2006 NHL Playoff Thread

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

I'll trade you Turco for Legace straight up.

I'd bet that 90% of Wings fans would take that deal.

[Travis]

Here's a fun challenge for those sports betting types on the board.

At the place I work, we have a playoff contest to see who can name the most series/game winners for whichever sport is going through the playoffs at that time (NFL, NHL and MLB, none of us are into basketball enough to have one there).

The discussion today took a turn because if Calgary wins tonight, I'll go 8 for 8 on my predictions for the first round. Now none of us have done much sports betting except for some of the local stuff which we all figure would have restricted me from betting for all 8 series on one ticket.

Our curiosity is this though, is there a source out there to find what the odds were say the day prior to the playoffs starting so we could see what the payout would have been on a $100 bet to hit all 8 series.

Yes, it's self inflicted torture if Calgary wins tonight, but just another reason for me to cheer against them.

Any help would be appreciated (and the mocking is pretty much expected).

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by ice4277

I'd bet that 90% of Wings fans would take that deal.

if that's the case, then 10% of Wings fans are stupid.
Legace is fine, but Turco's one of the best in the game.

[Draft Dodger]

oh, and a mini-shocker out of Colorado - Steve Konowalchuk is back. They did an amazing job keeping this under the radar, because no one thought he'd be back this season at all.

it's going to have a pretty big impact. they need some depth and production at forward (Turgeon, for example, was a healthy scratch in Game 5, and they are relying on rookies like Wolski and Richardson in key areas). But the most important area - he kills penalties. Hejduk has been replacing him, and doing a decent job, but having him not on the PK should free him up for more quality PP and even strength time. If he gets rolling...

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Rangers defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who spent time this season in the NHL's substance abuse program, was arrested Wednesday on a drunken driving charge, police said.

Ozolinsh was stopped Tuesday in White Plains, where he was allegedly driving 66 mph in a 40-mph zone, police Inspector Daniel Jackson said. A field sobriety test estimated the level of alcohol in Ozolinsh's blood at 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated and released for a May 16 court appearance. Ozolinsh was also issued summonses for speeding and driving without a seat belt, and his blue 2006 Nissan Altima was impounded.

[ISiddiqui]

Bu-bye Calgary!

Top 4 seeds in the East and Bottom 4 seeds in the West move on to the next round!!

[Cards4ever]

So, if Ottawa is the only Canadian team left after the next round, do the Leaf fans cheer for Ottawa?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I wonder if/when something like this has happened before in post-season play, all the top seeds winning one side & all the lower seeds winning the other?

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

So, if Ottawa is the only Canadian team left after the next round, do the Leaf fans cheer for Ottawa?

We adopt SJ.

Calgary looked awful tonight.Disinterested and lethargic.They did'nt deserve to win.Full marks to the Ducks,they played the perfect road game.

[kingfc22]

And the Sharks just clinched home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I can't believe I stayed up to watch this. It's the first Game 7 of the season, and it's a honker. The Flames absolutely sucked tonight, and I feel sorry for all the Calgary fans who paid money to be at that game.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Bu-bye Calgary!

Top 4 seeds in the East and Bottom 4 seeds in the West move on to the next round!!

What does this say about the importance of the regular season? Now, I think the playoff scramble that lots of teams were in (7 teams in the West, really, almost until the final week of the season -- it was a great race) provided great interest during the season for fans of those teams, and I think it would be hard to imagine a more competitive, exciting, emotional regular season than the one the Oilers played. I am sure the fans there would not have traded it for anything.

But the Wings' regular season was quite a bit different. These upsets make a bit of a mockery of things when the top teams are all losing in the first round and the press is saying it's because they were "not playoff ready." Oh, so they're supposed to not try to win too many games in November and December to make sure they have to scratch and claw their way in at the end? Makes no sense. I think the top team(s) need to get a bigger benefit from finishing higher. Home ice advantage in a 7-game series just isn't enough of a benefit to make it worth knocking yourself out for during the season. Maybe the top team in the conference needs a first round bye. But then you have to add 2 more teams to the playoffs, which I think could diminish the competitiveness of getting in. Not an easy question, and perhaps the status quo is the best solution, I dunno. And besides, having a 1.5 - 2 week layoff (a bye) wouldn't at help get a team "playoff ready." It'd be really hard to come off that long a layoff to face a team that just won a playoff series and is riding high.

