Stanley Cup Playoffs 2011

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Beamer
Watch out for Claude Giroux of Flyers. That guy is great. Too bad he plays for Philtadelphia. So, he is a scumbag.

Those thugs know their thuggery for sure.

[Sohel]

Good night Beamer. Good to watching hockey with you buddy

[Sohel]

I. West

- Red Wings (already happened 4-0)
- Black Hawks (4-3)
- Sharks (4-3)
- Ducks (4-3)

II. East

-Caps (4-2)
-Pens (4-2)
-Bruins (4-3)
-Sabres (4-3)

Don't see any Canadian teams in the second round this year.

[Sohel]

These guys play hard, tough and clean. Anyone at the end of a legal full-body check knows what pain is. You don't need to resort to thuggery when using your body and stick to separate an opponent from the puck and the puck from your opponent. Fights are another matter.

Being a Red Wings fan, I've always been partial to the Selke, Norris and Lady Byng trophies.

Lady Byng finalists: Eriksson, Lidstrom, St. Louis
Thursday, 04.21.2011 / 12:00 PM / Trophy Tracker
By David Kalan - NHL.com Staff Writer

The Lady Byng Trophy's nominees tend to have a familiar ring every year. For a trophy awarded to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability," it shouldn't be surprising the Lady Byng has a penchant for repeat winners, given players tend not to alter their playing style. Wayne Gretzky has taken home the award five times and Pavel Datsyuk won it four consecutive seasons until Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis took the honors a year ago.

As a result of those trends, it should shock no one that St. Louis is getting a chance to defend his title as a finalist this year -- but the two other nominees joining him present a potentially historic victor as well as some fresh blood in the race. Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom could be the first blueliner in 57 years to take home the prize, while Dallas winger Loui Eriksson is up for the award for the first time in his career.

In the case of the current title holder, St. Louis' nomination is a no-brainer. Not only has he continued to be a dynamic producer -- his 99 points are second most in the League -- but few players can so impressively mesh scoring ability with team play. In addition to his 31 goals in the regular season, St. Louis' 68 assists were the second most in the League. This season St. Louis helped young sniper Steven Stamkos continue to mature, while also helping the Lightning earn their first playoff spot in four years.

But what makes St. Louis an obvious finalist and the odds-on favorite to take the Byng home again is his knack for avoiding the sin bin. In a full 82 games this season, St. Louis picked up just 12 penalty minutes.

St. Louis could face some competition for the award from Lidstrom, who has already overcome the considerable handicap of plying his trade on the back end. Lidstrom's Lady Byng victory, should it happen, would make him the first defenseman since Detroit's Red Kelly in 1954 to take home the trophy. His credentials as a great defenseman are well established, and his six Norris trophies are just one reason that he'll wind up in the Hall of Fame, but with the primary task of shutting down opponents' top offensive players, it's almost a given that most defensemen will have to spend some quality time in the penalty box.

Lidstrom turned that given on its head this season, picking up just 10 minor penalties in 82 games. Those low penalty totals don't hinder his contributions either. Lidstrom's 62 points were the second most among d-men this season, an even more remarkable feat considering Lidstrom will turn 41 next week.

Eriksson is the newcomer to this group, but if his numbers this season are any indication, it won't be the last time he gets consideration. The Swede set career highs in assists (46) and points (73), helping Dallas challenge for a playoff spot until the season's final day. While the Stars lost in Minnesota to cede the West's final berth to Chicago, it was through no fault of Eriksson, who had 3 assists that game. Considering how helpful he can be when he's on the ice, it's a boon for the Stars to know their young forward stays on the ice. Eriksson spent less time in the box than just about everyone else, putting together a resume that has more power-play goals (10) than PIMs (8). In fact, 652 players wracked up more penalty minutes than Eriksson this season, setting a tone that would seem to imply his name will be among Lady Byng finalists for years to come.

The Lady Byng Trophy will be awarded at the 2011 NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 22.

LINK

[Mahir]

Originally Posted by Beamer
Sohel- The Wings-Leafs dynamic reminds me of Browns -Steelers rivalry, except there is no rivalry. There used to be, like 30 -40 years ago, but they are in the bottom of the pile, and we are always a top five team in the league every year, year after year. But, it doesn't stop their fans to direct all kinds of sh*t coming our way. Losers.

