NHL season 2007-2008

[Drew Doughty]

man i was positive that the sens would make the playoffs...if they lose tonight (currently down 1-0) and washington beats the lightning as they should (and they've totally outplayed and outworked the lightning so far, ramo is just having a monster start), the caps control their own destiny. even so, the caps have 2 periods left vs. the lightning (who are god awful) and a game against the panthers (who have nothing to play for besides pride), while the sens get the leafs (fierce rival) and the bruins (still looking to lock up a playoff spot). going to be a very entertaining finish. i really would like nothing more than to see boston, carolina, philly, and washington in with ottawa on the outside.

 

as i type this, dany heatley ties the game at 1 vs. the Leafs.

 

i still think ottawa may be the most talented team on paper. i really cannot believe what has happened to them. especially since alfredsson is regarded as a great leader. there has to be something going on behind the scenes there.

 

i think it's the defense and goaltending. they have an exceptionally overrated defense aside from Phillips/Volchenkov and the goaltending has been spotty all year long.

 

not a fan of wade redden?

 

not really. i mean he's not bad...but he's gone way down hill since his partner left after 06. i wouldn't want the kings to sign him to bolster their defense though, i think that says something.

[sneakypower]

i used to like the pens announcers just for the entertainment factor, but their homerism is painful to listen to. scott hartnell is trying to dig the puck free from a pens' defenseman who grabbed the puck and pulled it under him, and they're up in arms about him "spearing" the defenseman. earlier he had taken a shot at crosby and got a justified penalty, but they had almost nothing to say when hartnell went in for a clean check on gonchar, and gonchar put his stick up in hartnell's face and cut the bridge of his nose. i guess one can expect pandering to idiots when you're talking to the pittsburgh market, but it's kinda depressing.

Nice Pittsburgh blast there at the end. I don't know what their TV announcers are like because I don't live there anymore, but the radio PBP guy, Mike Lange, is widely regarded as one of the best in the business.

 

I can understand your bitterness towards Pittsburgh seeing as how we swept you last season and worked you last night. I really hope we draw the Flyers in the first round.

 

i really don't care about the pens. their fans are the ones who hate the flyers; the pens fall a distant third on our hate chart. aside from cindy crosby - who, the other 29 teams in the league realize, is very good at starting battles and letting other people finish them for him - i don't really hate anyone on that team either. as for last season, you helped us be bad enough to get the #2 pick in the draft and open the organization's eyes that they were sorely lacking in speed and offensive talent. so thanks for sweeping us last year; it really did us a favor.

 

there have been studies done saying that certain markets like "homer" announcers and certain markets like more unbiased announcing, and pittsburgh definitely falls under the cities that prefers homers. i thought mike lange knew what he was talking about, but when you're bitching about "spearing" when he's clearing try to dig the puck loose from between a player and the boards, i don't know what to say. a guy who has called the game for that long should know the difference.

 

i don't know why you'd want to play the flyers in the first round. we're as talented (albeit poorly coached) as any team in the east, and we've had good success this year against the pens. the craps are a much easier first round draw.

i can't think any team would want to face the capitals right now.

[TruffleShuffle]

i can't think any team would want to face the capitals right now.

 

meh, they're beating up on the as-usual terrible southeast division. their defense/goaltending isn't very good and while ovechkin is the best player in the league, IMO, his impact can be muted by a solid defensive defenseman and not taking too many penalties and putting the caps on the power play.

 

who knows, washington could have the 3 seed and carolina could be out of the playoffs. both teams finish up with home games against yet another bad team, the florida panthers.

[AI]

my mistake on the announcing. it was paul steigerwald and bob errey who are currently the tv announcers, and they are terrible. i don't hear pens' radio broadcasts often, but mike lange is probably still good. he was good when i watched a few pens' games on tv, certainly one-sided toward the pens, but he knows the game and brings life to what was, for several years, a pretty lifeless franchise.

