Which First Round Exit Was The Most Disappointing?

The first round is in the books so I rank the 8 losers and how disappointing their exits were.

[@Noot_Penguin]

Winnipeg being a good defensive team with the best goalie giving up 5+ goals every game is genuinely baffling lol

[@WuShocks]

Playoff hockey hits different

[@wainber1]

The Leafs, during their last 4 non-playoff games, allowed at least 5 goals per, but only 1 empty-netter. Over that time span they were outscored 22-15 but in their last win before the recent Leafs-Bruins series had outscored the Devils 5-2. In all, over the last 5 games before the Leafs-Bruins series the Leafs had played, those Leafs had been outscored 24-20 (23-19 excluding empty-netters [ENs]). On average, during each of those last 5 games before the Leafs-Bruins playoff series the Leafs had played, those Leafs on AVERAGE per game (GP) had respectively allowed and scored 4⅘ (4⅗ excluding ENs) and 5 (4⅗ excluding ENs). The Leafs, in their 2024 playoff series, would on average go onto allow 18 goals over 7 games (on average 2⁴⁄₇/game). The Jets, going into their 2024 playoff series against the Avs, won all 5 of their last 5 games (the tail end of an 8-game regular-season win streak), with all but one having featured 3 goals against and none having featured 4 or more allowed. So how did those Jets go from having defended relatively well during regular-season play to just plain being figuratively-speaking run over by the MacKinnon-Makar-Nichushkin-Lehkonen-Rantanen freight train come playoff time? In a nutshell, it was a blueline that was slow, and forwards who didn't do a much better job of defending against the speed of that Avs' freight train. Even in game 1 there were issues. Think a 7-4 lead is safe? With 30 seconds left in the 3rd period of that game ex-Sabre Casey Mittelstadt, assisted by Lehkonen and Rantanen, cut the Jets' lead from 7-5 to 7-6. Game 2 was much worse, with the Avs' having scored FOUR goals in a 2nd period that'd end with a 4-2 lead for them over the Jets, with only an empty-netter (from Nichushkin) scored in that game, but in the 3rd period. Game 3 featured alternating periods of goals scored by 1 team but not the other, with the Avs', Jets' and Avs' having respectively scored goals in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods while limiting the other team to none. Giving up 5 goals in the 3rd period sunk the Jets in a game they'd go onto lose 6-2 (although even before the empty-netter the Jets had already been behind 5-2). Game 4 featured only 1 Jets' goal, with Nate Schmidt, assisted by Appleton and Stanley. Where were Kyle Connor, Nik Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Sean Monahan or Tyler Toffoli? Weren't the trades GM Cheveldayoff made supposed to have made the Jets a competitive playoff team? Game 5 was close until Rantanen scored with just under 12:00 to go in the 3rd period to put the Avs up 5-3 on the Jets. If that goal didn't spell curtains on the Jets' season, one by Josh Manson, with 2 seconds left in the 3rd period, definitely would be. What a way to end a season that'd started off with so much promise. There's no telling how this Jets' offseason will go.

[@King-03530]

winnipeg was just such a disappointment. I was genuinely surprised they got torn apart so bad i didn’t expect them to win the whole thing but man losing in 5 was pretty crazy. Love the constant videos though killin keep it up!

[@sportsboyzz5863]

I think a good video idea would be if at the end of playoffs you rate all the series based on entertainment value and how good the hockey was in each series.

[@MikeBartner]

Can definitely do something like that

[@patrickn594]

I'm disappointed that my knights lost even though we upset the entire nhl when we got Hannifin, Hertl and Mantha. Even though Mantha wasn't playing, I was at least hoping we could pull off the win

[@MikeBartner]

Yea if they were quiet at the deadline they'd probably only be 4th or 5th but expectations and pressures changed after that wild deadline

[@patrickn594]

@@MikeBartner 100% I just hope we can somehow keep on making our core younger, by mabey trading for Marner by giving up Cotter and Pietrangello, or something like that

[@xlr0gd205]

​@@patrickn594Marner will keep disappearing in the playoffs

[@patrickn594]

@xlr0gd205 While you might be true, he might not. Not only would he make our forward core younger, he would also escape the pressure of performing in Toronto, which is probably one of if not the highest amount of pressure to be pit on a played.

