It's BACK! The 2005-2006 NHL Season

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Some jerk wants to buy the Penguins and move them to Hartford.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2400450

Not really a jerk if Pittsburgh can't get a new arena. At least it would be going to a good hockey market, instead of a fledging one.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, I mean, he could have said he was moving them to Sante Fe or something! Hartford is actually a good idea... after all, they got their team stolen from them.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Yeah, I mean, he could have said he was moving them to Sante Fe or something! Hartford is actually a good idea... after all, they got their team stolen from them.

Santa Fe needs an NHL team, what are you talking about.

[kingfc22]

Sharks continue to stay hot and are now in the #6 spot in the West.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Seriously!! A few weeks ago, one of the guys on Atlanta sports radio said the Thrashers had the best chance to make the playoffs against the Devils, who he thought would easily fade out of the picture. Wonder what he is thinking now .

not to overlook carolina, but a sweep of the flyers in the upcoming home and home just about assures us the 5th seed....i cant remember ever being into the stretch run in hockey as i am right now!

[Pumpy Tudors]

Fuck Colin White. He's out of position again and allows Carolina to score a game-tying shorthanded goal with 46 seconds left in regulation. I don't care about Carolina getting a point, but if the Devils don't get two points tonight, I'm going to be upset. Grrr.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Well, that was quick. Only 28 seconds into overtime, the Devils score the winner. Yay.

[Travis]

Paging house cleaning in Edmonton.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Travis

Paging house cleaning in Edmonton.

Oilers looked awful vs the Wings tonight. I'd feel best about taking them on in the first round.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Fuck Colin White. He's out of position again and allows Carolina to score a game-tying shorthanded goal with 46 seconds left in regulation. I don't care about Carolina getting a point, but if the Devils don't get two points tonight, I'm going to be upset. Grrr.

well, ill be the one to defend white again, pumpy

not on the late goal, since i cant defend that....but how bout his performance in the last few games? he, pandolfo and madden have shut down staal, forsberg, crosby, jagr, and more each and every night. hes our defensive backbone (though matvichuk has been awesome when healthy), and white will continue to make or break us into the playoffs.

that said, 8 in a row!!

[Travis]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Oilers looked awful vs the Wings tonight. I'd feel best about taking them on in the first round.

I'd feel best about them missing the playoffs, removing 3 of our 4 coaches and possibly bringing in some players that might care more about wins than personal performance.

They have to be one of the most disappointing teams since the Olympic break. They've had numerous chances not only to wrap up a playoff spot, but to legitimately challenge Calgary for the division, and every time that sort of opportunity has come up, they've found a way to roll over and die.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Pyser

white will continue to make or break us into the playoffs.

Sadly, I fear that it will be more "break" than "make." Obviously, he and the others are doing a great job for the past few games, and the Devils have made a nice push to lock up a playoff spot. I'm just afraid of him making a series-losing mistake.

I'm not sure which scenario is better for the Devils, fifth or sixth seed. If they end up at #6, they'll probably get the Rangers. I know they split the season series with New York, but that would be a hell of a series to watch. If the Devils end up at #5, they'll get Buffalo. The Devils took 3 out of 4 from the Sabres this year. Buffalo may actually be the easier opponent for the Devils, but I'd love to see the Devils and Rangers play. Of course, either way, I'll be watching.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Well, it looks like the Sean Avery Era in Los Angeles has come to a fitting end. Apparently Avery got into an argument with an assistant coach and was asked to leave practice. He wont be playing with the team for the final three games and wont be re-signed, he's an UFA.

It looks like neither Edmonton or Vancouver are all that interested in making the playoffs. Both teams are sort of limping along at the moment. Edmonton control their own destiny with a one point advantage and each team having 2 games remaining.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Well, Edmonton is in, Vancouver is out. Not making the playoffs has to be seen a as major disappointment in Vancouver. Granted, they were decimated by injuries, in particular to Cloutier, and Bertuzzi struggled for most of the season, but they really should have made it.

I am not sure if Edmonton is the best matchup for the Wings. The Oil really played the Wings well in most games this year. A couple of OT games and a shootout. Not the ideal first round opponent for Detroit, but so be it...

[bob]

Well, Thrashers cut the lead to 2 points. The Lightning's magic number is 4 - any combination of 4 points they pick up or the Thrashers fail to pick up get the Lightning in over the Thrashers, since Tampa owns the tie breakers.

Go Carolina.

[Draft Dodger]

Well, 2 weeks ago it looked like the East was all sewn up and the West would go down to the last day, but nosedives by Vancouver and LA have allowed Edmonton and Colorado to limp in.

