As much as I wanted Dallas to lose, I'm pretty disappointed that they actually did. I can understand Chicago having a tough time against Detroit, but Dallas can't win 1 game against a team that isn't even that great? In any case, I'll post my playoff predictions tomorrow.
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The Everything NHL Thread
- Thread starter Jackal
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I kinda liked the novelty of the idea of the entire pacific division making it. Oh well. I hope chicago bangs the shit out of vancouver, their fans are already unbearable, winning a cup would make me never go to a vancouver game ever again.
Predictions:
WEST
Canucks vs Hawks
Hawks just don't have the punch needed to keep up with mary-kate and ashley, as well as others. If Luongo chokes, Schneider looks REALLY strong.
Canucks in 5
Sharks vs Kings
Kings are beat up, Kopitar is out last I heard, I just don't think it's the kings year...and the sharks have been playing well of late.
Sharks in 6
Red Wings Vs Coyotes
Wings might be deep, but the coyotes insane depth will lead them to a grinding drawn out victory.
Coyotes in 7
Ducks Vs Predators
This will be a brutal grinder of a series I think, with Perry and Selanne making all the difference.
Ducks in 7
EAST
Caps Vs Rangers
Caps have been on fire lately and the rangers puttered over the finish line. It's gonna be a slaughter.
Caps in 4
Flyers vs Sabres
Flyers have the worst record in the last 10 of any east playoff team, sabres the best. I think the sabres are going to maul them with a few games being stolen by the flyers.
Sabres in 6
Bruins vs habs
The team that comes out of this is gonna be hurting. Bruins will have trouble getting past Price, but I think they'll do it.
Bruins in 7
Pens vs lightning
No brainer- the pens haven't been at their best and with their injury issues (crosby out at least one game in playoffs) I think the lightning will capitalize.
Lightning in 6
Predictions:
WEST
Canucks vs Hawks
Hawks just don't have the punch needed to keep up with mary-kate and ashley, as well as others. If Luongo chokes, Schneider looks REALLY strong.
Canucks in 5
Sharks vs Kings
Kings are beat up, Kopitar is out last I heard, I just don't think it's the kings year...and the sharks have been playing well of late.
Sharks in 6
Red Wings Vs Coyotes
Wings might be deep, but the coyotes insane depth will lead them to a grinding drawn out victory.
Coyotes in 7
Ducks Vs Predators
This will be a brutal grinder of a series I think, with Perry and Selanne making all the difference.
Ducks in 7
EAST
Caps Vs Rangers
Caps have been on fire lately and the rangers puttered over the finish line. It's gonna be a slaughter.
Caps in 4
Flyers vs Sabres
Flyers have the worst record in the last 10 of any east playoff team, sabres the best. I think the sabres are going to maul them with a few games being stolen by the flyers.
Sabres in 6
Bruins vs habs
The team that comes out of this is gonna be hurting. Bruins will have trouble getting past Price, but I think they'll do it.
Bruins in 7
Pens vs lightning
No brainer- the pens haven't been at their best and with their injury issues (crosby out at least one game in playoffs) I think the lightning will capitalize.
Lightning in 6
Western Conference
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
Prediction: Sedin sisters non-factor, Chokeberto gonna choke, Cansucks suck it so hard.
Hawks in 7
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
Prediction: Sharks hold off on their annual choke and beat up on the Los Anzeless Shootouts
Sharks in 5
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
Prediction: Red Wings looking like Dead Wings in the past few games, Coyotes step up and get revenge for last year.
Coyotes in 6
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
Prediction: Rinne has been phenomenal all year, but top line of Ducks is deadly and Selanne gets 5 hat tricks
Ducks in 7
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
Prediction: Rags won the season series but Ovechkin ditches his heartless-russianism and steps it up for the playoffs
Caps in 5
#2 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
Prediction: Motherfucking 5'5'' Nathan Gerbe
Sabres in 6
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
Prediction: Vezina winner Tim Thomas steps up and wins the series. Habs take a couple due to Bettman playing up the rivalry.
