Sad. Funny.

Well.... It's a must win OT, San Jose. Do it.

DONSKOI!!!

Nice! They needed that. Still alive.

Nice win!  Keep it up Sharks!

DONSKOI DONSKOI DONSKOI!!!! FUCK YEAH!

I had to celebrate (mostly) silently in my MIL's room.

  Not happy with this series.....really want ex-Bruin Jumbo Joe to lift the cup......

Doesn't look good at all. Not sure what has happened to the Sharks but the Pens have been very strong.

I was reading on another forum that it appears Pittsburgh created a mirage this year, with their combination of speed and dominance in shots on goal seemingly unique compared to every other team.

I'm not sure what team from the west could have held pace with them. Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, etc. are all possession-oriented teams but none have nearly the speed of Pittsburgh. San Jose is a bit quicker but they have been severely out-shot (just like Tampa Bay was) and their primary offensive strategy's been entirely neutered by Pittsburgh's crazy shot blocking. Burns has been totally negated and Pavelski seems either injured or overworked himself in earlier series and can't do anything right. Jumbo Joe's still fighting but it's going to take a lot more goal scoring to fend off those fucking penguins.

I agree with the shot-blocking; their defense has played above their potential.  As a fan of a "system-oriented" defensive structure with the Bruins, I think that goes a long way.  Mike Sullivan influence for sure I'd say.

Offensive depth is another area to go along with that speed.  When Kessel and Hagelin are on your 3rd line, you have some amazing depth; and both are fast skaters & quick shooters.  Good moves by the GM.

And last I think is goaltending.  They struck a hot goalie in Murray.  Since the first cup he won, Fleury seemed to be a bit of a choker.  I don;t blame him for the loss he had when he filled in; he came in cold off an injury.  But he has not been the hot goalie that gets it done post-season, and Murray has been closer to that.

Sadly for SJ and fans like me, this is a team that was put together well, and got a quality injection of good coaching mid-season.  They became hot, some played to their potential and others played likely above.

I have a grudging respect for them....but I still don't like them so much, especially with hypocritical and whiny Mario at the helm.

Fuckin' A.  I need heart medicine to survive this game 5.

dubba U

Ah. Maze. Ing.

Wow.....I think the Bruins traded the wrong goalie!

Actually, Jones would have sucked behind our horrid defense this year.....

Go Sharks!

Martin fucking Jones! And despite Pittsburgh controlling much of the play again, it still felt a lot better to know that San Jose has a few breaths of life offensively. Third goal was an absolute beauty.

Shark tank!

Yay PENS!!!!!!!!

Congrats to the Pens. Well deserved.

Oh well. They certainly out-played the Sharks. Congrat

Meh.....  I guess I'm not surprised, and they DID play well.

The one thing that still sucks is Crosby winning the Conn-Smythe trophy.  No goals in this series, and a -2 overall for the entire playoffs.  Definitely others on the team deserved it more.  But the legend has to be built....!  Still love that the Penguins' own fan magazine screwed up his name once on their cover:

 

Pens where the hottest team going into the playoffs.

I was surprised Crosby won the Conn smiythe but he did have 19 points in the playoffs.

20 hours ago, bozebuttons said:

Pens where the hottest team going into the playoffs.

Yep, this.

Writing was on the wall that Pittsburgh was well on trajectory to make the finals. Then once the matchup with San Jose started, it was clear this team had the pedal to the floor every period, more so than San Jose. That's pretty much it. I didn't realize how dominant Phil Kessel could be. These playoffs completely changed my opinion of him... I always thought he was just a lazy sniper. Either he or Murray should've gotten Conn Smythe, though Murray got a bit shaky in the last half of the finals. 

Already looking forward to the 2016/2017 season and the return of HAWKey nights!

Subban to Predators for Weber??

 

 

That makes complete sense to me.  Montreal's window is closing, and Shea Weber is definitely better than Subban today.  Nashville gets a personality, which they need.  Win/Win.

Yeah, some folks were saying MTL got their asses handed to them, but I agree with Dan.  Short-to-mid term it helps MTL, as I also think Weber is better....maybe not as offensively gifted, but he still has one hell of a shot.

His contract dollars are a bit smaller, but they go until he's 40.  There's something with the rules in that MTL wouldn't get penalized ("recapture cap hit") if he retires early, it may actually be Nashville (?).  Didn't look into or understand that.  But bottom line, I agree it makes them a bit better now and for the next few.

Now MTL needs to get more scoring, and have Price stay healthy.

Not sure how well Subban will fit in Nashville.  He'll be replacing somewhat of a hero, and not sure they'll like him as much (fans and teammates alike; Subban has a reputation of being intense and not as much a locker room guy).  Time will tell; he may be fine without the attention that the MTL market has on it.

As for the Bruins....meh.....they will be good again, some nice depth in prospects.  But unless they do something in trade or FA, next year will suck as well.