re: 2022 NHL Season Thread

Penguins may have lost the inside track for the WC to Florida today
Buffalo still somehow barely alive

WC race in west also heating up too with Calgary gaining on Winnipeg

Central and Pacific still both wide open with results so far although if Minnesota can come back v VGK I’d favor them to win the Central

three big games today in regard to playoff races and division titles

VGK @ wild
Yotes @ kraken
preds @ Stars

Calgary is now the only team to lose to Chicago 3 times this season.

Calgary would be comfortably in a playoff spot if they hadn’t lost to THE frickING BLACKHAWKS three times this year.

It was also their 870th one-goal loss of the season, approximately.

Kadri played like he had money on the Hawks.

I am in an abusive relationship with a hockey team.

Winning the division seems even more important this year than in years past.
Seattle wouldn't be a cakewalk but Colorado would much rather play them vs Min/Dal in first round

Not saying a WC couldn't get hot and make a run because it happens fairly often, but none of the WCs on either side seem primed to do that this year.
The 2-3 matchups will be monsters in all 4 divisions.

I'm getting excited for the playoffs

Any OT in the NHL playoffs is some of the most edge of your seat sports viewing you can watch.

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Seattle wouldn't be a cakewalk but Colorado would much rather play them vs Min/Dal in first round

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Absolutely, and I’d argue it’s primarily out of the idea that Landeskog is going to need a few games to iron out the rust. Landy MIGHT play a game or two (probably minimal time) next week to get on the ice again, but I don’t want his rust getting tested against MIN/DAL.

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Bednar sure as hell has earned his pay this season.

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Excellent coach. I used to be pretty heavily involved in the ECHL, and I remember his SC Stingray clubs. He's an "overnight" success that worked his way up over 20 years, with a championship at every level.

Not an Avs fan, but I have a lot of respect for Coach Beds.

What the Bruins have done this season is amazing. I figured they’d be a wild card or middle of the pack playoff team and their window was closing.

What does this thread think of their Cup chances? It usually doesn’t go that way but they just don’t lose. They’re built for the playoffs and are winning games down the stretch without really trying too hard.

Can’t stand the Bruins btw but I think only 2-3 other teams in the east can beat them unless they pull a Columbus.

I mean they sat out Marchand and Bergy against the Canes and still beat them on the road when they were sporting the Whalers jerseys not long ago. Both Ullmark and Sway have been rock steady all season, they've won 30 games holding teams to 1 or less goals this year. It's hard to find weaknesses.

The playoffs tend to bring out weirdness though. That cup run when they lost to the Blues I thought Bergeron, Krejci, and Marchand were seemingly out of gas by that point and they've only added a few years now and I feel like some cracks are starting to show just a little bit late in this season. They've been playing with fire a lot, I mean even tonight they were down until they knotted it up with less than 10 to go in regulation. They've been kind of load managing a bit recently, but they've still been winning games despite it, but will that fly in the playoffs?

Who knows. Personally I don't think they're going to lose 1st round, certainly not get swept like the Lightning. But I just think they might run out of gas sometime during the course of the playoffs and they'll fall short. I say they make the conference finals and lose there. Would love to be proven wrong though