The official NHL thread

[KiraYamatoFan]

I'm glad I found this thread.

After another lockout, hockey is back and some teams have an impressive set of 10-11 games so far. Among them, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Edmonton and Montreal. However on the other end, the likes of Philadelphia, NY Rangers, Detroit, Washington and Los Angeles started the shortened season horrendously. What are your opinions about this early stage of the season?

What I also notice most is how a large number of young rookies are making their mark in the NHL so far: Nail Yakupov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Galchenyuk, Dougie Hamilton, Brendan Gallagher, Cory Conacher, Mikael Granlund, etc. Pretty exciting days ahead for the NHL indeed.

C'mon people! I'd love to see some life in here.

[Soverence]

The season is off to a great start if you ask me, the teams that are winning are winning in numbers and the teams that are losing are losing in numbers. Pittsburgh and Boston are both dominating in the east right now while Chicago, San Jose, and Anaheim dominate the west. If I had to name two teams to go to the Cup right now, I would probably say it would be Boston vs San Jose, but a lot can change over the rest of this shortened season.

The teams that are doing bad that surprised me the most are the Capitals at 2-8 (dafuq?) and the Wilds at 4-5. I am not even going to begin discussing the Capitals cause I have no idea how it has gone so wrong so fast. The Wilds record isn't terrible but I was expecting them to shoot out of the game somewhat with all the people they obtained over the offseason, only time will tell if they can get it together I guess.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Soverence

The season is off to a great start if you ask me, the teams that are winning are winning in numbers and the teams that are losing are losing in numbers. Pittsburgh and Boston are both dominating in the east right now while Chicago, San Jose, and Anaheim dominate the west. If I had to name two teams to go to the Cup right now, I would probably say it would be Boston vs San Jose, but a lot can change over the rest of this shortened season.

The teams that are doing bad that surprised me the most are the Capitals at 2-8 (dafuq?) and the Wilds at 4-5. I am not even going to begin discussing the Capitals cause I have no idea how it has gone so wrong so fast. The Wilds record isn't terrible but I was expecting them to shoot out of the game somewhat with all the people they obtained over the offseason, only time will tell if they can get it together I guess.

At the time, my biggest shout for a Cup contender would be the Chicago Blackhawks (and my favorite player, Jonathan Toews ). But as we saw last year, anything can happen when some teams are on a hot streak going into the playoffs.

The thing about Washington is that they have players who are good individually, but not quite team players with the fire in their eyes. I think their downfall started with the 2010 first round series between Montreal and Washington (quite an epic series too). When the Habs came back from 1-3 down to win the series, I think the "aura" surrounding Ovechkin and the firewagon hockey played by the Caps was shattered. They never fully recovered since IMHO.

About the Wild... I really can't answer that one, especially their lackluster results in goalscoring.

[Soverence]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

At the time, my biggest shout for a Cup contender would be the Chicago Blackhawks (and my favorite player, Jonathan Toews ). But as we saw last year, anything can happen when some teams are on a hot streak going into the playoffs.

The thing about Washington is that they have players who are good individually, but not quite team players with the fire in their eyes. I think their downfall started with the 2010 first round series between Montreal and Washington (quite an epic series too). When the Habs came back from 1-3 down to win the series, I think the "aura" surrounding Ovechkin and the firewagon hockey played by the Caps was shattered. They never fully recovered since IMHO.

About the Wild... I really can't answer that one, especially their lackluster results in goalscoring.

I like the Blackhawks to be up there as well, but no matter how good Crawford is playing right now I don't trust him to be able to carry those numbers into the playoffs. While having great goaltending might not be needed with one of the best scoring teams in the league, it always worries me come playoff time.

I can see that being true, kind of like with the Miami Heat when they got Lebron and Wade, they were doing terrible to start with those two because they were each use to being the star player. The difference is, the Heat eventually developed into a team where the Capitals did not and I think you might be right that the series vs Montreal was the turning point.

Refer to my statement about the Miami Heat again , give them time and maybe it will work out.

[DarkJak2050]

Now that the regular season is over, it's time for the 2012-2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here are the official match ups in the 1st round of the playoffs.

