Can't wait! IMO, there's nothing like playoff hockey. It is intense.
My Wings won't be the favorites this year. However, they have been playing as well as anybody heading into the playoffs. Jimmy Howard has been money down the stretch. I don't THINK they'll win it all, but you never know...
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
1. Sharks: the Sharks have been playoff chokers, but they're too good for Colorado.
2. Hawks: This is my pick for the Stanley Cup final. They made a run last year and got valuable playoff experience, which is huge in any sport but especially hockey.
3. Canucks: The Kings are young and talented but their inexperience will likely cost them. If Luongo isn't good then all bets are off.
4. Red Wings: Looking dangerous right now. Yeah lebron, no teams wants a piece of Detroit in the 1st round.
Chicago or Detroit out of the west....depending on which goalie will lay an egg. Howard has been phenomenal in games lately, but he can still give up 4 goals.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
i can't even make a good prediction in this years' playoffs.
would love to see the hawks, as they are the team i follow most, but i worry about a goalie experiencing his first taste of playoff hockey on a team with that big of expectations.
no doubt that otherwise they have the talent and depth to get there. and a bunch of young guys who got valuable experience last year.
that's what is great about the nhl, you just don't know. i think it was downright amazing that you got a rematch of the finals. because it is so hard to get back after you have been there, and those teams both did it.
i think that is the one thing working against detroit. they're a veteran team that has a lot of miles the last 2 years. 2 cup runs. that is a ton of hockey.
i can't wait for these games to start. no playoff in any other sport is as exciting as the nhl.
and i think it takes more heart than any other sport too. those guys are out there killing themselves to win that cup.
Eastern Conference: 1. Washington vs. Montreal: Caps in five, I don't think Montreal can handle them.
2. Flyers/Devils: I think the Devils are the favorite in this one, but there could be an upset here. I say Flyers.
3. Pens/Sens: I'll go with the Stanley Cup champions until someone takes them down. Ottawa looked good before the Olympics, but right now they're playing like garbage.
4. Buffalo/Boston: Buffalo will win IMO because they have better goaltending.
3. Pens/Sens: I'll go with the Stanley Cup champions until someone takes them down. Ottawa looked good before the Olympics, but right now they're playing like garbage.
and if there's proof that mike brown is doing the right thing with sitting his starters over the last week, just look at the ottawa senators and what happened with kovalev...
The Wings ought to just phone in the next game. Howard looks like crap, he even gave up 4 goals in their lone win. I think playing so long into the post season the last few years is taking a toll and they're not going anywhere even if they make it out of this series. Hang it up now, rest up in the off season, get a real goalie and come back fresh next year.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Quote: The Wings ought to just phone in the next game. Howard looks like crap, he even gave up 4 goals in their lone win. I think playing so long into the post season the last few years is taking a toll and they're not going anywhere even if they make it out of this series. Hang it up now, rest up in the off season, get a real goalie and come back fresh next year.
that, and phoenix has a really good team that nobody is giving them credit for.
Howard has to play better, no doubt. However, I don't think he's the main issue. The Wings are turning the puck over WAY too much right now. They are a puck-posession team and they just aren't playing Red Wings hockey right now. I don't know if it is fatigue, old age or what... Disappointing.
That said, the Coyotes just look like the better team right now. I think LBJ is exactly right. Nobody is giving AZ the credit they deserve. They didn't just "fall" into the 4th seed. They earned it and they are showing everybody why they belong there. Good for them (even if it is at the expense of my Wings).
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
They're turning it over, but they're also outshooting the coyotes. Howard can't be giving up 4 goals a game. The Wings need a proven playoff goalie and they have the collateral to make a trade.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
I know Howard's called a rookie, but he's been playing in NHL games for 3 years. The Wings had two other prospects that I think were better....Joey McDonald who was traded and Stephan Liv who went back to Europe. I'm not Ken Holland, but I'm not sure Howard was the right choice of the three. He has runs of big goal games and that will get you out of the playoffs in a hurry. That said, I hope I'm wrong and you're right.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Chicago just hasn't shown the heart and intensity that you need to come with during the NHL playoffs. The team that's surprised me has been the Flyers. They've looked really good.
I don't really see anyone in the West that looks like cup contenders... thought maybe Detroit was putting it together. But they've looked old and worn down this series. I'd never count them out though.. as they've got boat loads of talent. I like Pittsburgh's chances again... but they've got a pretty tough road and Fluery hasn't looked like he did last year in the playoffs. If Varlimov plays like he did the other night.. I'm thinking it's the Caps year. It's the NHL playoffs though and anything can happen. It's been great watching it so far...
"I'm a mog. Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend."
Quote: Chicago just hasn't shown the heart and intensity that you need to come with during the NHL playoffs.
i think there is a sense of entitlement with them. they're the big bad blackhawks playing the lowly nashville preds.
truth be told the preds may lack the talent that the hawks have, but barry trotz is an excellent coach and is getting the most out of his guys. and pekka rinne is keeping them in it.
the blackhawks will probably get out of this round, but it really seems like they aren't ready for big time.
and it looks more and more like pittsburgh and washington are on a collision course. it is going to be great for the league to get them together again.
it is the absolute equivalent of the colts/patriots of the last 10 years. they don't like each other, they always play these great games. and they have unquestionably the 2 biggest stars in the league.
for anyone who is just getting into hockey or looking to get into it, that is a series that you just can't miss out on.
