NHL Playoffs start tonight....

[Imakeholesinu]

Or as Leaf's fans call it, April.

LETS GO BLUES!

[Zeus]

In Toronto, it just reminds us to watch baseball :-)

Hitchcock's got your team playin' well, I'll give him that. Even some Leafs rejects are doin' OK, which is shocking. Whether or not they can get past Vancouver is another matter altogether, but they should at least make it to round 2.

[Flip]

I'm hoping the caps do well with not that much pressure this year. Usually, they are predicted to win the thing and always have disappointed, maybe with the shoe on the other foot?...

[kali o.]

Or as Leaf's fans call it, April.

LETS GO BLUES!

Your Blues actually have a shot finally...but it's OUR year this time...it has to be.

PS - I am telling you now, I am insta deleting any jinx posts zeus makes this time, lol.

[Zeus]

Or as Leaf's fans call it, April.

LETS GO BLUES!

Your Blues actually have a shot finally...but it's OUR year this time...it has to be.

PS - I am telling you now, I am insta deleting any jinx posts zeus makes this time, lol.

No jinx posts. Last year they were severely injured and still took Boston to game 7. Let the Canucks do what they do this year, I'll sit back and watch from afar.

But I will say one thing: their window is closing....FAST. They have this year and maybe the next. Then they have to start breaking up this team. As it is you may not have Schneider even next year and more pieces will have to go soon. They better play like they don't have much longer 'cause they don't.

[Imakeholesinu]

LA is all over Vancouver right now. 2 delay of game penalties back to back in the 1st.

As far as my Blues, yes Hitch has us firing on all cylinders. By Leaf rejects you mean players Burkie threw under the bus and then flourished in our organization. How's Lee Stempniak working out for...oh, he plays for a team that made the playoffs.

Shit talking aside, my picks are as follows:
Blues
Predators
Blackhawks
Kings

Rangers
Bruins
Panthers
Flyers

[Julius Seeker]

I would usually be all over this stuff (watching hockey hours a day in the early playoffs). Unfortunately, I have been finding it very hard to watch hockey at all (or any sports for that matter) =P

I am not really much into sports myself any longer, my work no longer has be involved with anything sports related, so I generally don't watch them either.

Maybe if I have some sons in the future I'll get back into them =P

[Blotus]

Sad that Darren Helm will miss the rest of the playoffs.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=8481

[Zeus]

I'll go with:

Canucks, Blackhawks, Blues, Preds

Rangers, Bruins, Pens, Devils

[Imakeholesinu]

You want to change two of those picks Z? LA just outplayed Vancouver and the Pens were just forcefed 4 goals and an OT victory by the Flyers.

That does suck about Darren Helm.

[Zeus]

You want to change two of those picks Z? LA just outplayed Vancouver and the Pens were just forcefed 4 goals and an OT victory by the Flyers.

That does suck about Darren Helm.

Nope. I'll stick with those. I do believe the Wings have dropped a shade of a notch, though. Even if they get past the Preds I don't think they'll be able to get past the Canucks or Blues

[Imakeholesinu]

They might get by us if they get to OT. I don't know what else to do here. We dominate the entire first OT and can't find the back of the net, one bad defensive play in the 2nd OT and we lose. Story of our lives here.

[Zeus]

They might get by us if they get to OT. I don't know what else to do here. We dominate the entire first OT and can't find the back of the net, one bad defensive play in the 2nd OT and we lose. Story of our lives here.

*smack, smack* Stop talking like a Leafs fan! Stand up and act like a true supported of your team, dammit!

[Imakeholesinu]

Got behind them and we win 3-0. Can't wait for Pitt @ Philly later today.

[Imakeholesinu]

Blues advance, Canucks falter, Flyers outlast the Pens, Nashville spanks Detroit...because its the cup.

[Zeus]

It's been the craziest first-round I can remember. Two of the top Cup favs (Canucks, Pens) are out, you may have the top two seeds in the East out in the next couple of days, and Phoenix beating Chicago? Really? Much less likely than Florida beating Jersey....and both may happen. Fans in New Jersey and Chicago were praying for those matchups....not so much now, huh?

