NHL Playoff Thread [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Chunklets

2008-04-09, 06:14 PM

For discussion of matters related to the North American ice hockey playoffs, which begin, oh, about right now, actually!

My picks for the first round (with bonus comments)!:

Montreal vs. Boston: Oooh, classic old-six-y goodness! Can Orr deal with Beliveau? We'll find out... Montreal in 6.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa: I'm not buying Ottawa as a bad team; there was a reason they started the season the way they did. We have two high-scoring teams with goalie issues, so this is going to be entertaining! Anyway, Pittsburgh in 7.

Washington vs. Philadelphia: Alexander Ovechkin versus the world's most lovable team! I predict that there will be at least one bodycheck thrown in this series! Philadelphia in 6.

New Jersey vs. New York Rangers: I think you could almost flip a coin for this one. Especially if you flipped it very hard at Sean Avery. New Jersey in 7.

Detroit vs. Nashville: Detroit's old, but they're not that old. Also, they're very good. Kudos to Nashville for making the playoffs, but... Detroit in 5.

San Jose vs. Calgary: Not as big a mismatch as it looks. However, San Jose are flying right now, and Calgary just doesn't have enough weapons to win the series. San Jose in 6.

Minnesota vs. Colorado: I have no idea whatsoever what is going to happen in this series. I wouldn't be surprised at a sweep by either team. However, for the heck of it I'm saying Minnesota in 7.

Anaheim vs. Dallas: The defending champs should be able to deal with a stumbling Dallas team without a lot of difficulty. The best part of this series for me is that one of these teams is going to lose. Anaheim in 5.

And they're off... and it took all of a minute for the scoring to get underway in the Sens-Pens series. Pittsburgh leads by one.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-10, 10:37 AM

Ooh, another NHL thread! Let's hope this one doesn't die as well ...

Anyway, my first-round predictions. We've seen some games already, but these were my predictions going in:

Montreal/Boston: Based on how much Montreal has dominated Boston both this season and in recent playoffs, I've gotta go with Montreal. Montreal in 5.

Pittsburg/Ottawa: The Pens are flying on all cylinders and have two hot goalies. The Sens are in complete self-destruct mode. This is going to be sweet revenge for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh in 5, the exact opposite result as last year.

Washington/Philadelphia: Both teams are hot and pretty balanced in my opinion. It'll be a fairly even series. However, I don't think either is destined to go far, but Philly is going to go farther. Washington achieved a huge accomplishment by making it to the dance, but I have a feeling it'll be like last year's Penguins. Philadelphia in 6.

New York Rangers/New Jersey: Honestly, I have no idea. I haven't followed either team much this year, so I don't know much about them. New Jersey in 7.

And now for the West:

Detroit/Nashville: Nashville has been surprisingly good this year, but I have a feeling Detroit is going to do some serious playoff damage this year, making it to at least the conference finals. Detroit in 6.

San Jose/Calgary: San Jose might have more better players, but I don't think most people are giving Calgary enough credit when making first-round predictions. Calgary will be able to grind out a fight, but ultimately San Jose's superior talent will prevail. San Jose in 7.

Minnesota/Colorado: I honestly don't know much about either of these teams. I know Colorado's been winning more since Forsberg returned, but I don't have much faith in him staying healthy for long, especially during the playoffs. Minnesota in 7, if only because stiffling defence wins championships (not that I'm predicting they'll win the Cup, or even make it to the finals).

Anaheim/Dallas: I don't know much about Dallas either, but from what I can tell they're not quite up to par to a team that is by and large the same one that won the Cup last year. Anaheim in 5, since I need a low number for the West :smallsmile:

And now to see just how horribly wrong my predictions end up, since normally I'm quite horrible at it :smalltongue: Case in point: my picks for the Cup finalists last year were San Jose and Buffalo.

If I'm wrong about how many games each series will go but I get most of the teams right I'll be happy. Choosing the number of games is such a crapshoot, and for me it's often arbitrary or how long I'd like to see it go.

Sleet

2008-04-10, 10:58 AM

Go Pens! Gary Roberts, the Senator Slayer! :smallbiggrin:

Last year hurt. A lot. This one's gonna be fun. :smallamused:

Talya

2008-04-10, 11:01 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/MontrealCanadiens.png

That is all.

(And LOL at your "flip a coin very hard at Sean Avery" comment.)

Artanis

2008-04-10, 11:04 AM

Hey sweet, the Caps really did make the playoffs!

/me grew up in DC

And for predictions...uh...actually, I know pretty much nothing about hockey beyond "I like the Capitals". So...I'm gonna predict "the favorite in 5" for every matchup from now till the Finals.

Lucky

2008-04-10, 04:43 PM

This one's gonna be fun. :smallamused:

I disagree.

This sucks.

r23r5

2008-04-10, 05:25 PM

Montreal and Boston- Montreal in 5 This should be an easy one considering they're 7-1 against the bruins this season, and considering how well price and the rest of them have been playing, even with Kommie missing.

Pittsburgh and Ottawa-Pittsburgh in 4 Ottawa last year would win , but since Christmas Ottawa has been slumping and they're goaltending has been in the whole for the whole year, Pittsburgh has it in the bag

New York and New Jersey-New York in 7 With Brodeur at the top of his game they would be able to pull it off, but at this moment Lunqvist is playing better than Brodeur. Rangers Also have better forwards and defense,right now NY is the better team.

Washington and Philie- Washington in 6 Washington has been playing amazing since getting Huet, they are definitely favored to win. But, you never know what philie could do

Detroit and Nashville -Detroit in 5 Red Wings are a better team, period doesn't matter about they're history in the playoffs, they will for sure take this one.

Flames and San Jose- Calgary in 7 The flames can shut down the big scorers on San Jose like Thorton and Cheechoo with their big guys, such as Regehr. Kippursoff has also been playing well lately and can stop the shots he gets

Dallas and Ducks- Ducks in 7 Gotta go with ducks, better team period.

Colorado and Minnesota- Colorado in 6 They're on a rll and they're going to continue it to the second round.

GO HABS GO

Chunklets

2008-04-10, 05:33 PM

I disagree.

This sucks.

I was surprised at how poorly Ottawa played yesterday. I had thought that they might get things turned around once they qualified for the playoffs, and that the experience they gained last year would stand them in good stead. However, it is only one game!

Although... that Malkin fellow looks pretty useful...

Talya

2008-04-10, 05:41 PM

I was surprised at how poorly Ottawa played yesterday. I had thought that they might get things turned around once they qualified for the playoffs, and that the experience they gained last year would stand them in good stead. However, it is only one game!

That is the most lopsided contest in the entire playoffs. Nashville has better odds against Detroit than Ottawa has against Pittsburgh.

Ottawa was 26th overall in the entire league after January 1st, 2008. They have no goaltending, no defense, and their offense is weak with Alfredson out. Ottawa is toast.

Vive les Canadiens! #25 here we come!

Eldritch Knight

2008-04-10, 09:32 PM

It is my expert opinion that should the Leaf's ever win the Cup, the population of Toronto would be swept by an epidemic of heart attacks. That being said, I am quite certain that this years winner will be a Canadian team.

Talya

2008-04-10, 09:36 PM

SuperMuldoon

2008-04-11, 10:11 AM

Lets go Rangers! :smallbiggrin:

Talya

2008-04-11, 01:21 PM

Boston went into last night's game with a plan, which they executed well. Montreal had the league's best power play this year, clicking at over 24%. Conversely, Boston had the league's 3rd worst penalty kill, at less than 78%. It was obvious that there were two things that they needed to do: avoid taking penalties, and improve their special teams. They did those two things almost flawlessly. In the first 45 minutes of the game, Boston had taken only two minor penalties. Furthermore, they actually killed them off. Things would have been going perfectly, except for one minor issue: Montreal was killing them at even strength. In order to avoid penalties, Boston wasn't hitting. They weren't checking. They were trying to tiptoe around the ice and not get noticed. It worked. Montreal's offence didn't notice Boston's defence because they weren't in the way. Montreal's defence didn't notice them because they didn't spend any time in Montreal's end. This game was played at even strength, which is what Boston wanted, and Montreal outscored them 4-1 at even strength, out-shooting them 32-18, and even out-hit them 37-25 -- not exactly the result Boston was hoping for.

This game plan obviously doesn’t work for Boston. Expect them to play a more physical game tomorrow. And expect them to spend more time in the penalty box as a consequence. And then watch the league's most dangerous power play go to work.

Gorbash Kazdar

2008-04-11, 02:45 PM

Given my record in other sports threads, one might expect I would be trying to explain how the Bruins have a chance against Le Grand Club, but I hate hate HATE the Bruin's ownership. I hate them so much, in fact, that I'm actually a fan of the Habs (also, a significant portion of my family on my mother's side is from Quebec).

I think the real problem for the Bruins is the lack of playoff experience. To me, the first goal came because the Bruins were too hyped up, and because they let the situation on the ice develop too fast and become chaotic, something that's always going to benefit the more experienced team. The Bruins players were trying to figure out what was going on, while the Habs players knew to just take whatever was in front of them. A big part of that is trust in your goalie - you're willing to take the chance that the other team does somehow manage to get the puck and rush your goal out of the mess, because you're confident he's not going to give up an easy goal and at least give you a chance to get back on defense.

The second goal happened because the Bruins were looking to get back in it too fast, to get a spectacular goal to shut up the crowd. They were looking down the ice instead of taking care of the puck, and they paid for it.

Chunklets

2008-04-11, 06:23 PM

I didn't get to see any of the Habs game, unfortunately, but it didn't sound like they had a great of difficulty with the Bruins. Let's hope it continues that way (with apologies to Bruins fans).

I did watch most of the Calgary-San Jose tilt, and it was one of the few times I've seen Kipprusoff get outplayed when he's playing well (the first goal being an exception to that - Kipper looked like he'd forgotten where he was). Nabokov played about as well as I've ever seen a goalie play (his glove save on Nolan in the third was just rude). And, that's bad, bad, news for Calgary, in the long run. Oh, and I though Mike Keenan's head was going to explode after the second period, when the Flames took six minor penalties in a row.

Edit: Oooh, and I see that Washington has taken a lead over Philadelphia. The goal was scored by, you guessed it, Donald Brashear.

'Nuther Edit: And, now it's tied.

Sleet

2008-04-11, 09:28 PM

Game 2 update:

Ottawa was 26th overall in the entire league after January 1st, 2008. They have no goaltending,...

Ottawa's goalie played brilliantly tonight - he's the only reason the Pens didn't completely blow them out.

Talya

2008-04-11, 09:33 PM

4 goals on 53 shots is good, though not spectacular.. Gerber has good games. He also has more than a starting goaltender's share of bad games.

skywalker

2008-04-12, 01:49 AM

4 goals on 53 shots is good, though not spectacular.. Gerber has good games. He also has more than a starting goaltender's share of bad games.

Everyone knows Ottawa has no starting goalie. Gerber isn't starter quality, but he's (supposedly) a hell of a lot more fun to play in front of than Emery. Having played a little in goal, I personally think that 4 goals on 53 shots is quite great. I'd like to know what you classify as spectacular? Keep in mind that the modern greats(Brodeur, Roy, Hasek, etc.) almost never see(or saw) that number of shots. If I read a box-score after the game, and the goalie allowed 4 goals on 40 shots, I consider that a valiant effort behind a team that couldn't keep the puck off of him.

In other news: Holy crap, Boston's in the playoffs! See what I get for not paying attention to the eastern conference...

Penguins looked superb tonight, Malkin may de-throne Sid if he's not careful.

Ovechkin absolutely destroyed the Flyers D tonight, that was embarrassing(for them). Then he almost destroyed the glass jumping into the boards to celebrate.

Evgeni Nabokov is ridiculous. He's probably the best goalie in the playoffs so far(Tested over and over with plenty of great saves.) IMO, Kipprusoff has always been slightly over-rated, but then, I absolutely hate the Flames(especially Phaneuff :smallyuk: ).

Finally, my Avs lost a heartbreaker tonight. Fought back into OT, but a guy who scores 1(!!!) goal all season slips a laffer past Theodore. He made some good hard saves but let in some easy ones tonight :smalleek:

Talya

2008-04-12, 06:09 AM

Everyone knows Ottawa has no starting goalie. Gerber isn't starter quality, but he's (supposedly) a hell of a lot more fun to play in front of than Emery. Having played a little in goal, I personally think that 4 goals on 53 shots is quite great. I'd like to know what you classify as spectacular? Keep in mind that the modern greats(Brodeur, Roy, Hasek, etc.) almost never see(or saw) that number of shots. If I read a box-score after the game, and the goalie allowed 4 goals on 40 shots, I consider that a valiant effort behind a team that couldn't keep the puck off of him.

1 goal per 10 shots is the rule of thumb for the average.

Furthermore, it's not even close to among the most spectacular performances i've seen. Even this year, Ty Conklin (!) allowed 1 goal on 52 shots for the pens in a game this year.

Back in '93, best pair of games I ever watched, the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs met in the second round of the playoffs. Both games went to double-overtime. In the two games combined (almost 10 periods of play), Curtis Joseph faced over 120 shots in net for the Blues. He allowed three goals, and split the two games with the Leafs. (His opposite number at the time, Felix Potvin, faced just over 60 shots, also allowing 3 goals--which was very good, but not nearly as impressive.)

4 goals on 53 shots? That's 1 goal per 13.25 shots. Do that for the season, you've probably had a good year. Spectacular? No.

Chunklets

2008-04-12, 06:55 PM

Well, I'm convinced - Ottawa's toast. 52 shots against - yeesh. I do still think they'll manage to win one game, though.

Anyway, you couldn't have asked for a better playoff game than the Caps-Flyers game last night (unless you're a Philly fan). Lots of scoring, a stirring third-period comback, and Ovechkin popping up to score the winning goal. Although, probably, we could have done without Patrick Thoresen getting hit where he did - poor guy! I happened to be watching the game with the sound off, so I didn't hear this, but someone told me that Glen Healy was criticizing Thoresen for not getting up and continuing the play. Is this true? Healy's an eejit, if so...

And, Montreal seems to have taken the lead against Boston in game 2!

