The Official NHL Thread

[Jaydc555]

They seem to have put everything behind price and if they don't play him that will destroy whatever confidence he has left.that said I would start halak and hope price would suck it up

[Westcoastin']

Some more new shootout tricks:

Wow, those are both ridiculously sick

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

The matchups are final!

http://www.nhl.com/standings/playoffmatchup20082009.html

[Westcoastin']

Alright well the Matchups are all set... here are my 1st round predictions:

East

1. Boston v  8. Montreal  -  Despite the fact that last year the top seeded Habs took out the Bruins in the first round, this one is a no brainer, Boston is the definition of a playoff team.. they've got more firepower up front, the beast named Chara defending and the leagues top goaltender (GAA and Save percentage) between the pipes. Montreal's top D man is fighting knee problems, Lang isnt ready to return yet and Gainey's probably not even sure who's going to start in net... they've got too many question marks. Although I'd like to see Habs have a decent run.. this one goes to Boston in 5

2. Washington v  7. Rangers  -   The Rangers are a much stronger team than their 7th seed implies, their forward corps is full of all-star players having career-worst seasons. Redden, Rozsival and Staal are solid on D and they have stellar goaltending.  That said, when Antropov has the most points on your team (59)..  you arent going to beat a club whose powerplay has Ovechkin, Fedorov, Semin, Green and Backstrom.  Ill be surprised if it takes the Caps more than 5 games to send these underachievers packing...    Caps in 5

3. NJ    v.  6. Carolina   -  Carolina has been on a tear lately with Eric Staal and Ray Whitney leading the way. But I'm going to give this series to the Devils, they've got well-rounded scoring, responsible D and Brodeur is well-rested.   Devils in 7

4. Penguins v.  5. Philly  -    I've got this nagging feeling that Philly  could take this series,  they made the conference finals last year.. and they've got 6 guys with 20+ goals,  but my head keeps telling me that their D isnt good enough to make up for their sketchy goaltending...  not good enough to stop 2 of the top 3 players this year. It has to be the Penguins in 6...

West

1. San Jose  v. 8 . Ducks - This one is also a pretty-close to no brainer.  The Ducks won it all only 2 years ago... but have given up some of their key guys. San Jose is a powerhouse, they've got a top-tier goalile, tons of experience and firepower.. plus they cant possibly choke again    Sharks in 4

2. Detroit  v  7.  Columbus   -   Its the Blue Jackets first time in the playoffs ever,  so have zero experience. Detroit won the cup last year... added Hossa and only lost their backup goalie. Mason might steal them a game or 2, and Nash is a game breaker... but it has to go to the Red Wings .. call it in 5

3. Vancouver  v. 6. St Louis -   Now, I'm definetly biased when it comes to my Canucks...  I'm probably going to give them the edge in every round.  St. Louis is arguably the hottest team in the league... they were in last place at the allstar break and somehow managed to jump up to 6th seed... definetly impressive.  However, their best player (kariya) is out... and their rookie goaltender (Chris Mason), isnt even the best rookie goalie named Mason in the league.. let alone better than Luongo.   Vancouver in 4 !!!

4.  Chicago  v.  5.  Calgary    -   This one is tough to call, Chicago has well-rounded scoring, an excellent tandem in net and I used to play with Brent Seabrook.  Calgary's top line is sick, their D is sturdy  and Kipper is an all star...  but  he played 76 games this season and must be exhausted,  Bertuzzi takes retarded penalties  and they've got alot of key injuries  (Bourque, Giordano, Warrrener, Regehr and Phaneuf)   I cant find anywhere that says how long Phaneuf and Regehr are out for.. but without them Calgary wont win a game.   With them, Calgary will win every game they play at home.     I'll give it to Chicago for now, the # of games depending on injuries.


edit:   Dang.. now that I look at it, I didnt pick a single upset..    ah well, fuck it.. maybe there wont be one this year

Time to quit shaving!  Go Canucks Go!

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

Great post. I agree with you except: 

Carolina over NJ:  Carolina has been on fire.  They already know what it takes to win the cup.   NJ has lost their stop scoring line...  Lagenbrunner was making it happen by himself for awhile, and now it's Parise..  When was the last time the whole line was in on a goal?  Where is Zajac?  The good news is they've got other people chipping in, but I think they need the topline to be productive... 

Philly over Pens: I believe in Biron settling down and puttin on a playoff clinic.  I also think their D has learned throughout the season, and got a tiny bit better from the beginning.  And their offence is are arguably the best in the league..  And Pens are calling back up Miroslav Satan, that should tell you what kind of doubts they have already..

