Hockey Playoffs!!!!

“The Rangers won't be able to contain either Buffalo or Ottawa. We're not in Atlanta anymore. There will be no 7-0 shutouts and both of these teams have a forecheck that will have the Rangers reeling.

Lundqvist is not DiPietro or Fluery. Both of those goaltenders gave their teams the opportunity to keep things close in games where they were otherwise clearly overmatched.

The Rangers will not be able to outgun either one of these teams.”

“Whoo Hoo! The Devils finally played like the Devils. They win 3-0”

“The Sabres only need 12 more wins.”

“PITTSBURGH (AP) -- NHL scoring champion Sidney Crosby played the final 2 1/2 weeks of the regular season and the playoffs with a broken left foot, an injury the Pittsburgh Penguins star didn't disclose until Saturday.

Crosby revealed the injury when he explained why he won't play in the world championships in Moscow. Crosby was expected to join Team Canada for the second year in a row after Pittsburgh was eliminated by Ottawa in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

Crosby believes he broke a bone in the foot while blocking a shot March 16 against Montreal, but he didn't miss any games. He had five goals and nine assists in his final 11 regular season games and three goals and two assists in five playoff games.”

“If it makes you feel better then that's cool Tango. But North American hockey players are supposed to be tough. Somewhere along the line we let all these European sissies into our league and it has significantly contributed to the pussification of North American Hockey.

We need more guys like this.”

“Just some info I didn't know.”

“Sabres v Rangers coming soon to a TV near you.

Good luck George :-)”

“Devs vs Sens, this will be a nail biter.”

“Good luck right back at you.

Since the beginning of February, the Rangers have been playing far better than their 6th seed suggests. On top of that, the Sabres' 4-0 record against the Rangers includes 3 games that were decided in overtime, 1 of which was a shootout, and all 4 games having been played before December 1st.

No one in the New York media dares utter the phrase whose initials begin with S.C. (probably out of superstition), but you know by the buzz that it's on everyone's mind.

This series can easily go into 7 games with several overtimes if both teams show up to their full potential. The Rangers have been doing that for the last 2 and a half months. I wonder how the Sabres feel about their series against the Islanders...”

“Or should I say Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson vs Brodeur?

The Senators have traditionally been an Achilles heel of sorts for the Devils. But things change in this new NHL -- I mean, for crying out loud, there's a Rangers team in the second round of the playoff -- there's something you don't see every day.

This should be a good one, but Brodeur will need some help from the boys up front to come out on top. The Devils will need scoring from every player they have a hockey stick for -- and probably then some. The Senators are a very difficult team to beat with just scores of 1-0 or 2-1.

It may take 6 or 7 games, but look for the Devils to show the Senators they mean business and come out on top. That, and vengeance is just such a great driving factor...”

“My call:

Sabres in 6
Sens in 6
Red Wings go down in 7


The Sabres outplayed the Islanders in every game. DiPietro was the equalizer, but it wasn't enough. The Sabres forecheck was incredible and they got off about 50 shots per game. The Rangers can't handle that and they haven't got Ricky D. Speed and grit in the corners wins this one.

The Sens were all over the Pens and the Devils had a few lackluster games against the Lightning. If they let the Ottawa hang around like that they won't stand a chance. Brodeur proved himself all too human in that series.

The Red Wings have too many old guys. They'll come out of the gate strong but another long series will wear them down and they'll run out of gas. No matter who they play stamina takes the prize and these old timers ain't got it any more.”

“Brodeur proved himself all too human in that series.
nogranola
7:49:53 PM
4/23/07

The first 3 games, yes. The last 3, he looked more like Brodeur.

The EGG line looks like it's starting to fire on all cylinders.

Brian Gionta is tied for 2nd for most goals (7) in the playoffs and Scott Gomez leads with most assists (7) and points (9). Zach Parise leads for most goals so far in the playoffs (7).

And then there’s Richard Matvichuk, who despite missing all but one game of the regular season looked like a well oiled defensive machine blocking shots and was able to completely frustrate Vincent Lecavalier in game 6.

Ottawa won’t be an easy team for the Devils to beat, but I think I they can do it like they did in 2003.”

“The first round is over. It looks like the second round has some good matchups.
Sabres vs. Rangers
Devils vs. Seneters
Red Wings vs. Sharks
Duck vs. Canucks”

“The RANGERS will beat the Sabres.”

“Go Wangs!

;D”

“No, the Rangers will not beat the Sabres. There are four scoring lines in Buffalo to one in NY.

Nylander, Jagr and Shanahan can't do it all.”

“Maybe the Sabres players should think about renting apartments in the NY Metro area. It's sounding like they will be spending a lot of time there this playoff season.”

“Rangers:

Must play their best fore-checking game ever, or else (NG is right) the Sabres will steam-roll them with their speed. Lundqvist is on a hot streak, and he does have an Olympic championship under his belt, but he ain't no brick wall. If the guys in front of him let their forwards get away from them, expect him to have more holes than swiss cheese.

Sabres:

Need to shut down Sean Avery. He's not your conventional superstar though, so this could be easier said than done. It's no secret that he is the lifeblood of this Ranger team and the single reason they're even in the playoffs. Remember, this was a team sitting in 12th place prior to his acquisition. A loose Sean Avery will provide an emotional toll on the Sabres that could have unpredictable results...

Senators:

Need to apply as much continuous pressure as they can possibly muster against a team that plays very well in their own zone and is backed by a goaltender that is damn-near impossible to score against.

Devils:

Need to keep the puck away from the Senators as much as they can -- even if it means just knocking it away and then chasing after it. They seem to play this style well. Brodeur can more-than keep them in the game, and scoring chances will amass once the Senators' frustration with Brodeur starts to show.

