Sydney Crosby for the penguins has got to be the worst player ever in the history of the NHL. He really bugs me alot. And the GIRLY name doesn't help.

I'm really not sure if I should take this seriously or not....

Crosby is one of the best players in the entire NHL right now. And he will be an elite player for most of his career unless he gets a bad injury.

Why don't you like him?

And if you want players that are annoying try Steve Ott, Jarko Ruutu, Sean Avery or Clutterbuck. Those guys are annoying.

You are seriuosly under my skin do you know that? Crosby sucks @$$
Ima FLYERS FAN AND ILL DIE THAT WAY

OH NO!

I'd better look out.

Dont' worry, I'm not a Penguins fan or anything. I just recognize a good player when he's a good player.

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

crosby is a good player, but in all honesty he's a b****. he's annoying and can't take hits. I wouldn't call him elite though, he isn't that good

that's the same sort of thing people said about Gretzky when he was playing. He couldn't take the punishment.... but he still managed to get a couple thousand points .

Okay, and let's look at his stats for a second...

Games Played: 287
Points: 393
Points per Game: 1.37
Career +/-: 33

he also was a huge part of the cup run that the Penguins had last year in his third year in the league. Maybe he hasn't been around long enough to be called "elite" but he's easily one of the best players in the league right now. Top 10 easily.

Personally, I am a Penguins fan and I don't care. I think that you are being unreasonable and saying bad things about a good player just because he is on a rival team and you should be ashamed of yourself for that. I am not involved enough yet to have favorite players or really know the names of a whole lot of them. I live on the west coast though, so it is easy to see how that can happen.

It's kinda why I am still leary about hockey. Love the game, hate the fans.

Also, Sydney is a neutral name as far as I know.

For the record, I would just like to say that the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings both suck this season. Go Sharks!

Sharks have a very good chance of making it to the finals this year. Just hope that Joe doesn't choke -again- in the playoffs. Although even if he does hopefully the team around him is good enough to make up for it this year.

I just want a team to win the cup that isn't in one of the bottom states in the US.

Why?

And last year it was Detroit, they're northern. Heh heh, technically if the Sharks get it then a bottom state wins... but only technically, since they are from the northern part of the state.

I want to see a Penguins vs Sharks game, but I don't know who I would root for.

Sharks vs PENGUINS? Not a chance, the Pens aren't that good...and the Flyers will crush them in the first round. Most likely, it will be Devils vs Sharks or Red Wings. Boston can't rely on their goalie to win every game and the Caps only have Ovechkin (even though that means a lot). The devils have one of the best goalies of all time, great defense and a very good offense. I hate them, but they're probably the best team in the East

Originally posted by Elara

---

Personally, I am a Penguins fan and I don't care. I think that you are being unreasonable and saying bad things about a good player just because he is on a rival team and you should be ashamed of yourself for that. I am not involved enough yet to have favorite players or really know the names of a whole lot of them. I live on the west coast though, so it is easy to see how that can happen.

It's kinda why I am still leary about hockey. Love the game, hate the fans.

For the record, I would just like to say that the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings both suck this season.

---

I agree. My husband is a big hockey fan and I've only just started getting into it. I went to a Kings vs Red Wings game in January and the Red Wings kicked the crap outta the Kings. It was pretty bad ass. One of my favorite players is Niklas Kronwall. I don't have any issues with Crosby though.

If I remember correctly, Penguins made it to the finals last year. In fact, the first NHL game I watched was Penguins vs Flyers during the playoffs and Penguins won. Perhaps that is a source of your bitterness? Rivalry is all well and good but you don't have to act so antagonistically. I'm still sad that Red Wings beat the Penguins last year but you don't see me going around talking bad about the team. Red Wings have a good team, just as the Penguins do, just as the Flyers do.

As far as standings look right now though it seems it will be San Jose against Boston as long as positions don't change.

standings don't mean a lot in the playoffs though. There have been plenty if 6th or 7th place seeds in the finals over the last few years.


I think the penguins are good enough if the keep playing like they have been. They went from 11th or 12th into 4th/5th (depending on how the flyers do today). I think they could do it.

Washington has more than just Ovechkin to help them win the cup. They wouldn't have won their division just riding his success. Still I don't think they're good enough to win the cup.

Boston could go all the way.

Flyers won't make it. They are another pretty good team but they just aren't good enough to get all the way.

Honestly, most of the series will be pretty good. I do love the Boston Montreal switch that happened this year. Boston is first and Montreal is 8th this year and it was the reverse last year.

I can't wait for playoffs to start!!!!! Not that my team will get very far (Flames)... but I'm enough of a fan that I will watch and cheer regardless.

@ Elara: I'm not sure you have normal sports spirit. The Flyers and Pens are rivals. It's not bitterness, a normal opinion of a rival team. Plus, we're the better team this time around (and the fact that there are no shoot-outs in the playoffs certainly helps us more than anyone). and yeah, I remember losing last year. I also remember Crosby nearly getting whooped in a fight by Carter at the end of the first game. the refs broke it up for his sake. Unlike with the Flyers (with the exception of Gagne), the Pens best players aren't so tough

@ geo: yeah, a couple years ago the 8th seed edmonton oilers were in the finals and in that same year all of the lower seeded teams in the Western Conference lost (8 beat 1, 7 beat 2 etc.). well, Ovechkin is a pretty big factor in the team's success. without him they aren't even a playoff team. yeah, I know my boys won't make it. Our defense sucks. we only have 3 good defenders and the rest are inconsistent or just bad. we could've traded Biron for cap room (because Nitty is just as good as him) then traded Carle, a defenseman and Lupul, a forward (both mediocre players by the way) for a marquee defenseman and we didn't. Despite our great offensive talent (Carter, Richards, Hartnell, Knuble, Gagne, Briere and the up and coming Giroux), we don't have a Stanley Cup team yet.

