First Round: Lightning (2) vs. Blue Jackets (7)

[OldTimeHockey]

The Blue Jackets are a much dirtier team than I thought.

So are the Lightning

Yes, but I knew that.

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

 

[Bender]

The Blue Jackets are a much dirtier team than I thought.

So are the Lightning

Yes, but I knew that.

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

The refs just need to call the damn rule book. That's it. That's their job. They should just do their job.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/wyshynski/status/1296135825801900032

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1296137093794725889

Man freak plays just follow this guy everywhere.

 

[bustaheims]

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

It's the frequency which certain teams are involved in questionable plays, dangerous hits, etc., that pushes a team into being more dirty than simply pushing the limits. Lots of teams do the latter - you have to find whatever competitive edge you can without crossing the line. However, some teams have multiple guys who don't seem afraid to cross that line, but, for whatever reason, barely get called on it - Boston is the prime example of that, but Columbus has been pretty close in this post season. Teams like Tampa play so close to the line that they cross it on a regular basis. Others are perceived as dirty more by reputation or because of the actions of a few members of the team (Washington, for instance, is mostly Wilson that does the dirty work; for the Islanders, it's their whole 4th line, basically).

 

[Bates]

https://twitter.com/tictactomar/status/1295472780046147584
I love that little, shrug, and then ?what are you lying there for, it was just a boarding 3? from the dasher and a light stick to the neck. Don?t be a wuss.?

How doesn't anyone on the ice jump him?

Watching a similar play in a Canucks game when Sutter was hit similarly, when Beagle wrestled the Blues player tge Blues end up on a PP. Refs are really bad at this part.

 

[Bates]

I've moved past fighting in hockey a long time ago....But.. ..I could put that aside to watch Foligno, Marchand, and such get pounded.

 

[Frank E]

Looks like TB is getting shelled.  Shots are 37-15 for Columbus with 8 minutes still to go in the 3rd.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Looks like TB is getting shelled.  Shots are 37-15 for Columbus with 8 minutes still to go in the 3rd.

They were outshot 24-8 in the 2nd period.

 

[Frank E]

Looks like TB is getting shelled.  Shots are 37-15 for Columbus with 8 minutes still to go in the 3rd.

They were outshot 24-8 in the 2nd period.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Point wins it with Dubois watching.

 

[Hobbes]

Not sure if the Leafs could have beaten Tampa (probably not) but I think we would have made it a more competitive and interesting series than Columbus did.

 

[Bender]

Korpisalo went on a 5-6 game heater. Not a shock the team with below average goaltending for a stretch of 3 games loses the series.

 

[Hobbes]

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

It's the frequency which certain teams are involved in questionable plays, dangerous hits, etc., that pushes a team into being more dirty than simply pushing the limits. Lots of teams do the latter - you have to find whatever competitive edge you can without crossing the line. However, some teams have multiple guys who don't seem afraid to cross that line, but, for whatever reason, barely get called on it - Boston is the prime example of that, but Columbus has been pretty close in this post season. Teams like Tampa play so close to the line that they cross it on a regular basis. Others are perceived as dirty more by reputation or because of the actions of a few members of the team (Washington, for instance, is mostly Wilson that does the dirty work; for the Islanders, it's their whole 4th line, basically).

If Boudreau joins the Leafs maybe we'll learn how to be dirty. Bruce's Ducks teams certainly weren't shy about crossing the line with regularity.

 

[Frank E]

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

It's the frequency which certain teams are involved in questionable plays, dangerous hits, etc., that pushes a team into being more dirty than simply pushing the limits. Lots of teams do the latter - you have to find whatever competitive edge you can without crossing the line. However, some teams have multiple guys who don't seem afraid to cross that line, but, for whatever reason, barely get called on it - Boston is the prime example of that, but Columbus has been pretty close in this post season. Teams like Tampa play so close to the line that they cross it on a regular basis. Others are perceived as dirty more by reputation or because of the actions of a few members of the team (Washington, for instance, is mostly Wilson that does the dirty work; for the Islanders, it's their whole 4th line, basically).

If Boudreau joins the Leafs maybe we'll learn how to be dirty. Bruce's Ducks teams certainly weren't shy about crossing the line with regularity.

The Leafs just don't have the kind of guys you'd need to play a chippy type of game.

 

[bustaheims]

The Leafs just don't have the kind of guys you'd need to play a chippy type of game.

I'm not sure that's true. There are a number of guys on the team who aren't typically physical players, but there are definitely guys who can ramp up that part of their games. Kapanen, Kerfoot, Johnson, Robertson, etc. can all play the role of pest quite well. They may not be big enough to deliver devastating hits, but they can absolutely get under the skin of the other team and throw them off their game. Matthews, Engvall, Tavares, Hyman, Mikheyev, Holl, Rielly, and Muzzin are all big, strong guys - and, while they mostly might not be guys you think of as being big hitters, they've shown signs of being able to incorporate a physical edge to their games.

They don't really have guys who have the natural instinct to play that kind of game, but they certainly have a group that is capable if properly encouraged to do.

 

[herman]

Engvall is an underrated poop disturber.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Engvall is an underrated poop disturber.

Really? Was that something he did in the AHL because I don't recall much here. It should be something he works into his game seeing as how he could probably rip a phonebook in half.

Kapanen and Johnsson always showed flashes of doing that stuff, even going back to the AHL, but never did it consistently. Which is too bad.

 

[herman]

Engvall is an underrated poop disturber.

Really? Was that something he did in the AHL because I don't recall much here. It should be something he works into his game seeing as how he could probably rip a phonebook in half.

Kapanen and Johnsson always showed flashes of doing that stuff, even going back to the AHL, but never did it consistently. Which is too bad.

It was from the 2018 Marlies championship run, if I recall correctly. A couple of teams took an intense dislike to Engvall (probably for how he could draw penalties) and he'd give that Komarov-esque smirk.

https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/toronto-maple-leafs-prospects/2019/11/19/20971171/what-to-expect-from-pierre-engvall-nhl-toronto-maple-leafs-marlies-analysis-video-prospects-sweden

Engvall isn?t a great fighter, but that?s not what toughness is in the post-Don Cherry NHL. The thing that Engvall provides that others who have been called up from the Leafs to play in the bottom six don?t have is the ability to be an jerk on the ice and mean it.

All last season (his rookie year), Engvall found ways to piss off his opponents every night, getting in their heads so they taking dumb penalties. He?s tough along the boards and isn?t shy with his stick. This kind of edge was really effective for him last year because he was big enough to withstand their counterattacks and hold his own.

Why he didn't do that in the NHL? I don't think fringe players are too keen to put their team in a tough spot in their first season. 4th line minutes also makes it a bit less effective unless he can get under the skin of an opposing top-6 guy and get him off the ice for a bit.

Dubas/Keefe teams had some gooniness to them (Clune as the primary example). Babcock did not want anything to do with that. I think we'll see it more next season when they instill their new 'mindset' at training camp.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

The Blue Jackets are a much dirtier team than I thought.

So are the Lightning

Yes, but I knew that.

Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.

The refs just need to call the damn rule book. That's it. That's their job. They should just do their job.

No doubt. I'm not debating that. But it's not new that refs put their whistles away in the playoffs.