NHL Playoffs

[Otis Day]

I know most here are anti-Blues, but those bastards are rolling right now. they just took apart the Stars last night. The goalie dilemma is gonna screw the Stars. Niemi has always been fair and Lehtonen has been inconsistent.

Preds played a helluva game last night and took a game from the Sharks, who IMO are the hottest team going right now.

Caps and Pens - screw 'em, dislike both teams with a passion. I am anti-Ovechkin and Crosby.

Hate all NY teams so rooting for the Bolts in that series. Been a good playoff season to date.

[UOK]

I'd like to see the Lightning & Sharks duke it out for the cup.

[Otis Day]

Anyone but the Blues, Caps and Pens.

Did you see the hit Drouin took last night. Legal and brutal as hell. Kid got rocked.

[Otis Day]

Trevor Daley playing 28+ minutes in tonights game but he wasn't good enough to play for the Hawks. Damn could have used him. Guess Q thought differently.

[UOK]

Daley's a scoring defenseman who the Blackhawks gave almost nothing in regards to patience for and it ended up hurting them badly in the end. He wanted to be a Blackhawk so bad, too. Just a real shame the organization totally botched it.

[Otis Day]

Post game interview he was very complimentary of his time with the Hawks. Said he had wished it worked out, but admitted this is working out better. He was a beast last night.

[UOK]

Also to remind everybody that forgets, the Blackhawks were impatient with him because the guy is a major defensive liability.

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[Boris13c]

Also to remind everybody that forgets, the Blackhawks were impatient with him because the guy is a major defensive liability.

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ironic because the Blackhawks lost game 7 against the Blues with big help from a defensive lapse in their own zone ... so apparently they didn't adequately upgrade from Daley

[UOK]

The major issue is that the fans wanted value back for Sharp, Oduya, and Saad. Sharp & Oduya went to Dallas for Ryan Garbutt & Trevor Daley. Saad went to Columbus for Anisimov, Corey Tropp, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, and a 4th round pick.

Daley didn't play defense so they dumped him to Pittsburgh for Rob Scuderi. Scuderi was a total waste and was sent to the minors before traded to the Kings for Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff turned out to be a bum and was virtually a corpse that never played.

Ryan Garbutt was alright, but his contract had another year on it and the team would prefer the flexibility. They dealt him to Anaheim for some guy named Jiri Sekac. Sekac barely played before being waived and claimed by the Coyotes.

Corey Tropp was a meaningless acquisition that was later traded to the Ducks for Tim Jackman. Jackman is a 34 year old JAG who didn't even come to Chicago, instead they told him to continue playing for whatever bum-ass minor league hockey squad currently had him, as they had no intentions of using him whatsoever.

Marko Dano is a potentially huge star who the Blackhawks weren't impressed with after a dozen games or so, and after sending him back down to Rockford packaged him in a deal to the Winnipeg Jets to get Andrew Ladd on a rental.

Jeremy Morin has been a long-running Blackhawks joke because of how much Q hates him. He didn't stay an IceHog for long, and was traded to the Maple Leafs for scraps.

----

In effect, Sharp, Saad, & Oduya were traded for Anisimov & Andrew Ladd. Ladd is likely to leave the team due to zero cap space. Anisimov signed a long term deal.

Is that fair value? I'd have to say maybe, but if Ladd comes back to the Blackhawks on a backloaded extremely cheap contract, it may in fact be worth it short term.

I really hate that they traded Dano, as I really wanted to see what he'd become, but this is the price you pay for success. Blackhawks are in a weird spot right now.

[Otis Day]

Hell, Stephen Johns has been playing well for Dallas. Q just seems to have no patience. I know there is this Cup window, but I think some of the young kids could have done well enough and they would just get better. I am thinking Erhoff could have done OK, but Q had no patience.

what do I know, I am just a fan.

[UOK]

Q has no tolerance for guys learning the system unless they're dynamic enough to merit a pass.

[Boris13c]

Blues move on to the Western Conference Finals ... their opponent will be decided tonight : Predators vs Sharks game 7 ... I will be rooting for either of these 2 over St Louis (though I acknowledge the Blues are playing really well right now and likely to be in the finals ... and to that, fuck the Blues)

Penguins vs Lightning in the East

[Otis Day]

I would like to see a Shark v Lightning Stanley Cup matchup.

Blues look like the team to beat to me though. Haven't see a lot of the east teams.

Sharks are hot right now, just worried about their goal tending.

[Boris13c]

I would like to see a Shark v Lightning Stanley Cup matchup.

I'll second that

[Otis Day]

Didn't watch OT last night, don't care that much about the Pens and Lightning. Going to be a good series. Bolts playing well without Stamkos. Had to go to bed.

