I thought their playoff motto was "All we have to do is beat the Oilers, then we can play golf" last year :)

Clarke's a dink. He's right about the Senators game, but he's still a dink.

Hey, seems like the Flyers' goaltending situation is imploding, right on schedule.

Clarke's definitely a guy you'd want on your team. Right or wrong, was/is anyone in Canada really upset that he took out Kharlamov?

Oh to dream about a Flames/Oilers playoff matchup... I wonder if it would even be televised down south.

Televised? yes.
Watched? no way. :D

Isnt it about time for your goalie to try to pay off a cop for having pot in his car? Or give up 7 goals in a game 7? I havent been reading lately but has your coach started bitching about the bad refs yet? :eek:

By the way, you are right about the goalies. New year...same problem.

to H_B
 

Argh. I didn't realize that the fantasy hockey finals lasted two weeks.

And, of course, I have Turco suspended right up through the end. :mad:

And Liles injured but I haven't been able to get much production out of that fourth defenseman spot anyways :confused:

But, I'm still gonna whoop you good, ya winged tire loving freak :cool:

SI (and this post has officially sealed my poor teams losing fate)

Would someone please ring a slapshot off bsak's jaw? Thanks.

ML...What's the feeling in Ottawa with a possible Leafs/Sens 1st round match up?

well, I don't know about the people in Ottawa...but I'd sure love to see it.

Screw Ottawa, they dont deserve to be on the same ice as the Leafs......they should just stay home and burn some Leaf jerseys......oh wait......they dont want Leaf jerseys in Ottawa anymore.....friggin babies...wah wah

Mixed.

If you know the Senators, you know that their entire team identity is based on the Leafs. You go to a Sens/Habs game, and the guy on the PA keeps telling the crowd that the Leafs suck. You can buy Leafs gear at the gift shops. The scoreboard shows the Leafs score at every break. The papers here (glorified extensions of the Sens PR department) treat the rivalry like it's the second coming of Sox/Yanks. It's really kind of bizarre. So in that sense, people here are pumped about the matchup.

On the other hand, there's an obvious problem with the formula. Every time they play an important game, the Leafs win. For some reason, Toronto has had Ottawa's number. So fans are nervous, because as much as they want to finally beat the Leafs, the thought of losing to them again would put about half the city on suicide watch.

From purely a hockey standpoint, it could be a good matchup. Realistically the Sens have far more talent, and should be able to skate the Leafs out of the rink. But you could have said that any of the past four years too, and it just never seems to happen. Basically it comes down to goaltending. Lalime has been shaky but should settle down. If Belfour stands on his head, the Leafs win a close series. If he doesn't, the Sens win in four or five.

Belfour will prevail.

I'm worried just by the law of averages.

You can only poke a sleeping bear so many times before it eats your ass.

Maple Leafs, I wouldn't say Ottawa has far more talent then Toronto......There a very good team, but so is Toronto......If anything, I'd say Toronto has a little more talent then Ottawa, if you look at the roster top to bottom.....Sure, we dont have a Chara, but they don't have a Leetch, we dont have a Alfferdson type player, but they have noone even close to Mogilny, and Belfour is 10 times the goalie Lalime is.....but the bottom line in any series....is heart, grit, determination....and the leafs have more of that then Ottawa by a lot....

Huge game for the Oilers and Blues tonight... The post-season hangs in the balance. Edmonton is red hot, but hasn't won in St. Louis since forever. St. Louis has put together a nice string of victories (granted 2 were against Chicago)... The game should definitely have a play-off type atmosphere. Meanwhile, Nashville plays Chicago in another big game for the Preds. Exciting times for the three teams vying for two spots.

yeah, he signed a 3 yr, $3 mil contract....i hope he can play in the playoffs...why couldnt he?

especially since grant marshall just went down for a month, i guess parise can slide right in.

IF we get rafalski, and less likely stevens back, we just may have a shot to start surprising people. but until the D comes back together, im wary...

Just as a side note..

I have to say..watching Brian Leetch play has been pure joy.This guy is fantastic...37 years oldor not.He is the best defenman we have seen in Toronto since i can rememer watching Leaf games.I always new he was good in New York...but to see him play every day you get a new appreciation for him.He has a TON of vision and savy.He makes passes that some of his teamates don't even expect because he is thinking so far in advance.And when he QB's the power play...well..lemme tell ya...it's lights out.I hope he sticks around for another year because i would love to watch him for a full season.And if the Leafs win the cup it will be mainly because they picked up Leetch...Bravo John Ferguson.

I'm not sure about that. Alfie and Mats are a wash. Mogilny is great, but not better than Hossa. Havlat, as cheap and gutless as he is, is breathtaking when he feels like it. Bondra is looking like he's washed up. But the Sens have wave after wave of lesser known guys, like Vermette and Langfield and even Fisher who can all do some amazing things. It's not just the big names, it's line after line of skill.

True. But I think the Leafs advantage in net is cancelled out by the Sens advantage in overall team defence. Lalime is very average, but the Senators protect him from being exposed by playing a near-perfect system.

Bingo. And that's why, despite everything I said above, people in Ottawa are still terrified of another Leafs series.

How is he compared to Gonchar? The story at the time was that Toronto "settled" for Leetch because Boston beat them to the real player everyone wanted.

Two big games this week... Pittsburgh vs. Washington.

