Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread...

...I figured you guys needed a new hockey thread for the second season.

Where's the smart money at?

If the league decides to continue to enforce the new rules, it should be exciting.

I'm thinking a rematch of 1999, Dallas v. Buffalo and the Stars win again (and less controversial).

 

I'm thinking the Habs stole the 1993 Stanley Cup.

 

I'm thanking God the season is over for the Hawks and Blues.

Hawks fan here, but feeling the pain of the Blues.

 

I'm reposting this from the other hockey thread:
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And with the Leafs out, who to cheer for?
Well, here I go. First,  the team I WANT to win and who I think will win (in brackets)

East:

Tampa over Ottawa (Tampa in six. Ottawa will choke in the playoffs again, just not against the Leafs))
Montreal over Carolina (Carolina will expose Huet and take them in 5)
Rangers over the Devils (Devils will contain Jagr and there's the Brodeur factor. Devils in 6)
Buffalo over Philly (Speed kills. Once again, no goaltending in Philly. Sabres in 6)

West:

Edmonton over Detroit (predict with my heart--Oilers in 7)
Colorado over Dallas (may be the biggest mismatch of the first round. Dallas in four)
Calgary over Anaheim (The Red Mile will be quieter this year but Flames in 5)
SJ over Nashville (Sharks in five. No Vokoun, no chance

I'm going with a Devils/Flames final.

 

Take a long, last look at the Avs, they'll be breaking that group up after a first-round exit.

 

I'm a Pens fanboy loooser, but I live near the Canes and go to a bunch of their games, so I'm hoping they do well. Am I crazy for thinking the're better off for having drawn the 2 seed instead of the 1? They get Montreal, who they wiped the floor with all season and dodge Tampa. I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. And they may end up with home ice in the East anyway, if the Senators can just do what the Senators do in the playoffs.

 

No Leafs, no Canucks.... geez....
Go Oilers!!!!

 

Ditto for the Penguins, who have the joy of building for the future when the draft comes around again. I know the "Pittsburgh First" rallying cry was for the casino-rena proposal in the Steel City, but for a few moments Cougarguy and I thought it was the Penguins fans in jubilation of the fact that yet again, the Pens were in the running to get the top pick in the draft.

I'll be the traditionalist and root for the Canadiens ... I'll dream about a Colorado-Montreal Stanley Cup final ... but I'll hit the local watering hole to watch a Detroit-Ottawa final. ;D

First round
East
Ottawa over Tampa Bay
Montreal over Carolina
New Jersey over N.Y. Rangers
Philadelphia over Buffalo

West
Detroit over Edmonton
Dallas over Colorado
Calgary over Anaheim
San Jose over Nashville

 

And I'd give up my Canadian citizenship if Ottawa won.

But I'm not worried, because they're the Canadian version of Moddy's choking dogs. Tampa will oust them.

 

Are the rules going to stay the same? Why do I get a bad feeling that we are going to see a similar clutch-n-grab exhibition that we've seen over the last few years. The good thing is some of the teams on the bottom half of the brackets (i.e. Lightning, Avs) play open styles and probably won't revert to trapping. But I can't believe the Devils are going to come out and try to do some trapping and play with five back once they get a 1-0, 2-0 lead.

 

OUTING ALERT -- JR is Conrad Black.