffalo.

Gm 1:
Philly 2 @ Buff 1

Rinne is a monster as Buffalo outshoots Philly 30-14, with time of attack at 11mins-3mins but Fleury gives up 2 goals late for the loss.

Gm 2:
Philly 2 @ Buff 6

Again Rinne keeps it close at 1-1 after 2 periods but the Buffalo pressure causes the Flyers to take several penalties leading to 3 powerplay goals in the 3rd. Buffalo holds a heavy 45-14 shot advantage and 9:49 to 3:41 time of attack.

Gm 3:
Buff 3 @ Philly 1

The Flyers score less than a minute in but can't hold on as Buffalo fights back with 3 straight to take a lead in the series 2-1. The trend continues with time of attack at 10:32-3:29 and shots 31-19 in favour of the Sabres.


Rest of the series to be continued tomorrow or saturday.

[lox888]

Philly vs Buffalo continued.

Gm 4:
Buff 4 @ Philly 1

Buffalo scores first and controls the game to win both on the road and move one victory away from the Stanley Cup Final.

Gm 5:
Philly @ Buff

Getzlaf strips the puck in the offensive zone and feeds a quick pass to Stalberg who rips it top shelf for a 1-0 lead less than a minute in....then Philly quits.

He texts me:
'Sorry dude play the cpu man..I just can't get interested in playing against that style..I sympathize with Toronto GM.'


Seriously guys the quitting and whining about how I play is ridiculous. It's a part of the game and somehow people seem to think it can't be played against. The dumb excuse that quitters use that they 'can't get interested in playing that style'?? It's BS...they are simply used to winning and for the first time they come up against somebody who they can't beat so they give up. Try and play the same style and i'll still beat you. Again it's not unstoppable by any means if you know what to do. I've played many games vs people who are better than me and it's very frustrating...but when I lose it makes me try harder to find a way to win, not throw in the towel and give up.

Next season i'm determined to find a way to play without positional poke checking (although that's a heavy handicap) and still win against the whiners.

There's my rant for the playoffs...I'll play the Philly CPU once he turns it on and await the Western finalist.

[Aaron_11]

Well that kinda frustrates me because if anyone spams poke check it is him. Lox makes one poke-check and you lose the puck and with his d he does it so he is pulling the puck back into them with it so it seems cheap but it is just him being good with the poke check more than anything. The flyers on the other had presses it constantly takes shots from outside the blue line low because it is a glitch in the game that goalies don't hold on to those they kick them way out and he runs the goalie every shot to make him cough up the puck. If anyone exploits the game it is him 100% he uses cheap tactics as much as possible rather than setting up a play and getting a good chance so it is kinda ridiculous that he is quitting and complaining about the game.

Also if you are gonna just quit don't go for all those garbage goals from outside the blue-line that squeaked though Miller (at least once a game) to get undeserved wins just so you can quit on the next guy because he "plays a cheap game". It is total garbage in my mind and Philly is just a goof who gets lucky and when it ran out against Buffalo he got frustrated.

Also Dallas has gotten nothing but pestered over quitting and then these guys do it in playoffs but still have the nerve to bring up Dallas' one quit. Cough cough... Toronto.

That is my opinion. also I am possibly a little bitter still haha.

[lox888]

Aaron, I totally understand what you're saying about Philly...takes long weak shots looking for random huge rebounds off the goalie.

It's really too bad you and Washington lost out to Philly and Toronto just to have them quit. You two are much better players and our games were always close.