A look at the playoffs race in the East - Habs fans, get ready to feel nauseous

[Savard18]

Columbus can't get out of their own way.

I know, and it's not like they're having a "spectacular" year - I mean they are by their own standards but they really "loaded up" and went all in which I found really amusing considering I wouldn't label them a favorite by any means.. Sure they're a playoff team but did their position really warrant giving up those assets to "load up"??..

I suppose it's just funny seeing Columbus trying to be serious and major players.. And to make it even more bizarre is that they've done all this in an attempt to convince their UFA's like Bob and Panarin to stick around, that and because this could be their only opportunity to make a playoff run before they split...

If it matters I think the road to the Cup this season is going through Tampa Bay and if it doesn't then TB should self-reflect and make a few changes... Is Stamkos the next big playoff choker like Thronton? has Tampa Bay become the next San Jose?.. I mean it seems some teams just cant finish, they're built for the regular season - not the playoffs... And TB is loaded - on paper they have the talent and depth, yet they cant finish in the playoffs.

So yea, you gotta think this year is "Cup or bust" for Tampa..

[Savard18]

I'm honestly not sure how anyone in the East (or West) is going to take down Tampa. The crazy push for WC2, only to be bounced in 5 games... I mean, it's better than missing, but it's not much of a reward.

WC1 will get the Isles (very vulnerable) or the Caps (who should knock of WC1, but I don't perceive them as the same juggernaut Tampa is). If you somehow climb into WC1 (and I think that will be tough to do) it's a much, much, much, better path in the playoffs. WC1 will have to defeat two of WSH, PIT, NYI to get to the conference finals. WC2 has to defeat TB & then the winner of BOS/TOR.... and to be totally honest: I think the Top 3 in the Atlantic all all stronger than any of the teams in the Metro.

Tampa is starting to become known as perennial playoff chokers and they certainly will receive that official title if they fail to win the Cup this spring.

I think psychology has it's place in professional sports and I think some teams are perennial chokers because they expect it and the second they face any sort of adversity they fold up and choke, they start overthinking everything and that translates into losing.. Remember, the playoffs are a totally different animal - you can expect to win every regular season game and come close but when it comes to playoffs you start again from scratch. You gotta take the playoffs one game at a time and some teams are incapable of doing that as a team or a collection of players..

I mean a "never say die" attitude is required to win Cups and some teams don't have that because they've really never faced it in the regular season, because they were dominate and faced no adversity.. Look at Las Vegas, they had that attitude last season from day 1... Everyone expected them to be terrible and Vegas set out to prove everyone wrong.. Every player on that team had a reason to win and that attitude took them to the Finals... Why? because no one expected anything out of them - heck their former teams exposed them in the expansion draft.... And IMO a lot of these "powerhouse" teams that easily win in the regular season don't have that needed mentality to go all the way - they don't have the determination because they were too dominate and expected their skill alone was enough to win..

So yea, I consider Tampa favorites for the Cup right now however if they choke this time around - they're done..

[30ranfordfan]

Tampa is starting to become known as perennial playoff chokers and they certainly will receive that official title if they fail to win the Cup this spring.

I think psychology has it's place in professional sports and I think some teams are perennial chokers because they expect it and the second they face any sort of adversity they fold up and choke, they start overthinking everything and that translates into losing.. Remember, the playoffs are a totally different animal - you can expect to win every regular season game and come close but when it comes to playoffs you start again from scratch. You gotta take the playoffs one game at a time and some teams are incapable of doing that as a team or a collection of players..

I mean a "never say die" attitude is required to win Cups and some teams don't have that because they've really never faced it in the regular season, because they were dominate and faced no adversity.. Look at Las Vegas, they had that attitude last season from day 1... Everyone expected them to be terrible and Vegas set out to prove everyone wrong.. Every player on that team had a reason to win and that attitude took them to the Finals... Why? because no one expected anything out of them - heck their former teams exposed them in the expansion draft.... And IMO a lot of these "powerhouse" teams that easily win in the regular season don't have that needed mentality to go all the way - they don't have the determination because they were too dominate and expected their skill alone was enough to win..

So yea, I consider Tampa favorites for the Cup right now however if they choke this time around - they're done..

I think it's WAY too early to label Tampa as chokers. I mean... Washington were playoff chokers, until one year they didn't choke. San Jose were everyone's favorite pick for "early collapse" until they finally got to a finals (even if they didn't win). You don't hear San Jose talked about that way anymore.

Tampa wasn't even a playoff team in 2017 (that was after 3 straight years of finishing 2nd in their division). How dominant the current team is - that was really something that only started last year.

I do think it's a "cup or bust" this year though. Expectations are even higher than they already were..... AND they're going to be in cap hell after this season. It's very unlikely they'll have a team as strong as this one, next season.



I do buy into some of the psychology of it all. I have said for years I do not believe in clutch, nor do I believe that one player's so-called leadership abilities make players around him demonstratively better. I stand by that. The Blackhawks did not win a single game because there is some magic sauce inside of Jonathan Towes that somehow allows him to become a better player - and elevate those around him - now that the game is more meaningful.

I do believe the opposite can be true. Some players crack under pressure. I do believe that "leaders" on a team can have a calming effect... reassurance... that helps the other players "not crack".