Eastern Conference Playoff Thread 2013

[DL44]

The matchups are set!

Discuss - predictions, who ya cheering for, upset possibilities, story lines, etc etc..

1 Pit Penguins vs 8. NY Islanders

 

2. Mon Canadiens vs 7. Ott Senators

3. Was Capitals vs 6. NY Rangers

 

4. Bos Bruins vs 5. Tor Maple Leafs  oops.. jumped the gun there a bit.  4. Bos Bruins vs 5. Tor Maple Leafs

 

 

Round 2

 

1. Pit Penguins vs 7. Ott Senators

 

4. Bos Bruins vs NY Rangers

 

 

Round 3

 

1. Pit Penguins vs 4. Bos Bruins

[DL44]

Will he or won't he play - Crosby. Isles stand a chance without him... ok maybe they don't.

 

In terms of the East matchups - most excited to see the outcome of the Caps-Rangers series...  this could be a great one.  Kinda seems ages ago that the Caps were the last team in the league to win a game this season... and here they are a 3rd seed... with Ov as the Rocket Richard winner.

 

Have a feeling we won't stop hearing about the Leafs-Bruins series till a month after its over.. already sick of it and we haven't even started. Goooo..... leafs?

 

Am i the only one that doesn't really care about the Habs-Sens?  Probably. Only cool thing is one of them is at least guaranteed to see the 2nd round - great for either franchise.  I'll start paying attention then... or when Karlsson does something amazing... so maybe i will end up following every game.

 

Anyone remember that Defensemen thread i started a ways back wondering which dman will dominate the next era now that Lidstrom is gone??

The answer is Karlsson.

 

 

 

 

A combo of Predictions splashed with a dose of bias of what i want to see:

Pens in 5

Ott in 7

Caps in 7

Leafs in 7

[Flyerfan52]

Upset pick:
Isles in 7

 

The rest:
Habs in 6

Caps in 6

Bruins in 5

[DirtyDeeds]

I voted for the Sens. All the trouble they went through this year with injuries to key players and still kept on chugging along hardly missing a beat. With some injuries returning I can see them going a long way again this year.

 

I'd kind of like to cheer somewhat for the Islanders too but I have called the Oilers the "Isles West" a few times so will abstain this season or at least until I can find another suitable "choke"  type handle for the Oilers.

 

I am calling a Pens - Blues final. Remember you heard it here first.

 

Go Iggy, Go JBo

[DL44]

Crosby has NOT been cleared to play today!

 

 

 

 

[Zirakzigil]

Looks like the Islanders are going to play drity the rest of the series. Absolutely dominated tonight.

 

Ference might get the first suspension of the playoffs as well.

[Invin]

What do you all think of the Gryba suspension for the hit on Eller?

 

I think Shanahan got this one wrong. He keeps saying Gryba made Eller's head the "principal point of contact", but I don't think the video backs up that assessment. It looks to me like his shoulder is down and he makes a body-on-body hit with very little incidental head contact, and that all of the damage occurs from Eller's face hitting the ice when he falls. So not only do the Sens get an interference penalty (a major I believe?) for a play that wasn't interference at all (the puck was clearly on Eller's stick before the hit), they also get a two game suspension for what nearly every analyst and hockey expert not employed by the Canadiens calls a clean hit.

 

I like both the Sens and Canadiens, so I feel I can make an unbiased assessment on this one, and I just don't think it's the right call.

[Zirakzigil]

The suspension was because of the injury, not the hit itself.

[bronco73]

I picked the Rangers in the east for the upset.  Lundquist has really re-gained his form, Nash was getting better and better as the season went on, and my gut tells me that Richards is going to find that extra something for the playoffs.

[manu11]

Wow, after the first period, I didn't think that the Islanders could win this game. Respect!! I think Okposo was a force out there tonight, noticable every shift he was on the ice.

[DL44]

Loving this Ottawa - Montreal series! how great is this series?

Man i find Montreal classless and brutal, and are wishing for their demise after that display last game... busch league stuff. 

 

Anyone still think Price over Luongo as Canada's starter in 2014 after the season Price has had and the post season he's having? Did not think so.

Anderson for Team USA starter over Quick?

 

Karlsson. so impressed with all the little things he does.. incredible player.

 

Loving the Islanders heart.  That has been a fun series to follow!

 

Torn on the Leafs-Bruins series... but i think i want to see the Bruins falter more than the Leafs... hoping Kessel can do Something... actually here's my ideal... If Leafs lose - Reimer lit up and pulled in the losses. If the Leafs win,  the win a few 5-4, 4-3 games, with Reimer giving up 2 softies per win but Kessel bailing him out.  I could live with that.

 

Have not watched this one at all, but am liking the Caps winning so far over the Rangers... and like that #8 and #52 have apparently shown up..

