NHL 08 Playoffs

rubba19 · Post by **rubba19** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:47 am

Feanor wrote:http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/rulebook/rule18.html

When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player's Team has secured possession of the puck; if the player's Team is in possession of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his Team is in a scoring position.

(NOTE) In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesman may stop the play immediately.
It was obvious that Thoresen had sustained a serious injury but since the NHL used the word "may" instead of "shall", the refs can do whatever they want. If that was Ovechkin down on the ice in agony, I think the whistle blows immediately.

Thoresen's lucky that the Caps scored pretty quickly after his injury. They could have been passing the puck around for another minute or more while he was down hurt. Actually, the NHL is pretty lucky, too.

I was at the game, too.

I can agree on all points. My guess on the "obvious" is a visible cue of blood, broken leg, etc...Volchenkov of Ottawa was in a similar predicament in their game 1 and it took a great save by Gerber to stop a goal then, too.

Also, Brad Watson was the ref. He's garbage.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:59 am

rubba19 wrote: I can agree on all points. My guess on the "obvious" is a visible cue of blood, broken leg, etc...Volchenkov of Ottawa was in a similar predicament in their game 1 and it took a great save by Gerber to stop a goal then, too.

Also, Brad Watson was the ref. He's garbage.

Indeed. The only way refs are going to give someone the slighest benefit of a doubt during the playoffs is if you see someone bursting blood all over the place. At this time of the year, you'll see players diving east, west, north and south just to block a shot, especially while penalty killing and unfortunate incidents happen. Volchenkov got a puck right up to his head actually and I was surprised to see him in game two. Hope Thoresen heals soon.

Yeah, the ANA-DAL game will be physical no doubt, the only problem though, those Ducks can't afford to parade into the sin box too often as the opponent will make them pay as in game one. They were too many dumb, stupid penalties they could have avoided, these are the playoffs, got to suck it up, but then again, I don't feel too sorry for ANA.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:54 am

what bugged me was that Huet acted like he was shot right before that and got a whistle....then this guy got hit and no whistle...

they should have blown the whistle when malkin hit that guy in the head.

(gerber embellished that save)

oh...and caps fans are the most annoying in the league....even more than hurricanes fans.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:59 pm

Aside from that Thoresen play, the Flyers demonstrated exactly why they're incapable of making a long playoff run. Their third period performance was awful, pinned in their own end the whole period. They have simply been unable to finish games all season.

Up until the 3rd everything was going exactly to plan I think. They survived the predictable early onslaught, and despite being one of the worst 1st period teams in the league they got out 1-1. Then they dominated the 2nd and opened up a 2 goal lead. You knew the first 5 minutes of the third was going to be important, and the Flyers fell flat again giving up 2 goals in the first 6, making the rest of the period turn into bedlam.

Sudz wrote:oh...and caps fans are the most annoying in the league....even more than hurricanes fans.

The fans were definitely very loud and pumped for the first Caps playoff game in several years, but then there was a lot of strange behavior in my opinion too. There was maybe one "Let's go Caps" chants or anything of the sort, but several "Flyers Suck" chants. I mean I understand those kinds chants from time to time, but it's not like the Flyers and Caps have any sort of rivalry over the years. Seemed kind of forced.

Also a lot of fairweathers there, which isn't at all surprising. 95% of the jersey there were Ovechkin jerseys from this season, as normally you would expect some distribution among players and older looks. Let's say it didn't surprise me when during the first line change 35 seconds into the game the guy sitting next to asked me "why did they change players so quickly?"

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:30 pm

Naples.
I thought Ovechkin just made an unbelievable play on that goal, first he reads and breaks up the pass which deflects to a flyer and still at top speed he changes directions lifts the stick of the defender and undresses the goalie all without breaking a stride, simply amazing. He was possessed in the 3rd.

PK.
Your right about Ducks Stars, the Ducks thought that being the current holders of Lord Stanley that it was their right just to be there.
Dallas were focused and ready and out Ducked them for sure and Aneheim just forgot what it takes to get anywhere in the playoffs.

I can hear Pronger sharpening his elbows as we speak, he needs to get suspended for a few hits again if they expect to get out of this series.
Dallas seem to be playing like the Ducks did last year .
Ducks better bring it today or they are done.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:52 pm

Jimmydeicide wrote:Naples.
I thought Ovechkin just made an unbelievable play on that goal, first he reads and breaks up the pass which deflects to a flyer and still at top speed he changes directions lifts the stick of the defender and undresses the goalie all without breaking a stride, simply amazing. He was possessed in the 3rd.