And I see you noticed the 1 and 8 reversal too. Funny how that worked out. Thing about Boston, is that they don't have a great offense, but their goalie and D are great. I still think that the Devils (as much as I hate them) will make it to the finals though, mostly because they have one of the top 5 best goalies of all time plus great defense and very good offense (and the third best goal scorer in hockey behind JEFF CARTER and Ovechkin).

You're a Flames fan right? I don't know much about the Western conference. Please tell me what you think will happen

Well, Western Conference to me looks like it's going to be top 4 winning first round.

Sharks (1) vs. Ducks (8) - Ducks just don't have the team they did when they won the cup a few years ago. They don't have as much skill or toughness as they did. Probably won't last ast 5 games.

Red Wings (2) vs. Blue Jackets (7) - does anyone actually think the Blue Jackets stand a chance? Not many. The Wings had a good run this year again. Pretty solid team overall. The only thing the Blue Jackets have going for them is Mason. Goaltending for the Red Wings has been sketchy all year long. No solid go to guy. Although that was the problem last year and Osgood took them to the cup. The key for the Red Wings will always be their system of team defence. Their forwards are better defensively than some teams defences are. Red Wings in 6 at the most.

Canucks (3) vs. Blues (6) - Again this one seems like a no brainer. Canucks have been on such a huge run for the last 20 or so games. They won the NW division after trailing by about 15 points. Although these teams did split their season series so you never know. And really if they can contain the Sedin sisters then the Canucks likely won't make it past the first round. Canucks in 7, but it won't be a very close 7. Blue will win in unlikely ways I think.

Hawks (4) - Flames (5) - Hawks have dominated the flames this year, without question. However, the majority of the hawks team have never been to the playoffs and the flames have been in the flames every year since their cup run in 04. They've got playoff experience and they are a much tougher team which is key. Hawks have a run and gun offence that Calgary may not survive if their defence doesn't tighten up. Calgary's offence is nearly as potent as the hawks (though not in their series) with players like Cammaleri, Iginla, Jokinen, Bertuzzi, Phaneuf, and Langkow. Calgary's top 2 lines (when Bourqe was healthy) were arguably the best in the league when they were on. I'm going to predict, partially because I'm a fan and also because I think they can do it, Flames in 7 but it will be a battle once it gets going.




Wow, that took a while. Now I have to point out.... Pens got home ice advantage because the Flyers choked against the Rangers today which could be the difference maker in that series. I see the East being pretty similar to the West. I see most of the top teams advancing with maybe the Flyers, or Canes making it through.

My turn

Bruins (1) vs. Habs (8): Boston is a very good team this year. Their defense and goaltending are their strongest points, making it very tough to score on them. Montreal doesn't have the same team they did last year and won't be a tough opponent this time. Bruins in 4, 5 at most

Capitals (2) vs. Rangers (7): Last years Caps might have been a division winner and 3 seed, but this years Caps are easily an improvement. Ovechkin has absolutely been on fire and even the rest of the offense has been on fire. The only problem is their goaltending, which has been poor for a playoff team. The Rangers have a good goalie in Lundqvist, but the rest of the team has been fairly inconsistent. The Rangers go down in 6

Devils (3) vs. Hurricanes (6): The devils are all around great. They have an amazing goalie, a great defense and a very good offense. The Canes are a good team, but Cam Ward is gonna need a long rest if they keep him in as much as they have. He's played too many consecutive games. Even if he can pull through, the Canes are outmatched. Devils in 5, but every game will be close

Penguins (4) vs. FLYERS (5): The Pens ended the season with an amazing run and certainly with home-ice this series have the momentum. They have 2 of the leagues best scorers in Malkin and Crosby. Their goaltending and defense are average, however. The Flyers can win, but they'll need stronger goaltending from Biron than he's shown the past few games and the defense really needs to step up; essentially, Alberts needs to stop playing like crap and Timonen, Coburn and Jones can't be the only defenders pulling the weight. The Flyers' offense is of little concern, as they have 6 players with 25 or more goals including 4 players with more than 30. Another key factor in the playoffs is toughness, and these games are gonna have a lot of hitting. The Flyers are generally a tougher team and despite the Penguins recent play, the Pens won't be able to pull through. Flyers in 6 if Biron can play anything like last year and the D can show up to play. If the Flyers are surrendering too many goals, Pens in 7

well, this has been an interesting first 4 (well only 3 right now cause I'm still watching the canucks/blues play)....

Penguins won what looked like a very 1-sided game 4-1. And that 1 goal that the Flyers did get was a pretty ugly goal. I don't know if the Flyers can push this series very far playing the way they have. Lots of lazy plays and cheap slashes from the Flyers.... Hopefully they can turn their game around and actually make this series interesting ebcause at this rate it's going to be pretty boring.

Caps - Rangers - pretty shocked here that the Rangers came away with the win. I didn't get to watch the entire game since the Pens - Flyers was on at the same time but it seems like Lundqvist is up to the challange of taking on the Caps offence. I'm not convinced considering how close the game was that the Rangers are still going to win but they've at least taken home-ice advantage away from the Caps now.