I have been thinking about this a lot over the few days. I am just not sure what the solution is.

In a way, the NHL tried to address this with the "new" rules. The new rules were supposed to make it harder for the "less talented" teams compete with the "more talented" teams, since you could no longer rely on clutching, grabbing, hooking, obstruction, etc. to cancel out the other team's skilled players. So, assuming that the better team has more skilled players, they should be able to take advantage of it. But, as Edmonton showed, and as Calgary has shown, you can still play solid, defensive hockey without the penalties. The playoffs are rarely about skill alone. (Then again, If watching young, fast teams like Edmonton and Buffalo beat older, slower teams like Philadelphia and Detroit isn't proof that the new rules are working then I don't know what is.)

The salary cap, however, is a competing force. It creates more parity in the league and, therefore, makes things that much more even. So it's possible that these sorts of upsets will become much more frequent. The nature of the sport lends itself to upsets. The goalie is the biggest reason, but even after that a lucky bounce here and there and a little extra effort can really chance the entire dynamic of a game or series. There is really no other sport like this at all. Granted, those things should even themselves out, more often than not, over the course of a 7 game series, but they don't always.

It does raise questions about the next regular season. There are 82 games and besides figuring out who the Wings will be playing (if at all) in the playoffs and where, what's the point? How excited can you get about winning a ton of games and being successful, if it has little correlation of how the team will play in the playoffs? It will be very hard. I will still watch the games, but it will be tough to get too excited if they win or too down if they lose.

[Draft Dodger]

I think the playoff ready thing is a myth. I could maybe see a team come out weak in the first game of a series, but after that, no NHL team should be having issues.

a lot was made of Colorado "fighting" for a playoff berth, but actually they just coasted in - they went 3-5 the last month, and their only wins were against non-playoff clubs. once they dropped out of the hunt for 1st in the NW, they were pretty much locked into one of the lower 4 slots, and played like it. Anaheim lost 3 straight as well, while Detroit had a huge winning streak (including a shutout against Edmonton) before losing the last day of the season.

I think the "issue" is of perception. These teams are all very close talent-wise. The difference between Calgary at #3 and Edmonton at #8 was 8 points. 9 points between 3 and in the East (where NJ vaulted from barely in to #3 seed in the last 2 weeks). So upsets aren't really upsets any more.

I don't think Anaheim beating Calgary or San Jose beating Nahsville is much of an upset - heck, SJ was generally favored in that series. I don't think Colorado beating Dallas was a big upset either, but I've already blathered enough about Dallas being overrated. Detroit losing is a huge upset to me, but that's the only real big one so far.

The NHL season is WAY too long. 70 games makes more sense. heck, I wouldn't cry about 60. Not that that will ever change. And it seems like a lot of work just for one extra game on your home ice. I wish there was a way to reward teams better for their regular season performance and give them more of a leg up in the postseason, but I don't know what that would be.

[Karim]

Congrats to Anaheim on thoroughly outplaying us this series. I'm surprised they didn't win sooner. I'm pulling for the Oilers but I think it will be an all-California western final.

People here are shocked at how flat the team was. The Sea of Red couldn't motivate them, the magnitude of the game couldn't motivate them, have they tuned Sutter out?

The fans expected the 'balls-to-the-wall' Flames from 03-04 but they never showed up. I feel sorry for the fan who paid $2,500 for an auctioned off pair of tickets from a local radio station.

I really hope we don't draft a grinder or a defenceman with our first round pick.

[Pumpy Tudors]

H_B, I love ya, but I disagree with you here.

While it is silly to suggest that a team like Detroit wasn't "playoff ready", they just didn't play well enough in the playoffs to stop Edmonton. Sure, the top four seeds in the West lost, but I believe none of them needed any extra reward for their regular-season play. Getting that higher seed and playing a (supposedly) worse team is the reward. The Wings lost 16 games all year and had a late-season stretch in which they got at least 1 point in 20 straight games. Through the regular season, most would agree that they were the best team from start to finish. If they can't carry over that success into the playoffs, that's their fault. They didn't stink it up in the series against Edmonton or anything, but I see no reason for the league to provide them with anything extra for the playoffs. If they can find ways to win in the regular season but can't do that for the playoffs, tough bananas.

