NHL 2010/2011

[caucasianheat]

For Reals?

Every East series is utterly fascinating. The West offers Crawford Ballin' while Luongo's Bawlin - but that's about it. The matchups aren't great - unless the right teams get through, and then you have some bitchin' semifinals.

I watch the East teams all season, I'm sick of 'em.

Not to disparage what will be some good matchups in the East, but literally every West series is more appealing to me (okay, maybe LA/SJ is a stretch). Chicago/Vancouver games should still have some animosity to them - even after the 'Hawks roster exodus, there are still shit disturbers like Bolland in the lineup. Perfect first test for the Canucks to see if they can handle an offense that's still extremely potent.

Spoilered for massiveness, Sergei Bobrovsky's awesome goalie mask...

[Guest mr. potato head]

And Boston/Montreal won't have animosity?

[caucasianheat]

Don't you know I'm programmed to only care about one Northeast team?

[Clawson]

Personally I'm cheering for the meteor in Boston/Montreal. Wouldn't mind if it took a stop by Vancouver as well.

[Toe]

I would probably prefer Montreal losing in the first round.

[The Sultan of Swank]

I feel bad for all the other matchups in the first round, because they're all background noise to the Habs/Bruins matchup as far as the media is concerned.

Elliot Friedman was making his picks for the Calder. Now I could think of at least 5 reasons that P.K. Subban obviously shouldn't win it, 2 of them would be Grabner. But Friedman chose that he annoys people and that's why he won't win.

God bless the CBC.

I'm not sure how I want to call the Habs/Bruins series. Logic would tell me Bruins in 5 or 6. As a Habs fan I'd say Montreal in 6 or 7 and as a history buff you have to know that down 3-1 Montreal will still likely win.

I think it comes down to the first 2 games. Montreal plays awful in Boston and Boston doesn't show up in Montreal. If Montreal can take game 1 or 2, it's a statement to the Broooons. If they come back to Montreal down 0-2, then Molson can pick up their 2 million in revenue per game for 2 or 3 games and call it a season.

Montreal needs to find an answer to Boston's realization that if you chip it in deep on the slow Montreal D, and forecheck hard all game, you can wear them down.... fast. If Montreal can find an answer for that, then I would expect to see the highly talented, but neanderthal minded players like Lucic, Horton et al. taking tons of penalties in their own end and in the neutral zone. Because really, if they don't make their trucelence quotient for the game, the fans might not show up to the next one.

[Guest mr. potato head]

Are they all background though? Or is that just where you are? I was listening to CBC Radio Winnipeg this morning and the only one they talked about was Vancouver/Chicago.

Anyhow, predictions:

Washington 4-0 New York

Philadelphia 4-1 Buffalo

Tampa Bay 4-3 Pittsburgh

Montreal 4-3 Boston

Vancouver 4-1 Chicago

San Jose 4-2 Los Angeles

Detroit 4-0 Phoenix

Anaheim 4-2 Nashville

[Gabriel]

Pittsburgh is going to win the cup, and either Phoenix or Nashville will sneak through into the second round of the playoffs. (Spoiler: fans still won't care).

[Guest mr. potato head]

I agree with absolutely none of that. Detroit's too good to lose to anybody except a top-flight team, and Anaheim's top line is miles ahead of anything Nashville's got.

And Pittsburgh is frankly treading water without Crosby or Malkin, I think this is going to be a real coming out party for Steven Stamkos.

[The Sultan of Swank]

MPH, I'm actually living in Niagara Falls now, and it's been dominating everything. I mean, the other series are going to be amazing, and I actually doubt that the Habs/Bruins will live up to it's billing, but the hype machine seems to be in full swing.

[Guest mr. potato head]

I know you're at Brock, and I think the Ontario media has picked up on it as the marquee series, I'm just saying that there are other (still neutral) parts of the country where that's not the case.

[Ruki]

Washington 4-1 New York

Philadelphia 4-2 Buffalo

Tampa Bay 4-1 Pittsburgh

Montreal 2-4 Boston

Vancouver 4-2 Chicago

San Jose 4-1 Los Angeles

Detroit 4-3 Phoenix

Anaheim 4-2 Nashville

That's my guess.

