NHL Playoffs are here

[Arlos]

Well, I only went 4-4 on 1st round predictions. Not so good.

Still, once more into the breach:

2nd Round Predictions:
EAST:

Montreal over Philly in 6

Pittsburgh over NY in 7

WEST:

Detroit over Denver in 7

San Jose over Dallas in 6


Anyone else?

-Arlos

(PS. I think a Montreal - Pittsburgh eastern final would be truly awesome)

[Tuggan]

Montreal in 5

Rangers in 6



Detroit in 6

SJ in 7


detroit swept the series with the avalanche in the regular season... but forsberg will make a difference. i predict 6 games, w/o much of the old rivalry flaring up. lemiux is gone, foote isnt as passionate as he was.

i dont think the penguins will get by the veterans lined up on the rangers, and avery will get under the skin of the kids in time.

philly sucks.

turco is a flop.

[Sithos]

East:

Montreal vs Philadelphia (Montreal in 6)

Pittsburgh vs New York Rangers (Pittsburgh in 6)


West:

Detroit vs Colorado (Detroit in 5)

San Jose vs Dallas (San Jose in 6)

I agree with Arlos, a Montreal vs Pittsburgh East Final would be something to behold. Both are fast,both have good scoring potential. It'll be end to end non stop action.

[Tikker]

montreal in 6

NYR in 6

colorado in7

dallas in 6

[Eziekial]

Montreal in 7
Penguins in 6
Detriot in 6
San Jose in 7

[ClakarEQ]

The wings and avas are on tonight, I hope this is going to be a really good series!!

[Tuggan]

i think i have underestimated the penguins.

[Tikker]

Sharks still need a real goalie

[Eziekial]

[quote="Tuggan"]i think i have underestimated the penguins.[/quote]

I almost turned off the TV when the Rangers went up 3-0 in the second period of the first game in like 2 minutes time and thought WTF happened to the penguins? LOL.

[Tikker]

odd 2nd round

I didn't expect the penguins to own the rangers like this

I thought philly would play montreal tough, but carey price is starting to look like a rookie

I thought Dallas would beat SJ, but I didn't expect the ownage

I also thought detroit/colorado was going to be closer, but avs are pretty dinged up now

[Arlos]

I dunno WTF is up with the Sharks, honestly. I expect some sizeable changes this off-season. Clearly we're missing SOMETHING. Maybe we need our own version of Iginla, someone who will put the team on his back and carry them.

Oh well, I really thought this was their year.

-Arlos

[ClakarEQ]

The aves are getting owned, injuries or not, too bad for them, the wings were in that shape last year. Not saying it is all the goalie but theodore or whatever isn't playing all that good and that is a big part of it.

Some of the calls in the game last night, on both sides, were completely asstastic.

[Tikker]

I dunno WTF is up with the Sharks, honestly.

I think you're half right

they don't really have a big emotional go to guy

Thornton is good, but he's not the kind of guy that people would just follow blindly, like Iginla, Messier, Brind'amour, etc

Nabokov will never win a cup as a starter
I just don't think he inspires that confidence in the team that he can steal a game when the rest are off

[Arlos]

I dunno, Nabby stole a bunch of games in the regular season, and really was pretty dominant all year long. I mean, he didn't get that Vezina nomination in a box of cracker jacks or something.

As for Thornton, its hard to say he had a bad series against Calgary, I mean, a statline of 7 points in 7 games in 1 playoff series is nothing to be depressed about, methinks. But with 1 or 2 exceptions, they were very quiet points. He never really gave off that "Fuck them, I am not going to LET us lose this game" vibe. Marleau did in various spots, he really turned this year around from last year, but he didn't turn that into scoring like Iginla did.

Honestly, I don't know who the sharks could go out and get this off-season to turn things around. I think trading Thornton would be a mistake, because even if he isn't the big-time leader type we need, he still is an offensive force, and those're always needed. I CAN see us trading Marleau, Michalek or Cheechoo, though. I just have no idea who FOR....

-Arlos

[Tikker]

you don't trade your captain.

that very rarely works

[Tuggan]

my predictions have been shit thus far, but i can't say im all that upset about any of the series. i would have liked to see washington go further, just because the way ovechkin was killing himself every game up to the playoffs. i felt he deserved more out of the playoffs.

the most shocking one to me is the pittsburgh/rangers series, i really expected more from the rangers.

it annoys the piss out of me to hear colorado and the excuses, at this level of sports and this late in the season you can't make excuses for not playing with everything you got. mcleod cursed his team when he taunted the wings bench and threw the octopus back into the stands

[ClakarEQ]

The aves got OWNED last night. It would have been 8 - 1 but the refs called some BS tripping call and the aves ended up scoring on a 5 on 3 after 90 secs.

I guess the Wings were expect to win but 8 - 2, that is down right embarrassing.

I bet that as long as the Wings can stay healthy, they will have a very good shot going the distance. Hopefully the break they are about to take won't take them off their game, I've seen that before when a team wins a series quickly and the others teams go to 7 games, that the time off has a determental effect when you would expect it to be a positive effect.

[Sithos]

2 days max 3 is best time to have off between series. Any longer is a risk IMO. 2 days gives time to recuperate,rest the aches etc.

I really expected Montreal to do much better. They are fighting for their playoff lives when I and most others thought they would win their series. Their Power Play has gone to hell and they have decided to hit posts or crossbars rather than score goals. They are averaging a bit over 2 posts per game. They have outshot and outchanced Philly every single game so far, the difference has been that Biron is standing on his head. I think Montreal will win tonight but I think now that Philly will take the series.

[kiral]

Mah montreals are getting pwned

[kiral]

well no big surprise, they were eliminated last night

[Arlos]

Wow, what an OT so far here in game 6. Much as I want the sharks to win, either team could have had it to this point. That glove save by Nabokov was one for the ages, and Turco has had a couple amazing saves as well. If the Sharks can pull this one out, I like their chances in a Game 7, but this is a nail-biter of nail-biters, I swear.

Edit: Wow, we're into the 3rd OT now. Sharks definitely carried the 2nd OT, 11 shots to 2, but it was closer than that sounds, nevertheless. So much tension watching this game, since it's so do-or-die for the Sharks, it's hard to watch.

Edit 2: Holy crap, 4th OT. Sharks had a goal disallowed. Those guys have to be running on fumes.

Edit 3: Shit, Stars just scored on a bogus power play. With all the crap the refs let go, to call THAT a penalty? BS. Oh well, hope the stars get swept by Detroit.

-Arlos

[Tuggan]

I love those games when it's not my team playing, im pissed I got stuck at work all night and missed this one.

[Tikker]

Edit 2: Holy crap, 4th OT. Sharks had a goal disallowed. T

disallowed?

the puck never went into the net


that was a great game. I don't particularly give 2 shits about either team, but I'm really starting to become a Brenden Morrow fan. Joe Thornton again disappears in a big game

Nabokov with save of the playoffs

[ClakarEQ]

Anyone know what happened with that Stars player that got creamed into the boards after 3rd period? I ended up falling asleep before the OT started so I didn't know how bad the guys was, he was laying on the ice for 5+ mintues before he got up, then it all went black for me LOL.

I think it will be a good series re: stars and wings

[Tikker]

that was a sharks player, mikhalek and I think he got his bell rung + a seperated shoulder

he had his arm in a sling (could have been collar bone too I guess)