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2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs


Hugh 0ne
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Well, I know the hockey fans around here are few and far between because most of you are a bunch of homos, but for the half-sandwich eating manly men like myself, let's have a Stanley Cup Playoffs thread right here. Here are my thoughts and predictions for the opening round in the Eastern Conference:

 

Rangers vs. Ottawa: Rangers are good. Solid goaltending, they play as a cohesive unit, and they bought in to Tortarella's system big time. They block a lot of shots. That being said, they don't score much which will hurt them making a deep run. They'll have enough fire power to get past the Senators, but I think it should be interesting, and make sure you watch Senators D-man Karlsson, he's fun to watch. Rangers in 6.

 

Bruins vs. Capitals: Yeah, Caps are banged up in goal, and they haven't had much playoff success in the Ovechkin era. But the defending Stanley Cup champs aren't exactly lighting it up either. For some reason I see an upset coming here, the Caps can light the lamp, and I think they'll do plenty of it. Caps in 7

 

Panthers vs. Devils: IMO, aside from maybe the Senators, these are the two weakest teams in the East, and which ever team wins this series will not go any deeper. Florida gets home ice in the weakest division in the NHL, while the Devils have been battling in the best division in the NHL. I think the Devils walk away with this one. Devils in 5

 

Penguins vs. Flyers: Can you say blood bath? Apparently Hartnell can. Should be the best series of the first round, with the winner, assuming they're all still alive after this matchup, poised to make a run at the Cup. I think the Pens are sloppy on defense, but have the goaltending advantage, are better on the blue line, and while healthy have more offensive prowess. Question is if they can tighten up on D and take this crazy series. Pens have to stay composed against a nasty Flyers team. Oh, and we'll see what ex-Penguins Jagr and Talbot can do against their old team. As a Penguins fan I won't predict this one, but I will advise any sports fan on God's green earth to watch this series, it's gonna be nuts.

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Crap....I'm going to have to get a 3rd TV going after Weds.

CNBC, NHL and NBCSportsNet (Old Versus) all have games going at the same time!

 

Yes....I admit it. I am a hockey nut. Although I am NOT a half-sammich eating homo....lol. ;)

 

Go Pens!! Though I think it's a tall order this year.

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Well, I know the hockey fans around here are few and far between because most of you are a bunch of homos, but for the half-sandwich eating manly men like myself, let's have a Stanley Cup Playoffs thread right here. Here are my thoughts and predictions for the opening round in the Eastern Conference:

 

Rangers vs. Ottawa: Rangers are good. Solid goaltending, they play as a cohesive unit, and they bought in to Tortarella's system big time. They block a lot of shots. That being said, they don't score much which will hurt them making a deep run. They'll have enough fire power to get past the Senators, but I think it should be interesting, and make sure you watch Senators D-man Karlsson, he's fun to watch. Rangers in 6.

 

Bruins vs. Capitals: Yeah, Caps are banged up in goal, and they haven't had much playoff success in the Ovechkin era. But the defending Stanley Cup champs aren't exactly lighting it up either. For some reason I see an upset coming here, the Caps can light the lamp, and I think they'll do plenty of it. Caps in 7

 

Panthers vs. Devils: IMO, aside from maybe the Senators, these are the two weakest teams in the East, and which ever team wins this series will not go any deeper. Florida gets home ice in the weakest division in the NHL, while the Devils have been battling in the best division in the NHL. I think the Devils walk away with this one. Devils in 5

 

Penguins vs. Flyers: Can you say blood bath? Apparently Hartnell can. Should be the best series of the first round, with the winner, assuming they're all still alive after this matchup, poised to make a run at the Cup. I think the Pens are sloppy on defense, but have the goaltending advantage, are better on the blue line, and while healthy have more offensive prowess. Question is if they can tighten up on D and take this crazy series. Pens have to stay composed against a nasty Flyers team. Oh, and we'll see what ex-Penguins Jagr and Talbot can do against their old team. As a Penguins fan I won't predict this one, but I will advise any sports fan on God's green earth to watch this series, it's gonna be nuts.

 

 

All anyone has to do is look back on past NHL playoff threads to see that what I predict isn't worth diddly squat, but that won't stop me from trying to make people think I know a thing or two about the greatest playoffs in all of sports.

 

Starting with the Eastern conference:

Rangers v Ottawa: This is a series where I think the #8 seed is going to be greatly overlooked. If ever there was a thing as a "trap series", then this is it. The Rangers are very, very good - no doubt about it. Lundquist is a stud, and they are a very tough and gritty team. That being said, I think the Senators can outscore the Rangers in this series. Whether that is due to a couple big games lumped in with some stinkers remains to be seen. Also Craig Anderson can get on a hot streak as good as anyone - it seems the more pucks he faces the better he plays. There is no way Ottawa can take 2 games in MSG though, so I go with the hugh upset pick and take the Sens in 6.

 

Boston v Washington: I hate Ovechkin. Mike Green is one of the most overrated players in the game in my opinion. Washington has no goaltending to speak of. Maybe Boston isn't the fearsome foe it was last year, but they have better goaltending, better team scoring, better defense, a better coach, better fans, better uniforms, better rink, and a better chance of winning this. I'll take great delight in seeing Alexander the Ghost disappear in the playoffs once again, while Semin is swallowed up by the enormity of the series which is Chara. Bruins in the sweep.

