If anyone forgot, The puck drops tonight!

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:41 pm

Calgary is one tough SOB, boring Hockey but all the guys believe in the system of asphyxiation that coach Sutter preaches. Once the playoffs start I don't think Legace gets a fair shake but until he shows what he can do in the playoffs they can`t be clear cut, plus the age of the Wings will be a true test as the playoffs go on.

The Hurricanes of the West AKA Nashville will be the cinderella team in the playoffs and watch out for Dallas. If VAN gets all the injured players back, they have a chance but first things first: They better get into the playoff race.

In the East, Carolina is the favourite along Ottawa (especially if Hasek is back) but watch out for the Buffalos.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 11:23 am

"the age of the Wings will be a true test as the playoffs go on"

Ah the old "Wings are too old" comment again. I hear it every year yet they still keep winning, And they have actually gotten younger as a whole.

JackDiggity · Post by **JackDiggity** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 12:08 pm

laurenskye wrote:"the age of the Wings will be a true test as the playoffs go on"

Ah the old "Wings are too old" comment again. I hear it every year yet they still keep winning, And they have actually gotten younger as a whole.

I know. No one really talks about Datsyuk(27) or Zetterberg(25). They are both ranked in the top 20 in points. Pavel is also in the top 10 in assists. Zetterberg has 36 goals which puts him in the top 10 in goals.

And if you look at the +\- stats. You'll see 6 Wings in the top 30. Including Chelios.

The Wings have 5 players over 35. Shanahan is 37 and has 36 goals. He's a fossil!

Damn right I am a homer. But you still have to have skill to do what this team has done this season.

I know enough about the NHL not to talk s*** about winning a cup,but I give props were it is due. The Wings have had a very good season and have a solid future with the youngers players. If they get home ice throughout the playoffs it will be very interesting.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:04 pm

Great season indeed, but you can't fault the skeptics for having their doubts. There are only 4 teams in the entire NHL with less than 70 points, and 3 of them are in the Central Division. With the new scheduling format, and how many games you play against the division, that fact speaks volumes about the Wings overall record.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 3:34 pm

Sully wrote:Great season indeed, but you can't fault the skeptics for having their doubts. There are only 4 teams in the entire NHL with less than 70 points, and 3 of them are in the Central Division. With the new scheduling format, and how many games you play against the division, that fact speaks volumes about the Wings overall record.

I'll also believe the Wings when I see it in the playoffs. Their division is a joke.

Winning the regular season isn't the best barometer of playoff success, either. The President's Trophy winner has won the Stanley Cup only six times since 1986: Detroit (2002), Colorado (2001), Dallas (1999), Rangers (1994), Calgary (1989), Edmonton (1987).

I'll be the first to tip my cap to the Wings if they win the Cup. But I stand by my pick of Calgary. When the Wings have to start playing a quality opponent every other night for two consecutive months, like teams in the Northwest, Northeast and Pacific divisions basically have been doing all season, then we'll see really how good they are.

Take care,
PK

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 3:51 pm

I made a mistake, there are 5 teams with less than 70 points...

JackDiggity · Post by **JackDiggity** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:18 pm

Haters!

I am a happy fan. I paid for Center Ice and watched my team have a great year. As far as I am concerned they did pretty well against those teams out west.

12-5-2 vs NW
13-5-1 vs PAC

2-2 vs The Flames.

Calgary is 9-8-3 vs The weak ass Central.
Colorado 10-7-2 vs the shitty Central.
Dallas on the other hand kicked the s*** out of the Central.

That's about all the s*** talking I am going to do. Like I said before,I know how heartbreaking the NHL playoffs can be.

Bring on the Playoffs!!

Hope all your teams make it. I know mine will.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:33 pm

JackDiggity wrote:Hope all your teams make it. I know mine will.

Mine already would have clinched a spot, too -- if it played in the Central.

Take care,
PK

JackDiggity · Post by **JackDiggity** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:52 pm

pk500 wrote:
JackDiggity wrote:Hope all your teams make it. I know mine will.
Mine already would have clinched a spot, too -- if it played in the Central.

