2023 Stanley Cup Finals: Florida vs Vegas

[Thorner]

Golden Knights is golden. Should be a good final 

[DarthEbriate]

And here we go...  Jackikin Eichwalker versus Reino Samidala in their final confrontation.

[...]

Can't win more solidly than that. I thought Eichel's post-game interview showed a different Eichel than the one we had here. Time does amazing things.

Just now, Thorny said:

Golden Knights is golden. Should be a good final 

Yup. Both teams have highly competent forward groups and hot goalies. It's going to boil down to which team is grittier.

[Thorner]

29 minutes ago, ... said:

Can't win more solidly than that. I thought Eichel's post-game interview showed a different Eichel than the one we had here. Time does amazing things.

Yup. Both teams have highly competent forward groups and hot goalies. It's going to boil down to which team is grittier.

Could be.

Or, whichever G turns back into a pumpkin at the wrong time. That could also do it 

[Eleven]

Very smart of the league to slow down any publicity momentum, and interest from casual fans, by postponing Game 1 until Saturday.  Brilliant.  I know, 

The more successful league in the considerably inferior sport seems ready to go.

And there are no arena issues.  Neither Sunrise nor Vegas has a basketball team.  Indeed, Vegas's arena was reserved for hockey on Wednesday anyway.

The Bisons could pull this off better than the NHL can.  The Bandits DO pull it off better.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Eleven

[PerreaultForever]

39 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

And here we go...  Jackikin Eichwalker versus Reino Samidala in their final confrontation.

So the opening of game one goes something like this?

Hey Sam, how ya been man?

Pretty damn good Jack, yourself?

Hit the jackpot my friend, hit the jackpot.

Is that a pun?

What's a pun?

Nevermind.

So can you believe how great things are for us after getting out of you know where?

No where?

You know, that place where people lose their love for hockey.

Oh there. Damn, I already forgot all about it. Seems like a long time ago. 

(Montour skates by..........."heehaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!" keeps skating)

You know that guy? 

Ya man, we played with him there. 

I've really blotted it all out I guess. 

Anyway, good luck man, but I hope you lose.

Same to you. 

Winner gets the cup, so what do you say loser gets the tandem bike? 

Sounds fair. 

(I think it'll go something like that)

[Thorner]

6 hours ago, Eleven said:

Very smart of the league to slow down any publicity momentum, and interest from casual fans, by postponing Game 1 until Saturday.  Brilliant.  I know, 

The more successful league in the considerably inferior sport seems ready to go.

The And there are no arena issues.  Neither Sunrise nor Vegas has a basketball team.  Indeed, Vegas's arena was reserved for hockey on Wednesday anyway.

The Bisons could pull this off better than the NHL can.  The Bandits DO pull it off better.

Vegas potential disadvantage mitigated.

Florida potential disadvantage intensified.

VERY interesting.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Thorny

[Claude Balls]

7 hours ago, ... said:

Can't win more solidly than that. I thought Eichel's post-game interview showed a different Eichel than the one we had here. Time does amazing things.

So does winning. He was miserable last year when they didn't make the playoffs. 

To think Eichel may win a cup before McDavid is mind numbing to me. Oiler fans can't be very happy. 

[sweetlou]

1 hour ago, Claude Balls said:

So does winning. He was miserable last year when they didn't make the playoffs. 

To think Eichel may win a cup before McDavid is mind numbing to me. Oiler fans can't be very happy. 

It just shows in this league that you need a great team and not just a great player or two.  Eichel has a team around him where Edmonton has tried to win with just McDavid and Draisaitl.  Vegas also pulled the old Tampa move and "rested" Stone for the season, cap circumvention, and now have a stud team in the playoffs.  Also shows if you have a great team, and defensive structure, decent goaltending can get you deep into the playoffs!

side note: Sabres should look to improve defense before they worry about the goaltending.

[DarthEbriate]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Winner gets the cup, so what do you say loser gets the tandem bike? 

Does the tandem bike photo get shown in a pre-Final hype video? How much does the ex-Sabres' saviors angle get played up? During the broadcast, are they each referred to as "former Sabres" or the former teammates if they happen to take a draw together, etc.?

[Zamboni]

7 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Does the tandem bike photo get shown in a pre-Final hype video? How much does the ex-Sabres' saviors angle get played up? During the broadcast, are they each referred to as "former Sabres" or the former teammates if they happen to take a draw together, etc.?

For those that drink. Take a shot every time they show or mention Sabres when talking about Montour, Eichel, Reinhart, McNabb, or Carrier. 😂

 

My guess is by the 2nd period, you’ll be wasted 🥴

[DarthEbriate]

1 minute ago, Zamboni said:

For those that drink. Take a shot every time they show or mention Sabres when talking about Montour, Eichel, Reinhart, McNabb, or Carrier. 😂

My guess is by the 2nd period, you’ll be wasted 🥴

The announcers are going to forget Dalpe, too, aren't they? 😇

[Zamboni]

4 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

The announcers are going to forget Dalpe, too, aren't they? 😇

Yep. I know I did. Along with 99% of Sabres fans 😏

[nucci]

3 hours ago, Claude Balls said:

So does winning. He was miserable last year when they didn't make the playoffs. 

