Rangers in 6 - Series will be more wide open offensively then Pitt even though Wash is good. Rangers break through on Holtby in a couple games. Habs in 7 - Price is the difference Ducks in 5 - Calgary runs out of gas, Ducks too deep Hawks in 7 - Too many stars with great playoff experience and clutch goals Conference Finals: Rangers in 7 - Price frustrates the Rangers w 2 shut outs in Montreal but they find a way to win a long series Hawks in 6 - Crawford is sharp and Boudreau team again underachieves in the playoffs. Toews and Kane light up Anderson Finals: Rangers vs Hawks - Great series for the NHL with stars galore All these Hawks playoff games the past 5 years take their toll, Crawford isn't great and Rangers win a great series in 7 games Brassard wins Conn Smythe and nobody bitches on this board for 2 weeks LOL
and this would be 2 days, 23hrs and 58minutes longer than it usually takes you to complain about the refs during a game.
How about the Bolts. I knew Montreal wasn't that good, all Price really, and that TB owned them, 7-0 this season if they hold the 4-1 lead in the 3rd, but wow they may sweep them. I liked TB in 6, but it could be a 4 or 5 game series. They look darn good. Moving the puck quickly, using their speed, finally scoring on the PP tonight. Bishop looks real solid as well. Montreal on the other hand looks awful. Slow, no real scorers outside of Pac and Subban, taking dumb penalty after dumb penalty. Crazy stuff. This could all change on a dime with a great 3rd by the Habs, but right now the Bolts look like they will run away with this one.
Not even on him Mess. He's had no shot on the goals. 3 of the 4 on the PP. TB moving the puck great, Montreal two steps behind...especially on the PK. TB looks like the MUCH better and quicker team. I didn't think Montreal was that good as I said before the series, but I didn't think they were this bad. If this score holds they are really up against it. VERY difficult to come back from down 2-0 in the NHL, especially after losing both at home.
Prust at it again. Hate to say it, but he's a cheap POS. When his team is down big and getting beat he takes it on himself to do something dirty to try and change the MO. 1st round attacks Anderson when his team we getting beat big in game 5. Now he trips Bishop and starts a fight when his team was down big last night (Cooper the TB coach thiks he was trying to injure Bishop). Then he says Bishop flopped as usual...YES just so happens you are in the middle of all of this...that's what's usual, but he flops. We all know what he did to Stepan last season when his team was down big. And what he said about taking Hank out. He was not like this when he was on the Rangers. He has fit in well with that whiny buch of babies in Montreal. He has become the exact type of player the NHL wants to get rid of. The kind that says we are down big and I need to do something cheap to change that. Prod posted it last week and that's exactly what Prust said. He is a cheap scumbag. Real shame because I always liked him when he was here. Guess the Habs mantra got into his head. Tampa coach Jon Cooper thought Prust might have been trying to injure Bishop on the play. "You have to kind of think (Prust) is going in there for one reason, right?," Cooper said. "He wasn't going to get the puck from him. He had one thing on his mind and it was probably to make sure he injured him. Whether that's the case or not, I don't know." After Prust was given the game misconduct, the 31-year-old forward threw his elbow pad at Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos on his way to the dressing room. Stamkos then tossed the elbow pad into the stands.
Not the norm in the NHL playoffs, but 3 of the 4 series are 2-0. Those West teams, Hawks and Ducks, look real good. That should be a great WCF if it happens. Favor the Hawks due to experience and not sure I trust the Ducks goalie, but the Ducks won't be an easy out with home ice as well. In the East, at 7-0 against the Habs this season, I find it hard to believe TB doesn't win that series. They are just a better team than the Montreal Price/Pac/Subban's. Montreal is not that great of a team and is really all about Price and 2 or 3 other players only. Give Price credit for helping that team get this far.
I think Prust should get a suspension for tossing equipment at the Bolts. Totally unprofessional and unnecessary and the league should step in and tell him so by giving him one game off. A little disheartening to see all the other series being a breeze and we're here battling with Washington. Gotta hope Habs win at least 1 or 2 to force that series to keep going because we're def going 7. Don't wanna face TB with them being well rested.
I hear you 94, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Caps are the best "other" team in the 2nd round. The only team close to me is the Wild. The Habs and Flames are not on that level. I do think we are playing the best team in comparison to the other teams up 2-0. The Caps would whip the Habs and Flames, and be a tossup against the Wild.
I totally agree, but I'm just speaking from a rest standpoint. The Ducks/Hawks series is gonna go 7, and probably have multiple OT games. So that will even out. But I didn't think TB would have it THIS easily against the Habs. I'm just rooting for the Habs to win a couple to push that series longer. Right now, I see that series being a sweep unless Price steals a game. That would mean TB is very well rested while we (assuming we win) would be coming in after a VERY physical series and still have no Zucc and TB is quite physical as well. Will be interesting to see. First thing first though, WIN TONIGHT!!!!
Agreed...from a rest POV it looks like TB will be well rested against us or the Caps in the ECF. I thought Bolts in 6, but now 4 or 5 looks much more likely. As you said I am not too concerned with the West teams since we went 5 in round 1 and I expect that WCF to be a long hard series, and we need to win 2 more rounds to even get there, but TB should be rested against the winner of our series in the ECF. Plus Montreal isn't a big physical team, so they most likely won't leave that impact on TB either, while the winner of our long series will be beaten up heading into the ECF. No doubt TB will have an edge from that POV unless Montreal does a 180 soon.
They don't match up all that well with TB..if they in fact do get there. Bishop usually stones them and their forwards find alot of creases and seams for rebounds every time.
PING! Game 5 Montreal leads 1-0 after 2 periods. Canadiens have been taking it to the Bolts, but only show 1 goal for their effort. Canadiens have hit the post 3x and twice hit the crossbar. Price and Bishop are playing a very controlled, yet terrific goal.
Price is god in Montreal...........and then Stamkos spoils the party. Game tied 1-1 midway thru the 3rd period.
P.A. Parenteau, another ex-Ranger, scores go ahead goal for 2-1 Canadien lead. Series goes back to Tampa Bay. TB up 3-2 in games. Carey Price is king in Montreal. Canadien announcer calls Price "monumental".