Bruins in 6
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
Prediction: Penguins have been solid even without Crosby, Lightning have looked shaky at many points in the season. Number of games depends on Crosby's return but Penguins win either way
Penguins in 6 w/o Crosby, in 4 w/Crosby
Sabres are my Eastern Conference bandwagon team
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
Prediction: Sedin sisters non-factor, Chokeberto gonna choke, Cansucks suck it so hard.
Hawks in 7
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
Prediction: Sharks hold off on their annual choke and beat up on the Los Anzeless Shootouts
Sharks in 5
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
Prediction: Red Wings looking like Dead Wings in the past few games, Coyotes step up and get revenge for last year.
Coyotes in 6
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
Prediction: Rinne has been phenomenal all year, but top line of Ducks is deadly and Selanne gets 5 hat tricks
Ducks in 7
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
Prediction: Rags won the season series but Ovechkin ditches his heartless-russianism and steps it up for the playoffs
Caps in 5
#2 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
Prediction: Motherfucking 5'5'' Nathan Gerbe
Sabres in 6
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
Prediction: Vezina winner Tim Thomas steps up and wins the series. Habs take a couple due to Bettman playing up the rivalry.
Bruins in 6
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
Prediction: Penguins have been solid even without Crosby, Lightning have looked shaky at many points in the season. Number of games depends on Crosby's return but Penguins win either way
Penguins in 6 w/o Crosby, in 4 w/Crosby
Sabres are my Eastern Conference bandwagon team
This looks like fun!
Western Conference
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
Going to be a good series, but the Hawks have trended downwards this year and the Canucks are something else.
Canucks in 6 (please don't choke)
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
The Kings will give the Sharks a run for their money but without Kopitar I don't think they can make it.
Sharks in 5
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
Coyotes are a good young team, but it's hard to predict against the Red Wings. They gave us a good series last year and it'll happen again this year.
Wings in 7
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
Preds may have the edge in net but the Ducks have the edge everywhere else.
Ducks in 5
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
Unless Lundqvist can pull off a Halak the Caps are just too good.
Caps in 5
#2 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
I'm predicting the Sabres simply because if the Flyers get past this round the Canadiens are most likely screwed...
Sabres in 7
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
...yet I don't expect them to beat the Bruins anyway. They certainly can, but that 7-0 thrashing we suffered the last time we faced them has rattled my faith. It should be a great back-and-forth series, but I think the Bruins will pull it out.
Bruins in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
Honestly even without Crosby the Pens are the better team, the Lightning are simply too inconsistent.
Penguins in 5
Looking at my predictions I can't help but feel that I'm picking way too many top seeds, but at the same time I'm predicting a lot of the series to be close as well, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if a lot of my game totals ended up being right but with the wrong team on the winning side.
Western Conference
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
Going to be a good series, but the Hawks have trended downwards this year and the Canucks are something else.
Canucks in 6 (please don't choke)
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
The Kings will give the Sharks a run for their money but without Kopitar I don't think they can make it.
Sharks in 5
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
Coyotes are a good young team, but it's hard to predict against the Red Wings. They gave us a good series last year and it'll happen again this year.
Wings in 7
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
Preds may have the edge in net but the Ducks have the edge everywhere else.
Ducks in 5
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
Unless Lundqvist can pull off a Halak the Caps are just too good.
Caps in 5
#2 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
I'm predicting the Sabres simply because if the Flyers get past this round the Canadiens are most likely screwed...
Sabres in 7
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
...yet I don't expect them to beat the Bruins anyway. They certainly can, but that 7-0 thrashing we suffered the last time we faced them has rattled my faith. It should be a great back-and-forth series, but I think the Bruins will pull it out.
Bruins in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
Honestly even without Crosby the Pens are the better team, the Lightning are simply too inconsistent.
Penguins in 5
Looking at my predictions I can't help but feel that I'm picking way too many top seeds, but at the same time I'm predicting a lot of the series to be close as well, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if a lot of my game totals ended up being right but with the wrong team on the winning side.
