The OFFICIAL Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[bhlloy]

Between dumb penalties, forwards who can't hit an open net and Sean O'Donnell finding a good time to think he was Sidney Crosby on our own goal-line, we've done enough to shit this game away already. Very reminiscent of Detroit game one, but this time home ice advantage is on the line. Huge third period coming up.

Visiting my folks back home reminds me of how much an 8 hour time difference sucks. Please no overtime in this one - a shootout has never sounded better

[Young Drachma]

I remember when hockey was fun to watch on TV.

[Maple Leafs]

Very impressive game by the Ducks. It's been a long time since I've seen the Senators dominated as badly as they were in that third period. This is the first game all post-season that leaves Ottawa with even the possibility that they're not the better team.

[bhlloy]

5-on-5 the Ducks shutdown line did an amazing job on the Senators scoring line. That was the big difference. If we could just stop taking stupid penalties I would feel even better about this series. The Sens powerplay is very impressive.

Emery is a good goalie, but I've yet to see anything that convinces me he's a backs to the wall, win the Stanley Cup in game 7 goalie. That second Ducks goal was a bit strange, he didn't play the shot at all.

[sachmo71]

Nice last save there by Giggy. He's so damn good.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Emery is a good goalie, but I've yet to see anything that convinces me he's a backs to the wall, win the Stanley Cup in game 7 goalie.

He's not. The Sens need to play well enough that they don't need that from him.

(Although you could say the same about Giguere, and he's actually had a chance to do it.)

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

He's not. The Sens need to play well enough that they don't need that from him.

(Although you could say the same about Giguere, and he's actually had a chance to do it.)

I'm not sure I would say that. Jiggy may not have won the Cup for the Ducks in Game Seven four years ago, but he certainly showed he's the kind of guy they can depend on to be a rock in goal when they need it. 111 overtime playoff saves in 112 overtime playoff shots says that, not to mention that Conn Smythe thingy. Unless you thought the Ducks were actually better as a team than either the Wings or the Stars in '03.

Although he hasn't been as shutdown as guys like Kiprasoff or Hasek or Brodeur at their best, I think he's one of the top goalies in the league, and particularly when it matters.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

5-on-5 the Ducks shutdown line did an amazing job on the Senators scoring line. That was the big difference. If we could just stop taking stupid penalties I would feel even better about this series. The Sens powerplay is very impressive.

Emery is a good goalie, but I've yet to see anything that convinces me he's a backs to the wall, win the Stanley Cup in game 7 goalie. That second Ducks goal was a bit strange, he didn't play the shot at all.

I hate stupid penalties. I especially hate stupid penalties when you're already on the kill. I can't stand 5-on-3's. They almost always come down to a lack of discipline or careless play.

But we have given up tons of these opportunities this postseason. It's amazing we have come as far as we have with all the stupid penalties.

Good game for the Ducks. Puts us in a real good position for Game Two, having broken the ice of the long layoff, and also seeing the Sens for the first time (before tonight, we hadn't played them since December 2005--when we beat Hasek of all people in a shootout in Ottawa).

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

He's not. The Sens need to play well enough that they don't need that from him.

(Although you could say the same about Giguere, and he's actually had a chance to do it.)

Giguere is slowly starting to make me a believer in these playoffs, although like you say he's 0 for 1 so far in his Stanley Cup finals career.

He's as technically sound as anyone in the league. FWIW, Emery probably would have made the diving save on the first Ottowa goal. Giguere has shown that a lot this season, where he loses the puck after making the initial save, and doesn't have the athleticism to get back and scramble it away. He also relies on his positioning so much that if he's a little bit off on a given night, he can have a bit of a meltdown once in a while. But other than that, he's a damn good goalie. Handles the puck well and is very good going side to side and facing up to shooters. Can he handle the finals pressure - who knows?

Still haven't seen a replay of the Emery pass to Getzlaf and I missed it on the live broadcast. Should Getzlaf have scored or was it more of a snap shot from beyond the center line kind of thing?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

... on the first Ottowa goal.

OK, Render.

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Still haven't seen a replay of the Emery pass to Getzlaf and I missed it on the live broadcast. Should Getzlaf have scored or was it more of a snap shot from beyond the center line kind of thing?

No idea, CBC didn't get a good shot of it either. I assumed it was from center or beyond, though.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

OK, Render.


No idea, CBC didn't get a good shot of it either. I assumed it was from center or beyond, though.

