Official™ 2007 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk

Post by **batdad** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:55 pm

Ok..so now a little sleep later, and I mean a little I can look at things rationally.

1. Turco was freaking awesome. As was Luongo. Marty, handles the puck even better than I thought.
2. The Finnish line (Hagman-Jokkinen-Miettenan) could be the Canuck killers
3. Trevor Daley is freaking fast.
4. Modano at 37 is as good as he was at 25
5. Nagy...nough said. WOW!
6. Barnes-scared me in OT more than anyone else on the Stars. Made something happen each and every time he was out there.

1. Bieksa-NERVOUS, but played solid considering his foot is in serious pain.
2. KRAPICEK...I take back your nickname. You played one hell of a hockey game last nite.
3. Fitzie--Nice job..only 2 mistakes I saw, and you covered for both of them
4. NAZZY---PLEASE play like this all the time. Skating, digging in your own end, spinoramas, playmaking, sniping wristers, AND HITTING PEOPLE on the forecheck.
5. COWAN__HOLY Adam Oates...this guy can skate!! EVEN 4 OT's later. Great on the forececheck.
6, Morrison--Where were you?
7. Henrik/Daniel--Once they got away from Sydor, Zubov matchup looked scary again. Hmmmm
8. Luongo was not as amazing as some say. Yep 72 saves, but 2 weak goals, and he really did not have many scoring chances against him after the 2nd OT. THE DEFENSE for Vancouver played great. Tipping passes, positioning, recovery from gaffes was solid.

All in all, a solid hockey game. But Dallas is clearly alot faster than I thought they were. They have a quick team, and Van better smarten up, or that 5-4 win will be their only one. Canucks cannot skate with Dallas, so they better be real real smart. Like Einstein smart.
Escaped with the win. Lucky guys.

Kekkonen · Post by **Kekkonen** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:40 pm

Sedins, Ohlund... bah. If it wasn't for those Swedish pansies, we'd still be watching hockey.

Post by **batdad** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:17 pm

I like pansies...they smell nice....

Post by **batdad** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:50 pm

So..the injury list in Vancouver is mounting. Cooke (groin), Burrows (he says jaw, everyone knows concussion), and now Kesler with a broken finger (middle).
He has to go for more surgery...is out 4-5 weeks, so all things considered Cooke and Burrows play tomorrow, and Kesler is back in time for game 5.

Canucks recall Janek Hansen (sp?) ... who I know is loved by EHM Europeans (He is Danish I believe) and Nathan Smith. Hansen will likely make his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nice!

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:35 am

batdad wrote: Canucks recall Janek Hansen (sp?) ... who I know is loved by EHM Europeans (He is Danish I believe) and Nathan Smith. Hansen will likely make his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nice!

Does Hansen is a pansies?

I'm watching Cal-Det game.. for now Flames aren't very convincing...

Post by **CatchUp** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:57 am

The only surprise for me tonight was the Flames. I honestly thought they would give DET a run in this series, but they looked AWFUL tonight. Sloppy defensive play, weak offense, looked slow...if they let the Wings have game 2 - this one is done.

Huge game for Brian Campbell tonight in B-lo. The Drury line was unstoppable and Vanek looked like a madman out there - hitting, generating chances - he was doing it all. If I'm Buffalo I let Briere walk in July and lock up Dru and Vanek long term.

Post by **batdad** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:56 pm

I saw no games last nite. Crying about it to. I was at the baseball field with the kids. Whaaaaaa.

Anyway...Drury and playoffs go hand in hand. Like Claude and Playoffs. Chris gets about 3x better once Game 1 series 1 rolls around. Vanek...WOW! I would never have guessed.

jackknife77 · Post by **jackknife77** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:19 pm

i hope drury will be very very good in the playoff so Briere will sign with montreal

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:31 pm

jackknife77 wrote:i hope drury will be very very good in the playoff so Briere will sign with montreal

Hope so, but be prepared that his production fall down

But he's welcome here

Post by **batdad** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:44 pm

Samsonov-Briere-Kovalev?

. In all seriousness, if Montreal got Briere they would improve dramatically. Koivu as 2nd line centre instead of first would help alot.

Biere will have 15 options: Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, St Louis, Montreal, Atlanta, Nashville, Rangers, Deadthings, Flemmes, Columbus,Phoenix...Whoever gets him will pay a pretty penny, and will have overpaid. But he could really help most of those teams. With the exception of Toronto...there is no helping Toronto.

I still think Buffalo finds a way though.

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:50 pm

batdad wrote:Samsonov-Briere-Kovalev? :

If we sack Samso and Kovy, we can pay Briere alot (and keep both Markov and Souray)

Message to Lecavalier: Shut Up kid, it's not the time to defy Tortorella. Show us you are a teamguy

Post by **batdad** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:47 pm

What did Vinny say? I cannot find anything anywhere. From all reports he and St Louis were downright scaring the Devils to death in the game. Any idea where I can find what he is saying?

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:22 pm

I dunno in the web. It was on the Montreal newspaper this morning. Making it brief, he was whining about scoring 3 goals against Brodeur, the team MUST had won that game. So it seems he doesn't like Tortorella goalie pick...

