NHL Playoff Pool (Make Finals Picks)

[PhillyandBCEagles]

Well this is shit-tastic

[claver2010]

Is it me or is Marty flopping around more than ususal this playoff run?

[claver2010]

Also, Keith Jones absolutely destroyed Radulov, who responded to that by breaking team rules and getting suspended for game 3. Impressive.

[flyingelvii]

Also, Keith Jones absolutely destroyed Radulov, who responded to that by breaking team rules and getting suspended for game 3. Impressive.

He and Kostistyn (Andrei not Sergei IIRC) actually broke curfew before Game 2.

[bignick33]

Boyle just took a slapshot to the face...but, he's a hockey player and is fine.

[flyingelvii]

Boyle just took a slapshot to the face...but, he's a hockey player and is fine.

But what if he punched some glass.

McDonagh's played 42 minutes halfway through the 2OT. Absurd.

[PhillyandBCEagles]

Boyle just took a slapshot to the face...but, he's a hockey player and is fine.

Don't tell Spaz, he'll be on the phone to Blaudschun talking about how all his players are pussies for wearing face masks.

This game is unreal from an entertainment standpoint

[twballgame9]

I could give a flying fuck about either of these teams and this is some awesome shit. Krieder is one of the best 2-3 players on the ice. And Callahan is fucking awesome.

[twballgame9]

Krieder is ridiculous and Boyle is old school and it is awesome. Boyle could be straight out of the 80s NHL or a 70s porno.

[claver2010]

Jesus Christ

[bchockey04]

Shit.

That is all.

[claver2010]

What a fucking game, unreal.

During the 2nd OT you could really see tired legs out there. Looked like McDonaugh, Girardi, & Richards were absolutely dead. The young legs of Kreider was causing havoc, he had that extra juice and extra gear that caused a ton of turnovers late. I hated the Rangers powerplay in the 3rd (?) OT off the highstick Rupp received. The PK was out for essentially the full 2 minutes and you're doing this cutesy dutesy shit at the blue line -frustrating.

Boyle is a fucking man. Takes a bomb by Semin (lulz btw Rangers twitter feed had great unintentional humor: Boyle takes a shot from Semin to the face) don't think he misses a shift and goes 55% on faceoffs. We would've all been able to go much earlier if his ass didn't get in the way of a wide open net for Rupp.

For those who don't watch the Rangers, you all saw why Callahan will be the capt for USA in 2014. Balls to the wall every shift.

Finally, how about McDonaugh? 53:17 of ice time with not a single second coming on the powerplay and him & Girardi lead the team in PK at nearly 5:00. Gets absolutely rocked and plays through it. Yeah I don't think the Canadiens could use him.

There's nothing like playoff hockey

[BC '00]

What a fucking game, unreal.

During the 2nd OT you could really see tired legs out there. Looked like McDonaugh, Girardi, & Richards were absolutely dead. The young legs of Kreider was causing havoc, he had that extra juice and extra gear that caused a ton of turnovers late. I hated the Rangers powerplay in the 3rd (?) OT off the highstick Rupp received. The PK was out for essentially the full 2 minutes and you're doing this cutesy dutesy shit at the blue line -frustrating.

Boyle is a fucking man. Takes a bomb by Semin (lulz btw Rangers twitter feed had great unintentional humor: Boyle takes a shot from Semin to the face) don't think he misses a shift and goes 55% on faceoffs. We would've all been able to go much earlier if his ass didn't get in the way of a wide open net for Rupp.

For those who don't watch the Rangers, you all saw why Callahan will be the capt for USA in 2014. Balls to the wall every shift.

Finally, how about McDonaugh? 53:17 of ice time with not a single second coming on the powerplay and him & Girardi lead the team in PK at nearly 5:00. Gets absolutely rocked and plays through it. Yeah I don't think the Canadiens could use him.