Every single series will be decided by one factor, the french factor.
Western Conference
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
With Luongo walling the net, Burrows shaping the Sedins into passable players, Lapierre getting under every Hawks' skin and with Jack Adams probable winner Alain Vigneault running things, this team is just too french for the Faucons Noirs de Chicago and half french player Jonathan Toews.
Canucks in 4 and a half (giving full credit to Toews, who prefers Jonathan to be pronounced in french)
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
Bernier in goal would make it a tight series but he isn't playing and the Kings are left frenchless to defend against Vlasic, worth twice his not-bloated-at-all 3.5 millions salary and Demers, a Raymond Bourque in the makings.
Sharks in 5, Bernier playing the Kings' only win.
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
The Red Wings have been frenchless for years now and yet they win. It’s got to be luck, but the Coyotes have Bélanger, a toothless 2-way player that is known for never losing a face-off. Because of that, Coyotes keep puck control and end up beating the Wings running out of luck.
Coyotes in 6
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
The Ducks saw the play-offs coming and rehired François Beauchemin in the hope of saving their season ; it has worked so far. Unfortunately for the very french Predators, their best players, the french ones, play-maker speedster extraordinaire Lombardi and rocky Bouillon, who led league Ds in hits before his injury, are out of the equation leaving aging but still potent Jean-Pierre Dumont to carry the team. He'll fight on like a true soldier but les Puissants Canards powered up by one of the league's most complete defenseman, will end up the victors.
Ducks in 7
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
With no french between the two, this is pretty much a toss-up.
Caps in 7 because the coach's name sounds french.
#1 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
Jason is likely to make Pominville's population grow a lot in this series in an attempt to honour the legendary French Connection who lost a member this winter. However, the Flyers with french superstars Brière and Giroux will prove to be too much for even the entire population of Pominville.
Flyers in 6
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
Bruins owning the league's best 2-way forward and definite Selke contender Patrice Bergeron will under french coach wonder Claude Julien narrowly defeat the Montreal CanadiAns, being less french than they've ever been in their 100 years history. I like Desharnais a lot though.
Bruins in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
As this series puts the 2 frenchest teams against each other from the start, this will be a war, likely one that will seal it for the Stanley Cup. This is so close, 7 games might not be enough.
Lightning in 8
Leading to :
Western Conference
#1 Canucks vs. #8 Hawks
With Luongo walling the net, Burrows shaping the Sedins into passable players, Lapierre getting under every Hawks' skin and with Jack Adams probable winner Alain Vigneault running things, this team is just too french for the Faucons Noirs de Chicago and half french player Jonathan Toews.
Canucks in 4 and a half (giving full credit to Toews, who prefers Jonathan to be pronounced in french)
#2 Sharks vs. #7 Kings
Bernier in goal would make it a tight series but he isn't playing and the Kings are left frenchless to defend against Vlasic, worth twice his not-bloated-at-all 3.5 millions salary and Demers, a Raymond Bourque in the makings.
Sharks in 5, Bernier playing the Kings' only win.
#3 Red Wings vs. #6 Coyotes
The Red Wings have been frenchless for years now and yet they win. It’s got to be luck, but the Coyotes have Bélanger, a toothless 2-way player that is known for never losing a face-off. Because of that, Coyotes keep puck control and end up beating the Wings running out of luck.
Coyotes in 6
#4 Ducks vs. #5 Predators
The Ducks saw the play-offs coming and rehired François Beauchemin in the hope of saving their season ; it has worked so far. Unfortunately for the very french Predators, their best players, the french ones, play-maker speedster extraordinaire Lombardi and rocky Bouillon, who led league Ds in hits before his injury, are out of the equation leaving aging but still potent Jean-Pierre Dumont to carry the team. He'll fight on like a true soldier but les Puissants Canards powered up by one of the league's most complete defenseman, will end up the victors.
Ducks in 7
Eastern Conference
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Rangers
With no french between the two, this is pretty much a toss-up.
