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Canadian residents barred from buying tickets for Maple Leafs-Panthers games in Florida

   

Round 2 is done. Sucks that Toronto and Edmonton are out though.

Round 3:
Dallas vs Vegas
Carolina vs Florida

I'm not even really interested now as the only other teams I was remotely hoping for are all out. Good thing I don't waste my time and money betting on such things.

   

I'm gladly Edmonton's out. I hate those guys for various Calgarian reasons. Once again the Edmonton media and fans are being their usual charming post-elimination selves. Ken Holland built a playoff-capable team that just needs a couple more players to get deep into the finals. But because it didn't happen immediately, even after making the playoffs for the last four seasons in a row after an absolutely dismal time in the 2010's, the armchair geniuses want Holland fired.

Edmonton and Toronto are identical in at least one respect - the tantrums & fits their absolutely loathsome local sports media and far too many in their fan base throw every year when things go sour on the ice make it a hell lot of fun to watch when they lose.

   

I thought Edmonton has had a good team for a few years now and that this would be their year. Finding that winning formula is tough considering how good everyone else is too.

I haven't watched any playoff games this year from start to finish, mostly bits and sometimes the third periods and OT's while channel surfing other things.

   

Edmonton's perennial problem is that the get this idea in their collective heads that they're so overwhelmingly mighty that everyone else has no choice but to bow before them. The win one blow-out game in the first or second round series and it's suddenly "aww yeah, everyone get out of our way, just hand us the Cup right now baybay!". It's like they're completely incapable of processing the fact that there are valid reasons the other teams made the playoffs too. Like, why would they have assumed for a second that Vegas was going to be a cakewalk, especially when Vegas finished ahead of the Oilers in the regular season and had home-ice advantage.

Lots of teams are just crap (e.g. Calgary). Other teams are just sad sacks (e.g. Toronto). Edmonton though? They're outright delusional there and this endless "we're simply gonna stomp the shit out of everyone else!" mentality they have in the press and fanbase ends up poisoning the team with expectations that are sheer insanity. McDavid & Draisaitl are great but no one in their right mind would ever compare the overall team & organization they have right now to what they had during the Gretzky & Messier era.

And we're only three months & change away from Edmonton starting all over again with a fresh new season of "yeah, man, we've got it made for sure this year!". Sigh.

   

The only thing that made me happy since the playoffs started is when Boston left the building.

   

Yeah, that was pretty cool, especially with the season they had. Made me think that Florida will end up with the parade this year.

   

Holy crap but what a game 1 between Florida and Carolina. I was watching something else then realized the time and went to a sportsnet channel to see what the score was (thinking it was over with) and saw they'd gone into OT. Then every time I checked back they were still playing. I did end up watching the 4th OT and was just getting up because the period was about to end when Florida scored. What a bummer for the Carolina fans who stayed to the end. Been there done that about 15yrs ago with the WHL Giants who lost in the 4th OT. That was a long night.

   

Both Florida and Vegas are up 3-0 heading into games 4 today and tomorrow. How bizarre that round 3 could be decided in sweeps. Not shocked that it is these 2 teams but I definitely expected the series to go 6 or 7 games.

   

I just checked and both NBA semi-finals were also 3-0 up until last night.

   

And the Panthers sweep Carolina. Feel kinda bad for Carolina, every game was a close one.

   

I almost forgot about updating this thread.

Vegas finished their series against Dallas this past Monday and the final round begins tomorrow.

   

The perennial problem in Edmonton is defence.

Too many of the team's defencemen spend more time focused on making plays and getting points instead of keeping goals out of their own net. Same goes for the forwards - far too many are lousy defensively, but because management is based largely around guys from the 80s, all they can think of is offence, but they conveniently forget Lee Fogolin, Dave Lumley, Dave Hunter, Randy Gregg, and other defensive specialists they had to make sure the big stars could run and gun for two thirds of the game.

Skinner has gotten a lot of criticism, and while he let in some soft goals, far more were because of defensive breakdowns, gaffes or mistakes by other players. Team defence needs improvement, not more offence, but I can pretty much guarantee all the top draft picks this year will be forwards focused on scoring, not defencemen or defensive forwards. Edmonton's reputation (and location), makes it hard to trade for high-end players, so the team needs to draft them, but based on history, that won't happen.

Two key elements in the Oilers' 2006 Cup run were Chris Pronger and Michael Peca - two defensive monsters who shutdown other team's top forwards, but the current iteration doesn't really have anyone like that, except maybe Ekholm (good, but not nearly as good as Pronger was in his heyday) now.

I also agree with you about the fanbase here - many Edmonton fans are spoiled and think the Cup is their birthright, when the reality is the team hasn't won since 1990. I was listening to a talk show at the beginning of the playoffs, and almost every fan who called in assumed the Oilers were just going to sweep other teams on their way to the Finals, and every time the team lost, people lost their minds on social media about the 'scapegoat of the day' (usually Skinner).

   

Well, the final round could be done tonight. I'd much rather see Vegas win the cup anyway.

   

And….it’s over. Las Vegas clinches it in just their sixth year of existence (cries in Canucks’). And they did it was comprehensive drubbing of Florida.

   

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