Maybe home-ice advantage doesn't mean much to Detroit since they actually had a better record on the road this year, but going into the playoffs, I'm sure it meant a lot to Calgary and Nashville since they were dominant at home all season. Those teams won a privilege that should've given them a huge edge (considering their home records and their opponents' road records), but they blew it.

Anyway, I know you're not really talking about the #3 and #4 seeds, but they really demonstrate my view on this. In general, the regular season puts the higher-seeded teams into series that they SHOULD win. If you can win around 50 (or nearly 60) games in the regular season, you're clearly good enough to beat a team that only won around 40 games over a 7-game series, regardless of where the games are played. If you blow that chance, well, wait 'til next year.

[Honolulu_Blue]

This has been a wild playoffs so far with respect to the goalie situation.

Only two of the 8 teams left are starting the goalie who was considered the number one guy in throughout the majority of the regular season: Brodeur and Miller.

You have backups who saw a decent amount of time in the regular season in Emery and Toskla.

You have Roloson and Theodore who were brought over at the deadline.

Then you have Ward and Bryzgalov who took over for their respective teams in the middle of the first round.

Madness.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

So, if Ottawa is the only Canadian team left after the next round, do the Leaf fans cheer for Ottawa?

Sure. I'll always root for a Candian team.

Would Sens fans root for the Leafs? Probably not. This so-called rivalry is actually fairly one-sided -- Sens fans passionately hate the Leafs, Leafs fan vaguely remember the Sens.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Hey, how about a rematch of the 2003 Finals with the Devils and Ducks? Maybe Bryzgalov can get a Conn Smythe to go next to Giguere's. Of course, at the same time, Brodeur would get his name on the Cup for the fourth time.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Sure. I'll always root for a Candian team.

Would Sens fans root for the Leafs? Probably not. This so-called rivalry is actually fairly one-sided -- Sens fans passionately hate the Leafs, Leafs fan vaguely remember the Sens.

How quickly they forget. Sens fans ALL rooted for the Leafs before 1993...

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

How quickly they forget. Sens fans ALL rooted for the Leafs before 1993...

Very true.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

H_B, I love ya, but I disagree with you here.

While it is silly to suggest that a team like Detroit wasn't "playoff ready", they just didn't play well enough in the playoffs to stop Edmonton. Sure, the top four seeds in the West lost, but I believe none of them needed any extra reward for their regular-season play. Getting that higher seed and playing a (supposedly) worse team is the reward. The Wings lost 16 games all year and had a late-season stretch in which they got at least 1 point in 20 straight games. Through the regular season, most would agree that they were the best team from start to finish. If they can't carry over that success into the playoffs, that's their fault. They didn't stink it up in the series against Edmonton or anything, but I see no reason for the league to provide them with anything extra for the playoffs. If they can find ways to win in the regular season but can't do that for the playoffs, tough bananas.

Maybe home-ice advantage doesn't mean much to Detroit since they actually had a better record on the road this year, but going into the playoffs, I'm sure it meant a lot to Calgary and Nashville since they were dominant at home all season. Those teams won a privilege that should've given them a huge edge (considering their home records and their opponents' road records), but they blew it.

Anyway, I know you're not really talking about the #3 and #4 seeds, but they really demonstrate my view on this. In general, the regular season puts the higher-seeded teams into series that they SHOULD win. If you can win around 50 (or nearly 60) games in the regular season, you're clearly good enough to beat a team that only won around 40 games over a 7-game series, regardless of where the games are played. If you blow that chance, well, wait 'til next year.

I love ya too, Pumpy!

And we are in fully agreement on this. I don't buy that "playoff ready" thing either, that's why I put it in "quotes" and noted:

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

These upsets make a bit of a mockery of things when the top teams are all losing in the first round and the press is saying it's because they were "not playoff ready." Oh, so they're supposed to not try to win too many games in November and December to make sure they have to scratch and claw their way in at the end? Makes no sense.