Caps in 7 because the coach's name sounds french.
#1 Flyers vs. #7 Sabres
Jason is likely to make Pominville's population grow a lot in this series in an attempt to honour the legendary French Connection who lost a member this winter. However, the Flyers with french superstars Brière and Giroux will prove to be too much for even the entire population of Pominville.
Flyers in 6
#3 Bruins vs. #6 Habs
Bruins owning the league's best 2-way forward and definite Selke contender Patrice Bergeron will under french coach wonder Claude Julien narrowly defeat the Montreal CanadiAns, being less french than they've ever been in their 100 years history. I like Desharnais a lot though.
Bruins in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Lightning
As this series puts the 2 frenchest teams against each other from the start, this will be a war, likely one that will seal it for the Stanley Cup. This is so close, 7 games might not be enough.
Lightning in 8
Leading to :
I didn't realize bettman was planning on giving a handout to another ailing franchise this year.
Even French goalies aren't acceptable these days. Quebec used to swarm with amazing goalies, now I don't see so many. Hell, even Montreal has Price, whose ancestry is so Albertan it's scary (his grandparents are buried less than 100m away from my aunt and my dad knew his parents growing up!)
French factor is so not in this year, sorry man!
Even French goalies aren't acceptable these days. Quebec used to swarm with amazing goalies, now I don't see so many. Hell, even Montreal has Price, whose ancestry is so Albertan it's scary (his grandparents are buried less than 100m away from my aunt and my dad knew his parents growing up!)
French factor is so not in this year, sorry man!
2french4u
OK I predict now.
Also since most of you are gonna end up posting predictions anyway you may want to do NHL.com's contest since if you're like that autistic kid who predicted the basketball games last year-good you get a prize or something. I know we had a group last year done by skarm i think maybe we'll do one this year too anyway: http://playoffschallenge.nhl.com/
Anahiem Ducks 4 vs. Nashville Predators 2
This is a series I find to be very interesting because one team has maybe the best goalie in the conference(do not give me the Roberto Luongo crap look at the team in front of each of them and tell me that doesn't make up the statistical difference) while the other HAD one of the better goalies of the conference... and is now relying on some combination of Ray Emery and Dan Ellis. Dan Ellis, a specialist akin to doctors, needs to win in the playoffs to have money to feed his family but isn't a very good goaltender so...
If the Ducks can get decent goaltending they're a scarier team than I think many people realize. Perry, Getzlaf, Visnovsky, Selanne, and Ryan are more top tier offensive firepower than most teams in either conference have and with the re-addition of Beauchemin they have a pretty competent blueline, too. If they do not get decent goaltending, Nashville will win this in 5 or 6, as they're awfully improved themselves. Expect Perry vs. Weber shenanigans.
Detroit Red Wings 4 vs Phoenix Coyotes 2
I'm not as comfortable in this pick as I'd like to be as a resident of Michigan, but a lot of why the Coyotes nearly beat the Red Wings last year was that Bryzgalov was playing absolutely out of his mind and he's had a much more human year in 10-11. If the Wings lose this year, it'll be because of injuries -- Zetterberg not likely to play at first, Datsyuk recently back from an injury, Knonwall didn't play the last few games of the regular season -- but for all the talk of the Coyotes depth I wouldn't take their depth players over Detroit's(Modano, Helm, Abdelkader, etc.) so if it comes down to that I'm still expecting the Wings to at least get out of the first round.
San Jose Sharks 4 vs. Los Angeles Kings 1
I think in making this prediction I'm overestimating the impact Anze Kopitar -- as great and underrated by many people as he is -- would have had on the series, since with the Kings healthy I'd have considered this a 7 game toss-up. However, he is, in fact, not playing, and the Kings have been nearly as cold recently as the Sharks have been hot. The Kings' blue line will do everything they can to keep themselves alive but I just can't see it happening.
Vancouver Canucks 3 vs. Chicago Blackhawks 4
Yeah I went there too.
