If the Rangers miss out on the playoffs on the last game of the season for the second year in a row, I will laugh my ass off. Odd note: This year there will be more teams in the playoffs from California (3) than from Canada. Also, if Carolina gets in, it will be the first time the Southeast Division has 3 teams in the postseason.
Go to hell. Sorry I'm sure you're a nice person but this is a touchy subject of mine right now. They fucking completely fell apart and had a chance to actually secure the 6th seed with 3 games to play. Now, they have to hope Tampa doesn't mess around and plays hard. HOCKEY RAGE
Well shit. The Hurricanes put up a nice fight to the end. And for those of you who don't think hockey is respected in the South, you've never been to a game in Raleigh. The fans have been nothing but supportive all the way. Especially at the end of the season. Hell, even in the last five minutes, when they were down 6-2, everyone was on their feet cheering. Now if the Canes had played as well all season as they did in the last stretch, then... And if Grandma had balls, she'd be Grandpa.
I was watching the streaming version but it really sounded like "Lets go Rangers" although in my euphoric state I could of miss heard. Honestly, I think a Carolina v Caps would have been the better series to watch, because while I love my Rangers I think they'll go out in 6 to the Caps. Time for the post!
Here is the schedule and TV lineups for the first round of the playoffs. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=558669&navid=DL|NHL|home Predictions: Capitals and Rangers: Washington in 6. I think Washington would have definitely preferred Carolina over the Rangers (and King Henrik) but I still believe the Caps can win this one. I like how they looked towards the end of the season, but of course the big variable is whether their goaltending will continue to hold up in the post-season. Those three losses against the Sabres, Islanders and Thrashers the other week make me wary of New York. Flyers and Sabres: Sabres in 7. Philly had an awful skid at the end of the season. Combine that with the fact that they still have goaltending issues, I'll take the Sabres. Ryan Miller wasn't on fire this season, and he got a ton of work, but I think he has enough consistency and gas in the tank to carry Buffalo through the first round. Bruins and Canadiens: Bruins in 6. Boston is the more balanced team being 5th in goals scored per game and 2nd in goals against. I don't think Montreal's anemic offense will be able to get much against a rather staunch Bruins defense and goaltending. Penguins and Lightning: Tampa in 7. You have no idea how much this hurts me, but I haven't had much faith in the Penguins for a while now. Things are not happening offensively, and word is that Crosby will not be back for this series. You know you have problems when Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy are leading your team offensively. Meanwhile, if Tampa's offense clicks and they get even suitable goaltending from Roloson, they should have control of this series. Vancouver and Chicago: Chicago in 6. My favorite matchup. People in Vancouver had to want to face Dallas instead of Chicago. Let's be honest, Vancouver is the best team in the league and have pretty much the entire package right now. There is just something about Chicago that throws them off in the playoffs though. I also like that Chicago has the 4th best powerplay in the league and the Canucks are the 6th most penalized team in the league (though I admit they also have the 3rd best PK). I just feel like history is going to repeat itself and the Blackhawks are going to be the ones to bounce the Canucks. Sharks and Kings: Sharks in 5. I still don't have much faith in the Sharks in the playoffs, but I have enough to think they can get through the first round. LA isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut, and it's only exacerbated with the loss of Kopitar. Red Wings and Coyotes: Coyotes in 6. I just don't think the Red Wings can be the same team without Zetterberg. Ducks and Predators: Predators in 7. It'll be a pretty interesting matchup to see how the Ducks offense (and particular Corey Perry) matches up against the great defense of the Predators. I just feel that the Preds defense and goaltending is more reliable and is going to win out. Plus I'm still not sold on Anaheim's goaltending, which makes me more confident that Nashville's rather low-power offense will be able to get the 2 or 3 goals per game they would need to hold onto for a win.
Anyone interested in this? It's fairly easy and not too time consuming. Just try and make the best roster within salary limits. The registration stuff isn't quite up yet, I was in the middle of making a league before getting 403 errors. But if there's interest I'll setup a tib league <a class="postlink" href="http://hockeypool.cbc.ca/cbc/hnicp11/home" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://hockeypool.cbc.ca/cbc/hnicp11/home</a>
Agree with most of the tips but I don't think Z will be out for the whole series. Not to mention that this is the time of year that Franzen really steps up as well.
