now this is what I came for. GREAT thoughts and insight from all. let me share a few.
dubz, I agree, I don't get that Blues line. More on the Blues in a second. Also, no way can I trust the Leafs so that line feels off as well.
OK, so you all remember that stretch during the season where it felt like the Blues couldn't buy a win and it seemed like they would be an easy out in the playoffs at the rate they were playing? And then suddenly, a switch flipped and they finished off the season great; one of the better finishes. At their best, I feel like they can compete with the top dogs in the West. Am I overrating them? Am I remembering the good streak they had at the end of the season too much? All I know is they match up well against the Wild and I love the Wild but it's going to be a close series. Something about the Wild worries me and I can't quite pinpoint it. To me, Talbot seems like a safer bet than MAF. I need to think about this some more. I'm trying to not overlook how good the Wild were at the end too - they had a ridiculous record in their last 15 or 16 games.
Bruins are my eastern conference version of the Blues. I like them a lot because of their late season play. I'm not sure about Carolina's goalie situation. But Carolina did play tough at times, they can be dangerous. I still like the Bruins to pull off the minor upset.
Surprised to see the Penguins get so much respect here. I don't know what it is, but for as good as their record was, they always seemed to come up short in big games but that could just be my timing when watching them. Personally speaking, without looking at all of the stats, I felt like the Rangers had the better season (Pens did have a lot more goals for if i recall) because of their monster goaltender. Playoffs. Goaltending. Give me the dude that can steal games. But you guys are right - it should be close. Rangers don't score a ton so it could be a coin flip type of series. Still lean Rangers. Perhaps I need to reconsider and look at how the Pens did against the best of the best this year when they were on.
Not worried about the Caps. feel like the Panthers should handle them. I watched them a decent amount this season and they never impressed me a ton.
Love, love, love the Lightning. I respect the Leafs and they are a fun team to watch but I don't love their goaltending at times. The Lightning are a tough draw for them.
I loved watching the Oilers this season, just a fun team at times that could score 6 goals like nothing. But why do I feel this line is too high? LAK went under the radar at times. They did not rattle off huge winning streaks, got beat by crap teams at times but then out of nowhere would pull off a big win against a top team. I'm very curious how this goes. I guess the Oilers should handle them and I kind of hope they do but I do worry a little about the Kings. They have solid goaltending.
I will def parlay some of my favorite favorites and then do a few parlays with some of my favorite dogs. I just can't see the Avs & Flames losing to the Preds and Stars. Stars will win some home games but they're road record stunk this year. I don't respect the Preds at all. They're like the Caps to me, but the Caps are probably a little better.
Interesting strategy some of you mentioned about betting a series and then getting ready to fade within the series if need be.
Love this banter! So excited for these playoffs. We get to see these teams at their best putting in 100% effort.