NHL playoffs

[Tony V.]

I'm not a huge sports fan but I must say this years NHL playoffs has some great battles going on. Being up in Canada last year we were compleatly iliminated in the regular season this year we have 5 Canadian teams playing playing for a spot.
as Edmonton is my home town it's really interesting to see the fan base for Conner McDavid. Wayne Gretskey was so impressed with him and the Oilers in general this season he has been hired on in the Oilers office as a sort of adviser for the team. Funny how things turn around in 11 years of not getting into the playoffs and now they have a good chance of going at least part of the way.

Thoughts?

 

[mechman]

As a Minnesota Wild fan.... I don't want to talk about the playoffs! I guess it could be worse, I could be a Blackhawk fan right now.

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

I'm a sports fan, but we allow Hockey discussion mostly to humor Mech. Time to start some discussion of College Baseball and Football.

 

[mechman]

Now you've gone and alienated our Canadian members. Not to mention all true sports fans in the world!

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

There really is only one sporting event that matters, and that is when LSU and BAMA play football.

 

[mechman]

Leonard readying his setup for the big game!! This gets him 12K resolution on his 10" black and white TV!

 

[Tony V.]

My wife is a HUGE NFL fan, we watch the Superbowl in the theater room every year with a number of friends.

Back on topic LOL
Last nights game against the Sharks was interesting, What is up with the Sharks? the Oilers have shut them out twice now. Wednesday nights game will be a deciding factor as to who will advance in my opinion. If the Oilers win again The Sharks are unlikely to rebound from it.

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

Anything is possible with enough parts and duct tape.

 

[Tony V.]

Leonard readying his setup for the big game!! This gets him 12K resolution on his 10" black and white TV!

LOL!!!!!!
just think of all that radiation given off by all those dishes, Leonard could fry an egg and make toast just standing there

 

[mechman]

I didn't watch the whole Oils/Sharks game last night - it was 0-0 when I went to bed. But the Sharks are done. They're relying a lot on old talent and that just doesn't cut it anymore.

I think that the Blues will advance to the Cup from the west. And not because they're stifling my beloved Wild, but because I think they'll stifle anyone. They have a huge back end and the hiring of Brodeur as goalie coach was probably the move of the season. They went from a 4+ GAA to less than 2 GAA overnight.

Not so sure who will advance on the east side yet.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Here in Balt/WashMetro area, we're all bracing for the yearly Caps collapse. Last night doesn't help to ease concerns...

They've proven to be Kings of the regular season, but playoff hockey never seems to go well. Great home town fans behind the team, tho. Can't believe it, but the Caps have eclipsed the Skins as the ticket to have in DC

 

[Tony V.]

Ok, Im really concerned after last nights game. 7-0 for the Sharks! The Oilers did not even show up to this game.
At one point they were running two men short due to penalties. Im not impressed.

 

[mechman]

Three nights ago spoke volumes for why this is this greatest sport on the planet. Four leads disappeared in the third period and all four went to overtime. Then the next night Calgary had a 4-1 lead disappear in overtime and the Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead disappear in overtime. I don't watch much outside of the Wild during the season, but I pretty much watch every game I can now. You cannot predict what will happen in the playoffs.

That dual channel function with DirecTV gets a workout at this time of year!

As for the Oilcans, I'm pulling for them. I'd rather see them advance than the Sharks. Bad night for them last night but it doesn't mean a thing when the puck drops for game 5.

 

[Tony V.]

Well, the Oilers did it last night. Now on to roast some Duck
The Oilers concern me as their play is very unpredictable and I'm not sure how well they will do this next round against the Ducks.

 

[mechman]

I don't think that either of them (Oil Cans and Ducks) will be able to survive against either the Preds or the Blues. I think that this may actually be the Blues year. Proof that defense, does in fact, win championships.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Caps looking to advance tonight in Toronto! Bad blood brewing between these teams!

 

[Todd Anderson]

Nice W for the Washington Caps!

 

[mechman]

1 (Caps) and 2 (Penguins) have to slug it out to see who gets to play the lower teams! Lol!

 

[Todd Anderson]

I think the Penguins have beaten the Caps in 8 of the last 9 playoff series...

For the Caps to make the leap from great regular season team to great playoff team, they're going to have to beat the team that has tormented them for years!

 

[mechman]

Tough to say which of the two will win. Neither are very impressive defensively.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I'm pretty sure the Capitals allowed the fewest goals of any team in the NHL this year....? Their goal differential was +81!

 

[mechman]

They've been in the top 5 for goals against for the last 4 or 5 years, how's that worked for them in the playoffs? The Caps keep goals against and shots against low during the regular season because they are the most talented offensive team in the ice. Playoffs is a new season, and teams that are offensive juggernauts just don't seem to have success in the playoffs. Don't take this as me being anti-Cap either. Of the 4 teams left, I'd like to see either the Caps or the Senators get to the finals.

Teams that have a good defensive structure tend to have the advantage - Kings, Ducks, Bruins and the Blackhawks. The Blues have that this year. The only question is, can they keep it going?

While we're talking hockey, and I think I mentioned this briefly a couple posts up, but why are the top 2 teams in the East playing against each other in the second round? Teams should be reseeded after the first round with the top team getting the lowest seed left. There should be some priority/preference given to the team that played well all season. I swear they used to do it that way.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Since the Caps hired Barry Trotz they've been shifting the team from all offense to a balance. It's taken a while. They certainly showed some cracks against Toronto...hopefully the stinginess they showed all season will come back for the Penguins.

 

[mechman]

Jake Allen proved himself human last night and the Oil cans beat the Ducks. I wish I would have stayed up for the end of the Oiler game. It was 1-1 when I went to bed.

 

[mechman]

Watched the Capital/Penguin game. I could not recall a single odd man rush for the Caps. There were at least 5 for the Pens and they scored on 2 of them. The Penguins appear to be dialed in on the Caps.