TropicalFruitGirl26

Another Islander penalty, another Canes PP goal. NY simply HAS to watch their P's n Q's!! And stay out of the penalty box even.... 2-0 Carolina and the Jerks are surging!

And almost right on cue, Lee and Horvat working together almost come up with the PP goal. Raanta, however, was un-cooperative...

Isles will get a chance to even things up. Canes with the penalty....Stastny in the box for slashing, which is cheating .... Isles to the PP. Bo Horvat needs to rediscover his scoring touch on the man advantage he had in Vancouver. NY would sure like to see that from him.

Yep. I think NY isn't the cannon fodder some think as well. So much so, I picked them to pull off the upset here Isles have looked pretty good so far, outside of that bad penalty one of the baby Isles took.

Wow. How about THAT for 'growing up fast'... Fasching, one of the Isles' youngest players, and obviously his first NHL post season game, takes a bad tripping penalty....and the Hurricanes, in five seconds, capitalize on the ensuing PP. That young man should hear it from his coach about keeping his stick AWAY from the feet of the opposition! I get the feeling every single goal will be huge in this series, as I think it may stay low scoring, and that first CAR goal is just enormous. 1-0 Canes on a PP goal by Sabastian Aho.

And the Isles and Canes have officially gotten this post season started! Everyone fired up, but we will see who stays the most composed here. Canes bench already doing match ups....apparently they are going to be very specific as to who covers NY's top scoring threat of Horvat, Lee, and the returning Mat Barzal.

Glad you enjoyed your inaugural season! Please re-up with us next year!

As good a season as the Devils have had, I am of the belief that good teams...REAL contenders....build and build, learn from past heartaches, and take their next steps forwards, and go on to bigger and better things. That would be the NY Rangers. Props to NJ from basically going from a sorta worst to first situation.....meh, not quite but you get the gist....and they really do have some very talented players. Even picked up a recent two time SC Champion player in Ondrej Palat to help their efforts. But the Rangers are hungry, and have been hungry for the last three seasons, and have been thwarted by better squads every time. THEY look to be the 'better squad' this time around. THEY are looking to dish out the heartache now to a up n coming team like NJ. THEY want to make sure they score their Cup before some of their more senior talent ages out, and while Shesterkin is still Vezina quality. That time should be NOW for them. Having said that, NY has looked pretty beatable throughout the year. Even Shester has looked pretty mediocre on more than a few nights, but I think they put things together just in time now, use their recent playoff experience combined with their speed and grizzled vets, and deny the Devils first round passage. It won't come easy. Devils have proven they are no easy mark for anyone. So it will take NY at LEAST six games (my vote), but it could possibly go 7.

Every year, in the first round, I believe there is an "upset special" in the making. Sometimes I pick two. One in the East, one in the West. I had a hard time coming up with a legit upset special out West, but, I am getting the feeling this match up here, Isles at Canes, could qualify as that in the East. Not gonna count my pick of TB over Toronto, which many likely consider an upset if it happens now, because my fandom clouds my judgement there....plus, ^%$# the Leaves® So that said, look, I really do l like how the Canes are built, how they play, their team swagger, and how they've been building towards a big Stanley Cup moment for the last few seasons. Unlike Florida, whom I felt the same way about prior to this year, I don't think the Canes "took a step back", fully expected them to win the division, and possibly star in the Finals. But something about the Islanders, their own past playoff demons whom they look to exorcise, and the grindy, thick sauced, ornery style they still play, that I feel could give Carolina (who CAN play that style if need be too!) some trouble. Hard to pinpoint it exactly....you know, the reason WHY I think the Isles can upset the Canes. I think of Carolina as a Ferrari that had a dead body sitting in the trunk before it was finally discovered and removed.....meaning... The ride is cool, is fast, is powerful, but every once in a while, your nose hairs twitch from some odor that just seems.....off....and you don't quite know where it's coming from..... Canes looked quite mortal down the stretch.... Isles have had to play "playoff hockey" for the last couple months..... NY takes the series in 6 in the TFG Upset Special.

Believe it or not, I don't think this series is as cut n dry as a Boston win as it appears....as it SHOULD be. Bruins have been dominant since the drop of the puck at season's start and simply haven't looked back. Record setting season in wins..... dominant offense, tough, stout defense, very good goaltending, fantastic overall team speed, and led by two guys in Bergeron and Marchand who will NOT be phased playing on the big stage and will likely ensure their calmness permeates the locker room. So what is the problem? Florida finished the season hot. At one time, not that long ago, I considered them a legit team on the rise who seemed to be taking incremental steps forward, even though it seems they regressed some this year. They should have been in the championship conversation since the beginning, but it took them all season to become relevant once again. So I don't think Boston will waltz through as easily through this group as it looks like they might. President's Trophy Curse seems to be a real thing, and past 60+ win teams have seen grisly ends to their seasons in the very first round. But...... while I don't think Boston cuts right through Florida, they DO buck the negative trends of the most recent 60+ win teams, and do take the series.... in 6 games. Florida just bleeds too many chances against and it will take a really tough, responsible defense to stymie the Bruins....something I just don't believe they have. Plus Bob in net for them, well, even though he was the goalie in net who took down the last 60+ win team, will be hard pressed to match that once again, especially given the deficiencies Florida has in defending in front of him. Would love to be wrong, but yea, Bruins continue on to meet the winner of the TB-TOR set (hoping it is the Bolts, because ^%$# the Leaves®), and Florida will have to wait one more year to continue their upward movement.