There's definitely a lot of gamesmanship in disclosing when guys are going to be coming back. Of course Crosby is the biggest one. His most recent update is working with the 2nd PP line, but they keep emphasizing no contact yet. Part of me feels like the Penguins might be playing opossum a bit. (Jordan Staal kind of came out of nowhere when he came back. I don't recall hearing that he practiced with any line before returning for the WC) If he does come back, I think that series goes to a toss-up and I'd give Pittsburgh the edge. I also heard that Pronger probably won't be back until game 5 or 6 of his series. Things are pretty cloudy about Zetterberg, and I think the Red Wings want to use the long break between games 1 (Wednesday) and 2 (Saturday) to evaluate his progress. The fact that the news went from him missing the first game to possibly the entire series sounds inauspicious to me however.
These first two days of playoff action can be summed up in three words. Grind. It. Out. Sherwood must be getting a stiffie with all these 1-0 and 2-0 games reminiscing about when they were in style for his Devils. Pens and Nucks do it last night and tonight Sabres and Habs grind out two ugly but ever important road wins. I didn't have Center Ice this year so I really didn't watch the West, but that Sharks/Kings first period was rowdy as fuck. First period of the first game and these guys are beating the shit out of each other. Love it. NHL playoffs are like 2 straight months of Christmas ever year.
Can't even watch hockey, it makes me want to throw up that I have a year without my team in the playoffs. Watching the Rangers get manhandled by the Capitals made me want to throw up. And yes the game was 2-1 in OT, but 18 Rangers looked over-matched that night. It just so happens that the best player in the game that night was their Goalie so they managed to stay in it.
Wings didn't need Z with Pav stepping up and The Mule bringing his game come business end of the season as usual. Pens vs Tampa series looks to be a rip snorter.
Pavel Datsuyk, what a freak of nature. Some of his dekes in the second game were beyond belief. In my opinion the best two way forward going.
I think a local radio host put it best on his twitter. "Its official then. Datsyuk is Russian for Magic" He was playing like the best player in the world yesterday. He's absolutely phenomenal. I'm glad I bought his jersey his rookie year.
Just a bunch of non-sequiturs: I completely under-estimated Detroit's depth without Z. They pretty much dictated the flow at all points of every game and really the only thing that even let Phoenix compete in those games was the Coyotes' ability to convert on PP chances. I think the most impressive part of Detroit's game is their ability to work along the boards. I think they are the best team in the league at this and is a big reason for their success. I am loving all these comebacks from huge goal deficits by the way. Also, the last 24 hours have some of the best highlights I have seen in a long time. Ryan's goal last night will probably prove to be the best of the playoffs. Ovechkin had another highlight reel goal today and Michael Ryder stopped a sure goal within the Boston crease. This 12 straight hours of hockey is a thing of glory. I didn't like the fact that the Penguins were the first game, but I'm happy to spend my rainy Saturday this way.
Did you watch the game? The Caps were un-fucking-believable that first period. It was a clinic. Even though the Rangers are a young team, they have talent and brought everything they had at the beginning of the game. Over the last 5.5 periods (including OT) the Caps embarrassed them. You tell me who's going to beat the Caps, cause I'll say it: Going to the Cup. Might lose, might win.
Holy hell, what an OT period for the Canucks-Hawks. This series has turned into a barnburner. Game 7 is gonna be amazing. And it really is a toss up at this point. Knowing what a headcase Luongo is, this can't be good for his psyche. Here's to seeing more of this on Tuesday
I wouldn't go that far. They sure do look good though. Just remember, last year they won the President's Trophy and were an offensive juggernaut before Montreal completely shut them down. The Rangers performance was also marked by a number of lapses in the defense and goals that Henrik Lundqvist wishes he could take back. Nevertheless, the Caps this year are more balanced and their goaltending appears to be more solid. I agree that they are obviously the most impressive team in the East so far. I think the only teams that could give the Caps a run out of the East would be Tampa, Boston and Montreal. I'd still pick DC over any of them however. Good for Nashville. They finally get to the second round for the first time in franchise history. Nice to see for a franchise that has been consistently good for such a long time. I only wish I could have seen it, especially since it could have been Teemu Selanne's final game. Nashville unfortunately is not a sexy team for networks (a team based on defense and goaltending and in a small, non-traditional hockey market) and opinion is that even in round 2 Nashville won't get many (any?) nationally televised games unless they play Detroit. If you did not watch the Vancouver at Chicago game tonight, you truly missed out. This game had almost every kind of drama one could think of when describing the NHL playoffs. Goaltender controversy, bad blood/history, elimination game, penalty shot, overtime, etc etc. So much great fodder here. Was it wise to not start Luongo? Can he bounce back after three straight poor performances (he wasn't tested much tonight, but looked shaky)? Bolland is just a Canuck-killer right now. It's amazing how much his return has impacted this series both in terms of his offensive production and his contribution to shutting down the Sedins.