Stanley Cup Final - Golden Knights (P1) vs Capitals (M1)

[JT96912]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I think Lazar has more upside. And understands the off-side rule.

Lazar has speed and grit. Speed and grit, thats about it. He has proven many times to have hands of stone and awful accuracy on his shot. I don't know what his upside is at this point. His hands and shot will have to improve a lot for him to ever have a shot at anything other than a fourth liner. I'm sure this is a move our GM wishes he could take back. I AM rooting for him however. I hope he can somehow take the next step and be a valuable 3rd or 4th liner for our team.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Stepped up for half the season...I agree with the rest though...

I imagine that Ferland would have had a much more productive and consistent year if Monahan had been healthy in the second half.

[Huntingwhale]

I was fully expecting game 5 tonight, but I just heard it's yet ANOTHER 2 day break?? Just took a look at the schedule and it's a 2 day break for the remainder of the finals.

WTF??

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I was fully expecting game 5 tonight, but I just heard it's yet ANOTHER 2 day break?? Just took a look at the schedule and it's a 2 day break for the remainder of the finals.

WTF??

NBA goes tonight

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I was fully expecting game 5 tonight, but I just heard it's yet ANOTHER 2 day break?? Just took a look at the schedule and it's a 2 day break for the remainder of the finals.

WTF??

Yeah I don't get what is with all these extended breaks either. Gaps of 5 days, 3 days, 2 days is idiotic and killing the flow of the series. It can't all be scheduling issues either as teams are required to leave ample arena availability open until they are eliminated.

TMobile arena is actually a graveyard this month aside from Knights games:

http://www.t-mobilearena.com/events-tickets/calendar

Season is long enough as it is, I still have yet to understand why the league doesn't try to wrap the playoffs up in the first few days of June every year as opposed to slowly killing everyone's interest and dragging it on into the middle of the month.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Yeah I don't get what is with all these extended breaks either. Gaps of 5 days, 3 days, 2 days is idiotic and killing the flow of the series. It can't all be scheduling issues either as teams are required to leave ample arena availability open until they are eliminated.

Ahem...

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

NBA goes tonight

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Season is long enough as it is, I still have yet to understand why the league doesn't try to wrap the playoffs up in the first few days of June every year as opposed to slowly killing everyone's interest and dragging it on into the middle of the month.

It is not really that difficult to understand. The league plays 82 games and are reticent to shorten the season for fear of all the lost revenue. They are then faced with juggling the schedule against viewing competition from the NFL and MLB playoffs on one end, and the NBA finals on the other.

In the end, it is all about maximizing revenue.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

NBA goes tonight

The thing is, the NHL could have started the finals right away instead of having a massive gap between the conference finals and finals and avoided much of the overlap they are now running into with the NBA.

Based on the calendars, something like the 25th/27th in Vegas would have allow for 30th/1st games in Washington.....none of which coincide with the NBA finals games thus far.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The NBA Finals are even worse, going to be Thursday-Sunday-Wednesday-Friday-Monday-Thursday-Sunday. Just absurd.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

The thing is, the NHL could have started the finals right away instead of having a massive gap between the conference finals and finals and avoided much of the overlap they are now running into with the NBA.

Based on the calendars, something like the 25th/27th in Vegas would have allow for 30th/1st games in Washington.....none of which coincide with the NBA finals games thus far.

Yeah. I get not wanting to go the same night.
The week off prior to is unnecessary

[Buff]

The gap between the semi-final and the final seems to be related to start dates. It seems like they want to start the Stanley Cup Final on a Monday. It has started on a Monday for a few years now.

The gaps between games seem to be related to travel. There was a one day break between Games 1 and 2. Also between Games 3 and 4. They travelled between 2 and 3 so they gave an extra day off there. They also had two days off between 4 & 5, 5 & 6 and 6 & 7. My theory is due to potentially longer travel between the Eastern and Western teams. They want the teams to be as rested as they can be between travel days instead of quickly finish a game that maybe went into triple overtime, rush to fly across two or three time zones, barely get a days break and then play again.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Ahem...





It is not really that difficult to understand. The league plays 82 games and are reticent to shorten the season for fear of all the lost revenue. They are then faced with juggling the schedule against viewing competition from the NFL and MLB playoffs on one end, and the NBA finals on the other.

In the end, it is all about maximizing revenue.

You'll have to expand on how deliberately creating a logjam with the NBA finals when there were several options for starting 2-3 days earlier available at both venues in Washington/Vegas somehow maximizes revenue for the NHL? On the other side, you're also saying if the finals ended a week to ten days earlier the NHL would be negatively impacted financially?

