• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

The Playoffs Thread

JamesNorthern said:
I would say also that Chicago should prevail due to their depth and experience. Tampa shouldn't be a slouch but I'm thinking they may just surprise a little.

I don't expect this final to go 7 games. I would say 5 or 6 games.

I also expect to see the continue return to form of Patrick Kane. He was starting to really get there as their series against the Ducks rolled on.
Click to expand...

I'm not willing to count Tampa out so fast! Chicago is one injury away from big trouble if Toews, Keith or Seabrook went down early in this series. Where I think Tampa can expose Chicago would be the Hawks second and third pairings on defense...after Keith and Seabrook the Hawks are a little thin on the backline.
 
Goalies are wildcards to me. I could see either giving a stinker of a game at any given time. Bishop more likely than crawford though.
 
CanadaCanes said:
after Keith and Seabrook the Hawks are a little thin on the backline.
Click to expand...

The injury to Rosival unsettled their rotations to be sure, but both Oduya and Hjalmerson are perfectly useful defensemen who more than pull their own weight. And notice that you said "after Keith and Seabrook" and what you're pretty much saying is after two of the top 5 D in the league, their D really falls off. Umm ... sure it does. Still have two of the best D in the league, both of whom can go and have gone 30 minutes if needed.

And I'm not saying Tampa's roadkill and going to lose in 4. I just think when all's said and done, they just aren't in the same class as Chicago (or Anaheim for that matter). They've got some offense and their coaching staff has been very, very good in this post season, so you certainly can't count them out completely. But ... I'm tempted and I figure this is over after 5 or 6.
 
There is no way that little dwarf Johnson skates around the dark areas uncontested like he did against NY. Hawks in 5, with Bishop stealing one somewhere along the way.
 
cmaleski2 said:
Good show by Khuna in the 3rd round playoff pickem by the way. If I'm calculating right, unofficially I believe you missed having both series picked perfectly by a single Rich Nash goal. That should jump you right up near the top, I know you blew by me for sure... Dwind is going to shoot way up there as well..
Click to expand...

99.99999% luck, and the rest was good speleling!
 
Game 1 in the books. Chicago storms back late-ish to overtake a 1-0 Tampa lead that seemed more and more tenuous as the game went on. Tampa seemed to disagree, since they completely forgot about their offensive zone after the start of the third period. I really liked Cooper's gameplan up to that point, but you've GOT to shake something up when you see your boys going into scared turtle mode like that. The outcome had the whiff of the inevitable so long as Tampa's possession game stayed inert.

Chicago ... I thought they played it a bit fast and loose through the first 2 and then really bore down hard. Tampa earned some respect for sure, but in the end that might be a bad thing for the Bolts.
 
I fell asleep on the couch in the second and woke up to hear Doc say "good night, everyone", but wasn't a bit surprised. Chicago has made a habit of starting slow and going gangbusters in the third. Usually, you figure that will come back to bite them eventually, but they look like that approach will serve them just fine.

No matter what, the last month has been just fantastic hockey.
 
For the first two periods, honestly I found the Blackhawks didn't look bad necessarily, but Tampa's speed and forecheck didn't allow the Blackhawks much time to organize or set plays. Although Chicago seemed to 'roll' with it and eventually prevailed for the win.
 
Chicago reminds me of Detroit teams in the past-- just when you think they're out, they find another gear. I also think JoelQ will out coach Cooper.
 
SlapShots said:
Chicago reminds me of Detroit teams in the past-- just when you think they're out, they find another gear. I also think JoelQ will out coach Cooper.
Click to expand...

Is there a better coach in all of hockey now? (Quenneville)
Would love to bring him back in the fold one day....me figures that will never happen after having so much success with the Blackhawks.
 