NOTE:
- Left side has Home Ice Advantage
- Bold and Underline: Current Champions
- Bold: Previous Champions

Eastern Conference

[1] Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. [8] NY Islanders

[2] Montreal Canadiens Vs. [7] Ottawa Senators

[3] Washington Capitals Vs. [6] New York Rangers

[4] Boston Bruins Vs. [5] Toronto Maple Leafs

Western Conference

[1] Chicago Blackhawks Vs. [8] Minnesota Wild

[2] Anaheim Ducks Vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings

[3] Vancouver Canucks Vs. [6] San Jose Sharks

[4] St. Louis Blues Vs. [5] Los Angeles Kings

So how do you guys think this will play out?

Will the Kings make it a 2nd concecutive Stanley Cup Title?

Will a previous Champion reclaim their Title?

Or will we have a first time Stanley Cup Champion?

[Triple_R]

I think my avatar and sig makes it clear who I'm rooting for.

That's a pretty unpredictable 1st Rd, in my opinion. Though I'd be shocked if Chicago lost after the season they had.

Bruins vs. Leafs is going to be one brutally tough series, I think. It'll be interesting to see if the Blues can get revenge on LA.

[DarkJak2050]

Saw Game 3 of Canadiens and Senators. I'll tell you this, it sure wasn't pretty. I heard that they have this rivalry but damn...

Huge line brawls breaking out in the middle of the game, which resulted in the Senators with 5 players left on the bench, and 10 for the Canadiens. And that forced them to re-work their lines. I even heard one of the forwards was assigned to Defense for that game because of it.

I'm may not be a fan of either both these teams, but it's one playoff game that I'll remember for a while.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Habs now gone (), Canucks gone, Wild gone, Blues gone... I was hoping for more, really.

Talking of Montreal, the early elimination will leave a very bad taste in my mouth for a very long time. But again, it shows what we can't do in order to survive in the playoffs: have players who don't grind enough and D-men who can't sustain the physical game. Of course, we can always say that Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien did the best they could out of what should have been a mid-table team, it's true. I just hope the GM will genuinely be looking for more muscle and grit, unlike what his predecessors did by reminding blinded by overachievement.

Game 4 was the pivotal game... especially after how the video guys in Toronto allowed that lifeline Ottawa goal after quite a distinct kicking motion that was called out by a large majority of pundits covering the game in both French and English. That game should have never gone into OT. Lindy Ruff said it best in 1999 about the video replay guys screwing things up: "NO GOAL!"

Right now, I'll keep my eyes on the Blackhawks, hoping they can piss off Bettman once again when he gives away the Cup.

[Soverence]

So we got Pittsburgh, Ottowa, Chicago, San Jose, and LA who have already passed the first round. Other then Ottowa, none of those results really surprise me all that much, I don't know what happened to the Canadians during that series but I felt like it was all Ottowa.

Bruins vs Leafs game 6 is going on right now, looks like Leafs are going to win since they are up 2-0 with around ten minutes to go and if they win tonight then I am sure that they will win game 7 as well to my disappointment. The Bruins have seemed to be losing most of the battles on the ice since the start of game 5 and that didn't seem to change at all during game 6, even if the score board didn't say so. Leafs will advance.

Capitals vs Rangers game 7 is tomorrow I believe, I will say that the Capitals will win it on home ice, the Capitals can only fall apart in the playoffs so much before they finally break through and I think they will this year finally.

We got the Ducks vs Red Wings game tonight, and honestly I have no idea who will win that one, If I had to name a team I feel like the Ducks have a slight advantage due to better goaltending but I feel like this game could be the flip of a coin.

[White Manju Bun]

I think I held my breath for that entire game. Wings win! Im going to bed now.

[DarkJak2050]

Alright, while the Eastern Conference has 2 Game 7s going on tomorrow, the 1st round of the Western Conference has come to a close.

