NHL Playoffs thread

[Rory Sparrow]

Watching some of the Eastern Conference games before I have to go to bed. Disappointed with the Islanders-Hurricanes....the 1st round games in Nassau were a much better atmosphere, and now the Isles are down 0-2 with not much spark. They were in control of the 2nd game then gave up 2 goals to start the 3rd period. I think tonight is a must win.

Columbus-Boston has been fantastic. Never really watched CBJ, but Panarin is great and Torterella (sp?) is one of the few NHL coaches that I like. There seems to be much more open action in this series compared to NYI-CAR. Boston had some very makeable shots but seemed to miss all of them.

 

[ruprecht]

Watching some of the Eastern Conference games before I have to go to bed. Disappointed with the Islanders-Hurricanes....the 1st round games in Nassau were a much better atmosphere, and now the Isles are down 0-2 with not much spark. They were in control of the 2nd game then gave up 2 goals to start the 3rd period. I think tonight is a must win.

Columbus-Boston has been fantastic. Never really watched CBJ, but Panarin is great and Torterella (sp?) is one of the few NHL coaches that I like. There seems to be much more open action in this series compared to NYI-CAR. Boston had some very makeable shots but seemed to miss all of them.

Canes/Isles will be more fun at Carolina. Great crowd. Barclays is an awful place for hockey. Really hoping Canes and Jackets both carry on.

 

[Rory Sparrow]

Poor Islanders basically wet themselves. I thought I was playing NHL 96, because the Islanders gave up goals like I used to do in that game. Tied 1-1 in the 3rd, then give up a breakaway goal to the guy who is stepping out of the penalty box. Down 2-1 but furiously trying to stay alive, give up another goal by having your goalie go out of the net and losing the puck. 3-1 final and "series over".

Rooting for Columbus now.

 

[anotheridiot]

really like seeing these should be hawks producing. Teuvo with 5 goals this post season.

 

[Raskolnikov]

How are you going to trade Teuvo and have your Corsi go up with less 2-way skill on the ice?
How are you going to trade Panarin when he is the ultimate compliment for your greatest player and maybe the greatest american hockey player of all time? How does your corsi improve by taking Panarin's possession skill off the ice?

These were catastrophic moves that were not necessary. Maybe Q doesn't even lose the team if they have players that can possess and pass and make the game a whole lot fucking easier. Hockey is no fun when you can't handle the puck. Without possession the Hawks are in trouble, they simply cannot smash bodies toe to toe and get the puck back....they have to own the puck with skill.

The level of skill displayed by Teuvo and Panarin was untouchable level. You don't lose those players.

 

[anotheridiot]

Poor Islanders basically wet themselves. I thought I was playing NHL 96, because the Islanders gave up goals like I used to do in that game. Tied 1-1 in the 3rd, then give up a breakaway goal to the guy who is stepping out of the penalty box. Down 2-1 but furiously trying to stay alive, give up another goal by having your goalie go out of the net and losing the puck. 3-1 final and "series over".

Rooting for Columbus now.

rooting for Columbus carolina finals

 

[Tater]

rooting for Columbus carolina finals

Same here. No Boston or Blews please.

 

[Rory Sparrow]

Turned off the CBJ game in period 3. Too much Rask...there was no way Columbus was going to score. Even CBJ's lone goal was somewhat dubious, having hit off the netting and Boston assuming that play had been stopped.

That said, it was ironic that CBJ kept picking up 'interference' penalties, since that is how Boston operates on defense...hitting/impeding guys away from the puck. Backes (ick) embellished a hit to get a penalty call. I thought the officiating was terrible, but Rask was so good that Boston would have won anyways. I thought the big play of the game, other than Rask's penalty shot save, was when it was 2-1 and CBJ was on a power play. Boston had an obvious boarding penalty, which would have given CBJ a 5-on-3 for about 1:30, but the refs decided to swallow the whistle.

Boston must be a 'veteran' team, because all the idiots I remember from the Cup series are still there...Charra, Bergeron, Marchand...and they even added Wakey-Wakey to annoy me. Boo Boston!

 

[anotheridiot]

all the talk is Boston is gonna waltz thru now.

 

[LordKOTL]

How are you going to trade Teuvo and have your Corsi go up with less 2-way skill on the ice?
How are you going to trade Panarin when he is the ultimate compliment for your greatest player and maybe the greatest american hockey player of all time? How does your corsi improve by taking Panarin's possession skill off the ice?

These were catastrophic moves that were not necessary. Maybe Q doesn't even lose the team if they have players that can possess and pass and make the game a whole lot fucking easier. Hockey is no fun when you can't handle the puck. Without possession the Hawks are in trouble, they simply cannot smash bodies toe to toe and get the puck back....they have to own the puck with skill.

The level of skill displayed by Teuvo and Panarin was untouchable level. You don't lose those players.

At the time Panarin was hardly a defensive stalwart on a team struggling for any sort of D. Toews was way down in production and no one was getting him going.

So, in theory, you move out a guy with strong O and little D for a guy who has a sizable fraction of his O and supposedly a lot of D in Saad--with the added caveat that Saad had chemistry with Toews and Kane doesn't need anyone boosting him up.

In practice Saad's D is not even in smelling distance of Hossa's jockstrap, his O hasn't been a decent fraction of Panarin's, and he couldn't sparkplug Toews.

It was a lost trade--pure and simple. Same with T². Maybe someone else should have been Bickell's sweetener--and it's not like anyone could have known Bickell had MS at the time.

Lost trades happen though. We've been on the other side. Manning for Caligula. Schmaltz for Stome, Bochenski for Versteeg, and of course we can't forget Ellison for Sharp. It sucks, yes. And yes, it's ammunition for giving Stan the ol' Heave-Ho (which should have been done last summer, but I digress). I miss those guys, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it at this point. The thing that has killed the team since the last cup has not been lack of offense, but lack of defense. Panarin and T² don't help that.

 

[ruprecht]

all the talk is Boston is gonna waltz thru now.

Don't think so, unless Rask stays unconscious

 

[zack54attack]

Canes about to Sweep.

 

[Raskolnikov]

The survivors of Boston/CBJ, Sharks appear to me to be the most versatile teams left.

 

[ruprecht]

Bye-landers

 

[Raskolnikov]

Rask is dialed in. Bruins closing in on an advantage and 1 goal against in 6+ periods.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I'm observing the Bruins are playing 8 centers + Marchand who will jump in the circle from time to time.

Any method to this madness we should be discussing? Something they have identified about the way new NHL rules are played?

Joakim Nordstrom of Chicago roots is one of them. A bit player but a Hawk is going to the Cup Final again no matter who advances.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Last 12 minutes of that game saw 5 goals and a 3-3 tie in waning minutes.

Crazy stuff from what looks like the two best teams left.

 

[anotheridiot]

Bread man got roasted by Melrose on sportscenter. Three places just a little bit of effort would have put him in the path of a pass that led to goals.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bishop just got killed.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Bishop just got killed.

Rest In Pieces.