66 replies to this topic

[azatoth]

Great results tonight (don't mind the DET-NSH series, will go for 7 games). Canucks shit the bed again. Weren't they supposed to just march on towards the finals again? Still, it's a 7-game series so anything can happen. The Kings are far better than their standings would make you believe.

Flyers Giroux and Couturier making Cindy and Lurch their bitches. I must have fallen for the Pens hypetrain, and so it seems the team has as well. Flyers are no joke and if they can tighten up some more I could see them eliminate the Pens in quick fashion. Best case scenario would be that the Canucks and Pens get eliminated ASAP, two teams I can't stand.

[azatoth]

A most exciting first round of playoffs this year. Seven OT's already and sure to be more. Lots of controversy and bad blood brewing in almost every series. My Hawks managed again to beat the odds and tied the game in the dying seconds of the third to force OT and this time managed to steal a game away, tying the series as they move to Chicago for the next two games. I like the Hawks chances at home and they have all the momentum. Phoenix must be pretty gutted being so close to holding a solid 2-0 lead, but the Hawks are clutch.

[azatoth]

Why aren't anyone watching these playoffs? They've been really entertaining. The Pens-Flyers game was a hoot. Dirty checks, fights and ejections and lots of goals. The Pens must have been the most overrated team in a while, they've got nothing on the Flyers who have them by the ropes. Crosby with childish shenanigans instead of acting like the best player in the world. Oddly enough, when the Pens concentrated on hockey in the second period they looked like they could beat the Flyers. If they could sustain that for 60 minutes and cut out all the extra crap they could extend the series, if not, the Flyers sweep the series,

Vancouver was the clearly dominant team in their first away game against LA. Only Quick was the reason that the Kings escaped with a 1-0 win and will have a chance to eliminate the President's trophy winners in a sweep, a first in the history since the trophy was created. Kings better play much more active hockey if they want to win game 4 or it goes back to Vancouver and then it's anybody's guess how it goes.

Did not watch the Florida game but glad to see that they tied the series. Funny that the early favourites are the ones that are facing an early elimination. Shows how unpredictable NHL playoff hockey can be.

[Dan C]

I've been watching all the Flyers games, and I have been rubbing my balls with glee.

[Velazquez]

President's Trophy=kiss of death

[theSun]

pit-phi was crazy. love seeing pitt get wrecked, but it really looks like philly is playing the physical game that pit just can't deal with. i think pit has some of the best passers and skill players in the league but they're just getting shoved around by the flyers.

watching det-nas it seemed like detroit was just the better team in the first game but both these teams look like they're not really trying that hard.

wish the stl-sj game was on earlier, i'll probably be asleep before the 1st intermission but quick looks very hot now. i'm calling the canucks dead now, i'd like to see if the kings will play their next opponent with such vigor.

[azatoth]

Flyers have their share of talented guys as well. They've goaded the Pens to destroy themselves by having them concentrating on all extra-curricular activities. Pens thought they could win with a run&gun-style of play, but the Flyers are equally talented in that game too and the weak defense and Fleury playing like ass is what is sinking them. Pens are a shambles so far and if Crosby and the rest of the team doesn't take ownership of their woes the next thing they are doing is booking their tee times.

[theSun]

yeah they're clearly an offensive/skill team but the flyers are making them play a different game. i hate philly but this team is fun to watch. it was sad to see it but the way the flyers handled the sabres in the sabres 2nd last "must win" game, pitiful. sabres couldn't even get a possession in their zone.

[hexson]

For some reason I haven't taken much of an interest this year. I am a Canucks fan. Grew up in Vancouver and Victoria, but the English Premier League has been far more engaging this year for me as I am a Manchester City fan. For the Canuck's to move to the the next stage, it's going to be a long and painful journey. And Luongo... WTF?

[azatoth]

Luongo has not been the problem, it's the rest of the team. Getting Daniel Sedin back seemed to have energized them, but they are just one stolen game by Quick away from breaking out the golf clubs.

The Philly series has been absolutely hilarious. The latest being the implosion of Flyers goaltending. Pens still have a long way to go, though. Shit goaltending, dirty hits and goals galore, a far cry from the tight checking and defensive playoff hockey you could expect.

Ottawa tied 2-2 without having the lead a single second in the series. King Henrik 1-8 in playoff OTs, with all the Vezina talk he keeps getting he sure isn't clutch. If it's a Canadian team I hope advances it's the Sens.

