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[The Guy Named Zeo]

Well the only game the Wings were outplayed in was game four and that was due to a horrible second period where they allowed 3 goals in a short period of time including a short-handed goal by Stall. Wings really left Ozzy out to dry in that game with such sloppy play that we saw at times during the regular season,. After such a bad game the Wings bounced back and dominated all but the first half of the first period of game five. I think the turning point of game 5 was the Datsyuk hit on Malkin in the first.

We need to play game 6 like we did game 5, because the Pens won't play the like they did in game 5 again.

So right now my picks for Conn Smythe are Osgood and Zetterberg in that order.

[justavisitor]

Hi all, I like nhl also...and my favourite team is Senators, too bad they are not here, so I will support Red wings

Now imagine Hossa scores a OT winner today in game 6...the building will go upside down and Hossa will probably need security to lead him out of the building XD

Go red wing!!!

[The Guy Named Zeo]

First of all congrats to the Penguins and their fans for wining the Cup.


Now on to round #1 of the draft.

TSN Draft Tracker


PICK # NHL TEAM PLAYER - POSITION - TEAM
1 NY Islanders John Tavares - C - London

2 Tampa Bay Victor Hedman - D - Modo

3 Colorado Matt Duchene - C - Brampton

4 Atlanta Evander Kane - C - Vancouver

5 Los Angeles Brayden Schenn - C - Brandon

These are the first 5 picks of the draft, not surprised that Tavares went first, Hedman went second and Duchene went third. Tavares will keep Islander fans coming to games, Hedman was just what Tampa needed, and the Avs got their man with Duchene who just happened to be an Avs fan his whole life. Kane is a good choice for a Thrashers team that needs to add and develop into a team of the future, and Brayden Schenn, younger brother of Luke Schenn of the Leafs who was also drafted 5th overall in the last draft went to a young and will be talented Kings team if they can keep those players together.

Burke was furious when the Kings took Brayden Schenn. Seems that he wanted to have both of the Schenn brothers on the Leafs.

Also the Anaheim Ducks have traded defenceman Chris Pronger and forward Ryan Dingle to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Luca Sbisa, forward Joffrey Lupul, two first-round picks and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011. The Pronger trade comes following reports that Ducks' defenceman Scott Niedermayer will return for the 2009-2010 season.

Pronger to Philly

This was just a bad move long term by the Flyers in the salary cap era to give up 3 first round picks (Luca Sbisa was their first round pick last draft) and Lupul returns to the Ducks. Doesn't seem that long ago that Lupul was traded to the Oilers for Pronger, guess he had to come back full circle.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Somebody out there has got be following the playoffs so I figure I might as well make the thread.

First round is over kids and now the Conference Semi-Finals are underway. The match-ups currently look as such.

Pittsburgh Penguins VS. Montreal Canadiens

A huge upset brought the Montreal Canadiens past the #1 seeded Washington Capitals and into Crosby territory. Alex Ovechkin had this too mumble after the game.

Basic format of the interview seemed to go:

Interviewer: "Ovie how do you feel about letting everyone down?"

Ovechkin: "Hmmm..mmm...mmmm...donnawhatasay...."

Interviewer: "Ovie your record was so great, was it Halak that just shut you down?"

Ovechkin: "Hmmm..ha..hmmmm haaa...hmmmm...mmm"

Boston Bruins vs. Philidelphia Flyers

Haven't really been following either teams prior series much, but I'm kind of hoping for a Boston victory here. My uncle would expect nothing less.

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Game 1 has already been played and went to the Sharks 4-3. I'm cheering for a Detroit victory and perhaps a third straight rematch with Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup Finals, but San Jose just seems stronger this year and it looks like the Red Wings dynasty might finally be over.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Sedin's, Samuelsson and LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I think I've watched more Vancouver games then any other team this year and hope to continue doing so. Currently on the lookout for a repeat appearance of that awesome cardboard cutout of Roberto Luongo's head from the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games that was like 10:1 scale. If anybody sees it let me know

[The Guy Named Zeo]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Game 1 has already been played and went to the Sharks 4-3. I'm cheering for a Detroit victory and perhaps a third straight rematch with Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup Finals, but San Jose just seems stronger this year and it looks like the Red Wings dynasty might finally be over.

This is the Sharks you are talking about, their second line is the only reason they made it to the second round. The Wings owned them all year, and not taking a horrible brain fart by the Red Wings of a 1:20 that gave San Jose a 3 goal lead that they almost blew during the rest of the game. If you want to think that the Sharks are stronger go ahead and think that, but don't be surprised when the top line does not show up for this round as well.

Wings in 6


Also for the trophies that have the top 3 in voting (with the top 3 already released right now) my picks to win them are:

H. Sedin for the Hart.

Pavel Datsyuk for the Byng and Selke..

Ryan Miller for the Veznia.

Drew Doughty for the Norris (Green being in the top 3 for this makes me sick).

Tippett should get the Jack Adams.

Howard is who I want to get the Calder but I wouldn't be surprised for Meyers to get it.

I'm going to go with Foster for the Masterton.

I can't find the top 3 for the Lindsay (formally the Pearson) so I can't say who will win it yet.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Game 1 has already been played and went to the Sharks 4-3. I'm cheering for a Detroit victory and perhaps a third straight rematch with Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup Finals, but San Jose just seems stronger this year and it looks like the Red Wings dynasty might finally be over.

They seemed stronger in game 1, at least, because we were friggin gassed the first half of the game. The fact that we made a game out of it despite being exhausted speaks volumes. In game 2 we'll see a much Crisper Detroit Red Wings team. We'll also see a much tighter game, no 3 goals in 79 seconds. Our PK has been pretty bipolar. When it's good, it's great, but when it's bad, it's horrible. In games 1 and 6 in the first round we gave up 3 PP goals, and in game 1 thursday, we gave up 2.

Chicago Vs. Vancouver really surprised me. I was expecting a tight game but Vancouver destroyed the Hawks lol.

Oh, and thanks to the top three seeds in the East falling, The Penguins have an easy path to the final going by the way their playing.

[Kaioshin Sama]

It sucks cause I missed a lot of games while working this week and thought I could catch up with the live streams that were going on CBC sports for the last little while, but they suddenly seem to have stopped uploading the games and now...well....just sucks.

[wingman32x]

Must win for the Red Wings tonight. a 3-0 hole is pretty much a virtual deathblow. We need to stay out of the damn penalty box. Yeah, the Sharks only went 2 for 10 on the PP, but we gave them a ton of momentum via those PP's. We need to channel some of that magic we had during game 7 vs the Coyotes. So yeah, must win time. Personally, I'm expecting a win tonight, but both game 3 and 4 are must wins for us at this point. I know that teams have come back from being down 3-1, but we don't want to go back to the "Tank" in that position given that we failed to split the first two with them there.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by wingman32x

Must win for the Red Wings tonight. a 3-0 hole is pretty much a virtual deathblow. We need to stay out of the damn penalty box. Yeah, the Sharks only went 2 for 10 on the PP, but we gave them a ton of momentum via those PP's. We need to channel some of that magic we had during game 7 vs the Coyotes. So yeah, must win time. Personally, I'm expecting a win tonight, but both game 3 and 4 are must wins for us at this point. I know that teams have come back from being down 3-1, but we don't want to go back to the "Tank" in that position given that we failed to split the first two with them there.

See I told you guys. It's not over till it's over, but the Red Wings are indeed staring in the face of a potential sweep, which would I think sound the death knell for the Red Wings dynasty.

Incidentally did anyone else feel like Game 3 of the Montreal/Pittsburgh series was like the textbook example of how to have a mediocre hockey game? Poor play on the Pittsburgh side for most of the game, lots of turnovers on both sides, missed opportunity after missed opportunity for Montreal, quite a bit of diving (mostly on Montreal's part), horrible arena atmosphere (which kind of goes with being in Montreal where riots seem to happen whether or not the Canadiens win), an eventual game winner that was just kind of a lucky one timer....it could have been better. Honestly at times it felt like the only people actually playing the game well offensively were Subban and Malkin. I think the clincher for me that this was just going to be a grind for a point in the series was when the crowd seemingly switched from booing Crosby to booing Montreal for all of their failures to capitalize on some great chances.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

See I told you guys. It's not over till it's over, but the Red Wings are indeed staring in the face of a potential sweep, which would I think sound the death knell for the Red Wings dynasty.

Incidentally did anyone else feel like Game 3 of the Montreal/Pittsburgh series was like the textbook example of how to have a mediocre hockey game? Poor play on the Pittsburgh side for most of the game, lots of turnovers on both sides, missed opportunity after missed opportunity for Montreal, quite a bit of diving (mostly on Montreal's part), horrible arena atmosphere (which kind of goes with being in Montreal where riots seem to happen whether or not the Canadiens win), an eventual game winner that was just kind of a lucky one timer....it could have been better. Honestly at times it felt like the only people actually playing the game well offensively were Subban and Malkin. I think the clincher for me that this was just going to be a grind for a point in the series was when the crowd seemingly switched from booing Crosby to booing Montreal for all of their failures to capitalize on some great chances.

Lol, way to go Red Wings! Blowing a 2 goal lead in a must win game and continuing the frequent trips to the sin bin. I will admit though, the 2 on 1 OT winner was pretty nice. Anyway, it's a matter of when now, not if the sharks win the series. Given the way we've been playing, there won't be an upset. Lol, if that were to happen, I can already see one of those retarded "History will be made" commercials on the air the next day after game 7 .

Due to watching the wings game, I only caught glimpses of PIT/MTL. It was a pretty average game from what I saw. I did find it funny that the habs fans were booing their olympic hero lol.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Dustin Byfuglien's 5 Tips On How To Look Like A Good Hockey Player When You're Really Not

- If you can't skate just park in the opposing goalies crease the entire time your team is on offence and hope you don't get called on it.

- Don't do anything to actually help the play cause you'll just get in the way since your big and slow as molasses.

