The Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Since we've got a couple of team-related threads floating about, I thought it would be nice to concentrate the discussion in one specific place.

How bout them Sabres, baby?!?

It's pretty weird how all of the top seeds came out of the East, and it looks like the bottoms seeds will win out in the West.

Thoughts? Predictions?

Like I've said before, though I hope my Sabres go all the way, my prediction still remains: Devils versus the Sharks in the final series.

So the Ducks beat the Flames, and shockingly, all of the lower seeds will come out of the West, while all of the higher seeds come out of the East.

Not into the sport mate but I love the commercials. Leary, Sutherland - spot on!

I can't believe I'm sayin this but...here she goes...Go Senators! Ottawa baby yeah!!!

Meh, when does training camp open? :p

A pretty good mix of teams going into this round. I think that we should get some quality hockey in this round of the series.

As for the Devils, well to me, they have to prove themselves in this upcoming series. If they dominate, then they'll have convined me that they are a powerhouse team.
If you watched the series against the Rangers, the Devils played really well and were spectacular on Defense. But if you break the games down, except for maybe two periods of the whole series, at even strength the Devils did NOT outplay the Rangers. And this is why I say that this round will tell if the Devils are that powerful.

I happen to like Buffalo. IMO a very solid and underated team.

I like the Sabres out of the east and while I like the Ducks as my darkhorse out of the west, I'm leaning towards the Oilers.


Don Cardi

You are a DISGRACE. Never ever cheer for the senators....ever. They are a bunch of arrogant kids who think they are the greatest team that has ever played hockey before. Screw them.

LETS GO BUFFALO!

I concur! I really figured we were going to lose last night and couldn't hang with the Sens, but our comeback has given me new hope!

Let's go BUFF-ALO!

Ok, only the first game, but did the Hurricanes make the Devils look like the team that I said that I thought they really are or what? They bitch slapped them for most of the game.

I don't know that the Devils were that great against the Rangers. I felt that the Rangers were that bad against the Devils.

And so far, in the first game of this series, it looks as though I may have been right.

But it's a long series, with a lot of hockey left to play, so we'll see.


Don Cardi

I concur! I really figured we were going to lose last night and couldn't hang with the Sens, but our comeback has given me new hope!

Let's go BUFF-ALO! [/b][/quote]Hey man the Sens are full of crap. Every year its the same shit, how they think they are gunna be such an amazing playoff team, but every year they always end in failure after such hype.

Too bad the leafs weren't available to end their hopes this year. Oh well, Buffalo will do it for sure, in 6. Mark my words. Briere is the man.

I'm rooting for Ottawa cuz I want the Cup to come home to Ontario. This year Ott. next year us! In any case, I do like and admire The Sabres so I hope the best team wins.

Kudos to the Sabres again for breaking up shooting lanes, making the most out of odd-man rushes, and frustrating the Senators with one of the best playoff goalie shows in recent memory to take a 2-0 lead in the series, on away ice no less.

BTW - Barry Melrose gives the Sabres no love. He says we can't take the physical pressure, that we break, Emery is the superb goaltender, etc.

I guess he wasn't watching this, or any other games this year, was he? :p :rolleyes:

LET'S GO BUFF-ALO!!!

Looks like my Oilers pick may be in trouble. But don't count them out yet. They lost two very close games here and both teams in this series have played well enough to win.
Oliers MUST win the next one or it's all over.

Buffalo.

Although the Devils played a much better game in game 2, I still think that they are not the team that everyone thinks that they are. Carolina, IMO is still the better team and it will be tough for the Devils to knock them off. Another MUST win for the home team in the next game of this series.

Watch out for those Mighty Ducks! Red Hot Goaltending!


Don Cardi

GO SABRES! 3-0 LEAD! w00t!

Carolina also spanked Brodeur yet again, and Edmonton managed to sneak away with a triple overtime victory over the Sharks, who I'm still picking to go all of the way out of the West.

OOOOO now that there will be a game 5 I hope Hasek will play just to get his ass kicked... Booooooo 39.

LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!

I'm pretty sure The Sabres will pull it out and win the series. The Sens without Hasek are like The Stones without Jagger.

Dominic "I pulled my groin 39 times to match my jersey number" Hasek

I can't believe the Senators signed him, hell, even the Sabres don't want him anymore... pompus jerk, he was wanted for arrest in an assult in the Czech Republic but that problem was "solved" so he could play on the Olympic hockey team...

Bastard even had his own clothing line when he played in Detroit

Still, he's a better Goalie than Emery or whoever they got minding the net. Sabres will most probably take the series.

