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The Playoffs Thread

A

andyt

Canes Moderator
Staff member
Playoffs start tonight. NBC is using all of its networks plus the NHL Network to cover the games. They'll have 2 pregame shows most nights, one on NBCSN and the other on CNBC/USA, broadcast from separate studios. All games that are not on NHL Network will also be available on NBC Sports Live Extra. Live Extra not only requires a cable subscription, it requires that your cable company carry it. As they say, check your local listings. Here are the announcing teams, from Richard Deitsch on si.com. The Mighty Forslund gets Wings/Lightning with Andy Brickley, a guy he works well with. With 2 all-Canadian matchups, NBC will pick up the Rogers broadcast of those.

Capitals-Islanders: Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Pierre McPlankton (analyst).
Senators-Canadiens: Paul Romanuk (play-by-play), Mike Johnson, Glenn Healy and David Amber (analysts).
Blackhawks-Predators: Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (analyst).
Flames-Canucks: Jim Hughson (play-by play), Craig Simpson and Scott Oake (analysts).
Penguins-Rangers: Mike Emrick (play-by-play) and McPlankton.
Red Wings-Lightning: John Forslund (play-by-play) and Andy Brickley (analyst).
Wild-Blues: Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst).
Jets-Ducks: Dave Randorf (play-by-play), Garry Galley and Cassie Campbell-Pascall (analysts)
 
Just have to love playoff hockey. As always there is absolutely no series that is a forgone conclusion. These teams are all good, very good. There isn't a first round series that I would say is as safe bet to go one way or the other.

Even if you look at the 1-4 matchups:

NYR - Pittsburgh - On paper this could be an easy mark for the Rangers, but its the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin and who knows which MA Fleury will show up?

Blues - Wild - Minnesota was fantastic the 2nd half of the year

Ducks - Jets - Winnipeg had to be great down the stretch to hold off the Kings, and they were. They were beating all top teams in the West when they needed to

Habs - Sens - The Senators run to make the playoffs was absolutely amazing. Win Win Win is basically all they did for almost 2 months.

All of the 2-3 matchups are tossups to me as well. I think the Jets and Pens are the most suspect of the 16 teams in the playoffs and the most likely to not win the Cup. The other 14 teams? I can see any of them as Cup champs. Just awsome matchups across the board, looking forward to it.

As for who I'm pulling for, I will maintain my 'love to see someone new win it with my Caps hatred exception'. So I'm pulling for:

1) Any of the Sens, Preds, Canucks, Wild, Blues or Jets (again considering this Ottawa incarnation as not the same as the champs from a long forgone NHL era).

2) Flames, Isles or Habs since its been a somewhat longer time for those franchises (its good for hockey when the Habs win in my opinion).

3) Hawks, Rangers, Wings, Pens, Ducks, Bolts (my 'meh' group) (I know the Rangers have gone quite a while without a Cup, but Rangers fans are just obnoxious).

4) The Caps
 
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cmaleski2 said:
Just have to love playoff hockey. As always there is absolutely no series that is a forgone conclusion. These teams are all good, very good. There isn't a first round series that I would say is as safe bet to go one way or the other.

Even if you look at the 1-4 matchups:

NYR - Pittsburgh - On paper this could be an easy mark for the Rangers, but its the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin and who knows which MA Fleury will show up?

Blues - Wild - Minnesota was fantastic the 2nd half of the year

Ducks - Jets - Winnipeg had to be great down the stretch to hold off the Kings, and they were. They were beating all top teams in the West when they needed to

Habs - Sens - The Senators run to make the playoffs was absolutely amazing. Win Win Win is basically all they did for almost 2 months.

All of the 2-3 matchups are tossups to me as well. I think the Jets and Pens are the most suspect of the 16 teams in the playoffs and the most likely to not win the Cup. The other 14 teams? I can see any of them as Cup champs. Just awsome matchups across the board, looking forward to it.
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Montreal will only go as far as Carey Price carries them...and that Ottawa club has been scary good of late!

The poor Blues always seem to draw a tough opponent in round 1, never gets easy for them despite having a great team.

Ducks-Jets is a big man's series, both teams have great size and I can see this being one of the most physical playoff series in round 1. The Jets building will be rocking with the white out in full effect.

Pens defense is banged up bad...no Maatta, no Letang, no Ehrhoff...that hurts.

Tampa should be good enough on paper to get by Detroit, but never count out Babcock and the Wings.
 
5 and a game for Subban on that slash? What a strange call to make in game 1 of the playoffs. Yeah that was a pretty dirty slash but a major? Are we calling things that tight this postseason? :thumbsdown:
 
cmaleski2 said:
5 and a game for Subban on that slash? What a strange call to make in game 1 of the playoffs. Yeah that was a pretty dirty slash but a major? Are we calling things that tight this postseason? :thumbsdown:
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Roenick thought it was a good call. This is the rule.

61.3 Major Penalty - A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who slashes an opponent. When injury occurs, a major penalty must be assessed under this rule (see 61.5).

Under 61.5, a game misconduct is automatic if a major is called.

I've seen worse slashes go uncalled. But they were skating right at the ref and he had to call it. But 5? Not for me.
 
Subban knew exactly who he was slashing and tried to take Stone out of the series while only hoping to draw a minor penalty. Playoff hockey is supposed to be tough, but a major call on that kind of b.s. has to be made. Otherwise, bring Mick McGeough back out of retirement and go with those freakin' ice follies again.

Jim
 
THis all goes back to consistancy. How many times do you see a guy 2 hand another player on the hands and get either a minor or no call at all? A major for slashing is so rarely called, to see it called in a playoff game seems extreme. I have no problem with them calling more majors for clear misuse of the stick with zero intent to make a hockey play, but let's be consistant about it.
 
