Still alive? Glad to see so when the Caps win you will be witness. I thought you jumped off a ledge last year, lol
They play like **** tonight, but they are ok
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Still alive? Glad to see so when the Caps win you will be witness. I thought you jumped off a ledge last year, lol
They play like **** tonight, but they are ok
KitFisto
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They'll choke it away.
KitFisto
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You lose. The loses are done. Bolts in 6.
Probably... How did they lose last night? Reminded me of the Habs in 2010, they best Halak
I know there isn't much love for MAF around these parts but man, he's playing lights out between the pipes. HUGE saves to in the 3rd period of the last 2 games to keep his team in front. Knights are one game away from the Finals.
I'm happy for him, he's a great guy, just had some tough playoff tubs with the Pens and needed a change of scenery.
KitFisto
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Thus showing what a joke the NHL is. They were given such a ridiculous advantage. No other expansion team ever had that talent pool to select from.
Did they change the protection rules?
KitFisto
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Yes, I don't recall all of the ins and outs, but the rules were different than in past expansions with the expressed interest of making Vegas competitive right away.
They have made it easier every time. No point to expand and them then let them be horrible. NO one expected them to be this good. They were supposed to be competitive. Vegas had them at 500-1 at one point, they highest odds by far. They just did a better job of using the rules to their advantage. Also didn't a lot of teams make agreements to give them these players as long as they took certain players from other teams.
Most of the unprotected veteran players were high priced, underperforming players on their own teams when they were left unprotected for the draft. Their teams didn't want them or had cap issues because of them. Some of the players selected were traded for other players or future draft picks and some were kept. In the end, the Knights management put together a good team. The drafted veterans that were left unprotected by their teams are definitely playing with a chip on their shoulders for the Knights. This is a tough team that can grind out wins. However, it's MAF's play in net that's really propelling this team in the playoffs. He's definitely putting his team in a position to win every night with his stellar play. I can't wait for the Finals to start. I'll be pulling for Vegas to make history.
This all said, the rules were changed for Vegas. The last expansion allowed for 9 forwards, 5 D men, and one goalie to be protected. For Vegas, the NHL allowed 7 forwards, 3 D men, and one goalie to be protected. So, no matter what, every team had to expose at least a 3rd line forward and a top 4 D man for the Vegas expansion draft. That certainly helped in putting together this team.
This all said, the rules were changed for Vegas. The last expansion allowed for 9 forwards, 5 D men, and one goalie to be protected. For Vegas, the NHL allowed 7 forwards, 3 D men, and one goalie to be protected. So, no matter what, every team had to expose at least a 3rd line forward and a top 4 D man for the Vegas expansion draft. That certainly helped in putting together this team.
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Grenouille
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I don’t think the expansion draft rules were all that favorable, at least not in the sense that they would have a Cup contender right out of the gate simply by plucking a player from each team. At worst, teams were losing their 5th or 8th best forward and 4th or 5th best defenseman or their backup goalie. Some teams panicked over the thought of losing 1 good player and ultimately sent 2 or more good players/assets to Vegas to keep the player they were afraid to lose. Then there was Florida who, needlessly handed over Smith and Marchessault. They had no reason to do so, but did it anyways. VGK looks a lot different without those 2. So that was 1 reason the Knights were good quick. Florida is a big culprit.
Additionally, the Knights got insanely lucky that their entire roster had career years. William Karlsson has 18 goals in 180+ career NHL games prior to this season. Then he goes out and rides a 23% shooting percentage to a 43 goal season. Eric Haula’s best year was a 16 goal season. 29 this year. David Perron set a career high in points. Fleury posted a .927 in the regular season, his previous career high was .921. He’s at an absurd .947 in the playoffs. Tim Thomas’ 2011 heroic effort was a .940. The list goes on and on. It’s crazy. Nobody had a down year for Vegas.
The interesting thing for me is the defense. They picked a bunch of skilled guys who were perceived to be poor defensively. Colin Miller, Nate Schmidt, to some extent Shea Theodore (who was a trade). Engellend and to a lesser extent Luca Sbisa turning into useful was an unforeseen development. They don’t have a #1 but turned this group into an above average unit. I used to think you needed a workhorse #1 to win, but the Pens won last year with a crappy D (no Letang) and now Vegas has steamrolled through with a collection of 3’s and 4’s. Maybe it’s something that is changing. Still, imagine if they pulled off the Karlsson deal at the deadline.
Additionally, the Knights got insanely lucky that their entire roster had career years. William Karlsson has 18 goals in 180+ career NHL games prior to this season. Then he goes out and rides a 23% shooting percentage to a 43 goal season. Eric Haula’s best year was a 16 goal season. 29 this year. David Perron set a career high in points. Fleury posted a .927 in the regular season, his previous career high was .921. He’s at an absurd .947 in the playoffs. Tim Thomas’ 2011 heroic effort was a .940. The list goes on and on. It’s crazy. Nobody had a down year for Vegas.
The interesting thing for me is the defense. They picked a bunch of skilled guys who were perceived to be poor defensively. Colin Miller, Nate Schmidt, to some extent Shea Theodore (who was a trade). Engellend and to a lesser extent Luca Sbisa turning into useful was an unforeseen development. They don’t have a #1 but turned this group into an above average unit. I used to think you needed a workhorse #1 to win, but the Pens won last year with a crappy D (no Letang) and now Vegas has steamrolled through with a collection of 3’s and 4’s. Maybe it’s something that is changing. Still, imagine if they pulled off the Karlsson deal at the deadline.
Guaranteed they blow it, Just to screw me out of this pool, lol
I hope the Caps make it. It'd be a great story. Either the Knights make history or Ovi finally gets to hoist the Cup.
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