It'll be easier for the Canucks without Buff there but the Hawks are playing awfully good hockey -- they'd have easily finished in fourth if they'd not had such a bad first quarter due to Duncan Keith playing like 70 minutes a night or whatever -- and they have a hell of a psychological edge here. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Canucks exorcise these demons either, but I have a hard time predicting against Kane, Toews, and Keith when it counts. Unlike many of the Canucks, they've proven they're winners on big stages. And until proven otherwise I like to predict winners.
Washington Capitals 4 vs New York Rangers 2
I could describe my thoughts on this series with the following word: TERROR
As many of you know in spite of my aforementioned residence I'm a Caps fan first(because of Oates' stay there and then Ovechkin's), and this is a series I am significantly more troubled by than many of you might expect because the writing is so very on the wall for us to get our asses Halaked again. While it looked pretty stupid until like December when the Caps were choking up games left and right, their new approach to defensive competency should serve them well in the post season, but their track record against the Rangers this year may not.
Fun stats on season series this year: Nov 9 Caps 5-3, Dec 12 NYR 7-0, NYR 2-1(OT), Feb 25 NYR 6-0
Interesting matchup: Vastly superior team playing team that has shutout and blown them out twice(the most recent time being at home), matchup is there for the Rangers to steal this... but I don't think the Caps will let it happen again. Lundqvist to me is the league's MVP since the Rangers shouldn't even be in the playoffs without him, which isn't true of Thomas, Perry, or DSedin, but he's looked like he's tiring the past handful of games so I don't think he'll be able to pull this one out of his ass.
Philadelphia Flyers 3 vs Buffalo Sabres 4
In a matchup surprisingly good for the Sabres I'm going to go with one of my few round one upset picks. Much like the Predators' chances this hinges a lot on the Sabres starting goaltender's health, obviously, but the Flyers are floundering pretty hard and are reasonably beat up while the Sabres are surging... I think this could be interesting. If the Flyers win, it'll likely be on the back of Claude Giroux, who has powered his team through some of its mediocre spells this season. He'll be a star if people don't see him as one already.
Boston Bruins 4 vs Montreal Canadiens 0
Seriously, have the Canadiens done ANYTHING to prove I should predict anything other than the above this year? My favorite was when they were going to make a message after that whole cheap-shot-into-police-investigation-thing and then got glomped 7-0. Bruins are the better team and have a good track record against the Habs this year, they'll need a miracle the size of last year's just to get more than one game.
Pittsburgh Penguins 3 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 4
The Crosby factor being missing is big here, though there's a chance he'll show up. I suppose that's negated by the chance Steven Stamkos will show up from wherever he's been since January. I've been incredibly impressed by the Penguins this year and I kind of regret rooting against them already, since for a team I always thought was carried by Malkin and Crosby they've been spectacular without either of them, winning with the hardnosed defensive hockey that typically gets teams by in the playoffs. That said, someone has to score, and while Stamkos is scrubbing it up Lecavalier and St Louis will probably be able to power the Lightning through here.
Not adding commentary to the rest since it's a waste of time when I'm inevitably wrong in most of my predictions, but just to have something on the board:
San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks
Washington Capitals vs. Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals
This is a series I find to be very interesting because one team has maybe the best goalie in the conference(do not give me the Roberto Luongo crap look at the team in front of each of them and tell me that doesn't make up the statistical difference) while the other HAD one of the better goalies of the conference... and is now relying on some combination of Ray Emery and Dan Ellis. Dan Ellis, a specialist akin to doctors, needs to win in the playoffs to have money to feed his family but isn't a very good goaltender so...
If the Ducks can get decent goaltending they're a scarier team than I think many people realize. Perry, Getzlaf, Visnovsky, Selanne, and Ryan are more top tier offensive firepower than most teams in either conference have and with the re-addition of Beauchemin they have a pretty competent blueline, too. If they do not get decent goaltending, Nashville will win this in 5 or 6, as they're awfully improved themselves. Expect Perry vs. Weber shenanigans.
