2006 NHL Playoff Thread

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Ducks in 5, Edmonton's miracle ends in Anaheim.

Sabres in 6, Carolina strts quick but falters to more consistant goaltending and defense in Buffalo.


Sabres Finally win a Cup, Hoisted at Home in game 5 over the Ducks.

it's impossible for the Sabers to win. Buffalo is cursed. Thankfully, there isn't a Dallas team there to make it that much worse.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

it's impossible for the Sabers to win. Buffalo is cursed. Thankfully, there isn't a Dallas team there to make it that much worse.

I'm sorry, did anyone else herea fan of a losing club talking?


Buffalo Wins the Cup.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I'm sorry, did anyone else herea fan of a losing club talking?


Buffalo Wins the Cup.

Well see. After all, the Sox did it. Except they acknowledged their curse...perhaps that had something to do with it.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Well see. After all, the Sox did it. Except they acknowledged their curse...perhaps that had something to do with it.

Thre is no curse, its a simple matter of buffalo being a Drinking town with a Football problem....

[Karim]

Anaheim is in the Western Conference finals and make page 8 of the sports section. Woohoo!

Go Oilers!

[Travis]

This is the series that Hemsky and Samsonov have to step up their game and provide the skill counter punch to Selanne, Lupul, Getzlaf and Perry. We'll get our gritty goals, but we really need to start having our danglers become consistent threats for more than a period at a time.

[Karim]

What the hell is with all the empty seats in Anaheim? It's the Western Conference Finals for ****** sake!

[Travis]

I think it should be a goal, but if nothing else I hope this is what gets Hemsky fired up. Great bunt single.

[Karim]

There's not much to distinguish these two teams. It could easily go 7.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Karim

What the hell is with all the empty seats in Anaheim? It's the Western Conference Finals for ****** sake!

When you said anaheim you answered you own question

[RendeR]

Buffalo Sabres 3 Carolina 2

Game 1 to the best team in the NHL right now.

Buffalo in 6? perhaps 5.

[Karim]

I don't think the Eastern Conference playoffs on the whole have been as physical as the Western Conference. It will be an interesting contrast of styles in the Stanley Cup, regardless who the participants are.

Good to see an enthusiastic crowd in Carolina.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Karim

I don't think the Eastern Conference playoffs on the whole have been as physical as the Western Conference. It will be an interesting contrast of styles in the Stanley Cup, regardless who the participants are.

Good to see an enthusiastic crowd in Carolina.

You obivously haven't beenw atching them closely. buffalo beat philly down like red-headed stepchildren, the Ottowa laid some serious lumber on Buffalo during their series.

When it comes to physical play I have no doubt all the teams remaining can hold their own. The deciding factor is the fact that the rules favor the speed skaters and puck handlers. The "Tough Physical" teams always fall by the wayside because the rules limit them severely.

The winner of Buffalo Carolina will be your Stanley Cup Champions. Those two teams are on a level above either the Ducks or Oilers.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by RendeR

You obivously haven't beenw atching them closely. buffalo beat philly down like red-headed stepchildren, the Ottowa laid some serious lumber on Buffalo during their series.

When it comes to physical play I have no doubt all the teams remaining can hold their own. The deciding factor is the fact that the rules favor the speed skaters and puck handlers. The "Tough Physical" teams always fall by the wayside because the rules limit them severely.

The winner of Buffalo Carolina will be your Stanley Cup Champions. Those two teams are on a level above either the Ducks or Oilers.

We'll see man. Everything you just said about what the NHL favors describes both the Ducks and Oilers. I'm not saying that the Western Final winner is going to hoist the Cup, but I think we're going to be in for a heckuva final series no matter which two teams advance. As an Oiler fan, it's hard to say they're not clicking on all cylinders when they just polished off the top team in the NHL, then knocked off one of the three hottest teams post Olympic break and have a chance to do the same to Anaheim who was one of the other two (lumping SJ, NJ and Anaheim as the three).

