Topic: The Hockey/Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[Khushrenada]

Oh man, what a game. Pens escape by the skin of their teeth. Detroit's gotta be upset about the powerplay's in overtime. Sykora saying he'll score the OT winner and delivering. Crazy. Detroit looked like it had the third period locked and they tie it up. That's got to hurt. Awesome play by Detroit but Pittsburgh keeps hanging in. I love it.

I'm sure there's going to be a game 7. I think this is going to end up like Edmonton/Carolina. Edmonton wins Game 5 shorthanded in OT, go back to Edmonton and hammer the Canes 4-0 in a game the Canes just didn't seem to want to play and then who knows for game 7. Most likely Detroit will win in 7 like the Canes. At some point, the Detroit onslaught is going to be too much for the Pens and they will finally succumb like they almost did in the third period this game.

Still, I hope for the best for my Pens. Maybe youth and luck can triumph over experience and good play.

[Ian Sane]

After getting the tying goal with less than a minute left it seems only right that Pittsburgh won.  They had to.  Anything else would have been a let down.  Everyone was assuming Detroit had it at that point.  The fans thought they had it.  The announcers did.  They even showed the Stanley Cup being prepared in the locker room.  So when you beat the odds and tie it up you just got to take it all the way and win the game.  The moment would have been nothing otherwise.

Plus Fluery's performance may earn him the Conn Smythe if the Pens win it all.  I don't think they will.  Detroit has killed them every game.  The Pens haven't won any games against the Wings, they've survived them.  But game seven is a possibility.  Remember that the Pens core is full of guys under 25 while the Wings are full of veterans.  After playing almost two games worth a hockey last night the younger team might have more energy for tomorrow.

Good to see Malkin get an assist on the game winning goal.  The guy has just outright SUCKED in the finals so he could use a point to try to get out of his funk.  The guy practically passes the puck directly to the Wings but he got that assist on the game winner and got off a really good shot early in overtime.

[NWR_insanolord]

Fluery's ass cost the Penguins the game.

This postseason has got me really into hockey, I intend to buy Center Ice next season so I can watch my Flyers all year long.

[Khushrenada]

The power of thread revival!


So, finally the playoffs will start. The last two weeks have been a bit of a drag waiting for the regular season to end. And
these are pretty awesome first round match-ups. More so in the east than the west. Quick thoughts.

East:

Boston/Montreal - Go Bruins
Washington/NYRangers - Yeah, I'm cheering for the Rangers.
New Jersey/Carolina - Rather indifferent. I'd probably prefer Carolina to win but honestly, it doesn't matter who wins
                              or loses this round to me.
Pittsburgh/Philadelphia - Well, I'm amazed Pittsburgh recoverd enough to actually gain home ice advantage. I still think I would have preferred the Pens to have stayed in 6 to face NJ. I think that would have been an easier series for them. This is going to be a much rougher series compared to last year, especially since Philadelphia isn't depleted with injuries like last year. I still believe the Pens will pull it off and win this round but they will end up exhausted by the next round. This is one series I can see going 7 games as well.

West:

San Jose/Anahiem - Let's go Ducks. Pull off the upset. This is another series I plan to watch as much as I can. Always have loved the Ducks. Although I miss the days of the Mighty Ducks, there is still much I love about this team. Selanne, Getzlaf, Giguere and Bobby Ryan. Plus, a San Jose collapse is always fun. Right?

Detroit/Columbus - Another series that I am not too interested in. I think Columbus could make things tough for Detroit for a couple games but I don't expect Detroit to choke. I love Babcock. My favorite coach in the NHL. I want to see him keep winning. Want to see Hossa lose for leaving Pittsburgh.

Vancouver/St. Louis - Another series I have mixed feelings on since I like both teams. I think this could be a very close series.

Chicago/Calgary - Go Calgary.

[Ian Sane]

Ah, the my favourite sports related time of the year.  And unlike last year my Canucks have made it to the dance so I actually have a team to root for.  YEAH!

Boston/Montreal - The Habs have traditionally been my Eastern Canada team but this year, I just don't like 'em.  Too much drama and the fans act like they're entitled to the Cup because of the team's 100th anniversary.  But the Habs are a storied franchise because of the sheer talent they've had in their history.  This team doesn't compare to their past dynasties.  They squeeked in.  They don't deserve it.  The Bruins however do.  Though I kind of don't want either team to go far.  I guess they're just not "flashy" enough teams right now.