Take care,
PK

PS. I hope you all are doing well. I'll give you a call when I get back home next week.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 8:21 pm

home ice throughout and only a week to go! bring on the playoffs and let the smack talk begin!

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:32 pm

pk500 wrote:
JackDiggity wrote:Hope all your teams make it. I know mine will.
Mine already would have clinched a spot, too -- if it played in the Central.

Take care,
PK

Tough loss for the Oilers tonight against a central division team!

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 11:10 pm

The amaizing race for the final spot in the Western conference is on. A big upset tonight with the Oils loss against the Blues favours my Canucks as we have 2 key games vs the Sharks coming up. The Blues retired Al McInnis number 2, Mr nice guy had one BIG slapper but was forced to retire earlier in his career due to his back problems. A class act guy.

Wings are going to win the President's Cup for most wins and points but I agree with PK and Sully, that division is soft to say the least. But they are a good team, their true test is in the playoffs, and we'll see how the Legace-Osgood tandem performs during the playoffs.

It's going to come down to the last game here folks to figure who'll face who in the playoffs.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:08 am

tjung0831 wrote:
pk500 wrote:
JackDiggity wrote:Hope all your teams make it. I know mine will.
Mine already would have clinched a spot, too -- if it played in the Central.

Take care,
PK
Tough loss for the Oilers tonight against a central division team!

No doubt, Tim. A killer. And that's one of the Oilers' problems: They have a horrible record against teams that are currently out of the playoffs. TSN recited the figure during the Oilers-Hawks game Friday night, and I can't remember it. But it's way below .500.

A playoff team should be MUCH better than that.

My nerves are fraying by the minute over this playoff race.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:18 am

pk500 wrote:
tjung0831 wrote:
pk500 wrote: Mine already would have clinched a spot, too -- if it played in the Central.

Take care,
PK
Tough loss for the Oilers tonight against a central division team!
No doubt, Tim. A killer. And that's one of the Oilers' problems: They have a horrible record against teams that are currently out of the playoffs. TSN recited the figure during the Oilers-Hawks game Friday night, and I can't remember it. But it's way below .500.

A playoff team should be MUCH better than that.

My nerves are fraying by the minute over this playoff race.

Take care,
PK

Great ceremony for #2 Al MacInnis last night as he becomes the 5th Blues player to have his jeresey retired, joining Bob Gassoff, Barclay Plager, Brian Sutter, and Bernie Federko. Hull's #16 will be retired next year and he was actually in attendence last night and got a huge ovation when introduced. I also thought it was pretty ironic that two of the toughest guys to ever wear the Bluenote, Kelly Chase and Tony Twist, were crying like babies while Al was giving his speech!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:24 am

The Oilers coach, Craig MacTavish, was interviewed about playing against MacInnis for a newspaper story that appeared in the Edmonton papers Sunday. MacTavish, arguably the best shot blocker among forwards in the NHL during his career, joked that a few times when he blocked a MacInnis laser slapper off his shinpads, the puck caromed all the way down to the other end of the ice.

I know Brett Hull had an unbelievable one-timer, but still the most fearsome shot I've seen in my 30-plus years of watching hockey was a slapper by MacInnis from the point. Kelly Hrudey even has admitted during his "Behind the Mask" segment on "Hockey Night in Canada" that he flinched and ducked while trying to stop a number of high slappers by Big Al during his career.

Can you imagine what MacInnis' shot would be like today with composite sticks? I think he might tickle 110 mph on the radar. Pronger's shot jumped from 98 to 103 this season, just because of the new composite stick he's using.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:26 pm

pk, if it makes you feel any better, Canucks lost all 4 games vs the Blues this year. Talk about being incosistent against a weaker team. Ditto for other sub par .500 teams. Sure we had a share of key injuries this year, but this has been such a frustrating year for Vancouver fans. They win like 19 out 20 games vs the Eastern teams which include the likes of Ottawa, Philly and NYC and they have a horrible record vs the weaker Western teams.

How do you explain that. And I mention the Blues, because not only did we lose all 4 games to them, but by a margin of 3-4 goals. It was embarrasing. That's 8 KEY points that the team desperately needs in order to be in the playoffs.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:49 pm

Thanks, 10s, but it doesn't make me feel any better. This is going to be a weak soaked with Maalox for me.