 

Florida v New Jersey: These teams are almost mirror images of each other. You would think that makes this a good series. Niether team has great goaltending - it looks like Clemmenson will start for the Panthers, while Broduer is not nearly the same goalie he was even 5 years ago - age catches up with us all. The scoring ability of both team is pretty close as well, but I have to give the edge to the big gunners of Kovalchuk, Parise, and one of the best rookies this year in Henrique. Not to mention guys like Elias and Zajac to give some additional depth. I think that Florida comes in with a chip on it's shoulder though and uses this series to show it wasn't a fluke they got the #3 seed. Panthers in 7.

 

Pittsburgh v Philadelphia: This has the makings of a brutal and one of the best series to watch from a fans perspective. Even if the fan doesn't give a rip about either team. Pittsburgh has the advantage in the scoring department, but I'm not sold that Fleury is at the level he's been at in the past. Still, he's better than any goalie the Flyers can throw at the Pens. The bleeding, battered carcass of the winner of this series will be hard pressed to make it far in my opinion, but the Pens don't have any quit in them. Pens in 6.

 

For the Western conference:

Vancouver v Los Angeles: You would think this one would be a slam dunk, but LA has probably as good as if not better goaltending than the Canucks. Unfortunately the Kings don't have anywhere near the scoring punch to hand with the Canucks. It will be a very close first couple of games, but the floodgates will open and I see the Canucks in 5.

 

St. Louis v San Jose: If the Sharks had a shut down goalie, this would be a much better series. The Sharks have goal scorers, but the Blues also can put the puck in the net with anyone on the top 2 lines - they're just a well balanced team. Hitchcock got this team to play solid D, and it shows. They lack a lot of playoff experience, which I think will only cause this series to get dragged out. A long learning expereince for the Blues is in order because despite his flaws, Neimi can get hot at times. Blues in 7.

 

Phoenix v Chicago: After getting swept out of the playoffs by Detroit last year, the 'Yotes have something to prove. That being said, so do the Hawks who came oh so close to getting by the Canucks last year. This is a matchup where I think the higher seed is actually the underdog - we'll see how Mike Smith does as a playoff goalie. Vrbata is having a career year in the desert, but it's hard to go with a team with little to no playoff success in a non-traditional market. That and I think the Hawks come out with a lot to prove in the playoffs this year and woe be to the first team to get in their way. Blackhawks in 6.

 

Detroit v Nashville: Spain is somewhere yelling at all us NHL Huddlers that this is the year the Preds make it to the Cup. Nashville has a great goalie in Rinne, has a fantastic blue line, and adding Radulov at the end of the season vastly improved that offense. On the other side the Wings got back Howard who played stellar in the last 5 games of the year. Filpulla has come into his own this year, but the big question mark is the blue line for the Wings. It has to happen eventually, and I think this is the year the Predators win in 7.

 

Enjoy the playoffs everyone, and let's meet back for another round of futile guesswork for the semifinals! :tup:

Edited by SeductiveNun
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I didn't know people were allowed to have posts in the Tailgate anymore, sorry....

 

Here's my call....

 

NY over Ottawa in 7. Boston over Washington in 7. NJ over Florida in 6. Pittsburgh over Philly in 6.

Vancouver over LA in 4. St. Louis over SJ in 5. Chicago over Phoenix in 6. Detroit over Nashville in 7.

 

NY over NJ in 7. Pittsburgh over Boston in 6.

Vancouver over Chicago in 7. St. Louis over Detroit in 7.

 

Pittsburgh over NY in 6.

Vancouver over St. Louis in 7.

 

Pittsburgh over Vancouver in 6.

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This first series between the Pens & Flyers is going to be epic. It is one of the best rivalries in sports, and I expect it to be an all out war. I wish the NHL re-seeded for the playoffs, because, in my opinion, these are two of the top 3 teams in the East meeting in Round 1. I can't wait for tonight......... :boxing:

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The Bruins shouldn't lose to the Caps, but anything could happen. The Bruins absolutely played their way out of the funk they were in in the second half of the season and have been rounding nicely into playoff form. McQuaid is still out after that dirty hit Chimera the last time they met, and I'm sure the Bruins will want to say a hearty hello to him when they meet.

 

I'd like to see the Pens get bitchslapped like the whiney punks they are. Yeah, that's right you heard me. From Lemieux on down they can dish it out but they can't take it. There, I said it. They're a highly skilled team, they don't need to behave like that. Really, I'd like it best if neither of these teams could advance, but anyway, Go Flyers! :boxing:

 

Though I'd love to see Ottawa prevail, I don't think that happens.

 

Florida/NJ? I struggle to care, honestly. Florida played the Bruins tough this year. NJ plays the most boring hockey to watch.

 

In the west, I'd love to see St. Louis win through to the finals.

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What is this game hockey that you speak of? And it's played on frozen ponds by men wearing steak knives on their feet?

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I think that this being posted in the TG vs. Other Sports Fourm only goes to prove that Hockey is not a sport....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I actually enjoy, hockey, though.

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So you can grab a guy by the head, smash his head into the glass, and only get a $2,500 fine for it.

 

Nice league you have there. No wonder you have to study a TV guide to figure out what channel the playoff games are on.

Edited by Furd
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