Sleet

2008-04-12, 07:03 PM

4 goals on 53 shots? That's 1 goal per 13.25 shots. Do that for the season, you've probably had a good year. Spectacular? No.

Statistically, it's not the best playoff game ever, but it's pretty good. He was the reason the game was within reach come the 3rd. If he keeps playing like he played in Game 2, and the defense tightens up, the Sens can put up a fight.

You'll never win if your defense allows 50-some shots a game, though. That's just untenable.

skywalker

2008-04-12, 08:04 PM

You'll never win if your defense allows 50-some shots a game, though. That's just untenable.

This was pretty much my point.

I also happen to think that Ty Conklin is one of the most under-rated goalies in this league. It's a shame for him he's playing behind the awesome Fleury, but then again, great for Pittsburgh that they've basically got two #1 goalies. Especially compared to Ottawa, who have zero #1 goalies. Ty also gets very little pressure being the backup.

Watching Boston vs. Montreal, two interesting goalies, I think Tim Thomas is under-rated but I haven't seen him play much at all this year.

I was just about to talk about how awesome Price was looking for Montreal, and then he went and slid the wrong way on a rebound to lose the shutout. I'll forgive him for a rookie mistake, but holy crap that was bad play. This is also the first Canadiens game I've seen this season, and he's looking impressive.

Talking about Detroit-Nashville earlier today, Hasek looked old. He's still Hasek, but it took him a while to get up after several plays. Dan Ellis looks alright, but of course there's hellfire coming at him from the Wings.

Talya

2008-04-12, 09:39 PM

I was just about to talk about how awesome Price was looking for Montreal, and then he went and slid the wrong way on a rebound to lose the shutout. I'll forgive him for a rookie mistake, but holy crap that was bad play. This is also the first Canadiens game I've seen this season, and he's looking impressive.

Price is all about positional play, and I think he overthinks it sometimes. Boston fooled him badly on that goal.

Now, on to my non-team-specific rant:
The officiating in tonight's Boston-Montreal matchup was TERRIBLE. At first I thought it was biased...Midway through the third I was thinking the edict had come down from Bettman's office that Montreal was not to win that game. If the officials had done their job, the game never would have been tied up and Montreal would probably have taken a comfortable 3-1 or even 4-1 lead to the end of the third. However, right after Boston tied it up on the 5-on-3 powerplay, the officiating changed directions and started calling "even-up" penalties. Yes, Boston caught a bad break with the high-stick that cut Plekanec (automatic 4-minute minimum)...and the tripping penalty in overtime was blatantly-legit, but there were several others that had no business being called at all. Tough luck for Boston, but they were only in overtime thanks to ignoring earlier Boston infractions, making stupid calls against Montreal (and one bone-headed slash from Kovalev). I hate to see games where the officiating makes a bigger difference than the teams on the ice, though.

skywalker

2008-04-12, 09:51 PM

Yeah, right after my post Price gets caught out of position again on the 3-on-5. Not as big a deal cuz it was during a 2 man advantage, but I would find it a little troubling for a goalie who (you say, I've got no idea) focuses on position.

I thought the high-stick was completely incidental, but somebody started bleeding so they had to call the penalty. I don't see how you can say that Montreal takes a huge lead if some calls are reversed, tho. If you change one thing in a hockey game, you change a lot of other things too.

Just saw a replay, Thomas wasn't too great on that OT goal...

I'm enjoying Turco's complete playoff turnaround, which I missed last season. I remember when the Stars were practically guaranteed to leave in the 1st or 2nd round because of this guy. Now he's facing off against J.S. Gigure and looking like the better goalie.

Talya

2008-04-13, 06:56 AM

Yeah, right after my post Price gets caught out of position again on the 3-on-5. Not as big a deal cuz it was during a 2 man advantage, but I would find it a little troubling for a goalie who (you say, I've got no idea) focuses on position.

I watched that first goal again, and he wasn't out of position by choice. He was out of position because he'd just stopped a shot at that position. He didn't have time to get back for the rebound. He made a mistake there, but it wasn't positional; it was failing to control that rebound.

Second goal, as you say, was 5-on-3, with the shots coming in so fast he didn't have time to set up and stay where he needed to be.

So far the kid has stopped 54 of 57 shots in the series. If teams continue to need 19 shots to get a goal on him, he's going to go a long way in these playoffs.

All's good though in the end.

skywalker

2008-04-13, 09:26 PM

Talya, I didn't watch today, what did the Canadiens look like?

The Caps game made me sick, Philly just plain out-played them.

Good start for the sharks early tonight, remember what I said about Kipprusoff being overrated?

Talya

2008-04-14, 06:01 AM

skywalker

2008-04-14, 11:41 AM

Montreal and Boston played a very, very even game last night. Like the night before, it was decided in overtime by a penalty call*. Tim Thomas was godlike last night, however--and while Carey Price was outstanding too, but this time it was Thomas's turn to win.

* this time the penalty hadn't quite gotten started. The ref had called a delayed penalty, and the boston extra attacker grabbed the puck as he got onto the ice and buried it.

I saw the replay of that shot.

Did anybody else see Curtis Joseph's curtain call after he owned the Sharks coming in for Kipprusoff? As for the rest of that game, I still hate both teams, but I think I hate Dion Phaneuff the most.

de-trick

2008-04-14, 05:28 PM

I have 32 bucks on Montreal to win.

skywalker

2008-04-14, 05:56 PM

Another funny anecdote, the NHL created the "Sean Avery Rule" to keep players from doing what Sean Avery did to Martin Brodeur last night, which people have referred to as "face guarding."

r23r5

2008-04-14, 07:04 PM

Last night's game against Boston was exactly what Montreal needed,the canadiens haven't been playing as good as they can for the first three games and they needed to lose one so they can see how much Boston can come up to bite them in the ass. Seriously Montreal, step it up OT was the only period they played well last night.:smallannoyed:

Sleet

2008-04-14, 09:11 PM

Pittsburgh 4-1 Ottawa

The Senators may be in a wee bit of trouble, lads.

skywalker

2008-04-14, 11:46 PM

I prefer to say that the Penguins are getting it done :smallbiggrin:

This is a fantastic game going on right now in Colorado. Wish Theodore hadn't let in that first one, tho...

Chunklets

2008-04-15, 11:05 AM

Another funny anecdote, the NHL created the "Sean Avery Rule" to keep players from doing what Sean Avery did to Martin Brodeur last night, which people have referred to as "face guarding."

For the record, I think the NHL did exactly the right thing in this case. Much though I despise Sean Avery, what he did was not against the rules, and was in fact somewhat clever. However, we really didn't need to see every front-of-the-net-on-the-PP guy trying it out. So, I thought it was correct of Colin Campbell to basically say "Ok, fair play to you Mr. Avery, but don't do it again." A couple of columnists whom I've read on the issue have said "Oh, they can't go changing the rules in the middle of the playoffs," but I think that the League needed to move quickly to avoid a potentially farcical situation.

skywalker

2008-04-15, 06:43 PM

Talya

2008-04-15, 08:36 PM

Olé!Olé!Olé!Olé!

Carey Price with the shutout!

Chunklets

2008-04-15, 08:46 PM

I honestly don't see much difference between what he was doing and what Ryan Smyth and Tomas Holmstrom do. His was just a little more annoying(and of course it was, Sean Avery was doing it). I think there's not a noticeable difference between him and Smyth, although perhaps it's slightly more dangerous to have the stick up around the goalie's face. I don't mind the rule, just some perspective.

The only thing that troubles me is that I can't help but wonder, would they have stopped in the middle of the playoffs to make a rule if it had been somebody else(IE, NOT Brodeur)? If it had been Marty Biron or Jose Theodore or Gerber, would they have done it? I think they would've waited till after the playoffs, at least.

I don't necessarily disagree with you that much. However, I think that the difference between Avery's actions and Smyth's or Holmstom's is that when you see the latter two in front of the net, they generally have their sticks on or close to the ice, and their backs to the goalie. Essentially, they're looking for a tip-in or rebound, with distracting the goalie being an added bonus. Furthermore, if they get too aggressive about getting in the goalie's way, then they get called for interference, and rightly so. Avery wasn't even trying to score; in fact, if the puck had gone in off his stick, it probably would have been called back (high stick).

Interesting point about the goalie in question being Brodeur. I honestly don't have an answer for that, but it made me wonder as well what might have happened had the skater involved been someone less universally-despised than Avery. I'm not claiming Avery gets a raw deal (as I said above, I think the NHL acted correctly), but I wonder if the League might not have been a bit more lenient had the skater been somebody else. Of course, had the goalie been somebody like, say, Billy Smith or Ron Hextall back in the day, then Avery probably wouldn't have woken up yet... :smallbiggrin:

@Talya: Ole indeed! 27 saves on the road in the playoffs - that's a nice performance! I didn't see any of it (following on the internet) - how did the Habs play overall?

Talya

2008-04-15, 08:52 PM

@Talya: Ole indeed! 27 saves on the road in the playoffs - that's a nice performance! I didn't see any of it (following on the internet) - how did the Habs play overall?

It was very even. Hard forechecking, hard backchecking,both teams had their chances, both made a few mistakes. Shots were 28-27 for Montréal. The only goal was a power-play goal, and the refs let them play. Both teams had a pair of penalties called in the first, and one each in the second. I don't think there was a single penalty call in the third period.

skywalker

2008-04-15, 08:56 PM

I don't necessarily disagree with you that much. However, I think that the difference between Avery's actions and Smyth's or Holmstom's is that when you see the latter two in front of the net, they generally have their sticks on or close to the ice, and their backs to the goalie. Essentially, they're looking for a tip-in or rebound, with distracting the goalie being an added bonus. Furthermore, if they get too aggressive about getting in the goalie's way, then they get called for interference, and rightly so. Avery wasn't even trying to score; in fact, if the puck had gone in off his stick, it probably would have been called back (high stick). Funny you mention that, because in the Caps game tonight, one of the big questions was whether a stick went in off a high stick while someone was doing exactly what Avery was doing last night, altho it was more like his stick incidentally crossed in front of the goalie's face as the shot came in. If I were a goalie, I think I'd rather it be a stick flashing back and forth, rather than Smyth's ass, tho.

Interesting point about the goalie in question being Brodeur. I honestly don't have an answer for that, but it made me wonder as well what might have happened had the skater involved been someone less universally-despised than Avery. I'm not claiming Avery gets a raw deal (as I said above, I think the NHL acted correctly), but I wonder if the League might not have been a bit more lenient had the skater been somebody else. Of course, had the goalie been somebody like, say, Billy Smith or Ron Hextall back in the day, then Avery probably wouldn't have woken up yet... :smallbiggrin:
Indeed, indeed. Altho Marty did give him a half-hearted shove in the face with the trapper. Avery's lucky it wasn't Ed Belfour, either. :smallbiggrin:

A funny thing I just noticed. Smith and Hextall are also notable for being goalies who scored goals. Isn't that a funny coincidence?

Chunklets

2008-04-15, 09:04 PM

It was very even. Hard forechecking, hard backchecking,both teams had their chances, both made a few mistakes. Shots were 28-27 for Montréal. The only goal was a power-play goal, and the refs let them play. Both teams had a pair of penalties called in the first, and one each in the second. I don't think there was a single penalty call in the third period.

Ah, good old-fashioned playoff hockey! I'm sorry to have missed it! As I mentioned, I followed it on the internet at NHL.com. The last update during play came with 42 seconds left in the third, and it was quite nerve-wracking waiting for the next update to see if Habs had come through!

Edit: @skywalker: That is an interesting coincidence with Hextall and Smith! And you have a point about Smyth's rear-end... I suppose goalies get used to it!

Talya

2008-04-15, 10:36 PM

A funny thing I just noticed. Smith and Hextall are also notable for being goalies who scored goals. Isn't that a funny coincidence?

So has Brodeur.

(And we'll add José Theodore, since he's on his way to tying up the series with Minnesota tonight. And down 2-1 going into the third period, San José could sure use Nabokov to score another power play goal like he did a few years ago...)

skywalker

2008-04-16, 08:18 PM

So has Brodeur.

(And we'll add José Theodore, since he's on his way to tying up the series with Minnesota tonight. And down 2-1 going into the third period, San José could sure use Nabokov to score another power play goal like he did a few years ago...)

It is a darned shame they didn't call offsides on the play where Minnesota scored on Theodore last night. He deserved the shut-out. Not to mention he continues to look like a 3rd period fader with that goal. He did some great work last night, but he's been doing great work in the first 2 periods of every game. I didn't feel like Minnesota got much pressure on him during last night's third. They were already demoralized. Also, Derek Boogard is a complete thug. Absolutely no class, especially for a guy his size. I've got respect for Ian Laperrière, he's my size. Boogard is a troll.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-16, 10:04 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Broom_icon.svg/400px-Broom_icon.svg.png

So Ottawa is the first team eliminated from the playoffs. I predicted Pittsburgh in 5 (as did a lot of other people), so I was pretty close. After the first game I had a feeling there was the potential for a sweep. Uhh ... I'm pretty sure I had more to say, but I'm practically falling asleep at my keyboard here, so more from me later.

Sleet

2008-04-16, 10:30 PM

(snip broom)

Go Pens!

Although I do agree that they ought to just do away with the "distinct kicking motion" rule and let players kick the puck into the net. It'll save a lot of hassle. (The Sens had the tying goal disallowed because the scorer kicked it in. It was a good call, he did kick it in, the tape was pretty conclusive. But it still kind of sucks for Sens fans, and it was a five minute pause in the game while they deliberated.)

Edit: Good on the Sens, by the way; they played with a lot of heart in a mostly hopeless situation.

Talya

2008-04-17, 06:09 AM

Ottawa wasn't a playoff-caliber team. Since January 1st, they've had the 5th worst record in hockey. It was only their amazing start that got them into the playoffs. Brian Murray (Ottawa coach-gm) said that he thinks the Pittsburgh coach knew what he was doing when he didn't dress Crosby for the last game of the season. If Pittburgh had won, they'd have been 1st seed vs. 8th seeded Philly; and the Flyers are far more dangerous than Ottawa. Ottawa had no business being there. Every other team in the playoffs would have handled them almost as easily as Pittsburgh did.