Some may already know who got eliminated and who's moving on, but for those who don't, here are the results and breakdowns:

NOTE:
- OT: Went into Overtime

Spoiler for [1] Chicago Blackhawks Vs. [8] Minnesota Wild:

Series Winner: [1] Chicago Blackhawks (4-1)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: Blackhawks (2-1, OT)
- Game 2: Blackhawks (5-2)
- Game 3: Wild (3-2, OT)
- Game 4: Blackhawks (4-0)
- Game 5: Blackhawks (5-1)

Spoiler for [2] Anaheim Ducks Vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings:

Series Winner: [7] Detroit Red Wings (4-3)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: Ducks (3-1)
- Game 2: Red Wings (5-4, OT)
- Game 3: Ducks (4-0)
- Game 4: Red Wings (3-2, OT)
- Game 5: Ducks (3-2, OT)
- Game 6: Red Wings (4-3, OT)
- Game 7: Red Wings (3-2)

Spoiler for [3] Vancouver Canucks Vs. [6] San Jose Sharks:

Series Winner: [6] San Jose Sharks (Series Sweep, 4-0)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: Sharks (3-1)
- Game 2: Sharks (3-2, OT)
- Game 3: Sharks (5-2)
- Game 4: Sharks (4-3, OT)

Sidenotes:
- 1st Playoff Sweep in Franchise History
- Sharks got payback for the 2011 Western Conference Final

Spoiler for [4] St. Louis Blues Vs. [5] Los Angeles Kings:

Series Winner: [5] Los Angeles Kings (4-2)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: Blues (2-1, OT)
- Game 2: Blues (2-1)
- Game 3: Kings (1-0)
- Game 4: Kings (4-3)
- Game 5: Kings (3-2, OT)
- Game 6: Kings (2-1)

Now with the 1st round of the Western Conference done, here are the Semi-Final Match-ups:

Spoiler for Western Conference Semi-Final Match-Ups:

Higher Seeds, of course, have Home Ice Advantage.

[1] Chicago Blackhawks Vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings (Original Six, this ought to be interesting)

[5] Los Angeles Kings Vs. [6] San Jose Sharks

Tomorrow in the Eastern Confernece we have Game 7 of...

[3] Washington Capitals Vs. [6] New York Rangers

[4] Boston Bruins Vs. [5] Toronto Maple Leafs

How do you guys think these Match-Ups will turn out?

[Soverence]

my god, that Bruins game, well I am horrible at predicting games it seems, going to be 0-3 in these last 3 game 7's this year. Well I am glad that my Bruins advanced either way . At least my pre-season prediction of a Sharks-Bruins Stanley Cup game still has a chance to happen so I will root for that outcome now

[DarkJak2050]

Well, now with Game 7 of the Caps Vs. Rangers and Bruins Vs. Leafs done, the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially done.

Here are the results and Series Breakdowns for 1st round of the Eastern Conference (for those who don't know):

NOTE:
- OT: Went into Overtime

Spoiler for [1] Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. [8] New York Islanders:

Series Winner: [1] Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: (5-0) Penguins
- Game 2: (4-3) Islanders
- Game 3: (5-4, OT) Penguins
- Game 4: (6-4) Islanders
- Game 5: (4-0) Penguins
- Game 6: (4-3, OT) Penguins

Spoiler for [2] Montreal Canadiens Vs. [7] Ottawa Senators:

Series Winner: [7] Ottawa Senators (4-1)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: (4-2) Canadiens
- Game 2: (3-1) Senators
- Game 3: (6-1) Senators (One I'll remember for a while because of the Line Brawls)
- Game 4: (3-2, OT) Senators
- Game 5: (6-1) Senators

Spoiler for [3] Washington Capitals Vs. [6] New York Rangers:

Series Winner: [6] New York Rangers (4-3)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: (3-1) Capitals
- Game 2: (1-0, OT) Capitals
- Game 3: (4-3) Rangers
- Game 4: (4-3) Rangers
- Game 5: (2-1) Capitals
- Game 6: (1-0) Rangers
- Game 7: (5-0) Rangers (This was really a slaugher...)

