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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 14, 2014 8:32:18 GMT -4
No surprise that we have the top 4 teams in the standings for the regular season in the final 4..such is Q hockey........This is where the interesting series, finally take place.......Both series are really hard to pick for me....we have 4 teams that were within 2 wins of each other for the season, within 5 points of each other, and basically 4 teams that played .700 hockey. You know the 2nd round isn't over and BLB is still alive right?
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Post by CrazyJoeDavola on Apr 14, 2014 8:50:38 GMT -4
We will argue each point of each team, but really, overall, these two teams are extremely similar. Fun, offensive styled teams with elite scoring talent. Both PP`s will be lethal. VD have more offense coming from their blueline, however if a lot of that is on the PP, Drouin basically acts as an offensive defenseman for us.
I don`t know enough about VD to truly comment on what they bring as a group, but I am confident in our defensemen as a group. They are all on the same page, and each individual is pretty capable of making the safe smart play most of the time. Gatineau had some top scoring talent and were relentlessly attacking and pressuring our guys, and we only gave up 11 goals in 5 games (excluding their win, it was 6 goals in 4 games). I don`t expect VD to be pressuring us as aggressively, and I expect we will find there is more room to move out there.
VD will finish on more of their chances though. Hopefully we scare them more than they scare us lol. We have Drouin who is so hard to minimalize, Fucale, and a large core of the guys who won it all before. The series can truly go either way, however I hope as a group we just have that edge in experience to come out on top.
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Post by Porkchop on Apr 14, 2014 9:01:41 GMT -4
No surprise that we have the top 4 teams in the standings for the regular season in the final 4..such is Q hockey........This is where the interesting series, finally take place.......Both series are really hard to pick for me....we have 4 teams that were within 2 wins of each other for the season, within 5 points of each other, and basically 4 teams that played .700 hockey. You know the 2nd round isn't over and BLB is still alive right? yeah, it's over...BLB is on life support....just a formality now with the series finishing up in Rimouski. As much as I'd like to see Clapperton get through for my hockey pool, I don't see it happening. Losing the last one at home should deflate them enough for an easy Rimouski series win.
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Post by chsb on Apr 14, 2014 9:02:28 GMT -4
We will argue each point of each team, but really, overall, these two teams are extremely similar. Fun, offensive styled teams with elite scoring talent. Both PP`s will be lethal. VD have more offense coming from their blueline, however if a lot of that is on the PP, Drouin basically acts as an offensive defenseman for us. I don`t know enough about VD to truly comment on what they bring as a group, but I am confident in our defensemen as a group. They are all on the same page, and each individual is pretty capable of making the safe smart play most of the time. Gatineau had some top scoring talent and were relentlessly attacking and pressuring our guys, and we only gave up 11 goals in 5 games (excluding their win, it was 6 goals in 4 games). I don`t expect VD to be pressuring us as aggressively, and I expect we will find there is more room to move out there. VD will finish on more of their chances though. Hopefully we scare them more than they scare us lol. We have Drouin who is so hard to minimalize, Fucale, and a large core of the guys who won it all before. The series can truly go either way, however I hope as a group we just have that edge in experience to come out on top. I believe VD have a better D core: 1-Gelinas 2-Gazzola 3-Graves 4-Fraser 5-Galipeau who I would not hesitate to compare to any draftee D of 2013 excluding Brisebois....very solid. I also believe that their 2nd/3rd lines are underestimated. Bibeau has also been very solid.
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Post by statsman18 on Apr 14, 2014 9:06:23 GMT -4
This is the match up I was hopping for. At first I thought it would be a big miss match in favour of the Moose. But once you dig into the line combos and D pairings they look pretty tight. I voted the Moose in 5 but I feel they can do it in 4. Even though the teams are so comparable I feel the Moose are just a better team.
It's been said here a few times already that top forwards are almost a wash. I agree on the basis of point totals but Halifax's speed is where the scale tips for me. I even give a slight edge to VD's defensive depth but they just will have a hard time slowing down the Moose.