Detroit Red Wings 4 vs Phoenix Coyotes 2
I'm not as comfortable in this pick as I'd like to be as a resident of Michigan, but a lot of why the Coyotes nearly beat the Red Wings last year was that Bryzgalov was playing absolutely out of his mind and he's had a much more human year in 10-11. If the Wings lose this year, it'll be because of injuries -- Zetterberg not likely to play at first, Datsyuk recently back from an injury, Knonwall didn't play the last few games of the regular season -- but for all the talk of the Coyotes depth I wouldn't take their depth players over Detroit's(Modano, Helm, Abdelkader, etc.) so if it comes down to that I'm still expecting the Wings to at least get out of the first round.
San Jose Sharks 4 vs. Los Angeles Kings 1
I think in making this prediction I'm overestimating the impact Anze Kopitar -- as great and underrated by many people as he is -- would have had on the series, since with the Kings healthy I'd have considered this a 7 game toss-up. However, he is, in fact, not playing, and the Kings have been nearly as cold recently as the Sharks have been hot. The Kings' blue line will do everything they can to keep themselves alive but I just can't see it happening.
Vancouver Canucks 3 vs. Chicago Blackhawks 4
Yeah I went there too.
It'll be easier for the Canucks without Buff there but the Hawks are playing awfully good hockey -- they'd have easily finished in fourth if they'd not had such a bad first quarter due to Duncan Keith playing like 70 minutes a night or whatever -- and they have a hell of a psychological edge here. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Canucks exorcise these demons either, but I have a hard time predicting against Kane, Toews, and Keith when it counts. Unlike many of the Canucks, they've proven they're winners on big stages. And until proven otherwise I like to predict winners.
Washington Capitals 4 vs New York Rangers 2
I could describe my thoughts on this series with the following word: TERROR
As many of you know in spite of my aforementioned residence I'm a Caps fan first(because of Oates' stay there and then Ovechkin's), and this is a series I am significantly more troubled by than many of you might expect because the writing is so very on the wall for us to get our asses Halaked again. While it looked pretty stupid until like December when the Caps were choking up games left and right, their new approach to defensive competency should serve them well in the post season, but their track record against the Rangers this year may not.
Fun stats on season series this year: Nov 9 Caps 5-3, Dec 12 NYR 7-0, NYR 2-1(OT), Feb 25 NYR 6-0
Interesting matchup: Vastly superior team playing team that has shutout and blown them out twice(the most recent time being at home), matchup is there for the Rangers to steal this... but I don't think the Caps will let it happen again. Lundqvist to me is the league's MVP since the Rangers shouldn't even be in the playoffs without him, which isn't true of Thomas, Perry, or DSedin, but he's looked like he's tiring the past handful of games so I don't think he'll be able to pull this one out of his ass.
Philadelphia Flyers 3 vs Buffalo Sabres 4
In a matchup surprisingly good for the Sabres I'm going to go with one of my few round one upset picks. Much like the Predators' chances this hinges a lot on the Sabres starting goaltender's health, obviously, but the Flyers are floundering pretty hard and are reasonably beat up while the Sabres are surging... I think this could be interesting. If the Flyers win, it'll likely be on the back of Claude Giroux, who has powered his team through some of its mediocre spells this season. He'll be a star if people don't see him as one already.
Boston Bruins 4 vs Montreal Canadiens 0
Seriously, have the Canadiens done ANYTHING to prove I should predict anything other than the above this year? My favorite was when they were going to make a message after that whole cheap-shot-into-police-investigation-thing and then got glomped 7-0. Bruins are the better team and have a good track record against the Habs this year, they'll need a miracle the size of last year's just to get more than one game.
Pittsburgh Penguins 3 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 4
The Crosby factor being missing is big here, though there's a chance he'll show up. I suppose that's negated by the chance Steven Stamkos will show up from wherever he's been since January. I've been incredibly impressed by the Penguins this year and I kind of regret rooting against them already, since for a team I always thought was carried by Malkin and Crosby they've been spectacular without either of them, winning with the hardnosed defensive hockey that typically gets teams by in the playoffs. That said, someone has to score, and while Stamkos is scrubbing it up Lecavalier and St Louis will probably be able to power the Lightning through here.
