[PST] Stanley Cup Semifinal: Canadiens vs. Golden Knights---the Habs win the series 4-2!

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I know lots of people hate Vegas but screw it I hope they win now. I know really everybody likes to credit the expansion draft but the rules didn’t get Vegas to this position. Strong management and them just abusing other NHL GMs is what got them here.

If anything they are the gold standard in the NHL along with Tampa.

1) They prove how bad the other GMs are at their jobs with how bad they flubbed up expansion, and with how Vegas seems to win trades.

2) It shows that there is benefit in taking risks, making trades, and not just accepting the status quo.

3) They don’t have their own top 3 pick on the team and never “tanked” or looked at needing to suck for 5 years to be good.

4) It shows how having a super-desirable city that a single-digit number of teams can even compete with gets you amazing players who only want to play for you.

That's why people hate them.

[taxbuster]

This is gonna be one tough row to hoe for the Habs. Vegas is looking pretty darn good after sending Colo golfing. Reasonably quickly. On the other hand, if Price plays like he has...they have a decent chance at winning. Won't be a short series if that plays out.

[FireGilbert]

Pacioretty vs Suzuki is an interesting story. Both players with 8 playoff points so far.

I wonder if Vegas regrets the trade given the age and contract differences.

[ComixZone]

I feel like Tampa Vs. Vegas is inevitable, but !@#$ it - give me some Islanders Vs. Canadiens.

[Roof-Daddy]

4 seasons in the league
173-94-24 regular season record
+146 regular season goal differential
36-24 playoff record
+34 playoff goal differential
7 playoff series wins
1 cup finals appearance and counting
2 conference finals appearances

So this is the third time in 4 seasons that the Knights will be in the final 4, and very likely the 2nd time in 4 seasons that they will be in the Cup finals.

Should have been born a VGK fan I guess. Must be nice to toil for years as a VGK fan and then finally be rewarded with a contender.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

4) It shows how having a super-desirable city that a single-digit number of teams can even compete with gets you amazing players who only want to play for you.

That's why people hate them.

Thing is lots of cities are desirable.

Basketball players love Miami and LA. Not like New York isn’t a desirable place and there are three teams there.

Vegas is a fun place to go, but it’s not like before the Golden Knights were there that it was talked about as a great place to live that attracts people like New York, LA or other big markets do.

It is a combination of all the pieces because if Vegas was a bottom feeder that wasn’t good on the ice then no way do Stone or Pietrangelo sign there.

[djsFlames]

I think Vegas steamrolls them.

Its been child's play north of the border. Frankly a joke on the rest of the Canadian teams that the Habs came out of the North.

They have heart though.

[homestand]

At the start of the season, Burke picked the Habs to come out of the North.

[stemit14]

Price and fleury are the wildcards to this series. Both are great goaltenders. I would say fleury is the more likely of the two to lose his game. He’s made some amazing saves but also let in a few soft ones in these playoffs. When Price is on his game, it doesn’t seem to matter who Montreal plays… his team has a shot. Teams will out-chance them for a period and they will all of a sudden have a two-on-one and capitalize. Or get a powerplay and all of a sudden look like the 2008-2009 Detroit Redwings out there.

I said it before… Montreal has this weird luck in the playoffs. Going to face the leafs? Tavares and Muzzin go down. Going to face the jets? Scheifele suspended four games. Haven’t won 5 games in a row in 4 years? Win 7 in a row when you are down 3-1 in a series. It’s unreal. It honestly feels like they could play a whole game against Vegas, allow 50 shots on goal, Vegas hits 4 posts, fleury faces a total of 5 shots… and Montreal still wins the game 2-1.

That’s what Vegas has to watch out for… this crazy luck/goaltending/opportunistic scoring mojo that Montreal has. Vegas could dominate virtually every metric there is and still lose because price was incredible and Toffoli scores 7 goals on 8 shots in 4 games.

Not trying to say Montreal didn’t earn their wins… they dominated Winnipeg and they played an aggressive defensive game against Toronto. I just think they have not had much - if any - bad luck/costly injuries/poor goaltending in these playoffs and had to battle through it. The other teams have at least had to battle through some of that to get to the final four.


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[zamler]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Price and fleury are the wildcards to this series. Both are great goaltenders. I would say fleury is the more likely of the two to lose his game.

I'd say since MAF has played way more playoff games it seems that way, but I'll take a 3 time Cup winner over a zero championship goalie 10 out of 10. Fleury all time in playoffs is 86-67 Price 38-39.

[savemedrzaius]

So Game 1 will be Saturday right?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

So Game 1 will be Saturday right?

Monday.

[Jacks]

I don't hate Vegas like most people seem to but I do love a hard working underdog.
MTL in 7.

[CASe333]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

4 seasons in the league
173-94-24 regular season record
+146 regular season goal differential
36-24 playoff record
+34 playoff goal differential
7 playoff series wins
1 cup finals appearance and counting
2 conference finals appearances

So this is the third time in 4 seasons that the Knights will be in the final 4, and very likely the 2nd time in 4 seasons that they will be in the Cup finals.

Should have been born a VGK fan I guess. Must be nice to toil for years as a VGK fan and then finally be rewarded with a contender.

Can you imagine how it feels for a Columbus fan in comparison:
-13 years missed playoffs
-playoff record 15 wins/26 losses
-made it to second round once

Meanwhile speaking of spoiled fans the Habs won 10 cups between 1965-1979. That always blows my mind since I wasn't born yet. By 86 I was old enough to learn to hate them and then they somehow managed to win the cup in 93 (nice to bring in Kirk Muller from that team!). Since then the Habs haven't made it to the Finals and no Canadian team has won the cup. That's some interesting voodoo considering we are coming up on 30 years of no Canadian team winning the cup.

I'm actually a bit torn who to cheer for in this series. Go Islanders!

[activeStick]

Vegas in 4

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by homestand

At the start of the season, Burke picked the Habs to come out of the North.

I remember that and thinking it's good he retired.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I know Vegas looks better on paper and did very well against another good team on paper: Colorado.

However, I don't think people are giving Montreal a lot of credit. It's not like they beat AHL teams to get to this point. They played a strong team game, good defensive structure, timely big plays, especially in net, and as far as I'm concerned, they earned their spot so far.

Also, Vegas barely got past Minnesota in the 1st round, another team that plays a strong team game and focused on defense first. I suspect this series will be much closer than people want to admit. I think Vegas wins it due to some slightly superior talent at key positions, but I wouldn't be shocked at all to see it go the distance.

Vegas in 7.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I know Vegas looks better on paper and did very well against another good team on paper: Colorado.

However, I don't think people are giving Montreal a lot of credit. It's not like they beat AHL teams to get to this point. They played a strong team game, good defensive structure, timely big plays, especially in net, and as far as I'm concerned, they earned their spot so far.

Also, Vegas barely got past Minnesota in the 1st round, another team that plays a strong team game and focused on defense first. I suspect this series will be much closer than people want to admit. I think Vegas wins it due to some slightly superior talent at key positions, but I wouldn't be shocked at all to see it go the distance.

Vegas in 7.

Well Montreal barely got by the Leafs in the playoffs and beat a Jets team that was rusty after not really facing a playoff team themselves in the first round. This will be the first real, made for the playoffs team that the Habs have faced.

[Erick Estrada]

It's hard to judge the Habs as the Leafs were cruising to an easy 1st round win and just choked and the Jets totally folded with the worst 5 on 5 expected goals for % ever recorded in a playoff series. Unless the Knights have a total letdown after beating the Avs, I just don't see how they can lose this series.

[442scotty]

Common sense says Vegas in 4