To think Eichel may win a cup before McDavid is mind numbing to me. Oiler fans can't be very happy. 

and win one before the Sabres do

[Scottysabres]

3 hours ago, Claude Balls said:

So does winning. He was miserable last year when they didn't make the playoffs. 

To think Eichel may win a cup before McDavid is mind numbing to me. Oiler fans can't be very happy. 

To be fair, the Knights expansion pick ups and the absurd draft capitol play a far more pivotal role than Eichel has in their drive to a potential cup. Eichel was traded to a team already set up for success, in a conference that isn't nearly as strong competition wise as their Eastern Conference counterparts.

[Gatorman0519]

5 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

To be fair, the Knights expansion pick ups and the absurd draft capitol play a far more pivotal role than Eichel has in their drive to a potential cup. Eichel was traded to a team already set up for success, in a conference that isn't nearly as strong competition wise as their Eastern Conference counterparts.

Exactly.  The west is much weaker.  The same problem the Bills face.  The AFC is loaded vs the NFC. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, Zamboni said:

For those that drink. Take a shot every time they show or mention Sabres when talking about Montour, Eichel, Reinhart, McNabb, or Carrier. 😂

 

My guess is by the 2nd period, you’ll be wasted 🥴

It's definitely going to get mentioned. 

I don't know about the rest of you but as a Sabres fan it bugs the heck out of me that after ROR leaving and winning a cup and mvp, we see the 2 big tear down pieces going head to head for the cup so soon after they were dealt. Carrier, McNabb, even Montour doesn't really matter, players move around on all teams, but the big guns that didn't do it here doing this well is hard to take.

At least Risto is garbage on a garbage team, but if Lehner was the star goalie for Vegas as well I'd probably end up breaking my tv. 

We better make the playoffs next year. 

 

[Marvin]

32 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's definitely going to get mentioned. 

I don't know about the rest of you but as a Sabres fan it bugs the heck out of me that after ROR leaving and winning a cup and mvp, we see the 2 big tear down pieces going head to head for the cup so soon after they were dealt. Carrier, McNabb, even Montour doesn't really matter, players move around on all teams, but the big guns that didn't do it here doing this well is hard to take.

At least Risto is garbage on a garbage team, but if Lehner was the star goalie for Vegas as well I'd probably end up breaking my tv. 

We better make the playoffs next year. 

 

I empathise with all of this.

[klos1963]

15 hours ago, sweetlou said:

It just shows in this league that you need a great team and not just a great player or two.  Eichel has a team around him where Edmonton has tried to win with just McDavid and Draisaitl.  Vegas also pulled the old Tampa move and "rested" Stone for the season, cap circumvention, and now have a stud team in the playoffs.  Also shows if you have a great team, and defensive structure, decent goaltending can get you deep into the playoffs!

side note: Sabres should look to improve defense before they worry about the goaltending.

Stone had back surgery last May and this January, I would say he was recovering more than resting. I think back surgery is a legitimate reason to have a player on LTR.

[Eleven]

8 hours ago, klos1963 said:

Stone had back surgery last May and this January, I would say he was recovering more than resting. I think back surgery is a legitimate reason to have a player on LTR.

Oh come on.  The timing of his recovery was a bit convenient, no?  He's like the schoolkid who is sick all day but is suddenly well enough to go out for ice cream at night.

[nfreeman]

21 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's definitely going to get mentioned. 

I don't know about the rest of you but as a Sabres fan it bugs the heck out of me that after ROR leaving and winning a cup and mvp, we see the 2 big tear down pieces going head to head for the cup so soon after they were dealt. Carrier, McNabb, even Montour doesn't really matter, players move around on all teams, but the big guns that didn't do it here doing this well is hard to take.

At least Risto is garbage on a garbage team, but if Lehner was the star goalie for Vegas as well I'd probably end up breaking my tv. 

We better make the playoffs next year.

No question it stings.  More so for me with Eichel than for Reino, but I appreciate that YMMV on that.

All we can do at this point is learn from our mistakes -- primarily that the tank was a stupid approach that was highly likely to produce exactly the result it produced, and that hiring a HC who'd been out of the league, the continent and the sport for 6 years was idiotic -- and be determined not to repeat them. 

And we can appreciate that the team has finally gotten back to the upswing with a group of talented, likeable, exciting players. 

[nfreeman]

I'm rooting for the Panthers.  Reino (and Montour, for that matter) dissed us less on his way out the door than Eichel did, I really like Barkov's game, I like the Bobrovsky redemption story, I like Miami and I like that metro area becoming a hockey town, which I think will happen if the team stays good for a few years.

[French Collection]

Panthers for sure, they took down the Leafs, Bruins and Canes, 3 of my most hated teams.

[Eleven]

Do you have ANY idea how much ***** I took last year (or the year before, whatever) for calling it "Finals" instead of "Final"?

[Marvin]

Just wondering: was the start date of the Final set ages ago?  I saw a schedule earlier today from the end of the regular season that had Saturday as the unconditional date for Game 1.