I disagree. Reads the play? I've seen this replay about 5 times now and Ovechkin was practically standing still when Kukkonen passed the puck straight at him--nowhere near top speed. That first pass was quite simply an unforced error as the puck carrier was not under pressure and passed it a player with Ovechkin already standing there.

Second, getting your sticklifted from behind in front of your own net should NEVER happen, whether it's Wayne Gretzky, Ovechkin, or Donald Brashear in pursuit. It's just an inexcusable breakdown and all the defensemen needs to do is make a routine play and Ovechkin never touches the puck at all.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:54 pm

Hell yeah, why would team that hasn't been in the playoffs for five or six years ever get newly excited fans to show up to games in the playoffs? What a strange phenomenon.

And why would a team that made an entirely unprecedented comeback to make the playoffs from a horrible W-L record in the fall, and who put together a huge public relations campaign to get everyone in the arena to wear red during the playoff push of the last six weeks, ever expect to sell any new jerseys at all, especially since those jerseys are in a color scheme that goes back to the first 25 or so years of the franchise?

And why would those jersey sales be even slightly slanted towards the greatest player the team has ever had, who scored the most goals in the NHL this season, the most ever for a Capitals player, and who just signed a 13 year contract to stay in the town that arguably has never had a true offensive star? What a bunch of ass-holes those Caps fans are. What a disaster for the league.

It's really too bad the NHL couldn't just keep the Caps where they belong: out of the playoffs and out of the public mind. Or at least if they couldn't keep them out of the playoffs, they could do more to keep the arena empty so that the away fans could dominate, as they rightly should. C'mon Bettman, get your act together! That Leonsis guy is the worst thing that ever happened to Hockey in the city that's only supposed to be a football town. What a jerk!

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:00 pm

Zeppo wrote:Hell yeah, why would team that hasn't been in the playoffs for five or six years ever get newly excited fans to show up to games in the playoffs? What a strange phenomenon.

And why would a team that made an entirely unprecedented comeback to make the playoffs from a horrible W-L record in the fall, and who put together a huge public relations campaign to get everyone in the arena to wear red during the playoff push of the last six weeks, ever expect to sell any new jerseys at all, especially since those jerseys are in a color scheme that goes back to the first 25 or so years of the franchise?

And why would those jersey sales be even slightly slanted towards the greatest player the team has ever had, who scored the most goals in the NHL this season, the most ever for a Capitals player, and who just signed a 13 year contract to stay in the town that arguably has never had a true offensive star? What a bunch of ass-holes those Caps fans are. What a disaster for the league.

It's really too bad the NHL couldn't just keep the Caps where they belong: out of the playoffs and out of the public mind. Or at least if they couldn't keep them out of the playoffs, they could do more to keep the arena empty so that the away fans could dominate, as they rightly should. C'mon Bettman, get your act together! That Leonsis guy is the worst thing that ever happened to Hockey in the city that's only supposed to be a football town. What a jerk!

Did I say they were assholes? I just said there were a lot of fair-weathers there and stated what led to me that conclusion. It happens in most cities, and is not surprising or wrong. But it is what it is.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:09 pm

Naples39 wrote: Did I say they were assholes? I just said there were a lot of fair-weathers there and stated what led to me that conclusion. It happens in most cities, and is not surprising or wrong. But it is what it is.

No. More directed at sudz than you, really. Just frustrated after many years of unbelievable suckage preceded by a long stretch of being a very good team without a lot of stars and getting knocked out of the playoffs in a lot of multiple OT game-7s (many of them at home, too). Lots of bad, bad luck.

I haven't really been paying attention for the last several years, either, and I used to go to the Garden at least twice a year to get laughed at by 'hardcore' Rangers fans just because I liked the 'Crapitals.' The strike didn't help, either, nor the fire-sale the team had previous to it. I don't know if anyone but ol' Abe liked the blue and gold color scheme, either, and considering how much of a different kind of player Ovechkin is than any we've ever had, it's not too surprising that his jerseys lead the sales.

EDIT: I guess what I am saying is that, yes, it's not surprising that a lot of people in DC don't really know the game or the team. But after the strike, I think most NHL fans in general should be happy that a town like DC is starting to embrace a team for the right reasons instead of having a half-full arena in the playoffs. Sure, they might not all be knowledgeable puckheads, but there are a lot in that area. Having a town get behind a team the way it has happened in the last couple of months should be good for the game as a whole, especially after the disaster that was the lockout.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:25 pm

Naples39 wrote:
Jimmydeicide wrote:Naples.
I thought Ovechkin just made an unbelievable play on that goal, first he reads and breaks up the pass which deflects to a flyer and still at top speed he changes directions lifts the stick of the defender and undresses the goalie all without breaking a stride, simply amazing. He was possessed in the 3rd.
I disagree. Reads the play? I've seen this replay about 5 times now and Ovechkin was practically standing still when Kukkonen passed the puck straight at him--nowhere near top speed. That first pass was quite simply an unforced error as the puck carrier was not under pressure and passed it a player with Ovechkin already standing there.

