Valriera

He should play game one, after that I think we will see but part of the way you beat the canes is you take advantage of the fact that they’re little bitches

Biggest factor here is extra rest and being healthy. If we figure out how to get into their zone and be physical we could potentially take this series in four or five - Carolina already hurting on the backend and they are already not a heavy team. I think the key will be breakouts and making sure we take the body every chance we get

Was not aware of the back issues. In that case, I take back my statement

That is scary. I think you could ask this line to be better 5v5 considering that's all they do, minus the occasional Wennberg PK.

You've got a once in a lifetime, perhaps once ever chance to be on the team in the locker room with the only guy who may ever come close to breaking an unbreakable record, and your answer isn't immediately yes? I know individual accolades don't matter so much for hockey players, but this one does. This is an outrageous, unbreakable, unthinkable record that literally nobody has ever come close to except one guy, and he's on your team in your locker room. It means more to the game of hockey than winning the cup for Washington does. It's going to be the only thing anyone talks about in the sports world for weeks, and will be in every record book forever. Heart of a lion there, TJ.

Not that anyone likes Cooper but he’s absolutely right. The officiating has been so atrocious this year and last nights game is yet another example. Bobrovsky is in no way unable to do his job on either of those plays. It probably cost Tampa the game last night and it’s going to cost someone a series in a close one if the league doesn’t figure this out. We’ve been on both ends of these interference calls all year and the reality is nobody has any fucking clue, which means either the rule is bad or the implementation is bad, so it’s up to the league to fix it.

Look the truth is that outside of the series we just swept, the rest of the road is a toss up with very very minor advantages in favor either way, and we hold most of those minor advantages over every other team. If you were betting this year you’d place your money on the rangers because they proved in the regular season they can win consistently like this and they just won four in a row like this. If you were smart you wouldn’t bet a lot because it really is that close. It’s a unique year. May seven teams are legitimate contenders. It’s going to come down to execution and a bounce here and there all other things equal.

I think you play Rempe the first game. He brings a lot of energy to the crowd at home at this is just as important against a fast team. That first game will be important to set the tone and be physical and he's the guy you want to do that. If it works, you consider it for the second game too, but in general I agree with the sentiment that he's not a good fit for a series against carolina and you absolutely do not play him on the road in this series. Even without Chytil, I'm looking at Brodzinski to get a spot ahead of Rempe on the road. Rempe has done amazing and if we make it past Carolina to either Florida or Boston, he's going right back in for either one of those. This is just not the series where you play him every game.

I think you can ask them to do more than be netural against AHL opponents save from a gift goal. That won't cut it against carolina.

Not at all interested in playing Carolina. Just because we beat them one year in seven games doesn't mean we can do it again. That team is just as good as us, and while not scary to play against is a suffocating, difficult opponent. The islanders I'm sure we'd beat. Carolina? We can beat them, that doesn't mean we will. That said we're not getting a choice, and it's going to be Carolina, so the team will have to quickly adapt to the puck off the glass approach to get their D out of the zone if we're going to win.

he's already a handful

There will be no shame losing to Carolina in a tough series, or any of the next three teams up. The rest of the way is ridiculously tough this year. But we are just as capable of winning as any of them are, so gotta outwork and be physical to earn our ticket. This is why the sweep here may be the advantage that snowballs for us. The extra rest is so clutch

Great series. You can only beat the team in front of you and we did just that. Now the team needs to enjoy the rest and hope Carolina gets beat up more by the isles.

Took the only advantage we had and swept the worst team in the playoffs. That’s step one right there. Enjoy the rest now

Vesey again with that soft bullshit play in our zone. I’d rather see Rempe there if he’s just gonna do that shit. Trying to lose the game.