I think it's a load of bullocks. If I recall correctly, the Wings sort of stumbled into the playoffs in 2002 and 1997 and certainly didn't seem "playoff ready." This was a veteran laden team, they shouldn't need playoff-like games in the regular season to prepare for the playoffs. They've been there before, many, many times. Perhaps a younger team would have a little more of an excuse, but not much of one.

I also agree that the Wings should have beaten the Oilers, based on the records in the regular season. A lot was made of how the Wings were able to pad their record by playing so many games against the likes of Chicago, St. Louis, and Columbus. I am sure there is some truth to that, but you can only play the teams on your schedule.

[Draft Dodger]

I also think that if the Wings and Oilers play that series 10 times, Detroit wins at least 7 of them.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I love ya too, Pumpy!

And we are in fully agreement on this. I don't buy that "playoff ready" thing either, that's why I put it in "quotes" ...

Well, I think my disagreement is that it's not a mockery of things just because all the lower seeds won in the West. The higher-seeded teams didn't carry their regular-season "find a way to win" success into the playoffs, and they paid for it. I just submit that the regular season or playoff formats don't need to change just because of this.

I know you weren't saying that the Wings (or anybody else) weren't "playoff ready." You're too smart for that.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Karim

Congrats to Anaheim on thoroughly outplaying us this series. I'm surprised they didn't win sooner. I'm pulling for the Oilers but I think it will be an all-California western final.

People here are shocked at how flat the team was. The Sea of Red couldn't motivate them, the magnitude of the game couldn't motivate them, have they tuned Sutter out?

The fans expected the 'balls-to-the-wall' Flames from 03-04 but they never showed up. I feel sorry for the fan who paid $2,500 for an auctioned off pair of tickets from a local radio station.

I really hope we don't draft a grinder or a defenceman with our first round pick.

Perhaps Sutter will only be the GM next season,and leave the coaching to someone else(Crawford?)

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Karim

Congrats to Anaheim on thoroughly outplaying us this series. I'm surprised they didn't win sooner. I'm pulling for the Oilers but I think it will be an all-California western final.

People here are shocked at how flat the team was. The Sea of Red couldn't motivate them, the magnitude of the game couldn't motivate them, have they tuned Sutter out?

The fans expected the 'balls-to-the-wall' Flames from 03-04 but they never showed up. I feel sorry for the fan who paid $2,500 for an auctioned off pair of tickets from a local radio station.

I really hope we don't draft a grinder or a defenceman with our first round pick.

It's possible. Sutter basically got tuned out in San Jose after a few seasons.

Edit: I think Sutter does better the younger his team is. The more vets you get, the more likely they are to tune him out. It was the older guys for the Sharks that started to bring the house down in 2002-03.

[kingfc22]

Is OLN broadcasting an ABC game? The graphic looks like an ABC/ESPN one and not something OLN uses.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Is OLN broadcasting an ABC game? The graphic looks like an ABC/ESPN one and not something OLN uses.

There's no game tonight, so they must be showing a "classic".

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

There's no game tonight, so they must be showing a "classic".

Yea, just realized it was DET/CAR that was playing. Oh well.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

There's no game tonight, so they must be showing a "classic".

I flipped by the other day and almost had a heart attack when I saw an Avs logo. then I realized it was a 'classic' game between the Avs and Wings. It was very late in the game, so I don't know which 'classic' game it was, but it was a 6-0 blowout, so I hope something more interesting happened besides hockey.

[Maple Leafs]

Not sure about the US, but I have the Canadian version of ESPN Classic and the NHL Network, and the only classic games they're aware of are:

- Habs/Kings game 2 from 1993 (the McSorely stick game)
- Rangers/Canucks game 7 from 1994
- Pretty much any other game the Rangers have ever played

[Karim]

Originally Posted by bbor

Perhaps Sutter will only be the GM next season,and leave the coaching to someone else(Crawford?)

It definitely won't be Crawford. The speculation for a long time now is that it will either be Jim Playfair or Brent Sutter. Either way, it is a poorly kept secret that Sutter will be stepping down after this season and wants a head coach in place for the draft.

