2006 NHL Playoff Thread

[NoSkillz]

I think I had about 6 heart attacks during this game.

My goodness. What a game.

I'm going to sleep for 20 hours tonight......

[Karim]

There were more beautiful goals in that game than the Flames scored all year.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Karim

There were more beautiful goals in that game than the Flames scored all year.

[Maple Leafs]

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.

Really? I watched the whole game and didn't see the Devils out there at all.

Tomorrow should be fun here. For the last two weeks, every day the newspaper has had several pages full of typical Ottawa media pom-pom waving "Sens are goot!" articles, and one tiny little paragraph called "Hasek update". I think that section may be a wee bit bigger tomorrow.

[RendeR]

No need to quote me boys, its a given.

I mean look at the western conference now. The only hope of a Cup title from teh west was Detroit or Dallas.

Oh, wait...they lost already!

When you look at quality of the teams remaining, the Eastern Conference has 4 teams that are better (aka more powerful overall with better goaltending) than any of the 4 left in the west.

THen when you compare the 4 Eastern teams, Ottowa and Buffalo have the two best squads. I know Carolina has a better record than buffalo, but look at their main opponents all year? Weakest division by far. The wild card could well be new Jersey. When Brodouer is hot, they can wipe the mat with almost anyone.

The big question is, can they keep winning this easily? My guess is not. I think they beat Carolina and Fall to the winner of the Ottowa/Buffalo Series.

The Stanley Cup Finals will be rather boring I think. The real power is in the east right now.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Really? I watched the whole game and didn't see the Devils out there at all.

Tomorrow should be fun here. For the last two weeks, every day the newspaper has had several pages full of typical Ottawa media pom-pom waving "Sens are goot!" articles, and one tiny little paragraph called "Hasek update". I think that section may be a wee bit bigger tomorrow.

Yeah, the Devils have been pretty amazing lately, but even they can't keep up the 15-0 run, they're due for a downswing. I'm betting its in the Semis.

*against the SABRES!* (knocks on wood)

[Draft Dodger]

Avs - Ducks has turned rather ugly.

Ducks look very good out there, excepting that cheap first goal. Theodore started off looking great...and has gone downhill quickly.

[General Mike]

Jose Theodore sucks balls. That is all.

[Draft Dodger]

is it wrong for me to cheer when McGeough got hit?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

is it wrong for me to cheer when McGeough got hit?

lol...but he's an old man!

[Chief Rum]

Nice way to start the series. I know this game is not a fair view of the talent the Avs have, so I expect the rest of the series to be tight, but, still, I'll certainly take this while we will get it.

Oh, and Hinote gets on my personal hit list. Marchment and Gauthier needed company. See you in Game Three, Dan.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by RendeR

THen when you compare the 4 Eastern teams, Ottowa and Buffalo have the two best squads. I know Carolina has a better record than buffalo, but look at their main opponents all year? Weakest division by far. The wild card could well be new Jersey. When Brodouer is hot, they can wipe the mat with almost anyone.

You're already in a hole with these arguments. Carolina actually played better outside the Southeast than in it. Oh, one other thing. We were 2-1-1 versus New Jersey, 2-2 versus Ottawa, and, oh, yeah...3-1 versus Buffalo.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Really? I watched the whole game and didn't see the Devils out there at all.

Tomorrow should be fun here. For the last two weeks, every day the newspaper has had several pages full of typical Ottawa media pom-pom waving "Sens are goot!" articles, and one tiny little paragraph called "Hasek update". I think that section may be a wee bit bigger tomorrow.

I can't tell if you are jealous, feel inferior or just plain hate Ottawa and everything to do with Ottawa. Either way, why not just move to Toronto and save yourself from the heartache. Personally I'm hoping that Ottawa wins the Cup so we can read about the "crazy guy" who had to be carted off at the parade for trying to interrupt it up while wearing a Leafs jersey and muttering something about 1967 not being that long ago.

[sachmo71]

go ducks!

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

I can't tell if you are jealous, feel inferior or just plain hate Ottawa and everything to do with Ottawa. Either way, why not just move to Toronto and save yourself from the heartache. Personally I'm hoping that Ottawa wins the Cup so we can read about the "crazy guy" who had to be carted off at the parade for trying to interrupt it up while wearing a Leafs jersey and muttering something about 1967 not being that long ago.

So you think Emery played well?

[bbor]

Emory was crap...Miller was'nt much better.9 out of 10 times Ottawa wins a game like that against the Sabres just because of the pure fire power they have.

