2014 / 2015 Official NHL Thread
- Thread starter Special K
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Big game tonight between the habs & the visiting Capitals. Caps have played extremely well over the past 10 games & are about to make a bold move in the standings. The habs have struggled offensively all season long, but have been saved by Carey Price's heroics game after game. More & more people (including many prominent members of the Mtl french media) are saying that the habs wouldn't be in the playoffs this season were it not for Price's mastery. I tend to agree with them. They can barely score 5-on-5 and the powerplay sucks. Pacioretty has carried the offense on his shoulders all season long, and Price is the long person responsible for the defence's good numbers.
Were the Caps to win tonight, it looks almost certain that i'll be heading towards Mtl come next month if they're still in the playoffs. I've been on quite a roll lately when wagering against the habs in various games & if my luck continues tonight, anything's possible. Since i'm a fan of both Tampa & the Sens, i've elected to avoid betting on this game altogether. I'll be extremely happy if the Sens beat Tampa & the Bruins eventually wind up missing the playoffs. Nothing personal against the Bruins, but they have zero chance of making it past the first round should they manage to hold on to that final playoffs spot. Ottawa, on the other hand, has a very good chance of upsetting the habs.
Were the Caps to win tonight, it looks almost certain that i'll be heading towards Mtl come next month if they're still in the playoffs. I've been on quite a roll lately when wagering against the habs in various games & if my luck continues tonight, anything's possible. Since i'm a fan of both Tampa & the Sens, i've elected to avoid betting on this game altogether. I'll be extremely happy if the Sens beat Tampa & the Bruins eventually wind up missing the playoffs. Nothing personal against the Bruins, but they have zero chance of making it past the first round should they manage to hold on to that final playoffs spot. Ottawa, on the other hand, has a very good chance of upsetting the habs.
Congrats to my NY Rangers on clinching the Metropolitan division title
Hopefully on their way to the Stanley Cup this year
Best Regards
Smuler
It's somewhat early to say, but i believe that the next Stanley Cup champions will either be the Rangers or the Tampa Lightning.
Given that the great Steve Yzerman has done such a fabulous job as GM with the Lightning (having learned from the equally great Kenny Holland) you could easily be correct...but it's VERY difficult to predict the upcoming champs, as a LOT of teams can't be written off. There's much more parity - and also many more possible dark horses - in the cap era.
Right you are Joelcairo. A man who knows hockey, period.
Steve Yzerman is both amazing as a player and now a GM, a product from the Detroit Red Wings.
He has built a team that, in hockey conversations, have them as a Stanley Cup favourite.
My thoughts are that goaltending will determine who the Stanley cup Champions will be and then
THE roster.
New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lighting, and Anaheim Ducks are heavy favourites.
Dark horses are Minnesota Stars, Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings.
Sorry Joecairo, unless the Red Wings play Mrazek in net, they will not advance in the dark horse ranking.
My pick is ................
Happy Birthday Gordie Howe.
There are a history of Gordie Howe in the sports section of USA Today with captions.
Convinced me to say that he is the greatest to ever play the game for his accomplishments, longevity and love of the game.
Two years, after he retired from playing 22 years in the NHL, his wife convinced him to play with his two sons and
he accumulated 100 points that season.
In the pictures, Mr. Howe looks amazing.
I agree, the Islanders are one of the most improved team this year.
Kodos to "but Tavares certainly has blossomed.
I love watching hockey, in so much as, watching a certain player and Tavares is one of them.
He has had a nice curve, in his introduction, into the NHL.
I agree completely. Mrazek is far better than Howard. Unfortunately though, Petr had a chance to take over the main job but had a couple of less-than-stellar outings, including a weak shootout performance. He's STILL far better than Jimmy so I hope he gets a big chance again soon.
I think the Wings play better as a team in front of Mrazek versus Howard. I don't necessarily think Petr is a better goalie than Jimmy, at this point. Mrazek's definitely a far more exciting goaltender to watch because he's damn aggressive. Howard's always been an above-average, but not stellar, goaltender. He sorta inherited the job by default when Ozzie retired. Howard can probably take you a couple rounds into the playoffs, but he's no Jonathan Quick. In the mold of Ozzie, good enough if you have a great team in front of him. Hopefully, Mrazek's trajectory continues and he quickly overtakes Jimmy and we can trade him. Maybe the Leafs will take him!!
If only they had something of value in return!!!Ballsamic, I wouldn't completely count out the Wings yet. They've had a lot of key players injured of late. Datsyuk makes a BIG difference. Sheahan, Smith, Cole, Helm, Quincey have all been dinged up of late. Very few games with the full complement of players. If they get hot and start clicking, the Wings can go end-to-end with any team in the East. Babs will get them past the first round. And then, let's see...
The Lightning are a good team. But like Stevie's old team, they'll need to go through some more growing pains before they're ready for The Show. I still see them as a young, finesse team. Callahan and Morrow are a good start to having heart-and-soul guys. But they still lack a D-man who is a difference maker come playoff time. And their goalie is a baby, by NHL standards, and a playoff neophyte.
The Lightning are a good team. But like Stevie's old team, they'll need to go through some more growing pains before they're ready for The Show. I still see them as a young, finesse team. Callahan and Morrow are a good start to having heart-and-soul guys. But they still lack a D-man who is a difference maker come playoff time. And their goalie is a baby, by NHL standards, and a playoff neophyte.
Yes, a very pleasant surprise to see Howard do well in a shootout. I think he's 2 and 8 in shootouts this year but we needed this one with the Bruins and Sens both winning.
I'm not one for rubbing it in for any team in sports because that kind of thing always comes back to haunt you in the end. But thank God the Rangers won the President's trophy! I'll tell you -- I've only been to the hockey hall of fame once, but they just happened to be showing a video of the Rangers winning it in '94. Good timing on my part! Good luck, Rangers!
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