There's nothing like playoff hockey

I was amazed at how good the Richards line looked in the 3rd OT. They absolutely controlled the puck for a few shifts...no surprise they got the game winner. Great game...was at work until about the end of regulation, caught the train figuring I'd miss everything, and got home in time to watch the end of the 2nd OT and all of the 3rd.

[Dick Rosenthal]

Heading to DC on Saturday to attend game 4. Am very psyched. My observations:

1. Callahan-Stepan-Kreider will be a line on the 2014 Olympic Team. They perfectly compliment each other.
2. Whatever line Kreider is put on he makes better. His wheels were absolutely critical in the 2nd and 3rd OT.
3. Torts needs to dress Eminger and give him shifts. While the Rangers D is exceptionally young and probably in a position to log big minutes throughout the playoffs in a way other teams D corps cannot, if you are only going to play Bickel for 4 minutes while Stepan and Girardi are logging 50+ minutes, there is no purpose in suiting him up. The loss of Michael Sauer was little-remarked upon at the time, but it is has had a huge impact on the team.
4. Mitchell play has far exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. The worst player on the team has actually played very well and earned his ice time.
5. Boyle is a game changer when he is healthy. he was definitely off in game 2 but was back to eating up space and smothering the Caps forwards last night. Taking the shot of the jaw and not missing a shift is unbelievable but par for the course for this team. Girardi getting his forhead sliced open by Lundqvist and only missing one shift while they stapled and glued the wound closed is another one of those "only in hockey" situations.
6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.
7. Nice to see Gabby get on the scoring sheet. He has been so tight the whole playoffs I hope this will loosen him up and get him going.

[bignick33]

5. Boyle is a game changer when he is healthy. he was definitely off in game 2 but was back to eating up space and smothering the Caps forwards last night. Taking the shot of the jaw and not missing a shift is unbelievable but par for the course for this team. Girardi getting his forhead sliced open by Lundqvist and only missing one shift while they stapled and glued the wound closed is another one of those "only in hockey" situations.

The screen he set in front of the net in (I believe) the first OT was just ridiculous. Holtby could neither move nor see anything. Unfortunately for the Rangers, it was so good a screen that Rupp didn't really have anything to shoot at at pinged Boyle's leg with his shot.

[pick6pedro]

It's not so much that the game went late that made me so tired today - it's the stress of every puck within 60 feet of the net during the end of the 3rd through the OTs.

Krieder is unreal. Completely smoking veterans in a variety of ways. I am most impressed with his quick breaks right at the puck off of face-offs. What a player. Still trying to figure out how he wasn't scoring 40 goals a season at BC.

If you can't bury the puck in the net with both defensemen behind the net on their asses or with the Ovi turnover, then you don't deserve to win. The Caps had all the chances they needed to take that one - and they didn't. I'm already sick of seeing Holtby's parents, but enough can't be said about the kid. He definitely looked more settled and less spastic this game than the other 9 starts.

Going to be a tight series the whole way unless the Rangers start creating more. Getting into the middle has seemed tough at times and others it looks like they just don't put in the same effort they do down on the other end.

[bignick33]

It's not so much that the game went late that made me so tired today - it's the stress of every puck within 60 feet of the net during the end of the 3rd through the OTs.

I hear that. Watching your team in the playoffs isn't really fun. It's excruciating...and exhausting.

[pick6pedro]

It's not so much that the game went late that made me so tired today - it's the stress of every puck within 60 feet of the net during the end of the 3rd through the OTs.

I hear that. Watching your team in the playoffs isn't really fun. It's excruciating...and exhausting.

OJ would concur if he wasn't so busy at work.

[pick6pedro]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

[flyingelvii]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Basically that and they have a better goalie.

[bchockey04]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Agreed. The caps are not your normal 7 seed. And they are much more offensively talented than the '96 panthers...if they need it, someone could create offense on their own.