Second, getting your sticklifted from behind in front of your own net should NEVER happen, whether it's Wayne Gretzky, Ovechkin, or Donald Brashear in pursuit. It's just an inexcusable breakdown and all the defensemen needs to do is make a routine play and Ovechkin never touches the puck at all.

So your just mad at your Dmen ? But still Ovechkin made an unbelievable play and it all happened so fast the guy who has his stick lifted didnt realy have time to know what happened with the errant pass Ovechkin reacted so quickly.
Made even more impressive from a standing start then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUju4IIcVcI
Lets go to the jury.
"Bitter man party of 1"

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:16 pm

I'm with Zeppo on this one. The NHL -- and its fans -- are in no position to judge whether fans are fair-weather or not. This league, this sport, needs fans in any way, shape or form they can get them, especially in big U.S. markets.

Even if only half of the fans riding the Capswagon return to the building next fall, it will be a victory for hockey in D.C.

I have no problem with it whatsoever.

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:36 pm

Jimmydeicide wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUju4IIcVcI
Lets go to the jury.
"Bitter man party of 1"

From the Caps announcers:
"if you're careless with the puck this is what happens..."
"bad pass out of the zone"
"that's gonna cost [the flyers] in a big way, you give a soft pass like Kukkonen did and you're gonna be sitting on the bench"

Sounds like the Caps announcers even agree with me about the Flyers defensemen blowing it, though obviously someone has to put the puck in the net.

Either way, you are right--I am bitter!!

I need to take a timeout from posting about the Flyers. Apologies.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:08 pm

i went to caps games in 1988...they were annoying then...

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:32 am

The Stanley Cup toaster got fired up Saturday:

Ducks: Browned
Preds: Crispy
Bruins: Black around the edges

All three teams are toast!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:57 am

Man, it must be nerve-wracking to be a Wings' fan and watch Hasek. For every great save he made Saturday against Nashville, he had almost an equal amount of howlers.

Do you Wings' fans trust him over the long haul into June?

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:38 am

Although the Ducks played much better than game one, these are the reasons they are down 0-2 in the series. M. Turco is outplaying Giguere by a mile, the supposedly strong ANA D-men are not playing well, many are just caught napping, I've seen S. Niedermayer getting caught several times while pinching in, and they can't seem to score, they have a case of Canucks-itis, although they have players that should put it in the net more often. Gotta cut down on the dumb penalties.

By far the biggest surprise with the so called 'home ice advantage'. I still wouldn't write them off just yet.

What a shot by A.Kovalev to finish the game in OT.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:30 pm

pk500 wrote:The Stanley Cup toaster got fired up Saturday:

Ducks: Browned
Preds: Crispy
Bruins: Black around the edges

All three teams are toast!

Take care,
PK

told you Boston was a fraud....

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:57 pm

Flyers even the series! Coming back to Philly.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:59 pm

Sudz wrote:
pk500 wrote:The Stanley Cup toaster got fired up Saturday:

Ducks: Browned
Preds: Crispy
Bruins: Black around the edges

All three teams are toast!

Take care,
PK
told you Boston was a fraud....

I should have done a bit more research, Sudz: The Bruins were 0-8 against the Habs during the regular season!

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:54 pm

Amazing what a bone, crushing hit can do to a team as C. Sarich proved to his teammates by nailing SJ's captain P. Marleau to the boards. Best hit of the playoffs by far, and they are up now 2-1 in the series. This is one fun series to watch, it'll go to the end.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:07 pm

Sarich's hit on Marleau last night pretty much sums up this series. Calgary is bringing the intensity to San Jose's star players, and they can't cope.

That was a GREAT, clean hit.

It also seems that Brian Campbell is an excellent fit for the Sharks in more ways than one, because he's a star who is disappearing in the clutch.

Where the hell has he been in this series? And Joe Thornton? Further reinforcing his reputation as a guy who lights it up during the regular season and is invisible when it counts. Gutless.

Did you see that glazed-over look in Thornton's eyes when the CBC did a close-up late in the game when the score was 3-3? The lights were on, but no one was home. If they showed the same shot of Iginla at the same time, his eyes would have been an inferno of intensity. Same with Nolan, Regehr or Phaneuf.

It's time for people to stop apologizing for Thornton or dancing around this fact: Joe Thornton is a very gifted player with a large frame who also is a very soft player -- mentally and physically -- with a large frame. There's simply no other way to slice it.

