#nhl-postseason — Public Fediverse posts

I don’t want to write this post. I am too sad. Too hockey sad, to be specific.

Usually when I do these playoff prediction things I end being right a little bit more than 50% of the time. Not this year. This year I am sub 50% and it hurts. Oh well. What’s a Bruins fan to do?

After three rounds I had predicted the winner of seven out of 14 series. Exactly 50%. My coin flip control group/comparison was not so lucky. The coin was right on five out of 14 series. That just proved that blind guesses have miserable luck… or something along those lines.

In the Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and the Oilers, the coin and I both picked the Oilers and we were both wrong, damn it. So my final success rate for the entire playoff season is 7/15, or about 46.7%. Awful. Miserable. The coin flip’s final success rate for the entire playoff season is 5/15, or 33%. Even more awful. Even more miserable.

Boo, I say. Boo. I just had a really bad postseason. Honestly, any postseason that doesn’t end with a big victory parade in Boston is a bad postseason, but some are more pathetic than others, you know what I mean?

The Red Sox play the Blue Jays tonight. My sports fan energy is 100% focused on baseball now. Go Red Sox.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/26/nhl-playoff-predictions-wrap-up/

#Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal #stanleyCupPlayoffs

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup.

I watched the clock tick down on a gamecast on nhl.com. I didn’t actually watch the game. I thought about it but I didn’t want to jinx anything. My bad.

The Oilers failed to complete the greatest comeback in professional sports history and the Panthers avoided the worst collapse ever.

The team that bounced my Bruins for the second year in a row went to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row but unlike last year they stuck the landing.

Shit.

Oh, and the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark last night too. We’d best get someone legendary with that first round pick.

Shit.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/25/hockey-pain-and-hockey-suffering/

#Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

The second period just ended and the dream of a legendary Edmonton come back has taken a step back.

Florida has a 2-1 lead.

Shit.

20 minutes of regulation left in the game, the series, and the NHL season.

Come on Oilers!

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/24/stanley-cup-final-game-seven-uh-oh/

#Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoff #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

Happy Stanley Cup Final Game Seven day, everyone.

After one period of play, the Oilers and the Panthers are tied at one goal each.

40 minutes of regulation play remaining to find out if the Panthers can avoid the most pathetic collapse in professional sports history*, or if the Oilers can complete the greatest come back in pro sports history.

I’m rooting for the Oilers, but given how impossible it is to come back from down three games to none in a seven game series, my money (if I had any) would be on the Panthers… even though I friggin’ hate them.

Come on, Edmonton. Let’s do the impossible and bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada where it would belong if it didn’t actually belong in Boston.

*Sure, there have been a bunch of instances of teams winning a series after being down 0-3. It’s happened in Boston twice. The Bruins blew the three games to none lead against Philly in 2010 and I have still not recovered, even though they won the Cup one year later. In happier news, the only time it’s happened in Major League Baseball history is when the Red Sox came back from down 0-3 to take the American League Championship Series from the fucking Yankees.

Why is this the biggest come back ever? I think it’s happened five or six times in pro sports history, but I don’t think it’s ever happened in a championship round. Pretty sure this would be the first. All the more reason to consider it impossible.

It would be nice to see Florida blow it and lose in utterly humiliating fashion, but it still wouldn’t make up for them beating the Bruins two postseasons in a row. It’s a start though.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/24/tied-at-one-after-one/

#edmontonOilers #floridaPanthers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #Sports #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

So I pick the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. Then Florida wins the first three games easily and I give up on hope and declare that the Panthers have more or less already won. Then as soon as I stop caring, the Oilers turn around and win the next three games easily.

Damn it.

The Oilers won game six tonight by a score of 5-1. The series is now even at three games all. Game seven is Monday night because the NHL schedule is made by idiots who thought it fine to not have gave seven on a weekend. Come on, guys. It’s game effin’ seven. Have it on an effin’ weekend. What the hell is wrong with you jerks?

I’m still rooting for the Oilers. I’m also still convinced that the Panthers are not going to lose four games in a row. I guess we’ll see what happens on Monday then, right?

Two nights from now we’ll get the last game of the 2023-24 NHL season. That’s followed by three months of nuttin’ honey. Blah.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/21/bring-on-game-seven-2/

#edmontonOilers #floridaPanthers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #Sports #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

After two periods, Edmonton leads 3-0. There’s still plenty of time to blow it. Stay strong, hockey fans who hate the Panthers.