Having said that...GO SABRES!

On a side note..Someone tell the Avs these are not the Disney Ducks anymore.

[ISiddiqui]

Ugh.. the Devils looking VERY sloppy in the 1st period against Carolina so far.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

I can't tell if you are jealous, feel inferior or just plain hate Ottawa and everything to do with Ottawa. Either way, why not just move to Toronto and save yourself from the heartache. Personally I'm hoping that Ottawa wins the Cup so we can read about the "crazy guy" who had to be carted off at the parade for trying to interrupt it up while wearing a Leafs jersey and muttering something about 1967 not being that long ago.

Are you new here?

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Are you new here?

Nope, just stirring up the Leaf fans.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

So you think Emery played well?

Not saying he played well last night, but Miller didn't play much better and he does have his team in the second round, anything can happen.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

Nope, just stirring up the Leaf fans.

Those still exist?

[bbor]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Those still exist?

Grrrr....

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bbor

Grrrr....

Sorry bbor, but Thrasher fans don't like the Maple Laffs much better than they like us

[General Mike]

Brodeur continues to get lit up. Save some goals for Monday night, Hurricanes.

[Pumpy Tudors]

The only redeeming thing about that game was a Scott Clemmensen sighting. I haven't seen one of those in a loooong time.

Bad, bad day for me so far.

[Pyser]

lets chalk that one up to rust. a week off may be too long.

the devils looked about as bad as ive seen them all year. they had, what, 2 or 3 good scoring chances? yikes.

game 2 is huge. lets hope for a colin white sighting, if hes healthy enough.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Ugh.. the Devils looking VERY sloppy in the 1st period against Carolina so far.

And to think that turned out to be their best period

On the Ottawa / Buffalo game last night, I laughed so hard on the winning goal I woke my wife up. She watched the play and appreciated it enough to giggle, too. #1 seed in your conference, start of overtime, and you just absolutely FLUB a pass leading to a quick shot that flat out beats your goaltender. I couldn't stop laughing during the replays, that'll be on NHL blooper reels for years to come I think...

[Milton]

o my god, all 14 Devil fans in the tri-state region must be shocked. a little bon jovi will set things right.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Milton

o my god, all 14 Devil fans in the tri-state region must be shocked. a little bon jovi will set things right.

Uh, welcome to FOFC.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by Milton

o my god, all 14 Devil fans in the tri-state region must be shocked. a little bon jovi will set things right.

yeah, sometimes its hard to hear us cheering over the loud playoff cheers right now for the rangers, islanders, and flyers.

oh...wait.

[Chubby]

Miller didn't play great but he was far from the suckfest Emery was. Miller got NO defensive support (Hecht being out hurt and Sens get last change at home), he gave up rebounds but didn't have a "bad" goal like ummmm the tieing goal that Emery had and the very soft gamewinner but hey, we'll take it on the road

The one team i DO NOT want to face is the Devils because, as someone already said, Brodeur can win games by himself. Carolina needs to keep it up and take out New Jersey.

I don't think the Sabres series is over but we're in a great position right now. We already stole 1 game, we have even less to lose in Game 2. Win and we're up 2-0 going home, lose and we're tied but still with home ice advantage.

I hope Lindy stays with Miller in net like he did after that Game 4 against Philly.

[Draft Dodger]

big game today for Colorado, obviously. (yeah, I know, like anyone cares. whatever).

they go down 2-0 and I don't think they are coming back against this team.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Are you new here?

Glad I wasn't the only one confused by that.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

... you just absolutely FLUB a pass leading to a quick shot that flat out beats your goaltender.

I wasn't surprised to see that from Volchenkov. He has to be one of the most over-rated players in hockey -- there's this assumption that since he's European and plays for the Sens, he must be fantastic. He's not. He throws one monster hit a month (leading Sens fans to think he's Scott Stevens), but otherwise he's out of position or giving the puck away more often than not.

The big shocker for me was how Andrej Meszaros played. Yes, he's a rookie, but he's the real deal. I don't know that I've seen him make as many terrible mistakes all season as he did in that one game. Pinching in on the powerplay when you're up a goal with 90 seconds left? Is he taking pointers from Aki Berg?

[Karim]

I don't feel so bad after seeing Colorado's performance against the Ducks.

