Thank you Tampa Bay!!

For giving my team a chance at a cup.

What in the world happened last night and during this series vs Columbus??

The NHL season is 82 games.
Tampa Bay won 62 out of 82 of their games while Columbus finally made the play offs on the 81st game.

Lets take a better look at Tampa Bay this year to try to make sense of this.

www.sportingnews.com...

Tampa Bay now has 62 wins to tie the 1995-96 Red Wings team and leaving many wondering if this is the best regular-season team in the league's history.

Some more fun facts about their killer season.

Tampa Bay ranks second all-time in the NHL with 30 road wins. The team is behind only the 2005-06 Red Wings, who had 31.
The Lightning's 21 points ahead of the second-place Flames and Bruins marks the widest gap between first- and second-place overall teams since the 1995-96 season where the Red Wings finished 27 points ahead of the Avalanche.
Tampa Bay became the second team in league history, behind the 1983-84 Oilers, to have four different win streaks of seven games or more in a single season.
The Lightning averaged 3.96 goals per game, which is the highest in the NHL since 1996.
With 29 come-from behind wins, Tampa Bay set a new record. The Capitals held the previous mark with 28.

After Columbus thumped them, they broke another record.

Tampa becomes 1st Presidents' Trophy winner to fail to win a game in the playoffs

Since the beginning of the season, I have been routing for Toronto to finally get their overdue Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay was the team that seemed unbeatable and was making me doubt Toronto had a chance at all, even with a stacked team.

I can't believe my luck!!!

Go Leafs go!!!!

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The Leafs go down next.It is what it is.

You forgot that the 2012 Kings and the 2018/19 CBJ were both bottom seeds who won the Stanley Cup.....the ONLY 2 TO DO IT......both did it using the same System.Its called the NewAge Hockey System or NHS , and it is likely the most closely guarded proprietary data NHL Clubs using it protect.

a reply to: DrumsRfun

We're watching the Toronto series....hoping they keep winning!
Go Leafs!!

I haven't really picked who i want to win the Cup yet.....but it sure as hell was NOT Pittsburgh or Tampa!!!
LOLOL
Go Blue Jackets!!!!

ETA
And, yeah, I know there's a very good chance the Leads will play the CBJ next week

Lets take a better look ... to try to make sense of this.

Hockey is about the only professional sport where you don't even have to show up for about the first 75 games and you can still make it into the playoffs...and win!

LOL!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Not a big hockey fan????

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Oh, Hockey's fun to watch (more fun than the NFL these days). Used to be a big Red Wings fan. Now I guess I'm an Av's fan by default. Way too late of a night for me to go to games though, and I don't watch much TV at all (basically almost none).

Otherwise, I was just joking around (here).

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe


Call me when the Rangers make it to the finals.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

As long as Tampa is out, I can have some hope again!!
Pittsburgh getting put out by the Islanders was something I didn't see coming either.

If someone can get rid of Vegas, that would be even better.

I'm crossing my fingers that Toronto gets by the Boston curse and moves on....a Columbus/Toronto series would be an exciting one.

The talk around here is we traded most of our good players and now they are key players....for OTHER teams.
Matt Duchesne (Columbus), Mark Stone (Las Vegas), Erik Karlson (San Hose), Robin Lehner (New York).

Its pretty sad!

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I'm waiting for the Red Wings, myself



a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Bite your tongue!!!!
Anyone but the Avs!
Detroit has a long rivalry with them, IIRC!!!

And I know what you mean, we DVR the games and watch them the next night....skipping the intermissions and the commercials.




a reply to: DrumsRfun

YESSS!!!!! Would be nice if Vegas would start playing golf soon.
And as long as we're wishing.....I'd like Karlsson from San Jose and Werenski from CBJ to be in Detroit.

Not only did Ottawa trade good players....WTF is that trading their first round draft pick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What INSANITY is that!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!

Penguins fan here.

UGH!!!

Look this is why the NHL playoffs are the absolute best. Any team has a chance to win.

