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Post by Reesor on Apr 11, 2023 21:24:25 GMT -4
Mooseheads have made the playoffs 13 times since 2006. This will be the 6th time playing Moncton in that stretch. Moncton is coming off an unbelievable seven game series win against Baie-Comeau that had a Quebec league record five overtimes. Mooseheads are coming off a hard-fought but much shorter four game series vs Cape Breton. Head-to-head stats 2022-23: www.leaguestat.com/lhjmq/lhjmq/en/media/index.php?step=4&sub=14&season_id=202&format=HTML&team=5&second_team=1Halifax should have the edge in all major areas. And they'll be facing a Wildcats team that has played 2x as much hockey in the last two weeks. But momentum is a funny thing. If Moncton can jump on the Moose early they could cause some issues. Keys for Halifax: - Learn from the past: Halifax had some downright rotten stretches against Cape Breton. Moncton is better structured and Halifax would be wise not to have periods long lapses of concentration against the Cats. Hopefully the Moose have been working on mindset. They have the ability. They must be more consistent in this series. - Depth scoring: Moncton has more depth than Cape Breton and can hurt the Moose more throughout their lineup. Halifax's depth has to come through in this series. There will be times in these playoffs where Lawrence, Doucet and Dumais have an off game. Need L'Heureux to get his scoring touch back and guys like Biasca, Cataford, Boucher and Vidicek to contribute consistently. - Discipline: This will be an intense series with a lot of emotion, much like the last one. Halifax needs to take advantage of their normal disciplined play and burn Moncton on the power play. The special teams match up favors the Moose and they need to play into that advantage. Keys for Moncton: - Ride the Wave: Moncton can't be satisfied with the last series win. They have an opportunity to give Halifax something to think about. Play loose and take advantage of the momentum gained against Baie-Comeau. - Start well: The Cats have to play well right out of the gate. They can't afford to get down a goal or two early and end up playing three lines to get back into the game. They've played a lot of hockey in the last two weeks and being forced to shorten the bench will play right into Halifax's hands. - Steinman has to be great: Moncton's goaltending has to outshine Halifax's for them to have a shot. There will be times in this series where the ice is tilted in Halifax's favor. Steinman playing well could frustrate Halifax enough for Moncton's talent to take advantage. I think it would be easy to say that an emotionally and physically drained Moncton team is no match for a rested Halifax team. I think the fatigue factor will become more of a factor if this series goes long. Moncton has to start well and really has to get at least a split in Halifax. I think if Halifax treats Moncton like a tired team and doesn't keep the pressure on, Moncton could surprise. In 2015 Halifax had a hard-fought seven game series win against Shawinigan while Moncton got by Chicoutimi in five games. Halifax on a couple days rest compared to Moncton's week proceeded to win the first two games in Moncton to open up round two. Fatigue can be overstated sometimes. Having said that, I do believe Halifax has the advantage in that department over the course of the series. That combined with their skill and depth advantage should give the Moose enough of an edge to win this series. I predict Halifax in five. Go Moose!! |
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Post by CrazyJoeDavola on Apr 11, 2023 21:27:24 GMT -4
I somehow clicked on the game 6 score and highlights about 30 minutes ago, thinking it was tonight's game, and thought Moncton lost game 7 until I just saw a moose post about playing Moncton. Life is always an adventure getting old!
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Post by Reesor on Apr 11, 2023 22:17:55 GMT -4
Schedule is out and is a little different than the norm. Kevin Hart is at the Avenir Center on Tuesday the 18th. The Halifax Thunderbirds are at the Scotiabank Center on April 22nd. Game 3 is moved back a day and game 5 moved back two days. Games 5 and 6 if necessary would be back to back.
Moncton @ Halifax - Friday April 14th @ 7pm
Moncton @ Halifax - Saturday April 15th @ 7pm
Halifax @ Moncton - Wednesday April 19th @ 7pm
Halifax @ Moncton - Thursday April 20th @ 7pm
Moncton @ Halifax - Sunday April 23rd @ 2pm (If Necessary)
Halifax @ Moncton - Monday April 24th @ 7pm (If Necessary)
Moncton @ Halifax - Wednesday April 26th @ 7pm (If Necessary)
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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 11, 2023 22:34:02 GMT -4
Originally I thought Halifax in 4 but if the Moose almost lost a game to CB and Gatineau lost one to SJ then Moncton must be able to win one against Halifax.
Moose in 5.
