....the Quest for Lord Stanley!!!!

GWC Community Off-Topic/Other
#1

I know there’s a few hockey peeps out there and this is the best time of year to be a hockey fan, so what better time to start a hockey thread right??? :cool:

(I’ll be writing up my first round preview in the next day or so on facebook and if anyone’s interested I’ll post it up here too for mass consumption, I used to write Devils recaps on the internet for like 15 years, and WAY before they were called “blogs”, just wanted to share the sports geekery if anyone else was interested)

…unleash the Playoff Bears and Triple OT marathons!!!

#2

It’s not the best time to be a hockey fan for all fans. :frowning:

#3

Even last year when the Devils missed out I LOVED the playoffs (well the first rounds for sure…)…even before I started being an on-ice player I love the game at it’s highest level and biggest stage regardless of who’s in it :slight_smile:

But I’ve been told i’m a lil obsessive when I get into things (my BSG addiction was quite scary too…)

#4

I love playoff season! Bring on the Preds!

#5

I guess I never really got into the playoffs when my team (or teams) are not playing. I don’t usually keep up enough to know most of the players on other teams, except for teams in the division sometimes. Also, there is always so much other exciting stuff to watch… and baseball.

#6

exciting & baseball do not go in the same sentence for me

#7

This (times a million!)
Maybe it’s because I play as much as I do (well I do it for football too though it is a once a week sport there)…and I have enough of a circle of friends and facebook people that we do discuss just about every team, I feel like I did wrong when i miss a night of the playoffs

#8

Since I spent a few hours writing this up, I figured I’d share it with you guys too…feel free to add your commentary, don’t take the Buffalo hate personal, one of my best sports buddies is a Bills/Sabres guy and I love beating on him about it :slight_smile:

Western Conference:
#1: Vancouver vs #8: LA Kings:
How LA can win:
Goaltending…John Quick should be the Vezina Trophy winner this year (don’t start with me Ranger fans, Quick had better numbers with less support), no Daniel Sedin via the ELBOW OF DOOM from Duncan Keith, and an improving offense since Jeff Carter was traded to LA, even with Carter out the last 5 games (and still scored 16 goals in those games)…no pressure as an 8-seed in an “nontraditional hockey market” also makes them have NO pressure and a good team with nothing to lose is always dangerous…especially when you have superior goaltending…

How Vancouver can win:
As much as the First time you win the President’s Trophy with a team (no team’s won the Cup the first time they win the award), the SECOND time you win it…you usually hoist Lord Stanley after, even with the wonder twins running at 50%, this team is still deep, talented and capable…and if…err…WHEN Luongo has a shaky moment, Corey Schneider has had a superior season (to be honest Lou’s contract is the only thing keeping him in nets for the Canucks…least in my mind…)…and perhaps the Canucks have learned from past mistakes of messing around with opponents in the first round…

Who will win?
The season series was tied at 2…but only one of those games was post-LA-trade (go figure Vancouver won that 1-0)…it’s always strange to call a 1-8 series a toss-up…but I think this is…and Vancouver’s history kinda pushes that too…not to mention after going to the Finals last year…that’s alotta high end hockey to play…as much as I WANT to pick the Kings…dammit…I can’t… Vancouver in 7

#2: St. Louis vs #7: San Jose:
How the Sharks can win:
The Sharks had a pretty crappy regular season (mild understatement)…but that all seemed to stem from when Martin Havlat was injured (and Niemi, while he has shown he can be good in the clutch, he struggles over the long NHL season)…but now it’s all in place for the Sharks…they’re healthy, Joe Thornton might be playing the best hockey of his career, and with St. Louis’ D and style it’s only gonna take 1-2 big goals in big moments to win games in this series (and the league’s #2 power play is capable of bringing that)…if Niemi can rise up like he has his first two years in the league…the Blues only have two 20 goal scorers and no one with over 54 points this season (and I’ve been saying for a month, the Blues are that classic 1996-99 Devils one 'n done team that wows you all regular season but lacks that extra gear to crank it up to for the playoffs)…plus this HAS happened before in 2000…can it happen again? Probably

How the Blues can win:
They were 4-0 vs the Sharks…and they shut them out twice in those 4 games…Jaroslav Halak in the playoffs… we all remember his last run don’t we? Hitch is the better coach and should be able to get the best from his guys and the match-ups will be all in his favor…plus if you kick the Sharks early, they may revert to their regular season form of painful mediocrity…yes I’m struggling with this one…I didn’t watch a lot of Blues games (dull team and homer announcers, and my own St Louis history, can you blame me?)