[Chief Rum]

You also have to remember how teams have grown over the season. The Sharks and Ducks started off very poorly. The Sharks were rejuvenated by adding Thornton. The Ducks were rejuvenated by, well, perhaps the jettisoning of Feds, go figure. Fact is, both teams were among the best teams in the league from Thanksgiving on. In the last month, I heard a hundred times how only the Stars and Wings had better records than the Ducks since Thanksgiving (although I think the Sharks passed them sometime near the end).

Really, the Ducks and Sharks came in as the 5th and 6th teams for their season as a whole, but the squads they suited are division champ caliber.

Now why the Wings and Stars lost, I can't even begin to figure.

[jbmagic]

Wow

Its amazing to see the bottom 4 seeds in the Western conference upset the top 4 seeds in the first round.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Karim

It definitely won't be Crawford. The speculation for a long time now is that it will either be Jim Playfair or Brent Sutter. Either way, it is a poorly kept secret that Sutter will be stepping down after this season and wants a head coach in place for the draft.

I never understood this.Why must a coach be in place for the draft?They do absolutly nothing at the draft besides shake hands.They have no input on players drafted,it is all the GM,Scouts and player development guys.

[caspanky]

I think having a coach in place is a good thing before the draft. Depending on the system the coach has, it might effect what types of players you'd want to take. And, I'm sure that coaches like to have some input on the players in the draft.

[Vince]

So to a casual hockey fan (who's been turned into a diehard come playoff time, go figure), how worried should I be about a team that just ousted the Red Wings from the playoffs? I'm watching what's his name on ESPN proclaim that he sees the Oilers beating the Sharks in the next round, and combining that with the fact that the Oilers beat the Red Wings, one of two teams I was really afraid of in this postseason (in the west), and I'm starting to get worried.

[caspanky]

I'm not getting worried about the Oilers. I have a feeling that the games will be close, but with the way our Sharks have been playing lately, I'm pretty confident that they'll be alright. Now, if on Monday night we're down 0-2, then I'll be worried. I just hope my friend comes through with the tickets for Sunday night like she's trying to.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Vince

So to a casual hockey fan (who's been turned into a diehard come playoff time, go figure), how worried should I be about a team that just ousted the Red Wings from the playoffs? I'm watching what's his name on ESPN proclaim that he sees the Oilers beating the Sharks in the next round, and combining that with the fact that the Oilers beat the Red Wings, one of two teams I was really afraid of in this postseason (in the west), and I'm starting to get worried.

I haven't read anywhere or heard any quotes from the team, but I'd assume that the Oilers will continue to play their trap against the Sharks (or a modified version of it anyway). As heralded as the system seemed to be through the first round, it was the play of Roloson that won that series. In game 6 the team only showed for the third period and got some bounces en route to eliminating the Wings, but if luck and Roloson had failed them in the second, that game would have been long over and we would have (likely should have) been going back to Detroit for game 7.

That said, if the Oilers can manage to even play 40 minutes worth of hockey a game, they'll push San Jose to their limits. It looks like Hemsky has hopefully turned a bit of a corner in the playoffs this year confidence wise, so that bodes well for us. That and I don't think either team is going to be getting the benefit of the doubt from the officials the way teams like Detroit tend to.

Against Detroit it was Roloson who stood on his head and they converted on a high percentage of their quality scoring chances. The problems that masked were that they weren't getting a lot of good chances (compared to their usual style) and in the latter half of the series, on top of giving up a ton of shots, they started giving up more and more interior shots as well as numerous defensive miscues. They still were tending to take 2-3 penalties due to sheer stupidity and laziness, but counter that with a very aggressive and dangerous penalty kill that can lead to shorthanded chances.

Guys to pay attention to when they have the puck? Hemsky and Samsonov are really the only two that can create something by carrying the puck, while a majority of the rest are your classic dump, chase and bang types. Torres, Horcoff and Pisani are all guys who tend to be in the right place at the right time for rebounds, passes or defensive miscues, and you'll either notice Torres constantly or not at all depending on his mood that night. Stoll, Bergeron and Spacek are all pretty good at finding space to unleash a one timer while Pronger is adept at both that and threading the needle from the point to give somebody else an easy goal. Smyth, well, you'll know him quick enough, he's the guy blocking the goalie from getting any face time on screen.

