Alright, I guess the nature of the previous posts from someone else raised my defensiveness. Me bad. I can see how this video can be good for a laugh.
NHL '15/'16 Thread
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Alright, I guess the nature of the previous posts from someone else raised my defensiveness. Me bad. I can see how this video can be good for a laugh.
I remember that. Poor Ben Scrivens lol.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
And down the stretch they come!
The Blues rebounded nicely from embarrassing losses in Calgary and Edmonton to post back-to-back shutouts on the road in Vancouver and San Jose. We're only 2 points out of the Central lead but we can't win on ROW so we'll have to overtake the Stars somehow....especially if we want to avoid playing Chicago in the first round once again (don't count the Preds out yet either!). Should be a helluva finish!
The Blues rebounded nicely from embarrassing losses in Calgary and Edmonton to post back-to-back shutouts on the road in Vancouver and San Jose. We're only 2 points out of the Central lead but we can't win on ROW so we'll have to overtake the Stars somehow....especially if we want to avoid playing Chicago in the first round once again (don't count the Preds out yet either!). Should be a helluva finish!
The hockey now is just such a beautiful thing to watch. Having grown up in the American Mecca of hockey and having played the game since I was 5 and having been a decent player to see the skill of the NHLers is just unfuckingbelievable. Gotta be the best athletes on the planet.
I'm thinking my Wild will make the playoffs the way they're playing at this point - everything seems to be coming together now, and the Avs have to play all playoff positioned teams from this point on.
I think we're playing as good as we have all year, or close to it. We've beat the defending champs 'Hawks 4 out of 4 this season. It's good.
I'm thinking my Wild will make the playoffs the way they're playing at this point - everything seems to be coming together now, and the Avs have to play all playoff positioned teams from this point on.
I think we're playing as good as we have all year, or close to it. We've beat the defending champs 'Hawks 4 out of 4 this season. It's good.
How bout dem Wild? Parise with a hatty in the first a few games ago was nice, in addition to his two goals the next game.
We more or less solidified a playoff position now, and Dubby is playing lights out ATM too. It's good to be playing good going into the post season....
We more or less solidified a playoff position now, and Dubby is playing lights out ATM too. It's good to be playing good going into the post season....
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Hats off to the Bruins. They came into our house and took the game away from us. You could tell they were playing desperate. It doesn't always happen, but a desperate team seems to frequently prevail.
Looking more and more like we draw the Blackhawks in the first round once again. Bring 'em on. We have to take them out eventually if we are to have any chance anyway so why not now? :dunno:
No Canadian teams in the playoffs this year. I think it's the first time since 1970 this has happened. :dunno:
Not only that the Oilers, Flames, Jets and Canucks are all the last four teams in the entire Western, I believe.
OK, they will go out in first round, but still, 25 years bitches.
I think the Wild will win 1 game against Dallas, although a sweep wouldn't surprise me..
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Nice icing on the cake for a franchise with a ton of Cup champion banners like the Red Wings have but it doesn't mean shit compared to hoisting the Cup just a single time for a team who has never won it all. Just ask me....I'm a Blues fan. We made the playoffs 25 years in a row at one point as well as taking a couple of President's Trophies and have never won the Cup. These are Cracker-Jack consolation prizes without the Cup championship(s) that go with them. Still, whoopie for you if it makes you feel good....I guess. :dunno:
Says the guy whose team took out the Central Division title winner in the first round the past two years running. Now, all of a sudden you will be lucky to win a single game against Dallas? Yeah....OK.
Says the guy whose team took out the Central Division title winner in the first round the past two years running. Now, all of a sudden you will be lucky to win a single game against Dallas? Yeah....OK.