I can't see how that has any merit at all but maybe I'm just missing something here. There's still the same number of games being played and I'm willing to bet the longer this drags on, the worse the viewership gets for the NHL as the casual - average hockey fans slowly tune out for other summer sports/activities.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Buff

The gap between the semi-final and the final seems to be related to start dates. It seems like they want to start the Stanley Cup Final on a Monday. It has started on a Monday for a few years now.

The gaps between games seem to be related to travel. There was a one day break between Games 1 and 2. Also between Games 3 and 4. They travelled between 2 and 3 so they gave an extra day off there. They also had two days off between 4 & 5, 5 & 6 and 6 & 7. My theory is due to potentially longer travel between the Eastern and Western teams. They want the teams to be as rested as they can be between travel days instead of quickly finish a game that maybe went into triple overtime, rush to fly across two or three time zones, barely get a days break and then play again.

I can see that logic for sure, however, all of this time off they are building into the latter portion of the playoffs is taking away from the flow and intensity of the game. Even the players have been vocal about how it made game 1 of the finals a very difficult task after sitting for so long. For me, the playoffs should be about stamina and intensity and this is being killed with all these breaks.

If the travel is becoming such a concern, perhaps they should look at a 2-3-2 format and keep things moving with less flights.

[Weitz]

You think the intensity would be greater with less breaks? I think you would see more tired and boring games as guys are gassed.

[CroFlames]

For the Finals especially, I think the breaks are a good idea. Gives time for the stars to rest and builds a bit of anticipation.

Avoiding the NBA Finals has benefits both ways. I find myself tuning into the NBA on off nights. I think some NBA fans are tuning into hockey as well.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Weitz

You think the intensity would be greater with less breaks? I think you would see more tired and boring games as guys are gassed.

This is exactly why I think they have the longer breaks for the Final.

I think I remember complaints about travel during 2011 when Vancouver and Boston played. Those two places are among the farthest apart in the NHL. They didn't have much rhyme or reason for breaks between days, other than possible scheduling conflicts.

I looked back at the schedule and there was Game 1, then two days off and then Game 2. Travel across the country and only had one day between games 2 & 3. One day between 3 & 4 and one day between 4 & 5. Then they had two days between 5 & 6 and back to one day between 6 & 7. I don't remember seeing one team completely gassed but I think there was a comment about how tiring it is to do all that travel. They didn't change it for a few years because it looks like each year followed a very similar format. One day break between all games, except two days between 1 & 2 and two days between either 4 & 5 or 5 &6.

This is actually the third year for the current scheduling format for breaks. One day break between games in the same city and two days when they travel between cities.

[SuperMatt18]

The only one that makes little sense to me is not having a game Saturday.

Game 4 - Monday
Game 5- Thursday
Game 6 - Saturday
Game 7 - Tuesday

I don't mind having 2 days off on travel days for the series - but think they should have tried harder to get that game on Saturday.

[IamNotKenKing]

Caps finished May 23.
Had to give Caps at least 2 days off, being 24 & 25.
T-mobile had a concert May 26.
That leaves May 27 & 29 or May 28 & 30.
Then they try to balance with the NBA, so as not to go head to head, or face crazy long breaks.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

The only one that makes little sense to me is not having a game Saturday.

Game 4 - Monday
Game 5- Thursday
Game 6 - Saturday
Game 7 - Tuesday

I don't mind having 2 days off on travel days for the series - but think they should have tried harder to get that game on Saturday.

Game 1? There was a concert in Vegas.

[GirlySports]

I think Saturday night hockey is a traditional thing in Canada due to habit but has no significance in the US.

Also for me once the playoffs start every night is the same. Saturday doesn't hold the same meaning as during the season.

[Buff]

I got curious about the start dates of the Stanley Cup Final because I seem to remember it always starting on the same day of the week and recently it has been Monday. The NHL seems to be a bit cyclical on which day of the week they want the final round to start. I'm not sure if it is coincidental of there is a rhyme or reason. I looked back several years and kept seeing common days so I went all the way back to 1989 and here is what I've found:

Monday starts: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2007, 2006
Wednesday starts: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 1991
Saturday starts: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 1997, 1995
Tuesday starts: 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1990
Sunday start: 1989

- 1989 and 1991 seem to be abnormal
- They tried to start on Tuesday for many years, with a couple of Saturday starts
- They tried Monday a couple of years then switched to Saturday for three years.
- Wednesday started 5 years in a row
- Monday for the last 3.

Is this all coincidental? What is their reasoning? They don't like starting on Sunday, Thursday or Friday though and until recently they didn't like Wednesday or Monday.

Lots of other considerations, like how many days break between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final each year? When did the regular season end that year? Arena previously had a booking? All of those could play into how they like to start the Final round but it does seem they like a particular day and try to stick with it for a while.