Expectations

[USDepartmentOfSavagery]

What are they? We are missing 1/3 of our top-6 and they aren’t coming back. Rods system clearly works well in the playoffs, but we are going to have to manufacture more offense moving forward. Defense is elite and timely goaltending will help. Should I reinvest in the expectations of the team? Is there’s something to be said about the guys elevating each other due to what’s missing. 

[MillionDollarCam]

My general expectation is that we might get knocked out next round from a sheer talent perspective. However, the Freddie Andersen that played last night can steal a series.

[DavidEng]

We are missing 1/3 of our top forwards based on reg season points and if you count Pacioretty who played only 5 games with 3 goals, that’s 1/2 of our top 6 forward goal and point producers.

I see us as underdogs at this point with each win a cause for celebration. How far this team goes will depend on each player stepping up their game and Raanta and Freddie owning the net.

I don’t see us as favorites to win round 2 but I’ll sure be pulling for this team, they never give up, fight to the end. All a fan can ask based on Svech, Turbo, and Paci out with injuries.

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by DavidEng

[WelshPanther]

All Just fun from here. Have enough talent and home advantage to win another series but we also are dropping like flies. Just didn’t to want to lose in 1st round.

[t96]

Hockey is one of those sports where the team can be wayyyyyyy better than the sum of the parts. This team could certainly make a Cup run. Unlikely and my expectations have already been met by winning round 1 but I’m certainly not giving up on this team.

[Harbingers]

9 minutes ago, t96 said:

Hockey is one of those sports where the team can be wayyyyyyy better than the sum of the parts. This team could certainly make a Cup run. Unlikely and my expectations have already been met by winning round 1 but I’m certainly not giving up on this team.

When I watch the other eastern games I don’t see a single team we couldn’t beat under the right conditions. 

[DavidEng]

Looking at how teams are playing and how we played them during the regular season, I believe Rangers would be a better matchup for us than the Devils. But whichever we play let’s go!

[WelshPanther]

11 minutes ago, DavidEng said:

Looking at how teams are playing and how we played them during the regular season, I believe Rangers would be a better matchup for us than the Devils. But whichever we play let’s go!

I tend to ask myself which goalie I’d prefer to play and that would say Devils, not sure if that holds this time. Rangers have struggled to score…..sounds familiar 

[Panthers Fan 69]

Just win 

[Anybodyhome]

6 hours ago, DavidEng said:

We are missing 1/3 of our top forwards based on reg season points and if you count Pacioretty who played only 5 games with 3 goals, that’s 1/2 of our top 6 forward goal and point producers.

I see us as underdogs at this point with each win a cause for celebration. How far this team goes will depend on each player stepping up their game and Raanta and Freddie owning the net.

I don’t see us as favorites to win round 2 but I’ll sure be pulling for this team, they never give up, fight to the end. All a fan can ask based on Svech, Turbo, and Paci out with injuries.

 

What he said.

[Anybodyhome]

Winning Round 1 has met my expectations. Any win in any game beyond last night is gravy.

And it's also a good measuring stick to see where the Canes go in the short off-season.

Another discussion in another thread, but I see Drury and MacEachern possibly making the roster and helping the salary cap with reasonable contracts as Stepan and Statsny will probably move on.

[Rocky Davis]

22 hours ago, Anybodyhome said:

Winning Round 1 has met my expectations. Any win in any game beyond last night is gravy.

And it's also a good measuring stick to see where the Canes go in the short off-season.

Another discussion in another thread, but I see Drury and MacEachern possibly making the roster and helping the salary cap with reasonable contracts as Stepan and Statsny will probably move on.

Winning in the 1st round was pretty solid with all our injuries.  It will only get tougher from here on out.  Gotta find the offense from our offense and have Andersen and Raanta to continue to play as well as they have.  Goalies have been much better than I thought they would be.

Both Statsny and Stepan are getting long in the tooth, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they retired. 

I think we'll have guys like MackEachern (he's a UFA), Drury, Rees, Koivunen, and Ponomarev battling for forward positions.  Can we sign Staal and Fast back for reasonable contracts?  I think so.

On Defense, De Haan and Ghost are UFAs.  Don't know if we even try to sign Ghost because we'll need that money in the coming years.  Lajoie or Seeley's time?

[KillerKat]

I read a post last night that said expectations were losing in the 2nd round, so we are doing much better. 

I have to disagree. The expectations last offseason and almost all of the season was to win the Stanley Cup. They only lowered after doing nothing at the trade deadline.

The expectation for the team is to win it all, however I still believe we didnt do enough to get over the hump and yes losing in the conference final, assuming we knock out the Devils, or even in the final should be considered a failure of a season.

Never forget what we were supposed to do for over a year now.

Edited May 10, 2023 by KillerKat

[Day1PanthersFan]

2 minutes ago, KillerKat said:

I read a post last night that said expectations were losing in the 2nd round, so we are doing much better. 

I have to disagree. The expectations last offseason and almost all of the season was to win the Stanley Cup. They only lowered after doing nothing at the trade deadline.

The expectation for the team is to win it all, however I still believe we didnt do enough to get over the hump and yes losing in the conference final, assuming we knock out the Devils, should be considered a failure of a season.

Never forget what we were supposed to do for over a year now.

Yeah, we are beyond being happy just to be in the playoffs, at this point we are like Washington before they finally won it , anything less than the Cup will be a dissapointing season 

I think with Boston and Tampa out of the way, it became alot more realistic for every team left, I just am really worried about our goalie situation , Freddy has been inconsistent, letting in alot of questionable goals, don't know when Raanta will be back, and we don't have another NHL ready goalie , if we fail this season , Goalie should be our focus through trades and f/a, if we can get a vezina caliber goalie without having to sell the farm