Kiprusoff seems to be in playoff form - he hasn't allowed more than 3 goals in a game since Jan 7. yikes. over that same stretch, Colorado has allowed more than 3 goals 14 times. I don't imagine I'm going to be wearing this playoff beard for very long, especially if Colorado drops to 8th and has to play Detroit.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

Well, 2 weeks ago it looked like the East was all sewn up and the West would go down to the last day, but nosedives by Vancouver and LA have allowed Edmonton and Colorado to limp in.

Kiprusoff seems to be in playoff form - he hasn't allowed more than 3 goals in a game since Jan 7. yikes. over that same stretch, Colorado has allowed more than 3 goals 14 times. I don't imagine I'm going to be wearing this playoff beard for very long, especially if Colorado drops to 8th and has to play Detroit.

Kiprusoff is ridiculous. I know Jagr has had an amazing season, but in my mind he is the league MVP. Don't get me wrong, Calgary work hard, they are physical, play solid defense, and strong, but without Kiprusoff they are incredibly average. I imagine they also play alot differently when Kiprusoff isn't in net. The whole dynamic of a team changes when they don't have confidence in the goalie. Just look at Brian Boucher's (Kipper's back up) stats with Calgary this season: 4 wins, 7 loses, 4.16 GAA, and a .869 sv%. That's pretty awful, especially playing for a "defensive" team.

Paging Mr. Gillooly. Paging one, Mr. Jeff Gillooly...

[Draft Dodger]

Kipper would get my vote for MVP as well. in fact I would have a difficult time choosing between Jagr and Thornton for my 2nd place vote.

[bob]

Another big win by the Thrashers - time to become a big Carolina fan. Thrashers need the Lightning to lose one of their last two in regulation and the ATL needs to win out.

[Karlifornia]

OMG Cheechoo with 2 goals today..he now has 55 goals compared to Jagr's 54. Thornton also has scored a goal and assisted on both of Cheechoo's goals. That makes 96 assists for Thornton and 125 points.

Before Thornton's arrival, the Sharks were 8-12-4 before Thornton arrived..Since then they have gone 35-14-3. M-V-P! M-V-P!

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by RadioFriendlyUnitShifter

OMG Cheechoo with 2 goals today..he now has 55 goals compared to Jagr's 54. Thornton also has scored a goal and assisted on both of Cheechoo's goals. That makes 96 assists for Thornton and 125 points.

Before Thornton's arrival, the Sharks were 8-12-4 before Thornton arrived..Since then they have gone 35-14-3. M-V-P! M-V-P!

Dear Sharks Fans,

Go fuck yourself.

love, Bruins fans

[Bad-example]

*smirk*

[caspanky]

Originally Posted by RadioFriendlyUnitShifter

OMG Cheechoo with 2 goals today..he now has 55 goals compared to Jagr's 54. Thornton also has scored a goal and assisted on both of Cheechoo's goals. That makes 96 assists for Thornton and 125 points.

Before Thornton's arrival, the Sharks were 8-12-4 before Thornton arrived..Since then they have gone 35-14-3. M-V-P! M-V-P!

Make that 3 goals today with the beautiful empty netter at the end of the game from his own blue line.

[GMO]

Bye, bye Toronto.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I can't believe the Devils still have a chance to win their division. A couple of weeks ago, I was a little scared about them even making the playoffs, but after handling Philadelphia today, they're only a point behind the Rangers. So with one game to play, the Rangers are at 100, the Flyers are at 99, and the Devils are at 99. The Devils have the most wins right now, so that's a big help. If the Devils beat Montreal on Tuesday, the Rangers have to beat Ottawa to take the division.

I said I wanted a Devils-Rangers first-round playoff series, and it'll happen if New Jersey and Philly win with a Rangers loss on Tuesday. Even better would be that the Devils would have the home-ice advantage in the first round. Tuesday is gonna be a fun night. I'll be flipping channels all evening amongst the three games. The Atlantic is going down to the wire!

[ISiddiqui]

This is absolutely ridiculous. 3 weeks ago, Atlanta radio personalities said the Devils were going to be the team that falls out and collapses. 2 weeks ago, they were hanging on... now, Atlantic Division title?! WTF? Lamirello may deserve Coach of the Year just for that (well, probably not, but a nice though )!

[Pyser]

i just wanted to chime in and complete the devils trilogy of fans

tuesday could be a special night, but no matter what, i am suddenly DESPERATE for the playoffs to start. 2 weeks ago i thought we were dead in the water...now i think the sky is the limit for this team.

and pumpy...did you hold you breath when you heard White hurt his groin??