Columbus over Detroit: This is my upset.  The season series was 3-3 I think.  I saw a couple of the games, it was very systematic..  Which is the only chance you have of beating Detroit, but I think Columbus are gonna be smart in this one..

Chicago OR Calgary:  The only one I can't decide, don't think I've seen them playing each other this year..  I like Chicago but they have no experience,  it's really gonna test their character if things start going bad.  I think Phaneuf and Regehr will be back for the playoffs they said on CBC.   If they don't come back in time, Calgary is done I would say.

[MontrealCity's Most]

Man this one hurts but... Boston over Mtl in 6
                                    Ny over washington in 7
                                    Pitsb over philly in 7
                                    Nj over carolina in 6

                                    SJ over anaheim in 5
                                    Det  over clb in 5
                                    Chicago over calgary in 7
                                    Vancouver over st louis in 5

[Let's Get Down]

Kariya might make a comeback during the playoffs so watch out ya'll!! I say Blues in 7..........Since my Oilers aren't it, I won't care much for this yrs playoffs other than seeing the Nucks lose in the first round

MactT is expected to step down as Head Coach. Oilers have NJ Coach Brent Sutter as top candidate for replacement. I like MacT but it's time to 'Move On'..

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

Kariya might make a comeback during the playoffs so watch out ya'll!! I say Blues in 7..........Since my Oilers aren't it, I won't care much for this yrs playoffs other than seeing the Nucks lose in the first round

MactT is expected to step down as Head Coach. Oilers have NJ Coach Brent Sutter as top candidate for replacement. I like MacT but it's time to 'Move On'..

They need to sign Bertuzzi lol.   They didn't sign Linus Omark from overseas (remember the shootout vid?) cuz he went to Dynamo Moscow for more money..  Edm also said they have too many little players and they need bigger guys to fit out their offensive lines...

[Let's Get Down]

lol at signing Bertuzzi...I havent seen much from Omark other then that SO goal. I'm lookin forward to seeing Jordin Eberle in the lineup next yr though..we thought Penner was gon' step up as a physical threat but what a bust he was. Hopefully we can start playing with a new system next yr, although MacT's style was exciting to watch (which was how i became an Oilers fan). The young guys liike Nilsson, Cogs, Ganger really need to up their game as well. I'm also wondering if Roli's gona re-sign with us...

[Lunatic]

Islanders get Tavares!lol

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

lol at signing Bertuzzi...I havent seen much from Omark other then that SO goal. I'm lookin forward to seeing Jordin Eberle in the lineup next yr though..we thought Penner was gon' step up as a physical threat but what a bust he was. Hopefully we can start playing with a new system next yr, although MacT's style was exciting to watch (which was how i became an Oilers fan). The young guys liike Nilsson, Cogs, Ganger really need to up their game as well. I'm also wondering if Roli's gona re-sign with us...

Yeah Roloson is a very decent goalie, he's getting old I think, but I Would still keep him..

Also excited to see a new system for them..  I think Gagner is gonna be a good player...

Here's a compilation vid of Omark from his 08/09 campaign.  I know the goalies are "Second-rate" there, so they say, but this guy reminds me of Ovechkin..  The deal with his Moscow contract is for 2 years, but if he wants to go play for Oilers in the second year, they'll let him.

Islanders get Tavares!lol

lol yeah.  Let the Manhattan project continue!

[Let's Get Down]

thanks for the link. He loooks like a pretty good play making forward and also strong on the puck. So the soonest we COULD see him in the nhl is in the '10/11 season? I've yet to see any player that could compare to Ovechvin. He is really on another level. Gagner, I think has the highest potential of young guys. He has great chemistry with O'Sullivan..I still think Hemsky hasn't reached his full potential. I'm expecting him to become a superstar I wonder if there's a possibility of signing Marc Crawford as Coach, seeing that we got Tambellini now.

[Jaydc555]

Yeah and maybe Crawford will bring cloutier with him lol.canucks took it tonight!yeah boyeeee!

[R1ZE]

alotta canadians in this topic 

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

thanks for the link. He loooks like a pretty good play making forward and also strong on the puck. So the soonest we COULD see him in the nhl is in the '10/11 season? I've yet to see any player that could compare to Ovechvin. He is really on another level. Gagner, I think has the highest potential of young guys. He has great chemistry with O'Sullivan..I still think Hemsky hasn't reached his full potential. I'm expecting him to become a superstar I wonder if there's a possibility of signing Marc Crawford as Coach, seeing that we got Tambellini now.

Yeah, that's the earliest.  Yeha Hemsky still has growing to do, I mean each year he's getting a little bit better imo, just taking his time..  If they find the right linemates for him he could excel I Think.   Marc Crawford is a smart dude, that would be a wise choice.  They're also throwing around the name Pat Quinn..