Not adding commentary to the rest since it's a waste of time when I'm inevitably wrong in most of my predictions, but just to have something on the board:
San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks
Washington Capitals vs. Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals
Also since most of you are gonna end up posting predictions anyway you may want to do NHL.com's contest since if you're like that autistic kid who predicted the basketball games last year-good you get a prize or something. I know we had a group last year done by skarm i think maybe we'll do one this year too anyway: http://playoffschallenge.nhl.com/
Here go my (shitty) predictions!
BEASTERN CONFERENCE
#1
vs. #8
The Caps are an amazing team on paper, but there's a few mitigating factors that will work against them. They blow playoff series in ways that would make Sharks and Canucks fans proud, but the bigger issue (and the one that will work most against them) is that the Rangers have had their number nearly all season, outscoring the Caps 15-1 in their three wins against them. As much as it pains me to say this, I'm picking the Rangers to win in 6 games.
#2
vs. #7
The Sabres are red-hot coming into this series, while the Flyers slumped their way through the latter part of the season. Philly's depth is not to be ignored, however, and the Sabres are still a pretty young team. Add a Miller who may not be in top form following an injury, and I think this series will go to 7 games, with the Flyers barely squeaking by.
#3
vs. #6
Oh, man, this is going to be a fun series. Montreal will still remember Chara's thug hit on Pacioretty, and that will color a lot of the series. I'm expecting a lot of physical play and one-goal games, but I think les Habs aren't going to be able to keep up with Boston unless Price really steps up in net. Bruins in 5.
#4
vs. #5
The Lightning have probably the best first line in the conference, but their paper-thin defense is going to be a liability against a Penguins team that is not having trouble winning games even without Criesby and Malkin. Pens in 5.
LESSTERN CONFERENCE
#1
vs. #8
I was going to post a written prediction, but I felt it would be more appropriate to just post this instead. Hawks in 7.
#2
vs. #7
Los Angeles has probably the single best tandem in the NHL in net, but they're also missing two of their top scorers. The Sharks, on the other hand, have an equally good goalie in Niemi and all of their offensive tools available to them. Will San Jose choke yet again? Not in this round. Sharks in 5.
#3
vs. #6
It's a pity that these teams are facing off against each other in the first round, since they both have the depth to go to the finals. If Detroit doesn't get their act together, the Yotes will chip away and take the series. Either way, it'll be the most entertaining matchup of the first round. Coyotes in 7.
#4
vs. #5
Saying these teams have different styles is like saying that the Bible is an influential book. Defense is what wins championships, however, and the fact that they're going to a third-string goalie in Dan Ellis does not bode well for the Ducks. Predators in 6.
BEASTERN CONFERENCE
#1
The Caps are an amazing team on paper, but there's a few mitigating factors that will work against them. They blow playoff series in ways that would make Sharks and Canucks fans proud, but the bigger issue (and the one that will work most against them) is that the Rangers have had their number nearly all season, outscoring the Caps 15-1 in their three wins against them. As much as it pains me to say this, I'm picking the Rangers to win in 6 games.
#2
The Sabres are red-hot coming into this series, while the Flyers slumped their way through the latter part of the season. Philly's depth is not to be ignored, however, and the Sabres are still a pretty young team. Add a Miller who may not be in top form following an injury, and I think this series will go to 7 games, with the Flyers barely squeaking by.
#3
Oh, man, this is going to be a fun series. Montreal will still remember Chara's thug hit on Pacioretty, and that will color a lot of the series. I'm expecting a lot of physical play and one-goal games, but I think les Habs aren't going to be able to keep up with Boston unless Price really steps up in net. Bruins in 5.
#4
The Lightning have probably the best first line in the conference, but their paper-thin defense is going to be a liability against a Penguins team that is not having trouble winning games even without Criesby and Malkin. Pens in 5.
