2007-2008 NHL Thread

[The Stig]

The Sea of Red did its job - man how I love watching playoff games there. I wish I could go to one in person.

[Boz]

Two words:

GAME !%$%!#$%!#$%!#$ SEVEN BAYBEEEEEE!!!!

OK, that's more than two words.

If I am allowed to quote France's favorite alternative rock band....

"No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like Special K!!"

Thank you, Phil!! Les Habitants are officially....nervous!!!

I swear, I know I picked the Bruins to win this series, but that was more just wishful thinking than anything else. I couldn't have asked for anything better. B's - Habs, Game 7.....what's not to love?

I can't wait for Monday night!

Honestly, who's NOT rooting for Boston at this point???

(yes, OK, I am a little [read: A LOT] drunk...it's not often the B's force a Game 7 on the same day as my birthday)

[The Stig]

Sounds like a pretty wild ending there in Boston.

The parity in the NHL is incredible. All but two of the series have gone to at least Game 6.

[Boz]

Ah, well, what're you gonna' do. Boston had plenty of chances through the first 35 minutes of this game. They just couldn't solve Price tonight. Cheers to that kid, he played a great game throughout.

Of course, this was probably the worst game I've ever seen Chara play in his whole career. Nice timing.

But the Bs gave Montreal all that they could handle (and almost more) & I've gotta' be happy about this season. With Bergeron back and a pretty good group of young kids, I think they'll come back even stronger next year. Gotta' get better at finishing on the offensive end though, they let Montreal get away with a few bad mistakes in their own zone (and Montreal didn't let Boston get away with similar mistakes, obviously).

To quote Placebo one more time: "Now nothing ever ever goes my way."

Good series, just didn't end the way I wanted.

Good luck to the Caps & Flames tomorrow night though. Hope they can both pull it off.

No, I will not be wishing Montreal good luck. I'm pretty sure Kovalev fell down in the handshake line, that little p**sy.

[The Stig]

Superb second half of the game by the Caps. Early in the 2nd it looked like the Flyers had the series. Now it's the Caps' to lose, with the momentum and home ice.

Tough to see Boston lose that one. It looked like they were getting all the pressure they needed, but they just couldn't finish. That last goal with 4 seconds left was really rubbing salt in the wound.

[Deleted]

Apr 21, 2008 20:41:09 GMT -5 Boz said:

Of course, this was probably the worst game I've ever seen Chara play in his whole career. Nice timing.

Way, way off. Played poorly, but not down to the level of the games in which the Sabres undressed him in the 2006 playoffs. That's what you get out of Chara... a good game here and there, and *poof* he vanishes in big moments.

After a week in the tropics I'm back at just the right time. Thank god the resort had DirecTV, watched many of the games with drunken Canadians (many of them Leafs fans who hate the Habs). My thoughts:

Bruins-Habs - a great series, tainted only by the crappy showing of Bruins fans IN BOSTON. I know the Habs travel VERY well (always a few thousand in Buffalo), but that was horrible, Beantown. Talk about fair-weather fans. As much as I despise those frogs, their advancing makes for better hockey in the rounds to come. I'm still hoping for a Pittsburgh-Montreal ECF... talk about fireworks!

Caps-Philly - there are few teams I hate more in this world than the Flyers, so I'm praying to the hockey gods Ovech comes though with 8 goals tonight to spark a 15-2 Caps win. Ok, maybe that's asking for a bit much, but you get the idea.

Pittsburgh is going to kill everyone in the East. I have that feeling.

I hate the Rangers, mostly because of Avery. I like pests in hockey (Chris Neil, Darcy Tucker, etc), but he's so bush league its hard to root for him. He's more clown than anything else at this point, although calling Broduer "Fatty" or whatever he said was hilarious.

In the West, I still stand by my predictions of a few weeks ago, although I'm starting to think Dallas might be better than just the first round "upset" of Anaheim.

I want to pull for Calgary tonight, but I'm just not sure they have it in them away from their home ice.

[The Stig]

Even though it's old, it's still timely. Biron's future.

[Boz]

Apr 22, 2008 9:43:40 GMT -5 buffalohoya said:

I hate the Rangers, mostly because of Avery. I like pests in hockey (Chris Neil, Darcy Tucker, etc), but he's so bush league its hard to root for him. He's more clown than anything else at this point, although calling Broduer "Fatty" or whatever he said was hilarious.

I hate the Rangers as well, and for reasons far exceeding just Avery. On the other hand (if the Caps win Game 7), I will look forward to all of Avery's a-hole antics against Montreal.

If it's a question of Avery vs. Alexei Kovalev, I'll take Avery (reluctantly). I don't know how any hockey fan can be a fan of Kovalev, even if he plays for your team. Yeah, he produces, no question, but I think Alexei Yashin looks like a hard-nosed player by comparison.

(Avery had a funny bit with Chris Elliott on Letterman last night too that was pretty good -- more because of Elliott and Brendan Shanahan than because of Avery, but it was still funny)

No question about the Boston fans. That was just shameful. They were better in Game 6, but Games 3 and 4 were atrocious. No excuse, whatsoever.

I'll revise my remarks to say I have never seen Chara play that bad in a Boston sweater, and I've probably seen 75-80 percent of their games over the last two years. He was directly responsible for Montreal's first two goals (and indirectly responsible for the third, drawing a really bad penalty in a scrum that he should have won hands down).

Mark Stuart also played a horrible series, but that was less surprising. He had a pretty lousy season all around. But he's only 24, I think he could improve a lot.

But Boston's over. I pormise no more Bruins posts through the rest of the playoffs.

Go Caps!
Go Flames!
Go A.B.M.!