Yeah, I agree with Jagger, I don't know what the despair is for... I could see the Wild winning this series. Yes, the Stars are loaded with scorers, but they are by far the worst defensive team in the postseason and have the worst goaltending. If they win the series against the Wild it'll be because they simply outscored them... which anyone who knows playoff hockey knows is not a winning strategy in the postseason. They might beat the Wild simply because the Wild don't have the scoring to keep up, but Dallas has very little chance of advancing beyond that methinks. I'm actually picking the Wild in this one... I'll take the vastly superior defensive team in a seven-game series in the NHL playoffs every time... although I think it could be close...
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Thanks Feller....although I would advise that you have a "plan b" pick if history proves to mean anything. As the whole league knows, the Blues are a notoriously bad team come playoff time and will remain so until they do something to change that perception. If this is the year they do it, I'll be ecstatic but I certainly won't be surprised if they fall flat on their collective asses once again. The Hawks and Kings have owned the Blues in the playoffs. Will this year be any different? We'll find out pretty soon.
Likewise, I'm rooting for the Panthers in the East. I still have my old Beezer jersey from their unlikely run back in the mid-90s when I lived in South Florida. In fact I still have a rubber rat sitting on a shelf in one of my closets. His name is "Ricci" (Google "Mike Ricci" if you're too young to remember him).
Alright, let's do this... prediction time:
Playoffs:
WC:
Wild over Stars in 7
Blackhawks over Blues in 6 (sorry Jagger, the Blackhawks are just so damn good...)
Ducks over Predators in 6
Kings over Sharks in 6
EC:
Capitals over Flyers in 5
Rangers over Penguins in 7
Panthers over Islanders in 4
Lightning over Red Wings in 6
WC SF:
Blackhawks over Wild in 6
Kings over Ducks in 5
EC SF:
Capitals over Rangers in 7
Panthers over Lightning in 5
CF:
Blackhawks over Kings in 7
Capitals over Panthers in 7
SCF:
Blackhawks over Capitals in 6
Conn Smythe Trophy - Jonathan Toews
Trophies:
Hart Memorial Trophy - Patrick Kane (CHI) - it has to be, he scored 17 points more than anybody else in the NHL
Vezina Trophy - Braden Holtby (WAS) - 48 wins (8 more than anybody else)... enough said
James Norris Memorial Trophy - Erik Karlsson (OTT)
Calder Memorial Trophy - Artemi Panarin (CHI) - personally, I think this should be Shayne Gostisbehere, but he only played 64 games and Panarin did score 30 goals and 77 points, which is a pretty remarkable rookie season (whether you play with Patrick Kane all year long or not... although it's slightly less impressive for that reason...); it's too bad Connor McDavid got hurt and missed so many games because this would've been his without question (over a PPG as a rookie!).
Frank J. Selke Trophy - Anze Kopitar (LAK) - Kopitar is my MVP, and he's never won this award, and I think his +34 should beat out Patrice Bergeron's +12 and the fact that his team made the playoffs and Bergeron's didn't.
Jack Adams Award - Gerard Gallant (FLO) - there are a number of good candidates this season, but I think that Gallant narrowly edges out Dave Hakstol (PHI).
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - who cares
Playoffs:
WC:
Wild over Stars in 7
Blackhawks over Blues in 6 (sorry Jagger, the Blackhawks are just so damn good...)
Ducks over Predators in 6
Kings over Sharks in 6
EC:
Capitals over Flyers in 5
Rangers over Penguins in 7
Panthers over Islanders in 4
Lightning over Red Wings in 6
WC SF:
Blackhawks over Wild in 6
Kings over Ducks in 5
EC SF:
Capitals over Rangers in 7
Panthers over Lightning in 5
CF:
Blackhawks over Kings in 7
Capitals over Panthers in 7
SCF:
Blackhawks over Capitals in 6
Conn Smythe Trophy - Jonathan Toews
Trophies:
Hart Memorial Trophy - Patrick Kane (CHI) - it has to be, he scored 17 points more than anybody else in the NHL
Vezina Trophy - Braden Holtby (WAS) - 48 wins (8 more than anybody else)... enough said
James Norris Memorial Trophy - Erik Karlsson (OTT)
Calder Memorial Trophy - Artemi Panarin (CHI) - personally, I think this should be Shayne Gostisbehere, but he only played 64 games and Panarin did score 30 goals and 77 points, which is a pretty remarkable rookie season (whether you play with Patrick Kane all year long or not... although it's slightly less impressive for that reason...); it's too bad Connor McDavid got hurt and missed so many games because this would've been his without question (over a PPG as a rookie!).