Personally, I'm hoping Buffalo advances as I've been a big fan for a while of how they were building their team, and am happily surprised that they did it this year rather than a couple years from now which is when I thought it'd all come together for them. But to discount the teams in the West is a big mistake.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by Karim

What the hell is with all the empty seats in Anaheim? It's the Western Conference Finals for ****** sake!

That's disappointing. You'd never have seen that in San Jose (sigh).

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by Karim

I don't think the Eastern Conference playoffs on the whole have been as physical as the Western Conference. It will be an interesting contrast of styles in the Stanley Cup, regardless who the participants are.

Good to see an enthusiastic crowd in Carolina.

If by enthusaiastic you mean Pro Sabres

I'm thinking about going down on Monday to cheer on the Sabres but probably won't since I already have Game 4 tickets on friday. Briere even talked about how it was cool that he heard "Let's Go Buffalo" chants during pregame.

Sad they can't sellout games when Buffalo sells out in 17 mins

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chubby

Sad they can't sellout games when Buffalo sells out in 17 mins

Worst possible day for anything else sports related to happen in the Carolinas, as the Nextel Cup All-Star race is taking place tonight. That's about 150,000 people taken out of the pool of potential ticket buyers for anything else (heck, I bet you could even get a good seat for DaVinci Code tonight in Charlotte).

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Worst possible day for anything else sports related to happen in the Carolinas, as the Nextel Cup All-Star race is taking place tonight. That's about 150,000 people taken out of the pool of potential ticket buyers for anything else (heck, I bet you could even get a good seat for DaVinci Code tonight in Charlotte).

And the excuses for the rest of their home games? None of the games in Carolina are sold out. If it was just todya's then fine but it's like watching a MLB playoff game in Atlanta (or Florida) :P

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Chubby

Sad they can't sellout games when Buffalo sells out in 17 mins

Couple of points: there's been a lot of complaints that the Canes management jacked the prices astronomically on third- and fourth-round tickets. For a ST fanbase accustomed to relatively cheap seats, it was a nasty shock. (I can't say this from personal experience myself, but it seems to be the largest complaint to be had among the fans posting on the internet)

Also, there were several thousand more tickets to be had. Buffalo had (from all that I've read) only a couple of thousand per game to get rid of to begin with, so it wasn't much of a stretch to wipe them out in that short a time. I realize it still points to what might be interpreted as a lack of support that there were even that many tickets available anyway, but if there were only a couple of thousand to be had, the games would be sellouts easy (maybe not in 17 minutes, but sellouts anyway).

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Couple of points: there's been a lot of complaints that the Canes management jacked the prices astronomically on third- and fourth-round tickets. For a ST fanbase accustomed to relatively cheap seats, it was a nasty shock. (I can't say this from personal experience myself, but it seems to be the largest complaint to be had among the fans posting on the internet)

Also, there were several thousand more tickets to be had. Buffalo had (from all that I've read) only a couple of thousand per game to get rid of to begin with, so it wasn't much of a stretch to wipe them out in that short a time. I realize it still points to what might be interpreted as a lack of support that there were even that many tickets available anyway, but if there were only a couple of thousand to be had, the games would be sellouts easy (maybe not in 17 minutes, but sellouts anyway).

1 - 'Canes tix are by far cheaper than Sabres tickets for this round. I believe we had the cheapest regular season tickets too... I can't possibly imagine that the economy is better in Buffalo than Charlotte...

2 - Season ticket holders bought all the other tickets, if they hadn't it may have taken 20 mins to sell out (coming from someone who slept outside a Tops to get his tix)


No fan support is all there is too it, I guess Hurriwhaler fans will only go to games if they are $20 seats...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

there's been a lot of complaints that the Canes management jacked the prices astronomically on third- and fourth-round tickets.

Out of curiosity I tried Ticketmaster for the next game. $190 each plus junk fees for best available, $90 plus junk fees for nosebleeds.