Midnighter1021

2008-04-17, 08:18 PM

skywalker

2008-04-17, 08:22 PM

wow barely any love for Washington, Phily's got a team but it'll be interesting to see if they can keep the regular season's goal leader in check( Last I saw it was Ovechkin but I dont know if that changed at all when the playoffs rolled around at all.)

No, 'twas Ovechkin. However, if you've not been paying attention, they're in the middle of game 4 in Philly right now. It's tied 3-3 with about 6 to go in the third period. Philly's up 2-1 in the series. Ovechkin's not been playing so great :smallfrown:

I'm upset they're not showing the Avs game tonight :smallannoyed:

Talya

2008-04-17, 08:31 PM

skywalker

2008-04-17, 08:36 PM

Good, if you're going to lose a game, lose it by a lot. Montreal needed a wakeup call. They've been letting boston get them off their game all series, and somehow were up 3-1 anyway. Maybe this will get them going.

Wow, the Bruins won another one? I thought they were cooked going back into Montreal facing elimination. I'm proud of them boys. [/southerner]

Altho I'm sorry you've still got to fret Talya. I'd like it if both of them could make the second round. I wanna see more of Price. And that damned song. Bless those crazy Quebecois, I love that song.

Talya

2008-04-19, 12:22 PM

Hopefully that wakeup call woke Montreal up, but they're getting reinforcements tonight that weren't playing on Thursday (most of them all series.)

Mon capitaine, Saku Koivu! Returning after 3 weeks out with a broken foot.
Little hellion, François Bouillon, tiny scrappy defenseman, out for 3 weeks as well.

Both will be back in.

Mark Streit, their second-most offensive blueliner, missed Thursday with a sore foot, he's still a gametime decision. This will be a somewhat different team than boston has been facing this playoffs. Hopefully the reinforcements aren't too rusty.

Chunklets

2008-04-19, 05:35 PM

Well, Washington stayed alive this afternoon, a thing of which I approve!

I think's it's vitally important for the Habs to take out the Bruins tonight. I would not want to be going into a game 7 on the back of two straight losses (Which leads me to wonder what the game 7 record is, historically, in series that were 3-1 at one point...)

Talya

2008-04-19, 08:35 PM

(Which leads me to wonder what the game 7 record is, historically, in series that were 3-1 at one point...)

Well, barring some kind of miracle, we're going to hear all the sportscasters tell us in Montreal on Monday night.

Chunklets

2008-04-19, 08:37 PM

Sleet

2008-04-19, 09:03 PM

...So I went here (http://www.hockey-reference.com), and have produced this lovely table showing all the best-of-seven playoff series that were 3-1 at one point and ended up in a game 7:

I have to quibble with 1992. Pittsburgh won that series, and went on to win the Cup. :smallwink: (I remember this well - I wrote them off loudly among my group of friends, only to have to eat crow when they pulled it out.)

d'Bwobsling

2008-04-19, 09:52 PM

so... (forgive my ignorance here)Boston and Montrial are playing in the championship? I was listening the the Red Sox game on the radio, and the brodcaster said that the bruins has just barly beat montrial in the 6th game to avoid being elliminated, but I didn't realize that it was the championship. In that case, GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ted_Stryker

2008-04-19, 10:04 PM

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom

2008-04-19, 11:59 PM

Well, my Wild just ended another pathetic playoff performance and are out in the first round once again this year. With all the talent the have in the likes of Gaborik, Demitra, Rolston, and a few others, they still can't win games when it really counts. Especially Gaborik, who only had one point in the six games, which is vastly sub par for your captain and best player. It's pathetic when you go 4-2 in a series against a team you played 5-2-1 during the season. The Wildl really needed a top notch center at the deadline, and while Colorado added Foote and and Forsberg, the Wild went out and got Chris Simon, who ended up being a healthy scratch in the majority of games in the same time. I honestly don't think Backstrom is the the answer. Sure he can stand on his head at times and makes phenomenal saves, but too often he makes stupid mistakes/is out of position which leads to many goals. I personally would like to see if Josh Harding has what it takes to be the #1 goalie. He didn't look too good when he was in two or three times at the end of the season. But, when you only play once or twice a month, you really can't be expected to be at the top of your game. I think it's time for both Risebrough (GM) and Lemaire to go. Risebrough because he did nothing to add to the team during the last off season, and when they were in a battle with Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado for the NW division title, he does nothing. He's just like Terry Ryan, the Twins' old GM, he's too cheap and doesn't have what it takes to make the big moves. Sometimes you've got to give something to get something. Also, apparently there's virtually no good talent down in Houston for the Wild, which points to mismanagement of personnel/drafting, also on the GM. Jacques is another story. He can't seem to get this team fired up when it matters the most. When they start to slide like they did a little over a month before seasons' end, he couldn't get them out of it. When they get to the playoffs, and have to play a number of consecutive games against the same team, they seem to become too predictable and are easily figured out. That all points to coaching, and I for one think it's time for a shake up. Although it will never happen since there's a love affair with Jacques here which at times really baffles me. That and Leiopold has said he won't make any major changes, but I suppose he could surprise me. All I know is that the Wild have a lot of work to do, and maybe some changes in personnel and a good swift kick in the ass for next year, or they're going to keep on repeating disappointing first round losses.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way with, here's my predictions right now

Western Conference:

ANA V. DAL: Anaheim is all but done. Dallas will likely win the series with the next game.

DET V. NASH: Really anyone's guess at this point. Nashville has looked awful good at home and since that's where they're headed for game 6, this series may definitely get interesting.

SAN V. CAL: Definitely have to give the edge to San Jose, and they'll likely win the series in the next game.

2nd round: I definitely give the edge to San Jose over Colorado. They're playing just about better than anyone, and will likely add another series victory over a team from the toughest conference in the NHL.

I'd also give the edge to the winner of the Det/Nash series over Dallas. The Stars are definitely a surprise over Anaheim, but I don' think they're luck will hold up.

Eastern Conference: I don't really follow the east too much, but I think a energized Philly team with finish off the Caps, and I honestly don't know between Montreal and Boston.

r23r5

2008-04-20, 10:39 AM

Ahhh!!! I can't believe it Montreal. We had a 3-2 lead with ten minutes and you let it slip! Streit played horrible last night. And Kostityn(Andrei) didn't play up to his game after he got hit by Chara in the first game. Overall a decent game. Koivu's line of him Higgins and Kostityn played well but most other lines weren't bringing it. We fell apart in the defensive zone. Luckily Price was having a good game.

Montreal better step it up

Quorothorn

2008-04-20, 01:49 PM

New Englander here. I'm in shock that we're still in it. I honestly thought we Bruins were going to be swept by Montreal (given that, y'know, we hadn't beaten them in the entirety of the regular season). When we won one game I thought that was all we fans could hope for. Now, we actually have a chance to win the freakin' series! EPIC.

I think Price is showing his youth; we dropped 4 goals on him in the third period two games in a row now. He's a great goalie, but he is, after all, a rookie. We'll see how he does in Game 7, I suppose.

All down to just one game, now...I dare to hope...

North

2008-04-20, 01:56 PM

If Boston wins thats definitely the biggest upset of the year.

I cant beleive the Habs didnt sweep them. :smalltongue:

skywalker

2008-04-20, 10:12 PM

Cube, I'm very excited Colorado closed it out. Game 7 in Minny would have been bad deja vu. I think it's pretty funny you picked SJ over us, since they've got to make it past Calgary first. I honestly hate SJ and Calgary. I hate Calgary more, so I was rooting for SJ, but I might root for Calgary now in the hopes that I get to see the Avs torch 'em.

I'm also disappointed about the Predators. They made it really interesting for a while. If they had won game 5 in OT, it would have been a much better game 6, I think.

As for this Habs-Bs matchup that's getting a lot of talk round here, I honestly like Boston's chances now. I feel bad for all the Canadians round here, and I'll be sad if you guys stop posting this thread if the Habs lose, because I'll have no one to talk to, but I do like Boston's chances. I'll be happy if either team wins*shrug*

wojonatior

2008-04-20, 10:24 PM

*cough*http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/trophies/winners/PRT1995.jpg

sorry i had a Stanley cup winning team stuck in my throat :smallbiggrin:

skywalker

2008-04-20, 10:34 PM

*cough*http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/trophies/winners/PRT1995.jpg

sorry i had a Stanley cup winning team stuck in my throat :smallbiggrin:

Okay, between my being an Avs fan and a Preds fan, I'm pretty sure we have to fight now.

Altho your team does look really scary in their all-red uniforms, and really cool in their whites, too.

wojonatior

2008-04-20, 10:42 PM

well do your teams let kids sleep at the arena and give out sleeping bags and metal lunch boxes plus watch miracle on the score board?:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:
i thought not

well then may the best team win red wings win:smallbiggrin:

(unfournately the 42" plasma at out house died:smallfurious: so i have to go off of internet for how the playoffs are going:smallfrown: )

Zeb The Troll

2008-04-21, 05:02 AM

*wanders in to say a little prayer to the hockey gods for a Caps win*

Talya

2008-04-21, 04:49 PM

So it's do-or-die tonight. This is it...get it together starting now, cause you don't get another chance, boys. :(

Quorothorn

2008-04-21, 07:15 PM

Hmm...this isn't going well. Come on, Bruins! You can do it!

Talya

2008-04-21, 08:33 PM

Olé!Olé!Olé!Olé!

Now that's more like they should have played games 2 through 6.

Zeb The Troll

2008-04-21, 09:09 PM

Woooo! Go Caps!

Talya

2008-04-21, 10:09 PM

I would love to see the Caps do well, but I gotta cheer for Philly on wednesday.

I think Philly's an easier second round opponent for my Habs than the NY Rangers are. I also think the Rangers and Penguins will do more to tire each other out than Washington will do to the Penguins. Therefore, it's in Montreal's best interests if the Flyers win.

celtois

2008-04-21, 10:16 PM

yay 5-0 for the habs
meh I don't care as much but 4-2 for the caps that series is 3-3 now

and good luck to the flames tommorow :smallsmile:

PhoeKun

2008-04-21, 10:25 PM

I'm not a hockey fan, but I feel legitimately bad for Bill Simmons right now... the only upside is he saw the end coming, but as far as consolation prizes go, that's pretty lame.

Quorothorn

2008-04-21, 10:47 PM

Well, we certainly tried.

Talya, and you other Canadians fans: your team better win the Stanley Cup now. T'sall I'm saying: you better win now've you beat us.

Talya

2008-04-21, 11:02 PM

I certainly hope they do, Quoro. ;)

Oh, and for you casual Bruins fans, I want to tell you about a very young treasure you have there wearing black and yellow.

Milan Lucic is by far the best 19 year old forward I've ever seen play this game. Goddamn it I never want my habs to be stuck facing a team with that kid on their roster. Yeah, he only had 8 goals and 19 assists over 77 regular season games, but that's going to improve. A lot. And beyond that, there are things that can't be quantified on the scoreboard. Suffice it to say that he did more to help keep the Bruins in this series than far more famous young stars in Pittsburgh or Washington could have done.

If I were rating the "Three Stars" for that series, Milan Lucic of the Bruins gets #1.

Quorothorn

2008-04-21, 11:15 PM

North

2008-04-22, 12:25 PM

Wow the Canadians actually got their act together last night:smallwink: About time.

Now we just have to see how Calgary does against San Jose.....

skywalker

2008-04-22, 07:32 PM

So, I just learned that if Calgary wins, they'll play Detroit, whereas, if San Jose wins, Colorado has to play Detroit. I have suddenly become a Calgary fan :smallbiggrin:

Talya

2008-04-22, 09:31 PM

Woooo! Go Caps!

As relieved as I am to be facing Philly and not the Rangers in round 2, I feel for you.

I really like Cristobal Huet, and Washington showed great determination in even making the playoffs this year.

skywalker

2008-04-22, 10:30 PM

So, just a little question for everyone who's been watching these playoffs, has anybody noticed the goalies not wearing the clear throat guards? I had heard they were required, and so I found it strange that neither Huet nor Thomas was wearing one in the Montreal-Boston series, and neither of the Calgary goalies are wearing one tonight(BTW, what a WOW move by Keenan, pulling Kipper again. I don't like either of their goalies :smallannoyed:)

Anybody else notice this?

Also, about 3hrs after my post about wanting CG to win, they're down 5-2 :smallfrown:

North

2008-04-22, 11:23 PM

Well the joke in Edmonton has always gone...

Whats the difference between the Flames and a bra?

Flames only have one cup.

North

2008-04-23, 12:10 AM

So the Canadians won their series.

Watch how some "fans" (http://youtube.com/watch?v=VSQ5uw2UVbY) celebrated...:smallsigh:

Zeb The Troll

2008-04-23, 12:19 AM

As relieved as I am to be facing Philly and not the Rangers in round 2, I feel for you.

I really like Cristobal Huet, and Washington showed great determination in even making the playoffs this year.Indeed. For a team that was last in the league midway through the season, they made a remarkable showing. I'll take it. Taking game 7 to OT from being down 3-1 a few nights ago is pretty impressive too.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-23, 10:03 AM

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted here. I've got lots to talk about. Here goes ....

Rare Pink Leech's first round picks:

Montreal in 5.
Pittsburgh in 5.
Philadelphia in 6.
New Jersey in 7.

Detroit in 6.
San Jose in 7.
Minnesota in 7.
Anaheim in 5.

Surprisingly, I did fairly well. I chose 5 of the teams correctly, I got the number of games right for Detroit and San Jose, and I was off by only one game for Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I completely messed up the Dallas/Anaheim series, but the New York/New Jersey and Colorado Minnesota series I completely guessed, so I don't feel too bad about those two. All in all I'm feeling pretty good about my predictions. I need a bit more time to think about the next round, but I'll post my predictions before the second round begins tomorrow.

It is my expert opinion that should the Leaf's ever win the Cup, the population of Toronto would be swept by an epidemic of heart attacks. That being said, I am quite certain that this years winner will be a Canadian team.