[vcjack]

Well it was a hell of a season for Washington. Next season I'm abandoning that minor league team from my home city and jumping on the Ovechkin wagon for sure

[mit0313]

Caps got screwed.

[The Stig]

Yeah, that second Flyers goal should have been called off. The Flyers player clearly pushed the Caps defender into Huet.

But it was still a heck of a showing by the Caps. Who would have thought when this season started that by the end of it they'd turn the Verizon Center into an all-red madhouse? Boudreau did a heck of a job, and McPhee's deadline moves were superb. The players stepped it up when they had to, and they've really put hockey on the map here in DC. Hats off to them.

I had to turn off the Flames game after it went to 5-2.

[Boz]

Given how well the teams I supported have fared, I'm pretty sure I should start rooting for the Habs. They'll be sure to go down in 4 to the Flyers.

Too bad though. I think the Rangers could have given Montreal a series, but Philly cannot hang with them.

And Caps-Penguins would've been Gary Bettman's wet dream.

I'm still not sure what the hell happened up there in San Jose. I was watching a pretty good game and then all of a sudden...WTF.

Of course, there's always Detroit-Colorado to look forward to. Granted, it's not the Detroit-Colorado of the Claude Lemieux-Kris Draper era, but it's still Detroit-Colorado. I'm sure the hatred will be stoked again if the Avs can manage to steal one of the first couple of games.

[The Stig]

Yeah, I wish the old days of Red Wings-Avs would return.

The San Jose-Calgary game was a blowout from the start. The Sharks were out-shooting the Flames 27-9 in the 2nd, and it was really only a matter of time before the floodgates opened.

[moe09]

One word, people: PENS.

[hoopsmccan]

The Rangers look a bit slow compared to the Pens and their young players, who played really well in the NJ series, are making tons of mistakes - terrible penalties (real ones, not just the flops that would make a Dukie blush) and turnovers. It would also have helped if they didn't sit back so much on the penalty kill - no pressuring the puck and basically playing a 5-on-4 like a 5-on-3. The atmosphere at the Garden was great last night - I didn't get to a playoff game last year or in NJ series and forgot just how much the Garden can rock (Knick playoff games possibly even more so, though I only vaguely remember them).

After the game were talking about next year, and its hard to put a finger on what the Rangers need. I think it comes down to needing Henrik to play a whole lot better throughout the playoffs, not just one series. He has let in a few weak goals, but just as important, he hasn't made a lot of big, playoff saves. With the Pens charging in Game 1, he needed to step up and make a tough save or two. Game 3 - the early goal killed the crowd, but it was the fourth goal after the Rangers tied it up which was terrible. Last night the Pens had three or four good scoring opportunities, but managed 5 goals. Play like that gets you swept.

That concludes my Rangers report that no one cares about.

hm

[Boz]

Lundquist was unreal in the playoffs last year. He has been remarkably average this year.

I am familiar with having the team I like be a step slower than the opponent. There is not much you can do about that until the off-season. But one thing you can do is hit, and, in my opinion, that Rangers haven't been. Yes, there've been some goot shots and resulting scuffles, but I mean consistently punishing the other team with good clean solid body checking. Give a team as talented as the Penguins too much room to maneuver and you've got no shot, unless Lunquist is standing on his head again like last year.

I guess Philly is also showing Price to be human. Funny how a team with some relative offensive skills can do that (cough--no comment--cough). But I still think Montreal will take that one in the end. Problem is, they're going to be coming off of (most likely) two back-to-back 7 game series, while the Pens will be a well-rested team.

My favorite series in this round (well, other than watching Montreal look eminently beatable) has been Dallas-San Jose. Dallas is up 3-0, but all of the games have been excellent. I really thought San Jose was going to take the game last night, but they're pretty much sunk now.

Detroit's defense has been incredible. Wings-Pens will be an amazing final if it gets to that.

[Deleted]

Apr 30, 2008 12:33:36 GMT -5 Boz said:

I guess Philly is also showing Price to be human.

Carey Price borrowed his glove hand from Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje.

[Deleted]

From the "Things that Are Really Painful" File, Sean Avery's done for the year (AKA, "out for one game") with a lacerated spleen:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_rangers_avery

[Deleted]

Apr 30, 2008 13:34:39 GMT -5 @cam said:

From the "Things that Are Really Painful" File, Sean Avery's done for the year (AKA, "out for one game") with a lacerated spleen:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_rangers_avery

Boo hoo. Hope it keeps Mr. Bush League out for several seasons.

In my Heirarchy of Hatred, I keep the Flyers behind only the Leafs, Miami Dolphins and Syracuse basketball. It obviously kills me to see Briere dominating for them (although not surprising), but what draws me to rooting for them is Marty Biron dominating between the pipes like he NEVER did in Buffalo. If you haven't heard a Biron interview, you're missing out. The guy is hilarious, was always a good teammate even when Miller replaced him... all around good guy. So for now, as much as it makes my skin crawl and my bowels shake, go Flyers.

That said, once they meet up with the Pens in the ECF, the hatred returns.

I knew they had it in them to take out Anaheim, but San Jose as well?!? WOW, Dallas. Color me impressed.

Oh, and Detroit is sick.

[thornski]

Detroit is looking absolutely disgusting.

And as a Flyers fan, great comeback to beat the Habs, and obviously getting very excited about the next series - probably a 90% chance it'll be Pens and an all-PA Conf Finals...but if the Rangers make a miracle comeback, then Flyers-Rangers. Hard to get much better than that.

Also someone had a great quote on SportsCenter - they said they think the Stanley Cup should just be decided by having Johan Franzen just go 1-on-1 against RJ Umberger. It's unbelievable how much those two have stepped it up.