But as a long time fan, i can't help but look at the result of last night's game with a sense of doom. Trying to come off a 3 OT loss that puts you down 2-1 in the series...Capitals' history doesn't leave me feeling very optimistic.

The game was there for the taking last night. Brouwer chokes, Ovechkin hits the post (the puck was rolling) and then Aucoin can't lift the puck enough on the rebound with Hank flailing, and the deflection off the post in the 3rd OT. You're not gonna get a better game out of the D either...christ Wideman and Shcultz looked like the actually belonged last night.

That being said, the caps did go down 2-1 to Boston and won the series.

[bignick33]

Agreed. The caps are not your normal 7 seed. And they are much more offensively talented than the '96 panthers...if they need it, someone could create offense on their own.

I actually don't think I agree really with the above statement. There is so little separation between teams in the playoffs. That's not to say the Caps aren't good. For example, last year, (7) Buffalo probably should have beaten Philly in the first round (they were up 3-2 before losing game 6 on home ice in OT). The year before that, (7) Philly made the Stanley Cup Final. The year before that, (7) NYR blew a 3-2 lead in the first round against Washington. My point is that seeds pretty much go out the window in the playoffs. Despite what happened last night, Washington's chances to win the series are very legitimate.

[bchockey04]

Agreed. The caps are not your normal 7 seed. And they are much more offensively talented than the '96 panthers...if they need it, someone could create offense on their own.

I actually don't think I agree really with the above statement. There is so little separation between teams in the playoffs. That's not to say the Caps aren't good. For example, last year, (7) Buffalo probably should have beaten Philly in the first round (they were up 3-2 before losing game 6 on home ice in OT). The year before that, (7) Philly made the Stanley Cup Final. The year before that, (7) NYR blew a 3-2 lead in the first round against Washington. My point is that seeds pretty much go out the window in the playoffs. Despite what happened last night, Washington's chances to win the series are very legitimate.

It was actually a 3-1 lead they blew.

But i see your point. Which is why comparing them to the '96 panthers is silly. Caps only finished 4 points behind Boston this year.

[Dick Rosenthal]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Wrong. The Rangers are not a "system" team. If you watched the CBC or NBC feeds for the game you would have heard ad infinitum of how the Rangers D takes an enormous amount of chances, pinches aggressively and free lances an enormous amount. In contrast, the Caps are playing system hockey--jam the middle, don't leave your slot, take no chances and staple any player--no matter how superior their talent--to the bench if they don't fit well in the system.

As to their talent vis a vis the 1996 Panthers, you either vastly overrate the Caps or underrate Florida. With the exception of Ovechkin--who was stapled to the bench for most of the OT--I'll match Mellanby, Little Neidermayer, Straka, Stu Barnes, Dvorak against the Caps forwards without giving up much. Florida had a far superior D corps and Holtby is unlikely to ever win a Vezina like the Beezer.

[pick6pedro]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Agreed. The caps are not your normal 7 seed. And they are much more offensively talented than the '96 panthers...if they need it, someone could create offense on their own.

But as a long time fan, i can't help but look at the result of last night's game with a sense of doom. Trying to come off a 3 OT loss that puts you down 2-1 in the series...Capitals' history doesn't leave me feeling very optimistic.

The game was there for the taking last night. Brouwer chokes, Ovechkin hits the post (the puck was rolling) and then Aucoin can't lift the puck enough on the rebound with Hank flailing, and the deflection off the post in the 3rd OT. You're not gonna get a better game out of the D either...christ Wideman and Shcultz looked like the actually belonged last night.

That being said, the caps did go down 2-1 to Boston and won the series.

I agree there are multiple pieces that can create on their own. I normally have looked at a game like this with doom. But normally it was because they had played so poorly in other games in the series that a tight game felt like the only way they could win and so losing it was even worse. I haven't felt that way in the Boston series or here. Wideman and Schultz (especially Schultz) played really well and I don't expect that every game. But even then Green was back to his old self much too often.