Well New Jersey is still alive after a 5-1 victory, but overall Carolina will still probably take the series.

Man I was beginning to think that New Jersey was overrated, heck they might still be a little overrated.

They swept the Rangers and people were making a big deal out of it, and then wham they in turn almost get swept.

Well Since we know for sure it'll be Buffalo in the eastern conference finals. I'm hoping for a Carolina/Buffalo series.

And in the west I'm hoping for a San Jose/Anahiem series, with San Jose winning hopefully.

But San Jose is having a tough time with Edmonton as I figured they would.

GO SABRES!!!

[img]http://el-muerte.student.utwente.nl/lba/forum/image.php?u=376&dateline=1145551170[/img]

Well not to ruffle your feathers there Double J, but I'm rooting for Carolina to go to the Stanley Cup finals.

And I think they'll do it, but they will no doubt have a tough time against Buffalo. I'll admit Double J I didn't expect Buffalo to go this far, but they've impressed me.

I have two things to say, they are: GO OILERS! and...GO SABRES!

and I also said this about the Devils :


May be time for me to place some bets for this upcoming round!


Don Cardi

Go SABRES!

The only reason I'd like to see the Oilers go is that I'd love to watch us beat Michael Peca in the finals.

However, I'm weary since everyone around here is Cup Crazy and counting on us rolling over Carolina, which I don't think is going to be an easy task. True, we beat the number one seed, but still, I don't think Buffalonians (as we tend to do after years of anguish and suffering from our permanent inferiority from missed Super Bowl winning field goals and illegal Brett Hull game winning shots) should be so quick to be recording songs about winning the cup on local radio.

Oh well. Hopefully I'm totally wrong, and we kick ass.

GO SABRES!!!

What a great win for the Sabres tonight, who proved that even with their best 3 defensemen out of the playoffs, they still have the heart and energy to push this series to the brink!

DO YOU BELIEVE?!?!?!?!




GO SABRES!!!

GAME 7 THURSDAY!!!

LET'S GO BUFF-ALO!!!
[img]http://el-muerte.student.utwente.nl/lba/forum/image.php?u=376&dateline=1145551170[/img]

BTW - pretty surprising that the Hurricanes are doing so much bitching about the overtime penalty to Doug Weight (who claimed Pominville spun around so he would draw the call) when they got a weak call on J.P. Dumont in overtime of Game 5 that led to the overtime win by Carolina... :rolleyes:

Hopefully Edmonton can tie up the series and go on to win it. The injury to Roloson has hurt The Oilers but I think that Jussi Markonnen and Ty Conklin will step up and make the series interesting.

Go Oilers!

The poor ratings reflect the two teams in the Cup.

In one, we see a southern town that places hockey 5th or 6th, probably after poker and lawn bowling, and nobody is watching. Hell, they can barely sell out their arena (if at all).

Edmonton gets more attention, but is still a relatively small town.

I don't really care for either team in the finals. I don't like Michael Peca, the ex-Sabre, and I don't like Carolina because of Laviolette (as well as some other players). Although Carolina is complaining about the game-winner from Game 3, I think its moot considering that the referees *stole* the earlier goal away from Edmonton by blowing the whistle. Speaking of that, it seems like the referees (throughout the playoffs) have been terrible when it comes to blowing the whistle for loose pucks, and this is no different...the ref never blew the whistle (you can't hear it!) yet you can see him repeat "I blew my whistle!").

While it is a bit of sour grapes on my part not seeing Buffalo in the finals (who, I think everyone can agree with, would have been better for ratings and sales, just look at the series with Buffalo TV ratings nationally), but the NHL officiating still is terrible. And until they fix it, they will continue to be the fourth-class citizen of American sports, behind football, basketball, and MLB baseball/college basketball/football.

Huh, the Stanley Cup Finals are going on? :p

It seriously gets 0 attention. Between the World Cup, NBA Finals and even College Baseball, who knew? :p

I still think the NHL needs to a.) throw out some of the old guard refs (Koharski, Frasier) who refuse to use the new rules b.) improve the referees c.) get off OLN and NBC, because both of their coverages suck. If the NBC hockey is any indication, NBC football is going to be over-the-top schmooze...

Don't feel bad though - without the Buffalo ratings draw that has been created during the playoffs, nobody is watching these games, and Carolina can't even sell out their arena. Pretty sad.

IT STAYS IN THE SOUTH WHERE IT BELONGS

Because hockey was invented in the Southern US.... :rolleyes:

And I suppose if "where it belongs" is a town that can't even sell out its arena for playoff games, then I guess Carolina deserves it.