The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

I got a little tear in my eye seeing that awesome Quebec logo. Joe Sakic with a hatty in game 1. And was that Owen Nolan I saw? Sigh.

Yeah I remember back in the 90's NHL games my favorite teams to play as were always the Nordiques and Whalers, loved both those jerseys, wish Quebec could get a team back as the Nordiques, and as far as the Whalers wish they never would've moved to Carolina

We're pretty much a lock for elimination when it comes to round 1 in the playoffs (0 for 5), but I did hear an encouraging stat today: Rinne is 3-0 against the Ducks this year.

Yeah I think this is the year you finally get to the 2nd round, the Ducks are hot but I think the Preds are due.

[BlueNGold]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Capitals over Rangers in 4
Flyers over Sabres in 6
Bruins over Canadiens in 7
Lightning over Penguins in 6

Canucks over Blackhawks in 7
Kings over Sharks in 6
Red Wings over Coyotes in 5
Predators over Ducks in 6

Side note: I don't want to see Crosby coming back at all these playoffs. The last thing we need to see is.....

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/16Z7-XRPcrw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[SPTO]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Hockey will always be a niche sport. I think they've just accepted it. I don't like it, but it is what it is. I'm not gonna get all worked up about it.

It wasn't a niche sport in 1994....Hockey was at its highest profile ever in the US at the time what with the Rangers' quest for the cup and you factor in the impact that Gretzsky had to the sport when he went to LA a few years earlier and you had the foundation for what would've been a golden age for the NHL in the US.

Unfortunately, like almost every good thing that happens to the NHL they flush it all down the toilet with the lockout that killed all the momentum the league had going for it at the time. It didn't help that when the game came back it was guys like Jacque Lemaire who killed any kind of excitement the sport had built up for itself with the ushering in of the Dead Puck Era.

It's a shame really....

[slickdtc]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

We're pretty much a lock for elimination when it comes to round 1 in the playoffs (0 for 5), but I did hear an encouraging stat today: Rinne is 3-0 against the Ducks this year.

I feel badly for the Predators. It seems whoever they draw in the playoffs, they're one of the top teams. Red Wings, Blackhawks last year, this year the Ducks who we all know is a tough playoff squad. Ugh! However, they have their best chance this year with Rinne in net. I'll be rooting for them.

ESPN's LeBrun has the Flyers going down in 7 to the Sabres. Honestly, I couldn't argue with it. The March swoon has me feeling pretty lowly about our chances... and seeing all you mofo's pick us in 6 or 7 means only one thing: we're gonna lose!

I just hope we can flip the switch. We've been able to do it the last few years in the playoffs.

Just goes to show you that all year I had us pegged as Cup Finalists at least with how well we were playing. One big down month and all the sudden I'm scared we're gonna be one and done.

[slickdtc]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Philly vs. Buffalo: Buffalo in 5

I LOL'ed. I can feel ya, though...

[Blaze125]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Washington vs. New York: Washington in 6
Philidelphia vs. Buffalo: Buffalo in 7
Boston vs. Montreal: Boston in 6
Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay in 5

Vancouver vs. Chicago: Vancouver in 4
San Jose vs. Los Angeles: San Jose in 5
Detroit vs. Phoenix: Phoenix in 7
Anaheim vs. Nashville: Nashville in 6

[TSOLEliot]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

I LOL'ed. I can feel ya, though...

Guess I meant to say Buffalo in 4...
Philly has shown me nothing...they were bad even when Pronger was in the lineup the second half of this season...The d is falling down everywhere.
And the forwards make too many blind behind the back passes. I feel for Lavy- he's a good coach but I don't think they're listening to him. You know its bad when Zherdev and Carcillo are your gritty leaders.

Richards and Carter are non-existent except for bad penalties.
I do have a feeling that Briere will tear it up against his old team though.

Regardless, playoffs should be great as usual.....and no shootouts!!!

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Sounds like Philly and Detroit fans (or just me among the Wings fans, maybe?) are similar in their line of thought about their teams' chances.

[goh]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

I love hockey playoffs though I can never pay much attention to the regular season.

Canucks in 6.
Red Wings in 6.
Kings in 7 and the best first round series.
The Predators have only let me down and I hate the Ducks so I'm just not picking.

Rangers in 5,Lundqvist will be this years beastly playoff goalie.
Bruins in 4.
Flyers in 4.
Lightning in 7.

[SidVish]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Sounds like Philly and Detroit fans (or just me among the Wings fans, maybe?) are similar in their line of thought about their teams' chances.

I'm not too high on the Hawks getting out of the first round either.

[slickdtc]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

@ TSOLEliot, I can see where the "meh" approach comes to the team, but I've seen this team play so well in the playoffs the last 3 times they've made it (last big disappointment would have to be against BUF in '06 actually). Even when PIT dropped us in 6 games in the first round, I felt we still played damn well but Fleury stood on his head in Game 4. We took Game 5 and were up 3-0 in Game 6 before laying the egg and the whole Carcillo/Talbot fight thing.

I don't think a Richards/Giroux-led Flyers team is going to allow the team to continue to be so lackadaisical. The game is ramped up in the playoffs, it's like a completely different game. That means trends from the regular season do no apply. Though I love going in hot, I can totally see us righting this ship. We still have the same club that came out firing on all cylinders to begin the year. Gotta recapture that magic. Buffalo was a tough *** draw, though...