Hey, that's not fair. Only the sick and elderly would have heart attacks. The rest of us would be too busy rioting :smallbiggrin: I mean, have you ever seen how excited Leafs fans are after a first-round win? We run/drive up and down Yonge Street, screaming/waving flags/honking/generally making asses of ourselves. I'm sure that would escalate to riots by the fourth round. And hey, if Montrealers gets to riot after the first round, I'm sure Torontonians deserve to if we ever get that far :smalltongue:

Another funny anecdote, the NHL created the "Sean Avery Rule" to keep players from doing what Sean Avery did to Martin Brodeur last night, which people have referred to as "face guarding."

Like others who have posted in this thread, I am completely on the fence about this. On one hand, it was another dirty Avery trick. On the other hand, it was really innovative. I just can't make up my mind about it, but I guess it's a moot point since it's now illegal. I'm also not sure how I feel about the NHL changing rules in the playoffs. Part of me doesn't like it at all, but the other part likes how the NHL showed initiative.

The question of whether the rule came about because Brodeur is a superstar or because Avery gets a really bad rap is an interesting one, and merits some thought.

Milan Lucic is by far the best 19 year old forward I've ever seen play this game. Goddamn it I never want my habs to be stuck facing a team with that kid on their roster. Yeah, he only had 8 goals and 19 assists over 77 regular season games, but that's going to improve. A lot. And beyond that, there are things that can't be quantified on the scoreboard. Suffice it to say that he did more to help keep the Bruins in this series than far more famous young stars in Pittsburgh or Washington could have done.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call him the best 19 year old I've ever seen, but he is indeed special. I kept saying as much to anyone who watched the Montreal/Boston games with me. I'd love to have him on the Leafs, that's for sure. He also writes some pretty good blogs on tsn.ca from time to time :smallsmile:

So, just a little question for everyone who's been watching these playoffs, has anybody noticed the goalies not wearing the clear throat guards? I had heard they were required, and so I found it strange that neither Huet nor Thomas was wearing one in the Montreal-Boston series, and neither of the Calgary goalies are wearing one tonight(BTW, what a WOW move by Keenan, pulling Kipper again. I don't like either of their goalies :smallannoyed:)

Anybody else notice this?

Those throat guards aren't mandatory, or at least if they are, no one enforces it. I used to think they're mandatory, until I noticed that most goalies don't bother with it anymore. Which I think is pretty dumb, but hey, it's their life, not mine.

Well the joke in Edmonton has always gone...

Whats the difference between the Flames and a bra?

Flames only have one cup.

That's just cruel. Funny, but cruel :smalltongue:

Anyway, who else is shocked that the refs actually called Wasington for a penalty in O.T. last night? I'm normally fine with calling penalties in O.T., even during the playoffs, but when it's game 7 I think it's just wrong. Especially since they put the whistles away in the third period, only to whip it out again in O.T.

If I was a Caps fan, I'd be absolutely apoplectic. Hell, I'm still pissed. I'd begun to adopt the Caps as the team I'd cheer for above all others, and I really wanted to see them play the Pens. That would have been a series to remember.

At least the Caps and their fans can go home knowing they accomplished great things this year, and will be able to do some real damage next year and for years to come.

skywalker

2008-04-23, 01:11 PM

Like others who have posted in this thread, I am completely on the fence about this. On one hand, it was another dirty Avery trick. On the other hand, it was really innovative. I just can't make up my mind about it, but I guess it's a moot point since it's now illegal. I'm also not sure how I feel about the NHL changing rules in the playoffs. Part of me doesn't like it at all, but the other part likes how the NHL showed initiative.

The question of whether the rule came about because Brodeur is a superstar or because Avery gets a really bad rap is an interesting one, and merits some thought.

Barry Melrose certainly doesn't share your opinion :smallbiggrin: A quick youtube search reveals this isn't the first time sean and brodeur have gone at it. Check this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y0RJ7rvxu4&NR=1) video to see Brodeur's reaction to getting run by Avery last February. Marty gets up and goes off on Avery, then skates out of the ensuing scrum like "Who, me?"

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call him the best 19 year old I've ever seen, but he is indeed special. I kept saying as much to anyone who watched the Montreal/Boston games with me. I'd love to have him on the Leafs, that's for sure. He also writes some pretty good blogs on tsn.ca from time to time :smallsmile: Yeah, Wayne Gretzky was a 19-year old once...:smalltongue:

Those throat guards aren't mandatory, or at least if they are, no one enforces it. I used to think they're mandatory, until I noticed that most goalies don't bother with it anymore. Which I think is pretty dumb, but hey, it's their life, not mine. Well, I was reading wikipedia(nice source, skwalker) and they said they were mandatory. Thinking back now, the helmet/cage goalies(Hasek and Osgood) have never worn throat guards, but there for a few years in the early 2000s, it seemed like everyone was wearing them, and there has since been a drop-off, particularly in this year's playoffs. It is clear in the videos of Avery face-guarding him, Brodeur is still wearing the throat guard.

On the subject of masks in general, Tim Thomas's new contraption threw me for a loop until Wikipedia again educated me that it is a "Mage" and was inspired by the helmets of Osgood and Hasek. It certainly seems like it would give him better vision.

Anyway, who else is shocked that the refs actually called Wasington for a penalty in O.T. last night? Me.

I'm normally fine with calling penalties in O.T., even during the playoffs, but when it's game 7 I think it's just wrong. Especially since they put the whistles away in the third period, only to whip it out again in O.T.

If I was a Caps fan, I'd be absolutely apoplectic. Hell, I'm still pissed. I'd begun to adopt the Caps as the team I'd cheer for above all others, and I really wanted to see them play the Pens. That would have been a series to remember.

At least the Caps and their fans can go home knowing they accomplished great things this year, and will be able to do some real damage next year and for years to come.

What I'm more upset about, however, is what happened in period 2 that led to the Flyers' second goal. Some said Thoreson was just making a good hockey play, but when he ran the Washington defenseman into Huet, that guy was nowhere near the puck. Then, he sat on them until the puck went in. No fault to him, do it if you can get away with it, but shame on the referees for not calling that one. If he'd been sitting on Marty Brodeur... ah, I guess I should give that one a rest.

I also think Ovechkin shoulda shot that one late in the 3rd. He had Biron down :smallfrown: Alas, he's a young hockey player.

Mordar

2008-04-23, 02:34 PM

Mordar

2008-04-23, 02:44 PM

So, I just learned that if Calgary wins, they'll play Detroit, whereas, if San Jose wins, Colorado has to play Detroit. I have suddenly become a Calgary fan :smallbiggrin:

I'm sure someone on the Avs will channel Clod LeMieux (ASIDE: See CL's wikipedia entry for a lol-funny paragraph starting with "Karma came back to haunt Lemieux...") and take a few cheap runs at smaller, better players on the Wings and generate some heat in what should otherwise be a one-sided affair. That is, of course, unless Osgood or Dom have the wheels fall completely off their wagons...

- Mordar

Chunklets

2008-04-23, 03:13 PM

Well, my predictions for the first round were... meh. 5 out of 8 teams correct (notice that I cleverly picked Detroit to beat Nashville!), but I didn't get the right number of games in any of them. However, fearlessly, I submit to you my picks for round 2!

Detroit vs. Colorado: I like how Mr. Theodore is playing, but beyond that Colorado did little to really impress in the first round. Detroit, for all that they're very very old (insert Chris Chelios joke), should be able to handle Colorado, who aren't much younger. These two teams used to, and maybe still do, really hate each other, so there could be some fireworks. Detroit in 5

San Jose vs. Dallas: This series perplexes me. San Jose looked almost disinterested at times during their first round series, and as a result nearly lost to the #7 team. Meanwhile, Dallas stomped all over the defending Stanley Cup champions. So, it would seem easy to pick the upset here, and go with Dallas. However, none of the last 10 Stanley Cup finalists has made it past the first round the following year, so beating Anaheim wasn't quite the accomplishment it might seem, although it's still impressive. Furthermore, San Jose did get by Calgary in the end, and the law of the wake-up call can be invoked here. Dallas is a little better rested, so they could have some success early on, but in the end I think San Jose will deal with the Stars. San Jose in 6

Pittsburgh vs. New York Rangers: This should be lots of fun! New York blew New Jersey out in round one, largely because they got into Brodeur's head. However, Pittsburgh are flat-out the better team, and are furthermore well-rested. Oh yeah, and Sean Avery has a history with Georges Laraque (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=139669). Pittsburgh in 6

Montreal vs. Philadelphia: Both teams played 7 games last time around, but it seems to me that the Canadiens are a little less beat up than the Flyers right now. And, it looks like they've got Carey Price back on track. Montreal in 6

Meynolds

2008-04-23, 05:41 PM

Flyers won the first round! I now expect them to win one, then lose four straight. Yeah, I'm not really optimistic.

skywalker

2008-04-23, 08:02 PM

I'm sure someone on the Avs will channel Clod LeMieux (ASIDE: See CL's wikipedia entry for a lol-funny paragraph starting with "Karma came back to haunt Lemieux...") and take a few cheap runs at smaller, better players on the Wings and generate some heat in what should otherwise be a one-sided affair.Claude was quite old-fashioned EDIT: and only 6ft tall. :smallbiggrin:
I'd like to know your opinion on The Grind Line.

That is, of course, unless Osgood or Dom have the wheels fall completely off their wagons...
Don't worry, Patrick Roy's not around anymore to scare them anymore. Jose Theodore might outplay them, tho. :smalltongue:

Out of curiosity, are you purposefully being adversarial with me, or is it coincidence?

Also, there's an "edit" button so you don't have to post twice in a row.

Mordar

2008-04-24, 12:11 AM

Claude was quite old-fashioned EDIT: and only 6ft tall. :smallbiggrin:
I'd like to know your opinion on The Grind Line.

Don't worry, Patrick Roy's not around anymore to scare them anymore. Jose Theodore might outplay them, tho. :smalltongue:

Out of curiosity, are you purposefully being adversarial with me, or is it coincidence?

Also, there's an "edit" button so you don't have to post twice in a row.

Draper and Slava Kozlov are/were both all of 5'10" and 190# soaking wet with rocks in their pockets...big bully Clod... :smallmad:

Darren McCarty (prior to Grinding), strangely enough, was originally thought to be a "replacement" for Stevie Y...obviously not the direction he ended up going...but I still have the goal against the Flyers saved as a video clip somewhere. Draper is a wonderful 2-way player and fast as all heck (even with his advancing age and all). Maltby is a typical DRW player...solid, unassuming, useful professional. I guess I liked them all :smalltongue:

Patrick Roy was pretty scary for a while. Then, of course, they put the boots to him in Game 7 back in 2002...scoring on the first 2 shots, chasing him after 5 goals on the big stage...

As for your last two comments...well, to be honest, until you pointed it out I honestly didn't realize both of the comments to which I was replying were yours (though it's only 10 min between postings they were 10 min at work where I was easily distracted).

As far as adversarial goes...well, I'll play nice as long as you don't hit me with a cross-check as I'm heading off the ice :smallbiggrin:

- Mordar

PS: For the record, no I am not being anything other than fun-ly adversarial (as it should be, given the teams we seem to favor)

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-24, 04:42 PM

Okay, time for my second-round playoff predictions. I wish I had more time to think about these, but seeing as the first game starts in an hour and a half ...

Montreal vs Philadelphia: Both these teams showed great promise in the first round, but they also stumbled somewhat. Both teams are also facing tougher opposition than they faced in the first round. That said, I still like Montreal to go a little bit further (not sure yet if I think they'll make the Cup finals or not), although this won't be the cake-walk the Boston series was. Montreal in 6.

Pittsburgh vs New York: I still don't know a whole lot about the Ranger (I didn't follow their series at all during the first round), but from what I've been hearing they're a better team than I realized. Lundqvist outduelled Brodeur and I've got a feeling he'll play better than Fleury, but he also didn't face the explosive offense that Pittsburgh possesses. I'm tentatively going to say Pittsburgh in 5, but I have a feeling the Rangers are the most likely to upset this round (since they still are the underdogs).

Detroit vs Colorado: Tough call. Colorado's healthy (as far as I know) and is getting some inspired goaltending right now, whereas Detroit's goaltending is a bit of an issue (again, as far as I know). On one hand I want to say that Colorado doesn't have a good enough team, but on the other hand I think that they do, so I'm not really sure what to think. I think this'll be a great series, but it's going to be a grinding one, not a high-flying offense one. I also think that this is the year Detroit sees more success than they have recently. Detroit in 7.

San Jose vs Dallas: Ack, another tough call (damn you Western conference games being on so late!). I'm not sure if Dallas ran roughshod over Anaheim because they're that good, or because Anaheim was just having a tough year. That said, I like the look of San Jose, and they just went from one defensive team to another, so it shouldn't be that big of an adjustment (although Dallas is scoring better than Calgary, as far as I know). That, plus Thornton and Marleau are finally producing in the playoffs. San Jose in 6.

Wow, that's a lot of stuff I'm not really sure about. I really haven't been following these playoffs as much as I thought I was. Let's hope I'm not basing my predictions off faulty assumptions ....

Edit: Actually, I'm going to take a bit of a risk and say Pittsburgh will win in 5 games, not 7. I feel like I chose too many long series, which usually happens because I'm not really sure and decide to play it safe.

Talya

2008-04-24, 06:50 PM

I haven't sworn at Brisebois like that since the last time Montreal went to the cup finals.

skywalker

2008-04-24, 07:08 PM

Draper and Slava Kozlov are/were both all of 5'10" and 190# soaking wet with rocks in their pockets...big bully Clod... :smallmad:

Darren McCarty (prior to Grinding), strangely enough, was originally thought to be a "replacement" for Stevie Y...obviously not the direction he ended up going...but I still have the goal against the Flyers saved as a video clip somewhere. Draper is a wonderful 2-way player and fast as all heck (even with his advancing age and all). Maltby is a typical DRW player...solid, unassuming, useful professional. I guess I liked them all :smalltongue:

Patrick Roy was pretty scary for a while. Then, of course, they put the boots to him in Game 7 back in 2002...scoring on the first 2 shots, chasing him after 5 goals on the big stage...

As for your last two comments...well, to be honest, until you pointed it out I honestly didn't realize both of the comments to which I was replying were yours (though it's only 10 min between postings they were 10 min at work where I was easily distracted).