Hmmm....the match up that EVERYONE and their bookie knew was coming even well before the season was over due to the playoff format as it currently is. I can't really be expected to be objective here, eh? Ok...ok...I will try: Based on what I have seen this entire past season, the Leaves® should win....they can score with more regularity, they have the team toughness (and some great pickups at the deadline) to bolster their chances against ANYONE, they have much more seasoning on the big stage now with many of their players, and they even defend and tend goal pretty decently too. The two time former champs? Not really close to the dominant team they have been the last three years. In fact, I think it would be fair to say they are in a sort of transitional stage, as they have been steadily losing key cogs throughout the years, and I think the proverbial 'straw that broke the camel's back' could have been losing McDonagh (traded), Jan Rutta (allowed to leave), and Ondrej Palat (allowed to leave). Sure, I understand why the Bolts did these things....and they had to be done......but it doesn't change the fact that players who made them the champions they are, no longer skate for them, and those last three were a culmination of that. And the players brought in to replace them, while good, have yet to prove they have championship chops. So the Bolts, unlike the Leaves®, looked very hit n miss throughout the year, relying way too much on Andrei Vasilevskiy, or some star forward rattling off a bunch of points, to bail them out, rather than play the consistent, game to game, championship style TB fans are accustomed to. This all points to Toronto being favorites here, and possibly having their best chance to get by the first round in years! At the expense of my beloved Bolts. And if that happens, I will be very bummed indeed...... plus, my patent on "Leaves®" will expire, because, for those that don't know, I said should Toronto FINALLY ever make it past the first round, I would be forced to call them by their proper names once again. So, based on all I have just typed....both the hockey observations and the personal feelings on all this, I am NOT gonna vote logically here and say Bolts break the hearts of Leaves® fans (and give me an extension on my patent for at least another season ).....and they end up taking the series in 7! Just like last year. Because....&^%$ the Leaves®

The defending SC Champions should be heavy favorites to win against a first time ever ,playoff team in the Seattle Kraken. The Avs know Grubauer pretty well....they have the star power, they have the speed, they play a good brand of defense too, though not quite airtight, and they certainly have a dangerous offense with their top lines and from Makar leading things from the blue line. Kraken should make a good accounting of themselves, because, like the Minnesota Wild, they play a complete team game, out of necessity, and do it quite well. However, unlike MN-Dallas, where i think those teams are closer in competitiveness, the Kraken likely find themselves out of their element, at least for their maiden voyage into the playoffs, against a mostly seasoned, very dangerous defending champion team. Colorado can be contained, can be frustrated, but not so sure the Kraken, who will be dealing with nerves and big spotlight syndrome for many of their guys, are the team to contain the Avs on the big stage. Colorado in 5, though I will be VERY happy to be wrong and see Seattle turn the tables and upset the defending champs.

I really don't know what to make of Winnipeg other than they have a world class, top tier goalie, and SOMETIMES look like a very dangerous team....while looking like a team that should be in the draft lottery on others. When they score, it seems to come in bunches......when they don't, you have to wonder if their guys simply forgot how to play NHL level hockey. Vegas is deep. They have been for years. It's why they have done so well as an "expansion" team all these years and come oh-so-close to winning it all on occasion. This year's team is no different. They may have some questions in goal, but I think overall, they play well enough to cover those deficiencies with their combination of star power, grinders, and multi-purpose players. Connor Hellebuyck will steal a game, maybe two, but I am going with a bit of a 'squash' result here and say the Knights take this in 5. All games should be competitive....maybe....but Vegas gets a short series win and some time between rounds to think it over.

This honestly feels like a 'pick'em' matchup. Earlier in the year, I would have thought the Wild would be heavy underdogs as the Stars seemed to be cruising through the league. But, Dallas has shown some weaknesses in their proverbial armor, and while they can score, teams have shown Dallas can be shut down if played with lots of patience and good structure against. I think the Wild have good structure. I mean, they almost HAVE to, as their offense, outside of Kaprizov and more recently, Boldy, is pretty pedestrian. The Stars aren't slouches in defense, but I don't think they play the complete 'team gam' from the top liners to the 4th liners, from the top pair defenders, to the 3rd pair defenders, quite as well as Minnesota, who again, do it out of necessity. I'd give Dallas the edge in goal as I think Jake Oettinger is fantastic, but, Filip Gustavsson for the Wild has proven himself to be quite the capable goalie himself. How will he hold up to the white hot spotlight of the post season? We will find out soon enough! MAF can be very good....or can be very Swiss cheese-like......hmmm.... That all said, I will vote with my heart here and go Minnesota Wild in 7. On paper, Dallas seems to be better in just about every category, but Minnesota has played with the kind of intangibles all season that is really hard to quantify and point out, other than, 'they play a good team game', and it has gotten them to this point.....and I think they use that mumbo jumbo to slip past the Stars who will be left wondering what just happened in a series they probably should have won....