[caspanky]

The Anaheim goalie Bryzgalov is having a very good game against Colorado today. Some outstanding saves.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Karim

I don't feel so bad after seeing Colorado's performance against the Ducks.

you shouldn't. Colorado isn't playing terrible. Anaheim is just on top of their game. Bryzgalov has certainly been solid - that save on Tanguay was amazing - but the Ducks have just done an amazing job shutting down the Avs.

[GMO]

Detroit played in a weak division, so they played more games against weak teams.
Therefore their statistics flatter them.
They aren't actually a first-place team. They aren't a bad team either but if they played in a more competitive division, and therefore played against better teams more often, they wouldn't have finished first in the league.

[GMO]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I wasn't surprised to see that from Volchenkov. He has to be one of the most over-rated players in hockey -- there's this assumption that since he's European and plays for the Sens, he must be fantastic. He's not. He throws one monster hit a month (leading Sens fans to think he's Scott Stevens), but otherwise he's out of position or giving the puck away more often than not.

The big shocker for me was how Andrej Meszaros played. Yes, he's a rookie, but he's the real deal. I don't know that I've seen him make as many terrible mistakes all season as he did in that one game. Pinching in on the powerplay when you're up a goal with 90 seconds left? Is he taking pointers from Aki Berg?

He's a good player with lots of potential but he's only 20-years old. I think the stress and pressure of the playoffs got to him.
Hopefully he'll play better the next game.

Also Redden's +/- stat was -4 in that game.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by GMO

Detroit played in a weak division, so they played more games against weak teams.
Therefore their statistics flatter them.
They aren't actually a first-place team. They aren't a bad team either but if they played in a more competitive division, and therefore played against better teams more often, they wouldn't have finished first in the league.

nope. don't buy that. sorry.

yes, they beat up their division. but they were 33-13-4 outside their division, which is nothing to sneeze at. they were 27-10-3 against the NW and Pacific divisions; all 10 teams in those divisions had 80+ points, and only one of them had a losing record (Phoenix...by one game).

they were definitely a first place team. just one that got beat.

[kingfc22]

WOOT!!! Sharks up one game to none.

[caspanky]

I loved the energy from the Sharks tonight. I don't think I've seen a game where they took every chance they could to hit someone. I'm a little dissapointed in the officials tonight though, seemed like they were a little rusty, getting in the way and missing blatent calls (on both sides). Very happy to be up 1-0, and wish I could see the game tomorrow night, but have to work. It'd be great to get off work, and see us up 2-0.

[sachmo71]

go ducks!

[Pumpy Tudors]

Seven more hours until the Devils try to redeem themselves. Over in the West, Bryzgalov's play makes me think that we could (way down the road) have a repeat of 2003. I mentioned it earlier in the thread. Devils and Ducks in the Finals, the Anaheim goalie winning the Conn Smythe, and the Devils lifting the Stanley Cup. That would be pretty cool... again.

The Devils just need to resume playing like the team that won 15 in a row.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

The Devils just need to resume playing like the team that won 15 in a row.

Yeah, if they do that, Carolina just might have to earn some wins in the series.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Yeah, if they do that, Carolina just might have to earn some wins in the series.

Ouch. I'd love to rip into you for that one, but you're right.

[Karim]

Originally Posted by caspanky

I'm a little dissapointed in the officials tonight though, seemed like they were a little rusty, getting in the way and missing blatent calls (on both sides).

Or as the CBC commentators referred to it - "letting them play."

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

you shouldn't. Colorado isn't playing terrible. Anaheim is just on top of their game. Bryzgalov has certainly been solid - that save on Tanguay was amazing - but the Ducks have just done an amazing job shutting down the Avs.

I caught the second half of the second period and the third period of Game 1 and only a handful of minutes of Game 2, but wow. Anaheim is playing as well as I have seen any hockey team play in a long, long time. They seemed to pretty much dominate every aspect of the game. It will be interesting to see what happens when the series goes to Colorado.

[caspanky]

Originally Posted by Karim

Or as the CBC commentators referred to it - "letting them play."

When the ref is standing 5 feet away, and you put a player in a head lock for 5-7 seconds, that's gotta be holding. The one ref was really good at setting picks for which ever team was on offense on his side of the ice. Quite a few times he stepped away from the boards just in time to block the defender covering. I've never been a believer in "letting them play". If it's something you'd call in the regular season as a penalty, it should be in the playoffs too.

[Draft Dodger]

officiating has dropped off considerably in round two. the first two Duck / Avs game has had some flat out terrible calls and non-calls for both teams.