Who will win?
Well I think this one’s kinda obvious…I don’t buy the Blues and I know the Sharks are better then this, so I ain’t even calling this an “upset”… Sharks in 6

#3: Phoenix vs #6: Chicago:
How the Hawks can win:
Is Toews back? If so, like the Sharks with Havlat, you’re getting the ACTUAL Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs… Toews was at a damn near point a game pace (and was sniffing 30 goals too)…if they get him back and he can crank it up, the Hawks are deep and dangerous, solid defense and two of the NHL’s best young minute eating guys who will be out there against the Phoenix top line…it’s just a matter of if Crawford or Emery can find their game and do enough because the guy on the other team is CERTAINLY going to…not to mention the Jets 1.0/Coyotes have never met a first round series they didn’t like to lose in :smiley:

How the Coyotes can win:
Depth on D…superior goaltending…Mike Smith made everyone in the desert forget the guy in goal before him (and gave them a name a HELLUVA lot easier to pronounce!)…and Ray Whitney…making 40 years old the new 30 when it comes to NHL scoring leaders…if anything worries you about the Coyotes though it’s scoring depth and a power play that is tied for the league’s worst…that could come to bite them in the ass against a team that can and should score on the pp against them…

Who will win?
This is a tough one…I love the Hawks offense, and I think their top 2 D are superior, but neither Emery or Crawford has shown that consistency you NEED this time of year (but if they did the Hawks would be higher then a 6-seed)…the Phoenix offense scares me too and I don’t think they have enough punch to put the Hawks away…only in the NHL can you not pick a higher seed ever and get away with it right?? Hawks in 7

#4: Nashville vs #5: Detroit:
How the Wings can win:
The top-end guys on the Wings are better then anything the Preds have or can defend…no team in the NHL has more playoff experience then the Red Wings…does Lidstrom have one more run left in him? The Nashville offense isn’t exactly lethal (no player has over 58 points) and Jimmy Howard is a damn good goalie too and maybe the most overlooked important piece in this series…if he can steal one of the first two games, the Wings can use their home dominance to their advantage

How the Preds can win:
Pekka Rinne (fun fact, he had five assists this year…as we know I love me a goalie who can score!) might have been the most unheralded elite goalie in the league this year (damn you overlooked I use you too often!), he’s VERY familiar with the Wing forwards since he sees them six times a year…the Preds won’t be in awe of the Red Wing mystique (ask the Coyotes about that…twice…), the series was an even 3-3, but Nashville did win the 2 games in March…if Nashville wants to be considered elite they better win this series…

Who will win?
Nashville is deeper, younger, stronger and better in just about every aspect of the game…and Detroit has only 9 goals in it’s last 6 games, but the Wings won’t go easy but it’s not their time anymore…this will be a fun series to keep an eye on, and I am pulling for a deep run for the Preds this year…Nashville in 6 (I’m thinking 5 but I’ll give the Wings a 2nd win out of respect)

#9

Eastern Conference:
#1: NY Rangers vs #8: Ottawa:
How the Sens can win:
Youth, enthusiasm, goaltending and a dash of veteran leadership…Chris Neil has come up big in playoffs past before, and if the Sens can extend the series Tortorella will overuse and possibly wear out his top players (part of why he wore out his Tampa welcome), Ottawa killed it’s last 9 Ranger power plays and the Rangers seem to leave their A game at the border…this Sens team went from “not belonging” to “they could be dangerous” in the course of six months…not to mention Erik Karlsson is a game changing type of defender…

How the Rangers can win:
OOPS, almost forgot to say how they can win :p…superior goaltending, the Rangers may not have the best defenseman on the ice…but they have the better unit 1-6, decent scoring depth, and a top-end PK unit…not to mention not only an edgy coach…but a coaching edge too…not to mention just be the better team like they’re supposed to be (can ya tell which teams I do NOT watch a lot of in my previews?)

