NHL 2006 Playoffs thread...

[CanadianChris 0]

Flyers are up 3-1. They still have a chance, although I'm sticking with Buffalo to win the series.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Damn... Ward is not letting anything in and the game is tied 1-1. I was hoping Montreal would just keep everything out and not have to worry about solving the Ward puzzle.

[CanadianChris 0]

Habs killed off a double minor with 5 minutes to go. One of the best long penalty kills I've seen.

 

Another overtime...

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Carolina totally does not deserve to win this. Ward has been great, but they got, what, two shots during a four minute powerplay? They allowed a 3 on 1 rush against them on their first powerplay? Montreal has outplayed them, and Ward is the only reason this game isn't 6-1 like game one.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Fuckin overtime. I've got prolly six hours of combine sleep since Monday.

 

This game has been ridiculously good in Montreal, altough nail-biting.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Hmm, I guess Carolina actually has more shots than Montreal, but the way Carolina has been playing their powerplays it just seems like they haven't been playing well.

 

I love OT because it's exciting, but damn, when it's important, it can be too much...

 

Also, way to remind me about 1996, CBC. I was sure Montreal was going to win after going up 2-0 on the road, but they went and lost the next four games. Cost me a $10 bet! However, that play-off series was immediatley what I thought of when Montreal went up 2-0 on Monday, and I hope it doesn't repeat.

[Urban Warfare 0]

Shitty way to end a game like that. I don't like when the officials call penalites in overtime.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

This was me on IRC at the time of the penalty call:

 

<DrVenkman> This powerplay would bother me if Carolina hadn't been so awful on them tonight.

 

<DrVenkman> That said, just to piss me off, they'll probably win with this.

 

*shakes fist*

 

Oh well, Habs are still up.

[CanadianChris 0]

Shitty way to end a game like that. I don't like when the officials call penalites in overtime.

That's because we're all used to the rules being softened for the playoffs, and thrown out entirely in playoff overtime.

 

I have no problems with penalties being called, as long as they're consistent.

[Red Baron 0]

Which it wasn't the whole game. Williams not being called for a double minor on the high stick on Koivu, and a few other non penalty calls as well that Carolina should have got.

 

And Cory "I want to make myself bleed" Stillman at the end of the third period.

[Red Baron 0]

990 In Montreal reported that Koivu has too much blood in his eye and is not expected to play for the rest of the series.

 

Bob Gainey would be on later today to speak on the situation.

[Guest]

That's not good. Officials have been blowing calls in almost every series.

[the max 0]

4-2 after two in Tampa.

 

My questions are why are Tampa fans booing Redden everytime he touches the puck? And why do players continue to attempt bodychecks on Zdeno Chara? Prospal attempted one and practically bounced three feet off of him.

[Fartsauce 0]

Gotta love the NHL for scheduling both the Flames and Oilers on the same night. I'm screwed out of the game.

[CanadianChris 0]

4-2 after two in Tampa.

 

My questions are why are Tampa fans booing Redden everytime he touches the puck? And why do players continue to attempt bodychecks on Zdeno Chara? Prospal attempted one and practically bounced three feet off of him.

I watched that, and I thought they were booing Alfredsson. I think they were just booing the fact there was a Tampa penalty.

 

Good, solid win tonight. This series shouldn't go back to Florida.

[Urban Warfare 0]

So instead of showing a half hour of the Oilers-Wings game, CBC decides to show The National. Wow.

 

Edit: 1-1 tie in Edmonton.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

So, I don't see an NHL Offseason Thread, so I'll post it here.

 

I know there's a few Pens fans on the board, and for those of you who haven't seen Evgeni Malkin play, the Hockey's Future message boards have a highlight video of some of his Russian Super League performances.

 

http://rapidshare.de/files/18384181/malkin_montage.wmv.html (you have to cut and paste it into your browser, i believe)

 

He's got some sick stickhandling skills. Imagine him lining up with Sid on a power play.

[treble 0]

Are the refs really as bad in the Oilers/Wings game as the Edmonton radio guys are making them out to be?

[mike546 0]

I've been watching the game on and off but to me its been a REALLY fun high tempo game.

[Urban Warfare 0]

Are the refs really as bad in the Oilers/Wings game as the Edmonton radio guys are making them out to be?

 

I'm wondering the same thing. I know the hometown guys are biased, but these guys are out of control.

 

Edit: Wings score. Looked like a dive by Stoll to me. Good non call, IMO.

