WingNut722

Customer service is the hallmark of our business! We make it easy for you!

Yup, and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Wish I'd thought of that first. Lemme try it... "Just heard a rumor that the Flyers are looking to trade Claude Giroux to the Blues for two box suites and a copy of Clerks on Blu-Ray, but only as long as David Backes continues to change his socks on Tuesdays." Yeah...I can do this...

@terp Yeah, I fell for it...Never again after I noticed he was selling schlock

@radoran True. Typical Eklund dribble, but it would be interesting to see. I don't where he comes up with this stuff. And how awesome would it have been if the Devils/Ducks picked up a player named Marmalarde?

@radoran For what it's worth, I have no idea what it is about Versteeg that he keeps bouncing around the League like a pinball. If he's headed for Detroit, I'd expect more of the same. Although they'd probably send Hudler down to Florida in his place, maybe Patrick Eaves. But don't tell Valtteri Filppula about Selanne..He'll drop some Fruit in his Looms if he heard about that..

@Bertmega Now what in the WORLD would I do with a Selanne Flyers jersey? I guess I could blow my nose into the sleeves....

Eklund's rumor mill mentions some interest by the Red Wings in Kris Versteeg. Also a little bit of Teemu Selanne.

Hey It works!

I think that time has passed. They've been wait-and-see for the past few years and still missing out. Time to shake things up or it'll be another frustratingly early end.

Great write up! I think the Isles probably won't trade away too many guys, particularly Parenteau and Okposo. They'll try and form a new face to the franchise behind those power forwards. THey have a lot of money in the back and I think they'll use it to woo some experienced scorers to the Island.

Now it’s time to revisit my predictions for the Eastern Conference. Now that the standings have settled out after the Red Wings’ forfeit of last night’s game to the Habs. Same as the Western Conference, I singled out a couple teams for comment back in October. New York Rangers: After making several key moves in the offseason, I figured on the Blueshirts making a big splash in the standings. As long as Marc Staal could get back from injury, Gaborik would stay away from injury and Brad Richards fit in well, they would be pleasantly surprised with their results. Pittsburgh Penguins: Huge depth and top scoring would help the Pens stay strong, despite the absence of Sydney Crosby in the beginning of the season. With no word (at that time) on his return, I game them the benefit of the doubt and picked them to take the Atlantic Division, given an early return of #87. Philadelphia Flyers: The unprecedented Filly Flyers Fire Sale of last summer left only a small core group of players around whole lot of new faces. The biggest Achilles Heel they brought on was Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers have been trying to solidify their net presence and it was worth it to give Bryz a shot, which is to say they should not have signed him to that long, expensive contract. They would have to depend on younger faces like JvR and Giroux to carry the weight. Buffalo Sabres: The team to watch out for in the East. The Sabres went on a shopping spree, picking up Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, and Ville Leino. Looking at Tyler Ennis for a breakout season, and Pominville and Roy would keep their scoring touch. The new look of the Sabres would surely find fans purchasing tickets for playoff games in May. Toronto Maple Leafs: They’ve been on the doorstep the past few years, and I figured it was their time. Guys like Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf would step up their game after being tired of just missing the postseason. This would be the year they squeak in. So here’s the comparison How I Predicted……………………………………………..Actual Standings Washington Capitals……………………………..…………New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins………………………….……………..Boston Bruins Boston Bruins………………………………………………….Washington Capitals Philadelphia Flyers ………………………………………….Philadelphia Flyers Tampa Bay Lightning……………………………………….Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Sabres………………………………..……………….Ottawa Senators New York Rangers………………………….……………….Florida Panthers Toronto Maple Leafs…………………….………………..New Jersey Devils Montreal Canadiens…………………..…………………..Toronto Maple Leafs Carolina Hurricanes……………………..………………….Winnipeg Jets New Jersey Devils……………………………………………Montreal Canadiens New York Islanders…………………………………………Tampa Bay Lightning Winnipeg Jets……………………………..………………….New York Islanders Ottawa Senators……………………….………….…………Buffalo Sabres Florida Panthers…………………………….……………….Carolina Hurricanes Well…maybe I should stick with the Western Conference… But who knew the Sabres and the Senators would effectively switch places in the standings? It’s been a huge, unfortunate flop for the Sabres thus far, but the Sens have broken free for a comfortable sixth place berth. Toronto came out strong from the gate as well, but have since come back to Earth a little. Still though, they can taste the postseason and I still think they’ll be in it. No Crosby, no problem for the Pens. Even dealing with half the team out on crutches, they’ve still managed to play strong. Kris Letang is back, and Evgeni Malkin has stepped up into the spotlight. Whenever it is that Crosby comes back, it’ll only make them more dangerous. The biggest surprise though, (after Buffalo) is the Rangers. Everything is clicking even more than anyone predicted. After dumping Sean Avery, Tortorella has been able to put another goal scorer on the ice. Backed by Vezina trophy contender Henrik Lundqvist who’s playing one his best seasons, the Blueshirts won’t be looking back. Come playoff time? Here’s what I think we’ll see. Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Note that I do not have the Jersey Devils in the playoffs. That’s another gaze into my used, semi-clouded, dollar-store crystal ball. While Ilya Kovalchuk is playing extremely well these days, it comes at the expense of Zach Parise, and all the rumors swirling around him wanting out. I’ve also felt for a long time that Marty Brodeur is on his last legs and just can’t hang with the young kids anymore. He makes a lot of huge highlight-reel saves, but will let in two soft goals in the very same game. It’s a dangerous place to hang your playoff hopes. I’ve put on my helmet now, and I’m ready to take the beatings. Fire away!