- Try to siphon goals off of much better set up plays for other players so that you get credit for them instead

- Use your size to out muscle defenders at close range and hope the ref doesn't call the roughing.

- If all else fails just shove the goalie into the net so that he can't do anything and the puck goes with him and hope the ref is stupid enough to count it as a goal.

And people are seriously praising this guy like he's something special. Marian Hossa's goal was clean, sharp and the one that closed the door if you ask me. And when your own cities newspaper neglects to count your cheap shot "hat trick" I think that says everything about where you really stand as a player. Seriously hoping this guy gets the stuffing knocked out of him at some point next game. O'Brien's probably up to the job. Just step into that crease one more time Byfuglien...just one more time....

[Karlson]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Dustin Byfuglien's 5 Tips On How To Look Like A Good Hockey Player When You're Really Not

- If you can't skate just park in the opposing goalies crease the entire time your team is on offence and hope you don't get called on it.

- Don't do anything to actually help the play cause you'll just get in the way since your big and slow as molasses.

- Try to siphon goals off of much better set up plays for other players so that you get credit for them instead

- Use your size to out muscle defenders at close range and hope the ref doesn't call the roughing.

- If all else fails just shove the goalie into the net so that he can't do anything and the puck goes with him and hope the ref is stupid enough to count it as a goal.

And people are seriously praising this guy like he's something special. Marian Hossa's goal was clean, sharp and the one that closed the door if you ask me. And when your own cities newspaper neglects to count your cheap shot "hat trick" I think that says everything about where you really stand as a player. Seriously hoping this guy gets the stuffing knocked out of him at some point next game. O'Brien's probably up to the job. Just step into that crease one more time Byfuglien...just one more time....

That 5th goal is so very ugly and borderline to me. I don't think any goalie could've stopped that no matter how good they are without the devil's luck on their side but I can't really point the finger at Byfuglien when it's not just him but 3 other players crashing the net with him. Oh well, the game was pretty much over even before that happened. Canucks' PK showed weakness and their PP is invisible as usual. Time to demote Demitra off the PP unit and teach the D on the point how to one-time shots so we don't have as many blocked shots lol.

I won't deny Byfuglien at times is quite the clown (as evidenced by his taunting after his second goal), but he's good at what he does or at the very least good enough to make Van's defense look like ass both in terms of coverage and toughness. Obviously we give him the attention because he's a big guy that's too tough for any of the Nucks' D to handle atm while at the same time captilaizing on many rebounds making him the ideal screener for Luongo. And he's not a slow skater either. He's alot faster than your giving him credit for especially during the dump and chase strategy.

Perhaps maybe I'm not paying close enough attention to the times he actually is in the crease but I find he's been doing his job and doing it very effectively but your right in that someone on the Defense of Vancouver better step up and deal with him or at least try to outmuscle him and force him to really fight to stay in proper position otherwise chances aren't likely Vancouver is walking away victorious in this series.

[justavisitor]

hmm..I would like to see a Canadian team win the cup and it has been forever since 1993 XD...come on, Luongo has to play better (Don't have much chances to see Van play, but Halak on the east side is just crazy out there)..Van still has the best shot for a Canadian team to win the cup this year..Montreal is facing the impossible so I can't expect too much from them

[Kaioshin Sama]

Johan Franzen, now there's a real hockey player. 4 goals, 2 assists and if I am not mistaken a fight for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick and the real hat trick +1. What's more all of them were clean and beautiful and spawned in the face of elimination for his team. A true Gundam-class effort. Buff could learn something from this guy.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Johan Franzen, now there's a real hockey player. 4 goals, 2 assists and if I am not mistaken a fight for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick and the real hat trick +1. What's more all of them were clean and beautiful and spawned in the face of elimination for his team. A true Gundam-class effort. Buff could learn something from this guy.

Franzen didn't fight I think. The natural hat trick was awesome though. Anyway, great game! Gives me a bit of hope, but I am still by no means expecting the wings to advance. I think there's no way we can play like that 3 more times. Franzen's hot though, so that's a plus for us.

[justavisitor]

well, in 1940 something Red wings were up 3-0 in the series then ended up losing to Maple leafs 4-3, so if there is a team that can pull off a miracle, Red wings got to be one of them because of the history factor

[Kaioshin Sama]

Wow! Jonathan Toews! He's captain for a reason. If Vancouver goes down I want it to at least by good clean goals from a guy like him instead of from a beached whale like Byfuglien. It seems to me that while the Canucks were trying watch Buff (who they should have known was unlikely to pull of a repeat performance) and drawing bad penalties they neglected to watch the guys that were actually real threats like Toews and Sharp.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Jaroslav Halak, that's all I have to say.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Jaroslav Halak, that's all I have to say.

Agreed. Enjoy the golf course, Crosby!

MTL, I think, is going to the final. I think they'll win the next round. I don't think they can beat the western team though, be it SJS or CHI.

[justavisitor]

in my mind, Montreal has won the cup already...knock out the best team and then immediately eliminate the defending champion is insane...

Montreal probably can't even advance to the final, because of the tiredness factor, but what they have accomplished so far is already very impressive