No worries, I won't be starting any GDTs on your board. 😘
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Post by Citris on Apr 12, 2023 0:08:31 GMT -4
Originally I thought Halifax in 4 but if the Moose almost lost a game to CB and Gatineau lost one to SJ then Moncton must be able to win one against Halifax. Moose in 5. No worries, I won't be starting any GDTs on your board. 😘 This was my guess too. I think Steinman will steal a game from the Mooseheads. Hopefully we don't see anything like Feb 19th lol. That one is hard for me to forget XD |
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Post by howitzer on Apr 12, 2023 4:55:24 GMT -4
Halifax has been resting, practicing, while Moncton went the distance, had to travel to Baie Comeau for three games and only have two days to rest. They'll ride momentum as long as possible, but the Moose should have little trouble with this one.
Halifax in 5.
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Post by Fryar on Apr 12, 2023 5:28:16 GMT -4
I went with Halifax in 5 as well.
Moncton had some early success this season vs Halifax but their last win was Dec 14 in OT. Since then the Moose have won 5 straight. Moncton going seven games and all the OT will have some affect at some point.
I expect L'heureux to take a couple of stupid penalties during the series as he'll likely be amped up playing his old team. I hope none of them are dumb enough to cost a game or result in a suspension. Time will tell.
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Post by Reesor on Apr 12, 2023 6:46:16 GMT -4
Originally I thought Halifax in 4 but if the Moose almost lost a game to CB and Gatineau lost one to SJ then Moncton must be able to win one against Halifax. Moose in 5. No worries, I won't be starting any GDTs on your board. 😘 When I saw with a couple weeks left in the regular season that there was a good chance Halifax played Moncton in round two, the first thing I was looking forward to was your GDT. Just wait until Moncton wins a game and make the next thread. |
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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 12, 2023 7:41:09 GMT -4
Originally I thought Halifax in 4 but if the Moose almost lost a game to CB and Gatineau lost one to SJ then Moncton must be able to win one against Halifax. Moose in 5. No worries, I won't be starting any GDTs on your board. 😘 When I saw with a couple weeks left in the regular season that there was a good chance Halifax played Moncton in round two, the first thing I was looking forward to was your GDT. Just wait until Moncton wins a game and make the next thread. Found this on my profile last week. Not looking for another Texas power trip but thanks for the invite. "Warning Level Reset (6 months no infractions) - Feb 18 | Smiley - Issued: Feb 18, 2011, 8:00pm" |
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Post by statsman18 on Apr 12, 2023 8:31:13 GMT -4
I think Halifax is going to sweep. I usually weight on the side of caution and give the other team a game cushion. I just don’t see that this series. Moncton just played 27 periods of hockey. Halifax only played 10 minutes more than the minimum in a series. I know all the talk about the high of winning a big series and all that other noise but it took everything Moncton had to win that and they still almost didn’t. I’m going to predict the first to games Halifax will score at least 15 goals combined and Moncton might get 5.
What’s the word on Whynot anyone see if he’s back, close or no where’s near ready?
Here’s the 2 things that have to happen for Moncton to steal a game. One has been said the goalie need to win them a game. Number 2 stay out of the box. Their PK was only 72% in the first round to a team that only scored 44 power play goals and was a 20% team. Halifax was a 27% team on the PP and had 67 PP goals. Yes I know that could be said for every team, game, series and what have you, but in this case it has more weight.
Another thing to look at is Moncton had to play 27 periods to beat a team that only had 3 player with 20 goals or more in the regular season. None of which had 30. Halifax had 3 guys in the 20’s, 2 in the 30’s and 3 in the 50’s.
Looking at all everything from stats to travel, playing time I just feel Moncton doesn’t really stand a chance at a game. I think they emptied the tank.
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Post by trueblue on Apr 12, 2023 8:57:00 GMT -4
What’s the word on Whynot anyone see if he’s back, close or no where’s near ready? He's out of his walking boot and into some comfy looking slippers in the picture from yesterday haha. Hopefully he'll be back this series, huge difference between him and Martin playing next to MacKinnon. Looks like Chisholm and Milner are with the team for the rest of the playoff run as well. |
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Post by yesisaiditfirst on Apr 12, 2023 9:05:25 GMT -4
The schedule does make a case for Moncton to steal a game if they perfect their game a little.
