Board 8 > NHL Playoff topic: OVERTIME. PLAYOFF. HOCKEY!

(+) Yeah! (+)

Colorado is honestly the better team, though remember Tampa is doing this with the Rangers without point. If they have Point back for Colorado, which they probably will, it's significant enough it could be the difference between who wins the series. They don't need him to win this series. They need him against Colorado.

Part of why I think Tampa's just going to mop up the Rangers even if this gets pulled to 7 tonight is because I think Point doesn't just return, he scores twice while the Rangers are trying to adjust to how much he changes Tampa's offense in his return. I foresee some glaring defensive miscalculations by the Rangers in his first game back.

I actually think it benefits the Rangers a lot if they can pull out game 5 to see him return for their inevitable game 6 blowout because then they'll at least have an idea of what he's going to bring back to the table.

For some reason, Colorado is a massive favorite in the final regardless of who they play. Feels legitimately disrespectful to Tampa... Which is exactly what we don't need.

Rangers took 15 minutes to finally get their one golden chance in the third, only for Strome to whiff on a shot that would've been at a wide open net.

And then the series ends on 5 consecutive defensive zone turnovers on the same play.

I don't think I'm even going to bother watching game 6. It's a massacre against a dead team walking. Game 4 was a snoozefest and I suspect 6 will be even worse.

I'm so torn between Colorado in 7 and Tampa in 7. I really expected Tampa to dominate the Rangers the same way they did the Islanders and that just hasn't happened consistently enough.

But that goaltending difference.

eye roll emoji

I mean, the Lightning in game 7 last year held the Islanders to the worst game 7 in NHL history by every offensive statistic. When the Lightning actually play serious hockey, teams just die.

I really thought this series would look like that Islanders series did that more often than it has. It's only made the gap between them and Colorado even more evident. It could just be playing all these playoff games year after year is starting to wear them down a bit.

Better team in most aspects vs. super championship goaltender does tend to make for a very tense series though.

The sequence of the Rangers tying the game on yet another bad Tampa penalty, followed by Tampa getting serious for 5 more seconds and immediately re-taking the lead, is the most glaring thing about how gigantic the gap between these two teams truly is.

"How dare you tie us. Die."

They managed to tie it for 21 seconds, gave up a goal, then very nearly gave up two more in the very next minute.

All they did was make them mad.

That game was as not worth watching as I anticipated.

But now that one of the worst team in the playoffs at the start is finally out (No idea how it took this long - Oh wait, they played a starting goaltender ONE TIME in the first two series, and he shouldn't have even returned for that game), we get a hype as hell final.

Avalanche in 7.

When's the last time we had 3-in-a-row champs? Islanders (4-peat) at beginning of 80s, or did Oilers string together 3 at some point? I think they were 2-2-1... well, hopefully Colorado doesn't let it get to that point.

Checking up Kadri's injury status:

"Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper is 100% for Stanley Cup Finals; forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano arent ruled out"

Great news on the former, as for the later, welllllllll... I guess I can root for the Avs until he's ruled in (and realistically still root for them but much more apathetically)

Important hold by Colorado after the blown lead.

I know I was spooked by Tampa underperforming in the series against the Rangers but good lord is the gap between them and Colorado this large?

What a beatdown.

saw the score was 3-0 in the first, later on "#noleadissafe" was trending on twitter, momentarily panicked, checked box score... 5-0. Unrelated game hashtag, phew.

Now the penalties at the 15:38 mark of the 3rd, nice, gonna need to watch the replay of that on youtube. Vasilevskiy, will be interesting to see the bounce-back there in Game 3 (if any)

Tampa decided to not roll over though. Technically no team is in trouble until they lose at home. Kuemper struggled too, which isn't comforting.

Still think the Avs take the series (my prediction was in 6), but Vasilevskiy was definitely on his game yesterday.

Turned on overtime just in time to see Avs win

.....learned Kadri was playing and he got the game winning goal.

I am still irrationally mad so many weeks later!!!

But ideally now Colorado can win Game 5 & the cup on home ice, the Lightning doing so last year was the first time since Chicago in 2015. Both Penguins wins in San Jose and Nashville, Caps in Vegas, Blues in Boston, 2020 bubble year (but game 6 still would've been "in" Dallas based on standings)... unlucky breaks all around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ukWDGrqpg&t=213s&ab_channel=SPORTSNET

3:33

Literally kicks like these have been happening all season and in the playoffs and refs are NOT calling them.

Calgary always robbed :(

What a Dominant third period to cap that off.

Very glad tampa didn't win again. Feels like the best team won this season.