Should be a fun series if both teams play hard. That's where I'm worried about the Oilers effort, and the Detroit series didn't really ease that at all. I picked San Jose to come from the West this year and didn't see enough desire from the Oilers in the first round to change that now. I hope I'm wrong and that the boys step it up for this challenge.

[Karim]

Well, here's a good reason why Phaneuf's play was so awful this playoffs: He was playing with a twisted knee and a broken bone in his foot. What does that make him, 60%? How effective could he have been?

[Karim]

Didn't see the award nominees mentioned anywhere:

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators; Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Peter Laviolette, Carolina Hurricanes; Tom Renney, New York Rangers; Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Mighty Ducks; Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks; Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA): Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Travis

... it was the play of Roloson that won that series.

Wait, teams with terrible goaltending during the season are allowed to trade for better players at the deadline? Has Jay Feaster been told about this new rule?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Karim

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators; Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars.

Mixed feelings on Fisher being nominated. On the one hand, he's a great player. He's tough, he can score, he plays defense... Just exactly the sort of guy every team wants to have. Probably the next captain when Alfredsson leaves.

On the other hand, shouldn't the league's Best Defensive Forward actually be used in a defensive role? Go look at any article about the Sabres/Sens series -- how many times do you see anything about the Senators using Fisher to shut down Briere? If anything, the Sens usually throw their top line against the other team's big guns and try to outscore them. Could you really have a Selke winner who doesn't even play against the other team's best players?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Mixed feelings on Fisher being nominated. On the one hand, he's a great player. He's tough, he can score, he plays defense... Just exactly the sort of guy every team wants to have. Probably the next captain when Alfredsson leaves.

On the other hand, shouldn't the league's Best Defensive Forward actually be used in a defensive role? Go look at any article about the Sabres/Sens series -- how many times do you see anything about the Senators using Fisher to shut down Briere? If anything, the Sens usually throw their top line against the other team's big guns and try to outscore them. Could you really have a Selke winner who doesn't even play against the other team's best players?

Everytime Maple Leafs makes a post about the Ottawa Senators an angel gets its wings. I am convinced of this.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Everytime Maple Leafs makes a post about the Ottawa Senators an angel gets its wings. I am convinced of this.

AHAHHAAHAHAH

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Wait, teams with terrible goaltending during the season are allowed to trade for better players at the deadline? Has Jay Feaster been told about this new rule?

Odd part is that the Oilers were a more successful team prior to the trade than they were after it (not including the playoffs). After adding Samsonov and Roloson, I think the Oilers were actually under .500 for the remainder of the season, hence a lot of apprehension heading into the first round. I think it's safe to say that Roloson had more quality starts against Detroit than he had in his 23 (I think it was) straight starts prior to sitting out the season finale.

Safe to say that Lowe is looking better now, especially with Peca having had a decent playoff so far, but when it was crunch time and this team was trying to find a way to give up their playoff spot, it wasn't such a given that Roloson had even improved our goaltending situation.

Now, well, I think they'll try and get him back next year and give up that extra 3rd rounder to Minny.

[TazFTW]

DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!

[Steven A Smith]Ray Emery is horrible![/Steven A Smith]

[RendeR]

SEVEN SIX BUFFALO!!!!!!


WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!



and the best part is I called it 5 hours ago when I was talking with my mother in law, she asked me what the score would be and I just spouted out 7-6 in overtime.

I'm freakin out here!!


WHOOOHOOOO go SABRES!

[RendeR]

DOLA: And for those of you rooting for western conference teams, you might want to pay attention to the Ottowa/Buffalo series, the winner of that will be your Stanley Cup Champions.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by RendeR

DOLA: And for those of you rooting for western conference teams, you might want to pay attention to the Ottowa/Buffalo series, the winner of that will be your Stanley Cup Champions.

Quoting for posterity purposes

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by RendeR

DOLA: And for those of you rooting for western conference teams, you might want to pay attention to the Ottowa/Buffalo series, the winner of that will be your Stanley Cup Champions.

Quoting as well...you still gotta get out of the East.