Washington/NY Rangers - I'll NEVER cheer for the Rangers.  They're the team that beat the Canucks in '94!  Never cheer for the Islanders either for the same reason.  Washington is a fun team to watch and they've got Ovechkin.  Plus I'm picking them in my playoff pool.

New Jersey/Carolina - Carolina has only made the playoffs twice in the last six seasons but BOTH times made it to the finals.  They seem to make their playoff appearances count.  I don't want them to win but I have Eric Staal in my playoff pool JUST in case.

Pittsburgh/Philadelphia - My gut feeling likes Pittsburgh and I've got some Pens in my pool.  Unlike some people I like both the Caps and the Pens and want to see them meet later on so they both have to win to get there.  Who wins?  Who cares?  We do!

San Jose/Anahiem - San Jose is in my pool.  I kind of would like Jeremy Roenick to get a ring.

Detroit/Columbus - I have Wings in my pool because I'm, you know, not dumb.  It's nice to see the Jackets finally make the playoffs.  They get grouped into these other expansion teams that are considered non-traditional hockey markets.  This is OHIO!  It ain't in the sun belt!  This is a place where a hockey team actually makes some sense!  Plus every fan deserves to see their team in the playoffs and every franchise deserves some history.  Columbus is making their history right now.  They won't win but I hope they make it competitive.  They just have to win ONE GAME and they have a better history than the Thrashers.

Vancouver/St. Louis - Go Canucks Go!  Naturally.   I have no Vancouver players in my playoff pool though since I feel as a hometown fan my view of them is biased.  Still I think they should be able to win this series.  The Blues are a bottom feeder team that scraped their way in.  Come one guys, you can't lose to THEM!

Chicago/Calgary - The HELL I'm cheering for the Flames.  They're rivals anyway but they had to go get Mike Keenan as a coach.  That damn bastard not only coached the Rangers to Stanley Cup glory at our expense but then later became our GM/Coach and ruined the team for years!  He even traded TREVOR LINDEN!  **** HIM! Go Hawks!

[Khushrenada]

But Keenan made up for it by trading you Luongo. Plus, Bertuzzi is with the flames and he helped make the Luongo trade possible.

Ah, the bitter perspective of the Vancouver Canucks. Hey, remember when Anahiem knocked your team out of the playoffs? I hope you are not holding that against them with your San Jose pick. I kid, I kid.

Speaking of the Canadians, that has always been my biggest problem with them. They always celebrate things before they have happened. If a game is tied, they'll start singing the song as though they've won the game. I love when the other team scores and wins the game to show them up. Same with this 100 year celebration. The fans were celebrating as though they had already won the cup. That's probably why there's been so much drama with the the team this year. The fans seemed to think the cup was a sure thing and have gone nuts that this suddenly might not be the case. Actually, that's another thing I don't like about them. They are unable to cope with a lose. They never lose. Everyone else conspires to make them lose.

Frankly, I've always liked the Bruins and I loved how they nearly upset the Canadians last year and have just pounded them this year. One more good thrashing for the playoffs would make my day. Hard to believe that 3 years after trading Jumbo Joe, they are the best team in the East and second only to the team they traded Joe to by 1 point. Incredible turn around.

Getting back to Anahiem, I really think they could go far again. They have all the right pieces. They have good defence with Niedermeyer, Pronger and Beauchamin due back soon. They have some excellant forwards with Getzlaf, Perry, Selanne, Ryan. Giguere seems to thrive more in the playoffs plus they always seem to have a good back-up and this year is no different with Hiller. It just depends if they can get the pieces to work together. I just wish the team could have kept more of its young talent together. Lupul, Penner, McDonald, Kunitz. If they had kept those guys, what a team they'd still have.


And St. Louis is not a bottom feeder. You don't get 6th place, I repeat, 6th place, by bottom feeding when nearly all your division is in the playoffs. You are playing fierce rivals who are also all playoff contenders. Nashville nearly made it for crying out loud. They weren't playing Colorado, L.A. or Dallas a bunch. Plus, they are without some of the big talent who have been gone with long term injuries. Their number one goalie was injured tripping on a carpet for Sarah Palin and yet they still managed to keep going and make it that high. They split the season series with Vancouver including losing and winning a game in March.