Devils - Canes - not really surprised. Devils are a solid defensive team and they have some pretty good offensive players. Canes need to worry about their own zone a little more if they plan on winning this series. You can't just hope to get set up in their zone just because you got the puck. It was another 1-sided game from what I saw of it. I agree with the Devils in 5 but the only close games will be when Canes are at home.

Blues - Canucks - not finished yet but from what I've watched (I fell asleep at one point cause I'm a little sick) the Blues were probably nervous in their first playoff game in a few years. Still it's only 2-1 and the Blues are going to start the third with the momentum since they scored near the end of the second and now they have a realistic chance of tying the game. They're going to have to stop trying to make a pretty play and just look for a garbage goal though. Luongo isn't going to give up much unless you really get him rattled. Oh, back to the third period... I'll update when it's over.

I'm new to the game... but I actually like the game and all the trash talk just annoys me. I went to the Kings opening game against the Sharks back in October and I saw a father encouraging his six year old son to spout out obscenities at the opposing team. I'm sorry, that is wrong.

But, in my own little fan-girl moment: What was that about the Flyers winning? Huh?

Also... might as well mention, I'm planning on moving just north of Pittsburgh in a year or so, just so you won't hold my choices against me too much.

But yeah, I'm still rooting for Sharks vs Penguins for the finals. At the very least it will be fun to see the rivalry between my boyfriend and I.

yeah, some people take the game too seriously.... sure you want your team to do well but teaching a kid to get pissed off at the other team is a really terrible thing to teach a child.

Oh, Canucks won tonight.... not that anyone needs me to point it out. Game stayed 2-1 through the 3rd. Canucks just sat back at their blue line anytime the Blues got the puck and made it nearly impossible for them to get any good scoring chances. But the Blues showed that they can play with the Canucks which should be a good boost for them.

Not sure if a Sharks vs Penguins is going to happen since we still haven't seen the first game of most of the western teams but it would make for a pretty good series I think. The Finals are never quite as good as the series between teams in their own conference. I'm looking forward to the Habs/Bruins re-match from last year. I can only imagine how good those games are going to be.

I guess that's the fun thing about the playoffs.... you just never know. It's a race to 4 wins and sometimes it's the unlikely team that manages to get those 4 wins. I remember both the Calgary and Edmonton runs to the finals and neither of those teams were had overly skilled players. Sure guys like Iginla and Hemsky are good but beyond a couple top guys the teams were mostly gritty. They fought hard and won games in unlikely ways.

I wanna punch Biron, Carle and Alberts in the face right now. No excuses for that loss. We played a better game, and in OT Biron lets the puck go through his legs, what an embarrassing way to lose

Yeah, sorry to say but I just didn't think Philly was gonna be able to take on Pittsburgh. They will have more success at home. At least, most teams do.

I'd do more updates but I just don't want to spend that much time typing....

Well, Philly not playing like crap could take the Pens and as I originally thought would happen, win in 6. That can't happen now unless the Flyers take these next 2 games and carry the momentum through. If we win, it'll be in 7, but I see the Pens in 5 or someone in 7 depending on whether the Flyers can win these games

My bet is Penguins in 6. Most of the experts on ESPN's website say Pens in 7 or 6 so we shall see.

I can't believe Ducks beat the Sharks in game one. I still don't think they will win overall, but wow.

yeah, ducks won the first game.... and it wasn't a huge surprise.... half the sharks didn't seem to show up that game. I think once the Sharks get going they will start to dominate the Ducks but it is still huge for the Ducks to take one away from the Sharks

6-3, does that mean anything to you guys? THE FLYERS ARE KILLIN' IT AT HOME!! Also, I wouldn't trust an ESPN expert on this, as the "experts" are notorious for being wrong. That last game made a statement, and that is that we're not going down easy. If the Flyers win the next game, my boys have the advantage

.... have what advantage? Pens are up 2-1 in the series and still have home-ice advantage.... I don't see where there is advantage for Philly with 1 more win. It was nice to see them come back and actually make it a series. I honestly don't enjoy seeing a team go up 3-0 in a series (ie Canucks) because it just doesn't feel competitive. I'm not suggesting that the team losing 3-0 deserves to be winning any of the games but it's nice to not see a team go out without winning a game.

Anaheim is up 1-0 so far in their game.... it would be the biggest upset of the playoffs to see San Jose go out first round....

Penguins in 6, I stand by it.

so, Anaheim just took the first 2 games in San Jose.... I don't know if the Sharks can rally from that while on the road.... it looks like the best in the west is going down this year.

I'm hoping they can come back from it. It would be too freaking weird to have them taken out in round one after this good of a season.

"If the Flyers win the next game, my boys have the advantage"

you didn't read my whole post geo


anyway, what is going on with the Caps? the Rangers are up 2-0 on them

yeah, I did.... that would only tie the series.... that's still not an advantage....

winning two straight games, one of them in a blowout. that's momentum and when the Flyers are on, they are ON. The Flyers are a streaky team. If they hit a hot streak (which we'll know after next game), then they have the edge

.... that's still not an advantage....

it's called catching up.... and it's the exact same "advantage" that the Pens had. They won 2 games (1 was a blowout - they won by the same margin at least) and yet when they went into Philly they lost. I don't see how it will be any different for the Flyers.