They could use a depth scorer and someone who can help improve their power play. They're in the bottom half of the league with the man-advantage. The improve that and they'll be flying in no time.

He's be a great fit in Detroit. As hf101 says, it'll probably be in the offseason. But he's a young, extremely talented forward looking for a shot at the Cup. Wanna be a Wing, Zach?

The Kings have what it takes, they just need to pull it together a bit more down the stretch. They'll give anyone in the plaoffs a run for their money. The Sharks are still going to be the X-Factor.

And remember...this all started with @OzFlyer rejoicing the Flyers shoot-out win....

This apparent "rift" cost me 50 tokens last night :wacko:

Very punny, Phlyer1! Like two twin brothers who live in Spain and Egypt... You've seen Juan, you've seen Amall

Now THAT'S profound...!

It's a long road back up to where they should be. All the guys played hard but still only managed 14 shots. Its enough for the win though, and it'll go a long way towards putting this awful road streak to bed. One win....the very basic foundation of a winning streak!

That's right, I forgot about the videos. This site has everything! Can I get a sandwich too? :-)

Back in October, I posted a prediction of how the Western Conference standings would look come Playoff time. I added some notes on a few teams in particular. Detroit Red Wings: The addition of Ian White from San Jose was to be a huge gift in replacing Brian Rafalski. The Wings success would also hinge upon Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, and Johan Franzen elevating their games. Ty Conklin was to be the ideal choice for backup goaltender. As long as everyone stays healthy, they’d do well. San Jose Sharks: Staying strong and finishing high in the West, although I thought the trading of Setoguchi and Heatley for Burns and Havlat was a lousy move. Los Angeles Kings: The team to watch out for. Adding Mike Richards gave a lot more scoring power to the team, and as long as Jonathan Quick played well, the Kings would find themselves in a very deep playoff run. Vancouver Canucks: Losing Christian Ehrhoff to Buffalo wouldn’t phase the ‘Nucks one bit…finishing at the top of the mountain again. Chicago Blackhawks: For my opinion, dumb move bringing on Carcillo; he doesn’t belong there. Sami Lepisto does. Hawks had a bunch of injuries last season, so as long as they stay healthy, they’d do well. St. Louis Blues: Impressed at all the star power they brought in, but thought it would take more than one season to “gel” into an elite team. Halfway through (thereabouts), here’s how I did. How I Predicted ...................................Actual Standings Vancouver Canucks ..............................Detroit Red Wings Los Angeles Kings .................................Vancouver Canucks Detroit Red Wings .................................San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks ...................................St. Louis Blues Chicago Blackhawks............................. Nashville Predators Nashville Predators ...............................Chicago Blackhawks Phoenix Coyotes ...................................Los Angeles Kings Calgary Flames..................................... Minnesota Wild Dallas Stars ...........................................Colorado Avalanche Anaheim Ducks..................................... Dallas Stars Columbus Blue Jackets .........................Calgary Flames Minnesota Wild ......................................Phoenix Coyotes St. Louis Blues .......................................Anaheim Ducks Edmonton Oilers ....................................Edmonton Oilers Colorado Avalanche.............................. Columbus Blue Jackets I did get the better part of the Top 8 correct, just in the wrong order. There were a lot of surprises this season so far. Minnesota coming out to a huge start, but Columbus tanking the first half of the season. Chicago is still dealing with injuries and Patrick Kane is not playing well. The Red Wings have stayed healthy and are rolling with all their depth, which has propelled them to the top. The Sharks are seriously lurking with 3 games in hand on the rest of the Conference. That will be interesting. On St. Louis…okay, okay, I was wrong, and you were right… I was off, but not enough to stop me from predicting this year’s Playoff Matchups. I won’t talk about the winners, though. That will come later. Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings vs. Los Angeles Kings St. Louis Blues vs. Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Tomorrow, I’ll look at the Eastern Conference.

Either way, ice is ice. The water would have frozen well before Read approached and wouldn't have had any impact at all.

Yes we do! More Mickey Redmond-isms!!

I'm a member of a curling club here in New Jersey where I routinely help with the ice maintenance. When adding water to the ice, we use HOT water which freezes within a minute of being applied. The water in the bottle was obviously cold after being out in the arean through the entire game. This water would have had no bearing on Read's skating ability.

Good list and you're probably right on the money. Biased, I know, but did Pavel Datsyuk get consideration?