It'd be nice to see some more discipline out of shooters. The Rangers clearly have a way of getting in the lane...but patience can change that. Semin and Green were the two I can think of that were just plain lazy in that regard. And if Semin doesn't stop tripping people, he might as well take a seat.

Aucoin played a fantastic game as well. One of the only guys who seems to really hustle every shift - which works great with Knuble. Let's hope Chimera continues his Rangers killing ways and Laich wins some more faceoffs.

[bignick33]

I just want to point out that the Flyers are the definitive no-system team right now. I love the lack of trapping. That's why I was hoping the Bs would catch them at some point during the playoffs...it would have made for some great hockey.

[pick6pedro]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Wrong. The Rangers are not a "system" team. If you watched the CBC or NBC feeds for the game you would have heard ad infinitum of how the Rangers D takes an enormous amount of chances, pinches aggressively and free lances an enormous amount. In contrast, the Caps are playing system hockey--jam the middle, don't leave your slot, take no chances and staple any player--no matter how superior their talent--to the bench if they don't fit well in the system.

As to their talent vis a vis the 1996 Panthers, you either vastly overrate the Caps or underrate Florida. With the exception of Ovechkin--who was stapled to the bench for most of the OT--I'll match Mellanby, Little Neidermayer, Straka, Stu Barnes, Dvorak against the Caps forwards without giving up much. Florida had a far superior D corps and Holtby is unlikely to ever win a Vezina like the Beezer.

Wow, you made a lot of assumptions there and responded to things I didn't say. And I did watch the NBC feed - I don't need the announcers to tell me what I can see with my eyes.

[claver2010]

Aucoin played a fantastic game as well. One of the only guys who seems to really hustle every shift - which works great with Knuble. Let's hope Chimera continues his Rangers killing ways and Laich wins some more faceoffs.

Though Aucoin & Knuble were very good last night.

[bchockey04]

6. The Caps are the 1996 Florida Panthers. They are not good, but they play their system with absolute discipline and are basically just looking for two lucky counter-punches a game. Last night they missed and clanked on two easy opportunities.

So the Rangers are good because they block a ton of shots, commit bad turnovers in their own end, and look for 3 lucky counter-punches a game?

Wrong. The Rangers are not a "system" team. If you watched the CBC or NBC feeds for the game you would have heard ad infinitum of how the Rangers D takes an enormous amount of chances, pinches aggressively and free lances an enormous amount. In contrast, the Caps are playing system hockey--jam the middle, don't leave your slot, take no chances and staple any player--no matter how superior their talent--to the bench if they don't fit well in the system.

As to their talent vis a vis the 1996 Panthers, you either vastly overrate the Caps or underrate Florida. With the exception of Ovechkin--who was stapled to the bench for most of the OT--I'll match Mellanby, Little Neidermayer, Straka, Stu Barnes, Dvorak against the Caps forwards without giving up much. Florida had a far superior D corps and Holtby is unlikely to ever win a Vezina like the Beezer.

Ovechkin was stapled to the bench for much of OT? Hunter rolled all 4 lines the entire time (with the exception of the penalty kill). And outside of Straka...i'll take Semin, Backstrom, Laich over any of those guys. Holtby is also a 22 year old rookie so you have no idea whether he'll ever win a vezina. His stats this year basically match "beezer's" in '96 so far.

[bchockey04]

Aucoin played a fantastic game as well. One of the only guys who seems to really hustle every shift - which works great with Knuble. Let's hope Chimera continues his Rangers killing ways and Laich wins some more faceoffs.

Though Aucoin & Knuble were very good last night.

They were good....but the next time Aucoin shoots a puck over 60 mph will be the first. His long hockey stick helps in back-checking and making up for his short stature -- but he can't shoot to save his life. I still think Halpern would be an upgrade over him right now especially for face-offs, dunno how he's ended up in the dog house.