[NobBe Nobbs]

My picks (as recorded in the PPPPP) are:

Washington d. New York in 5

Philadelphia d. Buffalo in 6

Boston d. Montreal in 5

Tampa Bay d. Pittsburgh in 6

Vancouver d. Chicago in 7

San Jose d. Los Angeles in 4

Phoenix d. Detroit in 5 [OK, this one was probably wishful thinking]

Anaheim d. Nashville in 5 [Eep.]

I have Vancouver down as eventual winners, with Ryan Kesler taking the Conn Smythe.

[Meacon Keaton]

May as well:

New York over Washintgon in 7

Philadelphia over Buffalo in 5

Boston over Montreal in 6

Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay in 6

Chicago over Vancouver in 7

San Jose over Los Angeles in 5

Detroit over Phoenix in 5

Nashville over Anaheim in 5

Yeah.

[Ruki]

So...Winnipeg is one step closer to getting a team.

[The Sultan of Swank]

MPH, Brock? really? What do you take me for? Some sort of commoner? haha.

Well that first game what completely unexpected.

Chara, in his own end was exposed the entire game... Maybe it was just a bad game for him, cause it certainly was for the rest of his team, but wow did he suck the big one tonight. He must have had 4 giveaways in his own zone, slow, pretty ineffective.

Kaberle playing his first meaningful game of hockey in 7 years or so can be excused for his giveaway that led to the first goal, but it was the same way he played in Toronto, got tons of time and space a few times in the game and just skated through the slot opting not to shoot.... I'll take it.

Lucic will rebound with a gangbusters game for game 2. I'll bet on it. After playing like he was the size of Brian Gionta but with none of the heart at any point in the game, he made an awful turnover, and then didn;t bother to even try and come back after Gomez, leading to the 2nd goal. I'm betting he throws at least 5 or 6 hits and has a huge hand in the next game. I may not like him, but he's a machine power forward who doesn't have too many off games.

Carey Price 'Halak'd' his way through the second period. Boston had 18 shots in the period. Now many people will say, well they were mostly low percentage shots and almost no rebound shots, it's still 18 and that's too many. Montreal did do a good job keeping them on the perimeter as there was at least one stretch of almost 2 minutes where the Bruins passed it around in the Habs zone without taking a shot.

Ryan White played only 8 minutes of hockey and was fantastic. He threw 7 hits, at least 3 of which I counted, where he then took the puck and made a smart pass that led to a scoring chance.

If Tomas Plekanec had put in half of the open net chances he made for himself after embarassing the Boston D tonight he'd have had a hat trick.

Captain Gionta showed everyone how it's done, but it's going to take a lot more than just him to get through the series.

I predict Boston will come back in a big way for Game 2, but this was a great statement from the Habs.

Anyone else catch Price giving Sopel a wink after Sopel more or less saved a goal for Price... What a difference 2 years makes. The last time he did something that reminded fans of Patrick Roy, they wanted to run him out of town, this time, they're probably planning the parade.

[Guest mr. potato head]

What a great start to this Sabres/Flyers game. 3-2 and we're not even out of the first.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Well who the fuck saw that coming... Taking both games in Boston... this could get ugly in Montreal...

I remember too well Montreal going up 3-1 on Boston 3 years ago and having to go to 7 games, so I'm not getting my broom ready just yet. I thought Montreal would get killed playing in Boston... Maybe playing in a building with any sort of a pulse will excite the Bruins into taking a game or 2 at the Bell... I sure hope not, but I don't want to get too excited yet...

[Road Rage]

Well who the fuck saw that coming... Taking both games in Boston... this could get ugly in Montreal...

I remember too well Montreal going up 3-1 on Boston 3 years ago and having to go to 7 games, so I'm not getting my broom ready just yet. I thought Montreal would get killed playing in Boston... Maybe playing in a building with any sort of a pulse will excite the Bruins into taking a game or 2 at the Bell... I sure hope not, but I don't want to get too excited yet...

If Boston take the 2 games at the Bell Centre, well, for us, it's over. Boston will have the momentum and will win in 6.

[The Sultan of Swank]

That's a really big 'If' though. Montreal is liable to lose game 3, just because Boston needs to get it going, but we're still waiting for Boston to show up at all these playoffs. Then there's also the fact that they'll be playing in bar none, the loudest building in the league. Montreal plays poorly in Boston usually, but Boston usually shits the bed in Montreal.