I am not to be used as an insult stick in this forum.



damnit

[Dr. Sak]

Getzlaf missed the net high and wide. It was so bad that after Emery's inital panic of being so far out of the net, he realized how far off the shot was and just skated slowly back to the crease.

I think Getzlaf hurried the shot, if he would've settled the puck for a second he could've made a decent attempt. If my memory serves me correctly it was between then red and blue lines in Ottawa's zone.

[Chief Rum]

Terrific game tonight. One of the "best" 1-0 games I have ever seen. Back and forth, lots of shots and hits, not too many whistles. The Ducks deserved their win.

Ottawa is going to have to regroup big time in the next couple days to get back into this.

[Draft Dodger]

they should add the sound effect of a cash register every time Giguere makes a save, because he's going to get paid this summer.

I think we can safely assume that neither Heatley and Spezza are going to win a Selke Award any time soon. Hey boys, you can go behind your own blueline.

[Dr. Sak]

Did anyone else chuckle when Emerick said "There is even a nice fellow with a fake mustache on in the crowd. Oh...that is...Snoop Dogg."

I also liked the shot of the one fan wearing a Mighty Ducks jersey and on the back of it where the name is it said DUCK OFF.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Did anyone else chuckle when Emerick said "There is even a nice fellow with a fake mustache on in the crowd. Oh...that is...Snoop Dogg."

I thought it was amusing that Emerick knew who he was, but Olczyk didn't.

[Dr. Sak]

Honestly I didn't think either knew, with the long pause I think someone told Doc through the headset.

[Maple Leafs]

Can't say enough about how impressive the Ducks look. There's a lot of talk here in Ottawa along the lines of "we've played two terrible games and still only lost by one, once everyone gets going we'll be OK". But I think this is a case of the Ducks making Ottawa play "terrible" by just beating them in every aspect of the game. And it's not like Anaheim has even played their A+ game yet -- where are Getzlaf and Selanne so far?

Ottawa's still alive as long as they take games three and four, but they're on life support right now.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Honestly I didn't think either knew, with the long pause I think someone told Doc through the headset.

I agree, but thought my version was funnier

[RendeR]

Glad to see its just some weird karmic retaliation for me this playoff season. I said Sens in 6 and now the Ducks are kicking their ass. I guess I just had it too good during the season =)


Go Figure.

[GMO]

Anaheim is doing most things right and Ottawa seem to be in a daze.

Bryan Murray will have to think of some other strategy fast or it could be iover in 4 games.

[Karim]

I just hope with Anaheim's Stanley Cup victory it brings in a whole new set of hockey fans in California.

And yes, the series is over...

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Karim

I just hope with Anaheim's Stanley Cup victory it brings in a whole new set of hockey fans in California.

And yes, the series is over...

Just five more fans will apparently make a difference.

NEW YORK -- The Stanley Cup Finals lost nearly a quarter of what already was a small television audience.

Anaheim's 1-0 victory over Ottawa in Game 2 on Wednesday night got a 0.6 cable rating on Versus and was watched in 446,000 homes in the United States.

The rating was down 33 percent from last year's second game, a 5-0 victory for Carolina over Edmonton, which received a 0.9 cable rating (600,000 homes) on OLN, as the same network was known then.

Through two games, the Stanley Cup Finals averaged a 0.7 rating, down 22 percent from last year's 0.9, and households are down 20 percent, to 485,000 from 606,000 last year.

The remainder of the series will be broadcast by NBC, starting with Game 3 at Ottawa on Saturday night.

With NBC's abysmal ratings of late, they might not even get a bump.

I vote for we keep hockey north of the Ohio River.

[Maple Leafs]

The final is not doing well ratings-wise in Canada either. Ottawa has by far the smallest fan base of any Canadian team in the league. And considering they've focused nearly all the marketing efforts on building up a fake rivalry with the biggest market (Toronto), that's lead to them being actively disliked or basically ignored by most Canadian fans.

Still, if it turns into a long series (which I still think it could), it will be hard not to get an audience in Canada given the quality of the two teams.

[Draft Dodger]

I'm sure the 6-day layover helped as well. way to go, Bettman!!!

[Pumpy Tudors]

The 6-day layover succeeded in making me lose interest. I didn't watch much of the conference finals, but I love the finals, even when the Devils aren't in it. After having almost a week of no hockey, though, I've found myself looking forward to the Monday night AFL games over the the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm a big AFL supporter, but man, this is just sad.