As far as adversarial goes...well, I'll play nice as long as you don't hit me with a cross-check as I'm heading off the ice :smallbiggrin:

- Mordar

PS: For the record, no I am not being anything other than fun-ly adversarial (as it should be, given the teams we seem to favor)

My point was, Claude wasn't much bigger than them, and they were grinders too, they laid their fair share of wood(and the body). Draper was ugly anyway. Lemiuex did him a favor, got him a visit to the plastic surgeon :smallbiggrin: (completely kidding there) I think McCarty's attack on Claude(when Claude "turtled") was just as dirty. McCarty's first punch clearly came from behind. McCarty really hammered him. I will be the first one to say "Yeah, he chickened out," but that was a dirty play too. McCarty also waited until the refs were working another fight(Larionov-Forsberg) so that he could get his licks in. He should've let Lemieux up, and Patrick Roy knew that. Bless Patrick, he's a fighter, and he sticks up for his team-mates. That's my favorite part of that fight, when he flew in to help out.

Roy literally put the boots to Osgood, too, the next season. :smalltongue:

I do legitimately think our goalie's playing better right now. Vintage Avs Vs. Wings. Avs have great goaltending and a sexy power play(6 for 30 in round 1? Yes, please.) and Detroit lets the Russians do the shooting and the North Americans do the banging.(at this showing, the part of Claude Lemieux will be played by Cody Mcleod.)

EDIT: Talya, we're watching real hockey down here in the States. Avs-Wings yes!

Talya

2008-04-24, 07:57 PM

That's on the other network. I'll pay attention to the west when we beat them in the cup final. :)

skywalker

2008-04-24, 08:27 PM

That's on the other network. I'll pay attention to the west when we beat them in the cup final. :)

These playoffs were the first time I ever thought "Damn, I wish I lived in Canada."

Not that there's anything wrong with Canada, I hear your government rocks, and my parents say it's beautiful(they're always trying to get me to go to Canada with them). But unfortunately, I will always think of it as the place my parents always go(they go to the very boring parts of Ontario to fish) and I nearly freeze in Tennessee winters.

Anyway, I wish I got Canada's hockey networks.

Talya

2008-04-24, 09:59 PM

But unfortunately, I will always think of it as the place my parents always go(they go to the very boring parts of Ontario to fish) and I nearly freeze in Tennessee winters.

Sounds like they go to where there are no Canadians. (Nobody lives in the wilderness!)

Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. Three cities very close to the US border, make up about 40% of Canada's population (including the contiguous metropolitan areas around them.) Greater Toronto's 6 million people is roughly even with Chicago. If you like more civilized stuff, there's excitement to be had. Just don't visit in wintertime. :smallbiggrin:

Talya

2008-04-24, 10:02 PM

Oh, I almost forgot...

Olé!Olé!Olé!Olé!

skywalker

2008-04-25, 12:02 AM

Sounds like they go to where there are no Canadians. (Nobody lives in the wilderness!) There is supposedly one Canadian couple who runs the fish camp during the summer. During the winter the lakes freeze.

Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. Three cities very close to the US border, make up about 40% of Canada's population (including the contiguous metropolitan areas around them.) Greater Toronto's 6 million people is roughly even with Chicago. If you like more civilized stuff, there's excitement to be had. Just don't visit in wintertime. :smallbiggrin:
I know some people who went to Toronto to do things that are illegal in the US, but legal in Canada. Apparently it's like a thing, or something. I also hear Toronto has a bizarre dichotomy of clean and dirty, modern and old, and crowded yet fun.

Is this right?

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-25, 06:04 AM

What I'm more upset about, however, is what happened in period 2 that led to the Flyers' second goal. Some said Thoreson was just making a good hockey play, but when he ran the Washington defenseman into Huet, that guy was nowhere near the puck. Then, he sat on them until the puck went in. No fault to him, do it if you can get away with it, but shame on the referees for not calling that one. If he'd been sitting on Marty Brodeur... ah, I guess I should give that one a rest.

Yeah, that was an unbelievable (missed) call. I bet a lot of teams would have loved to know they can slam an opposing defenceman into his goalie and get away with it :smallmad: Soon after the game some analysts were calling it legal (I still dont' understand why) but now most people say they are confused by the rule. Bloody travesty is what that was.

I do legitimately think our goalie's playing better right now. Vintage Avs Vs. Wings. Avs have great goaltending and a sexy power play(6 for 30 in round 1? Yes, please.) and Detroit lets the Russians do the shooting and the North Americans do the banging.(at this showing, the part of Claude Lemieux will be played by Cody Mcleod.)

I was going to say I resent the notion that North Americans are only good at grinding and Europeans are the finesse players, until I realized that for Detroit it's true :smallsmile:

I know some people who went to Toronto to do things that are illegal in the US, but legal in Canada. Apparently it's like a thing, or something. I also hear Toronto has a bizarre dichotomy of clean and dirty, modern and old, and crowded yet fun.

I live and grew up in Toronto, so I'm not sure if I'd called it a "bizarre dichotomy", but there are definitely some areas that are cleaner than others, and some that are newer. Isn't it like that in most major cities? At any rate, Toronto's nothing if not diverse - nearly 50% of its residents were born outside of Canada.

Mordar

2008-04-25, 12:23 PM

My point was, Claude wasn't much bigger than them, and they were grinders too, they laid their fair share of wood(and the body). Draper was ugly anyway. Lemiuex did him a favor, got him a visit to the plastic surgeon :smallbiggrin: (completely kidding there) I think McCarty's attack on Claude(when Claude "turtled") was just as dirty. McCarty's first punch clearly came from behind. McCarty really hammered him. I will be the first one to say "Yeah, he chickened out," but that was a dirty play too. McCarty also waited until the refs were working another fight(Larionov-Forsberg) so that he could get his licks in. He should've let Lemieux up, and Patrick Roy knew that. Bless Patrick, he's a fighter, and he sticks up for his team-mates. That's my favorite part of that fight, when he flew in to help out.

6'1", 226# (according to SI) is enough of an advantage over 5'10" 190# to be considered a bullying, and neither Draper nor Kozlov were big hitters (Draper relied on speed and position to center between the two big hitters on the G-Line and Kozlov, well, I never remember seeing him hit much of anyone...). That being said, the fight I most remember between Darren McCarty and Clod was before the opening faceoff...they were behind the linesman, but both were paying exclusive attention to one another and then all the gloves dropped. A much better showing by Clod, but he still got pummeled. (Oh, and McCarty was a little smaller than Clod, but they're in the same weight class).

All of that being said, I was always amazed at how well he could play come playoffs when he wasn't being chippy and bullying. If only he could have played at that level an entire season he might be remembered as a transcendent star instead of for the Draper hit and the resultant fights.

I was going to say I resent the notion that North Americans are only good at grinding and Europeans are the finesse players, until I realized that for Detroit it's true

Hey, when you're on a team with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom virtually everyone else is going to lack finesse in comparison. As far as grinding goes...well, the Wings were the least penalized team in the NHL during the regular season and currently 3rd lowest of the 16 playoff teams (though one of those was eliminated in short order), so even if they're "just" out there to slow the other team down they're doing it clean!

Detroit vs Colorado: Tough call. Colorado's healthy (as far as I know) and is getting some inspired goaltending right now, whereas Detroit's goaltending is a bit of an issue (again, as far as I know).

Second best GAA in the playoffs (2.13)...save percentage is a little down because of how few shots they've allowed, but team defense has always been a hallmark of the Wings (not to the same degree as, say, the Devils, but still).

I do hope Theodore recovers, though, so he can be beaten fairly :smalltongue: In all seriousness, I can only begin to imagine how much it must suck to be ill/injured/unable to perform at a time like this. I want to see everyone's best...not everyone's best with bandaids.

- Mordar

skywalker

2008-04-25, 03:32 PM

6'1", 226# (according to SI) is enough of an advantage over 5'10" 190# to be considered a bullying, and neither Draper nor Kozlov were big hitters (Draper relied on speed and position to center between the two big hitters on the G-Line and Kozlov, well, I never remember seeing him hit much of anyone...). That being said, the fight I most remember between Darren McCarty and Clod was before the opening faceoff...they were behind the linesman, but both were paying exclusive attention to one another and then all the gloves dropped. A much better showing by Clod, but he still got pummeled. (Oh, and McCarty was a little smaller than Clod, but they're in the same weight class).

All of that being said, I was always amazed at how well he could play come playoffs when he wasn't being chippy and bullying. If only he could have played at that level an entire season he might be remembered as a transcendent star instead of for the Draper hit and the resultant fights.
Well, I remember him for how good he was at protecting the little guys around him. Draper is the best faceoff man in the league, you can be sure he's a mean little dude. The fight before the opening faceoff was just to save face after what you call the turtling, I call the ambush. It's funny, you can't hear what they were saying or read their lips, but it was probably just something like "Hey, we'd better go now so there's no dirty hits" "Yeah, you're probably right" "So, as soon as they drop the puck?" "Yeah." I mean, when was the last time McCarty or Lemiuex was a starter, hm?

Hey, when you're on a team with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom virtually everyone else is going to lack finesse in comparison. As far as grinding goes...well, the Wings were the least penalized team in the NHL during the regular season and currently 3rd lowest of the 16 playoff teams (though one of those was eliminated in short order), so even if they're "just" out there to slow the other team down they're doing it clean!

There's a difference between doing it clean and not getting caught doing it dirty.

Second best GAA in the playoffs (2.13)...save percentage is a little down because of how few shots they've allowed, but team defense has always been a hallmark of the Wings (not to the same degree as, say, the Devils, but still).

I do hope Theodore recovers, though, so he can be beaten fairly :smalltongue: In all seriousness, I can only begin to imagine how much it must suck to be ill/injured/unable to perform at a time like this. I want to see everyone's best...not everyone's best with bandaids.
I think this may be the end for Theodore. This is the kind of thing that could completely destroy him. He's been playing great, and until I see the next game I'll reserve judgment, but I'm worried now. Not that Budaj is bad, but Theo really was playing at a Vezina level. If the Avs miraculously win the cup, I pick Theo for MVP, if he keeps playing like he's been playing.

I was very impressed with our play in the second and third periods. Detroit is clearly a superior team, but Osgood had to make a beautiful save(and get a little lucky) on Liles to pull out the win. Wings also got lucky on that puck Theo lost that dropped behind him :smallannoyed:

thorgrim29

2008-04-25, 05:48 PM

Talya

2008-04-26, 07:29 AM

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-26, 08:22 AM

If the Penguins can score five goals every game, they are going to be hard to beat.

Thats really all I have. What a game.

Talya

2008-04-26, 07:45 PM

Bloody Marty Biron show tonight.

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-27, 05:36 PM

Another win for the Pens, 6 in a row now. I suspect we won't be seeing another home game for a couple weeks.

Sleet

2008-04-27, 09:55 PM

Another win for the Pens, 6 in a row now. I suspect we won't be seeing another home game for a couple weeks.

The Rangers aren't the Senators. I don't think they'll go down quite so easily.

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-29, 08:39 PM

I'm a-chargin' my Broom!

:biggrin:

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-29, 09:56 PM

Damn..... the whole province is going crazy, I feel like I'm in a Lovecraftian tale.... Seriously, riots at Montreal after winning the FIRST round...... Crazy idiots. Roughly a car in 10 has this little canadiens flag on the window.... Restaurants where there are no giant tvs are losing money like crazy.... All that for a freaking game... I mean, I dont begrudge the fans their fun and exitement, but it's going WAY too far. Bloody ingrained inferiority complex.... Anyways, that's my take on the playoffs.

Man, do I miss the days when this stuff happened in Toronto :smallfrown: Oh well, it'll be all the more sweeter when it does come again (despite what Leaf-haters might want to think, the Leafs will (eventually) make the playoffs again).

Bloody Marty Biron show tonight.

Indeed. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising, what with him being a French Canadian goalie playing the Canadiens.

The Rangers aren't the Senators. I don't think they'll go down quite so easily.

Before tonight, I would've agreed with you. Now it's beginning to look like nothing can stop the Penguins March of the Penguins joke]. I'm hoping the Rangers pull one win out of their behinds, so then my prediction of the Penguins winning in 5 comes true :smallbiggrin:

Similarly, is anyone as surprised as I am with the success Dallas has been enjoying so far? They're now up 3-0 on the Sharks, which is greatly disappointing to me since I really like the Sharks. I'm tempted to already pick Dallas over whoever they play next round. I need to watch a few more of their games, but do they seem like the real deal to possibly win a cup this year, or am I just crazy?

skywalker

2008-04-29, 10:45 PM

Similarly, is anyone as surprised as I am with the success Dallas has been enjoying so far? They're now up 3-0 on the Sharks, which is greatly disappointing to me since I really like the Sharks. I'm tempted to already pick Dallas over whoever they play next round. I need to watch a few more of their games, but do they seem like the real deal to possibly win a cup this year, or am I just crazy?

No offense, but, I think you are just crazy. The Ducks and the Sharks aren't scrubs, but I think Dallas will falter against the Red Wings. They're just so bloody efficient and I don't think Dallas can handle Detroit's puck possession game if they go down. IF Colorado somehow manages some magic to win this series, then I will worry about Dallas' chances then, too. We will need to be bookin to get that done.

Oh, crap, 3rd period has started and CO is -4 when I'm posting to this thread so far in this series, so I'll end it here.

Cheers!

Sleet

2008-04-29, 11:06 PM

Before tonight, I would've agreed with you. Now it's beginning to look like nothing can stop the Penguins...

Yeah, I'm very surprised. The Rangers played the Pens a lot better in the regular season. The Pens' penalty killing was amazing tonight.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-29, 11:35 PM

No offense, but, I think you are just crazy.

Well, I guess we'll see who's crazy sooner or later, since it appears we'll be getting a Detroit-Dallas showdown in the western conference finals.

Here's a question to no one in particular: what the hell happened to the parity that's supposedly a trademark of the "new" NHL? Here we are in the second round, and three of the series are on the verge of being sweeps. Who'da thunk it?

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-30, 07:12 AM

Here's a question to no one in particular: what the hell happened to the parity that's supposedly a trademark of the "new" NHL? Here we are in the second round, and three of the series are on the verge of being sweeps. Who'da thunk it?

