The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

Well looks like I'll be rooting for Nashville now? BAH

Yumcha

@ Pink Things...Preds look like the real deal.

Yumcha

Eh, I still don't think the Pens can pull off 4 straight. Sorry. 3-0 is too much of a deficit...

dom

Meh Things

Fibo

Oswald Vater

Fluery was unconscious in that last period. Hopefully we can find enough dents in his armor to finish the Pens off in Game 6 on home ice. I really don't want to go back to Pittsburgh for a game 7. Go FLYERS!!!!

black label

Maybe I'm crazy but I feel that all the pressure is on the Flyers now. They had the Pens down and out and were ready to finish off the series. Pens got 2 wins in a row (one in dominant fashion) and now the series is one game from tied. Pens have nothing to lose, they should have been eliminated already, they're playing with house money and momentum has swung to their side. The Flyers on the other hand have the opportunity to become the 4th team to join the list teams who blew a 3-0 lead in a playoff series.

Either way I'd like to see them take out their frustrations on each other for 2 more games. Maybe some high sticks, a little slew footing, some cheapshots after the whistle, scrums that involve a 6th and 7th man in. I want to see Hartnell get his hair pulled again and Crosbys purple lips all pouty and holding back from crying and if the coaches want to get pissed off and start taking swings at each other I'm all for it.

Fibonacci

I have a t-time with later this afternoon. Have a pretty good feeling will be hitting the ball a lot, but my scoring will strangely be low.

Ugh, usually dislike conducting a postmortem when the body is still warm, but I'm so pissed, lets do it anyway.

As the hockytalk veterans know, I didn't raise one peep about our record breaking home winning streak this year. It didn't and it doesn't mean squat. The danger was that it lulled management/coaching staff into sleep, thinking Detroit had a better team than we really did. Obviously the injury bug hit all at once and at a bad time in the season, and I still don't think Howard was 100% with the nagging groin.

Key lesson hopefully learned, when you have cap space at the deadline, use it. Now I'm walking down the path of overused cliches: having skill is great, puck control is nifty, but when the playoffs roll around WILL TRUMPS SKILL. The Wings simply haven't had enough grit in recent years to impose their will on other teams when defense tightens up.

Lets see if Lidstrom will come back for one more year (probably), Stuart is gone (Cali) and Homer should retire. Should be interesting to see if we can make a run at Sutter and Parise as we have the space and both would look great in the winged wheel.

Could go on and on, but talk is cheap. Heartbreak and tears await 14 more teams soon enough...

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

^ As a lifelong Ranger fan not only do I know that heartbreak intimately, I am expecting it (Pavlovian response)?

Scary thing is I'll consider the season a success and be happy to get to the second round. If that is not the definition of conditioned heartbreak I don't know what is.

Yumcha

Do or die tonight for the Hawks.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Yup.

Yumcha

Torres...Hope you get run over by a bus while you are not playing.

Enjoy the 25-game ban. But, he'll never change.



But, the Yotes should thank him for his work...because, damage done. If the mission was to permanently take out one of Chicago's Top 4 forwards for the series and playoffs, mission accomplished. There is no replacing Hossa...and could the series have been very different than the 3-1 hole if he was still playing...? IMO, hell yes.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

That is much more than I expected. Good for teh Shanahammer.

Yumcha

<--- Still extremely upset at Torres' hit on Hossa. I really hope the POS gets what's coming to him one day.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I agree.It was a completely uncalled for assault.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Weak goal allowed by Thomas imho.

Is it me or is defense on vacation so far this playoff season?

Wow did not expect that. Going back to Washington on the brink.

black label

I disagree on that. Not that I think Torres shouldn't get a ban but to me this looks like a knee jerk reaction by a guy whos royally screwed up supplemental discipline over the past 2 months. He's trying to make an example of Torres to cover for all the other hits he under penalized or let off completely.