Again ... I didn't think Chicago played badly in the first two periods either. I just think they played loose. Too many tricky moves and low percentage passes, not enough patience. Once they got Tampa back in their defensive shell, it was just a matter of finding the space to make some plays against that 1-1-3 trap ... which they clearly began to do rather quickly as the 3rd period got going. Quenneville will simply not sit there and watch his team get more and more frustrated without tweaking some stuff. Cooper? I though he froze a little last night. And that befits their respective levels of experience. Quenneville is one of the better coaches in the game for a reason.
 
I really enjoyed last night's game. Great effort on both sides and lots of end to end skating without a high goon factor. Chicago looked dangerous, though the bounces didn't go their way last night. The longer this series goes, the better I'll like it.

JIm
 
Been enjoyable hockey to watch from the first rounds onward. But since the semi-finals I've had the same thought.

We're a long ways from being at this elite level of hockey. Might beat any one of those teams on any given night. But I just don't see us hanging at that level through a seven-game series (more like four or five :sarcasm) with any of them when they are in playoff beast mode.

Our new core might get us back into the playoffs, particularly as some current powers age out.

Most promising element is that our lurking powerhouse D offers a hint of greatness. But, I just don't see the necessary leadership factor there yet. Nor has the next great goalie emerged.
 
Last edited:
So ... Tampa ties it in a game neither starting keeper will be thrilled with. Bishop left early, so he might be even more unhappy. Crawford ... good Lord son. Tighen up when you get a chance.

So off the Chi-town at 1-1. Chicago got what they needed on the road, and Tampa showed the fight they needed after falling apart in game one. Should be competitive as we go along, although I still think Chicago's just got more to offer than Tampa.
 
This series has to be seriously pi$$ing off TSN. Yet again they're forced to cover more non-Canadian teams in the Cup Finals. I get the distinct impression TSN only reports on U.S based teams because they're forced to, even though most teams are made up of Canadian born players.

The opposite appears to be true of ESPNBA. They barely mention hockey even though it is the Cup Finals between two U.S. teams (and one of them an Original Six at that). Forget about getting more than a sentence or two and the final score from hockey when they'd rather be talking NBA hoops or meaningless MLB baseball games. FESPN.

Jim
 
As an FYI, TSN is no covering the finals- they lost the contract. It's Rogers who now has those rights. The TSN talking heads are working the NBCSN coverage. But I think the sentiment is the true.
 
Pucking Lamplighter said:
This series has to be seriously pi$$ing off TSN. Yet again they're forced to cover more non-Canadian teams in the Cup Finals. I get the distinct impression TSN only reports on U.S based teams because they're forced to, even though most teams are made up of Canadian born players.

The opposite appears to be true of ESPNBA. They barely mention hockey even though it is the Cup Finals between two U.S. teams (and one of them an Original Six at that). Forget about getting more than a sentence or two and the final score from hockey when they'd rather be talking NBA hoops or meaningless MLB baseball games. FESPN.

Jim
Click to expand...

ESPN (AKA - Exceptionally stupid people network) is a infocommercial channel for what ever event they will be broadcasting.
 
Last edited:
What a great weekend this was for sports fans:

- Game 2 of the NHL finals - excellent hockey, exciting game, this could be a great series
- Game 2 of the NBA finals - just like Game 1 had to be decided in OT, lots of drama, teams I can get behind
- UEFA Champions League Final - pretty good game, excitement and drama at the end, a swan song for some really good players
- Belmont Stakes - history made, enough said
- French Open Finals - great final matches on both men's and women's side, esp. the men's final
 
GlenwoodAvenueHooligans said:
What a great weekend this was for sports fans:

- Game 2 of the NHL finals - excellent hockey, exciting game, this could be a great series
- Game 2 of the NBA finals - just like Game 1 had to be decided in OT, lots of drama, teams I can get behind
- UEFA Champions League Final - pretty good game, excitement and drama at the end, a swan song for some really good players
- Belmont Stakes - history made, enough said
- French Open Finals - great final matches on both men's and women's side, esp. the men's final
Click to expand...

Thought I'd add that the Women's World Cup started this weekend-- Canada is the host country. USA v Australia tonight at 6:30PM from Winterpeg on Fox tonight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top