and the Trade rumours in Vancouver start to bubble.
Johan Hedberg... gone. (clearly doesn't have the confidence of the coach)
Markus Naslund... gone. (doesn't have the playoff fire... many accused him of appearing to give up, and the interviews he's given to the Swedish press seem to communicate a lack of desire or a general fatigue.)
Edit: the other story is Markus wants to raise his kids in Sweden
Don Cherry would say "European Captains don't want a Cup as much as Canadians".
We'll see if Sundin and the Leafs reinforce this opinion vs. Ottawa.
Nucks need better tenders, tougher D, more speed, and a leader driven to give 110%
(personally, I think Linden deserves the C, he's not the 'superstar', but his work ethic is awesome, and if the 'superstar' gets petulant and quits on backchecking or fails to inspire, he doesn't deserve the C, IMO)
Trade Naslund for Joe Sakic (who's from Vancouver... always wanted to play at home).
Bertuzzi might be on the block as well... depends how his suspension carries into next season and how he responds, but costly penalties seem to be a late-season specialty, and Cooke replaced him pretty well.
Vancouver is definitely going to shake things up roster-wise next season.
(Presuming the prospect of a Strike doesn't bork all contract negotiations).
They've got to be better at home... killer instinct needs to be seen for 60 min a game.
At least there's still 3 Canadian teams in the 2nd Round.
I just watched the last two periods of the Boston/Montreal game and I wondered... where's the intensity?!?
Maybe it's because the Vancouver/Calgary matchup has skewed my perspective somewhat but Boston game was postively *tame* by comparison. Yay Montreal and all that but damn that was a boring game.
And as Moogs points out - where were Boston's fans in all this?!? I've never seen a playoff game so quiet, let alone a GAME 7! Now that last game in Calgary - *that* was playoff hockey.
I agree.
I only caught the last 10 minutes of the Montreal-Boston game. What a strange 10 minutes of hockey that was. It was end of the Third Period?of Game 7?of a ONE GOAL HOCKEY GAME!?!? But both the players and the crowd looked and sounded like they had their minds on their golf games, or maybe their tax filings!?!? I have seen second period, pre-season hockey with more intensity than that. Playing like that, Boston absolutely deserved to lose. As a hockey fan, I want my money back?and I did not even pay to see it.
I'm looking forward to the Sens/Leafs tonight. Should be a good game.
Woe is me. My beloved Canucks vanquished in another OT battle. But what a game. Coronary central. Best series I have seen in a LONG time... and congrats to the Flames. They have proven extremely resilient and motivated. I wish them the best and refuse to root against them regardless of who they face the rest of the way.
Now... time for some Senator upset magic I hope. Been a shit day. Only beer and a Sens win can cure what ails me.
The Leafs are a little lucky it's only 3-1 after 2. They dodged a bullet in the first 5 minutes of that second period. Tucker has proven that he, like Domi, has no character and doesn't deserve to be there. And we also know that Lalime can't take it all the way. He made Brodeur feel a little better tonight at least. Not much of a game so far really.
Well, the good news is that it didn't decide the game or series by any means. Hopefully the Sens won't throw the baby out with the bath water and will work with Chara's physical play, beef up their D around him and find someone else for goal. But they shouldn't IMO fire Martin or toss their better forwards except Bondra who was a total flop for them. He's a rent-a-shot player, isn't he? They keep picking up "enforcers" when they really just need more stay-at-home bruisers, not fighters, and a goalie that doesn't lose his cerebral skills when he's nervous.
Eddie was unbelievable in the series, and he just might steal the Philly series too. But I dare say the Lightning will outmatch either the Leafs or the Flyers when it comes down to it.
PS: My teams from here on out are: the Flames (underdog/cinderella) and the Lightning (the real deal).
damn, what a shitty past couple of days. my 3 favourite teams lose in ot in game 7. how bogus is that? i dont quite have the desire to follow the rest, maybe the flames. damn, those 3 games also kept me from a perfect first round prediction, guess im out of this pool. heres to hoping the flyers wallop the leafs and the flames kill the avalanche.
This will be the first time in recorded memory I will be rooting whole-heartedly for the Flyers. I think it, along with Montreal and TB should be an exciting series. The former because it should be very physical, and the latter because it will be very fast paced... and lo and behold just like the Isles, the Bolts didn't play the Habs well all year. They just don't care which is what makes it fun. The bolts do not seem to have memory of the regular season when playing in the post-season.
Unlike the Sens who need a few team-shrinks I think. Marten should probably go at this point. He's had his chance to make his mark with this team; they just don't respond to him very well when the chips are down IMO. He's not the fiery type and I suspect that's what they need. I actually think Larry Robinson would be a great fit for Ottawa. Stresses tough-nosed D, but knows how to coach offensively talented players as well, and commands great respect.
Sad, but Sens held out longer than I thought they would in the series. In the end, goaltending was the big difference.
Good for the Leafs, but they are going to have to do better than just relying on Ed if they want to make it all the way. This series certainly did not show that the Leafs have what it takes to win the Cup this year. Let's hope that they pick it up a notch next round.
Comments
Iginla misses the empty net hat trick, Cooke scores with 5 sec left.
OT!!!
GO NUCKS!!!!!!!