Who will win?
The Sens do match nicely with the Rangers and it’s dangerous when you got NOTHING to lose and not supposed to be there…I do think they will put a HEALTHY scare into the Rangers (not to mention the Rangers struggle on Canadian soil, eh?)…it won’t be easy and it won’t be high-scoring, but the top team will win… Rangers in 6

#2: Boston vs #7: Washington:
How the Caps can win:
Momentum…winners of 5 of their last 7 is a good way to make the playoffs and add another FAIL in the anals of Buffalo sports history :D…Alex Ovechkin seems to have found his game again, which amazingly seems to match the return of one Nik Backstrom, and puts all the other Cap centers in their proper roles…now if only they had a healthy goalie…though Holtby did win the last two games of the year under MUST WIN situations…and the Caps are another team with little to lose here going against the reigning…and defending… champs…

How the Bruins can win:
People believe the Bruins coasted a lot of the year with no team in the division to push them and make them sweat about a playoff appearance (Ottawa had a cup of coffee near the penthouse but that was about it), Tim Thomas can make any team’s offense look foolish, and the Caps have no answer for Chara on either side of the rink…just be big, be physical…grind them down and wipe them out…ALL OF THEMMMM (/end Emperor)

Who will win?
I really wanna pick the Caps, they’ve been better in the stretch and the Bruins have been hiding a lot of flaws behind their early-season run…was this a top team just chomping at the bit for the big show to start? Maybe, but I stil can’t trust a 3rd string goalie against the Stanley Cup Champs… Bruins in 5 (if Boston wins the first game it could get ugly for the Caps)

#3: Florida vs #6: New Jersey:
How the Devils can win:
No team in the NHL can boast three 30 goal scorers…well except the Devils!!! HA HA HA and they say we’re a boring team who can’t play offense…still…maybe they should look at our defense…it’s painfully average…but anyway, this is the part where I point out the GOOD parts…the Devils certainly pack more firepower then the Panthers…and I’ll take Martin Brodeur, or even the MOOOOSSSSEEEE, over either one of the Florida goalies, the least best and most aggressive penalty killing, just enough on the power play and legit game breakers like Elias, Parise, Kovalchuk and even the Clark-Tard can score some goals too…there’s just too much offense on this team to shut it all down over a long series, and while the Devils don’t have a top guy on D, the drop-off from 1-6 isn’t that much…quantity over uber-quality friends…and Florida was a -24 in goal differential this year…(Devils were +19)

How the Panthers can win:
When was the last time mb30 had a dominant playoff series? It’s been a while…and Jose Theodore has had a better stats season then Brodeur did…and Scott Clemmensen has played the Devils well every time he’s been called upon (but if you’re reaching for the backup and you’re not Vancouver you’re already in trouble :p) a lot is going to be asked from Campbell and Versteeg…ironic, guys they added to make the salary floor and they might have to carry them on a playoff run…

Who will win?
Florida’s already won in making the playoffs…last time since…the Devils swept them in 2000… will history repeat? Probably not…but the Devils should have an easy time in this series (hence why NBC put off starting us till damned Friday)… Devils in 5

#4: Pittsburgh vs #5: Phily:
How the Flyers can win:
One thing you can say about the Flyers…they won’t be intimidated by 87, 71 and…err Jordan Staal either…and lost in all this mess and chaos and calling out, and anti-Crosbying…the Flyers are pretty damn deep up front too (Giroux had 93 points, Hartnell had 37 goals and Jagr would have had 25+ if he had played a full season, even Simmons had 28 goals)…the Flyers even found a way to soften the blow of losing Chris Pronger…possibly forever…the only question for the Flyers is the goalie…Bryzgalov is back in net and the extra near-week off can only help this team lick its wounds and be ready to dish them back to the Penguins…in fact this might be the only opponent the Flyers could have played where they are EXPECTED to lose, that takes all the pressure off of them and any team that is this good and has NO pressure, that’s dangerous…

How the Pens can win:
Their best players simply be the best players on the ice…as good as the Flyers depth is Malkin and “John Cena on skates” are better…Fleury has a ring and a gold medal…the other guy…ummm…NO, the last few weeks are the only time all season the Pens were at full strength and boy did they buzzsaw the NHL for 3 weeks in that time…I like the Pens coaching better then Laviloette, but if the Pens can maintain the emotion and not get caught up in the trash…they are the better squad…

Who will win?
There’s no way this series is going short and there’s also no way it’s not going without a massive implosion within one of the first few games, it’s just a matter of HOW out of hand this gets…find a way to get yourself in front of a TV for this one…it’s gonna be damn good…home ice doesn’t matter, and maybe this is just an annoyed pick because the media is crowning the Penguins already…and I’m just not so sure on that…both teams had time to rest…and they’re gonna need it…this is a medic and ice pack series and it won’t end pretty… Flyers in 7

#10

As a Hawks fan, I can certainly speak to your comment about their defense. They were really underachieving defensively before acquiring Oduya (thanks Winnipeg!), so they’re getting right in that area at the correct time.