Here's one thing no one really brought up. Bibeau always seem to have Halifax's number. We might still win the games we play against him but he never made any win easy. He has to steal games for them to win the series. We all know What Fucale is capable of and aren't worried back there at all. It's just there's 2 goalie in this league that make us work for every Goal, they are Dubeau and Bibeau. This is my X-factor of this series. Can Bibeau out play Fucale?
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Post by Joe Rogan on Apr 14, 2014 9:16:26 GMT -4
A few keys to the series for me:
Stay out of the box. I think we have the superior team 5 on 5, especially defensively. Val-d'Or have suspect goaltending and have allowed quite a few goals this year. However, their powerplay is lethal, finishing the regular season with the best (28.6%).
Andrews/Ashley. Andrews didn't look 100% after coming back from injury against Gatineau. He didn't play with the same amount of intensity as he usually does. We will need him and Ashley at 100%. 2nd and 3rd line scoring is going to play a big part in who wins this series.
Winning the first 2 at home is going to be huge. If VD can steal a game (or both) in Halifax their building will be rocking coming home.
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Post by CrazyJoeDavola on Apr 14, 2014 9:30:58 GMT -4
We will argue each point of each team, but really, overall, these two teams are extremely similar. Fun, offensive styled teams with elite scoring talent. Both PP`s will be lethal. VD have more offense coming from their blueline, however if a lot of that is on the PP, Drouin basically acts as an offensive defenseman for us. I don`t know enough about VD to truly comment on what they bring as a group, but I am confident in our defensemen as a group. They are all on the same page, and each individual is pretty capable of making the safe smart play most of the time. Gatineau had some top scoring talent and were relentlessly attacking and pressuring our guys, and we only gave up 11 goals in 5 games (excluding their win, it was 6 goals in 4 games). I don`t expect VD to be pressuring us as aggressively, and I expect we will find there is more room to move out there. VD will finish on more of their chances though. Hopefully we scare them more than they scare us lol. We have Drouin who is so hard to minimalize, Fucale, and a large core of the guys who won it all before. The series can truly go either way, however I hope as a group we just have that edge in experience to come out on top. I believe VD have a better D core: 1-Gelinas 2-Gazzola 3-Graves 4-Fraser 5-Galipeau who I would not hesitate to compare to any draftee D of 2013 excluding Brisebois....very solid. I also believe that their 2nd/3rd lines are underestimated. Bibeau has also been very solid. Weegar/Murphy/Hardie/Duke will probably give you more dependable, experienced defensive play shift by shift though. Lussier (skating/skill) and Lovell (physical) round out a good 3rd pairing. Again, not much separating these teams. It will be interesting to see how Durocher deals with the Drouin line though. Ashley should be back which will make a huge difference too. On paper, this looks extremely close - but like some of the overly optimistic people have said, I wouldn`t be shocked if the moose take the series`s easier than expected based on experience, coaching (Ducharme vs Durocher), and our ability to shut down their stars easier than they can shut down our stars. I look forward to seeing game 1, to get a grasp on what we are in for. I REALLY hate when other teams have elite offensive defensemen though - have to hold your breath on every point shot into a screen lol.
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Post by bois on Apr 14, 2014 9:39:58 GMT -4
Gotta cheer for the Foreurs here ...... but I do expect Halifax to win
This should provide some excellent hockey to watch.. hopefully Eastlink hops on board for this one
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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 14, 2014 9:48:25 GMT -4
I think it will be 2-2-1-1-1. The 800KM rule is just for rounds 1 and 2.
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Post by Reesor on Apr 14, 2014 9:55:56 GMT -4
One guy on the Moose that I've been impressed with so far that doesn't get a lot of credit is Lussier. He has improved throughout the season and is pretty steady on the back end for us. I do worry that any team with depth at forward is going to expose that pairing of Lussier/Lovell, but they've minimized that so far. Both Lovell and Lussier were only on the ice for one goal against each against Gatineau in the entire series. If they aren't going to contribute offensively, they can't be a liability defensively.