Not sure if that's a general comment on your part, or anything else. Would appreciate if you clarify.

[Beamer]

Originally Posted by Mahir
Not sure if that's a general comment on your part, or anything else. Would appreciate if you clarify.

Talking football. Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers, and Browns fans talking smack towards Steelers fans.

[Mahir]

Ah - thanks for clarifying. Had me confused...

[Sohel]

The Sabres and Preds win and take a 3-2 lead in their respective series, This Miller-centric Sabres team reminds me of the Hasek-centric teams of the past. The Preds are better than last year for sure but the Ducks have Selanne. Never count old horses out during this time of the year, and I expect game 7s with lots of OTs until the Sabres and Ducks prevail and move on.

[Sohel]

So happy to see Junior get the "A". We continue to develop elite players through the system.

While Lidstrom and Rafalski continue to be topflight NHL defensemen, it was Niklas Kronwall who received acclamation from the Wings’ coach for his work in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

“Obviously, Lidstrom and Rafalski are elite league players,” Babcock said, “but Kronwall’s the guy in our organization who has to come to the forefront here.”

For a guy whose name is often used in hockey circles as a verb – as in the Kronwalled hits that Wings’ fans have come to expect – the 30-year-old defenseman had a far greater scope in the team’s four-game series sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes. Kronwall had three points, which led all Wings’ defensemen, delivered a team-high 13 hits, was a plus-6 and his power play goal late in the second period tied Game 4 at 3.

“He’s capable of playing the most minutes – on power play the penalty-kill or even-strength – and he can be the most active, physical guy, who can really make plays and we think he’s an elite player,” Babcock continued. “He’s a leader on our team. He’s vocal on the bench. He’s an important guy for us.”

...

In the 2010 playoffs, Kronwall was third among Wings defensemen in minutes played, averaging 23:15 of ice-time. Lidstrom averaged the most at 26:22 followed by Rafalski (23:58). But last week, Kronwall led the way at 22:24, followed by Rafalski (21:19), Brad Stuart (20:50), Jonathan Ericsson (19:36), Lidstrom (19:34) and Ruslan Salei (16:18).

The defensive minutes have been distributed with a purpose, all the while giving Kronwall greater responsibility.

“I think he makes a big difference,” Lidstrom said. “He’s out there killing penalties. He’s on the power play as well, and eating up a lot of minutes. When he was healthy for most of the season, he was great for us. I think he had a great year. After he got back from being out a few games, I thought he just picked it up again, so it’s great to see.”

The decrease in minutes – even 2-3 minutes a game – has been beneficial, particularly for the Wings’ senior defensemen.

“Nick and I don’t have to do penalty-kills, so it helps us be more effective on the power-play,” Rafalski said. “You saw our minutes in that entire first series, everybody was between 18 and 22 minutes every game. That’s what you like because you’re out there fresh every shift. If you get stuck out there for a long shift you don’t have to worry about going back out there in 30-seconds. You can play the other two parts and give yourself time to recover. It makes a huge difference defensively, and it allows us to apply more pressure and get out of our zone much easier.”

...

HANK’S RETURN: For the first time since suffering a knee injury in early April, Henrik Zetterberg practiced in a full contact practice.

If the Western Conference semifinals began this weekend, Zetterberg indicated that he wouldn’t be ready to return to action. However, since the Wings likely have 6-8 days off before the start of Round 2, the Wings’ star forward said he’ll play in Game 1.

“In six days, I’ll absolutely be ready to go,” he said.

The Wings have dealt without their two top scorers from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Johan Franzen, who missed Game 4 in Phoenix, led Detroit with 18 points last spring. Zetterberg was second with 15.

“I feel a lot better. It was basically my first full practice, so I’m on the right way,” Zetterberg said. “It’s good to get these days to get even better, so I’m looking forward to Round 2.”

Asked if he was rooting for the remaining Western Conference quarterfinals to go to seven games, Zetterberg said, “The more games they play, the better for us. But whoever we’re going to face is going to be a tough team, so we have to be at our best to move on.”

LINK

[Beamer]

We are stinking up the whole ice! What a stinker. Waste of my Sat. I am gonna go cut my grass now outside. I might smoke some of that grass..