Shanahan has no control over the league anymore. The ridiculous lack of consistency with his rulings has left everyone bewildered. The only thing he has been consistent about has been letting star players off the hook and banning role players but there is no consistency with the length of a ban vs the infraction that earned it. The length of the ban is determined by your contract and how many goals you score.

If Torres was the guy who did what James Neal did, does anyone think he would have only gotten a one day ban? If Crosby did what Neal did, he wouldn't have even been fined.

Shanahan is trying to make a statement with Torres to try to regain some control over what happens on the ice, unfortunately for anyone whos paying attention the statement is, "I have no idea how to do my job."

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I was referring solely to this particular ban. I honestly expected 5 games if that many.

I agree he has no clue and has lost the respect of most everyone.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

So Shea Weber gets nothing, and Torres gets 25 games. Way to keep it consistent Shanny

black label

Most of my issue with him stems from his handling of this particular incident. Do I think Torres should be suspended? 100% yes. Do I think a 25 game ban is reasonable? Based on other supplemental discipline Shanny has handed out, it's completely unwarranted. So why then did Torres get banned for more than 30% of a NHL season? Because Shanny know's he's lost control because of the weak discipline (and non discipline) he's laid out over the past 2 months and this is a feeble attempt to regain control.

If anything I think he's made things worse because the inconsistent and lack of discipline is what makes guys like Torres think he can get away with cheap shots. The bans needed to be consistent and lengthy throughout the whole season if he wanted to make a change.

Yumcha

Well, I think Pierre Lebrun of ESPN put it nicely about Torres:

Sure, not consistent given what we've seen from the other bad hits so far...still, this is Torres we're talking about. He's the new Matt Cooke.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I am sick to my stomach from this game.

underdog

Its ok, your pain will soon be over.

Go Sens Go!!!

Yumcha

Just like my Hawks, your team has been matched up against a team that well, matches up really well against them.

Yumcha

And lookit the Florida Blackhawks...one game away from going to Round 2. Dale Tallon can't get enough credit for putting together this team...

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Even if you get past us you don't actually have dreams of the cup do you????

Time will tell.

Hagelin is back for game 6.


Yup and Anderson has been spectacular.

underdog

Your bitterness is delicious.

This is already an absolutely red letter season for the Sens! At the beginning
of the season all the pundits had them finishing dead last in the east and 2'nd
last in the league .. so this is all gravy my friend!

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

If you think I am displaying bitterness you are mistaken.

You are not past us and are hoisting the cup. Not a good idea.

underdog

LMAO -you're delirious with your "pain".

Who said anything about the cup? The fact they made the playoffs has made this
season a 100% success as far as Sens fans are concerned.

I said it before (after a game when the Sens lost btw) - I love playoff hockey!

(All I did was give you a little good natured ribbing .. chill. )

Yumcha

GO HAWKS!

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Not hot at all. I am used to the Rangers blowing leads.

Anything can happen in sports. The Yankees were down 9-0 in the 6th and won 15-9 today.

underdog

Exactly!!!! Or .. a #8 seed can beat the heavily favoured #1 seed .. or not.

That's what makes it so much fun.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

It's fun until someone gets hurt.

lol

Yumcha

You wait...Vancouver's going to riot...that's gonna hurt.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

lol

Yumcha

The Hawks don't know how to solve the Yotes defensive scheme.


Fat lady is nearly ready to start singing...

Yumcha

Wow. Hawks stay alive thanks to Captain Serious...Coach Q asks his stars to do more and the guy delivers.

SirBLaughs

iTrader: (1)

face palm @ the Rangers

Yumcha

Annnnd the Sharks are out. I think some big changes are incoming for SJ...

Yumcha

The post mortem on the Pens who most picked to be the Cup favorites is gonna be interesting...

Yumcha

As impressive as the Flyers series win over the Pens is, I dunno if I see the Cup winner coming from the East this year. No team there has the defensive depth of the Preds and Blues...

Still, you never know.