Sharks outplayed the Blues the other night but Elliott has kept up his stellar play, dude has owned the playoffs.

Sharks just couldn't put it in the net. Brooks needs to get his head out of his ass, too many damn turnovers the other night.

[Otis Day]

I can say I am a happy camper this a.m. Sharks need to put the Blues away tomorrow night. Blues much better road team this playoff season than home team. Sharks need to focus. Strange how well the Blues have played on the road. Will be a tough game for sure.

[Boris13c]

Sharks and Lightning 1 win away from being in the Final we are hoping for ... I think Tampa Bay will do it tonight

Sharks/Blues may well go to a 7th game

[Boris13c]

San Jose vs Pittsburgh in the finals

I am a Sharks fan for this one

[UOK]

I'm fine w/ either team winning, really. The Blues are out, and that's all I wanted.

[Otis Day]

Me to Boris. Can't stand Crosby and Malkin. Like the grit the sharks have shown and would love to see them win it for Thornton and Marleau. Those two have been banging for many a hear.

The Blues? It was friggin tailor made for them to win it this year and they didn't. Sharks just out hustled them big time. It was great to see.

[Boris13c]

The Blues? It was friggin tailor made for them to win it this year and they didn't. Sharks just out hustled them big time. It was great to see.

maybe the Blues thought the Sharks were a breather series before their march to the finals? and by the time they realized it wasn't, it was too late

[DaDitka]

The Blues lost this series in game five again the Hawks. With a chance to finish off the series at home they lost in 2nd OT and then again in game 6, before winning game 7.

That was two extra games.

Then in the next round they failed to finish off Dallas in game 6 (again at home) and had to win a 7th game.

That's now three extra games.

When once asked about 'How to win the Cup' Wayne Gretzky said "You've got to win a couple short series early"

That was their 20th game in the first three rounds. It took 14 just to get through the first two rounds, by contrast last years Hawks needed a mere 10 games to get threw the the first two rounds and that allowed them the energy to get through a 7 game series against the Ducks.

I don't mean to take anything away from the Sharks...they are a team on a mission right now and there is 100% buy in up and down that roster.

Interesting note....on January 1st....both of the Final contestants were 10th in their respective conferences.

[Boris13c]

Sharks are now in an 0-2 hole ... tough sledding ahead

maybe they will have a hit team on Crosby for the rest of the series?

Logan Couture: Sidney Crosby 'cheats' on faceoffs, refs let him

San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture aimed some fighting words at Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby following the Sharks' 2-1 overtime loss in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night.

After Crosby's face-off win set up Conor Sheary's game-winning goal in the extra frame, Couture was asked about how Crosby manages to win those draws so cleanly.

"He cheats," Couture said, per Yahoo's Sean Leahy. "He gets away with it. He's Sidney Crosby."

Asked to clarify, Couture said, "He times them, and yet they don't kick him out for some reason, probably because of who he is."

Crosby is winning face-offs at a rate of 52.7% in these playoffs. He won 71% in Game 2 and 56% in Game 1 of this Final.

The Penguins lead the series 2-0. Game 3 will be Saturday in San Jose.

[UOK]

Not very composed. Personally I haven't watched a hockey highlight since the Blackhawks lost. I love hockey, but once my team is out, I'm out too. This goes for almost every sport.

[DaDitka]

"He cheats," Couture said, per Yahoo's Sean Leahy. "He gets away with it. He's Sidney Crosby."

Asked to clarify, Couture said, "He times them, and yet they don't kick him out for some reason, probably because of who he is."

Crosby is winning face-offs at a rate of 52.7% in these playoffs. He won 71% in Game 2 and 56% in Game 1 of this Final.

FWIW the Blues shared the same complaints about the Sharks in their series.....so....whatever.

The Pens are just too fast for the Sharks...they're palying at another speed.

[Otis Day]

Surprised by the Pens speed somewhat. Though they only one by one goal, Pens were dominating that game last night. At times I felt really bad for the Sharks. Sharks have to get their shit together. Not a Pen or Crosby fan.

I thought timing the drop was pretty normal. Most try I would think.

[Boris13c]

Surprised by the Pens speed somewhat. Though they only one by one goal, Pens were dominating that game last night.

they have definitely outplayed San Jose to this point ... and they have been relentless in keeping the puck in the San Jose end ... there were so many times when it looked like a routine Sharks clearing pass ended up with a Penguin's hand, skate or stick keeping it in the Sharks zone ... that can wear a defense and goalie down even if they don't score

San Jose needs a different game plan quick ... right now, they look nothing like the team that beat the Blues