Maybe that's only a storm in a waterglass...

Post by **batdad** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:07 pm

Nah...not whining about goalie choice by Tortorella. Whining about goalie choiceS made by Jay Feaster. And he is right. TB goalies SUCK. I am shocked they have not traded to get Cloutier back.

Krieger99 · Post by **Krieger99** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:07 pm

batdad wrote:Samsonov-Briere-Kovalev? . In all seriousness, if Montreal got Briere they would improve dramatically. Koivu as 2nd line centre instead of first would help alot.

Biere will have 15 options: Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, St Louis, Montreal, Atlanta, Nashville, Rangers, Deadthings, Flemmes, Columbus,Phoenix...Whoever gets him will pay a pretty penny, and will have overpaid. But he could really help most of those teams. With the exception of Toronto...there is no helping Toronto.

I still think Buffalo finds a way though.

The Flames have no need for Briere. They don't have enough cap space for him, either.

Post by **batdad** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:10 pm

Conroy will be finished very soon. And if they do not smarten up there will be some changes after this season. Tis all I am saying. Player personnel changes, since Sutter seems to be fully behind the coach. Some salary offload perhaps at draft time...then go after a free agent.

I am just speculating with the Flames mainly. I know that they have tough cap, but with the cap going up, and the issues they have...and the fact that they need a true number 1 centre...(NO Langkow does not cut it),...it is possible.

I mean who would have ever thougth that Pronger and Niedermeyer would play together in Anaheim. OR anywhere in the Cap era.

Plus I did say...Buffalo will find a way.

Systemfel · Post by **Systemfel** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:56 am

The Flames needing a "true no. 1 center" is one of the biggest NHL myths IMO. Langkow scored 77 points this season and you can't have a "number 1" of everything these days because of the cap.

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:59 am

Systemfel wrote:The Flames needing a "true no. 1 center" is one of the biggest NHL myths IMO. Langkow scored 77 points this season and you can't have a "number 1" of everything these days because of the cap.

Koivu got about that much pts and some people says he's no1 other no2...

Different town, same story....

Post by **batdad** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:03 am

Langkow scored 77 pts because of people named Iginla and Huselius, and Tanguay. Even Sutter will tell you that is something Calgary really wanted, a centre to play with Iggy. It is why they tried to pry Jokkinen out of Florida at the deadline, and tried to get Forsberg, and got Conroy. In fact, Conroy has been the guy playing on the #1 line in Calgary the last couple of weeks, for the most part. Although I am not sure about last nite since I missed the game.

Langkow is the #1 centre like Morrison was the #1 centre with Bertuzzi and Naslund. Because there was noone else to play that role at the time. Don't get me wrong, he is a good player, and I like him alot. But Calgary has tried several things to get a centre between Iggy and Tanguay. If they were sure Langkow was a #1 centre,why would they do that? Even Lombardi played there a bit.

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:11 am

brutal start for the Nucks.

get scored on 24 seconds in and then Cowan takes an interference penalty.

ouch.

Post by **batdad** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:34 am

Brutal ain't the word.

Both teams better stop freaking diving. I am sure that is what the refs told the benches, no matter what old man Neale, who apparently thinks the Nucks are playing St. Louis...says.

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:41 am

I think they've actually settled down nicely. The Twins are flying again which is incredible considering how wiped they must have been after game one.

Good for the Nucks that Sopel was able to go tonight. he's had a few good shifts so far. I heard on the radio last night that he apparently injured his back "bending over to pick up a cracker." hahahaha.

Kekkonen · Post by **Kekkonen** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:59 am

The Canucks took some time to recover from that early goal. It's still anybody's game, but I do hope the Nucks get the next goal. 2-0 Dallas lead going into 3rd period would make for a boring period.

CatchUp wrote: Good for the Nucks that Sopel was able to go tonight. he's had a few good shifts so far. I heard on the radio last night that he apparently injured his back "bending over to pick up a cracker." hahahaha.

A friend of mine who's a doctor says that as incredible as it may sound, most back injuries are not caused by lifting heavy objects but really light ones. He says he had a patient who pulled a back muscle lifting a paper clip. You tend to be more careful when you're picking up heavy stuff, but when you pick up crackers or paper clips, you use bad posture and that puts a surprising amount of strain on your back. (Plus, most of us pick up a hundred paper clips/crackers for every 100 pound sand bag we lift.)

Post by **batdad** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 3:52 am

Sopel is widdling me off. Can't handle the puck worth a darned, unless he has his head down.

Yeah, the cracker story. Happens all the time to people..even those in great shape...something Sopel is not known for.

Nazzy is playing like a god. Now if the rest of the team...I am looking at you SMOKE...would..sheesh. Hansen looks good though.

Final Dallas 3 Vancouver 1

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 4:12 am

Nazzy is for sure playing very well. I like Vigneault mixing up the lines too. Bulis-Morrison-Hansen actually worked very well for a few minutes there. Bulis hitting the post was the best chance the Nucks have had all game.

I still like Vancouver to come back in this one - but they'll have to start soon.