***The Official 2009 NHL Playoffs Thread***

Well, the Sharks series reminded me about something...never trust a Russian goaltender in the playoffs. the next big save Nabakov makes will be his first.

Joe Thornton actually played alright in the series but he did not get any support (Patrick Marleau). Dan Boyle was TERRIBLE tonight. They don't have enough grit. You can not expect Joe Thornton to do all the scoring and bring all the grit.

Doug Wilson (Sharks GM) has a fairly tough job ahead of him. He can not fire the coach (he's only in his first year), he can't trade Marleau (no trade) and he can't trade Thornton (salary, no trade and the fact they won't get value). He needs to add more grit and he needs to find a goaltender who can steal games in the PLAYOFFS. Good luck with that considering their salary structure.

BTW...I am 6 for 6 in my playoff series predictions for the series that are finished. Even a blind squirrel finds the odd nut.

 

That is a bit of hyperbole. Henrik is a top 5 goaltender. The Caps have basically dominated the series, even the games they lost. The only reason the Caps did not sweep them out is because of Henrik.

 

LOL! It is a killer. I think we start on Friday but I'm not too sure. The Canucks are so fed up with it that two of their better players (Kevin Beiksia and Ryan Kesler) fought in practice yesterday.

 

I hate you.

Just out of curiosity and comparison, what are the face value of the tickets you got and where are you sitting? As an example of how much of a TOTAL ripoff Canuck playoff tickets are...lower bowl, Row 14 in the corner...$267.50 plus tax for ONE ticket. Best seat in the house is almost $500.00.

 

The ending of the 'Canes/Devils game was unbelievable. I feel sorry for Devils fans, that was a heartbreaker.

Bruins vs. Canes, Game 1 Friday. I wish tye were still the Whalers.

BTW...I was 8 for 8 in my playoff series predictions....WOOHOO!

 

Dude....a $37 dollar ticket to get in to see the B's is $117 plus service charges and tax here. A rough estimate of where you are sitting in Vancouver is about a $225.00 ticket here.

I know this sounds like a rant but I'm pissed to be honest. My old roommate shared a season ticket package here with 4 other people. They all had the choice to buy playoff tickets. He got tickets for round 1 game 1. Good seats (top row of the lower bowl, dead center ice). $330.00 (after service charges and taxes it came to a little over $700.00).

I was talking to him afterwards and I asked what it cost him in total to see one playoff game in round one. $700.00 for two tix, $25 to park, 6 beers ($8.00 each), 2 hot dogs ($7.50 each)....basically $800.00 to go see a hockey game. Insane.

 

When your team is over reliant on it's goaltender and has real issues scoring you are always on the edge. Look at game 7, Henrik was unbelievable, probably one of the best goaltending performances I've seen in years but they still lose the game because they can't score. They got beat by a goaltender who has now played the same amount of playoff games as he has regular season games.

 

Schedule is set for round 2 and since I was 8 FOR 8 in the first round I'm going to see if I know what I'm talking about...

East

Bruins (1) vs. 'Canes (6) - Bruins in 6

The cardiac 'Canes are at it again. they have done this before (during their previous 2 runs to the Finals). Cam Ward gives them an edge in goal (Timmy had a better regular season but Ward has the playoff pedigree) but the Bruins have an advantage in every other aspect. Against the Devils Carolina could roll their top D-pairing (Gleason and Corvo) against the Devils top line and then get it done. The Bruins scoring depth will beat that. Roll them out against Savvy and Kess and you still have the Krejci line and the Bergeron line to deal with. Eric Stall meet Zdeno Chara.

Habitals (2) vs. Penguins (4) - Penguins in 6

This will be a war. Both teams have a high amount of dislike and it is a network DREAM matchup with Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby all in the same series. The thing is, I think the Caps are a fraud. They played against the Rangers the same way they did all regular season. They could do that because the Rangers can't score, the Penguins can score...a lot. Varlamov gets exposed.

West

Red Wings (2) vs. Ducks (8) - Red Wings in 5

For me it is simple. The Ducks take a lot of penalties and the Red Wings score a lot of goals, especially on the powerplay. If the Ducks play undisciplined hockey (like they did against San Jose) they could get swept.

Canucks (3) vs. Blackhawks (4) - Canucks in 7

I think this will end up being the best series of the bunch. There are so many variables. Can the Canucks stop taking penalties? (if they take as many against the Hawks as they did in the 1st round the Hawks could blow them out). Can Khabibulin beat the Canucks? (I don't think he has in 10 years). Can the Canucks veteran defense **** down the Toews/Kane/Sharp/Havlat's the same way they shut down the Blues young scorers? I think home ice does it.

Flame away!

 

You should feel the vibe in this city right now...it's ****ing CRAZY! Every car...and I mean EVERYONE has a Canucks flag on it. I went over to grab a coffee an hour ago and I must have seen 100 Canucks sweaters. It's actually pretty ridiculous considering it's only the 2nd round. If the 'Nucks ever win a Cup I'm locking my doors and hiding in my apartment holding a baseball bat because it will be anarchy.

I think the Caps could get blown out in that series. The Pens have been rolling. The Caps play an entertaining style (until they start flopping) but it is not a style that works in the playoffs. They dominated the Rangers but the Rangers are so offensively inept they could get away with always attacking. the Pens will grind them up and spit them out if they don't start paying attention to their own zone.

Should be fun....the best time of year for hockey fans is here...it's even better when your team is in it!

 

The so called "experts" can kiss my ***...LOL! A bunch of those "experts" picked the Habs to upset the Bruins. The Bruins dominated the 'Canes in the regular year. the ONLY concern I have is in net. Timmy was not tested a lot against the Habs and Cam Ward was outstanding against the Devils.

 

Yah, the local sports radio station has been banging the "too long of a layoff" drum for over a week.

Personally, I like the layoff. I went back to the last 10 playoffs just to see how the teams that won the Stanley Cup did in their first three rounds...

2008 - Detroit got a round 2 sweep.
2007 - Ducks did not get a sweep but rounds 1 and 2 lasted only 5 games.
2006 - 'Canes did not get any sweeps and took the long way to the Cup. Playing 6, 5 and 7 game series before getting to the finals.
2005 - Thanks Gary.
2004 - Tampa swept the Habs in round 2 and only had a 5 game series in round 1.
2003 - The Devils did not sweep anyone but they played 2 five game series in round 1 and 2.
2002 - The Wings took the long way playing 6, 5 and 7 game series in round 1, 2 and 3.
2001 - The Av's got a round 1 sweep and a round three 5 game series.
2000 - The Devils got a round 1 sweep.
1999 - The Stars got a round 1 sweep.

As you can see over 50% of the teams that won the Cup in the last decade have had at least one sweep before getting to the Finals. Sure, you can get a little rusty during the layoff but eventually the lack of rest for the other team will grind on them.

Like you said though, it's all about what happens early. I can totally see the Bruins coming out heavy legged and the 'Canes flying in the first period. That likely means taking penalties because the other team is moving at a different pace. That should only last for about a half a period. As long as we are not losing 3-0 midway through the first we'll be fine.

 

The game went opposite of what I expected. The Canucks had their legs early but in the third they had nothing left and when Chicago pushed they did not push back. If that game went to overtime the 'Nucks were in trouble but for some reason the Blackhawks pinched down with 1:30 left in a tie playoff game and set up a 4 on 1...

...who allows a 4 on 1 in the playoffs with a minute left in a tie game? Youthful exuberance got the best of them.

Man...I'm nervous about tonight...LOL!