[Booj]

Ugh... Perfect time for the Devils to come to Montreal...when the Habs might need a point to make the playoffs (depending if ATL and TB win out)... I'm suddenly more and more nervous but I'll be at the Bell Centre on Tuesday hoping for a point...

A sidenote, Aebischer has gotten the last 2 starts for the Habs (and played OK), but it's kinda wierd... if Huet doesn't play on Tuesday (which I'm 99.9% sure he will) he might be hurt and the Habs are just covering it up...

I personally think the Devils are the team to beat in the Eastern conference right now, but I just hope they let Montreal take the game to overtime before they win the Atlantic...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Pyser

and pumpy...did you hold you breath when you heard White hurt his groin??

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, and I don't really like people getting injured, but let's just say that I didn't shed a tear.

If we go into the opening round with Rafalski, Martin, Hale, Klee, Lukowich, and Matvichuk/Albelin (depending on Matvichuk's health), I'm OK with it. The only thing I'd really be worried about is penalty killing because I don't know if any of the older guys can handle it. Still, I ain't too upset over the possible loss of Colin White yet.

[General Mike]

Rangers are trying to choke the division away. F'n Kevin Weekes. Jagr is MVP.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Jagr is MVP.

Since I hate the Rangers and feel rather neutral about the Sharks, let's just say that my head's vote would go to Joe Thornton. My heart's vote would go to Brian Gionta (because he has heart lolololol).

While I'm on the Devils, does anyone on that team take more worthless shots than Jamie Langenbrunner? I know it's good to throw the puck at the net and hope for glory, but I wonder if Langenbrunner even has his eyes open half the time. He swings more than Preston Wilson and connects almost as much (baseball reference rofl). I hope he makes a few better decisions during the playoffs.

[Booj]

Thornton is definitely the MVP... Jagr had a great season, but the Rangers would have made the playoffs without him... San Jose was 12th at the halfway point and Thornton brought them to the playoffs... and the 5th seed at that.

Not even a doubt.

[sachmo71]

MVP = Kipprusoff

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Booj

Jagr had a great season, but the Rangers would have made the playoffs without him...

Wait, now this comment may be going a bit too far.

[DeToxRox]

For more controversey

Calder = Phaneuf

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Since I hate the Rangers and feel rather neutral about the Sharks, let's just say that my head's vote would go to Joe Thornton. My heart's vote would go to Brian Gionta (because he has heart lolololol).

While I'm on the Devils, does anyone on that team take more worthless shots than Jamie Langenbrunner? I know it's good to throw the puck at the net and hope for glory, but I wonder if Langenbrunner even has his eyes open half the time. He swings more than Preston Wilson and connects almost as much (baseball reference rofl). I hope he makes a few better decisions during the playoffs.

i go back and forth on langenbrunner. i wanted him gone pretty badly early in the year, since i thought kozlov was more productive around the net. but he has stepped it up defensively, which is nice. i dont mind the shots, even when they dont go in. id rather lose taking 40 shots than lose taking 20, any day.

i really hope white is ok. unless we draw buffalo in rd 1, i think we could be in trouble without him. white is absolutely needed to shut down jagr or forsberg....though if matvichuk comes back, youre right, we'd be in better shape. albelein? id start worrying.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Pyser

i go back and forth on langenbrunner. i wanted him gone pretty badly early in the year, since i thought kozlov was more productive around the net. but he has stepped it up defensively, which is nice. i dont mind the shots, even when they dont go in. id rather lose taking 40 shots than lose taking 20, any day.

i really hope white is ok. unless we draw buffalo in rd 1, i think we could be in trouble without him. white is absolutely needed to shut down jagr or forsberg....though if matvichuk comes back, youre right, we'd be in better shape. albelein? id start worrying.

As a Buffalo fan, the team that scares me most as a possible first round opponent is the Devils.

The Sabres haven't been able to figure out their trap all year and overall it's just not a great matchup for Buffalo. But the Sabres seem to have found their game again so we'll have to see what happens.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Booj

Thornton is definitely the MVP... Jagr had a great season, but the Rangers would have made the playoffs without him... San Jose was 12th at the halfway point and Thornton brought them to the playoffs... and the 5th seed at that.

Not even a doubt.

No way the Rangers would make the playoffs without Jagr. Does no one remember when SI picked the Rangers for dead last in the NHL? Or ESPN the mag, picking them wherever they did?