They came in with momentum while the Flyers came into the playoffs on a cold streak. The Pens will have completely lost their momentum and "advantage" if the Flyers win for the second straight game. The Flyers are extremely tough to beat when they play their best, even when opponents are at their best too. In fact, if Biron didn't give up 2 lame goals, it would've been 6-1. Everything except the goaltending clicked for us, and if you watched the game you'd see how much we outplayed them.

so you outplayed them in 1 game.... it's the playoffs... that doesn't mean much. Momentum carries over to a certain degree between games but you're 2 pretty evenly matched teams so I just don't see either side having much of an advantage besides the Pens being in their home arena for the extra game.

Oh, and Calgary won! And I think the Calgary/Chicago series is going to be the best of the opening round.... with the Pens/Flyers probably being the East equivilent (both the 4/5 series on each side)....

actually, the Flyers also outplayed them in the 3-2 OT loss. It was penalties that killed us (5 on 3 isn't easy to handle, but if Biron made that easy save...). Anyway, I think Calgary very much could win the series. They played alright on the road despite losing both games. Also, when did the goalie get that good? In the playoffs he has like a .950 save percentage so far. If Calgary's offense can get going, they should win the series.

anyway, I still don't know how the Rangers took 2 road games from the Caps, or how the ducks are up 2-0 on the Sharks.

EDIT: The Flyers outplay the Penguins in another loss. Fleury had 44 saves on 45 shots in what could be the best game of his career. If the Flyers can play like they did this game for the next 3 games they can still win, but I just don't see it happening

well, I think this pretty much settled things.... Pens up 3-1.... and 2 of the last 3 games in Pittsburgh.... Flyers don't stand a chance. Sure they might be able to push it.... but beating the same team 3 times in a row isn't likely.

It's only doable if they can play like they have the last 2 games. Fleury can't play every game the way he did this one. I doubt it'll happen though

NOTE: the caption under the thread title is "all time hated players," good thing we actually turned this into a more sensible general hockey thread

yeah, I would change the caption but I don't have power in this section....

and even if they do play that way they still lost 1 of the 2 games which means even when they are on their game that Pittsburgh is still finding a way to win.

I was very pleased with tonight's game. I'm hoping this means Penguins in five. Flyers did really well this year, and while it is possible that they can pull one more win I don't really think it will happen.

Side note... did you guys see the clip of the Detroit/Cleveland game? That knockdown on Umberger looked like if f***ing hurt.

The Sharks/Ducks game should be starting about now. I really hope that they manage to close the gap, but Ducks have home ice so I don't know how it will go.

if the Ducks win the series is over.... no one comes back from 3-0.... the Sharks are going to win tonight.... they have to. I guess it will be the big test for the Sharks tonight. Can they step it up enough to get a win on the road to salvage their season or do they give up and die?

I expect them to pick up their game in general. And maybe we'll see Thorton actually show up and do something. I know you don't have to get points to be the difference maker but it is a big help.

Blues and Canucks are headed into overtime. Unfortunately that means that I don't see the Sharks/Ducks until this game is over... well, might get some during the break for O/T. Blues have to score in O/T or their season is over... gonna be intense!

[edit] I joined the game in Anaheim to witness the first goal. I guess San Jose wants to win. Although the scoreboard at the top of the screen showed Anaheim go the goal... maybe that is why San Jose lose the first 2 games ....

Whoo! Sharks won! We've got a chance!

Haven't two teams in NHL history actually managed to come back from 3-0 and win? Can't remember which ones, but the boyfriend was talking about it.

yeah, it has happened twice.... out of the hundreds of 3-0 situations.... it's nearly impossible. There are probably even more teams that got the series back to 3-3 before losing as well.

But yeah, the Sharks looked like they wanted it a lot more tonight. They were simply working harder this game than either of the first 2 in my opinion. And they've got a lot of work ahead of them if they plan to win this series....

Elara, if I were a Pens fan I'd be very worried about last night's game. Fleury won't be able to stop 44 out of 45 shots again (career days don't happen very often) so the Pens' D needs to step it up if they're gonna win. If the Flyers play like they have the last 2 games, they can still at least push it to 7 and still have a shot.

Finally, the Sharks won. I want them to win the series; they're too good to go down so early. Right now I'd say the best team in the playoffs is probably Boston so far. I can't see anyone else making it out in the East

I haven't had a chance to see Boston play yet, but the do appear to be doing really good so far.

I think with so much riding on the next game that the Pens will be able to do what they have to do. Honestly, I am more worried about the Sharks. I really really do not want the Ducks to win. I don't like the Ducks and for the most part I do not like their fans... they are about as bad as Kings fans, and after that game I mentioned previously I REALLY hate Kings fans.

Edit: I have a random question for you guys and I would appriciate it if you could be completely honest with me. What was your reaction/what were your thoughts when I started posting in this thread?

ziggy: go back to the 2004 playoffs and watch footage of Kiprusoff. He spent nearly the entire playoffs stealing games for Calgary. He ended with a GAA of less than 2.0. So it's not impossible for Fleury to do it again, especially at his age. I would not be surprised to see that series end in 5.


I'm not a big fan of the Ducks either.... and I can't stand Chris Pronger. He's a great positional player but I wonder how many more times they'll let him elbow people in the head before they finally stop letting him play. As much as I don't want to have to play the Sharks if Calgary gets past the first round I know we can beat them so it doesn't concern me too much. Still gotta beat Chicago though and that'll take some work. I'm just not sure if the Sharks can win though. They have to win 3 more games and they only have 2 home games to do it in. It'll be tough.