I don't know what the norm is for their tickets, but that would have been tough to justify in my house considering that the normal prices was around $30.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Chubby

And the excuses for the rest of their home games? None of the games in Carolina are sold out. If it was just todya's then fine but it's like watching a MLB playoff game in Atlanta (or Florida) :P

Dude, shut up. You know the rules. It's playoff time, so as hockey fans we have to pretend that Carolina has "great crowds" and is "one of the noisiest buildings in the NHL". We all have to keep saying this. If we do it enough, it might even come close to being true some day.

[Karim]

Originally Posted by RendeR

You obivously haven't beenw atching them closely. buffalo beat philly down like red-headed stepchildren, the Ottowa laid some serious lumber on Buffalo during their series.

When it comes to physical play I have no doubt all the teams remaining can hold their own. The deciding factor is the fact that the rules favor the speed skaters and puck handlers. The "Tough Physical" teams always fall by the wayside because the rules limit them severely.

The winner of Buffalo Carolina will be your Stanley Cup Champions. Those two teams are on a level above either the Ducks or Oilers.

I watched all of the Ottawa/Buffalo series and 3 games of the Philadelphia series. Ottawa was NOT physical and Philadelphia was SLOW. Anaheim and Edmonton are both extremely physical WITH speed. Buffalo has not played a team like either of them yet.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Chubby

1 - 'Canes tix are by far cheaper than Sabres tickets for this round. I believe we had the cheapest regular season tickets too... I can't possibly imagine that the economy is better in Buffalo than Charlotte...

2 - Season ticket holders bought all the other tickets, if they hadn't it may have taken 20 mins to sell out (coming from someone who slept outside a Tops to get his tix)


No fan support is all there is too it, I guess Hurriwhaler fans will only go to games if they are $20 seats...

Hmm...that may be. North Carolinians aren't in as dire of a need to have a team win a championship as western New Yorkers apparently are....

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Dude, shut up. You know the rules. It's playoff time, so as hockey fans we have to pretend that Carolina has "great crowds" and is "one of the noisiest buildings in the NHL". We all have to keep saying this. If we do it enough, it might even come close to being true some day.

So Maple Leafs speaks, so it must be. Sure is louder in the RBC than the ACC right now....

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

So Maple Leafs speaks, so it must be. Sure is louder in the RBC than the ACC right now....

Barely.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Barely.

Hey, I'll take it. Means we're still playing....

[NoSkillz]

Too much overconfidence, FOFC Sabres fans...

I'll just sit quietly in the corner and save my bragging until the Finals are over...that is if we get there...

You know the rules! No jinxing the team!!! We're the UNDERDOGS remember!

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Dude, shut up. You know the rules. It's playoff time, so as hockey fans we have to pretend that Carolina has "great crowds" and is "one of the noisiest buildings in the NHL". We all have to keep saying this. If we do it enough, it might even come close to being true some day.

Dude, shut up. Have you been to a game in the RBC Center? That place gets rocking. And they had pretty good crowds all season long (averaging around 16,000 / game).

But people around here are P-I-S-S-E-D that after showing up early and often this season to support the team, management showed their thanks by doubling ticket prices for the last 2 round of the playoffs for the season ticket holders, and even higher for those who don't have season tickets. Even the "cheap" seats were horribly expensive, pricing out families that would go (lots of parents take their kids, and the 'Canes are pretty popular among their younger fans). Ticket holders were expecting a bit more of a thanks for showing up most of the season after a lockout and really feel screwed over for their loyalty.

I think the attendance figures will reflect the pricing. A lot more fans will just stay home and watch on TV with the gouging going on.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Dude, shut up. Have you been to a game in the RBC Center? That place gets rocking. And they had pretty good crowds all season long (averaging around 16,000 / game).

They were 21st in the NHL in attendance. Based on capacity, they were 25th. And (as with all NHL cities) that's based on tickets distributed, not paid. More than a few sources have suggested that the Hurricans, among other teams, are notorious for padding the numbers.

As far as whether it's rocking or not, it's hard to say. The games I've seen during the season, the place is dead. During the playoffs it's loud, but it's supposed to be. That's not exactly something to get excited about.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Karim

I watched all of the Ottawa/Buffalo series and 3 games of the Philadelphia series. Ottawa was NOT physical and Philadelphia was SLOW. Anaheim and Edmonton are both extremely physical WITH speed. Buffalo has not played a team like either of them yet.