[Sohel]

What an offensive explosion from the Bolts, coupled with defensive lapses and fatigue from the Pens after staring well enough! But I think this was an aberration and expect the Pens to resume their intensity and wrap things up in Tampa and advance to the next round.

Boston clearly has the advantage now after going down 0-2 in the series initially. Vezina nominee Tim Thomas' huge save in 2OT may as well turn out to be a series winning one, but I still expect this to go to game 7.

The Caps advance as expected but I expected the Rangers to win at least 2 in the series, oh well. The Sharks are down 0-3 after 1 and I don't think they're coming back. This series is well on its way to becoming a 7-gamer.

I expect Chicago, Philly and the Ducks to even their respective series at 3-3 and move on to game 7. Great playoff season so far with dramatic comebacks, OT games and so many game 7s in the making.

[Sohel]

51 saves from Jonathan Quick moves LA closer to game 7. What an underrated goalie he is! Another great AMERICAN goalie in the playoffs alongside Miller, Thomas and Howard

[Sohel]

[Beamer]

I need to lower my expectations from these Pens. The 3-1 lead gave me a false sense of security. Its clear that if we don't score first, we have no chance for a comeback, and that is not a good recipe. Tampa showed what elite players can do. You don't need much space to create something out of nothing. With our current roster, getting goals is tough enough, but when defense played like that, coupled with a bad game from Fleury, we had no chance. I think Tampa is going to tie the series tomorrow.

Only great news from yesterday : Malkin has started skating. He wasn't supposed to until after the playoffs, but the kid is a fast healer, and nobody is ruling him out yet ! Torn ACL and MCL is a six month recovery process, but Geno is 80% from what I hear. Its too late anyway...

[AsifTheManRahman]

Hawks take it to game 7!

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (1)

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by AsifTheManRahman
Hawks take it to game 7!

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (1)

I thought it was going to happen even when they looked dead and buried. Just can't count-out the champs until the fat lady actually starts singing. Having said that, the Canadians should've won this game with those significantly better chances, but Crawford made some key saves when he had to in OT. One can say he stole this one. Luongo on the other hand, is totally out of sorts.

Weber and his Preds move on with a 4-2 series win. I expected a game 7 there also with the Ducks prevailing in the end. Sabres will beat Philly is game 7 and Miller will make the difference there.

All the other series are going to game 7 also unless the Pens bounce back, play with intensity and wrap it up 4-2. Never count a recent champion with a great young Michigander coach out even when they're without any real skill up front. I don't think Malkin at 80% would be enough in the next round once they make it there. Way too risky if you ask me. There's absolutely NO need to take such a risk with one of the best young players in the league, destined to be one of the greatest ever, with so much more to offer in the years to come. Crosby's doing the right thing here. LaFontaine didn't and look what happened to him

GREAT playoffs so far. This is why NOTHING's like the NHL in my book.

[Beamer]

Malkin is not going to play. There is no point in rushing him early like you said. Why take risk with such a great young player? Also, right on about Crosby. I will not bring him back either even if we advance. People forget how young they are. They haven't even reached 25 yet! So, whole career is ahead of them. I would like them to play together for another ten plus years at high level. Multiple championships in that span is well within goal.

Canucks are in trouble. Hawks are playing like champs now. I think they will beat Canucks in Game 7. Luongo is overrated. His price tag is also huge. His play doesn't match the numbers. Not in playoffs anyway.

I am not surprised the Ducks lost. If Ray Emery is your starting goalie, you should be in trouble. The guy wasn't even in the league last year. Ducks have two great lines, but questionable on defense, and a huge question mark in goal.

I think Flyers are gonna win it at home. They are the deepest team in East. They have four lines of scorers. They can score at any time. Its basically Miller vs Flyers next game.

Habs will take it to Game 7. Just my hunch.

[Sohel]

@Beamer: I honestly don't think it's time for the Pens exit. Any coach who can inspire a game 7 Stanley Cup victory against us at the Joe is nothing short of GREAT and I'm sure he's not done yet. The Pens defensive unit is excellent and the backchecking/forechecking by the "no-name" forwards has been superb also. Fleury at his best is as good as anyone in the league. Remember, the Devils have won several Cups that way. Don't give up on them yet bro

I'm not going to go into how I feel about Crosby, we've been down that road already, but he IS without any doubt, one of the greatest point-machines ever and has real hunger to be the best. Gotta admire that. Malkin is one of my 10 all-time favorite players in the league.