For years the Pens have owned the Caps in the playoffs, but now the battle is for the best chance in the Lottery. The team that finishes last place overall has a 48% of the #1 pick and Alexander Ovechkin. Right now the Pens are a point worse than the Caps. If either team sweeps, then the most likely will finish 29th.

Okay... now back to the playoff talk.

Todd

I dunno....i havent seen Gonchar play over a period of time like i have Leetch.

I do know that Leetch will be a Hall of famer.....but will Gonchar?

I have only seen Gonchar play a couple of games, but I would have described him similarly - really fun to watch, and a huge difference when he's on the ice.

Stop trying to jinx my team ;)

Poor Edmonton...and done by Weight, no less. Bastard.

so, it's looking like after 540+ NHL games, Scott Walker is going to get his first taste of the playoffs. Which makes me wonder who will have the longest career drought after this year.

My first thought was Patrick Stefan (340+), but looks like teammate Marc Savard has him beat with 420+. Anyone know if it is, in fact, Savard?

as a hockey fan, I'm sorry to see Edmonton blow it - I would much rather see them instead of St Louis in the playoffs. although, as an Avs fan, I'd MUCH rather play the Blues in round 1.

As a Blues fan, this is the first time in awhile we've been on the hook. I'll take whoever we play, maybe a crappy Blues team can win a series against the Avs or Redwings.

Nah.....

Todd

:(

Ladies and gentlemen, that beeping sound you hear is the sound of the Dallas Stars backing into the playoffs like a bunch of limp noodles. Playing like that will get you an early golf game. Bunch of mincy flowergirls...

Note from Ottawa:

Remember all that talk about Martin Prusek being the best backup goalie in the NHL?

How he could start for most teams?

How if Patrick Lalime kept choking on it, the Sens would be just fine because Prusek was the next Hasek?

Um... never mind.

GO OILERS!!!

:D :D :D

:)

As a Blue Jackets fan, I really didn't realize my hatred of the Red Wings until tonight. I went to the game and witnessed Maltby's cheap shot on Klesla, checking him into the boards when the door was open. Then, after that, a couple classless Wings fans decided to throw a couple of octopi on the ice toward the end of the game. It sucks having to sit around so many Detroit fans, either because its the closest away game from Detroit or because a lot of Ohio hockey fans were Wings fans before the Jackets were even thought of. I can't wait til we actually have a decent team here in a couple of years and then we can compete with the Detroits.

Welcome to the United Red Wings Haters of America. It's a very prestigious club... :)

I didn't go to the game, but I watched it on tv. I would have to agree with the announcers that it didn't appear that Maltby saw that the door was open much less intentionally slammed him into the doorway to cause harm. The replay even showed what looked like another Red Wing (can't remember who it was...possibly Lang) telling Maltby what happened while they were sitting on the bench.

I figured that the check (notice I didn't say hit) would be looked upon as dirty.

Look who did it...Kirk Maltby. This guy isn't mentioned with the goons of the league. I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

Though, I am a Wing fan. :)

It's about time.

I went up to Nashville on Tuesday. I was hoping to see the Blackhawks help the Oilers out, but it wasn't meant to be. The Oilers failed to defeat the Blues as well. Great win last night. Now, hopefully the Blackhawks will help out.

I agree with Hurst. I watched it and did not look intentional at all. Just a bad break really. Maltby can be an annoying f*cker, but he's not really the type to go out and hurt someone like that. Just a fluck occurrence.

As for the octopi, they carried those slimy, smelly things into the arena. They had to get rid of them. :)

Stop the hate. It leads to anger or to fear or to... fuck it, whatever it leads to the that leads you to the Darkside. Don't go done that path like so many other misguided fools. Embrace good. Embrace the Wings!! :)

As for you and your stupid United Stupid People of America club... PISS OFF! :D

Hmm... I hope so too, but I wouldn't count on it. They are a very bad hockey team.

The biggest problem I have seen is that brutal set of blueliners. Those guys seem to be screwing up constantly. They are playing worse than they were earlier in the season, and much worse than I thought they were capable of.

You've been waiting a long time for Avril to finally play Calgary, eh? :D

Yeah, that's it... :cool:

When you have a team that is facing elimination, you take them out. End of story. This loss will come back to haunt the Stars.

if the season ended today, it's the Stars and Avs in round 1. hard to really complain about that matchup as a hockey fan.

Goons? No. Cheap players? Sometimes, yes.

Did anyone see Brett Hull on the Hot Stove segment on Hockey Night this weekend? Part of the conversation went something like this.

Hull: The problem isn't the tough guys. It's this new breed of player, the 'agitator', who cheap shots you and then runs away. I hate those guys.
Ron MacLean: What about Kirk Maltby?
Hull: Um.... (changes subject)

Come on Sach...that's not very friendly of you. And after all those years we let you guys win in the first round too. :D

I wouldn't complain. I probably would not watch it either.

Does'nt seem right not having a Stars/oiler 1st round match-up:(

They were usually the most entertaining serie of them all...good fast no trap hockey.

Brett's comments have nothing to do with the fact that the check Kirk put on Klesla was a misfortunate happening, not a cheap shot.

Brett's a great player but I wouldn't consider his opinion as gospel. I have watched Brett play for years (as have others) and from what I have seen, he could have been talking about himself at a young age.

True. In fact is was before the hit, so no bearing at all. I just thought it was funny to see Hull have to backtrack.

Of all the players in the NHL, Hull is #2 as far as being in love with the sound of his own voice. Three guesses who #1 is...