[Fidatelo]

Yes, the week-long layover was definately an interest killer for me. This isn't like the NFL where the media coverage is so intense that the interest can be maintained in an absence of actual gameplay.

Gary Bettman will go down as one of the worst comissioners of any sport, ever.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Yes, the week-long layover was definately an interest killer for me. This isn't like the NFL where the media coverage is so intense that the interest can be maintained in an absence of actual gameplay.

Gary Bettman will go down as one of the worst comissioners of any sport, ever.

Whatya mean "WILL"???

[Karim]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Gary Bettman will go down as one of the worst comissioners of any sport, ever.

Franchise values are on the upswing and revenue has never been higher. I suspect the owners think he's doing a really good job.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Broken hand. Out for the season.

He should be back in September, of course.

September came early... Cousin Chris is cleared and will likely be in the lineup tonight.

[RendeR]

Real nice elbow by Pronger, only thing bad about it was that he didn't take out Neal with it instead of a relative no name player.

Didn't look bad at all at full speed, but man, that slo-mo replay really showed him aiming that elbow well. Vicious blow to the head the Ottowa guy took and then cracked it on the ice as well.

I flipped between the game and Pirates of the Carribean all night...I've watched pirates 4x this weekend off and on and it was STILL more riveting than this pathetic finals matchup.


But I'm not bitter....

[Draft Dodger]

some typical McGuire analysis last night:

McGuire: "One thing about Pronger and Niedermayer: at even strength they play on the right side, but switch on the penalty kill. Not many guys can do that"
Emerick: "And what makes it so hard to switch sides like that, Pierre?"
McGuire: "It just takes a lot of skill, which both those guys have"

riveting.

[Maple Leafs]

Well, fans around the country will now get to learn what Toronto fans already know. If there's one thing the Senators can do better than anyone else, it's call for suspensions.

Remember to take a drink every time one of them looks at the camera and earnestly says "That's not hockey".

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Well, fans around the country will now get to learn what Toronto fans already know. If there's one thing the Senators can do better than anyone else, it's call for suspensions.

Remember to take a drink every time one of them looks at the camera and earnestly says "That's not hockey".

If Pronger's hit isn't a suspendable offence then I don't know what is. Pronger is a nasty piece of work when he is pissed off and he deserves at least 2 games for this since he is now a repeat offender.

[Maple Leafs]

A few thoughts on the Pronger hit:

- It was a forearm, not an elbow. That may not really matter, but it's just annoying how every hit these days has to be an "elbow". Basically if any part of the arm is involved, it's an elbow now.

- I heard a few people say that McAmmond was out cold on impact. I don't think he was... I think he just happened to fall in a way that had his head hit the ice, and that's what knocked him out. I know Pronger still caused it either way, but I hate to see a guy get suspended for another guy's bad luck.

- On that note, how do you suspend Pronger for a forearm shiver on a guy coming at him, but not suspend Neil for a double forearm in the first period where he was charging and left his feet? If the answer is "because only one guy got hurt", fine, but that's a pretty tough line of reasoning when the injury is caused by an awkward fall.

- I enjoyed hearing some reporters say that we'd have to wait and see how bad the injury was before making a decision on a suspension. Yes, because I'm sure the Senators will be announcing today that McAmmond is just fine. This is the reason I've never supported the "have the guy be out as long as the guy he hurt" argument -- because there's zero chance of a fourth-liner like McAmmond playing again if it means Pronger sits out too. The Sens already faked one injury to draw suspension (Arvedsson, a few years ago), but we think we're going to get an honest injury report now?

If I had to bet I'd say he gets two games. One would be better, I'd be shocked if he doesn't get anything.

[Draft Dodger]

I think if he hadn't already been suspended once this playoffs for an elbow, it'd be a game. Now I think he's looking at 2, maybe 3.

let his whining commence

[Honolulu_Blue]

Pronger gets a game again.

[GMO]

It was a vicious hit.
Pronger is lucky he's only suspended for one game.
Players who intend to injure (and you don't put out your elbow or arm like that without an intention to injure) should be given long suspensions.
Hockey would be better without them.

[Chief Rum]

First, let me say, for the viciousness of the hit, Pronger deserves his suspension. And as a Ducks fan, as much as I enjoy his presence for what it means to my team's chances of winning, I have never warmed to Pronger, and none of the "misunderstood" articles put up by the local papers in the past year have eased my previous impression of him from St. Louis/Edmonton days (he's just a big freakin' jerk).

