***The Official 2009 NHL Playoffs Thread***

I'm pulling for the Habs over your Bruins but no way it happens. This is the softest team in the playoffs by far and I would be surprised if the Habs can take it to 6 games

 

I'm really looking forward to this Bruins - Canadiens series.

On a side note Uni, it looks like Kessel has rediscovered his scoring touch right at the perfect time.

 

Thanks for giving my guys the "we're going to make you take it to 7 to beat us".

I think having six guys on a team who can score a **** load of goals is better than (at least the two I know of) guys who can score like crazy - to which i'm sure they have at least one or two guys i've never heard of that can get the job done and possibly more.

The flyers have been making me real nervous lately (I just posted a huge response in the NHL forum) and IMO if the flyers are to win this one they need to have A) a hot goaltender and B)high scoring production and C) they HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO keep themselves OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX.

I'm nervous the flyers will get bumped because I think all three of these things need to happen and really I only see two happening at most - that of the high scoring production and goaltending. the flyers have been scoring all year long and at times their goaltending has been phenominal. biron has shown he can get it done in the playoffs but what is going to haunt them is the penalties in my opinion. With that being said I'll be damned if I'm going to give it to the penguins. i have no idea who wins this one but i'm going orange and black until I can't.

go flyers!

 

Rangers in 6. Lundqvist will dominate the series.

 

The only team I always cheer for is whoever is playing the Leafs

I tend to cheer for every other Canadian team. Sure the Habs might dive but so do most teams these days.

The reffing goes both ways, the Bruins will get as many silly calls as the Habs do

 

You wouldn't be saying that if you were a flyers fan. Damn zebras.

 

As always with this franchise, I'm cautiously optimistic.

I will say this though, Game 1 is extremely important for the Bruins. The Canadiens have owned us historically and I worry about the Bruins psyche, considering their recent early exits in April, especially if they fall behind in this series.

 

damn refs are blind. pens are playing good. flyers are too just not well enough. first period still.

 

I just moved to a suburb outside of Raleigh, NC and everybody up here is Carolina Hurricane crazy. I don't know much about hockey, but I guess I should wish them good luck against the Devils.

The instate Penguins & Flyers game must be a madhouse.

 

any team that plays the devils deserve to be rooted for. hurricanes are a dark horse team out of the east

and yes, flyers pens game is nuts. reffing is a little more even now; and that's all that i ask. i don't mind if the games are called close but i hate one sided calls that don't get called the other way.

 

Bro don't start crying about the refs. The game was called well.

Pens just look faster and more phsyical than the Flyers. Tonight was total domination.

The Flyers' thuggery at the end was frikkin ridiculous though. That cross check on Staal was bush league and uncalled for. Hope that's not something that will continue.

 

The game was one sided.

5-2 on penalty calls for the penguins?

how bout the time where a flyer was charged behind his own net and no call? how bout the little love tap hook that was called against the flyer? it didn't impede his play any... yet i saw a flyer get hooked in the same manner - and no call.

the pens did play better. they were faster and more physical. and most importantly they MADE THINGS HAPPEN. The flyers waited for things to happen (and hit the damn post a lot) and in the NHL you just don't do that to win games. You guys did what you needed to to win.. which is why you did.

i will agree with you the BS has got to stop. I don't enjoy seeing my hockey team play like a bunch of babies. There were a few things that the flyers did that were uncalled for, the Staal one among them; the hartnell interference against flury (which was called). Others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

I want my hockey team to win clean games.

If you do defeat us this series (which if we keep playing at this pace, you will) I hope whoever gets you next crushes you.

Good game; but it's only one game out of a possible seven. The fat lady isn't done singing yet.

 

dude you are a flyers fan?

if so,

 

My Rangers off to a 1-0 lead in the series with the over-rated Captials thanks to another solid performance by THE KING HENRIK and a surprising show up game for our Power Play unit.

Rangers will win this in 6.

 

You mean Henrik Lundqvuistsistist?

 

King Henrik.

 

Bruins vs Habs: Bruins in 7
Im not sold on Boston's goaltending but I am sold on Montreal's. Boston having a better team in front of Thomas will ultimately help them win the series but not before the Habs steal a few games. If Montreal wants to steal the series its going to take a huge series from guys like Higgins and Kovalev.

Caps vs Rags: Rags in 6
I hate to do this cause being an Isles fan I absolutely hate the Rags but I have nothing other then a gut feeling to go on when I say they'll win the series. Lundqvist is good enough to steal any series and I think he does it here. Sean Avery was the missing link that makes this team go.

Devils vs Canes: Devils in 7
This should be the best of the first round matchups in the east and Im looking forward to a good battle. The Canes won 3 of 4 in the regular season and were red hot down the stretch. But no way Im betting against Brodeur in the first round when they have home ice even though the Devils havent given us a good run in a while.