You may have the Blues as the only favourites winning in the first round (although I always felt Nashville was better than the Wings, most didn't). You get upsets every year but nothing remotely close to this where 7 of the 8 series' may end up that way. Sure as hell helps out the Flyers and the Blues on their way to the finals, that's for sure.

[Imakeholesinu]

2nd Round in the West is set. Blues vs Kings, Phoenix vs Nashville. This is definitely a goalie battle. Elliott vs Quick, Smith vs Rinne.

[Imakeholesinu]

http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2012/04/18 ... weed-gifs/

I'll just leave that right here.

[Zeus]

Wow, if LA is able to pull off knocking off the Blues, that would be a historic run.

[Flip]

http://whenindc.tumblr.com/post/2185841 ... ley-like-a

[Imakeholesinu]

Wow, if LA is able to pull off knocking off the Blues, that would be a historic run.

....This will not happen.

[Zeus]

Wow, if LA is able to pull off knocking off the Blues, that would be a historic run.

....This will not happen.

The way it's goin' right now, they may have a chance to knock off the top 3 seeds in the West. I can't freakin' believe Nashville's down 2-0 to Phoenix. 'Yotes weren't even supposed to make it past Chicago and now we've got a good chance of a Phoenix-LA conference final? More unlikely of an outcome than the first two rounds of March Madness where everyone's pool was messed up

[Oracle]

Wow, if LA is able to pull off knocking off the Blues, that would be a historic run.

....This will not happen.

Wager?

[kali o.]

Wow, if LA is able to pull off knocking off the Blues, that would be a historic run.

....This will not happen.

Wager?

Karma is a bitch for the shit talker

[kali o.]

You want to change two of those picks Z? LA just outplayed Vancouver and the Pens were just forcefed 4 goals and an OT victory by the Flyers.

That does suck about Darren Helm.

You might want to adjust your picks too -- at least LA didn't sweep Vancouver

Kicking a man while he's down aside, as nifty it would be if LA won it all, my gut is with another long shot for now -- the Caps.

[Zeus]

What about the Devils, Kali? Who the heck woulda thunk they'd be up on Philly 3-1?

I REALLY wanna tease Barret (sorry, that'll always be your name to me) but it would too unkind....and his team at least made the playoffs. I'm just curious how low the ratings will be for a Phoenix-LA conference final....

[Imakeholesinu]

Well, we get to look forward to new ownership. Maybe they'll make a splash in Free Agency. Rick Nash and TJ Oshie on the same team? Probably benefit Nash.

[Zeus]

Well, we get to look forward to new ownership. Maybe they'll make a splash in Free Agency. Rick Nash and TJ Oshie on the same team? Probably benefit Nash.

Where Nash goes is gonna depend on a) how much Columbus will try to get for him and b) how desparate teams get. They were asking WAAAY too much for him before, they wanted a Lindros-to-Philly like deal which they want to define their team for the next decade. Don't think that'll happen with 10 years left on his contract

[Imakeholesinu]

Do you think Philly and Vancouver will swap goaltenders?

[kali o.]

Do you think Philly and Vancouver will swap goaltenders?

How would that make sense? At least Luongo's contract isn't seen as a massive blunder. If the Canucks made that trade, they wouldn't clear up cap space and they'd get an inferior goalie. There is no upside.

Is that just an idea you spitballed or is there actually someone in the press suggesting that's a possibility? I didn't even know Flyers would be a team Luongo would consider.

It's too bad media made trading Luongo basically a must at this point. It's a hell of a lot less pressure to be a back up than a starter...Luongo has at least 5 more years of being a League leading goalie, who knows how Schneider/Lack will work out. You build a team around a Luongo. You don't around a Schneider. If Luongo goes, then unless we get some really big name added in front of him for next season, I wouldn't be surprised if the playoffs were missed.

Yes, I have that little faith in the Sisters or anyone else on the team.