However, all of that said, I still think Vancouver will prevail for the reason that the Blues are injured, they have been giving their all for some time now, and like the Pittsburgh Penguins two years ago, they are too raw for the post season. The Pens were hot down the stretch when they qualified and even challanged Jersey for the second spot briefly before finishing fourth. Then, they were blown away by the Sens. I think the same thing will happen here. I expect many players in Vancouver to elevate their play this postseason. A lot of players have something to play for this year. But they better not dismiss the Blues so easily. This is a team that is going to fight equally hard.

[NWR_insanolord]

I wish I knew enough about hockey to analyze everything, I mostly just watch the Flyers games. If only ESPN still covered the NHL (even if just for the National Hockey Night music) as much as they used to, I could probably analyze the NBA better than the NHL even though I don't follow it at all just because I've picked it up from ESPN.

Oh well, Go Flyers! Boo Red Wings!

[Armak88]

I love playoff hockey. I love it so much. Detroit is a great team, their structured play style is probably one of the best in the league. They'll probably destroy the Blue Jackets, but I'm looking forward to some Rick Nash magic. I'm just really excited.

[Ian Sane]

I expect many players in Vancouver to elevate their play this postseason. A lot of players have something to play for this year. But they better not dismiss the Blues so easily. This is a team that is going to fight equally hard.

Agreed.  The 'Nucks have a bad habit of slacking off when facing what they view as "easy" opponents and then getting their asses handed to them in a very embarassing fashion as a result.  They have to assume St. Louis is a threat because realistically every play-off team is.  Fortunately in a seven game series you can afford to lose one game due to underestimating your opponent and then smarten up and beat them.

One thing that I am confident about is that this season whenever Luongo has a bad game or two and lets in some weak goals and the press starts crapping on him he gets fired up and responds with shutouts.  He's the type of goalie that hates to lose.  That's the sort of goalie you want in the playoffs.  You hear Carey Price being interviewed and he's all "well I don't let the things people say bother me" and "it's just a game".  Yeah, like you're going to win the Stanley Cup with that ho-hum attitude.

But Keenan made up for it by trading you Luongo.

Yeah, I guess you're right but I see that more like karma.

[Khushrenada]

Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks,

Ducks!

Woo. So far, so good. I've believed in the Ducks and they are rewarding my faith with a big ol' 2 game lead. I think this has also been the best series of the playoffs so far. Well, at least for me. Sharks had 5 regulation losses at home all year and won the Presidents Trophy to keep that home ice for the entire playoffs. But the Ducks showed them how meaningless home ice can be and just gave them 2 more regulation losses. And shut down the powerplay. I can't wait for Game 3.


Canucks are up 3-0 in their series. I expected them to win but I didn't think they would have the strangehold on the series so soon. I really believe they are going to make the Conference Finals this year. Whether they get to the Stanley Cup finals is another matter. We'll see who they face. But with a Ducks win, they can avoid Detroit for another round and maybe see Detroit get knocked out as well.

Surprised about the Flames but maybe things will turn around at home. Same with Blue Jackets. I hope they can give the fans something to cheer about at home. The fans have stayed with this team so long it would be nice for them to at least get a series out of it. Oh well. The first two times the Ducks made the playoffs, Detriot would beat them 4 straight. And then, one fabulous year, the Ducks turned the tables and bounced them out of the playoffs 4 straight.


Over in the East, things are going well overall. Boston is up 2 straight. I think the best thing about this series is the fan stealing Kovalev's stick in game 1. Awesome.

New Jersey has done an excellant job forgetting about their slide into the post season and cooling down Carolina who were looking very dangerous.

New York has the 2 game lead over the Caps which is fantastic. I know a lot of people keep wanting to see Pittsburgh and Washington play but what about New York vs Boston. I think that would get more attention and that's what I'm hoping to see.

And finally, Pittsburgh/Philly. I expected this to be a long series. That said, I keep hoping the Pens can keep it short. But aside from Game 1, I haven't been that impressed with their play. I really think this series should be in Philly's favor right now and I don't like saying that since I can't stand Philly. Mainly Scott Hartnell. But, I guess he's doing his job. Pittsburgh needs to get back the intensity they had before and in last year's playoffs. Right now, Philly seems to want it more. I'm not liking the direction the Pens are taking and hope they wake up for Game 4.