[bronco73]

I agree with you DL44, Every series in this first round has been a dream come true.. but the Ottawa Montreal series is really one for the record books.

[DL44]

I agree with you DL44, Every series in this first round has been a dream come true.. but the Ottawa Montreal series is really one for the record books.

 

I assume you mean with the exception of having your team involved..

 

I wonder if the Montreal GM has the balls to fire the coach and hire the guy who would be perfect for that job... AV.

[bronco73]

I assume you mean with the exception of having your team involved..

 

I wonder if the Montreal GM has the balls to fire the coach and hire the guy who would be perfect for that job... AV.

haha, no that wouldn't be a dream, more like a fantasy!  I'm hoping that MacTavish remains true to his words and actually makes the many significant changes that he promised.

[NLFlames]

Phaneuf just blew the game in OT for Toronto.. Bad pinch, partial 2 on 1 back the other way ends up in the back of the net.

3 - 1 series lead for Boston.

[dsp519]

Phaneuf just blew the game in OT for Toronto.. Bad pinch, partial 2 on 1 back the other way ends up in the back of the net.

3 - 1 series lead for Boston.

 

If you watch the crowd in the ACC, the whole building does a collective facepalm just before the goal

[DL44]

 

Did anyone favor Fleury as the starter in Sochi?

[bronco73]

They started Vokoun tonight, man he could be a tad rusty.  Nabokov has been playing pretty poorly too, interesting series.  I have to wonder why this seems to happen quite often with Pitts, where both goaltenders for both teams are less than flattering in their matchups.

[The_People1]

Up 4-1 with 10-minutes to go in the third period... Elisha Cuthbert rolls her eyes again, for the last time.

[rocketdoctor]

Oh wow Boston!   2 empty net goals, 4-1 down with 10 to play and you pull that win from somewhere.

 

Pits v Bos conf final will suit me.

[Flyerfan52]

That was 1 heck of a comeback! WOW!

 

1/4 in predictions.

 

Round 2:

Sens over Pens in 7

Bruins over Rags in 7

[Carty]

I'll go with Pens in 7 and Bruins in 6...

[DL44]

Well... that was interesting.

 

Was on the fence with the Leafs- Bruins as previously stated... and i couldn't really think of a better way for it to end other than it being Reimer softie in OT.

 

Kessel squashed all doubters and had a great finish to that series. 

 

Found myself cheering for the Leafs.. till they got up 4-1... I turn to my cousin... "i would love  it if the Bruins came back here... that would be an epic story"... and bam! and of course bam, bam.. and then the final bam.  What a game, what a comeback/collapse. 

HAve to say watching that, it was a bigger comeback than it was a collapse.  Bruins went Bruin on them... not much they could do... I'll buy what Carlyle was selling when he simply (and imo accurately) stated they ran out of gas.

 

Remember watching that 3rd and thinking... why are the Bruins still so focused on hitting and finishing their checks?  They should be focused on moving the puck and getting scoring chances... But man - did they know what they were doing... they obviously had a better feel of the effect/toll it was having on the Leafs by not stopping that part of their game... incredible display that made me pause and appreciate after the fact.. briefly, before quickly changing gears and hoping for their demise vs the Rangers...

 

What a game.

[Carty]

What a game.

 

 

Indeed it was...   and the look on Phaneuf's face after the game was priceless...  

 

 

[The_People1]

Well... that was interesting.

 

Was on the fence with the Leafs- Bruins as previously stated... and i couldn't really think of a better way for it to end other than it being Reimer softie in OT.

 

Kessel squashed all doubters and had a great finish to that series. 

 

Found myself cheering for the Leafs.. till they got up 4-1... I turn to my cousin... "i would love  it if the Bruins came back here... that would be an epic story"... and bam! and of course bam, bam.. and then the final bam.  What a game, what a comeback/collapse. 

HAve to say watching that, it was a bigger comeback than it was a collapse.  Bruins went Bruin on them... not much they could do... I'll buy what Carlyle was selling when he simply (and imo accurately) stated they ran out of gas.

 

Remember watching that 3rd and thinking... why are the Bruins still so focused on hitting and finishing their checks?  They should be focused on moving the puck and getting scoring chances... But man - did they know what they were doing... they obviously had a better feel of the effect/toll it was having on the Leafs by not stopping that part of their game... incredible display that made me pause and appreciate after the fact.. briefly, before quickly changing gears and hoping for their demise vs the Rangers...

 

What a game.

 

The Leafs came out in OT with a lot of jump and energy.  I was afraid they would win it.  I thought Peverly could've ended the game with only seconds to go in the game and had he done that, it surely would've been even more epic than it was.  Not that it wasn't epic, but it would've been the most epic of epics.