Spoiler for [4] Boston Bruins Vs. [5] Toronto Maple Leafs:

Series Winner: [4] Boston Bruins (4-3)

Series Breakdown:
- Game 1: (4-1) Bruins
- Game 2: (4-2) Maple Leafs
- Game 3: (5-2) Bruins
- Game 4: (4-3, OT) Bruins
- Game 5: (2-1) Maple Leafs
- Game 6: (2-1) Maple Leafs
- Game 7: (5-4, OT) Bruins (One of the best comebacks I've seen)

Now with the 1st round officially over, now it's time for the Semi-Finals. And here are the Match-Ups (Higher Seeds, of course, have Home Ice Advantage):

Spoiler for Western Conference:

[1] Chicago Blackhawks Vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings

[5] Los Angeles Kings Vs. [6]San Jose Sharks

Spoiler for Eastern Conference:

[1] Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. [7] Ottawa Senators

[4] Boston Bruins Vs. [6] New York Rangers

Any thoughts on what the outcome might be?

I have one.

Spoiler for Thoughts:

It's the Kings Vs. Sharks series.

In the (short) regular season, they had 4 games; 2 at the Shark Tank (HP Pavilion at San Jose) and 2 at Staples Center. The regular season series tied at 2, with both teams winning on Home Ice.

With the Kings having Home Ice Advantage, it could go to the Kings. That is if the Sharks did what they did with the Canucks; wrestle Home Ice Advantage away from them.

But the only way we'll know is when the games are played.

[justavisitor]

not trying to be mean, but hey, rubbing it in is what all sport fans like to do

Let me start by that, from now on, all leafs fan should think twice before using the word "choke" to describe other teams

[Soverence]

[1] Chicago Blackhawks Vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings:
Well I don't like saying a series will be a one-sided series, I feel like that will be the case in this series. The Blackhawks have been at such a higher level then everyone else all year and have continued playing at that level in the first round. I don't see them slowing down at all and winning this series in 5 games.

[5] Los Angeles Kings Vs. [6]San Jose Sharks:
This is probably the closest series in this round, both teams have hot goalies that are playing at a high level. I feel like the series will go to the offense that can score first and put the opposing goalie off balance somewhat and in this series the Sharks certainly have the better offense. I will take the Sharks in 7 in this series.

[1] Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. [7] Ottawa Senators:
I feel like most people think this will be a close series after the Senators came out and handled the Canadians in the first round, but I personally feel like the Penguins will still be too much for the Senators in the Second Round. The penguins offense was amazing in the first round, their goalie was what struggled but I think that their goalie will settle down and allow the high powered offense to win it for them. Senators have a great defense and goalie which will certainly limit the Penguins offense to a extent. If their offense is hot like they were in the first round again as well and can capitalize before the Penguins goalie can settle in, then they have a chance, but I don't see it happening. Penguins in 6.

[4] Boston Bruins Vs. [6] New York Rangers:
Well, this series is probably the trickiest of all the series to call in my opinion. On one hand, the Rangers have been quite consistent through the first round on both sides of the ice which gives them a definite advantage throughout a seven game series. With all the injuries to Boston players and the fact that the Bruins seem to go from being the Blackhawks to the Avalanche every so often during a series, its hard to say who will win. I feel like if Boston can play at the top of their game, they have the advantage, other wise the consistency of the Rangers will win it. Ill take the Rangers in 7 though because I feel like Boston will have some troubles.

[DarkJak2050]

Originally Posted by Soverence

[5] Los Angeles Kings Vs. [6]San Jose Sharks:
This is probably the closest series in this round, both teams have hot goalies that are playing at a high level. I feel like the series will go to the offense that can score first and put the opposing goalie off balance somewhat and in this series the Sharks certainly have the better offense. I will take the Sharks in 7 in this series.

[1] Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. [7] Ottawa Senators:
I feel like most people think this will be a close series after the Senators came out and handled the Canadians in the first round, but I personally feel like the Penguins will still be too much for the Senators in the Second Round. The penguins offense was amazing in the first round, their goalie was what struggled but I think that their goalie will settle down and allow the high powered offense to win it for them. Senators have a great defense and goalie which will certainly limit the Penguins offense to a extent. If their offense is hot like they were in the first round again as well and can capitalize before the Penguins goalie can settle in, then they have a chance, but I don't see it happening. Penguins in 6.