Frank J. Selke Trophy - Anze Kopitar (LAK) - Kopitar is my MVP, and he's never won this award, and I think his +34 should beat out Patrice Bergeron's +12 and the fact that his team made the playoffs and Bergeron's didn't.
Jack Adams Award - Gerard Gallant (FLO) - there are a number of good candidates this season, but I think that Gallant narrowly edges out Dave Hakstol (PHI).
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - who cares
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I admire your dedication to making annual predictions and it makes for fascinating discourse, Rod. Likewise, I'm not making any predictions but I will make a few comments on your Blues/Hawks prediction.
No apologies needed for picking Chicago to beat the Blues in the first round. They have repeatedly proven their dominance over the Blues in recent years and have gone on to win it all frequently so who would legitimately argue that any of that is about to change? I bleed Blue but I can't ignore what history has to say and your prediction is totally justified. The Hawks have Kane and Toews and Keith and a whole host of really great players who know how to win and who have proven it with several Cup championships in recent years. They are a juggernaut when you look at their body of work in recent years. They are extremely well-coached and the very epitome of what you would want your NHL franchise to emulate if you could. Most of the pundits (take a look at Melrose's assessment on NHL.com) will be picking them to win. Makes total sense and I can't argue their logic. Although I absolutely despise everything about them, I cannot deny my admiration and total respect for the Chicago Blackhawks.
I will say this however....this Blues team has a very different feel to it than in years past. It has dealt with adversity all year long and still damn-near won the division. They've lost more man-games to injury than any team in the league, yet have competed for the division title all year long. This is a significantly deeper team than they've ever had in my recollection....one that can roll four solid lines and put out 3 separate defensive pairings that, at least on paper, are as good or better than any team in the NHL. Their goaltending, much maligned as a weakness in the past, seems rock solid now with the Elliott-Allen tandem representing as strong a 1-2 as there is in the league from my perspective. They have a legitimate superstar scoring threat in Vladimir Tarasenko and, here at the end of the season, are as healthy as they have been all year long. Again, I'm not making any predictions regarding outcome (primarily because I am usually really bad at it), but this series will be a bloodletting like you've never seen in my opinion. Both teams are guaranteed to leave it all on the ice and, if the Blues can play up to their potential and not let the Hawks get in their heads, they absolutely can win this series and go a lot further if they continue to play well and get a few breaks along the way.
If there is a year it's going to happen for the Blues, it's gotta be now. If we don't make a deep playoff run (at least conference finals), I think we'll see big changes next season (starting with the head coach). Thanks for not picking them to be honest. I want them to be the underdog and for all the naysayers to come out and say it. The Blues deserve no respect against the Hawks because they've earned none. It's up to them, and them only, to change that. We'll learn a lot more starting at 8:30pm (a ridiculous starting time for a Midwest game but....hey, television makes the rules, right?) tomorrow night. I'll be in front of the TV dressed in blue and hoping for a different outcome than what we Blues fans have grown far-too-accustomed to over the past 49 years without knowing what it's like to drink from Lord Stanley's Cup. We'll see if it's the same ol' Blues that show up to disappoint their loyal fans as if on cue as they always do or, if just somehow, some way, things will turn out differently this year. We have our chance and the time is now if it's going to happen. LET'S GO BLUES!!!