Pens and Flyers: Pens in 5
Flyers have neither the defense or the goaltending to win this series.

Sharks vs Ducks: Ducks in 7
I agree the Sharks are chokers. Pronger and Getzlaf will go a long way towards taking this series.

Wings vs Jackets: Wings in 7
No one is giving the Jackets a chance and frankly there's no reason to. I still see them busting their butts and stealing a few games. Nash will have to be huge for them.

Canucks vs Blues: Canucks in 5
Luongo is the advantage and while the Blues are a tough gritty team they cant match that.

Blackhawks vs Flames: Flames in 6
Since the Flames great run a few years ago Kipper hasnt been the same but I could see a deep playoff run for this group. Phanuef and Reghyr lead a physical group of D-men that should beat up the hawks young talent most of whom are not playoff tested.

 

defense, not for the most part. timmonen is great.

goaltending? if biron plays like he did last year then we can get it done. if he plays like he did tonight (yesterday) in game 1; we're screwed. the team has to step up and help him as well.

 

Ive said it before and I'll say it again: Bobby Clarke is great at drafting forwards but he is the absolute worst at assembling a blueline and finding a good goalie. Whatever he touches just turns to crap at those two positions.

Kimmo is solid; the rest...not so much.

 

Sbisa will be good in a few years

I know that does little right now

 

flyers shots hit the pole way too damn much. what did carcillo do beside push a guy when the ref was right in front of him? did i miss something (asking seriously)?

penguins guys went knee to knee with flyers players too. they should all be fined for that **** I can't stand dirty hockey.

 

Bro, what game were you watching???? Go look it up, until the cluster**** in the final minute, penalty calls were 7 for Philly and 5 for the Pens.

We went through this **** all last playoffs. Let's not do it again.

Overrated Caps? You mean as opposed to your team that went STORMING into the playoffs?

Dude, the Rangers backed their way in. They just as easily could have been watching from home this weekend.

 

A couple of thoughts:

Man, the Pens were impressive last night, thorough domination. And Uni is right, Scott Hartnell is a douche. Also, I don't see how Flyer fans can complain about the hooking call on Asham in the 1st period. It didn't impede the guy's progress much, but his stick was parallel to the ice, that's a textbook hooking call.

Not to beat a dead horse here, as Uni's numbers speak for themselves, but Carey Price has been pathetic in his recent playoff appearences (he was brutal in the 2nd half of that 1st round series against Boston last year). Yes, Thomas has never carried a team either, but he doesn't need to... especially considering how deep they are along the blue line and how the team has appeared to buy into Julien's defensive system.

I cannot wait for tonight. Chara and Lucic better set the tone (legally) early in this game and send the message that Montreal will not get away with their chicken **** style of physical hockey in this series. The key to this series is simple, and I can't stress this enough, Boston CANNOT take dumb retaliatory penalties and keep Montreal in these games. If this series is played at even strength, Boston will dominate.

Let's go B's!

 

I didn't watch the last minute (or at least don't remember it). Way too pissed.

Did we go thru this or do you mean you and flyers fans?

Anyway if the penalties were that close I have no objections. I'm not gonna argue with ya bro. Your team played great last night. We didn't. That's the bottom line. We could have killed off your power plays but we didn't nor did we capitalise on ours. That and sloth skating killed us.

 

Even worse, that Knee on Knee shoul've warranted a suspension. Why is it always PHI that does dirty s$#t like that. Remember how many suspensions they had last year? I guess why should this year be any different?

 

Nah man, we didn't go at it...it was fans of ANY team that played the Pens in the playoffs last year. It was all I heard. That and the "Crosby's a diver" routine.

Oh man bro, the last minute was insane. If it wasn't so bad it would have been comical. TOTAL meltdown by the Flyers.

Actually, you did very well on the power plays. We only scored one PP goal.

 

yeah we didn't score any i don't think and i think that's partially the difference.... one was definitely birons fault on a gift out in front.. one was a nice PP goal.. the other two were just sloppy play.

i'd like to say good luck in game 2... but i can't.

and mike richards if you hit the post three times in this game and don't score i'm going to be pissed.

 

LMAO....I'm still trying to figure out what game you watched bro! Your goal WAS a PP goal!

 

Well I had my hockey draft and I stacked up on these 4 teams

Washington
New Jersey
Detroit
Chicago- homer pick as they have Toews from Winnipeg and Khabby who was the JETS last goalie

I am not sold on Thomas in Boston and that's why I did not pick them and San Jose usually chokes

 

I get kinda excited during hockey so half of it goes in one ear and out the other.

I'm sure I realized it at the time but afterwards... eh the only thing that matters is the final score and really what matters is the series.

 

And just to point out, you won't see me complain about the refs even though the penalty that gave you that PP was bogus.

MAF was reaching out with his stick to play the puck and a Flyer came crashing the net and tripped over it, and the called him for tripping.