Well, Game 1 of those series are on tonight. Maybe we can get a glimpse of those predictions.

[Soverence]

Originally Posted by DarkJak2050

Well, Game 1 of those series are on tonight. Maybe we can get a glimpse of those predictions.

Well it seems my penguins prediction was right for game 1 at least, my opinion for the Sharks vs Kings was kind of right in the fact that who scored first was the one who won it, just not who I though would jump out for the 1-0 series lead. Either way, still a long series so they could both still go either way.

[DarkJak2050]

Originally Posted by Soverence

Well it seems my penguins prediction was right for game 1 at least, my opinion for the Sharks vs Kings was kind of right in the fact that who scored first was the one who won it, just not who I though would jump out for the 1-0 series lead. Either way, still a long series so they could both still go either way.

That wasn't really a game, nor was it a slaughter...

You can say that I'm furious on how the Sharks did in Game 1. Especially on how they basically handed the 1st goal to the Kings on a Silver Platter.

Spoiler for Thoughts:

Yeah, they won the face-off, but then they just left the puck alone. They didn't even attempt to go after it and let the Kings take it and get it past Niemi.

During that moment, they were basically saying to the Kings:
"Okay, we'll win the face off... leave the puck alone... here you go!"

That right there is part of the Shark's main problem they've had a lot of so far this year; puck handling/managment. They kept on turning the puck over, getting bad passes, and when they get a shot on net, no body is there for the rebound. Especially in the most crucial moments that could've kept them in the game.

Another problem I saw is they weren't even getting into Jonathan Quick's face. Drew Ramenda kept on mentioning in the middle of the short season that they have to get in the Goaltender's face; block his vision. The closest I've seen them doing that, is being beside Jonathan Quick. Not in his face, beside him. They're not blocking his vision by doing that. They have to get in his face.

Failures such as these, they ought to do Herbies after the game.

And if I was there at the game myself, I would say this:

"I'm not much of an expert on this, but if you keep on playing this way, the Kings will do the same exact thing you guys did to the Canucks."

And all of this, I'm just simply stating the truth.

Edit:
Well, now... Things are just keep getting better and better...

Sharks Forward Raffi Torres is on indefinte suspension due to a hit he did on LA Kings Forward Jarret Stoll in Game 1.

Against the Canucks, they lost Martin Havlat in Game 1. Then Adam Burish in Game 4; both due to injuries.

And now they just lost Raffi Torres because he got suspended for the hit he did on Jarret Stoll in Game 1 against the Kings.

I'd say that the playoffs are over for the Sharks, as of now.

[Soverence]

Well after that demoralizing game 2 for the Sharks I have to change my mind that the Kings will probably win this series now. Not even the fact that they lost changed my mind but the way that they lost will be so demoralizing on top of the fact they are missing all those players. I can't see them rebounding from this unless they can with both of their home games to change the momentum then they have a chance.

The Bruins v Rangers game one was as close of a game as I expected it to be, intense overtime with all the shots by the Bruins and all the cross bar/goal post hits they had in the late 3rd / overtime. Rangers seemed too easy to turn the puck over, granted the Bruins did some as well in the overtime period but I felt the Rangers did it so much more. They were losing battles along the wall, making bad open ice passes. Only time the Rangers looked scary was when they were moving through the neutral zone, they were faster then Boston by far and because of that each time entering the zone looked like a possible scoring chance to me. I will still say Rangers in 7 at this point, I would be shocked though if this series went to anything less then 6-7 games to either team.

[DarkJak2050]

Originally Posted by Soverence

Well after that demoralizing game 2 for the Sharks I have to change my mind that the Kings will probably win this series now. Not even the fact that they lost changed my mind but the way that they lost will be so demoralizing on top of the fact they are missing all those players. I can't see them rebounding from this unless they can with both of their home games to change the momentum then they have a chance.

Spoiler for Initial reaction after the Kings game tying and winning goals:

Congratu-FUCKING-lations, guys!! You just gave the Kings the whole FUCKING series!!

AND ON A SILVER PLATTER, TOO!!

With how they played, I don't think the Shark Tank will help.