Philly was indeed slow, that doesn't mean they weren't physical. Ottowa was hitting left and right, when they caught up with our forwards. They injured 4 people in 5 games, one (connolly) which may not be back this season. I dunno what games you watched but if you think Ottowa wasn't playing a tough physical game you don't know Hockey.

As for the Ducks, they are not a tough physical team, they are a lot like Buffalo, they skate and they puck handle. Edmonton can play a tough gritty physical game but they aren't as fast as Buffalo.

Eastern Conf wins and easy Cup this season.

[Karim]

Originally Posted by RendeR

As for the Ducks, they are not a tough physical team, they are a lot like Buffalo, they skate and they puck handle. Edmonton can play a tough gritty physical game but they aren't as fast as Buffalo.

Eastern Conf wins and easy Cup this season.

LOL! Obviously you haven't watched the Ducks. They outhit and physically punished Calgary, arguably the most physical team in the league. Just because Campbell laid out Umberger, does that mean Buffalo is a physical team? No, obviously not. Physical implies a committment to take the body at every opportunity. Ottawa is not a physical team.

I'm not saying the Eastern Conference won't win the Cup, just that the physical intensity resides with the West and that both Anaheim and Edmonton are fast teams. They may not be as fast as Buffalo but I think both of them are fast enough to pound the body which could take its toll in a long series.

[Chief Rum]

Haha, I was going to write something along the same lines as Karim did before I saw his post. It's so obvious someone here hasn't watched the Ducks at all this season.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Dude, shut up. Have you been to a game in the RBC Center? That place gets rocking. And they had pretty good crowds all season long (averaging around 16,000 / game).

But people around here are P-I-S-S-E-D that after showing up early and often this season to support the team, management showed their thanks by doubling ticket prices for the last 2 round of the playoffs for the season ticket holders, and even higher for those who don't have season tickets. Even the "cheap" seats were horribly expensive, pricing out families that would go (lots of parents take their kids, and the 'Canes are pretty popular among their younger fans). Ticket holders were expecting a bit more of a thanks for showing up most of the season after a lockout and really feel screwed over for their loyalty.

I think the attendance figures will reflect the pricing. A lot more fans will just stay home and watch on TV with the gouging going on.

Yet tickets are still cheaper than Buffalo both this round and in regular season.

Is the Buffalo economy that much better? (and yes, that's rhetorical since Buffalo's economy is horrendous)

[B & B]

Game 2

EDM v ANA

Guaranteed blood on the ice. Must see TV.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Haha, I was going to write something along the same lines as Karim did before I saw his post. It's so obvious someone here hasn't watched the Ducks at all this season.

No kidding. I haven't seen much of Anaheim this year, but if they're playing with less toughness than the Senators... they're done.

[Karim]

A poor showing from Anaheim, especially considering Edmonton was battling the flu. Mind you, Roloson was awesome.

This series isn't over though if Anaheim gets back to the way they were playing before the long layoff.

[bbor]

Who would have thought Rolo would be able to play this well considering how he started off in EDM after the trade.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Roloson's been a rock. I can't think of a bad goal he's let get by him in a long, long time.

Last night's game was a text book perfect road playoff game. They got the early goal to take the crowd out of it. There was no panic at all when Anaheim scored. Then they get a goal at the end of the period. While Anaheim were "swarming" in the third, they really didn't have any really great or dangerous looking chances. The Oilers have been able to protect late game leads exceptionally well throughout. Between the solid defensive play, shots being blocked, and Roloson always being in position, it's hard to get a goal once they have the lead.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Chubby

Yet tickets are still cheaper than Buffalo both this round and in regular season.

Is the Buffalo economy that much better? (and yes, that's rhetorical since Buffalo's economy is horrendous)

Okay, okay. I surrender. Buffalo fans are more passionate and Carolina fans are johnny-come-latelys. However, repeatedly citing that the economy's in the crapper up there and that tickets are more expensive, while indicating passion, indicates a lack of something else....

