Year of the Underdogs

[4T2]

Like a team ending a 52 year Cup drought?

Whoa whoa whoa Dave... he said "something crazy"... not "Hell freezing over, cats and dogs living together, batsh*t insanity"

[DusterDave]

Whoa whoa whoa Dave... he said "something crazy"... not "Hell freezing over, cats and dogs living together, batsh*t insanity"

Hahahaha, I knew that post would get some grief.

[ShawneePanthers]

And now- all of the lower ranked teams in the western conference have either won or are leading the series

[Axeman33]

I am not sure I'd call STL an "underdog" so to speak. They were one of the hottest teams in the 2nd half of the season and clearly on a roll coming into the playoffs. The "seeding" may have said they were lower but anyone could see who the better team down the stretch was between STL and WPG.

[4T2]

I am not sure I'd call STL an "underdog" so to speak. They were one of the hottest teams in the 2nd half of the season and clearly on a roll coming into the playoffs. The "seeding" may have said they were lower but anyone could see who the better team down the stretch was between STL and WPG.

That’s what you get with the divisional playoff format. Other than the 1v8 seeds, often (there are exceptions) the rest of the matchups don’t have a clear cut favourite.

St Louis, Vegas and even Toronto are “underdogs” only by seeding. No one is surprised by any of these teams advancing.

So are the islanders an “underdog” even though they were the higher seed? Personally I had considered them one because pretty much everyone was picking the Penguins. But in reality they probably don’t deserve that title.

Colorado and Columbus are definitely underdogs. The case could be made for Dallas and Carolina as well I suppose. Few were picking the Stars over the Preds. Carolina is likely an “underdog” but that has more to do with them being a young team facing off against the defending champs.

I guess the long winded point I’m trying to make is that, really only the wild card teams could be considered “underdogs” and right now there’s a chance all 4 pull it off. That’s an amazing feat right there, no need to try to stretch the narrative to fit teams that aren’t actually underdogs into that category though

[Axeman33]

I think many considered the Islanders underdogs simply because they are "The Islanders" and they were facing the big bad Penguins. I think people still don't believe in the Islanders and how good they are yet simply based on the name.

I do agree that CBJ, Carolina and Dallas are considered underdogs. Carolina was one of the hottest teams down the stretch themselves and I am not surprised they are where they are in the series vs Washington. It also wouldn't surprise me one bit if they ended up winning the series but that would surprise many.

At the end of the day, it's all about getting in the playoffs first and taking advantage of it once you are there. It's truly anyone's Cup at this point.

[4T2]

I think many considered the Islanders underdogs simply because they are "The Islanders" and they were facing the big bad Penguins. I think people still don't believe in the Islanders and how good they are yet simply based on the name.

I do agree that CBJ, Carolina and Dallas are considered underdogs. Carolina was one of the hottest teams down the stretch themselves and I am not surprised they are where they are in the series vs Washington. It also wouldn't surprise me one bit if they ended up winning the series but that would surprise many.

At the end of the day, it's all about getting in the playoffs first and taking advantage of it once you are there. It's truly anyone's Cup at this point.

Exactly!!! That's why I hate when people criticize teams making moves at the trade deadline like they did with Kekalainen this year. "It's not like they have an actual chance to win the Cup. What are they going to get, an extra round out of it?"

Anything can happen in the playoffs! Plus even if all the teams get is an extra round or two, that's a lot more fun than missing the playoffs or going out in the first round! It's excitement for the players and the fans.

[ShawneePanthers]

Carolina comes up big. A great playoff year

[Axeman33]

The 3 best teams in the 2nd half: TB, STL, and Carolina.

The Blues and Canes moving on shouldn't be a surprise (or NYI for that matter too) but they are.

[hockeyrobot]

I normally take a playoff breather during the second round to get back to my life. This year I will be doing that tenfold.

[ShawneePanthers]

All of the wild card teams have advanced- first time since that's been introduced has that occurred

[Godin]

Teams eliminated:

Tampa Bay
Washington
Nashville
Toronto
Calgary
Winnipeg
Las Vegas
Pittsburgh

Those 8 would have made a great playoff. I know, could have, should have, would have....

[LawMan]

Out of curiosity I checked out the odds pre-season for the remaining teams to win the Stanley Cup:

Bruins – 19/2
Sharks – 22/1
Blues – 25/1
Stars – 28/1
Blue Jackets – 30/1
Avalanche – 35/1
Hurricanes - 70/1
Islanders – 80/1 "They won a grand total of one playoff round in nine seasons with Tavares. It’s not going to get any better without him." (from the article)

https://thehockeynews.com/news/artic...ges-everything