~2018-19 NHL Thread~

[ELA]

From ESPN

The Lightning had 128 points in the regular season, with a points percentage of .780, the second-highest rate for an 82-game season in NHL history, behind only the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (.799). They tied that Red Wings team with 62 wins, the most recorded in the 100-plus-year history of NHL hockey. They clinched a playoff spot after just 68 games and were coasting well before reaching that mark. They weren't just winning -- they were crushing opponents. They had the league's best power play and best penalty kill, and they were the highest-scoring team on average (3.89) since Detroit in that 1995-96 season. Of their 62 wins, 30 were by a margin of three or more goals, which was tied for the most since 1992-93.

[NickSmith4Three]

And what's got into the Islanders?   I'm no hockey guru, but I don't think I've noticed the Islanders this late in the year since I was a kid in the 80s.

Barry Trotz

[ELA]

Lose Tavares, get better.  Who knew?

[Anonymous Coward]

From ESPN

The Lightning had 128 points in the regular season, with a points percentage of .780, the second-highest rate for an 82-game season in NHL history, behind only the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (.799). They tied that Red Wings team with 62 wins, the most recorded in the 100-plus-year history of NHL hockey. They clinched a playoff spot after just 68 games and were coasting well before reaching that mark. They weren't just winning -- they were crushing opponents. They had the league's best power play and best penalty kill, and they were the highest-scoring team on average (3.89) since Detroit in that 1995-96 season. Of their 62 wins, 30 were by a margin of three or more goals, which was tied for the most since 1992-93.

And here I have always been bitterly disappointed that the 95-96 Wings lost to the Avalanche in the conference finals. I can't imagine being a Lightning fan.

[ELA]

And here I have always been bitterly disappointed that the 95-96 Wings lost to the Avalanche in the conference finals. I can't imagine being a Lightning fan.

Yeah, at least that team lost, in an actual series, to the second best team.  Not the #8 seed, in a sweep, in the 1st round.
I've always gone back and forth as to whether the '94 Sharks loss or '96 Avs loss was worse.  Sharks was obviously more stunning, but I agree, that Avs loss hurt more.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Russian Five deserved more Stanley Cups, and this was the worst of the squandered chances. 

Also (because we never knew how limited their window would be): poor poor Vladimir K. This post made me check on him. Fortunately it sounds like he's doing somewhat better these days, though still with deficits in speech and ambulation.

[ELA]

Didn't Yzerman move back to Detroit recently? Is that for purely personal reasons or is there a reason to think he wants to (and could) move into the front office? I'm not a big believer in panaceas, but ...

It's happening!

https://twitter.com/GMillerTSN/status/1119182088761221120

[Anonymous Coward]

YZERMANNN!!!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

[SFBadger96]

Sharks/Vegas game 7 was pretty wild. Right call that it was a 5-minute major for the cross-check on Pavelski? FWIW--as a Sharks fan--I think there's a double minor on that play--one to Eakin for the cross-check, one to Stastny for interference. As I understand the rule, a major is based on the intent, not the outcome. And the injury most likely resulted from Stastny's interference, not Eakin's cross-check.

Hope Pavs is ok--as a Badger, he's my favorite.

Playoff hockey is awesome.

[ELA]

It would appear the lesson this year is that the regular season is meaningless.

[ELA]

I wonder if a team had ever swept a team who swept a team who swept a team in the NBA/NHL/MLB before last night?