Elara: I love having more people posting in any thread. A lot of the time it feels like me and Ziggy posting back and forth.... it's just nice to have someone else that has an opinion about something.... even if they cheer for a team like San Jose

Boston just swept Montreal and the Rangers are now up 3-1 on the Capitals.

With complete honesty, I wasn't shocked or anything the first time you posted here. Most girls I know aren't into sports, but I'm not surprised when one is.

The Pens probably will win, but I see the Flyers at least pushing it one more game. It's not over yet.

The Sharks better win though. Any team that managed to put up 7 goals on the Flyers should be good enough to knock off and 8 seed (7-6 at the beginning of the season)

Woohoo! Calgary pulled through with a 6-4 win over Chicago! Calgary went up 4-1 because of goals by Jokinen (2 of them), Auccoin and Iginla in the second period. Chicago took a time out around the 10 minute mark and then came back with 3 straight goals to close out the second. Then 2/3 of the way through the 3rd period Nystrom scored (4th liner) and then Iginla got his second of the game into the open net. Series is all tied up!!!! It was nice to see Calgary pull through even though they gave up the lead through the second. Also nice to see them put 6 goals into the net against a goalie that has been stingy for Calgary all season. The last 2-3 games are going to be good!

Holy crap! 6-4?! Now that's more of the game I'd expect from Calgary .

On a separate note...The Flyers are winning through 2 periods. WE ARE NOT DONE YET

yeah, Jokinen is finally scoring! If he can keep going then I don't think we'll have too much trouble finishing off Chicago. It's hard to win games when you're not getting very much production out of your top 2 lines.


And yeah, definitely looks like there is at least 1 more game.... I would say the flyers have a big advantage going home but Pittsburgh won there in game 4 so it's possible they could finish off the Flyers in game 6. I'm willing to bet losing 3-0 will probably get the Pens fired up for the next game.

Wings and Blue Jackets are currently 5-5 (this is the game I'm watching).... it's seen 2 2 goal leads erased by the Blue Jackets and with about 3 minutes left in the game I'm expecting overtime.... although you never know with the Wings.... but I kind of want this game to go for a couple overtimes cause it's just been that good.

[edit] weakest ending to a game.... a terrible too many men on the ice call leads to a power play goal with less than a minute left in a playoff game! The team getting called is down 3-0 and is not going to win the series.... but at least let something like that slide... just a weak way to end the game.

I'm sad I couldn't get to see the Penguins/Flyers game. However, I was able to watch the Sharks/Ducks tonight... and so begins my rant.

WHAT THE f***?! Did someone drug the Sharks? What the hell was that s***ty excuse for playing? They were sloppy, they were going too fast, and they were not helping each other out. Then... then... leaving an empty net when they were down by 3!! They basically gave the Ducks a free goal! Seriously? What the f***, this is NOT RIGHT?

Honestly, the only thing that cheered me up after that was seeing the Lakers lose to Utah. My boyfriend and I were watching the game in a bar, where two televisions were showing the Sharks game and all the rest showing the damn Lakers. I really f***ing hate the Lakers and their fans, so it made me happy to hear the groans when they lost. It's like, "yeah, feel my pain a**h***s. At least you had sound for your game"

Yeah.... the Sharks love to choke in the playoffs..... especially Joe Thorton.... they guy just doesn't play when the playoffs come around. Not that the rest of the team is helping him a whole lot but I thought he was the star of the team. Oh well, I guess Anaheim will play the Red Wings in a few days. Honestly San Jose might have been better off if Nabokov just skated down the ice and tried to score a goal himself .

And I'm okay with the Lakers losing once in a while. I'm tired of Kobe Bryant being treated like a Basketball God.

They treat him like more an overall god here instead of just a basketball god. It's f***ing ridiculous!

I'm still holding on to hope that they can pull back from this. I know it is probably not going to happen... but I can't give up hope.

I don't blame you.... I didn't give up hope when Calgary was down 2-0 and now we've tied the series and hopefully have enough momentum to get a win in Chicago and close out in Calgary on Monday. That's my hope.

San Jose is more than good enough to take the next 3 games, they just need to start playing like they were in the regular season. Nice thing for them is they have 2 out of 3 left at home so they should be able to pull some momentum from that and hopefully make a push for it. Although to be honest I would much rather see the series end and watch Anaheim play the Red Wings and hopefully beat them up a little before Calgary or Vancouver have to play them.

wow, flyers are a bunch of whiners.... they get scored on so they start a fight. Give me a break. I hope they lose tonight so no one has to watch this team for the rest of the season.

Are you kidding me? They're celebrating right in Biron's face, did you miss that? Look, I know you've been against the Flyers this whole time for whatever reason but calling them a bunch of whiners for that is just immature.

Did you forget that Talbot started a fight with Carcillo right after the Flyers went up 3-0? Maybe you didn't see that, but I watched the whole thing.

The only insult you can say about the Flyers is that they're the most unfocused team in the playoffs. They had the game, then lost it after pretty much letting the Pens tie the game. We missed so many opportunities because nobody was there to get loose pucks in front of the Penguins' goal and when shooting, the Flyers just never bother to elevate the puck. We would've had 3 more goals this series if the players put the puck in the air on shots.

Anyway, don't talk s*** about my team with such a weak argument. You can criticize them if you want, but actually try having a good point when you do so.

am I kidding you? when you score a goal you celebrate where ever you are on the ice.... if they celebrate in front of Biron then boo hoo.... it was a stupid move on the Flyers part to start that fight cause it got the Pens fired up. I would almost wager that it was the play that changed the game for the Pens.