I thought the "New" NHL was just suposed to open things up for skill and speed to shine through, rather than letting teams win with thugery and shut down hockey. So, teams with inordinate amounts of skill through the draft have a big advantage. The salary cap will probably balance things more over time, though you might see teams tanking for three or four years just to get those high draft picks.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-04-30, 09:08 AM

Sleet

2008-04-30, 11:37 AM

Sean Avery out for season with lacerated spleen (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3375123)

Expected to make a full recovery. I hate when my team plays against you, but get well soon Sean.

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-30, 12:41 PM

Mordar

2008-04-30, 12:47 PM

I thought the "New" NHL was just suposed to open things up for skill and speed to shine through, rather than letting teams win with thugery and shut down hockey. So, teams with inordinate amounts of skill through the draft have a big advantage. The salary cap will probably balance things more over time, though you might see teams tanking for three or four years just to get those high draft picks.

The salary cap (something in which I'm always in favor, in all sports) is a good thing...even as (or especially as?) a Detroit Red Wings fan. So much of the DRWs success has been built on the bedrock of solid picks, player development and system management. Sure, there've been some big names/hired guns brought in (but often at decent prices) but the impact, outside of Hasek, has mostly been from players who came into the system young or with plenty of time to still build careers.

The "new NHL" does favor speed, skill and team defense (perhaps at the expense of "lock down" single player defense)...and I for one like it.

As far as parity goes...well, I think there is more player parity in the league in general (as already mentioned, leading to the shuffle in playoff teams and strength of the "middle of the pack"), but coaching/personnel/management can make a huge difference in the outcomes on the ice.

The team nature of hockey will continue, I hope, to support player development over free agents and hired guns...baseball and the NBA can keep all of that hoopla as far as I'm concerned.

- Mordar

PS: Hey skywalker, did you notice how I didn't mention that Detroit is up 3-0 even once in this...oh, dang. Never mind :smallsmile:

Narthon the Bold

2008-04-30, 01:22 PM

Similar to Detroit, Pittsburgh has built its team mostly on solid or lucky draft picks, with just a little bit of trading to bring in role players (Hossa not withstanding). In a few more years, they will probably have to give up Malkin or Staal or Whitney or Letang or several of them, just because they can't keep them all. They will keep Crosbey and Flurey as a base to build around for as long as possible, but who knows what the future will bring.

North

2008-04-30, 01:52 PM

skywalker

2008-04-30, 10:13 PM

Yeah, the Wings especially get great production out of cheap guys, guys they've had forever, and expensive guys who take pay cuts cuz they know they're going to a competitor in Detroit. The Wings haven't missed the playoffs since 1990. Excuse me? 1990? I mean, as much as I have a visceral hate for them, respect for that.

I think that while the "New NHL" has created parity in salaries, it hasn't(and can't) create parity in experience, heart, etc. I think that's why you're seeing some blowout series. The only team winning a blowout series due to vastly superior talent is Pittsburgh, but they're so superior to everyone they've played, their heart hasn't been tested. I look for Pittsburgh to have trouble against Philly or Montreal, either one, and, if they make it to the Finals, I don't think they can beat Dallas or Detroit.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-02, 10:30 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Broom_icon.svg/400px-Broom_icon.svg.png

Talk about embarrassing. Man, do I feel sorry for Colorado. Not only were they swept at home, but their final game was an 8-2 blowout, and they let one player (Franzen) score as many goals in the series as their entire team (9 goals). Ouch.

So, is it too early to start engraving Franzen's name on the Conn Smythe? :smallbiggrin: I doubt he'll keep up the pace, but still - 9 goals and two hat tricks in a 4-game series? That's unreal. First time since Jarri Kurri in 1985 that a player has scored a pair of hat tricks in a series.

I correctly picked Detroit to win the series, but sadly Colorado didn't put up enough of a fight to stretch it anywhere near the 7 games I predicted. Oh well, at least Pittsburgh can still take the series in 5, giving me a perfect prediction there.

skywalker

2008-05-04, 01:50 AM

Talk about embarrassing. Man, do I feel sorry for Colorado. Not only were they swept at home, but their final game was an 8-2 blowout, and they let one player (Franzen) score as many goals in the series as their entire team (9 goals). Ouch.

So, is it too early to start engraving Franzen's name on the Conn Smythe? :smallbiggrin: I doubt he'll keep up the pace, but still - 9 goals and two hat tricks in a 4-game series? That's unreal. First time since Jarri Kurri in 1985 that a player has scored a pair of hat tricks in a series.

I correctly picked Detroit to win the series, but sadly Colorado didn't put up enough of a fight to stretch it anywhere near the 7 games I predicted. Oh well, at least Pittsburgh can still take the series in 5, giving me a perfect prediction there.

We put up enough of a fight to take it three periods in a couple of games :smallsigh: We get embarrassed like that fairly often, reference Patrick Roy's last game :smallconfused: I personally didn't think we had a chance even when we were completely healthy, let alone as short-handed as we were come game 4. We just seem so fragile, emotionally and physically. I've never seen a team go from a dominating energy to a "turtle" energy after just one goal. Real glass cannons, we were.

Ah, well. Go Penguins!

Quorothorn

2008-05-04, 11:43 AM

....Damnit. >_> Avs out, Montreal out, and freakin' Philly moves on...drat, drat, drat.

I now have no further invested interested in the NHL playoffs, beyond some lingering scrying on the Red Wings...

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-04, 07:34 PM

Well, the Pens managed to win today after squandering a 2 goal lead. This Hossa guy just might turn out all right after all.

North

2008-05-04, 08:10 PM

Philly beats out Montreal.... wow. Who woulda thunk?:smallconfused:

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-05, 10:08 AM

Montreal in 6.
Pittsburgh in 5
Detroit in 7.
San Jose in 6.

So I had mixed results for my second round predictions. I was bang on with my Pittsburgh prediction, I correctly chose Detroit even if I was horribly off with regards to the number of games it would take, and I didn't choose either Dallas or Philly to win, although I did correctly predict that the San Jose/Dallas series would go to 6 games :smallsmile:

The only team winning a blowout series due to vastly superior talent is Pittsburgh, but they're so superior to everyone they've played, their heart hasn't been tested. I look for Pittsburgh to have trouble against Philly or Montreal, either one, and, if they make it to the Finals, I don't think they can beat Dallas or Detroit.

I have a feeling you're right, both because they haven't had any hardships yet, and because I'm not sure they're quite ready yet. Last year was their first taste of the playoffs and this year is their first taste of playoff success, so next year (or a couple of year down the road, maybe) they'll know what it takes to win and what it's like to lose so late in the playoffs, and then they'll get their Cup.

I do hope the Pens go all the way this year, since they are the only remaining team I like enough to cheer for now that San Jose and Montreal are done. I watched the San Jose/Dallas game last night from midway through the 3rd period right till the end in 4OT, and man was that an exciting game. A marathon to watch so late, but exciting. The first OT in particular was probably the best period of hockey I've seen in years.

I was really hoping the Sharks would pull through, both because I like them and because of the so-called "33 year rule". The 1942 Maple Leafs managed to win a series after being down 0-3; 33 years later the 1975 Islanders did the same thing. 33 years later I hoped the 2008 Sharks could do it, although there are 3 more series for another team to do it.

skywalker

2008-05-05, 11:02 AM

I watched the San Jose/Dallas game last night from midway through the 3rd period right till the end in 4OT, and man was that an exciting game. A marathon to watch so late, but exciting. The first OT in particular was probably the best period of hockey I've seen in years.

I was really hoping the Sharks would pull through, both because I like them and because of the so-called "33 year rule". The 1942 Maple Leafs managed to win a series after being down 0-3; 33 years later the 1975 Islanders did the same thing. 33 years later I hoped the 2008 Sharks could do it, although there are 3 more series for another team to do it.

It was an incredible game. Really, when a playoff goes that late, either team can win, it's just whoever winds up getting the lucky break first. Nabby made the save of the playoffs, tho. I think he's my favorite goalie in the NHL. The style the Sharks play, they get him in more situations than most goalies, and he's so brink of death. That was a poster save right there. Of course, Turco pulled off a beauty of a pad save at the other end on Jeremy Roenick, I believe it was. That was like a break-dance move on ice wearing heavy pads. Big time goal-keeping from both.

I now believe the Stars might be able to beat Detroit. They certainly played hard. I think it will be interesting to see how Detroit fares against another well-regimented team, because up until now they've been playing teams based on flash and smash, not their own brand of hockey. It will be an interesting series, I think.

In the east, well look who it is. Personally, I hate the Flyers(I hate pretty much all Philly sports teams) and would love to see Pittsburgh win. I think it'll be a fun series as well, lots of enmity between these two teams.

North

2008-05-05, 01:21 PM

That game was crazy! Damn I really thought San Jose had a chance for a while there. Well at least they gave it a good showing I suppose.:smallfrown:

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-08, 04:44 PM

My third round predictions:

Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia: Pittsburgh in 6.
Detroit vs Dallas: Dallas in 6.

Not much to say about these ... they just seem right to me.

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-12, 12:16 PM

In what is not their best game by far, the Pens still beat Philly by two goals and go up 2-0 in their series. Talbot wins the game with a broken foot. I expect their next game to be a circus of violence.

On another note, the replay rule needs to be looked at hard. Crosby's non-goal should be considered a goal by anyone who has the basic understanding of geometry provided by being alive for 5 years. Stupid rules.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-12, 04:44 PM

What happened with Crosby's non-goal? I haven't heard anything about the game.

From the sounds of it, Biron made a save just as the puck was crossing the goal line, and they went to video replay to see if the puck did indeed cross the line, and the video replay was inconclusive because they couldn't see the puck. Am I correct?

If that's what happened, I don't think the rules need changing. I think that we need for there to be conclusive evidence the puck completely crossed the goal line, because anything else is subjective. I've been in heated arguments over a disputed goal where one person "knew" that it was a goal, and the other person "knew" it wasn't one, with the losing side calling the call bullsh*t.

Sleet

2008-05-12, 05:19 PM

From the sounds of it, Biron made a save just as the puck was crossing the goal line, and they went to video replay to see if the puck did indeed cross the line, and the video replay was inconclusive because they couldn't see the puck. Am I correct?

That's more or less it. You could see the back edge of the puck through the webbing of Biron's glove, and you could tell that it was in based on where the back edge of the puck was and where the goal line would be if you extended it with a straightedge under his glove. It seemed clear to me that it was in.

That said, you couldn't see white between the puck and the line because Biron's glove was blocking that part. Given the rules (as I understand it, the rules is "You must see daylight between the puck and the goal line), the correct call was made.

Meh. It sucks, but stuff like that happens. A team needs to be good enough to play through it.

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-12, 05:55 PM

Exactly as Sleet said it. You could see part of the puck, and knowing that the line is straight and the size of the puck, you can tell it is a goal. However, by the letter of the rule, you can't see white between the puck and the line, so it is inconclusive.

skywalker

2008-05-12, 06:22 PM

Hooray!!! for circus' of violence!!! In Philly, no less. Hopefully Crosby and Malkin live to play in the Finals against Detroit. Speaking of Malkin, what happened to that guy? Plenty of ice time(second to only the Iron Horse, Sergei Gonchar), his linemates(Sykora and Malone, correct?) get plenty of shots, but he winds up -1 with 3 shots on goal?

I haven't seen the goal/no-goal play, but unless you can be sure the entire puck crossed the red line, then no, it isn't a goal. :smallfrown: Not that it really matters, right?

Thes Hunter

2008-05-12, 06:28 PM

I think the wings are gonna win tonight, and on Saturday back at the JLA. SO SWEEP!!

*throws some octopus on the ice*

Saturday I will be in the wilds of Michigan hanging with some of my Michigan hommies. I don't know if we will have enough technology to watch the game though.

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-12, 09:43 PM

Regarding everyone who's talked about Crosby's no-goal: Yeah, catching the puck in midair above the goal line are really tricky, aren't they? I've seen a number like you guys have described - it's pretty obvious that the puck is over, but because the glove isn't entirely over the line they rule it inconclusive. It's tough, and I've had teams I root for get burned by it, but even so I think the rule is good as is.

Hooray!!! for circus' of violence!!! In Philly, no less. Hopefully Crosby and Malkin live to play in the Finals against Detroit. Speaking of Malkin, what happened to that guy? Plenty of ice time(second to only the Iron Horse, Sergei Gonchar), his linemates(Sykora and Malone, correct?) get plenty of shots, but he winds up -1 with 3 shots on goal?

I haven't seen the goal/no-goal play, but unless you can be sure the entire puck crossed the red line, then no, it isn't a goal. :smallfrown: Not that it really matters, right?

I'm not sure I would characterize that as "what happened to that guy". Nobody can score every game, and everyone's allowed to have a bad game now and then. If this happens to him several games in a row then it is a question of "what happened to that guy", but after one game I wouldn't even think about it.

I think the wings are gonna win tonight, and on Saturday back at the JLA. SO SWEEP!!

*throws some octopus on the ice*

Saturday I will be in the wilds of Michigan hanging with some of my Michigan hommies. I don't know if we will have enough technology to watch the game though.

If there's gonna be a sweep, it'll happen in Dallas :smallsmile: First two games were in Detroit, the next two in Dallas, and back to Detroit in game 5, assuming Dallas wins one.

skywalker

2008-05-12, 10:24 PM

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-14, 06:01 AM

I know I cursed it last round, but we could see the rare "Double-Sweep" this round.
Exciting!

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-16, 04:24 PM

Why did I even say anything?

North

2008-05-16, 05:15 PM

Yeah I was really hoping for a double sweep then the grand finale.

skywalker

2008-05-16, 05:28 PM

Yeah I was really hoping for a double sweep then the grand finale.

The last time there was a double sweep, the penguins swept the finals as well :smallbiggrin:
Too bad there wasn't even a single sweep. One of the Mikes on Mike and Mike in the Morning picked Dallas to come back because a comeback from down 3-0 happens every 33 years in the NHL, he says. I wanna know why it's Dallas that will come back, and not Philly. Not that I want Philly to come back, but I think they've got a better chance than Dallas. Ugh.

