2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread: Carolina's tries revolutionary new strategy: Never lose games

[Alexei Ca$hin]

5 goals before the first commercial break?

Let's do that hockey

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Can't say I understand Dobes giving up three goals on his first four shots and then none for the rest of the game. But Montreal controlled the play pretty much the entire time I got to watch (2nd and 3rd periods). Tage Thompson does not have that dog in him, except when it comes to taking moronic penalties away from the play. Dahlin gets totally distracted by doing nasty stuff. He needs to take a page out of Seider's book and realize that he's the most important player on their team and doesn't help them by being in the box, especially against the Habs PP. UPL wasn't great but they didn't help him, either.

I still think teams should be able to defend Hutson better on the PP. He doesn't have a hard shot and tends to fling a wrister halfway through a move. Let him do that all he wants up top, then stay with his torso if he moves in.

Meanwhile Mitch Marner scored a beauty to open the Vegas game and they're not going to cough up a 3-0 lead like Minnesota did.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Last night I came to grips with the fact that Quenneville coaching again made me hate the Ducks more than Vegas. I don't like Torts but he's just an asshole. Carter Hart is the worst person on Vegas and I obviously don't care for his Redemption Arc either. Gudas is the most repellent Duck player and he wasn't even in the lineup.

It reminds me of the 2001 playoffs, which culminated with Colorado defeating New Jersey in my worst case scenario final. I have to root for Colorado over Vegas -- I don't care for MacKinnon or Makar, but they're not sex pests. In the East I have to hope Buffalo comes around (which I don't think they will), otherwise I'm all for Carolina. I would root for the Avs over the Habs in a heartbeat.

[Alexei Ca$hin]

Mitchell Marner legacy game

[sutterfamily]

I still think teams should be able to defend Hutson better on the PP. He doesn't have a hard shot and tends to fling a wrister halfway through a move. Let him do that all he wants up top, then stay with his torso if he moves in.

I feel this but at some point I think I gotta just accept that he's doing things that make it harder to defend than I think/he's v good. think PART of the problem is the number of options they have:

You cannot leave Caufield open for anything
Suzuki is great down at the goal line
Slafkovsky is a great cross-crease option or big net-front body

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Yeah all of that makes sense and their PP is lethal at every spot. I guess the problem with defending Hutson is that you need to be quick/agile enough to stay with them, and then physical enough to body him.

I just watch him do his stuff at the point and do the Breaking Bad "He can't keep getting away with this!" reaction.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Oof, Sabres thought they were getting a four minute PP but it was Benson’s stick

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Fuuuuuuuuck

UPL should’ve had that

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Toews looks totally overextended

[Grand Moff Larkin]

The Avs,

(It looked like Vegas got away with a clear interference hit during the zone entry before that goal, but still)

[Grand Moff Larkin]

MacKinnon is returning from the dead

Probably guzzling stem cells in the locker room

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Colorado with 0 shots in the last ten minutes

MacKinnon looks like he needs a wheelchair

RIP Avs

[Alexei Ca$hin]

I'm happy to give credit where due and admit when I'm wrong. Hiring Torts = genius move?

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Very soft slashing call on Martinook (Hutson had one hand on his stick and dropped it, drawing the call) and Hutson ties it on a give and go with Caufield

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Looked like the Habs got the lead on their 12th shot when Ehlers tipped one into his own net, but Carolina successfully challenged it for offsides. Montreal fans are thrilled.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Hutson selling a trip as hard as he can but the refs aren’t buying in OT

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Habs with one shot on goal in the last 34+ minutes

[Grand Moff Larkin]

The refs blow the whistle for a too many men call against Montreal (Dobson comes on for Hutson, Hutson touches the puck) and then they don’t call it.

Habs fans strangely stopped yelling “REFS YOU SUCK” for a minute.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Canes win, justice prevails

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Bad Hutson turnover led to that one

Dobeš waiting to see if there’s goalie interference