No apologies needed for picking Chicago to beat the Blues in the first round. They have repeatedly proven their dominance over the Blues in recent years and have gone on to win it all frequently so who would legitimately argue that any of that is about to change? I bleed Blue but I can't ignore what history has to say and your prediction is totally justified. The Hawks have Kane and Toews and Keith and a whole host of really great players who know how to win and who have proven it with several Cup championships in recent years. They are a juggernaut when you look at their body of work in recent years. They are extremely well-coached and the very epitome of what you would want your NHL franchise to emulate if you could. Most of the pundits (take a look at Melrose's assessment on NHL.com) will be picking them to win. Makes total sense and I can't argue their logic. Although I absolutely despise everything about them, I cannot deny my admiration and total respect for the Chicago Blackhawks.
I will say this however....this Blues team has a very different feel to it than in years past. It has dealt with adversity all year long and still damn-near won the division. They've lost more man-games to injury than any team in the league, yet have competed for the division title all year long. This is a significantly deeper team than they've ever had in my recollection....one that can roll four solid lines and put out 3 separate defensive pairings that, at least on paper, are as good or better than any team in the NHL. Their goaltending, much maligned as a weakness in the past, seems rock solid now with the Elliott-Allen tandem representing as strong a 1-2 as there is in the league from my perspective. They have a legitimate superstar scoring threat in Vladimir Tarasenko and, here at the end of the season, are as healthy as they have been all year long. Again, I'm not making any predictions regarding outcome (primarily because I am usually really bad at it), but this series will be a bloodletting like you've never seen in my opinion. Both teams are guaranteed to leave it all on the ice and, if the Blues can play up to their potential and not let the Hawks get in their heads, they absolutely can win this series and go a lot further if they continue to play well and get a few breaks along the way.
If there is a year it's going to happen for the Blues, it's gotta be now. If we don't make a deep playoff run (at least conference finals), I think we'll see big changes next season (starting with the head coach). Thanks for not picking them to be honest. I want them to be the underdog and for all the naysayers to come out and say it. The Blues deserve no respect against the Hawks because they've earned none. It's up to them, and them only, to change that. We'll learn a lot more starting at 8:30pm (a ridiculous starting time for a Midwest game but....hey, television makes the rules, right?) tomorrow night. I'll be in front of the TV dressed in blue and hoping for a different outcome than what we Blues fans have grown far-too-accustomed to over the past 49 years without knowing what it's like to drink from Lord Stanley's Cup. We'll see if it's the same ol' Blues that show up to disappoint their loyal fans as if on cue as they always do or, if just somehow, some way, things will turn out differently this year. We have our chance and the time is now if it's going to happen. LET'S GO BLUES!!!
Nice icing on the cake for a franchise with a ton of Cup champion banners like the Red Wings have but it doesn't mean shit compared to hoisting the Cup just a single time for a team who has never won it all. Just ask me....I'm a Blues fan. We made the playoffs 25 years in a row at one point as well as taking a couple of President's Trophies and have never won the Cup. These are Cracker-Jack consolation prizes without the Cup championship(s) that go with them. Still, whoopie for you if it makes you feel good....I guess. :dunno:
Says the guy whose team took out the Central Division title winner in the first round the past two years running. Now, all of a sudden you will be lucky to win a single game against Dallas? Yeah....OK.
It's the fact that we finished the season like 0-6 in our last 6 games (and because Colorado gave us their gift of pure shittiness...).
I've heard other folks pick the Wild, but the way we finished the season left a foul taste in my mouth...
That said, let's assume we beat Dallas...not sure who the second round opponent (I think maybe Chicago), while we did go 5-0 against Chicago during the reg season, I think they will murder us if we meet them...they will really give us hell.
I can see Washington winning it all, but once again I will be pulling for the Blues once our (Wild) inevitable exit occurs. I also am a closet fan of the Panthers since they have our native Bjugstad, so I will be rooting for them as well.
Personally I think Chicago could take it again, a Chicago-Capitals final would be great entertainment.
I know it's just one random site, but it has the Wild 16 out of the 16 playoff teams.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2016/04/12/nhl-stanley-cup-playoffs-ranking-teams/82942032/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2016/04/12/nhl-stanley-cup-playoffs-ranking-teams/82942032/
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