All-Purpose Hockey Thread II

You're right, but I fear it doesn't mean anything. Last year, when the Rangers were playing great hockey, they couldn't get on the tabloids' back pages until the playoffs began. I think that's what we're going to see out of the L.A. papers. The Ducks will fly under the radar until the playoffs, when they're the one seed in the West. Then, the papers will double and triple-staff games.

 

Rangers blow a 2-0 lead in Florida tonight, losing 3-2 to the Panthers.

 

Watched their last two and can confidently report ...

The Thrashers are NASTY in the shootout. Slava Kozlov is damn-near unstoppable (was 75% career before tonight's SO goal) and THEN you've got Hossa and Kovalchuk to deal with.

 

I have a gut feeling that the Thrashers will eliminate Buffalo in the playoffs.

 

I'm not sure Lehtonen (and Atlanta's defense) is to be trusted in a long series. Buffalo still has to be a prohibitive favorite in the East, I'm thinking. Though it wouldn't be a good idea to start ignoring Carolina just yet.

 

I'm thinking that this year's Buffalo team is a lot like last season's Senators. Both teams got off to fast starts. Sens cooled off and spit-the-bit in the playoffs. I'm wondering if the same thing will happen to the Sabres.

 

I see your point, but I wonder if Buffalo isn't (now how do I put this delicately) ... um ... more ... OK screw it ... Ottawa is gutless. Buffalo's not. I trust Buffalo's defense and goaltending much more that Ottawa's. And more than Atlanta's, for that matter. And I still think Carolina's going to be heard from.

I even wonder if seedings won't be a big factor in how things shake down among Buffalo, Atlanta, Carolina and Ottawa. And if I trusted their goaltending a little more, I'd be all about the Canadiens.

Edit: to admit that realize Ottawa is dead-ass last in the NE.

 

I agree with Mustard.

Buffalo's nothing like the Gutless Pukes aka The Sens.

And the Sabres have shown they have the stuff to make it to The Final.

 

I realize that the Sabres have more guts than the Senators. Hell, jellyfish have more backbone than Ottawa's Only Professional Franchise. I just think that teams who jump out to huge divisional/conference leads early tend to become lackadaisical in the second half of the season and cannot get that first half emotion back in time for the playoffs.

 

I see where you're coming from. At the same time, the team with the huge lead often has to run into the perfect storm in a tough early round opponent combined with a hot goaltender. My guess is that Buffalo will blitz whoever it faces early and gain enough momentum that it will be a pretty tough out.

Of course, it's still pretty early. I'm guessing not too many people had Carolina pegged correctly last December.

 

Isbister scored more goals tonight than did Jagr and Shanny.

 

Yeah, he did. It doesn't mean Isbister isn't useless, regardless. A blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

On an unrelated note, I saw Barry Melrose on Sportscenter last night. He looks like a well-dressed hobo.