Running Stanley Cup Playoff Thread

God damn right.

Ovie was the only one with a fucking pulse in the third period in game 3.

Put this on that fucking pantywaist cocksucker Alex Semin, who earns nearly $7 million a year to disappear when it matters. Ship his fucking sorry ass to Siberia. I don't care. I'm done with that piece of shit.

Put this on Jeff Schultz, who should be in the AHL. Carlson had some bad mishaps in this series, but he's 21. He'll grow and learn.

But we've had enough of a sample size on Semin to know that "Sasha" is a total waste in the playoffs. Trade him for a bag of pucks and a sixer of Molson (or even Steel Reserve). I want him off my team.

The Capitals are about to be blown the fuck up. Ovie, Backstrom and Green will stay. Everyone else is fair game. The Caps have won the East two years in a row and their only playoff wins are against the eight seeds. Bruce has had his chance. The window is far too small in a salary cap league to take a chance on "one more year." Need to add some toughness to this team, and by toughness, I don't mean D.J. "I'm a fucking healthy scratch 72 times a year who punches somebody every once in a while" King.

Oh, and go Sharks.

 

Green is wildly overrated. He lost Game 3 by defending the guy with the puck and leaving Lecavalier wide open. Anyone who has played sports knows you shouldn't do that on a 2-on-1.

 

True enough, I'm not so sure that goaltending was the biggest issue here but getting Bryzglalov couldn't hurt.

 

Kevin Bieksa would be a perfect fit in Washington, but I have a feeling the Leafs will overpay for him

 

Tough to blame that on Green. He may or may not have made the wrong play. But blame it on the guy who turned it over in the zone (can't remember who.) Shit happened all series long. Lots of fundamental breakdowns. Boudreau got totally outclassed by Boucher. Embarrassing. Maybe he can get job in KHL [/peggy].

 

Thought last year I heard rumors of the Caps wanting to talk to the Bruins about Tim Thomas, who had an off season and was being pushed by Rask. Not sure if the problem was Thomas' no-trade clause or whether the players and salaries didn't match up, but there were rumors.

 

Quite terrifying in a way though ... this is when the Sharks start finding ways to lose. But suddenly I remember: Ron Wilson isn't the coach any more.

 

Brucie's had his chances. In light of this disaster, what Zagoshe said.

 

I'm no hockey expert -- not even close -- but whoever threw up the post about the Caps not being able to handle adversity seems dead on. Those fuckers hang their heads at every wrong turn. It was embarrassing to watch. No guts.

And whoever said Ovie is a fraud, well, you know even less about hockey than my dumbass.

I like the young talent on this team (Carlson, Neuvy, etc.). Neuvy in particular. He's going to be a star. But there's got to be some changes. Not sure I'd fire the coach. Judging from the quote above from 24-7, he's aware of the team's problems. And he's let them know how gutless they are. He can't play for them.

This is on the players.

 

Now that I'm a little less emotional and thinking more clearly, I'm more 50-50 on Boudreau. But my feelings Semin haven't changed. I don't think it's in his makeup to play tough in the postseason. We've had too much of a sample size to ignore the way he disappears.

Tarik El-Bashir wrote yesterday that he had it on good authority that Backstrom was as close to 100 percent as you're going to get in the playoffs. He wasn't giving him a pass for the thumb injury.

Perhaps an entire offseason/training camp of playing within the system installed midseason will help. Brooks Laich said Boudreau/Eveson/Woods was a "dream team" of coaches, and that the players were privileged to play for them. And Ovechkin has to vary his game. Too many times he tried to rush the zone only to get caught 1 on 2 and get stripped of the puck before he could make a move. That happened all season long. It wasn't just the postseason.

The more I think about it, the more I think Boudreau stays. Untouchables should be Ovechkin/Backstrom/Alzner/Carlson/Neuvirth/Johannson. That's the core. Everyone else is up for grabs. Knuble will definitely be back.

 

Tarik's column was good today. He (rightly) defended the GM saying he made the deals necessary for the team to succeed. He also defended Boudreau, who made the necessary system change at midseason. It's on the players.

You're right, Cosmo. It'll be interesting to see a full season with the new system. Not sure it'll make any difference, but I'm grasping for whatever I can find at this point.