First off, being the best doesn’t make you deserve anything. The team that battles harder and finds a way to win is the team that deserves to win.

Second, you HAVE to get off this luck soap box. By your reasoning, any team that’s either better by their record or statistics and loses to a lower seed is simply luck.

That’s just dumb.
- Rinosaur

I agree with you that kind of logic is dumb. But last years playoff series id say that the Caps 100% battled harder but the Pens happened to win.

Normally I would say there is reasoning for everything but at least imo. The Pens winning the series last year was lucky.

This year i'm not so sure. I want the Caps to win but I think it could go either way.

First off, being the best doesn’t make you deserve anything. The team that battles harder and finds a way to win is the team that deserves to win.

Second, you HAVE to get off this luck soap box. By your reasoning, any team that’s either better by their record or statistics and loses to a lower seed is simply luck.

That’s just dumb.
- Rinosaur

James is one of them flat earth people

The better team won.. Well done Caps! Now beat the Pens!!

I agree with you that kind of logic is dumb. But last years playoff series id say that the Caps 100% battled harder but the Pens happened to win.

Normally I would say there is reasoning for everything but at least imo. The Pens winning the series last year was lucky.

This year i'm not so sure. I want the Caps to win but I think it could go either way.
- Maverick1818

Literally no luck involved. A goalie stepping up to steal a series isn’t luck. It’s a player rising to the occasion.

My comment about deserving equating to working hard wasn’t meant to imply the caps didn’t work hard. It was a general comment about “deserving.”

Both teams gave their 100%

The better team won.. Well done Caps! Now beat the Pens!!
- Shakers

I really was hoping for Segei “The Sieve” Bobrovsky.

James is one of them flat earth people
- I_Am_Cloutier

Sorry, but acknowledging that hockey is a game where the best team doesn't always win is the complete opposite of being a flat earther. This comment makes no sense.

Literally no luck involved. A goalie stepping up to steal a series isn’t luck. It’s a player rising to the occasion.

My comment about deserving equating to working hard wasn’t meant to imply the caps didn’t work hard. It was a general comment about “deserving.”

Both teams gave their 100%
- Rinosaur

On the hand hand that's like people saying the Caps "choked" the Caps have never chocked, they just lost

Literally no luck involved. A goalie stepping up to steal a series isn’t luck. It’s a player rising to the occasion.

My comment about deserving equating to working hard wasn’t meant to imply the caps didn’t work hard. It was a general comment about “deserving.”

Both teams gave their 100%
- Rinosaur

So the Capitals outchanced the Penguins by over 100 scoring chances, destroyed them in six of seven games, the Penguins were without their best defenseman, and their back-up goalie came in and posted something like a .999 save percentage over three games.

But because you used the word 'literally' it means there was no actual luck involved?

I retire from this conversation, because it is completely ridiculous.

I really was hoping for Segei “The Sieve” Bobrovsky.
- Rinosaur

Can't blame you for that. Not sure Bob will be around for next years playoffs.. Jarmo has some big decisions to make.

So the Capitals outchanced the Penguins by over 100 scoring chances, destroyed them in six of seven games, the Penguins were without their best defenseman, and their back-up goalie came in and posted something like a .999 save percentage over three games.

But because you used the word 'literally' it means there was no actual luck involved?

I retire from this conversation, because it is completely ridiculous.
- james_tanner1

Fleury stole the series and the Pens were opportunisic.

A player rising to the occasion for a team is not luck. He didn’t just stand there and pucks just stuck to him.

Goalies steal series. It happens every year.

Can't blame you for that. Not sure Bob will be around for next years playoffs.. Jarmo has some big decisions to make.
- Shakers

It’s really astounding how he can be so dominant in the regular season then fall apart in the playoffs.

Must be bad luck ;-)

Literally no luck involved. A goalie stepping up to steal a series isn’t luck. It’s a player rising to the occasion.

My comment about deserving equating to working hard wasn’t meant to imply the caps didn’t work hard. It was a general comment about “deserving.”

Both teams gave their 100%
- Rinosaur

Yeah I'm in agreement here. I don;t really see the difference between a goalie putting up insane numbers or a skater going ape and scoring a bunch of goals.

Was it luck that Pageau scored 4 goals in game last year, putting the Sens up 2-0 against the Rangers, or was it just a player having a great game?

But it's only the goalie being called lucky.

Yeah I'm in agreement here. I don;t really see the difference between a goalie putting up insane numbers or a skater going ape and scoring a bunch of goals.

Was it luck that Pageau scored 4 goals in game last year, putting the Sens up 2-0 against the Rangers, or was it just a player having a great game?

But it's only the goalie being called lucky.
- david22

Exactly.

Let's play on this luck this thing for moment...

So let's say Fleury got lucky, the Pens still need to score more than the Caps. The Pens made the best of their chances.

If this win was luck, then that means the Pens skaters all had to be lucky to score on Holtby. You can't just be lucky on one end. The luck would have to be on all sides.

So was Holtby unlucky?

James, if you don't want ridiculous conversations, cease saying ridiculous things.

Let's play on this luck this thing for moment...

The Pens made the best of their chances.


- Rinosaur

This has been the difference in WSH-PIT series for quite a while. The Pens do not miss often when they get their chances, especially in the playoffs.

This has been the difference in WSH-PIT series for quite a while. The Pens do not miss often when they get their chances, especially in the playoffs.
- TheEllsProject

It's going to be interesting for sure. Murray has played at extremes so far this year.