I dunno, I’ve just been very concerned about this team for long stretches of the 2nd half of the season. They ended up with 101 points on the year, but I still don’t have a good feeling about the playoffs. I think they’re capable of defeating the Yotes, but past that it’s really a toss-up. They have arguably one of the best collections of talent in the league, but they really haven’t shown that they can put it all together at the same time. Again, for a 101-point team it seems kinda silly to complain about their level of play, but it’s hard to describe without having watched them on a night-by-night basis.

#11

Well you can thank us for Oduya since he was the only relevant player Atlanta got for Kovalchuk :slight_smile:

The Hawks are like a bunch of teams out there…when they have all their players they’re REAL good…but being short Teows hurts them a LOT, and throwing him into the fire of the playoffs after missing all those games is gonna be rough too…if this was last year’s Crawford I’d feel better about their odds…all the West series feel like toss-up’s to me, and I can make a case for any team but Florida…lord help me if the Devils collapse again I’m gonna break the bank at the bar down the block :eek:

#12

Daniel Sedin is back for the playoffs. Unless he gets Crosby’d and is rattled again. I agree that it will be a 7 game series. They hit a good stride right at the end of the season, but it was a lot of shootout wins and with the big lines changing up again with the return of Daniel, things will be a bit of an adjustment.

I’m in the catch-22 situation of, do I want a quick knockout so the excitement doesn’t have a chance to build, or do I want to see them in the finals with the risk of seeing Vancouver on fire again?

#13

NHL Network is saying he’s not likely to play in Game 1…weird…but either way it’s not likely he’s gonna be at full speed for game 1, and with the goalies in that series every extra player is gonna help (I watch a lot of the far West teams with the Center ice and all, plus I love Canadian commercials)…I’d think as Canucks fan you want Luongo to establish dominance and hush-up all this “play Schneider” nonsense…just for his OWN sake ya know? This is not a good matchup for that though…

#14

Luongo is always seen as a wild card but more often than not, he delivers. He’s a very emotional player and when the team or crowd depresses so does he. There no way you can really blame him for last season’s loss in the playoffs. He slipped a couple times, but overall it is clear that Boston was the better team. They outperformed the Canucks in every aspect.

Schneider is a great goalie, but I’ve seen him crumble as bad as anyone. He’s not playing as many games, and the games he does play are usually the “softer” ones. In a couple years He’ll be ready to play a fulltime season, but I don’t think he’s there yet. He’s in a good position where he can come in and be a “hero,” every few games but it’s a very different story when you have to hit the ice and be the villain night after night. Luongo performs dispite having to be that guy, and you know it frustrates him because it’d frustrate anyone.

As far as Daniel, I don’t know the full story about his ice time in the playoffs. I just know that the front page of every newspaper I saw yesterday was that he’s 100% and ready to play. It’s probably a good move to keep him on the bench for a game or two. The team hit a good stride the last couple weeks of the regular season, and they may as well keep the pace and see what happens.

#15

exciting & baseball do not go in the same sentence for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFcG7maVxQg#t=1m00s

#16

From an outsides (and a goalie’s view)…it did seem and feel like Luongo did implode in the last two games of the finals though…yeah Thomas was inhuman at that point too, but it felt like he felt the pressure of trying to keep up with the other guy on the other side (I’ve been there too it’s NOT easy at my crap level I can’t imagine on hockey’s highest stage)

I agree…you don’t wanna mess with head injuries, especially now that we know as much about them as we do…and it’s a nice ace to hide in your sleeve in case you get in early trouble in this series

I think Schneider starts somewhere next year (hell I’d take him in NJ in a heartbeat)…just a matter of where, how many years are left on his deal?

#17

I wouldn’t be so confident in saying Preds in 6. This series is going at least 6. Last portion of the season was due to major swaths of injuries. Howard, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Ericsson, Franzen & Helm are all back and ready to play. The Preds are not intimidated for sure, but niether are the Wings. That home winning streak wasn’t a fluke. This team can & will ratchet up for the playoffs. The question is, can the Preds match it? I’m not so sure.

#18

So of COURSE Comcast fraks up and we’re getting the game blacked out in NORTH JERSEY…jesssuuuussss

#19

Satellite at work is all sorts of messed up too. I don’t have a sports package at home since I’m at work during game hours anyhow so it’s where I watch hockey.

Bitz just got a huge misconduct and now LA is up by a goal. Not happy.

#20

Contract is over after this season I believe. I doubt he’d want to sign again since Luongo is signed for another decade or something. Brodeur apparently wants to play another season so if Broduer signed up for another year Jersey would actually be a very appealing place to go. He could play as backup for a year, train with a legend, and if he delivers, get a solid shot at starting the following season.

PS, Edler just tied it back up. GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!