Posted on 04/15/2014 8:23:59 AM PDT by airborne
EASTERN CONFERENCE - ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
BOSTON BRUINS (1) vs DETROIT REDWINGS (4)
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (2) vs MONTREAL CANADIENS (3)
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (1) vs COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (4)
NEW YORK RANGERS (2) vs PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (3)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE - ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
COLORADO AVALANCHE (1) vs MINNESOTA WILD (4)
ST. LOUIS BLUES (2) vs CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (3)
ANAHEIM DUCKS (1) vs DALLAS STARS (4)
SAN JOSE SHARKS (2) vs LOS ANGELES KINGS (3)
"The NHL shouldn't have suspended Volchenkov for five games. He should have been given a five-day paid vacation for elbowing that little b@stard."
That’s hilarious! And 100% justified!
LOL.
My opinion is that Pittsburgh needs to work on getting bigger and younger.
It’s easiest to fire the coach, but I wonder if Shero isn’t the one who needs to be changed. Don’t forget, the Penguins had over 500+ man games lost to injuries.
WBS Penguins (AHL) is up 2-1 in the second round. A small positive in a frustrating end to the season.
Had a small case of good sports withdrawal last night, with no hockey or basketball to watch. I know there was a basketball game but if it’s not the Spurs, we don’t care.
But now none of that matters. It's over, Bylsma and Shero are out.
Bylsma was a bad coach and Shero was his enabler. I'm glad they're gone but It is disconcerting to see the disarray the Pens are in. Babcock is said to be a slight possibility. I would think he'll resign in Detroit. Whoever comes in needs first and foremost to build around the teams primary assets and that's Crosby and Malkin. Is it too late for that? It might be.
Shero is out - but Bylsma’s fate will be decided by the next GM.
Pittsburgh can still build a Stanley Cup team around Sid and Geno, but it will have to be by building the third and fourth lines up so they can play a good amount of time on ice.
It was fortunate that they didn’t trade Sutter. He can be an excellent third line center. Stempniak can be the fourth line center.
Neal, Kunitz, Orpik, Scuderi and most of the rest are expendable. Fluery will be fine in net while they bring along some good minor league goalies (Hartzell specifically).
Picking the right GM will decide whether or not the Penguins win another Cup or not before Crosby and Malkin start their declines.
Free agency and supplemental draft deadline is July 1st I think. So this will be Lemieux’s most important decision of his ownership.
The way Shero was fired and Bylsma not reminds me of removal of managment in corporations. They lope off the head and then hire the new manager. The new hire then fires the next one down and so on. It might be more Burkle than Lemieux behind this. We’ll see when the new GM is in place. (On the other hand some press are speculating that the Pens want to keep him as a chip to get Babcock)
I thought Sutter played more like a second line center. He looked good with play making and skilled wings and not so good with grinders. He certainly looked better after the trade deadline. I’m not sure about him as a third line center unless he has much better wingers than the Pens currently have.
Lots of people want to move Neal, I’m not one of them. Let’s see him under a new coach. Let’s see him beside Crosby not Malkin. If he doesn’t pan out then move him. He’s young, big, a winger and under a good contract, exactly what the Pens have the least of and need.
All the old guys can go. Kunitz, Dupuis, Scuderi, Fleury can go. Problem there is they all have bad contracts. Orpik is already gone since he’s a UFA.
Whatever happens this is a must see offseason already.
I’ll hazard a guess on tonight’s game... no actually I won’t. It’s exciting, I’m usually not too good at predictions unless I have no interest in the game, I pick with the heart when I should pick with some smarts.
But if it goes to OT, I’d call the series even and it’s just who ever gets that last goal.
No prediction.
Wow a 4-0 rout by the Kings. Anaheims defense looks bad and they just pulled John Gibson. Anaheim is getting schooled.
The Ducks came back against Dallas scoring 2 goals in the last 2 and a half minutes to send that game 6 to OT, though, the scoreline is still horrendous, they are getting some chances believe it or not. I’ve got to admire them really trying to fight back. A comeback does not seem totally out of the question, they were unlucky to be denied in the last few minutes.
That ought to do it, it was reminding me of the Superbowl some there but Peyton Manning’s team did not come back at all. The team trailing did try to make a comeback in this game tonight. Bad, embarrassing but I don’t know if I’d say shameful.
Thank you so much to Airborne and Mikrofon for the information they present in this thread. This has been a fun thread to follow.
I know this thread will be updated soon, I’m just making an early note here, according to this webpage: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/scoreboard/20140517
It appears Rangers play at Canadiens, 1:00 PM EST.... My, that’s early. And then, it looks like the next game we will see will not be until Monday.
Anaheim looked not ready for the big game. I’ve seen a Boudreau coached team look like that before. Onto LA vs Chicago and Montreal vs. NY. They should both be good series.
FRIDAYS RESULTS
KINGS - 6 DUCKS - 2
KINGS WIN SERIES 4-3
http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2013030247&navid=sb:recap
(let me know if you want on or off the ping list)
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SATURDAYS GAME
RANGERS @ MONTREAL - 1 PM
http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/preview?id=2013030311&navid=sb:preview
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2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Schedule
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=719375&navid=nhl:topheads
The Rangers went through the grueling series with Philadelphia and then Pittsburgh, Rangers had that where they played something like 5 games in 7 days, so hats off to them as well. If they go to the Finals, they definitely deserve it.
As I said, with more teams in the mix, I find the early playoff rounds to be very entertaining but now it is down to 4 clubs.
I would tip LA in the West; East? I’m not so sure about.
You’re welcome ... although Airborne gets prime credit for the thread, I just play here ;-)
Looking forward to the Finals round, which as mentioned have no Conference champs playing for the first time in 21 years. In the East, it’s a matchup of the Olympic Final goaltenders, and 3 of the participants in this round are from the Original Six.
“Purists” will be rooting for a Montreal vs. Chicago Final – the Media centers will probably want to see New York face Los Angeles for the Cup.
Not that it means squat to anybody else, but if the latter matchup results then in a local “wagering exercise” involving about 25 people it would mean that NO ONE picked any of the teams to make the Finals, which is really amazing given such a large group of knowledgeable, avid fans.
The Kings have that “Team of Destiny” feel about them.
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