North

2008-05-16, 05:41 PM

The last time there was a double sweep, the penguins swept the finals as well :smallbiggrin:
Too bad there wasn't even a single sweep. One of the Mikes on Mike and Mike in the Morning picked Dallas to come back because a comeback from down 3-0 happens every 33 years in the NHL, he says. I wanna know why it's Dallas that will come back, and not Philly. Not that I want Philly to come back, but I think they've got a better chance than Dallas. Ugh.

You know, Im getting so sick of every time using that once every 33 years line. Aside from a bunch of teams this years, werent the Sabre using it too last year?

skywalker

2008-05-17, 12:45 PM

You know, Im getting so sick of every time using that once every 33 years line. Aside from a bunch of teams this years, werent the Sabre using it too last year?
I do believe they were. So I'm watching the Stars and Wings, and let me tell you, I don't think there's a more thrilling(in both being exciting and being scary) goalie in the NHL than Marty Turco. What a guy. I've never really liked him because the first time I saw him was in the two years of series' with Colorado(and my favorite goalie ever, Patrick Roy) but damn, I've probably never seen more of an athlete('cept for Hasek, maybe) and damn, he just started the play that led to that goal. Best passing goalie I've ever seen.

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-20, 07:50 AM

The Penguins are going to Hockey Town USA. I'm sure the NHL is quite happy with this development. It should be an exciting final.

Mordar

2008-05-20, 02:18 PM

The Penguins are going to Hockey Town USA. I'm sure the NHL is quite happy with this development. It should be an exciting final.

While I would vote against it being exciting (I'd like to see the lopsided, Detroit-dominated sort of series that I saw last time they played against a team from Pennsylvania, interesting only to those that like the Wings) I suspect we will see a lot of flow, a lot of great shots and a lot of good hockey.

I don't always feel that championships come down to defense in all sports (as so many writers say) but I think this one will...both teams have enormous firepower, so its about which team limits the other's chances and which backstop comes up the biggest.

Heart says Detroit in 5, head says Detroit in 6.

- Mordar

Thes Hunter

2008-05-20, 07:52 PM

Go Wings!

Thats all my sports dumb butt has to say on this.

skywalker

2008-05-21, 01:05 AM

While I would vote against it being exciting (I'd like to see the lopsided, Detroit-dominated sort of series that I saw last time they played against a team from Pennsylvania, interesting only to those that like the Wings) I suspect we will see a lot of flow, a lot of great shots and a lot of good hockey.

I don't always feel that championships come down to defense in all sports (as so many writers say) but I think this one will...both teams have enormous firepower, so its about which team limits the other's chances and which backstop comes up the biggest.
I respectfully(this time :smallbiggrin:) disagree. In reference to the last time Detroit won a cup, thank goodness they beat those no good Flyers. As for "defense wins championships," I feel that this game will come down to whose scorers can get loose more often. I don't think Detroit will be able to play their puck possession game as well against Pittsburgh, who have the most energetic team, top to bottom, in the NHL. I think a big part of Detroit's game hinges on the status of Franzen. If he can make it back, Detroit has a sizable advantage, I think. If he can't, I think momentum shifts to the Pens.

I'm going to say something completely random and say the key matchup is... Kris Draper vs. Pittsburgh's Centers. Draper is an absolute killer at the dot and the key to Detroit's game, because he wins possessions. But I think he's met his match in Jordan Staal, if they meet up enough. Also, there are some guys named Crosby and Malkin who aren't trash at the dot, either. Draper had some trouble with the linesmen about his face-off form during the later Dallas games, we'll see if that crops up again.

This may seem a little silly, but I'm watching for Holmstrom to shoot the Wings in the foot. There were times in the Stars series where he got carried away and while you can get away with that against Dallas, the Pittsburgh power play will make you pay. I really can't stand Holmstrom(for some reason, I much prefer Ryan Smyth, even tho they play virtually the same game). I think he's a lot dirtier than they let on and I didn't really mind the "reputation call" that was made against him. He also lays a beauty of a cross check, which is IMO the worst 2 minute minor in hockey.

In any case, I think if the Penguins' first two lines(1A and 1B, as some ESPN guy labeled them) can produce if they have been(most importantly, the Crosby line) then I think the Penguins win fairly easily. If Detroit can shut those guys down(or somehow continue to possess the puck) then I don't think Pittsburgh can be saved by the energy of lines 3 and 4(as they were sometimes earlier in these playoffs).

EDITed for narthon!

Narthon the Bold

2008-05-21, 10:22 AM

But I think he's met his match in Eric Staal, if they meet up enough.

Jordan Staal. I know, it can be confusing with all these Staals around.

It seems like a lot of Pittsburghers are going to make the drive to Detroit for the first two games. Any of you guys coming over to the Burg for 3 and 4?

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-24, 04:59 PM

My third round predictions:

Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia: Pittsburgh in 6.
Detroit vs Dallas: Dallas in 6.

Not much to say about these ... they just seem right to me.

Yet again I chose half of the teams correctly ... first round I chose 5 of 8 correctly, second round 2 of 4, and now 1 of 2. I guess I could do a lot worse. And hey, while I thought Pittsburgh would take one more game to beat Philly, I was correct in predicting the Detroit-Dallas series would take 6 games, even if I chose the wrong team.

And now, my final predictions of the playoffs: Pittsburgh in 6. And just to add another prediction, the Conn Smythe will go to: Sidney Crosby. I figure that if the Pens win the Cup, the league will continue their love-in with Crosby and award him the Smythe. This has a really good chance to be way off, since I can think of at least six players deserving of this trophy. It's really too hard to call until it's all said and done.

Mordar

2008-05-27, 01:24 PM

Hi all -

So as you might imagine (if you've followed this thread) I'm pretty happy with the outcomes Saturday and Monday evening. I was very surprised and disappointed, however, with the behavior of some of the Pens and, of all things, their coach during the second half of Monday's game.

Roberts, Orpik and Malone (or was Malkin in there somewhere?) all took cheap runs at players...punching Franzen in the face while skating by or "finishing" checks well after the whistle had blown. Their play was reminiscent of the thug from Youngblood (yes, I admit it, I saw that movie) and was hardly becoming of the team/franchise that's supposed to rescue hockey and make the NHL market boom.

Malone's hit on Osgood (and despite the best efforts of the announcers to couch it differently, there was no Red Wing there pushing him...in fact, he hit Crosby and a RW defenseman *prior* to hitting Osgood) wasn't particularly dirty or anything - it was just a penalty. The whining afterwards and the fact the broadcasters seemed to buy it flabbergasted me...unless they were talking about contact that took place above the circle, he acted alone in costing his team.

Sykora's penalty was legit as well...he wasn't trying to run Osgood or anything, just trying to chip him and slow him down a little bit. Problem was, Osgood was already right on top of the cage so he had no where to go...Sykora hit him, he fell. As one might expect when a goalie on the verge of another playoff shutout gets hit late, there was a confrontation. People kept it reasonably clean, but there it was nonetheless.

So, the two interference calls were legit and neither was intent to harm - one was bad judgement, the other was exacerbated by the goalie not having room to move or catch his balance. What was bad were the runs at Franzen, the very late "finish" on Zetterberg. What was much worse was the Pens coach Therrien and, if reports are correct, The Kid, whining about Detroit getting away with penalties, diving and playing the refs.

It's classless enough to send your hitters out with extra-cirrcular missions (really, three different people hitting Franzen in the head away from the play, late or on skate-bys isn't an accident - its indicative of a coach-mandated agenda) but to compound your team's uninspired play and low-level thuggery by crying about the officiating after the fact is pretty bush-league. The only potential redeeming grace here is that Therrien *might* be trying to get in the refs head and try to gain an advantage later in the series...its worked before and has cost the Wings 2 goals on phantom calls against Homstrom (as opposed to the times when he actually does make contact). If he actually believes what he's saying, though...ugh.

It's clear Therrien is "old-school" (you know, the school that says "If you've been outplayed, outcoached, outscored and are simply outclassed by your opponent, try to rough them up"), but these Wings are not shrinking violets. Datsyuk is a hit leader...all the forwards can stand up, and let's face it, they've all been run at by bigger and stronger hitters than the Pens.

Now, if only Don Cherry would actually pay attention to the games instead of his ridiculous suits, he would have noticed that Pavel wasn't having a slap-fight with Roberts (42, playing like he's in the same stlye of games that he played when he was 22...badly) and that he will show "grit" and "toughness" when his linemates are run late or his goalie is hit. Perhaps the only thing worse for the game than the Pens relative melt-down is this guy trying to relive his vision of hockey glory. Melrose even repeatedly lobbed "Don't you have to give Detroit at least a little credit" questions...and Cherry (while admitting he picked Detroit to win pre-playoffs) couldn't bring himself to talk about anything but the Pens.

Okay, all of that being said, I stick by my original combo-prediction - Wings in 5 (Heart), but probably 6 (Head). I add to this that I predict Therrien won't long be behind the bench in Pittsburgh unless he cleans things up to provide the rest of the polish the Pens need in order to "save" hockey.

- Mordar

skywalker

2008-05-27, 02:45 PM

Malone's hit on Osgood (and despite the best efforts of the announcers to couch it differently, there was no Red Wing there pushing him...in fact, he hit Crosby and a RW defenseman *prior* to hitting Osgood) wasn't particularly dirty or anything - it was just a penalty. The whining afterwards and the fact the broadcasters seemed to buy it flabbergasted me...unless they were talking about contact that took place above the circle, he acted alone in costing his team.

Sykora's penalty was legit as well...he wasn't trying to run Osgood or anything, just trying to chip him and slow him down a little bit. Problem was, Osgood was already right on top of the cage so he had no where to go...Sykora hit him, he fell. As one might expect when a goalie on the verge of another playoff shutout gets hit late, there was a confrontation. People kept it reasonably clean, but there it was nonetheless. Chris Osgood is, as far as I'm concerned, the dirtiest goalie in these playoffs. I have never seen him act this way before, and I have no idea why he is doing it now. If you want to talk busch-league, then talk about all the little cheap-shots "Ozzie" has gotten away with because he's a goalie. I can't believe he wasn't suspended for what he did to Brendan Morrow in the Stars series. That seems to be Osgood's game now, little cheap shots here and there that the refs give the benefit of the doubt cuz he's a goalie. The Wings are being just as crappy to Fleury, IMO.
It's not as if Sykora destroyed Osgood. He could've done a little more to avoid it, Osgood could've done a little more to avoid it. Shoulda been a no-call, IMO. But he fell down(maybe because he's a bad skater, maybe because he's the flop-master, I'm not sure which) and when a goalie falls down in his home arena, you've got to call a penalty. Nobody called a penalty when Fleury got his mask pulled off at the beginning of game one, now did they?

In my opinion, Holmstrom goes too far with what he does in the slot, and(as I said above) I have seen him lay some nasty crosschecks to the backs of heads. Those are the kinda things that hurt people. He also finishes with his hands which brings the stick up a lot, leading to sticks in the face.

I think you might be a little bit sensitive because Franzen is just back from "concussion like symptoms" and he was a big scorer. But Franzen is the biggest guy on their team. He should expect the big hits, 1)because the alternative is one of his smaller team-mates getting trashed, and 2)because he's been scoring a lot lately. And if these "concussion like symptoms" are the start of a trend, he won't be long for the NHL. A forward his size who can't take hits isn't going to get much love. I notice you've completely forgotten to mention the headhunting Niky Kronwall's been doing, and he doesn't limit himself to the big guys, either.

The Wings are a lot dirtier than you give them credit for. Just because they don't dress an enforcer doesn't mean they're a "clean" or "skill" hockey team. It might just mean they're all to afraid to answer to Georges Laraque for the way they play. I know I would be.

Go Penguins.

Mordar

2008-05-27, 04:32 PM

Chris Osgood is, as far as I'm concerned, the dirtiest goalie in these playoffs. I have never seen him act this way before, and I have no idea why he is doing it now. If you want to talk busch-league, then talk about all the little cheap-shots "Ozzie" has gotten away with because he's a goalie. I can't believe he wasn't suspended for what he did to Brendan Morrow in the Stars series.

I think you mean to Ribero (spelling?) - I've missed a couple of the games, and that was one of them, so I can't comment in good faith. Based on what I've read, though, it certainly seems Osgood did something he shouldn't have and deserved the whack in the chest. That has nothing to do with the interference calls, but I get your point.

It's something I always hated most about Roy and to a much lesser degree Broudour - they chop/chopped the heck out of people and rarely get whistled.

That seems to be Osgood's game now, little cheap shots here and there that the refs give the benefit of the doubt cuz he's a goalie. The Wings are being just as crappy to Fleury, IMO.
It's not as if Sykora destroyed Osgood. He could've done a little more to avoid it, Osgood could've done a little more to avoid it. Shoulda been a no-call, IMO. But he fell down(maybe because he's a bad skater, maybe because he's the flop-master, I'm not sure which) and when a goalie falls down in his home arena, you've got to call a penalty. Nobody called a penalty when Fleury got his mask pulled off at the beginning of game one, now did they?

Like I mentioned, Osgood was up against the cage when Sykora clipped him (notice I didn't say "hit" him) - there wasn't anywhere else for him to go. Was it embellished? Quite possibly, but Sykora per rules must not impede his return to the front of the net by contact.

As far as Fleury losing his mask...if you can find the clip online you'll see that the RW had a Penguin on top of him bulling him into the crease and Fleury...there wasn't any complaint from the Pens at the time because of exactly that.

In my opinion, Holmstrom goes too far with what he does in the slot, and(as I said above) I have seen him lay some nasty crosschecks to the backs of heads. Those are the kinda things that hurt people. He also finishes with his hands which brings the stick up a lot, leading to sticks in the face.

I've seen him take far far more than he ever gives out in that regard. See, for example, Orpik, Morrow and virtually every defenseman from the Stars for references. Did see Drake and...um...can't remember who it was...from the Wings checking with their hands up, and it's generated at least one slashing minor...they really need to not do stupid things like that.

I think you might be a little bit sensitive because Franzen is just back from "concussion like symptoms" and he was a big scorer. But Franzen is the biggest guy on their team. He should expect the big hits, 1)because the alternative is one of his smaller team-mates getting trashed, and 2)because he's been scoring a lot lately. And if these "concussion like symptoms" are the start of a trend, he won't be long for the NHL. A forward his size who can't take hits isn't going to get much love. I notice you've completely forgotten to mention the headhunting Niky Kronwall's been doing, and he doesn't limit himself to the big guys, either.