Seriously, the Canes organization did a wonderful screwjob on the STHs by blowing up the prices in rounds three and four with no notice. I've read that many fans would not have minded as much if they had stated the escalation was announced at the start of the playoffs, instead of in the middle of the New Jersey series (other fans were likely lost anyway due to being priced-out). At any rate, if (and it's a nice-sized "if" right now) the Canes survive and advance, I'll be pretty surprised if they don't sell out the Finals because all the fans who bailed on this round because of cost will be able to put much of that saved money back to getting Finals tickets.

Even so, the Canes have done very well attendance-wise given the fact that it is a non-traditional market for any pro sport, doubly so for hockey, and the fact that the 2002 run was followed up with disasters in 2003 and 2004 and the lockout. Cut us redneck, NASCAR-lovin', 'baccy farmers some slack, will ya?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Cut us redneck, NASCAR-lovin', 'baccy farmers some slack, will ya?

You forgot "one-toothed".

OK, you're forgiven.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Even so, the Canes have done very well attendance-wise given the fact that it is a non-traditional market for any pro sport, doubly so for hockey, and the fact that the 2002 run was followed up with disasters in 2003 and 2004 and the lockout.

Egg-sactly. And don't forget that 2002 was an abberration: this team had made a habit of playing pretty lackadasically except at the end of the 2001 and 2002 seasons (they were pretty bad approaching Christmas in that 2002 season before turning things around).

Fans here love to support their hockey team, they just have not traditionally had much of one worth supporting. And when the team plays well, the RBC Center gets pretty raucous.

And again, don't forget the major price increase. Fans around here have enough other things to do without handing money over to a guy that just screwed them over.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Not playoff news, but...

Brad Richards re-signs with TB, 5 year/ $39 mil deal!
That's $7.8 per, right at the max based on this year's cap.

Richards is a nice player, but worthy of a max deal? I wonder if the NHL will soon turn into the NBA where mgmt gives out max deals WAY too often.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Not playoff news, but...

Brad Richards re-signs with TB, 5 year/ $39 mil deal!
That's $7.8 per, right at the max based on this year's cap.

Richards is a nice player, but worthy of a max deal? I wonder if the NHL will soon turn into the NBA where mgmt gives out max deals WAY too often.

That is a lot of money for Richards.

I don't think this will turn out like the NBA. For example, the Wings are talking about trying to sign Lidstrom for around $7 million. He made the max last year and given that the cap is expected to raise, the max next year will be even higher. Who knows if Lidstrom will accept it, but it's encouraging.

Tampa now has $19.9 million tied up in Richards, St. Louis, and Lecavalier next year. All three are great players, but that's close to 1/2 of the likely cap for one line.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Not playoff news, but...

Brad Richards re-signs with TB, 5 year/ $39 mil deal!
That's $7.8 per, right at the max based on this year's cap.

Richards is a nice player, but worthy of a max deal? I wonder if the NHL will soon turn into the NBA where mgmt gives out max deals WAY too often.

That's huge money for a guy who wasn't even a UFA.

Somewhere, Martin Havlat is doing cartwheels.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Tampa now has $19.9 million tied up in Richards, St. Louis, and Lecavalier next year. All three are great players, but that's close to 1/2 of the likely cap for one line.

That's the part I don't get...since their farm system is anything but deep. Fedotenko is an RFA. Sarich is an RFA.

Modin and Prospal are signed for a few more years, but each around $2+ mil, so you can keep one of them maybe to play alongside Vinny, and Richards with St. Louis. Who fills out their top 2 lines?

And that doesn't even address the goaltender situation!

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

That's huge money for a guy who wasn't even a UFA.

Somewhere, Martin Havlat is doing cartwheels.

And Gaborik...

[Draft Dodger]

Marc Crawford is the new coach of the Kings.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

Marc Crawford is the new coach of the Kings.

I do not like Marc Crawford.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I do not like Marc Crawford.

I don't either.