Thornton is probably my 2nd place guy tho.

[bob]

Oh well - Thrashers lost tonight, and are out. So still no playoffs in Atlanta.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by bob

Oh well - Thrashers lost tonight, and are out. So still no playoffs in Atlanta.

Yep... maybe next year a defense is on the menu .

Montreal gets to go to the postseason .

[Pumpy Tudors]

I can't wait for tomorrow night. My clicker thumb is going to go nuts flipping around the three games with the top Atlantic teams. The Devils are the comeback story of the year in the East. They didn't have to do what the Sharks did, but New Jersey has really impressed me. Talk about turning it on at the right time. I just hope they can continue it, and I hope Elias doesn't get hurt again.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bob

Oh well - Thrashers lost tonight, and are out. So still no playoffs in Atlanta.

Sigh

The biggest questions are:
1) Will Hartley return?
(He should, IMO. Without him I think they aren't even close to the playoffs)

2) What will be done about FA Savard ?
(I want him re-signed a lot, just not sure they cap can hold him)

3) Will Waddell return?
(I'd just as soon he be gone at this point. Hiring Hartley is one of the few things I believe he's done right, or at least done better than a random GM would have done.)

4) Will they sign/acquire any defensemen that are top 4 caliber in the NHL?
(right now only Havelid seems even close to me, Sutton's hot streak of late not withstanding)

5) Was Lehtonin simply the victim of bad luck this year or is the promising youngster actually injury prone? If the latter, then the goaltending is a legitimate concern. Is the backup Garnett (who was actually 7-0-4 in his last 11 appearances prior to tonight)? Does Dunham return (he actually had a 0.50 lower GA avg than Kari)? Berkhoel needs at least a year in the AHL before being considered AFAIC and even then he may not make it to solid #2 status in his career.

I guess in some way it's at least encouraging that this is very disappointing, that they've at least progressed enough that missing the playoffs has people wondering who might get fired.

I suspect that the injury to Lehtonin and the early season struggles will be just enough to save the GM & the coach, since there's a lot of "what might have been" feeling about the team. But here's the problem I see/foresee with that: Lehtonin = 20-15-0 ... Others: 21-18-7

If you take OT as basically a crapshoot, then Kari didn't have a particuarly better record than the 4 others. Granted, he was probably worth an extra win or two this year & that probably would have gotten them the 8th seed, but is being #8 really enough to shoot for?

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

but is being #8 really enough to shoot for?

You have to start somewhere. Making the playoffs, even as the 8 seed, is a building block. It's not a long term goal, but it should be a short term goal, like Rutgers going to a bowl game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by General Mike

You have to start somewhere. Making the playoffs, even as the 8 seed, is a building block. It's not a long term goal, but it should be a short term goal, like Rutgers going to a bowl game.

You're right, and I know it. I guess what I'm looking at is that if you go with the approach that this year "should have been" our #8 seed year except for the early injuries in goal, then projecting to an 8th seed next year seems ... I dunno, it seems like not enough.

Maybe it's just the disappointment of tonight's loss getting to me, or maybe it's just an extension of being kinda depressed already about unrelated stuff, but I really don't see this team getting much better next year than they are right now but I can see several ways that they get quite a bit worse. Aside from the young stars like Ilya & Hossa, this isn't a young team (Mellanby, Holik, Bondra, DeVries, even Kozlov is now mid-30's). I think Jim Slater has room to improve but otherwise, I don't think the youth that played in the NHL this year shows much sign of blossoming into an upgrade anywhere. The AHL affiliate missed the playoffs, and while the ECHL affiliate is awfully good for that level (Go Gladiators, just need one more win to make the conference finals) I don't see anyone there who's ready to make the jump next season. Maybe later, but not next year I don't believe.

And with the money that's tied up in Ilya, Hossa, and Holik, I'm not sure how much improvement can found via free agency. So, either we get better with shrewd trading or ... well, the or is that we probably don't get better next year,not appreciably. I'm not looking for them to win the Cup next season, but Year Seven of Waddell's Five Year Plan needs to have something more than the last seed in the conference for me to believe he needs to stay.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

You're right, and I know it. I guess what I'm looking at is that if you go with the approach that this year "should have been" our #8 seed year except for the early injuries in goal, then projecting to an 8th seed next year seems ... I dunno, it seems like not enough.