 

here are some opinions on steigerwald and errey; most were taken from the hockey's future boards. even most pittsburgh people don't like them. it's really too bad that FSN Pittsburgh fired lange and replaced him with two ignorant boobs. apparently it was a "business decision," but i don't know how it's good business to fire a very popular, highly-respected commentator after 30 years of service to that team and that city.

yeah it didn't go over well. steigy was ok when paired with lange, but is brutal with errey. i know we are loyal to a fault with the old guys who won the two stanley cups, but errey sucks and always has.

the post lemieux years were pretty rough, but for some reason, since he arrived in 1984, there has always been a light at the end of the tunnel. he saved them when he was drafted, he saved them when they were going bankrupt and he got them the arena that is going to keep them in town. its pretty remarkable.

[Drew Doughty]

i can't think any team would want to face the capitals right now.

 

meh, they're beating up on the as-usual terrible southeast division. their defense/goaltending isn't very good and while ovechkin is the best player in the league, IMO, his impact can be muted by a solid defensive defenseman and not taking too many penalties and putting the caps on the power play.

 

who knows, washington could have the 3 seed and carolina could be out of the playoffs. both teams finish up with home games against yet another bad team, the florida panthers.

 

their defense is decent (although losing Morrisonn hurts) and huet was extremely underrated with Montreal. on top of that they actually have a fair amount of responsible defensive forwards and a good system w/ Boudreau.

 

they have the second most points in the east since Hanlon was fired (Penguins are first). i've watched probably about 30-40 of their games this year since Hanlon was fired, they're a very entertaining team to watch.

 

i'm really cheering for boston tonight though. if they win in regulation, the caps win tomorrow, and philly/boston finish up as they should then ottawa would be on the outside looking in, which would be fantastic. they won't have fisher or alfie tonight either, which is huge.

 

even though toronto lost 8-2, at least they did something...

[Drew Doughty]

Panthers @ Hurricanes. Hurricanes win and they're in 3rd in the east. Hurricanes lose and they still have a pretty good chance of getting in, I think...I'm not 100% sure.

 

Devils @ Flyers. Flyers need points. They need at least 3 in their last two games to have any shot at making it, imo. They could still sneak in, but I wouldn't bet on the Caps losing to the Panthers. They probably need all 4, really.

 

Bruins @ Senators. Biggest game left in the regular season, perhaps. Boston probably has the best chance of getting in among the teams not clinched right now, since they have 2 games left and are already in. They still need points. I'm cheering for a win in regulation. Senators win and get in. In fact, one point and they're in. They're down Alfredsson and Fisher though...so it will be interesting if nothing else.

 

and booooo I can't get the panthers/canes game working on CI online for some reason. I was going to watch that until Bruins/Sens...might have to just go watch Flyers/Devils for a bit, I guess.

[Drew Doughty]

if boston holds on, boston, ottawa, and philly all clinched tonight.

 

can't believe carolina lost...

[TruffleShuffle]

despite john stevens' best efforts, the flyers are in the playoffs

[Drew Doughty]

the last reallly important game of the regular season: Florida Panthers @ Washington Capitals. The Caps need 1 point to get into the playoffs (and to pretty much guarantee Ovechkin the hart, for what little that's worth lol).

[TruffleShuffle]

by the way, lawl at carolina for losing a must-win game at home against nothing-to-play-for florida.

[Vanilla Ice]

by the way, lawl at carolina for losing a must-win game at home against nothing-to-play-for florida.

that was really pitiful

[Drew Doughty]

AND OVECHKIN IS IN! at least i have something to cheer for in the playoffs.

[jersey cubs fan]

Lottery draw tonight.

 

Let's go Hawks!

[wolf stansson]

STAMKOS!

[Drew Doughty]

The damn Kings can't even lose right. Tampa wins the lottery and Stamkos (assuming they don't trade down, and really they ARE a team that needs defense first so it's possible, I suppose).

 

Oh well we'll just take one of the bevy of serviceable defensemen likely to go in the top 10, I guess.

[ZFan38]

I really really wanted to move up to 6th.

[Flames24Rulz]

Hawks pick 11th. I'll definitely take that.