All that said, what is the difference between Pronger's hit and Neil's hit earlier on AndyMac? Mac bounced back up when McAmmond didn't. That's it. At least Pronger didn't leave his feet. Not that Ottawa fans will want to hear that while they're villifying Pronger.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

All that said, what is the difference between Pronger's hit and Neil's hit earlier on AndyMac? Mac bounced back up when McAmmond didn't. That's it. At least Pronger didn't leave his feet. Not that Ottawa fans will want to hear that while they're villifying Pronger.

The only differences were that Neil's hit was far more dangerous, and Pronger's resulted in an injuey. That's it. If the NHL tries to claim this suspension is based on anything other than seeing a guy lying on the ice, they're lying. Which will make it all the more funny when McAmmond miraculously recovers and plays tonight.

Edit: Here's the Neil hit, since most people have probably never seen it during the dozens of Pronger replays:

[Honolulu_Blue]

Wow. I hadn't seen Neil's hit before watching that. A terribly dirty hit. Much worse than Pronger's, save the result.

[Fidatelo]

I've said it before, but the way the NHL deals out suspensions based on results instead of intent is one of the most frustrating things about the league.

The other thing that must be frustrating for someone like Pronger is how the difference in size exacerbates things. When a guy who is 6' sticks out an elbow the opposing player takes it in the chest or shoulder, and quite often no one even notices. When Pronger does the same thing, the opposing player gets it in the head. Does it make it right? No. But does it mean that Pronger is necessarily dirtier than most other d-men? I don't think so, I just think his transgressions, especially things like elbows, are much easier to pick out.

[bhlloy]

Just would like to clear one thing up - the NHL absolutely does not decide suspensions on the play resulting in an injury, that is a slur against a great league and a great commissioner.

What the NHL does is decide suspensions based on the number of times the hit is shown in slow motion on SportsCenter, and how many crappy sportswriters decide that "hockey is way too violent for me to take my kids to".

Which is nice, because in most other areas the league is a complete PR nightmare (let's have the playoffs on a channel that half of America doesn't even get for free) But at least nobody can say we don't have our disciplinary system in the court of public opinion

Not saying that Pronger shouldn't have been suspended (one game is fine, more would have been a travesty)

[Maple Leafs]

What's aggravating about the Neil hit (other than his holier-than-thou bad mouthing of Pronger after the game) is the media reaction to it. They loved that hit. They've been having a collective circle-jerk over Neil the past few days since he had a good game after the birth of his daughter, and that hit is exhibit A for the great game he played.

If McDonald doesn't get up, the media would be in full head-shaking, hushed-tones serious mode about how dangerous it was. But he was OK, so they celebrate it. Why is it so hard to say "that was an incredibly dangerous play and we're lucky the guy wasn't hurt"? Why is it either one or the other?

P.S. As far as McAmmond's devastating injury, when was the last time you saw a guy suffer a head or neck injury and be allowed to skate off the ice on his own? These days they strap a guy to a stretcher if he loses a contact, yet McAmmond gets knocked out and is allowed to leave under his own power? I don't understand the medical procedures sometimes.

[Dr. Sak]

P.S. As far as McAmmond's devastating injury, when was the last time you saw a guy suffer a head or neck injury and be allowed to skate off the ice on his own? These days they strap a guy to a stretcher if he loses a contact, yet McAmmond gets knocked out and is allowed to leave under his own power? I don't understand the medical procedures sometimes.

Isn't that just a part of Canada's universal health care plan?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by GMO

It was a vicious hit.
Pronger is lucky he's only suspended for one game.
Players who intend to injure (and you don't put out your elbow or arm like that without an intention to injure) should be given long suspensions.
Hockey would be better without them.

Pretty much how I see it.

[Dr. Sak]

For those that watch on NBC, I believe Don Cherry will be on during the First Intermission.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by bsak16

For those that watch on NBC, I believe Don Cherry will be on during the First Intermission.

Sounds like a good reason to avoid the NBC feed.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Sounds like a good reason to avoid the NBC feed.

well, at least they'll make him knock off all the tributes to fallen policemen and soldiers. right?

[Maple Leafs]

This quote from Bob McKenzie on TSN.ca bothers me...

Ultimately, the league judges on the consequences of the hit, not the intent. While Neil's intentions may have been to injure MacDonald, the consequences do not add up to a suspension.

If this is actually the league policy, then I'm not surprised we still have guys getting nailed in the head. If the policy if "you can go for the head and even try to hurt a guy, as long as you don't actually cause an injury", then let's not act surprised when guys do end up getting hurt.