Alternate History Sports / Playoff Hockey Is Back!

**Posted by CCLXXXVII** 8/12/2020 5:53 pm

Section30 wrote:
Dan O'Mac wrote:
I will say that the teams' and league are killing it on Twitter. Between the league sharing their in arena screen saying "It's time for the 7th period stretch", the Blue Jackets dropping a "Technically no one has left their seats to beat traffic", and the Hurricanes with a "Hey NHL, not to tattle but we were supposed to play at 8:00 and the Blue Jackets and Lightning won't get off the ice", I've got some additional entertainment.
They definitely hired the right people lol

Other things that I thought were funny were the "Deja Vu?" in the BOS-CAR game when it got to 2OT, the Hurricanes tweeting out a "pain" meme when their game was pushed back, and the NHL posting a Jeopardy style Daily Double (Overtime) graphic on social media

There was also the “Thank you Fans” thing that Dallas did

**Posted by Darknes** 8/12/2020 7:03 pm

I'll give credit where credit is due, Boston actually showed up and controlled for the most part the flow of the game. Now all we had to do is get ready for tomorrow night and don't make stupid mistakes.

**Posted by Rugrat** 8/23/2020 10:48 am

Second round predictions
Flyers vs Islanders I smell an upset here NYI in 6
Lightning vs Bruins this could go either way but I have Tampa in 7
Golden Knights vs Canucks this is definitely the most one sided matchup Vegas in a sweep
Avs vs Stars again another toss up of a series but my gut says Dallas in 6

**Posted by ThisIsFine** 8/23/2020 12:03 pm

My personal prediction for the finals is Tampa Bay over Dallas, 4-2.

**Posted by Darknes** 8/23/2020 2:13 pm

So I went 7 out of 8 overall with my only miss being the Stars.
Islanders - Flyers: I think this one will be a tough out for both sides, I do think the Island has the tools to win it. Islanders in 6
Bruins - Bolts: Hoo boy, this is going to be a brutal one for my blood pressure. I think the B's have the tools and they're heating up at the right time. Bruins in 7
Golden Knights - Canucks: Mm this one is murky to me, I think it could be a weird series..I think Golden Knights in 6..but I wouldn't be surprised if the Canucks win it.
Stars - Avs: Avalanche to me are most complete team..until you reach the net especially with Grubaeur out..I got the Stars here in 6.

**Posted by Section30** 8/23/2020 5:02 pm

PHI-NYI - I'm hoping that the Flyers big scorers wake up and actually do something. Its gonna be back and forth but I think Flyers in 7
TB-BOS - I think that Tampa will ride the momentum after taking down the Jackets and advance in 5
VGK-VAN - I've been really impressed with Vancouver since all this restarted, I think that it'll go the distance but the Nucks will fall in game 7 to send the Knights to the semis
COL-DAL - I really hate both of these teams, but I'm gonna pull for the Stars because I just can't stand the Avs, Dallas in 6

**Posted by Darknes** 8/23/2020 7:15 pm

Section30 wrote:
PHI-NYI - I'm hoping that the Flyers big scorers wake up and actually do something. Its gonna be back and forth but I think Flyers in 7
TB-BOS - I think that Tampa will ride the momentum after taking down the Jackets and advance in 5
VGK-VAN - I've been really impressed with Vancouver since all this restarted, I think that it'll go the distance but the Nucks will fall in game 7 to send the Knights to the semis
COL-DAL - I really hate both of these teams, but I'm gonna pull for the Stars because I just can't stand the Avs, Dallas in 6

I don't think it's going to be that easy, I think the most interesting fact that no one is going to bring up will be the conditioning for Tampa. They played effectively a 7 game series with all the overtime that they played in the time it took 5 games. Now they play effectively a similar team albeit with more offensive skill. This series smells like it's going at least 6 if not 7

**Posted by Thehealthiestscratch** 8/23/2020 7:49 pm

Darknes wrote:
Section30 wrote:
PHI-NYI - I'm hoping that the Flyers big scorers wake up and actually do something. Its gonna be back and forth but I think Flyers in 7
TB-BOS - I think that Tampa will ride the momentum after taking down the Jackets and advance in 5
VGK-VAN - I've been really impressed with Vancouver since all this restarted, I think that it'll go the distance but the Nucks will fall in game 7 to send the Knights to the semis
COL-DAL - I really hate both of these teams, but I'm gonna pull for the Stars because I just can't stand the Avs, Dallas in 6
I don't think it's going to be that easy, I think the most interesting fact that no one is going to bring up will be the conditioning for Tampa. They played effectively a 7 game series with all the overtime that they played in the time it took 5 games. Now they play effectively a similar team albeit with more offensive skill. This series smells like it's going at least 6 if not 7

More games = less chance for Boston.

Halak is good, but look at that schedule. Who makes a team go back-to-back in the playoffs? This reeks of AAA club tournament and comes off less like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Point is that if TB wears him down enough then BOS has nothing else to fall back on, and I don’t see that approach being out of the question given TB’s firepower. Then again, Tampa does have a reputation of making things harder for themselves than need be at times.

**Posted by Thehealthiestscratch** 8/23/2020 7:55 pm

Section30 wrote:
PHI-NYI - I'm hoping that the Flyers big scorers wake up and actually do something. Its gonna be back and forth but I think Flyers in 7
TB-BOS - I think that Tampa will ride the momentum after taking down the Jackets and advance in 5
VGK-VAN - I've been really impressed with Vancouver since all this restarted, I think that it'll go the distance but the Nucks will fall in game 7 to send the Knights to the semis
COL-DAL - I really hate both of these teams, but I'm gonna pull for the Stars because I just can't stand the Avs, Dallas in 6

PHI has a goalie for the first time in about 40 years, so I like their odds.

TB just needs to solve Halak, and I have no doubt that happens.

I agree....... unlessssssss Vegas takes a major penalty in the third.

Speaking of major penalties, I wanted to point out that Pavelski finally got the experience of scoring 4 goals in 6 minutes in game 7 against Calgary. (Last time a team he was on did that was when... well he was in a dressing room bleeding from the head)

Seriously, it’s nice to see him show his playoff talents on a team that looks promising. The guy can score in the oddest ways and it’s probably aggravating for opposing fans. I’m all in for the team that holds literally half of my childhood favorites. Go Dallas.

**Posted by CCLXXXVII** 8/26/2020 9:13 am

I know this is late but my Round 2 predictions:

Vancouver in 6 - I honestly am kinda sick of Vegas. I think if Markstrom can step up they can win this series.

Dallas in 7 - 2-0 YEAH! I would make this a 6 game series if not for the fact that 1) our offensive production has always been our biggest flaw in recent years and 2) Francouz may turn out to be a decent backup like Dobby and 3) Grubauer might come back.

New York in 6 - Sorry Gritty, I just feel like the Islanders have been the better team. Varlamov has really found his stride and I can easily see their offensive production clicking with him to make a devestating offense/defense combo.

Tampa in 6 - This could really go either way, but I go Lightning mostly because they seem like the most “complete” team playing right now.