Crap like that gets 2 minutes all the time in the regular season. Shouldve got a double minor at worst.
 
Pucking Lamplighter said:
Subban knew exactly who he was slashing and tried to take Stone out of the series while only hoping to draw a minor penalty. Playoff hockey is supposed to be tough, but a major call on that kind of b.s. has to be made. Otherwise, bring Mick McGeough back out of retirement and go with those freakin' ice follies again.

Jim
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This is crap and shows you've never played defense.

Stone had position on Subban and Ottawa had possession of the puck coming off the boards. The play was developing for an easy tip in so Subban did what thousands before him would do... slash him to take him out of the play. He didn't target Stone because it was Stone, he targeted the player in front of Price which happened to be Stone.

When I played D I slashed forwards in front of the net all the time when I lost position and knew I couldn't regain position in time.

The intent was to prevent a goal, not take out a player long-term.
 
bagopux said:
Crap like that gets 2 minutes all the time in the regular season. Shouldve got a double minor at worst.
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Winner winner chicken dinner. Subban got the book thrown at him for being black...not the first time, won't be the last.
 
My biggest issue with the call is that even though there's a rule about it... I've never seen it called on a slash below the shoulders. We've seen thousands of slashes where the player is "injured" to varying degrees. You rarely see a slash where the guy isn't shaking his hand like it's broken or holding his leg and wincing in pain.... yet this is the one time they call 5 and a game?
 
Habspatrol said:
My biggest issue with the call is that even though there's a rule about it... I've never seen it called on a slash below the shoulders. We've seen thousands of slashes where the player is "injured" to varying degrees. You rarely see a slash where the guy isn't shaking his hand like it's broken or holding his leg and wincing in pain.... yet this is the one time they call 5 and a game?
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I've seen 5 and a game for a 2 hand chop to the side of the knee. This was a 2 minute minor.
 
I'm in full agreement with Habspatrol. The part the bothered me the most was they chose that play at that point in time to call a major. Slashes to the hands even outside of what should be considered a hockey play happen almost every game it seems. Its a judgement call the referees need to make as to what the severity of the infraction and the penalty to be assessed, but you almost never (ever?) see them call a major for a slash to arms, hands, or lower body that occurs while play is going on. Why at that point in the game and in this game did the referee elect to raise that particular slash to the level of a major? If that is a major now then lets see that called that way every time. Be consistant. Double minor was an option and to me should have been the most that play should get based on how the game is called all the time.

I'm not buying into Hasby's point about race. I could buy into the fact that Subban (like several other players in the league) sometimes acts like a knucklehead out there and goes out of his way to do some dumb things in the heat of the moment without thinking leading referees to consider his infractions differently than some other players. That's not right either but that definitely happens and factors in to things.

Anyhow the Habs won anyway so that blunts some of the controversy. Now its on the NHL to do the right thing and not suspend Subban. 5 and a game is punishment enough for that play. Maybe also a private note to officials reminding them that double minors are also allowable options for infractions that deserve more than just a single minor. That major might have been the 'right call by the book', but not if 999 out of 1000 other times a slash to the hands is just a minor.
 
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Yeah it's tough to say it's due to race... but I suppose it's also tough to say it wasn't. We obviously have no way to know if a ref is racist. So I'm not going to play that card.

Subban appears to have a reputation. I'm not sure it's necessarily warranted... but he's got one. That said, he isn't known for being dirty as much as embellishment.
 
One of the few things in this world as abhorrent as racism is accusing someone of being a racist with no evidence to back it up. I'm really disappointed to see such garbage on our board.
 
I think another question is why was the rule changed to link a Game Misconduct call automatically for certain Major Penalties. Seems to be they should not be linked and leave it up to the ref. In order of severity:

2 Minute Minor
4 Minute Double Minor
5 Minute Major
10 Minute Misconduct
Game Misconduct
 
cmaleski2 said:
Anyhow the Habs won anyway so that blunts some of the controversy. Now its on the NHL to do the right thing and not suspend Subban. 5 and a game is punishment enough for that play. Maybe also a private note to officials reminding them that double minors are also allowable options for infractions that deserve more than just a single minor. That major might have been the 'right call by the book', but not if 999 out of 1000 other times a slash to the hands is just a minor.
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There is no provision in the rules for a double minor for slashing. There is also no automatic suspension and Subban will not be suspended according to Stephane Quintal.

What's strange is that a major for slashing is an automatic game misconduct. Rule 20, Table 6 lists the major penalties that carry an automatic game misconduct. Butt-ending, checking from behind, clipping, cross-checking, fighting (after original fight, when aggressor, second instigator in a game, instigator in last 5 minutes, 3rd instigator in a season), head-butting, hooking, kneeing, slashing and spearing. On Table 7, Boarding, charging and elbowing are only automatic if there is an injury to the face or head.
 
Habsy said:
Winner winner chicken dinner. Subban got the book thrown at him for being black...not the first time, won't be the last.
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You have no idea if that's true or not and to make that comment shows a lack of scruples on your part. It was a call on a hockey play. Was it racism-- no evidence to suggest or prove. Was the decision made by the ref right or wrong? Well that's the debate. Subban makes bad decisions and has a reputation for such. Ask Michel Therrien.

Originally posted by Habspatrol:
Subban appears to have a reputation. I'm not sure it's necessarily warranted... but he's got one. That said, he isn't known for being dirty as much as embellishment.
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I think Jordan Staal may beg to differ given he had his foot stomped on by Subban's skate causing a cut that became infected and resulted in surgery when he played for PIT. Subban then also appeared to target Staal's surgically repaired leg when Staal returned and they met in Raleigh-- falling forward on that leg with no real push.
 
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