I like the NBA, but the first two rounds of the playoffs are almost always a joke. The entire season everyone knows only 3 or 4 teams have a chance.

In the NHL, if you make it in the playoffs, anyone can win.

a reply to: DrumsRfun


They were missing their allstar dman although that's no excuse....

I always count Tampa Bay out come playoff time...wheres Stamkos' leadership?

Im rooting for Toronto too...but assuming they beat the bruins...itd be a miracle if they beat Washington..

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

They basically traded everyone away for a bag of pucks since nobody was willing to sign with our pathetic team because of management....they basically took what they could get.

As soon as another team aquired them...they were happy to sign, everyone just wanted out of this sinking ship....to think that we went from the Stanley Cup finals, to screaming we need to rebuild, is a total joke because we had a solid team.

The fans are fed up with management and even payed for billboards asking the owner to GTFO or sell.
Its really that bad, empty seats every game and the fans barely care anymore.

On the bright side...we have a lot pucks that costs us millions to aquire.

a reply to: Tucket

It would be nice to see a cup raised in Toronto and I agree, good luck with Washington whoever gets them.
Ovie has his mojo working, he even has a KO in the playoffs.



I really thought Tampa had this in the bag and was floored to see they were out this morning.

GO LEAFS GO

a reply to: DrumsRfun

Yeah, and Andrei's brother was none too happy
www.nbcsports.com...

a reply to: DrumsRfun

I find it odd that teams from Canada & The U.S. compete for a trophy that was named after and donated by a British Aristocrat and Politician who represents Britain's colonial past.

Very weird.

originally posted by: one4all
..."...
You forgot that the 2012 Kings and the 2018/19 CBJ were both bottom seeds who won the Stanley Cup..."...

Oh? Wink-wink! Nudge-nudge! Say no more.
(Runs-out and places a huge bet on CBJ to win the cup).

I remember the Lightning's cup win way back when, the Cubans were probably wondering what that deafening sound from the north was. You could tell who was watching, the neighborhood went from quiet to like New Year's Eve on a dime -- they won & the hooting & hollering & car honking started instantly. It was glorious

Nikolai Khabibulin. The Bulin Wall. The "good luck getting a puck in" goal force field. 4 spectacular years and a cup, 2000-2004 was the team's best years -- the best balance, the best team dynamics, the best plays. It was no shock to fans that it wavered after he left for Chicago, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see his leaving destabilized the team dynamics to a degree. Took a lot of the magic with him when he left.

But enough waxing nostalgic. They gave it their best this year, they made it further than many other teams did. Now I wait and see if I'm rooting for the Stars, or the Avs in the second round. Sorry, not sorry Red Wings. You didn't even make it to the first round

originally posted by: Nyiah
Sorry, not sorry Red Wings. You didn't even make it to the first round

No worries....there's always next year

originally posted by: Nothin

originally posted by: one4all
..."...
You forgot that the 2012 Kings and the 2018/19 CBJ were both bottom seeds who won the Stanley Cup..."...

Oh? Wink-wink! Nudge-nudge! Say no more.
(Runs-out and places a huge bet on CBJ to win the cup).

You Sir will clean up in Vegas.

How about those Leafs?...maybe they should skid Dubas.....lol....a #1/#2 d-man with some teeth and bite would sure look a lot better than Tavares does right about now.Looks like the G.M built a River-Hockey Team instead of an NHL Team.I feel sorry for Babcock he just doesn't have the horses he needs its not his fault nor the Players fault.

originally posted by: Nothin

originally posted by: one4all
..."...
You forgot that the 2012 Kings and the 2018/19 CBJ were both bottom seeds who won the Stanley Cup..."...

Oh? Wink-wink! Nudge-nudge! Say no more.
(Runs-out and places a huge bet on CBJ to win the cup).

OOOps..another timeline slip...lol....if you want to really clean up it will be Vegas vs CBJ in the final ....both accurately executing the NHS Philosophy and System.