Oh, and my wish came true! They did lose. I won't miss them.

and yes I saw a fight between Carcillo and Talbot.... that was a 1 on 1 thing to get the team fired up.... it happens all the time in hockey.... what's the problem?

And I'll say whatever I want about "your team".... fact is they had plenty of opportunities to win a couple of these games and they choked. I guess the refs are still helping Crosby right? It's a big conspiracy over there in Philly isn't there? The league is all for Crosby and against Philly.

Don't worry, when Calgary eventually loses you can tell me how bad of a team they are. And maybe I'll react just as badly as you did

I'm just happy that Penguins won. I think it's the first time I've been right in guessing one of these things and it makes me happy. I would have enjoyed it more if I could have seen the game... but as I only get local channels at home that won't happen. Hell, they don't even cover the Ducks or the Kings games.

I can't wait til I move to Pennsylvania.

It was totally worth watching too. Flyers go up 3-0.... Pens get a goal back, a fight breaks out (started by the Flyers of course ) and then the Pens get 4 more unanswered goals and take the series.

Yeah, I get at least 1 game a night where I live regardless of where the game is being played. And quite often there are so many games that I can watch 2 or 3 at the same time.

Lucky!

Oh well, I get to see the Sharks play again tonight I think. I decided to go with the boyfriend to his work, since they have direct tv and we can actually get Versus and other stations that show hockey. He just didn't come in until 3 so we missed the Penguins game.

I need to see if I can hunt it down online now... or at least find highlights on the NHL website or something.

yeah, nhl.com would have highlights of the game in a little while. It's worth checking out.

And yeah, I'm going to be watching the Sharks and the Flames play tonight.... hopefully it'll time really well so I can watch as much of both games as possible.

Look, you complained about the Flyers starting that fight when the Talbot did just about the same thing, and last I checked, most teams don't celebrate right in the goalie's face; they celebrate off to the side (yeah, that's what every other team does because usually teams are more respectful). And when did I say anything about the refs?

Does this ring a bell? "The only insult you can say about the Flyers is that they're the most unfocused team in the playoffs." I SAID THAT. Yeah, I know they choked, I thought I made it clear that I knew it when I said that. I'm not blaming anyone else for their play.

I don't trash talk your team for no reason, but you hate the Flyers because they started a fight after the Pens scored (and you don't see how what Talbot did was the same?). I'm not saying it wasn't overreacting, just if you condemn the Flyers for one thing you should condemn other teams that do and did the same.

See, even when Calgary eventually loses, I'll at least acknowledge that they were a good team and made a good run. On a related note, though, they're down 3-0 in the first right now, but I'm not going call them a terrible team or say that I hope that they get crushed, because I don't hold grudges against teams for no good reason.

My last comment will be that I really hope the Pens make it to the Eastern conference finals. I don't want the team that beat my team to go down next round.

so basically you just want me to agree with that the the entire line starting a fight during a goal celebration is the same thing as Talbot starting a fight after the faceoff after a goal? It's not even close to the same thing. Starting a fight after the play was over and during the goal celebration is basically like sucker punching and Talbot actually started a fight when the other guy was expecting it which is like fighting fair.... sorry, your Flyers lose again. But apparently only respectful teams celebrate off to the side and so the Pens deserved what they got.... whatever.

Now you're assuming that I hate the flyers because of that one play.... I've hated the Flyers a lot longer than this. That team has been a bunch of goons for a long time and I don't find much worth cheering for on the team.

And yeah, Calgary is down 3-0, doesn't it sound familiar? That's what Philly was winning by until they CHOKED and lost to the Pens. Yup, I know what you said.... but that doesn't mean I can't rub it in.

Oh, and I never said they were a terrible team.... you did. I guess we know what you truly think of your teams performance . I have no problem with wanting another team to get crushed.... that's what I hear on nearly a constant basis from other teams fans. What's the big deal? I always wanted the Pens to destroy the Flyers from the moment the series started.

So, end of the first period and Sharks are up 1-0. It is a complete 180 from the last game and they are being really agressive... still not liking how they are passing, but it is looking much better than last time. I'm just curious when the fight is going to break out.

Well, until now you weren't trash talking the Flyers with incorrect statements so I assume that game changed something. And speaking of sucker punching, the Pens got away with doing that a lot this series.

Rub it in my face all you want, until Calgary loses. They're down 5-1 now at the end of the 2nd. It seems like the home team is winning every game in that series so your team won't make it out of the first round either.

Btw, I called the Flyers unfocused, not terrible. They're a very good team, but they lose focus too easily.

And a bunch of goons? I can tell you 3 guys on the team that can be considered goons: Asham, Carcillo and Cote.

I assume when you said that you were going back to the days of the Broad Street Bullies. Do you know how GREAT that team was? In the 70's, they won 2 Stanley Cups and 5 conference championships. By the way, the Flyers have the second best all-time win percentage in the NHL (now I'm just saying this because you hate the Flyers, who just happen to historically be a good team. And did you know that the Flyers were the only ones to be Russia's national team in the 1975-1976 series )

Can we knock off the bickering? Why not focus on the series' still active?

Second period has 2:44 and Sharks just scored again!! It was amazing!

News just came in that Chicago won their series. Sorry Geeogree.

Oh, fight at 2:21 near the Ducks' goal. I didn't think it would go to third without a fight.