Bring us that game seven, Oilers. Hold that lead.

I just finished the season finale of Doctor Who. It was so good. It was so very good. I’m going to have to watch it again because I am really tired and I might have missed a few seconds here and there. Over all though? It was so good.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/21/2nd-intermission-2/

#Disney_ #doctorWho #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #seasonFinale #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal #Television

The Oilers have a 1-0 lead over the Panthers after one period. They are dick teasing me. We all know that, right? Ugh.

My stomach played nicely today. Good job, surgically redesigned stomach pouch. Everything was very predictable. My hunger pains hit me right on schedule. Also, I didn’t over eat at the end of the work day and ruin dinner. Good job, Robbie’s little pouch thing.

Want to know what did ruin dinner? Just before 8:00 I had a bite of potato. The roasted potatoes we had tonight tasted AMAZING, but that last bite got stuck. Trigger the foamies. Trigger a little nausea. It’s been an hour and fifteen minutes and it doesn’t seem to have cleared yet. I still feel like that last bite of potato is stuck. I was able to cough some of it up, but clearly not all of it.

Damn it.

Okay. It’s after 9:00. I should be clear to watch the season finale of Doctor Who now. I have a little spit-up cup next to me (TMI), I have a gamecast of the hockey game from NHL.com open, and I need to do something to distract myself from my stomach pouch whatever it is. Doctor Who should do the trick.

Further updates will be provided. Come on, Oilers. Hold that lead, you sick little monkeys.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/21/1st-intermission-2/

#Television #doctorWho #gastricBypass #gastricBypassRecovery #gastricBypassSideEffects #gastricBypassSugery #health #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #seasonFinale #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal #theFoamies #weightLossSurgery

The Stanley Cup Final.

Game six.

It’s about to start.

Edmonton trails three games to two. They are trying to come back after being down three games to none. Realistically there is zero chance of that. They aren’t winning this series. They aren’t winning the cup.

Still… it would be nice to have another game after tonight, wouldn’t it? Seven games are better than six right?

Come on, Oilers. Prolong the agony. Pretty please.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/21/game-six-3/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

It’s Wednesday. I’m back in the office. You don’t care, but I want to write about something… anything… so here we are.

Today is Juneteenth. I completely forgot. When the state first established today as a holiday we got it off. Less than a year later our company turned most of the non-national holidays into floating holidays so now we don’t get today off. It was just another day for me except that there was no traffic on the highways this morning. From my house to my office, 43 miles, took 46 minutes. Why couldn’t every commute be this easy? While having the day off would have been great, I will take this as the next best thing… sort of.

I failed to get six hours of sleep again last night. My watch tells me I got 5:45 but my heart rate numbers were pretty spectacular. Hopefully that means I won’t be too completely exhausted again today. Just mildly completely exhausted. I still haven’t hooked up my CPAP machine since coming back from Florida a few weeks ago. I think my sleep numbers (assuming my watch pulls accurate data) are implying that using the machine won’t make much of a difference. I should probably use it anyway. Maybe there will be a placebo effect or something and I won’t be quite as tired after a short night’s sleep. I don’t know.

The Oilers won last night. Yippee. Well… that’s being mean. I am glad they won. Not because I expect them to dig out of a three games to none series hole, but because it literally extended the NHL season. If they are going to lose on me and prove that I suck at picking the outcome of NHL playoff series’, then the least they can do is lose in seven games so we get our money’s worth, right?

As for the Red Sox, they have won four in a row including two wins against the first place Yankees. Glorious. I saw a post on social media where someone said that this streak proves they will not only make the playoffs, but advance to the American League Championship Series. I laughed out loud. No, let me be more specific… I laughed out loud for a long, long time. They are four games above .500. They are in third place in the division, 11.5 games behind the first place (and thoroughly evil) Yankees. They are two games out of the wild card. Oh yeah, it is June. Yeah… they are better than I thought they would be, but they are still pretty clearly mediocre. They might sneak into the wild card, but I am not holding my breath. If you’re expecting the Red Sox to do anything better than middle of the pack, then you haven’t been paying attention. No. They will not make it to the ALCS. If they do, I will happily eat my words, but I won’t have to because there’s no chance. This is the way. I have spoken.