[Beamer]

I don't give up on them, but at some point, I have to be a realist. You do need game changers and at this point we don't have any. We are sticking by our system and thats the only way we can win games right now. I also think the last game was an aberration.

Ha ha...yea..we been down that road before. I also admire Zetterberg, though not a huge fan of him. We are big boys and we can agree to disagree. I have new found respect for Wings system. Its the best system and Babcock is by far the best coach in the league. We all have personal likes and dislikes, which is normal. I should have handled criticism of Crosby better, but without a question, he is one of the great young players of this era. And, the season he was having prior to concussion. He was on a mission. Anyway..

[Sohel]

Babcock's a great coach but I think Dan's better in terms of working with what he has.

Babcock's not as adaptive as Dan and looks a bit better than he is because he works with a well-established scouting and development system second to none in the league (just look at our main players, how they were drafted and developed, and where they were found). We have the deepest pipeline in hockey and continue to come up with great players developed in-house. Our senior guys also work as great mentors to players set to eventually replace them (Yzerman and Datsyuk, Lidstrom and Kronwall, Draper and Helm, Osgood and Howard, and more recently, Zetterberg and Abdel Kader and Datsyuk and Franzen). The club is wealthy and the front office savvy. The hockey-centric Michigander sports culture also keeps him fresh.

[Beamer]

Yea. Wings draft prowess is well known. They don't have high lottery picks like we did five-six years ago. Wings are always drafting low and they have found diamonds in the rough. Must be doing something right. Nobody questions their organization and the ability to be resourceful. They work like the Steelers in a sense. We draft low, very low, year after year, yet vast majority of our talent comes from in house drafted low. Never active on free agency either. Babcock is the best in my book. Dan is on his way and he should win the Jack Adams this year. 49 wins this year ain't too bad.

I got a story for you. You will get a kick out of it. We recently hired this Junior Analyst ( he could be spying on me right now ! ) from suburban Detroit. Big Wing nut and a tad annoying. Good kid, sharp, talks a lot and regularly finding various ways to annoy me. I am training him with a few others. The other day, I couldn't find my Crosby shirt ( Fridays are Pens day, or Steelers day when in season ). I knew he hid it. I found it laying on top of the shredder ! He is doing a lot of silly stuff, like replacing my Pens mousepad with Wingspad, which I threw away. He is very annoying. He better get some good points when his review is up. That's all I am saying : )

[Sohel]

That's a funny story!

Anyway, the Norris nominees have just been announced and surprise, surprise, St. Nick is there as usual. Babcock's thinking about putting him or Rafalski back on PK duties, the units have been pretty shoddy against the Yotes without them, until Zetterberg returns.

Norris nods go to Lidstrom, Chara and Weber

Lidstrom's campaign was simply more of what has become expected of the legendary defenseman. In 82 games, the four-time Cup winner had the second-most points of all defensemen this season, tallying 16 goals and 46 assists, an impressive total for any defenseman let alone one who turns 41 this week. In addition to providing a boost on the offensive end, Lidstrom has continued to shut down the opposition's top lines while staying out of the penalty box to an impressive extent, serving just 20 minutes in the sin bin all season. As Detroit's captain, Lidstrom led the Red Wings to a 20th consecutive postseason berth and their 14th division title since he was drafted in 1989.

LINK

[Sohel]

Pens 1-1 after 1. Dan made some adjustments and the Pens didn't come out as strongly as they did in game 5. You can come as great as they did but if you can't score after all that, you get demoralized just enough for the opposition to find holes in your D. Kovalev continues to be just as enigmatic and lazy as he has always been. Took a dumb penalty and got bailed out by the excellent PK. He better step up and score tonight. Pens need to spend more time at the other end and pepper Dwayne with as many shots as possible.

Vinny and St. Louis look unstoppable and need to be crowded pronto. Stamkos and Gagne cannot be allowed to skate with the puck as they have been a couple of times.

[Sohel]

Pens lose 2-4 as the Bolts take this back to Pittsburgh for game 7.

[Sohel]

Sharks win 4-3 in OT and take the series 4-2. Looking forward to having the opportunity to take revenge for last year, at some point in time.