Quote: and it looks more and more like pittsburgh and washington are on a collision course. it is going to be great for the league to get them together again.
it is the absolute equivalent of the colts/patriots of the last 10 years. they don't like each other, they always play these great games. and they have unquestionably the 2 biggest stars in the league.
for anyone who is just getting into hockey or looking to get into it, that is a series that you just can't miss out on.
+1
Didn't Sid and Alex have hat tricks in the same playoff game last year?
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
great series until it got to 7 and washington crapped themselves in front of everyone.
my only problem with the caps is their goaltending, it's shaky. it's like joe borowski all over again.
marc andre fleury has struggled but he's been there and done that and i have more faith that he can get his team through it than i can with washington.
Quote: i think there is a sense of entitlement with them. they're the big bad blackhawks playing the lowly nashville preds.
It happens all the time in the NHL: a young and very good team forgets how hard work got them to a certain level and they think it'll be a cakewalk.... they think they can win on talent alone in the playoffs and that just ain't the case.
It happened to the Islanders before their dynasty started, & the early-80s Oilers. . I read in a Wayne Gretzky biography that after they lost to the Isles in the 1983 Cup final, he and Messier (IIRC it was him) stopped over to the Isles' dressing room to congratulate them and were amazed at how beat up the Islanders were... while the Oilers weren't nearly so. That taught them how big of a price you have to pay if you want your name on the greatest trophy in sports. They won five Stanley Cups in the next seven years.
I'm still rooting for the Hawks though. If they get through this series, the adversity they fought through will pay dividends. If not it is a lesson learned.
what shocks me is that outside of game 1, niemi has not been the problem. and that is definitely one postive to take out of all this.
i'm still disappointed though, the hawks, with all the talent and depth they have should be foaming at the mouth as the rest of the big dogs in the west are struggling.
they should get campbell back soon, maybe that will give them a bit of a boost.
my hat is off to barry trotz and his guys, they are undermanned and are working their tails off.
Great game in Boston tonight. The penalty in the second OT kinda ruined it, but it was an obvious one and the linesman really had no choice but to call it. Great effort by both teams. Both goaltenders were terrific.
Extremely fun game to watch.
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
i don't know why hossa was not given the rest of the game off after that call. i don't agree with the call just like i didn't when ovechkin got cambell. but i thought the 5 minute major now meant you have to give them the misconduct?
if nashville had any fans, they'd be sick. guy shoulda been tossed and then as soon as he gets out of the box he scores an OT winner. unreal.
I'm yelling ya right now it'll be Chicago in the Stanley Cup final. Tonight has Detroit and Phoenix, winner go home. I hope Phoenix wins, mostly because of Taylor Pyatt (if you know his story you know what I mean, he lost his long-time fiance to a car crash a year ago when he played with Vancouver. There was a piece on him the other day on TV and it was really heart-wrenching. They were supposed to be married last summer and he's not even close to being over her).
If Montreal beats Washington tomorrow in Game 7, it's wide open in the East.
halak was on another planet last night, 50+ saves against the caps offense.
i think phoenix pulls it out tonight, gut feeling. i think bryzgalov is ready to win, where i don't think howard is quite ready. we'll see. winning a game on the road against a veteran detroit team when your season was on the line was huge for them.
i'm not sure about the hawks in the finals. i think vancouver can win this series as much as chicago. it is going to be a great series though, they don't like each other very much, and there is good skill, good young talent...
they took last year's 2nd round loss to the hawks to heart, so i think they are gonna have that added incentive.
I'm not feeling it for my Wings tonight. It goes alot deeper than Howard too. Despite the talent level, the Wings are just starting to look their age. When you see a stalwart defenseman like Lidstrom getting beat as many times as he has this series, you have to wonder how much this team has left in the tank.
Anything can happen, but I think Phoenix takes this one.
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
Are you watching the same game I am? The Wings look phenomenal....and fast. It looks like the key for the wings is for them not to let Howard see too much rubber.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Quote: yeah, complete letdown. wings look great. and san jose has to be crapping themselves.
can we just call it now, wings to the conference finals?
I'm a Red Wings fan, but honestly, we have no consistant goal tending, ya Consistent enough to barley get this far, but we dont have what's needed to take it to the next Level, In a 7 game series a team can cover up alot of weakness, but more so is exposed and the farther the wings go into the playoffs, the harder it will be to cover up our lack of goaltending.
i'm hopeing we can take SJ to 7, anything can happen and the Wings do know what it takes to get to the finals,
Quote: Are you watching the same game I am? The Wings look phenomenal....and fast. It looks like the key for the wings is for them not to let Howard see too much rubber.
Unfortunately, I was traveling last night and couldn't find the game anywhere at the airport I was in. I posted that message from my phone, but, obviously, I couldn't tell how they were really playing.
From the highlights I saw when I finally got home, it looks like the Wings FINALLY shifted into playoff gear. Hopefully, they can maintain that level of play vs. San Jose.
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
Howard had 32 shots. That's fair amount of rubber. Since I didn't see the game, I can't comment on the kind of shots he faced. However, it is obvious the Wings were able to play their puck possession style of hockey to perfection. When they do that, they really take the burden off their goaltender and they can beat anybody in this league.
Howard is an excellent goalie. He showed what he can do during the regular season and, while he was up and down this first series, he flashed some of that regular season form in the playoffs. I think he'll be more relaxed and will get better with his first playoff series under his belt.
[color:"white"]"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
Detroit dominated large chunks of that game, even five-on-five.
I like them versus the Sharks because San Jose's top players have always been chokers in the playoffs. One thing working in San Jose's favour is that they have had some rest, while Detroit is coming off a tough seven-game series in which they had to travel to Arizona three times.
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