Still, overall, I'm liking the way things are shaping up for the playoffs. Nearly all the teams I like are ahead, so it's going to suck when they all win and have to face each other and I want to root for both.

[Ian Sane]

I'm not doing so hot in my office playoff pool right now.  Picking Sharks and Caps players can do that to you.

The Ducks' play just screams "remember we won the Cup two years ago!" while the Sharks are all "remember we didn't!"  I figure San Jose is like the Ottawa of the west.  They do great in the regular season and look like contenders and then get smoked.  And like Ottawa the year I'll finally decide "that's it.  I'm never picking them in my playoff pool again!" they'll make the finals and lose.  Right now they're the Senators from about three years ago.

The battle of Pennsylvania has been exactly what I expected.  Too bad I can never get home from work in time to watch a full eastern game.  The difference will probably be whoever wins an away game first.  Winning your home games doesn't mean squat.  That's why San Jose looks so fucked; they lost both of their home games.

Missed last night's Canucks game.  I agree that they look like they could go to the Conference Finals.  I'm so glad there is pretty much no way they could end up facing the Ducks in the second round.  In the Conference Finals they would have to face the winner of Detroit/Anaheim.  Both scary teams but they would be scary teams that just hopefully wore each other out in a classic series.  The Blues/Canucks series though has been very physical and there's potential for injury with all the hitting.

So far I have yet to watch a Canucks game where I was seriously scared they wouldn't win.  That's great!  Any other year I've spent pretty much every playoff game on pins and needles.  It's nice to be confident in your team for a change.

[Armak88]

I've made the Canucks my pick for the cup. They don't have the big guns of some of the other teams, and I don't think their system play, is as good as Detroit, and their intensity is as high as Anaheim's, but they're so tight and confident defensively. Not to mention that goaltending is always a deal breaker in the playoffs. Vancouver's biggest challenge is going to be maintaining offensive pressure in future series. I don't know, the odds aren't really in their favour, I just have a good feeling about them, and the cup belongs in Canada so it would be nice to see it come back.

[Ian Sane]

OH **** YES!!!  For the first time EVER the Vancouver Canucks have swept an opponent in a seven game series!  This team has just got it.  Everybody on the team knows their role and is doing it well.  No one sucks.  No one makes me get nervous when they're on the ice.  It's just a well oiled machine marching towards the Stanley Cup.  I'm not planning the parade yet but I think we're likely in the final four this year at least.

Though when Luongo was lying on the ice I was just shitting bricks.  We have a good back-up but without Lou we're FUCKED.  Thank God he's alright and now has some time to nurse any aches and pains he does have.

[NWR_insanolord]

Well it seems like the Flyers are doomed. Fleury is having an amazing  series. Oh well, they had a good run and as long as neither Detroit or Pittsburgh win it all I'm not too upset. I don't really know why, but I'm pulling for Chicago in the West and either Boston or Washington in the East.

[Ian Sane]

Thanks to some MEGA CLUTCH goals from the Hurricanes we're getting a Pens vs. Caps series!!  HOT DOG!  Though I of course have to live in the west so I'll likely not see too many full games in that series but I should be able to get home in time to watch the last two periods.

Canucks are facing the Blackhawks.  I think we're the favourites in that one and should be able to win that series.  It's good because a friend of mine has pulled some strings and can score tickets to the Western Confernence Finals (!!!!!) if Vancouver makes it.  That will cost me some serious dough but I think it'll be worth it.

Despite losing a quarter of my playoff pool team thanks to the stupid Sharks I actually am in second place.  A lot of people had lots of Canucks, Wings and Bruins which all swept their opponents.  Since I had a good amount of players playing to a full seven games I was able to accumulate more points in the first round.  And only one person in the pool has all 20 of his players still in.  I may have lost guys but everyone else did as well so I've still got a shot.  And one point I was looking at losing over half my team but Washington and Carolina managed to pull through.

[Khushrenada]

I might be the only person not excited over the Caps/Pens series but I really don't think it is going to match up the hype. Even when they meet in the regular season, the games are so-so. Heck, for the longest time, the rivalry was rather one-sided with the Pens dominating. That changed this year but I don't expect it to translate in the postseason. I'm just glad that they didn't have to face Boston yet as I expect Boston to take them out.

I expect the best series to be Anahiem/Detroit. There's a lot going on between those two teams. Looking forward to that one the most.