Series? What are you talking about? They are up 3-2.... there was no series winning tonight. There is another game in Calgary on Monday. Hopefully we can rally in that game and push it to 7 and maybe have a chance to win in Chicago on Wednesday. Our chances aren't very high but we've got a chance still.

I saw the scoreboard wrong.

So... 3rd period and Ducks tied up the game. f***ing hell.

Sharks win in OT 3-2! We aren't done yet!!! Oh yeah, baby!!

Calgary pushes it to seven then loses back in Chicago. That series has been all about home ice so far. The same goes for the Devils-Canes series, Devils in 7 as home ice has been the factor in that series as well. Rangers finish off the under performing Caps today but sadly, I don't think San Jose can pull it off. So I think in the East it'll be Devils vs. Penguins and Bruins vs. Rangers. Once we know for sure, I'll make my predictions

Yeah, I'm expecting a loss in Chicago too.... although I would love to watch another Calgary vs Vancouver series.... those teams HATE each other.... kind of like a Pens/Flyers rivalry just newer. It is almost more heated than the Battle of Alberta because Edmonton hasn't had a very good team since their finals run.

And I don't think San Jose can do it either.... although I wouldn't mind it if they won and Calgary won.... cause San Jose has looked weak through most of their series and I wouldn't mind watching Calgary take them on instead of Vancouver.... that way Calgary might actually make it fairly far in the playoffs.... but I think that's hoping a little too much.

Flyers/Pens isn't nearly as rough as Flyers/Devils. If the Flyers won, that probably would have happened.

Right now, Chicago's up 1-0 early, but I expect that to change

yeah.... 2-0 now.... pretty rough...

I'm not expecting Calgary to win.... watching the game right now they are getting all sorts of chances and aren't scoring. It just doesn't look good. I know 1 more goal either way will probably determine how the 2nd and 3rd periods go.... but it's just frustrating to watch every effort get thwarted by a younger, faster team.


Of course it doesn't help that for nearly every game we've been missing defencemen. I realize that most teams have injuries but we've had pretty bad ones leading into the playoffs. Regher, Phaneuf, Giordano, Sarich, have all missed games and they are 4 pretty solid defencemen for our team. It's just unfortunate that we didn't get to play them to our full potential....


3-0 now.... so shameful.... and on only 9 shots.... Calgary has around 25 shots and has no goals....

And Calgary is done.... 3 goals that you can't blame Kipper for.... it was really too bad....

Bertuzzi got a lucky shot on goal that went in but after a few minutes of exciting hockey, Calgary just couldn't pull through with any more goals.... and that's the 4th straight loss in the first round for Calgary.

I think the score with San Jose and Anaheim is 3-1 for the Ducks.... they might close out their series too... if they manage to it will be the Red Wings vs Anaheim and Vancouver vs. Chicago.

Now part of me is patriotic and will cheer for Vancouver.... but part of me hates them because they took first in the Northwest division and forced Calgary to play Chicago first round instead of St. Louis and Calgary would probably be in the second round waiting for Chicago as we speak.... I guess I'll just cheer for the Penguins and figure out the West once those series start playing to see who I actually like for sure.

Ducks won 4-1 last night. I never thought I would say this after last year, but go Red Wings... at least as far as kicking the s*** out of the Ducks.

But yeah, looks like my big hope is the Penguins once again. Sorry about Calgary, geeogree.

I knew we weren't going far... with half our defence out for different games of the playoffs I knew we didn't stand much of a chance. It's just too bad we didn't get out of the first round.

And I didn't think the Sharks would go down first round.... again Joe Thornton shows up 4 or 5 games too late in the playoffs....

Part of me hopes that the Rangers take out Washington.... I just don't like Ovechkin... I don't know why. It just seems like people think he's so good so they almost try too hard when they play him which means they usually screw up and give him some chance to score. I'm not saying he's not good.... you don't win scoring titles if you're not good... I just think people think he's better than he is and play him accordingly.... plus I would love to see more of Avery and Tort's antics through the playoffs.... They entertain me.

Yeah, I can't wait for tonight to be over so that we can make full on predictions of the next round.... although I kind of want to look back at my predictions and see how accurate I was....

Originally posted by Elara

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Ducks won 4-1 last night. I never thought I would say this after last year, but go Red Wings... at least as far as kicking the s*** out of the Ducks.

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The Red Wings are gonna kick the Ducks' ass. Mwahahaha... erm...

Well, round 2 is set it seems.... let's look at the matchups.

West:

Detroit (2) vs. Anaheim (8) - I think Anaheim beating the Sharks is a shocker for quite a few people. I think this series is going to be very evenly matched. You have one of the most consistent and potent offences in the league versus 4 of the best defencemen in the league (Neidermayer, Pronger, Beauchemin and Whitney). Anahiem may not have as much offensive talent as Detroit but they aren't lacking with Perry, Ryan, Getzlaf, and Selane. I would say that Anaheim will have an edge in goaltending, defence is detroit (because of overall team defence), and offence goes to detroit as well. My guess is Detroit in 6.

Vancouver (3) vs. Chicago (4) - This is going to be a very even matchup in my opinion. Both teams have fantastic goaltending, pretty solid defence and some dynamic offensive players. It's a hard call because I think the teams will be very good. I'm hoping, since it is the only Canadian team left, that the Canucks will prevail over Chicago but after watching how well Chicago handled the pressure of the first round against Calgary I'm not sure how it will go. My prediction is Vancouver in 7.