1)They come in on a high and have played so won't start lethargic from not playing a game recently will be on Halifax - Moncton might get a lead out of the gate. Two days is perfect to keep that intensity and rest enough for game 1. Game 1 is their best opportunity to steal.
2) They know Halifax well and vice versa - rather the devil you know. The longer it goes it gets interesting. Especially once they get #66 off his game.
3) 3 days of rest with really no travel after Saturday in their own beds and next game not until Wednesday?? That's like a vacation. For recovery playing a team that close to home is fortunate. They are not a bad road team. They play smarter on the road and really have yet to play a solid home game in playoffs.
4) 5 OTs already under their belt. If they win 1 game it will be a game in OT most likely. One more feather in their cap. I think a game will go to OT and it might even be the first game.
I can give all kinds of reasons why they won't win a game. Injuries, fatigue, and just the way they play sorta create many of their own troubles. But the fact they know they can win having won vs Halifax a few times this year and they will try...don't discount players like Beaudoin, Trenholm, Plandowski these players have some key playoff experience to draw on. It's likely they pull a game out somehow.
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Post by lirette on Apr 12, 2023 9:20:34 GMT -4
The schedule does make a case for Moncton to steal a game if they perfect their game a little. 1)They come in on a high and have played so won't start lethargic from not playing a game recently will be on Halifax - Moncton might get a lead out of the gate. Two days is perfect to keep that intensity and rest enough for game 1. Game 1 is their best opportunity to steal. 2) They know Halifax well and vice versa - rather the devil you know. The longer it goes it gets interesting. Especially once they get #66 off his game. 3) 3 days of rest with really no travel after Saturday in their own beds and next game not until Wednesday?? That's like a vacation. For recovery playing a team that close to home is fortunate. They are not a bad road team. They play smarter on the road and really have yet to play a solid home game in playoffs. 4) 5 OTs already under their belt. If they win 1 game it will be a game in OT most likely. One more feather in their cap. I think a game will go to OT and it might even be the first game. I can give all kinds of reasons why they won't win a game. Injuries, fatigue, and just the way they play sorta create many of their own troubles. But the fact they know they can win having won vs Halifax a few times this year and they will try...don't discount players like Beaudoin, Trenholm, Plandowski these players have some key playoff experience to draw on. It's likely they pull a game out somehow. I have great confidence that the Wildcats will put a solid effort forth in these first 2 games, I don't think fatigue will really be a factor. They worked their asses off the entire series. The biggest issue for them is they are a nightmare defensively and have lots of issues between the ears with decision making on passes and when to pinch/when not to pinch. That was an issue the entire 7 games vs Baie Comeau. Just look at the highlights and watch how many goals were from bad turnovers, or bad line changes or someone not covering their man leaving a sniper wide open in the slot. On one of the powerplays last night they allowed 3 odd man rushes. Never seen anything like it. The difference is BC had limited scoring options and depth and Halifax has multiple guys who can put up hat tricks every game. I think this series won't be close, perhaps the Cats keep 1 of the 4 games within a goal if they can play mistake free. I wouldn't be worried if I was a moose fan. |
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Post by Smiley on Apr 12, 2023 9:59:40 GMT -4
When I saw with a couple weeks left in the regular season that there was a good chance Halifax played Moncton in round two, the first thing I was looking forward to was your GDT. Just wait until Moncton wins a game and make the next thread. Found this on my profile last week. Not looking for another Texas power trip but thanks for the invite. "Warning Level Reset (6 months no infractions) - Feb 18 | Smiley - Issued: Feb 18, 2011, 8:00pm" But is it a Game DAY Thread when you start it 4 days before the game?  You are more than welcome to post, create game threads, laugh at Moose on the Moose board, especially if Moncton wins. Halifax should win this in 5..."should" being the key word. I am superstitious and your digs always lead to Moose wins...so I am all for it. Plus, I'll be too busy with the Stars. |
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Post by Reesor on Apr 12, 2023 11:01:11 GMT -4
Nice to see four series involving division rivals. Adds a little spice to the 2nd round. The 1v8 style conference playoff format is a bit less fair than the traditional 1v16 playoff format at times, but having less travel time is best for the teams, and having rivalries have more of a chance at playing each other helps at the gate. Halifax had a couple good attendances in the first round thanks in large part to all the Eagles fans that either made the trip up or are transplanted in Halifax. I'd imagine some Moncton fans will make the trip down this weekend. Tougher for Moose fans to get up to Moncton in the middle of the week, but some absolutely will be there.
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