I watched last night’s new episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte. There has been so much hate spewed at this show. Most of it rooted in sexism and racism rather than the story or anything to do with it. I’ve enjoyed the show so far and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. I’m on for the ride, as the saying goes. Last night though… episode four… I finally had something that I didn’t like. What was it? The running time was less than 30 minutes. Come on, Star Wars. We need more than that from our weekly episodes. We need more to sink our teeth into. These episodes should be more like 45-60 minutes, right? We need that content, folks. We need it! Star Wars, babie! Give us more!

This is the way.

I have spoken.

What was I talking about?

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/19/another-wednesday/

#365 #365Challenge #AppleWatch #Baseball #Cat #commute #Disney_ #health #Hockey #Holiday #iphoneography #juneteenth #Kitty #lily #MajorLeagueBaseball #MLB #morningCommute #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #photoADay #photoADayChallenge #photography #playoffs #postseason #RedSox #robin #Sleep #sleepStats #SleepWatch #standings #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal #StarWars #starWarsTheAcolyte #stateHoliday #Television #traffic

The Oilers lost the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final series to the Panthers, virtually guaranteeing the Cup will go to Florida.

Then in game four, the Oilers won in a blow out. Tonight, in game five, the Oilers are up 4-2 after two periods.

If you were wondering what the hockey equivalent of a dick tease felt like, then know that this is it.

Even if the Oilers win tonight, there is still virtually no chance of them coming all the way back to win the Stanley Cup. They are just trying to give me a little hope so that Florida can crush my dreams the way they did when the eliminated my Bruins, both this year’s playoffs and last year’s playoffs.

Sure, I am happy the Oilers are winning in game five. It’s just going to make it more painful when they eventually lose.

In other news, the Red Sox beat Toronto again tonight. That’s four wins in a row for my home town team. I’ll take that.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/18/hockey-tease/

#Baseball #BostonRedSox #edmontonOilers #Hockey #MLB #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCupFinal #stanleyCupPlayoffs

Game four of the Stanley Cup final. Tonight. Game time is 8:00… which was 18 minutes ago… and the game hasn’t started yet… Screw you, TV coverage. Just drop the damned puck.

Well… it’s going to end tonight, I think. Probably. The Panthers are probably going to complete the sweep over the Oilers tonight. You know the Oilers, right? The team I picked to win it?

I really don’t want the NHL season to end. I loves me some ice hockey and once Florida finishes destroying my dreams it comes to an end. At least the next regular season game I see will be the Bruins so that’s nice.

The Panthers have bounced my Bruins out of the postseason for two years in a row now. I hate them dearly. I don’t New York Yankees* hate them, but I really hate them. It is going to royally suck to have to refer to them as Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

Put my hockey season out of it’s misery.

Stupid friggin’ Oilers and Panthers.

*The Red Sox and Yankees are playing each other this weekend. Tonight is the second game of the series and the Red Sox are up 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning. That’s a good thing, but given the state of the two teams it’s probably going to end in tears for my Red Sox.

Shit.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/15/it-probably-ends-tonight/

#BostonBruins #BostonRedSox #Hockey #IHateTheYankees #MajorLeagueBaseball #MLB #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCupFinal #YankeesSuck

Damn it, Edmonton!

After two periods in game three of the Stanley Cup Final, Panthers 4, Oilers 1.

Damn it, Edmonton!

That’s it. I give up. You’ve really let me down, Oilers. Seriously. Jerks.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/13/game-three-i-give-up/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

Game three of the Stanley Cup Final. It’s tied at one about four minutes into the second period.

At what point do I just give up hope and accept the fact that the team I’m rooting for, Edmonton, is not going to win.

Crudsville, population me.

I suppose the Oilers could figure it out tonight and actually score some goals and win a game for a change. It could happen. I mean, they are in the Stanley Cup Final fer crying out loud. It’s not like they suck, you know?

Come on, Oilers. Let’s make this happen.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/13/game-three-tied-in-the-second/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #playoffs #postseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

The Panthers were up 2-1 when I fell asleep last night.

The final score? Panthers 4, Oilers 1.

The Panthers take game two and have a two games to none lead.

Damn it.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/11/final-score/

#Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

Game two of the Stanley Cup Final. After two periods from Miami, FL, the Oilers and Panthers are tied at one goal apiece.

I knew the Oilers’ lead through one period wasn’t going to hold. Damn it.