East:

Boston (1) vs. Carolina (6) - I don't know too much about either team other than Boston continued it's dominance through the first round taking out Montreal in 4 games. That series was never even close. Carolina on the other hand barely won in game 7 to take the series. Now Carolina did what it took to get the win but I don't think they have enough of what it takes to beat a solid Boston team.
Boston in 5.

Washington (2) vs. Pittsburgh (4) - This is going to be another good series. These 2 teams already have some bad blood with the Ovechkin - Malkin rivalry going on and I can only imagine seven games in a row. I expect a lot of high scoring games between these 2 clubs even though it's the playoffs. Both teams have plenty of players that can put the puck in the net. The question becomes which teams top guys are going to pull through in the end? I give it to Pittsburgh in 7 because they have 2 top top guys and Washington really only has 1. If Malkin doesn't take over, then Crosby usually does and vice versa.

I will concede that the Ducks have a really good goalie, and they seem really driven. However, given how Detroit performed in the first series I don't think that Anaheim has a prayer. I say Red Wings in 5.

Vancouver vs Chicago - I really can't make a good judgment on this match up since I haven't seen them play. Again, I hate not having cable. Based on the snippets that I saw however I think that Chicago might be the ones to make it. However I agree with you that it will most likely go all seven games. So yeah, my bet is Chicago in 7.

Boston vs Carolina - Once again, not too familiar but based on the first series I am saying Boston in 4., I really don't think that Carolina has a chance.

Washington vs Pittsburgh - Not familiar with Washington. I say Penguins in 6, based off what you've said and what I have heard. I also say that at least one major fight breaks out due to that rivalry.

Wow, this has been an playoff year so far...
Since I know more about the East I'll make predictions.

Boston vs. Carolina: Boston has easily been the best team in the East so far and I doubt that anything will change. They are better than Carolina in pretty much every aspect of the game, and I'm seeing Bruins in 4 or 5.

Washington vs. Pittsburgh: The starting goalie for the Caps has been absolutely amazing so far. After benching Theodore, Varlamov has come in and posted 2 shutouts this series and has a .950 save percentage with a goals-against average of 1.17. To make things even more interesting, Ovechkin isn't even their leading scorer so far this playoffs, Alexander Semin is. Pittsburgh is still a very good team, but they are going to need to step their play up a very large notch to beat Washington. Fleury will need to be much better, because the Caps aren't going to shoot at his pads when he's sitting on the ice. The Caps are a much better team than I thought and I can't see them losing yet. Washington in 5 or 6.

Nucks are up 1-0 over Chicago.... Vancouver almost pulled a Calgary and blew a 3 goal lead... thankfully they pulled it together and got the win.

Washington takes the lead in the series today with a win at home. I got to watch part of the game and it was pretty good. Pretty even matchup to me.

Boston beat Carolina.... big shock there.

Ducks almost beat the Red Wings.... a pretty weak goal at the end of that game lost it for them. Good game for Lidstrom but pretty hard way to lose that game.



Now, the thing I'm really wanting to talk about.... dirty hits! Eager on Rypien, Brown on Hudler, Brachier on Betts... those are 3 of the more recent ones but I'm sure we can come up with more. What do people think about some of these hits? I agree for the most part with the calls that were made by the league but I dislike some of the on ice calls. Brown didn't get suspended and was thrown out of the game and Detroit scored on the major penalty that ensued.... it was unfortunate that the game was decided on a heavy hit that was clean. Sure he hit him hard, but the hit occured in under a second. I dunno, I agree that the dirty hits need to be punished but the Brown hit wasn't dirty in my opinion.... anyway, what do other people think.

Did you see some of the cheap shots the Penguins put on Timonen? Anyway, I think players sometimes take advantage of what a clean hit is. Guys are getting hit close to, but still out of the play/off the puck. The refs just aren't calling those.

Anyway, looks like chicago evened the series with a 6-3 win. Maybe they are that good. All I know, is that taking a road game early really helps when you're the lower seed.

Did you see some of Varlamov's saves in the Caps-Pens game? The dude is absolutely on fire. He had a .944 save percentage that game and this is against a very good scoring team. Both teams in this series have significant firepower, but the Caps have the edge at goalie.

I noticed a lot of dirty hits during the last round, it seems to just be a part of the playoffs. I wasn't able to catch any of the games because of other stuff... saw the first few minutes of the Canucks v Blackhawks game but nothing happened then. I'm just happy Red Wings beat the Ducks, even if it was close.

yeah.... quite a bit of dirty hitting.... and it is somewhat something of the playoffs - more intense playing and such - but it's really not anything new. There are plenty of injuries related to head shots in the league.

I'm of the opinion that if they really want to clamp down on dirty hits then the suspension shouldn't be so short.

If you get someone taking a dirty hit that is suspension worthy then I think there should be a provision that allows the league to suspend the player until the other teams player is medically cleared to play. Although there would probably be some room for abuse of this I don't think it would happen very often.

Either way I think the intentional hits to the head need to be dealt with more severely.

And yeah, Chicao beat the Canucks.... which was too bad. Although now I hope the Nucks fans that were giving Calgary a hard time for losing to this team can shut up now. Chicago is a good team with lots of young talent that seems to only get better as the playoffs go on.

I honestly thought Washington and Pittsburgh had already played before the Washington win the other day and I was convinced that the series was tied 1-1.... I must have been tired when I was thinking that.