Maybe it's just the disappointment of tonight's loss getting to me, or maybe it's just an extension of being kinda depressed already about unrelated stuff, but I really don't see this team getting much better next year than they are right now but I can see several ways that they get quite a bit worse. Aside from the young stars like Ilya & Hossa, this isn't a young team (Mellanby, Holik, Bondra, DeVries, even Kozlov is now mid-30's). I think Jim Slater has room to improve but otherwise, I don't think the youth that played in the NHL this year shows much sign of blossoming into an upgrade anywhere. The AHL affiliate missed the playoffs, and while the ECHL affiliate is awfully good for that level (Go Gladiators, just need one more win to make the conference finals) I don't see anyone there who's ready to make the jump next season. Maybe later, but not next year I don't believe.

And with the money that's tied up in Ilya, Hossa, and Holik, I'm not sure how much improvement can found via free agency. So, either we get better with shrewd trading or ... well, the or is that we probably don't get better next year,not appreciably. I'm not looking for them to win the Cup next season, but Year Seven of Waddell's Five Year Plan needs to have something more than the last seed in the conference for me to believe he needs to stay.

Coburn should develope finally and come into his own next year which is going to be huge for that franchise. Beyond that, I can see Atlanta adding some role players and squeaking in because Kovalchuck is that good.

And remember the cap is gonna rise next year (apparently)

[Chief Rum]

lol...before the game was halfway through, everyone on the ice at the Pond knew the Flames & Ducks are going to meet in the playoffs. It's been, ummm, chippy ever since.

Gotta love playoff hockey.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

lol...before the game was halfway through, everyone on the ice at the Pond knew the Flames & Ducks are going to meet in the playoffs. It's been, ummm, chippy ever since.

Wowzer, boxscore looks like an Atlanta-Toronto game.

1st Period Penalties
CGY, M. LOMBARDI, 08:43 - Hooking
CGY, R. HAMRLIK, 13:18 - Holding
ANA, R. SALEI, 16:09 - Holding
CGY, B. MARCHMENT, 18:27 - Roughing
ANA, T. MOEN, 18:27 - Roughing
CGY, B. MARCHMENT, 18:27 - Roughing
CGY, D. PHANEUF, 19:02 - Slashing
2nd Period Penalties
ANA, S. NIEDERMAYER, 00:40 - Holding
CGY, K. HUSELIUS, 02:42 - Holding
ANA, T. MOEN, 05:36 - Hooking
CGY, J. LUNDMARK, 06:18 - Hooking
ANA, J. FRIESEN, 07:00 - Hooking
ANA, S. NIEDERMAYER, 07:53 - Boarding
CGY, R. HAMRLIK, 11:58 - Interference
ANA, S. NIEDERMAYER, 11:58 - Unsportsmanlike conduct
CGY, M. LOMBARDI, 12:34 - Hooking
ANA, S. NIEDERMAYER, 15:02 - Tripping
ANA, S. O'DONNELL, 16:12 - Roughing
ANA, S. O'DONNELL, 16:12 - Slashing
CGY, C. KOBASEW, 16:12 - Cross check
CGY, B. RITCHIE, 18:59 - Slashing
ANA, S. NIEDERMAYER, 18:59 - Slashing
CGY, J. IGINLA, 19:53 - Roughing
3rd Period Penalties
CGY, B. MARCHMENT, 03:26 - Fighting (maj)
ANA, T. MOEN, 03:26 - Fighting (maj)
ANA, R. NIEDERMAYER, 08:23 - Roughing
CGY, M. LECLERC, 08:23 - Cross check
CGY, K. HUSELIUS, 09:57 - Roughing
CGY, R. REGEHR, 10:20 - Roughing
CGY, B. RITCHIE, 12:52 - Misconduct (10 min)
CGY, B. RITCHIE, 12:52 - Slashing

[Suburban Rhythm]

This also just in...that Crosby kid is pretty good too. As bad as they've been, it's an exciting time to be a Pens fan.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Brian Vogel

This also just in...that Crosby kid is pretty good too. As bad as they've been, it's an exciting time to be a Pens fan.

Imagine how many assists he'd have if he actually had somebody to pass to!

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Imagine how many assists he'd have if he actually had somebody to pass to!

I can see your point to a degree...but, hate to use the cliche, but he makes the guys around him better. I mean, Colby Armstrong has looked like a 3rd line, PK/energy/agitator guy the last 2 years in WBS...over a full season, he'd be at about 26 G and 67 points, and actually didn't play on Crosby's wing his first week or two after being re-called.

I really don't know if he'd have THAT many more assists, because alot of the ones he's racked up are gimmes, guys have open nets to just put the puck in.

The 2nd assist last night was absolutely SICK...he takes the pass between his legs going to the net...he never looks down for the puck.