I think the reason he's taking the hits is because of the "CLS" - and a perfect example of why teams rarely announce player's "real" injuries. Zetterberg isn't getting smacked in the head away from the play or in skate-bys and he's got as many goals and more points. The three instances to which I referred weren't checks or big hits...they were punches to the head. No doubt the Lindros effect can be troublesome (frequent concussions) for him.

As for Kronwall, I saw his uncalled charge (why, oh why, do hitters insist on leaving their feet against unprotected skaters? Stay low and level them...) but again, the guy had the puck...if he hits Crosby three passes late, then I'm with you. There are good plays, plays that are penalties and plays that are dirty.

The Wings are a lot dirtier than you give them credit for. Just because they don't dress an enforcer doesn't mean they're a "clean" or "skill" hockey team. It might just mean they're all to afraid to answer to Georges Laraque for the way they play. I know I would be.

Go Penguins.

When I see Wings players taking Crosby into the boards several seconds after the whistle's been blown or someone repeatedly cross-checking Malkin when he's on the ice to keep him down (okay, that's from the Stars series, but still) then I might buy a degree of dirty. They don't take too many retalitory penalties, they seldom take frustration penalties and with the possible exception of Osgood's butt-ending, don't seem to have a lot of "intent to injure". That wasn't the case with the Pens in Game 2 - at least Malone, Roberts and Orpik.

As for being afriad of GL...well, 6'3" and 243# is pretty darn big (so again I'm with you in being personally worried about my health should I cross him)...but I don't think for a second the Wings have altered their play because of him. After all, more than once we've seen smaller guys standing up for their linemates, and Roberts isn't exactly tiny. Besides...if they're so dirty, why haven't there been more Wings taking "beatings" or at least more fighting majors whistled on them through the course of the season?

- Mordar

skywalker

2008-05-28, 04:03 PM

I was in the middle of a long, well thought out post when my browser crashed. This made me sad. So sad that I am unable to reconstruct the post.

Here's the distillation:
Osgood could've taken that guy's eye out, easy. I've also seen him fall down when barely touched. Say what you will about Roy and Broduer, I've never seen one take a dive.

Holmstrom's crosschecks are different, somehow. To me, they scream "intent to injure!"

The only way you take fighting majors is by dropping the gloves and fighting. Just because they don't drop the gloves doesn't mean they're not dirty. I reiterate, a team that does drop the gloves can sometimes be cleaner than one that doesn't.

Franzen asked for it from Malkin when he skated into that fray after the Sykora nonsense. Which reminds me, the reason Don Cherry is so enamored of the Pens is because they're very old school(IE Gordie Howe). Very flashy scorers who aren't afraid to get hit and hit back. As opposed to the Gretzky Oilers, who, with the exception of Messier, needed enforcers to keep them alive.

I agree with you about everything else, I just didn't really like the way you said it :smalltongue:

Mordar

2008-05-29, 01:14 PM

I was in the middle of a long, well thought out post when my browser crashed. This made me sad. So sad that I am unable to reconstruct the post.

Nothing makes me more computer-sad than that...it's gotten to the point where I Ctrl-C my text from word processors (especially with OotS...it seems to time out a lot for me :smallfrown: )

The only way you take fighting majors is by dropping the gloves and fighting. Just because they don't drop the gloves doesn't mean they're not dirty. I reiterate, a team that does drop the gloves can sometimes be cleaner than one that doesn't.

Perhaps, but it's one of the few objective measures available - either they are clean(er than most) or they are the most adroit at hiding their dirtiness from both the refs and other players, given the league low in both penalty minutes and majors.

Franzen asked for it from Malkin when he skated into that fray after the Sykora nonsense. Which reminds me, the reason Don Cherry is so enamored of the Pens is because they're very old school(IE Gordie Howe). Very flashy scorers who aren't afraid to get hit and hit back. As opposed to the Gretzky Oilers, who, with the exception of Messier, needed enforcers to keep them alive.

Much less vehement complaints from me about smacks in scrums...it's the shots he took at the Pen's blue line that are far less savory. You know, Pavel leads the team in hits...did you see him wipe Roberts (?) out last night? Skates on the ice, elbows in and hands down, just blasted him. A perfect, legal, devastating hit.

I agree with you about everything else, I just didn't really like the way you said it :smalltongue:

But...you're not supposed to like it! You're an Avalanche fan! :smallbiggrin:

- Mordar

Rare Pink Leech

2008-05-29, 09:24 PM

Well, on a decidedly more sombre note that is nonetheless NHL-related, Luc Bourdon, a promising young defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks, died in a motorcycle accident today. He was 21. In his short career he won two gold medals at the World Junior Hockey Championships and a Memorial Cup. It's easy to think about what he could have done in his career for both the Canucks and Team Canada, but it's more important to realize that a young man died way before his time. My condolences to his family.

Narthon the Bold

2008-06-01, 05:02 PM

Very sad. Motorcycles seem to be amazingly dangerous.

As for the current Hockey, unfortunately, it seems the Penguins were just not ready to meet the very top level of play. The Redwings are simply outplaying them, and experience is crushing youth. Hopefully Penguins management will be able to hold together some semblance of a team for next year, but I'm pretty worried what with everyone being a free agent.

Mordar

2008-06-01, 05:31 PM

As for the current Hockey, unfortunately, it seems the Penguins were just not ready to meet the very top level of play. The Redwings are simply outplaying them, and experience is crushing youth. Hopefully Penguins management will be able to hold together some semblance of a team for next year, but I'm pretty worried what with everyone being a free agent.

Now, I've not followed much of the Pens this year (saw the outdoor game, of course, and highlights) so I'm not sure if he's been this bad all year, but it seems to me that Pens Coach Therrien is really doing a disservice to the team, it's "brightest young star" and the league. Now he's got Crosby whining about calls and dismissing his opponents (Zetterberg in this case) with quotes like: “I don’t think he did anything out of the ordinary that any guy wouldn’t do on a 5-on-3,” said Crosby.

Everyone commenting on the game, everyone in the postgame I saw and every wrap that I read was glowing about Z's defensive effort and the crushing importance of that extended 5-on-3. Now, I grant there was a missed pass that woulda been a slam-dunk for Crosby, but still...for a guy that's supposed to be an offensive player, Z sure pulled out some excellent PK defense.

I really worry that Therrien has led Crosby to become the whining, "yapping" and dismissive public persona we've seen in the Finals. Maybe its just the pressure (which must be immense) and the frustration of being down 1-3...but if it's not, that coach has to go if Crosby is going to be the NHL Golden Boy.

- Mordar

Narthon the Bold

2008-06-01, 09:29 PM

I don't feel Crosby has handled himself poorly in the media. It is an embarrassment not to score on 1.5 minutes on 5 on 3 and he knows it.

Therrien was never meant to be a long term successful coach for this team. They put him in there to beat the poison from 2003-2005 out of the team. Some of the older guys then made it a terrible locker room and taught the young guys a horrible work ethic. I think management fully intended to replace Therrien after this season, but that is hard to do when they got this far into the playoffs.

Sleet

2008-06-02, 01:12 PM

Friggin' Wings. How do you expect my beloved Pens to win, what with you being the better team? I mean, come on.

Friggin' Wings.

:smallwink:

(Let's Go Pens! But I'll tip my hat to the superior team here.)

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom

2008-06-02, 11:35 PM

I called this series in 5 going to Detroit, favoring experience over youth. Well it appears I was wrong, and this may yet be an interesting series.

Cynan Machae

2008-06-02, 11:37 PM

And there we go!

Still some meager chance fo Pit.

skywalker

2008-06-03, 12:31 AM

Ho. Ly. Crap.

I didn't see this game(I had to see about a girl, thank you Good Will Hunting) and I feel like this is that kinda game.

Anyway, saw the highlights, Malkin finally got a point at the most important time. As for Crosby in the media, I haven't heard anybody else saying "Wow, Crosby's been a jacka** in the media," so I'm not so sure about that.

Mordar, I think everyone also knows that Zetterberg is an excellent defensive player. Otherwise, why would he be on the kill in the first place. All the talk I've ever heard is that Zetterberg is an excellent two way player. Crosby could've been sarcastic, he could've mis-spoken, could've been trying to say that Zetterberg's that type of player, that plays like that are the norm for him. Or, it could be exactly as you say. Like I said earlier, the reason Cherry has a soft spot for these kids is because they're tough enough not to take any crap. Is Crosby supposed to praise his opponents after a loss? No, not the way old-school hockey works. You go to war until the series is over. Then you line up and shake hands. Crosby is the most "old-school" young player I've seen in a while. I see him having trash talk matches with players 20 years his senior, it's great. He's not going to be the golden boy, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be the face of the NHL. I don't think we need a squeaky-clean face anyway. We've already had a Gretzky. Crosby's not gonna be Gretzky. But he will be Crosby. He's already in a different situation, being captain at 20. That's another thing to consider, as the captain, how does it affect the rest of his team for him to praise Zetterberg? After the series, fine. But during the series, no. Better to say "One of our guys could've done better."

Narthon, are you saying there's been a terrible work ethic this year? If so, from whom?

Narthon the Bold

2008-06-03, 07:29 AM

Ho. Ly. Crap.

Narthon, are you saying there's been a terrible work ethic this year? If so, from whom?

I just woke up, called in sick for the morning...

No, there certainly hasn't been a bad work ethic this year. There was a bad work ethic about three years ago, what with the owner being in the locker room and everyone ignoring the coach. Therrien's job was to get rid of that, which is done now. Time for a new coach.

North

2008-06-04, 09:29 PM

WINGS WIN!

Pens almost caught up there but not quite.

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom

2008-06-04, 09:35 PM

And with that, the Red Wings have won their 11th Stanley Cup. In the end, I think the series did live up to the hype, and was a thoroughly exciting series, which you weren't really sure it would be after the first couple games. For the most part, Detroit just dominated the series, were the more experienced team, and showed it. Their neutral zone trap was phenomenal tonight, and probably the best part of their game,as Osgood proved he's the best goalie in the game. They played a very good defensive game, and out-hustled the Pens tonight, especially in the 3rd period. While you do have to give credit to Pittsburgh, they were vastly over matched talent wise in this series. The Pens have been compared to the Oilers' teams of the 80's so good things are coming to Pittsburgh in the near future. But, tonight goes to Detroit, and definitely should have. I have to say, this was a great end to the playoffs this year.

Cynan Machae

2008-06-05, 12:24 AM

It was a good series. I had hope for a Game 7, but still. I knew from the begining Pens didnt have a chance :smallfrown:
About time for the Wings, tho.

Don Julio Anejo

2008-06-05, 01:07 AM

Well, all I have to say is... GREAT SAVE OSGOOD with a second left to go.

Red Wings, congratulations!

Crosby = ha-ha sucker.

Narthon the Bold

2008-06-05, 10:16 AM

Crosby = ha-ha sucker.

Yes, his 87 million dollars are small consolation for leading the NHL in playoff points and overall being awesome in the playoffs at the age of 20. You showed him.

Going in to this, I had no idea how good the Redwings were. I'm glad that the Penguins didn't completely embarrass themselves, like I thought they were going to after the first two games. Lets hope they can keep a good team together for next year.

Mordar

2008-06-05, 10:23 AM

Hi all -

Well, they certainly tried to make it close down the stretch...but the Wings won out. My original prediction held in that they broke my heart (not winning in 5) but kept thier heads (and won in 6). Zetterberg was the obvious choice for Conn Smythe...but it was very much a team effort, particularly on defense.

Fleury was the obvious choice for best player on the Pens...without his excellent play the results would have been even more lopsided. It remains to be seen if he's another JS Giguire (spelling?) or if he's going to be a legitimate big-time career goalie.

I still don't think much of the Pens coach...but maybe the lesson Babcock gave will sink in and help Therrien. [ASIDE: Love how the headlines following Game 5 said "Babcock blasts officials"...while the story indicates nothing of the sort, in fact going so far as to say that he had to be pressed by reporters to comment at all]

All in all, a nice series for the Wings, a few excellent games by the Pens, several star performances by Fleury and another Cup skated on the road (and that's the only disappointment - that they didn't get to skate it in front of the home crowd).

Anyone notice the booing Bettman got as he came on the ice? Glad it was mostly reserved for him and not for Z or the other Wings.

- Mordar

skywalker

2008-06-05, 11:45 AM

Fleury was the obvious choice for best player on the Pens...without his excellent play the results would have been even more lopsided. It remains to be seen if he's another JS Giguire (spelling?) or if he's going to be a legitimate big-time career goalie. He SAT on the puck and pushed it into the net! Big-time career goalies do not sit on the puck at home in a game where a one goal lead can kill you. I love Fleury and I think he has been spectacular but really?! Patrick Roy never did that. Martin Broduer never did that. Grant Fuhr never did that. Most big time playoff goalies do not make mistakes like that in these types of games. I will give Fleury a free pass this time because he's young. But he's already been ousted from being the leader of the next goaltending generation. That's Carey Price, IMO.

I still don't think much of the Pens coach...but maybe the lesson Babcock gave will sink in and help Therrien. [ASIDE: Love how the headlines following Game 5 said "Babcock blasts officials"...while the story indicates nothing of the sort, in fact going so far as to say that he had to be pressed by reporters to comment at all]Son, you got some kinda crusade against the North American sports press?

Anyone notice the booing Bettman got as he came on the ice? Glad it was mostly reserved for him and not for Z or the other Wings. (Shocker) I agree with you here. I thought it was low class for the Penguins fans to boo at all after the game. I know they just lost a heartbreaker and nobody likes Bettman, but really, a cup awarding ceremony is no place for boos of any sort, no matter if they're directed at the commish or at the visiting team. I still heard some boos during the Wings skating, and some sort of chant I couldn't make out. Alas. I did not like that at all. Once the series is over, you shake the other guy's hand and give him all the credit in the world, win or lose. Unless you're Claude Lemiux. Because Claude plays with... uh... passion! Yeah, passion, Claude's too passionate to get over it. Which you gotta respect, I mean, those French Canadians...[/sarcasm]