I am going Oilers in 6. They already have the dangerous PP and the overall offense and they have the goalie in Skinner, who, when he is on his game, can be as good as anyone in the net. But to me, the biggest difference is the addition of Mattias Ekholm on defense. I liked the addition when they made it, not because Ek is some big offensive threat, not because he is a big mean shut down guy....but because he is a very professional defender and his presence allows the Oilers to slot the other defensemen and give them assignments that are more advantageous overall. In short, Ekholm stabilized the Oiler defense and seems to have made life a bit easier on the goalies as well. The Kings have their ups n downs...they can look really good on some games, like complete non playoff contenders the next. They cannot afford that kind of inconsistency in the playoffs...certainly not against Edmonton. I don't see any games here being complete blowouts, but when all is said n done, the Oilers skate away not really needing the 7th game.

I HAVE been keeping it in the closet! It just...escaped for a bit in this thread. Trying my best to stuff it back in there though!

Relative to what they've been doing for over a decade previously, yes, the Sabres really DID have a good year! Being in a division with the Lightning, Leaves®, Bruins, and the up n coming Senators and Red Wings is no easy feat, yet Buffalo, as @Samifan says, came up shy just a bit. Much has been made by fans, media outlets and bunch of others as to WHY Buffalo came up short, and general consensus seems to be goaltending and/or defense. I am of the opinion that the Sabres may actually have good enough goalies to make the post season, maybe make a run, un Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi. However, how well the Sabres actually defended left MUCH to be desired, and IMO, is the number one reason they are falling just short as opposed to making the top 8 cut. Maybe it's a matter of some personnel changes, or maybe it's on-ice philosophy and coaching, whatever the case, decision making, approach to defense, and attention to detail need to improve. Sabres accomplish that, and all of a sudden those young goalies look even BETTER, and we are talking about a team prepping for Round 1 of the playoffs instead of looking ahead to the draft as usual. I like to pick on the Sabres here and there, and give one particular Sabres fan a hard time, albeit always in jest, but if the ugly shocking truth be known, I have been a closet Sabres fan for over 20 years now. Right around the time they lost in the Finals against Dallas, and right at the time when the Minnesota Wild got instated into the NHL, Buffalo was my "outside" team from the Lightning. Why? I had a friend in college who was from West New York, who transplanted to my neck of the woods to attend the University of South Florida. He was a Sabres fan. Big time. Brought his fandom with him. He helped teach me lots about the game of hockey....the nuances, how to watch players, what things to look for, that kind of thing. Ever wonder how a gal from South Central Florida got so hooked on hockey? Well, he was a big part of that. So, aside from my burgeoning Lightning fandom, I adopted the Sabres as my "pseudo" team, if for no other reason, my friend Mills LOVED that team. He and I would have been the same age...sadly, he lost his life to some strange brain ailment at the age of just 32. Just like that. But anyways, I digressed some here, but, HJ, whenever you feel I am trying to rip holes in your team, just keep in mind that, while yes, I DO that, your Sabres were my late friend's team, he adored them (and yes, he was a huge Ryan Miller fan as well...although, he NEVER hid in the bushes of the Miller household ), and I not-so-secretly-now, have a soft spot for those cement headed lugs that play in Buffalo, NY! Season is one Sabres fan can be proud of, despite how it ultimately ended, and hopefully, it serves as a building block moving forward. Here is to hoping Kevin Adams and his staff are paying close attention to what worked and what didn't....and make adjustments accordingly.

Meh, it's the Blues. Nothing to see. Those sisters are doing you a favor.

Speaking of Jets, just had a look at the standings.... WPG isn't guaranteed anything. Calgary won yesterday and has crept into a point tie with the Jets for the last wild card spot. Do Flames fans scream "TRUTH NORTH!" when in other people's buildings? Hmmm.... something to ponder.

Someone mentioned earlier that this might be one of those games where the Wild simply will NOT have much go their way. They weren't wrong.

Looking at Capfriendly, Mats Zuccarello has just one more year left after this season. I know he and Kap have magic together, but Kap not playing really exposes Zuccarello as the guy the Rangers gave up on long ago. He'll be 36 or 37 at the end of his final year with the Wild, I really don't want to see him back, even on a 'budget' contract. He is way too reliant on a player like Kap, meanwhile, I am sure Kaprizov can help elevate someone else because he is that kind of player. Minnesota simply can't afford invisible men on this roster...especially when those invisible men are supposed to appear on the scoresheet regularly.

There ya go, Minnesota! All ya needed was to go up 5 on 3.

Just to ensure it, maybe someone should douse Pittsburgh players with gasoline. Can never be too sure, ya know?

Two man adv for the Wild. Can they score NOW!!??

I'm with you on that. Would rather the Wild win the division, then have to beat down the Jets fans trying to get into the X just so they can scream 'TRUE NORTH!' during the anthems....