Drummondville is a very stingy team, much like Gatineau. And Val d'Or had their problems against them. I like to think of Halifax as multi-dimmensional. The Moose can beat you with a cycle just as much as they can on the rush. They're also stingy defensively. That is pretty good combination. It also shows how good the coaching is. We can beat teams in our own division with puck posession alone. But when we face a team with more firepower, we adjust our game. We can tighten the game up and frustrate the opponent with stingy D, and take advantage of turnovers and power-plays.
Of course I'll always prefer to have a talented roster like we have now. But it'll be interesting to see what Ducharme and staff can do with a lesser roster in the years ahead, assuming he hasn't moved on to greener pastures. I'd like to think we can over-achieve with the coaching staff we currently have.
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Post by Gman on Apr 14, 2014 9:58:33 GMT -4
No surprise that we have the top 4 teams in the standings for the regular season in the final 4..such is Q hockey........This is where the interesting series, finally take place.......Both series are really hard to pick for me....we have 4 teams that were within 2 wins of each other for the season, within 5 points of each other, and basically 4 teams that played .700 hockey. What's wrong with that? Don't the top 4 teams deserve to be there? A year without a major upset isn't such a bad thing. Foley, it may be the year of the Drakkar, but this next series is against Val d'Or so what does BC have to do with anything? Halifax couldn't improve- it was impossible. So right away they are worse while everyone else is better... is that your argument? Halifax will lose because other teams improved? Weak.
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Post by Reesor on Apr 14, 2014 10:04:01 GMT -4
I look forward to seeing game 1, to get a grasp on what we are in for. I REALLY hate when other teams have elite offensive defensemen though - have to hold your breath on every point shot into a screen lol. Haha I agree. I remember the job Falkenham did on that PP the Huskies had in OT in game two last year. Dove to block a few shots and got a standing ovation. Ryan and Andrews do a good job on the PK, but I'd like to see a guy like Shewfelt go out there and just block shots from the point. I figure as hard of a worker that he is, he'd be great for that role. It would help manage ice time for the top 6 as well. On the powerplay is where having those elite offensive dmen is a huge benefit. The Moose are good at getting sticks in the lanes. Drummondville is a stingy team as mentioned earlier, and they managed to keep Val d'Or's PP at 20% for the series (5 for 25). If the Moose can just match that, they'll have a good chance of winning the series.
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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 14, 2014 10:09:39 GMT -4
I'm not surprised that you guys are under estimating us but 86% have predicted a Moose victory? Please.
I hope Fucale is ready because we scored the most goals in the league. You guys scored the second most goals though so it should be an exciting series.
In the regular season and the playoffs, you guys have significantly more penalty minutes than us and as mentioned, our power play is pretty lethal so you guys are going to want to stay out of the box.
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Post by Reesor on Apr 14, 2014 10:11:33 GMT -4
Gotta cheer for the Foreurs here ...... but I do expect Halifax to win This should provide some excellent hockey to watch.. hopefully Eastlink hops on board for this one Yah I figure there will be people hoping for an all small market final between Baie-Comeau and Val d'Or. While I can sympathize, I won't be hoping for that this time around. Eastlink broadcast games 3 and 4 from Rouyn-Noranda last year. Hoping travel distance isn't an issue again this year.
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Post by Penguins23® on Apr 14, 2014 10:15:44 GMT -4
Gotta cheer for the Foreurs here ...... but I do expect Halifax to win This should provide some excellent hockey to watch.. hopefully Eastlink hops on board for this one Yah I figure there will be people hoping for an all small market final between Baie-Comeau and Val d'Or. While I can sympathize, I won't be hoping for that this time around. Eastlink broadcast games 3 and 4 from Rouyn-Noranda last year. Hoping travel distance isn't an issue again this year. If they broadcasted your games in Rouyn then they should be able to come here. We're closer to Halifax by over 100KMs.
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