NHL 2019-20 season

They never should have hired him to begin with, but more importantly they never should have fired Gallant

 

VEGAS BABY!!!!

 

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Tampa absolutely shelled the Islanders tonight. Wow. Hope this is a sign of what’s to come...

 

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Dallas has Vegas' number. Hang around and wait for them to do something stupid.

 

At least VGK weed is on sale now.


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The Golden Knights turned into crap under Coach Da Bore

Barely beat Chicago
Barely beat Vancouver
Got crushed by Dallas.

 

Next year for the Knights. Go Lightning!!!

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Except they fired Gallant and hired DeBoer

 

Isn't that what I told you when they hired him?

 

Yep... you were right. Vegas never played up to its potential since the round robin.

IMO Colorado should be in the finals but where hurt too much by injuries. Vegas doesn't have that excuse.

Too many stupid penalties, too many "cute-sy" plays that failed, a horrible powerplay even with a 2 man advantage, and worst of all uneven play. Its like from period to period they changed uniforms with a different team. Yesterday's third period was an example of the entire season. They lost 2 games in OT in the first 5 minutes without even a shot on goal.

Well, there is next year...

Everyone keeps saying what a great goalie Lehner is -- but I've never seen it. When he does down on the ice he's like a beached whale. He made some great saves and then let in too many that shouldn't have, including the 2 in OT.

Coach Dah-Bore has something against Fleury. Not sure what it is....

 

Great observation. That is a reflection on the coach. DeBoer is not fit to coach an NHL team, Gallant is.

 

Tampa playing Dallas for the Stanley Cup!

Go Bolts!!!

 

So the Islanders finally reached the end of their rope. But I think the fans are happy that they at least made it to the "final four". After years of frustration, I think the outlook for the near future is optimistic!

 

Veteran Lightning Favored to Win Stanley Cup, Rested Stars Await Them in Final

After nearly two months since play resumed in the NHL, we’re finally down to two teams left. The Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning will square off in the Stanley Cup Final starting Saturday night.
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Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate a goal against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Final. Tampa Bay is the favorite against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final, which starts Saturday. (Image: Jason Franson/Canadian Press)

The best-of-seven series, like the conference finals that preceded it, will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, one of two hubs the NHL employed to resume play after the COVID-19 crisis halted the league for more than four months.

According to the oddsmakers, the Lightning will skate into the Final as the favorite to win their second Cup in franchise history. This will be their third appearance in the Final, having won it in 2004 and lost to Chicago in 2015.

2020 NHL Stanley Cup Final Odds
William Hill: Lightning -190, Stars +170
FanDuel: Lightning -195, Stars +155
DraftKings: Lightning -182, Stars +160
Circa Sports: Lightning -188, Stars +163
BetMGM: Lightning -182, Stars +150
PointsBet: Lightning -180, Stars +145

For the Stars, this marks their return to the Stanley Cup Final after a 20-year absence. After hoisting the Cup in 1999, they fell to New Jersey a year later. Combining the years the team played in Minnesota, the Stars now have made five trips to the championship series.

Game 1 starts Saturday at 7:30 pm ET. The game will air on NBC.

Lightning Led by Veteran Core
The Lightning reach the final a year after their most disappointing playoff appearance. In 2019, they were overwhelming favorites entering the postseason after winning 62 of 82 games and racking up 21 more points than the next best team, Boston, in the Eastern Conference.

Despite the great season, the last-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the Bolts with a four-game sweep.

While such an exit might have been painful for a less veteran crew, it wasn’t for the Tampa Bay, which features a cadre of veteran players who have been together for years. This year marked the fourth time in the last six, the Bolts have reached the conference final.

To get back the way we have, especially with the core group all still together, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” coach Jon Cooper said. That’s why I’m so happy for the players, because, man, did they gut this stuff out.”

Tampa, the preseason Cup favorites, has one of the more prolific offenses in the NHL, and Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point currently lead all players in playoff points, with 26 and 25 respectively. True to their name, the Lightning can strike quickly, as they showed in their 8-2 romp over the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals earlier this month.

And they’ve continued the offensive production even without captain Steven Stamkos, who has missed the entire playoffs so far with a lower-body injury. Stamkos, who was second on the team in points in the regular season, is with the teams and has skated, but team officials are closed-lipped on any potential return.

But they can also play defense. Andrei Vasilevskiy will be between the pipes for Tampa Bay and he’s posted a strong 1.82 goals-against average this postseason.

Stars Get Rest Before Stanley Cup Final
When play ended in March, Dallas found itself among the top four teams in the Western Conference, but it ranked among the worst teams in the league with a paltry 178 goals in 69 games. By comparison, Tampa Bay led the NHL with 243 in 70 games before COVID-19 forced the teams off the ice.

Dallas though comes into the Final the more-rested team. They got five days off after dispatching the Vegas Golden Knights in five conference final games.

Coach Rick Bowness said his team needed the rest before the Stanley Cup Final.

“We had some guys, they’re banged up and they’re tired,” he said. “But speaking with a couple of veterans today, they’re ready to get playing again.”

Somehow Dallas has advanced despite being outscored in the playoffs and seeding games 62-64. They’re led by defenseman Miro Heiskanen, whose 22 points lead all blueliners in the postseason.

The Stars have also gotten some strong play from rookie right wing Denis Gurianov. He scored a team-high 20 goals in the regular season. However, he only ranked eighth on the team in points with 29. Howe’s upped his performance in Edmonton as he’s picked up 17 points in 21 games to lead all rookies.

 

Got real silent after Vegas left. Been keeping up with it and now lightning is looking to take it home!

 

Still here pulling for the Lightning. I hate Dallas.

 

Canadian fans may be upset that not only are, once again, the two finalists from the United States, but that they are from the southern United States, where snow and ice are fairly rare and outdoor rinks are non-existent!

 

Tampa wins it all!

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