Take care,
PK

JackDiggity · Post by **JackDiggity** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:47 pm

pk500 wrote:Thanks, 10s, but it doesn't make me feel any better. This is going to be a weak soaked with Maalox for me.

Take care,
PK

I really hope your boys pull it off. Good luck with the old farts at the Joe tuesday night.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:55 pm

pk500 wrote:Thanks, 10s, but it doesn't make me feel any better. This is going to be a weak soaked with Maalox for me.

Take care,
PK

Hell, I can't even spell properly due to my anxiety over the Oil. That should have been <b>week</b> soaked with Maalox, not weak.

Take care,
PK

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:34 pm

All the Leafs (81 pts., 5GR) pretty much have to do is win all of their games and Tampa Bay (87 pts.. 4GR) lose all but one. That's it.

5W = 91 PTS
4W = 89
3W, 1SOL = 88

OR Leafs win four, TB lose all OR Leafs win three, lose one in OT/SOL and TB lose all, and maybe a couple of configurations. Sad.

I doubt it's going to happen, but at least it makes for an interesting last week (well, unless they lose a couple straight).

Their schedule (opp. have a combined W% of 0.482):

TUE - FLA (out of playoffs)
THU - @ NYI (out of playoffs)
SAT - OTT (1st seed in playoffs)
SUN - @ BUF (4th seed in playoffs, 3rd in conference in points)
TUE - PIT (last in league).

I can see them beating Florida, NYI, and Pittsburgh, but that's only three out of five. Ottawa's been pretty impenetrable against Toronto, and the Buffalo game is in Buffalo, so that's pretty harsh as well.

Toronto going 3/5 = very possible. Going 4/5 = not very likely at all.

Toronto going 4/5 and Tampa Bay going 1/4 = damn near impossible.

Tampa Bay's schedule (opp. have a combined W% of 0.493) consists of Atlanta (9th in conf.), then two games against Carolina (tied for 1st in conf.), and they finish it up against Washington (14th in conf.). The playoffs are definitely Tampa Bay's to lose, as they need to only win their favoured games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, or capture three points out of a possible eight.

At least it keeps me watching hockey for another week.

I guess I'll keep an update on the permutations after Tuesday night's game, haha.

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 8:18 pm

While their season has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, it's nice to see my boys playing arguably their best hockey of the season down the stretch.

Last night's game against the Rangers really had a playoff atmosphere and as the Devils are finally on the verge of securing their spot, I'm getting psyched for the return of the SCP.

Good luck to all of your teams who are either in or on the bubble as the sports' biggest stage approaches.

-G7

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:03 pm

I don't know if it's much of a surprise but Luc Robitaille will retire at the end of the season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/stor ... NHeadlines

It's been a thrill to watch him all these years.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:31 pm

anyone see ovechkin get PIED? sucker.

anyway...the kings went to HELL this year...

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:30 am

Airdog, as I was checking out of the Westin hotel in Toronto, the Panthers were checking in for their game vs the Leafs on tuesday. Sharp looking guys, polite, all dressed up.

No matter which way you're looking at it, The Leafs are all but done for the season, although like you say they are mathematically speaking still alive.

Anaheim beats Vancouver and here we are fighting for our lives once again. The 8th spot is going to be between VAN and EDM.

With the playoffs coming, it's always the goalie that carries a team forward and the way J.S. Giguere played, I would watch out for those Mighty Ducks. He's got playoff experience and of course they went all the way to the finals a couple of years ago.

NAS's goalie got a bad bread as T. Vokoun is out for the season.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:29 am

Sudz wrote:anyone see ovechkin get PIED? sucker.

anyway...the kings went to HELL this year...

No s*** on the Kings. What a great move that was to fire Andy Murray and bring in that guy, you know the guy who was with err ,erm come on you know.
I think JR is already playing 18 a day, and thats probly the real reason for signing with LA the plethora of golf courses at hand.

Come on you Ducks.

"We love LA".... My arse.