Dimitri Filipovich

The Ducks have also been...

doing this high wire act all season but even in this series where they just keep giving up the first goal trailing and then having to come from behind and they have the offensive juice to ultimately overcome those obstacles but it's tough to expect them to keep doing that six seven times and that's what they've had to do through all five of these games essentially so far and so it seems overly simplistic but I really feel like the Ducks cannot afford to give up the first goal to start this game because it could go off the rails pretty quick that's the most like old school hockey guy analysis you've ever offered on the show it's like you know what's key scoring first

But I do think especially because like, you know, you could argue there's so much youth on this Ducks team that they almost don't know any better.

And so it doesn't really matter.

There's no real like historical baggage of them failing in previous post seasons or needing to overcome any sort of demons.

But I do feel like if the Oilers score quickly and look the way they did in game five, it's pretty easy to kind of feel defeated already because you're like, oh man, we're going up against just an entirely different animal when this Oilers team is locked.

It's tough to say they're cooked because all five of these games so far have been so incredibly close.

Like, there's pretty much, I think, one goal at this point, separating the two teams through five games.

The shots, the chances, expected goals, everything is pretty much dead even, and there's been five, what, one-goal games?

Mm-hmm.

essentially so far.

So I feel like Tampa Bay is certainly in it.

We saw, you know, they were staring down the barrel of going down 3-1 in Game 4 on the road, down 2-0 late into the second period of that game, and then came back and scored 3 to win it.

So I don't think they're going to be, you know, intimidated or feeling demoralized despite being down in this series.

I do think what Montreal has shown is very interesting, though, in terms of the youth and the speed they have.

really kind of pressuring Tampa Bay and particularly in the later stages of the season now we're approaching 90 games played for all of these teams maybe that's something we discount too much at times like we view experience come playoffs right as very valuable but I do think just having younger fresher legs probably benefits you when you start playing this many games against the same opponent and it feels like they've been speeding up especially Kucherov like

For a guy who's so nifty and generally can get by playing slower, he's been kind of forced into making quicker decisions in this series and forcing plays that aren't there sometimes.

And I'm giving Montreal a lot of credit for a lot of what they've done defensively against them.

I mean, yeah, that would be, it would feel like a bit of a, and ultimately one of those teams is probably going to have to go through Carolina conference final, but it would feel like a little bit of a, a changing of the guard, particularly in Atlantic division with the youth of those two teams as two of the youngest teams.

In the league, it's incredible that Montreal's up 3-2 in a game away from beating Tampa here without getting anything from their top line 5-on-5.