MaTH716 vs. -BT- (NHL Playoffs)

[MaTH716]

[quote=-BT-;928064]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Seriously, I expect you to know better........

Agreed about Nash, he's done nothing. That being said, the series is still 3-3 despite getting absolutely zero out of him.
As far as I'm concerned, the pressure is on the Caps tonight. Game 7 at home, all the stats favor them. The Columbus connection have nothing to lose tonight, this is a game that all the experts are expecting them to lose.[/QUOTE]

http://www.capgeek.com/rangers


you should know better than that, I understand you being a pessimist in this situation, I’m the same way.
But you can’t say this is a game they’re expected to lose. They have $14+ million per year tied up into 2 two players for the next 5 years who have COMBINED for ONE GOAL and ONE ASSIST in this series, TWO TOTAL POINTS!
The only reason the pressure is on for the caps is b/c game 7 is in their barn.
They didn’t bankroll the season at deadline or in the off season like the Rags, Clowe, Brassard, Dorsett, Nash. Let’s put all the cards on the table and call this what it is, if the Rags don’t win this game and go even further in the playoffs, this season is a complete loss, more so than any other team who doesn’t win the cup. You don’t load up to get knocked out in the first round with a roster like that, so I say to you, the pressure is on NY

-bt-

I'll agree that the season would be a disappointment based on the pre-season expectations. Realistically though this was a team that was pretty bad at times during the season and needed a late run just to qualify for the playoffs. Nash has been a disappointment for me, no arguments, but he had been shadowed everywhere (ala Ovechkin). Richards has been an absolute failure all season and I expect him to be bought out at the end of the year (barring some miraculous turn around).

As far as loading up at the deadline:
Although the Gabby trade has helped them out in the short term immensely, this was a move for the future. Three players that fit three different needs for the team all under 26 years old.
The Clowe deal (possible rental player) was the so-called "playoff push" move and he's been hurt.
So I disagree with your bankroll statement. They gave up a few picks for Clowe and traded a 31 year old scorer who was going in to the last year of his contract that all of a sudden didn't fit in to the scheme that the current (God knows for how long) coach employs. The chatter was that Gabby was going to be traded in the off-season anyway cause they weren't going to end up paying what his probable asking price was going to be after next season.

My stance on this team is the same as it was before the playoffs, nothing would suprise me. When asked about predictions before the playoffs, my answer was, "it wouldn't suprise me if they were swept by the Caps and it wouldn't suprise if they won the Stanley Cup". I feel the same about tonight. The only thing that would suprise me tonight would be the Rangers winning in a blowout (I could see a scenario where the Caps light up the Rangers though). I truthfully expect another 2-1 (possibly OT) nailbiter, with the difference probably being whether the Rangers can finally score on the PP.