Iginla misses an empty net and with 5 seconds left on the clock those wacky Nuckleheads manage to tie it up.
To OT!
C.
I was on my feet yelling while the seconds ticked down... we're finally going to round 2!!!
Then my world crashes down around me. Freakin' Canucks tie it.
Oh well, I wasn't down for long. I didn't even have my first overtime beer half done before Gelinas netted the winner in OT.
Bring on the Red Wings, baby.
Johan Hedberg... gone. (clearly doesn't have the confidence of the coach)
Markus Naslund... gone. (doesn't have the playoff fire... many accused him of appearing to give up, and the interviews he's given to the Swedish press seem to communicate a lack of desire or a general fatigue.)
Edit: the other story is Markus wants to raise his kids in Sweden
Don Cherry would say "European Captains don't want a Cup as much as Canadians".
We'll see if Sundin and the Leafs reinforce this opinion vs. Ottawa.
Nucks need better tenders, tougher D, more speed, and a leader driven to give 110%
(personally, I think Linden deserves the C, he's not the 'superstar', but his work ethic is awesome, and if the 'superstar' gets petulant and quits on backchecking or fails to inspire, he doesn't deserve the C, IMO)
Trade Naslund for Joe Sakic (who's from Vancouver... always wanted to play at home).
Bertuzzi might be on the block as well... depends how his suspension carries into next season and how he responds, but costly penalties seem to be a late-season specialty, and Cooke replaced him pretty well.
Vancouver is definitely going to shake things up roster-wise next season.
(Presuming the prospect of a Strike doesn't bork all contract negotiations).
They've got to be better at home... killer instinct needs to be seen for 60 min a game.
At least there's still 3 Canadian teams in the 2nd Round.
Go Calgary!
Originally posted by Concord
I just watched the last two periods of the Boston/Montreal game and I wondered... where's the intensity?!?
Maybe it's because the Vancouver/Calgary matchup has skewed my perspective somewhat but Boston game was postively *tame* by comparison. Yay Montreal and all that but damn that was a boring game.
And as Moogs points out - where were Boston's fans in all this?!? I've never seen a playoff game so quiet, let alone a GAME 7! Now that last game in Calgary - *that* was playoff hockey.
I agree.
I only caught the last 10 minutes of the Montreal-Boston game. What a strange 10 minutes of hockey that was. It was end of the Third Period?of Game 7?of a ONE GOAL HOCKEY GAME!?!? But both the players and the crowd looked and sounded like they had their minds on their golf games, or maybe their tax filings!?!? I have seen second period, pre-season hockey with more intensity than that. Playing like that, Boston absolutely deserved to lose. As a hockey fan, I want my money back?and I did not even pay to see it.
I'm looking forward to the Sens/Leafs tonight. Should be a good game.
Now... time for some Senator upset magic I hope. Been a shit day. Only beer and a Sens win can cure what ails me.
Good game, good game... Wrong score.
I hope the Sens can pull it out tonight but I got a feelin' that, much like Calgary, Toronto wants it just a little bit more. Uh, on that note...
(quickly checks the score...)
Yup. 3-0 so far for Toronto.
Maybe we'll get a good Montreal/Toronto battle down the line. 8)
C.
Not that it would've changed the outcome but the refs absolutely sucked tonight. Called the game like it was pre-season.
Will come back shortly with first round totals.
Scotti B: 96 pts
Curious Burb: 84 pts
Chinney: 82 pts
Rageous: 79 pts
BuonRotto: 79 pts
Inaction Man: 78 pts
Willoughby: 77 pts
Cam'ron: 70 pts
me: 69 pts (Dallas and Vancouver killed my chances, pretty much... bogus)
I will post updated totals at the end of each round. Winner gets the title of AI Hockey God and a six pack of Molson.
Eddie was unbelievable in the series, and he just might steal the Philly series too. But I dare say the Lightning will outmatch either the Leafs or the Flyers when it comes down to it.
PS: My teams from here on out are: the Flames (underdog/cinderella) and the Lightning (the real deal).
I got tickets for game 2 in Philly....can't wait!
Unlike the Sens who need a few team-shrinks I think. Marten should probably go at this point. He's had his chance to make his mark with this team; they just don't respond to him very well when the chips are down IMO. He's not the fiery type and I suspect that's what they need. I actually think Larry Robinson would be a great fit for Ottawa. Stresses tough-nosed D, but knows how to coach offensively talented players as well, and commands great respect.
Good for the Leafs, but they are going to have to do better than just relying on Ed if they want to make it all the way. This series certainly did not show that the Leafs have what it takes to win the Cup this year. Let's hope that they pick it up a notch next round.
Originally posted by Moogs
Fvck... time to get hammered.
After reading your post above this one, then this hammered comment, I had a good laugh. Best 2 post combo this week. heh heh
I was TOTALLY hoping for a Sens win. I am so sick of having the Leafs rammed down my throat here.
Getting tickets to game 2! Down goes Toronto, AGAIN!
Originally posted by FaydRautha
Getting tickets to game 2! Down goes Toronto, AGAIN!
Do they still have tickets left? Damn I rushed to ticketmaster.com as soon as they beat the devils. I thought it would have sold out by now.