I expect more from your third period, Edmonton. I expect a lot more.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/10/two-periods-down-2/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoff #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

After one period of play in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers have a 1-0 lead over the Panthers.

Finally.

There is zero chance that this game ends 1-0. Come now, Edmonton. Let’s pad that lead in the second period.

I’m not watching the game, as I don’t have cable anymore and don’t know how to stream ABC. Instead I’m following the gamecast in a browser window while starting to re-watch season one of House of the Dragon because season two starts on Sunday. Gots to get ready for some Game of Thrones Prequel style carnage, am I right?

Let’s go Oilers!

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/10/one-period-down/

#edmontonOilers #GameOfThrones #hbo #Hockey #houseOfTheDragon #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #stanleyCupFinal #Television

Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final between Edmonton and Florida is about to start down in Miami where ice is somehow a thing?

Florida took game one, two nights ago, by a score of 3-0. I read interviews with Edmonton players today who were all gung ho about how well they played in the loss and how if they play that well again good things will happen.

Do those good things include scoring one goal? Sheesh.

I want Edmonton to win the Stanley Cup because I hate the Florida Panthers with every ounce of hate I can muster. I am rooting for the Oilers despite their having beaten my Bruins in the Cup Final in both 1988 and 1990. I hate myself for rooting for them now, but only a little… because I hate Florida so very much.

Come on, Oilers. Get your shit together and win game two.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/10/game-two/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #stanleyCup #stanleyCupFinal

I can’t remember a time when I was this blah for the last two rounds of the NHL playoffs. Blah, I say!

The Conference Finals are over. It is time to review how my predictions did in round three, and to make my pick for the Stanley Cup Final. Over the first two rounds I had correctly chosen the winner in six of 12 series. 6/12 is terrible, but it is WAY better than my coin flip control group which has been correct in three out of 12 series. That is just pathetic.

So how did we do with the two series in round three?

Rangers vs Panthers. You know, this is what happens when you live in Boston and put your faith in a friggin’ team from friggin’ New York. Of course the Rangers lost. Assholes. You guys suck. That sound you hear off in the distance is me screaming in hockey related frustration. I hate the Florida Panthers so much that I cannot accurately put it into words. I hate them so much that I was rooting for New York. Argh! I picked the Rangers and was wrong. That puts me at 6/13. The coin, the prick, picked the Panthers. It is now 4/13.

Stars vs Oilers. I feel a little better about this one. I am ambivalent about the Stars and I kinda find the Oilers enjoyable. That’s why I picked the Oilers. The coin flip picked Edmonton too. That puts me back at 50% at 7/14, and moves the coin to 5/14.

I guess that means that now it’s time to make my pick for the final.

Panthers vs Oilers. As I previously stated, I hate the Panthers with the burning passion of 1000000000 suns, and I kinda like the Oilers. I am making this pick with my heart and not my head and I’m picking the Oilers. Let’s bring that Stanley Cup back to Canada, shall we? For the coin flip, heads goes to the higher seed, which is Florida. The coin flip is tails. That means the coin and I both picked Edmonton.

You heard it here first, kids. The Oilers are going to win the cup this year. Pretty please, at least. We have a long wait for game one, as the series doesn’t start until Saturday. Five days from now. Hey NHL… WTF is up with that? What is this, the NBA? Damn it!

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/03/nhl-playoff-predictions-stanley-cup-final/

#edmontonOilers #Hockey #NHL #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostseason #nhlPredictions #playoffs #postseason #predictions #Sports #stanleyCupFinal #stanleyCupFinalPrediction #stanleyCupPlayoffs

The first round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs wrapped up last night and the second round kicked off last night as well. Worlds colliding, the universe is spinning out of control! I need to write another predictions post!

Let’s review my picks from the first round, including my coin flip picks. The Bruins won so that’s all that matters, but we’ll review anyway.

In the East…

Panthers vs Lightning. I hate them both. I picked Tampa Bay and Florida won. Pricks. I am 0/1. The coin picked Tampa Bay too so we’re both 0/1.

Bruins vs Maple Leafs. Nothing else matters. The Bruins won and all was right with the world, even though it stressed me out like crazy over the last three games. Damn, Bruins. I clearly picked the Bruins so I am 1/2. The coin toss picked the Bruins as well. We’re both 1/2.