Now let's see how I did:

East:
Boston/Montreal - Right!
Washington/NYRangers - Wrong!
New Jersey/Carolina - Right!
Pittsburgh/Philadelphia - Right!

West:
San Jose/Anahiem - Right!
Detroit/Columbus - Right!
Vancouver/St. Louis - Right!
Chicago/Calgary - Wrong!

Not bad. And now for Round 2.

East:

Boston/Carolina - Going with Boston
Washington/Pittsburgh - Go Pens

West:

Detroit/Anahiem - Go Ducks
Vancouver/Chicago - Onwards Canucks.

[NWR_insanolord]

The Capitals-Penguins series should be good, the two biggest players in the sport competing for the right to lose to Boston. I'm rooting for Chicago to come out of the West and I don't really know why, though I'll be happy as long as Detroit doesn't win it all, my most hated team won it all in football, let's not make it two in the same year.

[Ian Sane]

The Capitals-Penguins series should be good, the two biggest players in the sport competing for the right to lose to Boston.

This exactly why I'm surprised Khush isn't excited.  Gretzky and Lemieux never met in the playoffs.  They only played in the same conference for the last few seasons of Gretzky's career and the Rangers only made the playoffs once during his time there.  Unless they met in the finals there was only one season they ever could have faced each other in the playoffs and they never did.  So we're very lucky that the two biggest players are going to face each other because you never know how things will go.  Maybe this will happen fairly regularly since they both play in the same conference.  Or maybe it will never happen again.  To me that alone makes the series worth checking out.  You can't choose playoff matchups so when something like this falls in your lap, enjoy it.

[Khushrenada]

You're dissing the Steelers? The greatest football franchise of all-time. Don't tell me you root for the Eagles, the greatest drama franchise of all-time. Once I learned Insanolord is in Philly, it became mush easer to antagonize him.

As for the Gretzky/Lemiuex thing. Let's put it this way. When Gretzky was winning cups with Edmonton, Lemiuex and Pittsburgh were not the greatest team out there. And when Gretzky was traded, he did all right with the Kings but the supporting cast was weaker. That's when Pittsburgh got better and then won their first two cups. That's when they also got the closest to meeting each other. In '93, Pittsburgh stormed into the postseason and looked like they would be on their way to a third cup until a second round upset occured. Interestingly, Gretzky and the Kings made it to the cup final. Yet, let me ask, which Gretzky would you rather see face Lemiuex? The Oilers, Kings or Rangers Gretzky? Which part of Lemiuex's career would you like to see face Gretzky? Early 80's, early 90's, comeback Lemiuex?

Is it interesting to see Crosby vs Ovechkin vs. Malkin vs Semin? Sure. But I don't expect this to be a battle of skill. Neither of these clubs have completed getting the surrounding talent needed to push them all the way to win some cups. They are just tough postseason opponents right now. Neither of these teams have won cups and I don't think anyone believes either of these teams will win the cup this season. So it's not like this is a huge battle of the titans with two potential cup winning teams meeting. That's Anahiem and Detroit.

Am I going to watch the series? Absolutely. Pittsburgh is playing and I follow the Pens. Maybe it will be a great series but it's better to underhype than overhype. I just think this is going to be more of a grinding/battling series instead of one with sparkling plays and end to end action.

[Ian Sane]

Neither of these clubs have completed getting the surrounding talent needed to push them all the way to win some cups. They are just tough postseason opponents right now. Neither of these teams have won cups and I don't think anyone believes either of these teams will win the cup this season. So it's not like this is a huge battle of the titans with two potential cup winning teams meeting. That's Anahiem and Detroit.

The Caps I can understand but the Pens made it to finals last year and you don't consider them contenders?  You are right in that Detroit and Anaheim are two powerhouse teams and the two most recent cup winners and that certainly has appeal.  Though we did see that matchup two years ago when the Ducks won the cup.  They faced each other in the WCF.  Though it should be good I have seen it before so I would consider Pens/Caps to be of more interest.  For me anyway.

[Khushrenada]

I like Pens but they are not contenders sadly. They are close but they are not there yet. First of all, I'm sure they will have to go through Boston to make it to the finals again and historically, Pens have always had trouble with Boston. Especially with this years version. After that, they have to face the West again and the West has the better teams. Now, if Anahiem were to make it to the finals, I'd say they have a shot since Anahiem would have to go through the top 3 western teams to get there and maybe too weary after such a season. If Vancouver or Detroit is there, they are toast. It's pretty hard to argue that this years Pens team is as good as last years or even equal.