And fuck Torres and the Coyotes. Hopefully the Hawks will respond as they did last year after Torres checked Seabrook into la-la land. Dirty POS and I hope Shanaban throws the book at him.

[pattern recognition]

i'm pretty sure i had the same look on my face at the time. what a series quick had, the guy played the way he showed flashes of being able to during the regular season.

[azatoth]

So glad the pretender Canucks got trounced in the first round. The 8th seed of the KIngs does not tell the true story, they are a much better team than that. They just underachieved in the regular season. The second round series between the Blues and the Kings ought to be a low-scoring affair. I will give it a chance, but Hitchcocks's defensive style tend to put me to sleep, although the Blues have scored the 3rd most in the playoffs (behind the Pens and Flyers who have had abysmal defense and goaltending in their series).

Flyers sending the other pretenders, the Penguins, out on the links, with a convincing 5-1 win also satisfied me. Giroux showed who's boss in his first shift to open up the game, first with a hard check on Crosby and then a wicked wrister past Fleury. The Pens weren't as good as all the pundits thought, with the majority of them picking them to faceoff with the Canucks in the SCF, shows how much they know.

Bruins forced game 7 after an OT win, which ought to be exiciting. I see the Bruins taking it, just don't think the young Caps goalie has it, but stranger things have happened. The Rangers are also in a pickle with the Sens. I hope the Sens win it as I find them a far more interesting team than the Rags.

My Blackhawks will fight off elimination for a second time in Chicago against the Coyotes and I hope they can pull it off and force a game 7. They have kept peppering Smith with a lot of shots and some of them must start to go in. I'd like to think that in a 7 game series the more talented team will prevail in the end. Crawford just needs to be solid and not let these awful OT goals in as he did the last two games in Chicago. This series also has a chance to set a new NHL record by being the first series to have all 6 games be decided in OT. They are tied with a series from the 50s, which also had all 5 games go to OT.

[blackdust]

Damn I was hoping the pens would win. Down £10 now

[asymmetrical head]

Kings Yo!

[pattern recognition]

Kings Yo!

word!

[theSun]

what do you guys think about the torres suspension/lack of suspension for chris neil?

[azatoth]

Torres got exactly what he deserved and the 25 game banhammer had a lot to do with his history as a repeat offender and committing 3 fouls in one hit. And he couldn't have done this hit at a worse time with all the media hoopla surrounding suspensions and dirty/late hits. He was the perfect subject to make an example of, grinder attacks a star player. Getting the book thrown at him worked for Cooke, so maybe it will work for Torres but who knows. He seems like a dumb idiot and has a MO of doing dirty hits and his earlier supplemental disciplines clearly hasn't done the job.

Quenneville got fined by the league $10k for calling out the officials for not calling a penalty on Torres after the hit (it in fact ended with a Phoenix PP), so it's hilarious that they are basically confirming Quenneville's call out with this suspension. I don't like that officials are above criticism, they are at least as an integral part of the NHL as the coaches and players are, who are both susceptible to sanctions if they misbehave. And officials make at least one bad call a game, sometimes really egregious ones and it should be allowed to call them out on their shit job.

The Chris Neil hit was clean, IMO. Hard body on body check, did not leave his feet and did not target the head. Not late either.

[pattern recognition]

i don't know what the hell's going on, but something is bound to go wrong.

[asymmetrical head]

Wow! They got one more win to go!

[azatoth]

Kings are unstoppable right now. They are by far the biggest favourites to win the Cup this year. None of the Eastern conference teams have looked as impressive as the Kings have. If, and when, they eliminate the Coyotes, they would be the first team ever to beat the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seed to advance to the final since this format has been used. The Coyotes we're better than I expected, but they've completely unravelled, hoping that your goalie can bail you out can take you only that far.

[pattern recognition]

i can't believe it, but the '93 cup finals still sting.



fucking mcsorley.

[tidbit]

ahem,
"stay on target -- almost there!"

[asymmetrical head]

L.A. vs. N.J!

[azatoth]

LA is going to beat the Devils, but I have a feeling it won't be a walk in the park for the Kings, they might even lose TWO games in the series.

[essines]

I'm all for LA but ive been so distracted lately that my Canadian hockey gene has been muted. I will watch the final series as often as I can. Should be some good hockey. But, still, fuck the nhl.