Red Wings:

Need to keep winning series in 4-5 to games. As soon as any series goes longer than that, it will deflate their energy tanks and they will probably consequently tank in the next series.

Sharks:

Need to keep a strong fore-check and keep their own bases covered. The Red Wings are fast and accurate -- but also tire easily. Staying out of the penalty box is also a must if they're to stand any chance of beating the red-hot Detroit power play.

Don't know enough about the Ducks and Canucks (hey, it rhymes :D ) to call strategies. However, Anaheim has had a nice long rest after winning in 5, while Vancouver just played a game 7 last night. Otherwise, they're about evenly-matched. Look for a long and drawn-out series with lots of overtime (both teams from the west coast -- more 4-AM-ers?). I say Ducks in 6 or 7 due to the endurance factor.”

“The Rangers may or may not beat the Sabres in this series -- after all, the Sabres are the media darlings for the Stanley Cup, right? Anything less would widely be regarded as sheer and utter failure. And even if the Rangers do defeat the Sabres, they will go on not as the Rangers, but as the team that eliminated the Stanley Cup favorite Sabres.

The Rangers, however have nothing to lose. With their first playoff series victory in a decade, their post-season is already a success. And somehow, they're still managing to stay under the radar -- sweeping the Southeast Division champion and drawing no significant new media attention whatsoever. Maybe the media is just waiting for the Rangers to go away? Maybe that serves the Rangers' benefit.

The Rangers know what they're up against. Do the Sabres?”

“That’s the advantage of being the underdog. No one expects you to do well, so all the pressure is on the other guy.”

“None of these teams have anything to lose, except a shot at the Stanley Cup. The players don't care what the media says. They want to win the Stanley Cup. They also know that the guys on the other team want to win. That's why they play the games.

Do the Sabres know what they're up against? Yes. Just like the other 7 teams they know they need to win 12 more games.”

“5 down. 11 to go.”

“I'm sure the Rags wish 4 minutes of that game didn't happen.
8D”

“I'm sure they wish the first 40 minutes of that game didn't happen.”

“Round 2 starts for the Devils tonight. Word is Elias is sick and my miss game one. White may be back from his back injury and I've also heard Marshall was called up. This should be a good series.”

“Miller was good early; Rangers got wrecked -- way too many fouls...

Conversely, Luongo wasn't, and the Canucks got wrecked by the Ducks later last night...”

“The rangers did not look good.”

“Neither is Marty. Devs are down 4 to 1 after the 1st.”

“GIONTA SCORES!”

“WHOO HOO! ANDY GREEN!

It's 4 to 3 now.”

“This is a crazy game!”

“And people call the Devils boring.

lol”

“I wish it was on TV . . . got it on the webcast though . . . and I'm watching Detroit lose.”

“They made a good run at it but couldn't keep up the momentum. I'd really rather see the Devils win this series.”

“So close, yet so far.”

“The Rags put in a good showing but they forgot they had to play in the 3rd period.

Sabres need 10 more wins.”

“Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson are awesome. Too bad for them you could replace Brodeur with a brick wall and no one would probably notice any difference...

The Sabres are slackers. Fortunately for them, they are very fast slackers and sporadic bursts can still win them games. Those pesky Rangers just won't go away, eh?

Improbable, but can you imagine the Rangers out-disciplining the Sabres for a match-up against Brodeur's Devils? That would just have irony written all over it...”

“Oh and one other thing -- forget about Ottawa, forget about Vancouver. If the Rangers should somehow manage to get past the Sabres, the only thing that could then stand in their way is Brodeur. No one or nothing else.

That, and the Canucks are going down to the Ducks. Watch for the Ducks to unleash their full power tonight and win game 3 in Vancouver by a ridiculous margin...”

“Go Sabres thats who I have been picking to win the cup and they will.

8)”

“Go San Jose! I love Johnny Cheechoo!!!”

“That was a great game! Lots of end to end action and both goalies were phenomenal. Congrats on the win PS.”

“CHEECHOO!!!!

I found myself mysteriously rooting for Buffalo today and I don't know why, I thought I disliked all NY hockey teams equally?”

“I knew there was something I liked about you Bobo.”

“ng - you can be my guest at a Flyers game next season! I should be getting my hands on a Sabres/Flutters game for next season.

Bobo looks to the sky and says a prayer....”

“Woohoo! Count me in!”

“Get a room you two!”

“Tango - don't be sourpussin' cause your Sidney didn't make it to the second round. Don't get me wrong, I like the kid, but I hope they find something else to talk about in Pittsbuhrrrr next year!”

““ng - you can be my guest at a Flyers game next season! I should be getting my hands on a Sabres/Flutters game for next season.

Bobo looks to the sky and says a prayer....”
Capn Bobo
7:46:42 PM
4/29/07

Be sure to wear your Sabres jersey. Better yet wear a Rangers or Devils jersey. The Flutters fans will be sure to treat you well if you do. ;-)”

“"I found myself mysteriously rooting for Buffalo today and I don't know why, I thought I disliked all NY hockey teams equally?"
-Capn Bobo

Eh, those upstate New Yorkers are all half-Canadian anyway -- they hardly count. :D

But serious, if the Rangers fall to the Sabres, it'll be fair and square; I'll get behind them all the way. These two teams haven't seen each other in the post-season since 1978; there's no hard feelings. There's no reason to hate...yet.

Besides, who really wants to root for the Devils or Senators anyway? ;)”

“"Go San Jose! I love Johnny Cheechoo!!!"
-Tango

[scratching head] That was random... Do you have some sort of death-grudge against the Eastern Conference? :D”