LESSTERN CONFERENCE
#1
I was going to post a written prediction, but I felt it would be more appropriate to just post this instead. Hawks in 7.
#2
Los Angeles has probably the single best tandem in the NHL in net, but they're also missing two of their top scorers. The Sharks, on the other hand, have an equally good goalie in Niemi and all of their offensive tools available to them. Will San Jose choke yet again? Not in this round. Sharks in 5.
#3
It's a pity that these teams are facing off against each other in the first round, since they both have the depth to go to the finals. If Detroit doesn't get their act together, the Yotes will chip away and take the series. Either way, it'll be the most entertaining matchup of the first round. Coyotes in 7.
#4
Saying these teams have different styles is like saying that the Bible is an influential book. Defense is what wins championships, however, and the fact that they're going to a third-string goalie in Dan Ellis does not bode well for the Ducks. Predators in 6.
This might actually be more accurate on both counts than I thought. The nucks are very much poised for the sweep and were not only dominant in the season but are mauling a team that would be competitive against any other team in the playoffs.
I have no issues with the nucks winning the cup, but their fans are about as obnoxious as they come (at least they are here in calgary). Our whole rivalry is because we HATE the stupid canucks fans. I can forsee the canucks winning this year and then, even if the flames won 1000 Stanley cups in a row while beating the nucks every game 10+-0, the nucks fans would STILL not shut their fucking mouths about winning the cup one time.
I hope someone buries these fuckers. GO HABS and GO NASHVILLE also the sharks deserve a cup for being that good for that long.
Looks like third time is indeed the charm for the Canucks, highly unlikely the Hawks can recover from 3-0. So much for a close series. Also am I the only one that thinks that Ryan was incredibly stupid for that stomping incident? I dunno if we was just trying to get the puck or if he actually meant to injure the other guy, but when you're a top-line player in the playoffs you shouldn't be getting yourself suspended for something like that (or at all really).
Also who'd have thought Montreal would be going back home up 2-0? I figured a split was likely but I wouldn't have guessed that they'd take both games in Boston. If we even win one at home we're in a great spot, and Boston hasn't beaten us in the Bell Center all year. Suddenly a repeat of last year's playoff push isn't looking quite so far-fetched. Go Habs!
Also who'd have thought Montreal would be going back home up 2-0? I figured a split was likely but I wouldn't have guessed that they'd take both games in Boston. If we even win one at home we're in a great spot, and Boston hasn't beaten us in the Bell Center all year. Suddenly a repeat of last year's playoff push isn't looking quite so far-fetched. Go Habs!
Go Nucks
TIK, I have so much to teach you...so much indeed.
The canucks are one of the least disciplined teams in the league. I'm not saying they take the most penalties, it's just that more often than it should their team throws a temper tantrum because things aren't going their way (ie they aren't pumping the net full of goals or Luongo is having an off night). They were WAY worse for this in the last few years, but if Chicago trolls them properly we might see a breakdown yet. It's how they vanquished them last year (or was it the year before?)
The canucks are one of the least disciplined teams in the league. I'm not saying they take the most penalties, it's just that more often than it should their team throws a temper tantrum because things aren't going their way (ie they aren't pumping the net full of goals or Luongo is having an off night). They were WAY worse for this in the last few years, but if Chicago trolls them properly we might see a breakdown yet. It's how they vanquished them last year (or was it the year before?)
Sigh, so much for 3-0. Nice to see the comeback attempt, but our whole strategy involves getting the lead and keeping it. Going down 3-0 halfway through the game is not conductive to that strategy at all. Hopefully in Game 4 we can grab the early lead and make sure that when we go back to Boston we have the chance to knock them out.
Wow Kunitz, nice elbow to the head!
Even though it's late (stupid down time), I still plan on putting up my predictions (I'm either getting boned or too soon to tell).
Even though it's late (stupid down time), I still plan on putting up my predictions (I'm either getting boned or too soon to tell).
Find me a team that doesn't have this strategy. LOL
Maybe the Flames.