[@b-dub2237]

⁠@@patrickn594Nah, there’s no need to do that for 2-3 years. As long as this team can stay healthy enough during that tenure, they’re still a cup contender. They just had a rough go at it this year with the combination of injuries and newly acquired players trying to mold with players returning from injury at the start of the playoffs. As far as cap room goes, they’d only have to let Marchy and Martinez walk (unless they end up letting multiple players with small contracts walk to keep Marchy for some reason). With the blue line depth, Martinez walking shouldn’t be much of a difference. Losing Marchy on the other hand will do 1 of 2 things: 1. Vegas’s forward core will take a step back offensively. 2. Marchy’s point production gets filled by a combo of other high production players (like Eichel, who I can see becoming a 90-100 point guy with 40-45 goals, if he can stay healthy), mid production players (like Stephenson {assuming he gets resigned}, who I could see getting back to that 65 point mark), and younger players (like Dorofeyev, who I think can jump to that 40-50 point mark, if he played a full season). Either way, the team’s ability to be dominant is built around their physical presence and their lock-down defense. Losing Marchy won’t affect that, and the void can be filled by others on the team for any lock-down defense lost from Martinez.

[@rs4cool]

Dallas vs Rangers - Stanley Cup Finals.

[@mrdatasite5786]

just saw your “stars version” that was just deleted 😂

[@MikeBartner]

HAHAHHAHAH filmed both before the game so I could post it at the same time, only problem is I forgot to delete the Stars version and it was scheduled at midnight!

[@metcrix110]

I can already guess Winnipeg round 1 exit is #1

[@MikeBartner]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH rightfully so they got spanked!

[@atomicpumpkiin593]

Everyone wanted Winnipeg, but nobody realized how good the Aves are.

[@metcrix110]

@atomicpumpkiin593 The Aves aren't a bad team but with Wpg year this year they were expected to beat the Aves especially with how Hellebuyck played

[@pekinobo]

Just saw a lot comments directed to Vegas (about having a +10 million cap hit) and that Betman would be outragious by their (Vegas) lost. Not an expert on the cap hit - as teams trade in the dead line and having original team players "suddenly getting hurt" come play off time. Anyone can explain?

[@jenngoldberg8613]

Well considering that people had Jets in 6/7 and then my Avs shit on them they deserve to be #1

[@MikeBartner]

Yep I had Avs in 6 but I didn't expect it to be THAT lopsided

[@RJFRM]

There’s no better word for it - being a Jets fan is absolutely demoralizing. After a fantastic regular season (minus their losing streak in march), their performance in the playoffs was downright terrible. Huge props to the Avs, they absolutely dismantled us.

[@goldenspatian517]

Rangers looked really good today

[@darkvaderofjapan]

Mike ! Your thoughts on NYI keeping Lou around? Should he have been fired ?

[@MikeBartner]

Should be gone but I didn't expect it

[@ethanflemming7729]

I disagree saying Winnipeg has an old core (this may be the penguins fan in me). But Schieffle and Hellebyuck being 31 isn’t that old, still are in the tail end of their primes with atleast 2-3 more impactful high level seasons. Connor and Morissey are 27 and 28, that’s the legit prime of their career. Not like their core is pushing their mid 30s, they all fall within ages 27-31 which is the exact ages of most players prime years.

[@keetenwiggins7802]

To me the leafs were the biggest disappointment. They came back from a 3-1 deficit just to lose in a overtime loss with Austin Mathews on the ice (btw they were I think 1-3 when he played while they went 3-0 without him)

[@deshawntrigga9657]

What happened to stars version 😢

[@MikeBartner]

HAAHHAHAHAHAH forgot to unschedule/delete that one!

[@tarunramanathan9340]

Hey mike at least one positive for the isles is that marner might be available and you guys might be the team to get him because of dobson

[@patrickhamos2987]

the lack of picks is really a drag at this stage in the game. lgi.......

[@MikeBartner]

And this years 1st probably will be traded

[@armandoperez7967]

Without a doubt, the most disappointing exit was the Winnipeg Jets folding like a wet piece of paper in front of the Colorado Avalanche. It goes to show that Coach Bernard was 100 💯 percent correct when he said that the Jets had not seen the real Avalanche, that the team that Winnipeg had slapped around like they were nothing in the regular season was not the same team as the one they were meeting in the playoffs. As a Panthers fan, I hope that it also applies to the Panthers.

[@armandoperez7967]

I meant Coach Bednar.

[@trevorconnatser6161]

Dallas winning it all

[@MikeBartner]

Amen Trevor

[@WuShocks]

Caps and Islanders were clearly not moving past the 1st round.

[@ZachDET]

Mike is Dallas America’s Team?

[@MikeBartner]

1000% Zach

[@ZachDET]

@@MikeBartnerW