[mike546 0]

I changed my mind, what a shitty non call on a TOTALLY OBVIOUS pick by Lidstrom that leads to a goal seconds later.

[Kismet 0]

Refs have been iffy. I know the Wings side of it haven't been happy, and I've seen a few BS calls go against the Oilers this series. I think it's a wash, and that it's an even enough series that the calls are ending up a wash( though overall the refs have been mediocre at best).

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Huge win for the Wings tonight. They really need to carry this momentum over to Saturday and put the Oilers on the ropes.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Something I read in the local paper this morning: Denis Gauthier is the nephew of the Rougeau Brothers.

 

I want him to check someone, then shout out "I AM DA MOUNTIE!"

[Fartsauce 0]

From Mckenzie's column....

 

 

 

"Three goals on four shots. I'm getting tired of the 25 per cent rule. It's deflating.

 

"A save would be nice."

 

Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella's rip job on goaltender John Grahame after the Lightning lost to Ottawa in Game 4 Thursday was so raw, so mean-spirited, that the other Tampa bay players might be thinking, "Whoa, I might be the next guy who gets thrown under the bus."

 

Tortorella and Tampa Bay general manager Jay Feaster actually think this can be a rallying cry for the rest team. Yes, they've thrown Grahame under the team bus, but they've also noted that the Lightning think they have been close to the Senators in terms of generating scoring chances, but they are not close on the scoreboard - and therefore trail in the series.

 

 

 

Yes, they are blaming their goaltender. Well, maybe some of the players in the dressing room are also blaming the goaltender.

 

I wondered if Feaster might be a little bit put out that Tortorella went a little bit over the top. In fact, his reaction was quite the opposite. Feaster thought that Tortorella was actually more compassionate on Thursday than he was back in December, when he really gave it to Grahame.

 

Feaster noted that passion came through when Tortorella said, "Well, Johnny's trying really hard."

 

One that that is certainly clear - Grahame is done with the Lightning. The last question of Tortorella's post-game news conference was if Sean Burke would start in Game 5.

 

"Your damn right he is," Tortorella responded.

 

Not only is Burke getting the next start, Grahame is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and won't be back.

 

 

What a fucking asshole. Way to make a guy feel like shit.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Tampa Bay has not been the same since Khabibulin left. Look Ottawa has dominated most of the competition in the Eastern Conference.

[the max 0]

Nothing compared to what he said about Grahame earlier in the year...

 

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/29/Lightnin...bad_words.shtml

 

In his postgame news conference, Tortorella laid into Grahame, essentially blaming him for the Lightning's troubles.

 

"Think that has a little thing to do with it tonight? Yeah," Tortorella said. "We can't have four goals go in our net on 10 (scoring) chances."

 

Tortorella was just heating up.

 

"Especially the fourth goal," he said. "It can't happen!"

 

With the scored tied at 3 midway through the third period, Grahame gave up an unscreened shot from the boards near the faceoff circle to Montreal's Pierre Dagenais. After that, the Lightning was done.

 

"You're telling me you want (the team) to get up there and get aggressive, but when a goal is scored like that, they're going to be tentative," Tortorella said. "And that has to stop for us to get any type of consistency here. Or we're done.

 

His simmer turned into a boil when he was asked if the Lightning needed to consider options outside the organization for goaltending help.

 

"Absolutely, but in today's game, where are we going to go with the (salary) cap?" Tortorella said. "I am (upset) at what is happening there because I thought our team played very well tonight. And this has gone on for quite a while. Is there other options out there? We can't do (anything)."

 

That's when Tortorella announced Sean Burke would start in goal Friday against Boston.

 

"And I hope he plays well," Tortorella said. "And if he plays well, he's going to go again. This is what we have. And I'm not up here trying to rip anybody apart, but let's be (expletive) honest about what's going on here. And it's getting old. We're going nowhere, nowhere until that situation is straightened out."

[CanadianChris 0]

Anyone think Tortorella doesn't make it to next season? I'm starting to lean that way. He's going to lose the entire team pretty soon, if he hasn't already.

[Guest]

That's why I'd like the Kings to wait to hire a head coach. I like Tortorella's attitude, and he's a Dean Lombardi kind of guy.

[Red Baron 0]

Way to put the goalie under the bus when the Philips goal was a beauty, the Havlat goal was done some awesome passing, and Havlats second goal could have been stopped when there are four Tampa players surrounding him.

 

What a fucking Douche he is.