I hate Calgary, but that team has some grit, some steel, some sack. San Jose has little to none.

What player in the San Jose room is going to pick up the team after this devastating loss? Thornton? Marleau? Campbell? Grier? Forget it. JR is about the only guy in that room who will scream at the guilty and motivate.

The Sharks are becoming the 1990s Atlanta Braves of the NHL.

Take care,
PK

rubba19 · Post by **rubba19** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:31 pm

Diablo25 wrote:Flyers even the series! Coming back to Philly.

Played the perfect road playoff game.....made all the adjustments and now we will see if the Caps can match.

Sorry for the reply to some old posts here, but to Naples - the "Flyers suck" thing is also given the the Pens and especially the Rangers. That and the "You suck, ref" thing....bush league, but...

I am one of those Ovechkin jersey-wearing guys (only other options at the start of the season was Brash, Clark, Kolzig, and Semin).

My wife and I got season tickets this year, mostly do to the fact that they were just about 2 for 1 and we are fans of the sport (I grew up a Wings fan and she a Blues fan.) Although the Caps sucked majorly in the beginning and barely 12,000 came to watch, it was fun and AO was worth the price of admission just about every night. Then the got good down the stretch and the place went nuts and the bandwagoners came. Good for the Caps, they needed this.

But, I won't bring my kids to any of these playoff games - the place is beyond fan-friendly in my general area. Jesus, they threw out 3 guys right after the puck dropped Friday. These were my first playoff games live in 30+ years of watching the NHL. No idea it was like this. Maybe it's an East Coast thing...I dont' know. I'm not from here.

I'll root for the Caps, but I have no animosity for the Flyers. Everyone is singing Richards' praises and he had a strong game, but Jeff Carter to me has been maybe their best overall player in both games.

Hoping for a good series.

rubba19 · Post by **rubba19** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:35 pm

pk500 wrote:Sarich's hit on Marleau last night pretty much sums up this series. Calgary is bringing the intensity to San Jose's star players, and they can't cope.

That was a GREAT, clean hit.

It also seems that Brian Campbell is an excellent fit for the Sharks in more ways than one, because he's a star who is disappearing in the clutch.

Where the hell has he been in this series? And Joe Thornton? Further reinforcing his reputation as a guy who lights it up during the regular season and is invisible when it counts. Gutless.

Did you see that glazed-over look in Thornton's eyes when the CBC did a close-up late in the game when the score was 3-3? The lights were on, but no one was home. If they showed the same shot of Iginla at the same time, his eyes would have been an inferno of intensity. Same with Nolan, Regehr or Phaneuf.

It's time for people to stop apologizing for Thornton or dancing around this fact: Joe Thornton is a very gifted player with a large frame who also is a very soft player -- mentally and physically -- with a large frame. There's simply no other way to slice it.

I hate Calgary, but that team has some grit, some steel, some sack. San Jose has little to none.

What player in the San Jose room is going to pick up the team after this devastating loss? Thornton? Marleau? Campbell? Grier? Forget it. JR is about the only guy in that room who will scream at the guilty and motivate.

The Sharks are becoming the 1990s Atlanta Braves of the NHL.

Take care,
PK

Look who leads the Flames...Iginla and Phaneuf. Not exactly Charmin-squeezable. But as much as I like to bash the guy, Keenan pulling Kipper may win the series for them. No way Sutter or Playfair do that.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:52 pm

Rubba, I'm done worrying about the behavior of other fans. The building is loud and sold-out, which is all that really matters. Besides, if you think the 'ref you suck' chant is bush league I suggest you don't go to a Flyers game where they use the more profane version.

Flyers did execute the gameplan perfectly in game 2. They survived the early push by the Caps thanks to some great play from Biron, got an early goal, and dominated the 2nd period. By the time the third period rolled around the Caps and their fans were sufficiently frustrated. If I'm a Caps fan, I'd be blaming their PP, which has been subpar all season and went 0-6 yesterday (and 0-4 in first I think).

Will be interesting to see how the games play out in Philly, and specifically if they remain Caps starting out fast, and Flyers controlling second with the 3rd period up for grabs.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:33 pm

Wow! D. Nonis fired from Canucks management. I have mixed emotions about this one. He did inherent a team led by former GM B. Burke, he stole the deal of the century by trading T. Bertuzzi for R. Luongo by failed to get some help upfront this season and last. I guess mediocrity is not accepted here in VAN and at best we were just that with a few exceptions.

That's what I like living in a Hockey crazed city like Vancouver, even though when there's no playoff for this team, there's plenty of Hockey to talk about for other reasons

.