The Rangers vs the Capitals. Damn if I don’t hate both of these teams too. The Rangers won easy. I picked the Caps because I suck at this. The coin picked the Caps too because the coin sucks at this too. We’re both 1/3.

Whalers vs Islanders.  Again… hate for both teams. I picked the Whale and the coin picked the Islanders. Finally some tension here! Who won? The Whale. I am 2/4 and the coin is 1/4.

On to the West!

Stars vs Golden Knights. This is the series that ended last night with a game seven. I picked Dallas and the coin picked Vegas. Who won game seven? Dallas. I was right, the coin was wrong. I am 3/5 and the coin is 1/5.

Jets vs Avalanche. I didn’t follow a single second of this series. I picked the Jets and the Avs won. The coin picked the Avs. Oh well. I am 3/6 and the coin is 2/6 and catching up to me.

Canucks vs Predators. I went with the underdog and I was wrong wrong wrong. I picked the Preds and the Canucks won. Fortunately for the predictions competition, the coin picked the Canucks too. I am 3/7 and the coin is 2/7.

Oilers vs Kings. I like the Kings. I kinda like the Oilers. I picked the Oilers. So did the coin toss. The Oilers won. That brings me up to 4/8 and the coin is 3/8.

Two important statistical notes. First, I am at 50% which is really the best I can ever hope for. More importantly I beat the coin. Oh yeah, that’s what I am talking about. I’m better than blind random luck, babie! Nice!

Now for the second round, starting in the East…

Panthers vs Bruins. I am still so intensely pissed off over the Bruins choking last year and losing to the Panthers that I may never forgive them. A second round win this year will not erase last year’s shame… but it would be a nice start. Clearly I am picking the Bruins even though the Panthers are probably favored. The coin flip is tails. The higher seed is heads and the lower seed is tails, so the coin picks the Bruins as well.

Rangers vs Whalers. This is a little tough here. Game one already happened and the Rangers won. Does that color my choice? Nope. Even though I hate New York sports teams with the fiery passion of a million burning suns, I was going to pick the Rangers all along. Last night’s game doesn’t change anything. The coin flip is tails, so it picks the Whale.

Now we move over to the West…

Stars vs Avalanche. These two have a history, don’t they? Dallas vs Colorado always sees me siding with Colorado. Thanks to Ray Bourque, I think. I am picking the Avs out of loyalty. The coin also picked Colorado. That’s three tails in a row. Only one more to go.

Canucks vs Oilers. No question this time. Oilers all the way. The coin flip is finally not tails. The coin pics Vancouver.

There you have it, the third round will be Boston vs New York which is freakin’ epic in scope. The west will be Colorado vs Edmonton. You heard it here first, hockey fans!

I asked Google Gemini about the Boston/Florida series. Specifically, I asked the following:

Who do you think will win the playoff series between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers

Gemini’s response?

Predicting the winner of the Bruins-Panthers series is tough! Here’s a breakdown to help you form your own opinion:

• Regular Season: The Bruins swept the season series 4-0, with two overtime victories.
• Recent Form: Boston needed a hard-fought Game 7 overtime win against Toronto, while Florida swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
• Last Year’s Playoffs: The Panthers pulled off a massive upset, winning Game 7 in overtime after Boston led 3-1. This adds a revenge factor for the Bruins.

While the Bruins dominated the regular season matchup, playoff hockey is a different beast. Experts are leaning slightly towards the Panthers, but both teams have strong arguments.

Here are some resources to dig deeper:

• “[State Your Case: Panthers or Bruins in Eastern 2nd Round of playoffs]”(http://bhswritingproject.weebly.com/uploads/5/1/3/7/51373979/make_your_case!-.pdf) on NHL.com
• “[Panthers, Bruins set to meet again in playoff rematch, this time in Round 2]”(https://apnews.com/article/panthers-bruins-nhl-playoffs-2d891aa3f1bd84a5bb343fc1a1d80676) on AP News

So in other words, Gemini is too much of a wimp to actually pick a winner. Nice job, wimp.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/05/06/nhl-playoff-predictions-round-two/

#aI_ #artificialIntelligence #BostonBruins #Bruins #conferenceSemiFinal #googleGemini #Hockey #NHL #nhlConferenceSemiFinal #nhlPlayoffPredictions #nhlPlayoffs #nhlPostSeason #nhlPostSeasonPredictions #playoffs #postSeason #secondRound #Sports #tech