Post by Reesor on Mar 30, 2014 18:56:28 GMT -4
Edit: Schedule:
Game 1 - Fri Apr 4 | 7:00 PM | Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 2 - Sat Apr 5 | 7:00 PM | Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 3 - Tue Apr 8 | 8:30 PM | Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 4 - Wed Apr 9 | 8:30 PM | Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 5 - Fri Apr 11 | 8:30 PM | * Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 6 - Mon Apr 14 | 7:00 PM | * Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 7 - Tue Apr 15 | 7:00 PM | * Gatineau @ Halifax
With Moncton done the stage is set for round two of the playoffs. It's a rematch of last year's second round matchup which saw a juggernaut Moose team sweep Gatineau in 4 straight. This year things are a bit different. Gone is the juggernaut, and Gatineau is a little better, and will be out for some revenge. This is my take on the series.
Let's pretend for a second that we know our division was weaker than the other divisions. (lol) With that in mind, it's difficult to break down the teams accurately. But we'll try our best.
- Top End offense: Edge goes to Halifax. Gatineau have some big names, but Gadoury/Drouin/Ehlers should be the best line, and they'll have to be in order to neutralize the likes of Poirier and Reway. Losing Darcy Ashley hurts the top end, but not enough to give this edge to Gatineau
- Offensive Depth: No real edge here, especially without Darcy Ashley. Halifax doesn't have a absolute threat of a 3rd line like they did last year. Ciampini/D. Moynihan/Shewfelt can pop some goals. But they aren't an advantage compared to Gatineau's depth IMO. Ryan/Andrews/Meier will have to put in some defensive work against guys like Burke, Reway and Karabacek, while still contributing offensively. This is dead even.
- Defense: Edge goes to Halifax. It can be said for many players, but experience goes a long way here. IMO the core of Weegar, Murphy, Hardie (Should he be playing) and Duke have the offense to get it done, and are good enough defensively to create havok. After our top 4, Lussier and Lovell aren't a strength, and if I were Groulx I'd be attempting to get my scorers out against these two.
- Goaltending: Edge goes to Halifax. Fucale just wins. We can say what we want about winning teams and weak divisions. When we need him, he's there for us. He will have to be solid, as he'll see more rubber in this series than he has in two months. I see Gatineau's goaltending as a weakness, and if Halifax can keep pelting shots like they have been, they can exploit it.
- Coaching: Edge goes to Gatineau. Might not be a popular choice, as Ducharme won coach of the year last year. But the Groulx factor can't be ignored. Groulx seems to get the most our of his players all the time, and the total for his teams always seems to be more than the sum of its parts. If there are holes in Halifax, he'll see them.
Prediction: Halifax in 5. I think Halifax will get an eye opener. Possibly as early as game one. We've had an easy road in the past 2 months, winning 17 straight games. The easy games are over, and Halifax will have to dig deep and play to their potential for once. I actually like this matchup for Halifax, because of the defense and goaltending battles. Halifax has to neutralize Gatineau's high-end offensive talent, and I think they have the ability to do so. It should be a very entertaining series and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I want to welcome the Olympiques fans that were posting on the Cape Breton board. I'm prepared for your rebuttal.
Time to show the league the record wasn't a fluke. Go Moose!!!
Game 1 - Fri Apr 4 | 7:00 PM | Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 2 - Sat Apr 5 | 7:00 PM | Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 3 - Tue Apr 8 | 8:30 PM | Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 4 - Wed Apr 9 | 8:30 PM | Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 5 - Fri Apr 11 | 8:30 PM | * Halifax @ Gatineau
Game 6 - Mon Apr 14 | 7:00 PM | * Gatineau @ Halifax
Game 7 - Tue Apr 15 | 7:00 PM | * Gatineau @ Halifax
With Moncton done the stage is set for round two of the playoffs. It's a rematch of last year's second round matchup which saw a juggernaut Moose team sweep Gatineau in 4 straight. This year things are a bit different. Gone is the juggernaut, and Gatineau is a little better, and will be out for some revenge. This is my take on the series.
Let's pretend for a second that we know our division was weaker than the other divisions. (lol) With that in mind, it's difficult to break down the teams accurately. But we'll try our best.
- Top End offense: Edge goes to Halifax. Gatineau have some big names, but Gadoury/Drouin/Ehlers should be the best line, and they'll have to be in order to neutralize the likes of Poirier and Reway. Losing Darcy Ashley hurts the top end, but not enough to give this edge to Gatineau
- Offensive Depth: No real edge here, especially without Darcy Ashley. Halifax doesn't have a absolute threat of a 3rd line like they did last year. Ciampini/D. Moynihan/Shewfelt can pop some goals. But they aren't an advantage compared to Gatineau's depth IMO. Ryan/Andrews/Meier will have to put in some defensive work against guys like Burke, Reway and Karabacek, while still contributing offensively. This is dead even.
- Defense: Edge goes to Halifax. It can be said for many players, but experience goes a long way here. IMO the core of Weegar, Murphy, Hardie (Should he be playing) and Duke have the offense to get it done, and are good enough defensively to create havok. After our top 4, Lussier and Lovell aren't a strength, and if I were Groulx I'd be attempting to get my scorers out against these two.
- Goaltending: Edge goes to Halifax. Fucale just wins. We can say what we want about winning teams and weak divisions. When we need him, he's there for us. He will have to be solid, as he'll see more rubber in this series than he has in two months. I see Gatineau's goaltending as a weakness, and if Halifax can keep pelting shots like they have been, they can exploit it.
- Coaching: Edge goes to Gatineau. Might not be a popular choice, as Ducharme won coach of the year last year. But the Groulx factor can't be ignored. Groulx seems to get the most our of his players all the time, and the total for his teams always seems to be more than the sum of its parts. If there are holes in Halifax, he'll see them.
Prediction: Halifax in 5. I think Halifax will get an eye opener. Possibly as early as game one. We've had an easy road in the past 2 months, winning 17 straight games. The easy games are over, and Halifax will have to dig deep and play to their potential for once. I actually like this matchup for Halifax, because of the defense and goaltending battles. Halifax has to neutralize Gatineau's high-end offensive talent, and I think they have the ability to do so. It should be a very entertaining series and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I want to welcome the Olympiques fans that were posting on the Cape Breton board. I'm prepared for your rebuttal.
Time to show the league the record wasn't a fluke. Go Moose!!!