And now there is speculation that Oveckhin may have a bit of an injury. If that's true, it's going to further swing this series in the Pens favor. A lot of people are going to be looking at this series as a way of saying which player is better. As you said, Gretzky and Lemiuex never faced one another in the playoffs. If they had, people might use that as the "definitive" proof when people debate who was better. But by not facing one another, it helps keep their accomplishments seperate and doesn't tarnish the others legacy.


You're right that Detroit/Anahiem has happened before but circumstances around this match-up are different. The first time these teams met, Detroit swept them. Then Anahiem got revenge sweeping them in the first round of the playoffs after Detroit won the cup. The next few years, Detroit struggled in the postseason, often getting knocked out early. They finally made it to the conference finals in 2007 only to meet up with the Ducks and get knocked out again. Anahiem won a cup and then Detroit won a cup. Now they are meeting for the 5th time. The two recent cup winners. Both teams are going to have something to prove. Both are built to win cups. While Detroit has kept most of core intact and improved with the addition of Hossa, Anahiem also has most of its cup winning core around. When you look at the teams with the most cup winners, Detroit and Anahiem were the top two in this postseason. Detroit has the edge with multiple cup winners but a couple Ducks were around still from when they went to the finals in '03 and more around from when they went to Western Finals in '06 before their cup year in '07. They've gone deep in the postseason before. It should be some good stuff.

[NWR_insanolord]

Great finish to the Canucks-Blackhawks game. I didn't turn it on until the 3rd but I caught the best part, though I am again denied the pleasure of overtime playoff hockey.

You're dissing the Steelers? The greatest football franchise of all-time. Don't tell me you root for the Eagles, the greatest drama franchise of all-time. Once I learned Insanolord is in Philly, it became mush easer to antagonize him.

Actually I'm not in Philly, I'm in Erie, which is about as far away from Philly you can be while still being in Pennsylvania. And I wish I were an Eagles fan, they had a great off-season after making the NFC championship, they're poised for a great year. No, I'm a fan of the Browns, a team that hasn't been good yet during my lifetime.

[Khushrenada]

Oh. With your love of Philly teams I just assumed you were in Philedelphia. I guess you showed me.

[Ian Sane]

Great finish to the Canucks-Blackhawks game. I didn't turn it on until the 3rd but I caught the best part, though I am again denied the pleasure of overtime playoff hockey.

It was a great finish but it should have never happened.  Stupid Darcy Hordichuk taking a stupid penalty at the worst fucking time.  Chicago scoring on that powerplay completely turned the momentum in their favour.  We got lucky that the Hawks had a huge defensive brainfart in the last minute of the game.  We could have easily lost and Hordichuk would have been a pretty damn good scapegoat.  He doesn't take that penalty and the Hawks probably would never have tied the game up in the first place.  Penalties like that always bother me.  Aren't these GROWN MEN?  Shouldn't they have some semblence of control or discipline?  But you see these guys that are my age taking penalties you assume a 15 year old would be embarrassed to take.

Chicago has clearly demonstrated that they are a much bigger threat than St. Louis was.  And they probably gained a lot of confidence in that game since they could have won it after making a big comeback in the third period.  Still we won.  If we lost that game I think it would have been discouraging to lose at home in the first game of the series.  But we won so it doesn't matter.  Everything is still going smooth.

I find it funny that the announcers were talking about Khabibulin having not beaten the Canucks in ten years.  Kind of a misleading stat since he didn't play in the NHL for one year due to a contract dispute, one year was the lockout, and we spent several years playing in the Eastern Conference.  He has however never beaten the Canucks during his four years in Chicago.

[NWR_insanolord]

Penalties like that always bother me.  Aren't these GROWN MEN?  Shouldn't they have some semblence of control or discipline?  But you see these guys that are my age taking penalties you assume a 15 year old would be embarrassed to take.

At least it didn't cost them the game. In game 2 of the Flyers-Pens series the Flyers had a power play in overtime but someone's stupid enough to cross-check a guy for no reason, which took it back to even strength which became a Penguins 5-on-3 that cost them the game.