PHI fans still have that doomsday approach despite the Phillies and our Cup Finals run.

[skydog71]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

I think this is going to be a particularly brutal first round. In 5 of the 8 matchups, the teams split in the regular season... and in the other 3, the higher seeds (Rangers, Habs, Preds) have the regular season advantage. There's really no telling how these games are going to go.

[Dog]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Go Flyers <url>

[l3ulvl]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

Go Flyers <url>

I will also subscribe to this thread.
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[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk Thread

#1 Washington vs #8 New York

Michal Neuvirth is starting the series in net for the Caps. God only knows who finishes it. Wouldn't surprise me if this series followed 2009's Caps/Blueshirts storyline pretty closely.

Capitals over Rangers in 7

#2 Philadelphia vs #7 Buffalo

Sergei Bobrovsky is starting the series in net for the Flyers. God only knows who finishes it. I think way too many pundits are burying Philly here. I've watched every NHL postseason since 1981, and I think don't think how hot/cold you enter the playoffs has nearly the effect that most people think it does.

Flyers over Sabres in 6

#3 Boston vs #6 Montreal

Tim Thomas is starting this series for the Bruins. God only knows... just kidding. If it's a short series, Bruins all the way. If it's a long series...

Canadiens Over Bruins in 7

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Tampa Bay

Kudos to the Pens for overcoming the losses of Sid and Geno. I'm guessing it'll pay big dividends for them... next year.

Lightning over Penguins in 6

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#4 Anaheim vs #5 Nashville

I think the Ducks were mentally prepared to enter the playoffs as "the team that Vancouver, San Jose, and Detroit didn't want to face", and now all of a sudden they're the favourites against the perpetually no-name Preds (expertly coached by the perpetually no-neck Trotz). In theory, this is the best the Ducks could've hoped for. In practice, hmmm...

Predators over Ducks in 6

#3 Detroit vs #6 Phoenix

Here's my prediction for this series: if the NHL doesn't announce a done deal with Hulsizer et al to keep the team in Arizona by Monday night, then they're beginning the 2011/12 season as the Winnipeg Jets.

Red Wings over Coyotes in 6

#2 San Jose vs #7 Los Angeles

Famous last words, but... even the Sharks can't screw this one up.

Sharks over Kings in 5

#1 Vancouver vs #8 Chicago

Ugh. Forgive me a moment while I indulge in some whining.

As we all know, winning the Presidents' Trophy doesn't seem to do much other than raise false hopes, especially if you've never won a Cup before:

2000 Blues: won first Presidents' Trophy in team history. Lost in first round. Still no Cup.
2003 Senators: won first Presidents' Trophy in team history. Lost in conference final. Still no Cup.
2007 Sabres: won first Presidents' Trophy in team history. Lost in conference final. Still no Cup.
2009 Sharks: won first Presidents' Trophy in team history. Lost in first round. Still no Cup.
2010 Capitals: won first Presidents' Trophy in team history. Lost in first round. Still no Cup.

Not exactly encouraging.

After 40 loooonnnggg years, the Canucks finally put it all together with one of most (statistically, anyway) dominant regular seasons you'll ever see (most points, best home record, best road record, #1 in goals for, #1 in fewest goals allowed, #1 in PP, #3 in PK). And for that, their reward is... the unluckiest draw for any #1 regular season team in NHL history.

Think I'm exaggerating? Forget the fact that the Hawks are Freddy Krueger and the Canucks are the kids on Elm Street. Any of you know the last time the top team in the regular season had to play the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round of the playoffs? 1964. Nineteen sixty-four.

Going into Sunday, what are the odds that:

a.) Chicago, needing only a single point to make the playoffs (in which case they would've played San Jose or Anaheim), blows a second period lead to a team with nothing to play for, finally losing in regulation?

AND

b.) Dallas, now needing only a reg/OT win to make the playoffs (in which case they would've played Vancouver, who drilled the Stars during the regular season), ALSO blows a second period lead to team with nothing to play for (a crappy team, to boot), finally losing in regulation?

Given the stakes involved for Chicago and Dallas, what are the odds of this sequence of events occurring? 10 percent? 15-20, tops? So going into the last day of the season, the Canucks had an 80-90% chance of avoiding Chicago... and couldn't. Son of a bitch.

Okay, I'm almost done. The annoying thing is, the critics are right. The Hawks are not the same team they were last year. I don't think they're deep enough or healthy enough or motivated enough for a long playoff run. If the Hawks had upset the Sharks or Ducks, I would've picked the Canucks in a second-round matchup without hesitation.

The pressure here is thick, thick, thick. This team has never won anything. This team dominates sports talk radio in July and August, let alone during the season. No Canadian team has won a Cup since 1993. Fans expect a Cup, but are waiting, waiting for Luongo or the Sedins to crack so they can label them chokers. Everyone knows that if they lose to Chicago here, every story involving the Canucks from now on will be "Mentally weak. Can't win the big games." Detroit fans who remember the 91-96 era Wings know what I'm talking about.

Despite this, I see a long playoff run, maybe even a Cup, in the Canucks' near future. Just not this year.

Blackhawks over Canucks in 7