The Official MERB 2011-2012 NHL Playoffs thread

[Gentle]

Out of my prefered ones only Rangers are still on and yet, they are playing with fire again tonight.
Down 2-0 in the 3rd period of game 6... we should now see a 7th game.

 

[Gentle]

Holtby as been spectacular !

Over and done !

We go to game 7.

 

[Merlot]

Holtby as been spectacular !

Over and done !

We go to game 7.

Hello Gentle,

Sorry to see you all alone here. Those who derided everyone else for not being real hockey fans flunked their own test.

WASHINGTON — John Tortorella gave his players credit on Tuesday for their dramatic Game 5 OT win over the Capitals the night before, but then the Rangers coach splashed cold water on Monday’s Garden drama.

He spent his off-day press conference critiquing how Anton Stralman “stunk” at points earlier in the season, how Brad Richards was “brutal” in Game 4 before his heroics on Monday, and how John Mitchell — despite his faceoff win on Marc Staal’s game-winner — has been “inconsistent” all season.

“I’m not gonna be hugging people left and right,” said Tortorella, not exactly the pat-on-the-back type. “We still have quite a ways to go.”

For evidence, look no further than the Rangers’ recent history against the Capitals, whom they lead 3-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinals going into Game 6 Wednesday night at Washington’s Verizon Center. In 2009, the second-seeded Caps roared back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the seventh-seed Rangers in a seven-game first round failure.

The roles are reversed this postseason, with the top-seeded Rangers holding home-ice advantage on seventh-seeded Washington, but that hasn’t made dispatching the Caps any easier.

The Rangers are still looking for their first two-game series lead of the postseason, one that would send the Blueshirts to their first Eastern Conference finals since 1997.

“We want to close it out,” Richards said. “We want to get this over with. It’s a lot easier said than done, but we want to have the mind-set we’re as desperate as they are. . . . That doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen, and if it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. But we’ve got to have that mentality.”

Michael Del Zotto, who assisted on Richards’ goal in Game 5 in the closing moments of the third period and sent the game to OT by getting his point shot past the Caps’ first layer of shot-blockers, said the Rangers “can’t be satisfied with last game” and must continue what they did well on Monday, “getting a lot of zone time and getting pucks to the net.”

MATS ON HIS WAY
Forward Mats Zuccarello , the 24-year-old Norwegian winger who broke his left wrist blocking a shot on March 23 against Buffalo, said Tuesday morning at the Garden that he believes he is no more than two weeks away from being available to return to the lineup, provided he has no setbacks.

Two weeks means Zuccarello would be available to return about halfway through the Eastern Conference finals if the Rangers were to advance.

THIS AND ‘TAT’
The NHL has changed the time of Richards’ goal that sent Game 5 to OT.

The league changed the time of Richards’ goal from 6.6 seconds left in the third period to 7.6. Apparently, the clock read 6.6 during the goal celebration — and that’s the time that was recorded on the NHL’s official stat sheet as well as by reporters on Monday night — but on Tuesday the NHL made the change.

One Rangers fan who identifies himself as being from Halifax, Nova Scotia, tweeted on Monday night: “Mark my words. If NYR wins the cup, I will get a tattoo saying ‘6.6.’ ” So hopefully he reads The News.

It looks like Tortorella's tactic of calling his players to task didn't pay off for game 6. I hope the Rangers pull it out in game 7, not because they're facing the Caps, but because I'd like to see one of the top ranked teams get to the finals. What a strange year. Has anything gone to form now that the Bruins, Canucks, and Blues are gone? The poor Blues fans must be feeling almost like those in Toronto, except the Blues actually had a shot.

Well, I'm hoping for a Rangers-Coyotes final. But don't bet on it.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Gentle]

Well, I'm hoping for a Rangers-Coyotes final. But don't bet on it.

Cheers,

Merlot

Funny, me I'd prefer Devils-Kings or Rangers-Kings.

Anyway I'd like Devils to win the cup now that I've seen all of the teams way of playing in these Playoffs.
They would join Rangers, Chicago and Islanders for the number of cups (4) thus better than Flyers and Penguins.

One thing is sure if Caps or Kings go in the Finals their fans will go bezerk since they only been once each.

As for Coyotes it's something else. They never been but will they move ? Weird stuff !

 

[Gentle]

Here it is !

The last period of game 7 and Rangers are 1-0 against Caps.

Caps will have to push it.

I luv it !

 

[Gentle]

Rangers got it !
A no. 1 seed still moving on.

Too bad for Holtby for all his work but Caps are gone !

Now Rangers vs Devils should be a hot one !

 

[Gentle]

Here's round 3 and the western final.

And Kings' Kopitar got the first goal in.

They're all over Coyotes anyway.

PHX will have to get creative or they'll lose it.

 

[Gentle]

Looks like western conf. final will be a sweep again.

The western conf. has been disappointing in the number of games played vs. the Eastern conf. this year.
33 vs. 41 so far.

And we'll definitely see at least more than 10 games for the eastern overall.
That's almost 25% more.

Same thing for the amount of goals.

Although the real big diff. this year was the orgy of goals in the Flyers vs. Pens series.

Kings should win the cup or the finals will be one hell of a ride for the LA fans.

So the bets are out for LA.
It's either the Stanley Cup or a street Riot :eyebrows:

 

[Gentle]

Well while people are getting pissed in Canada for all the demagogy in Quebec about tuition fees

...it looks more and more that it will be a Stanley cup parade instead of a Riot in L.A.

Although the end was pretty harsh for Coyotes last night, their goals mostly were lucky so they were no match to the Kings' offensive.

Funny how Kings didn't care about Campbell "bowl of soup" !
Who'd want a cup in the name of a guy who was charged with bribing a liberal senator who got away with yet another scandal as always... but that's besides the point !

 

[Gentle]

Yesss ! one more game to watch !
Maybe 2 ?

Can't wait for Monday !

 

[luv2kayak]

Well, congratulations to the Kings. Who'd have thought when the playoffs started, that they would win it all.

 

[Merlot]

Hey BOYZ,

A great big CONGRATULATIONS to the KINGS on their first STANLEY CUP...and for an 8th seeded playoff team too. Last year it was the Bruins most dismissed and won anyway. Now it's the Kings.

L.A. KINGS 2012 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!
(it took them just 45 years to win the cup...)

BEAU-TI-FUL :thumb:

Merlot

 

[lgna69xxx]

Yup. congrats LA. Carter and Richards celebrating has gotta make Philly fans cringe at that very sight lol........ Good Job Dustin Brown and the Jonathon Quick led Kings!

Now on to the draft and July1 free agency! And hopefully a settlement before the season starts between players and owners, another lost season would kill the NHL.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

breaking news!!! the regular season means nothing.

I was hoping the game would go 5-0, then all hell would have broke loose. it would have gotten Harvey Keitel ugly.
Hendrique making it 4-1 calmed things down.

If you were watching on NBC, hey Pierre McGuire , the Anaheim Ducks won the cup in 2007 and Anaheim is in Southern California,
so dont ask what does this cup mean to hockey in Southern California.

Bettman could care less about hockey; he is nothing more than a businessman and I bet Jack Robinson his kids are queens

hockey starts again in 10 months.

 

[Gentle]

Kings press conference after...

Aaaaaaah this is so sweet !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jltdKXzGSu8#!

Euh ! where's mom ? :eyebrows: