LongTimeLurk

So does playing the Bruins not bode well....

....since Bryz has stated he's scared of bears?????????

GULP!

He clarified that he was only afraid of "bears in the forest"

We finished off the Penguins, the NFL draft is this weekend, and my wife is due next week.

I just feel so content to just watch playoff hockey and await an opponent.

Awesome.

Do you need to get a new username now?

HAHAHA...that was a clean hit. Not charging.

But you will also defend Malkinstien's dirty play too i'm sure.

Um... why would I do that? By your logic "Asham's stick didn't rise above Schenn's chest" = "it's okay for Malkin to lead with high elbows". What Malkin did was very much NOT okay, but it's also not related. My comment was strictly in response to your assertion that "kid got slammed in the throat"

You don't have to wear O&B Blinders to be a good fan.

Unfortunately, the Pens have the last change tonight so maybe none of this matters.

Maybe it does matter; Bylsma failed to match lines in Games 1 and 2.

Hell no, kid got slammed in the throat with Ash's stick, he's lucky he didn't get his larynx crushed, so no that was a legit injury there.

Take another look at the video. The stick was high, but got caught on Schenn's shoulder pads and never made it to the throat. But there were many similarities between that incident and Rinaldo-Michalek.

Rinaldo worse because:

1. Incident history

2. No injury (although Michalak's was also not a major injury)

3. Unprovoked (as opposed to retaliation for Schenn charge on Martin)

Asham worse because:

1. Cross-check to the front instead of the back... could have ended a lot worse for Schenn

2. He had skating momentum in addition to the stick thrust, whereas Rinaldo was stationary.

All told, a bit inconsistent that Asham got 4 and Rinaldo got 0.

Anecdotally, concussions have been linked to erratic behavior, poor decision making, and heighted levels of violence. The same phenomenon has been suggested in regards to another famous Pittsburgh athlete (Roethlisberger 2010).

But I won't believe it until I see more substantiated correlation in a respected medical journal.

Kerry Fraser said:

Once Crosby swatted at the glove hand of Bryzgalov as the play was blown dead, Voracek led the cavalry charge and wrestled with Crosby. This was the perfect opportunity for the referee(s) to impose themselves and establish game control. A swift and forceful reaction by the referee behind the goal line to impose a slashing and roughing minor to Crosby in addition to a roughing minor to the Flyers' Voracek would have ended the incident in this moment. The linesmen would have escorted the two players to the penalty box swiftly and nothing further would have developed at that point and time. A Flyers power play would have also sent an early message to avoid contact with the goalkeepers at both ends of the ice.

That's the key, and it holds true at all levels.

My son is a Peewee defenseman, and a lot of his games are called loosely because the refs think "Hey, it's AA... we'll let the kids play." But the same thing happens nearly every game:

1. Our goalie freezes the puck

2. No whistle

3. Opposing forwards hack at the goalie (not their fault... they're doing their job by playing hard to the whistle)

4. Our D "protects the goalie"

5. Mutual pushing and shoving

6. Repeat and escalate.

By the end of some games, we've degenerated into head shots, cross checks, and boarding.

All avoidable if referees (as Fraser says) have their thermometers ready following the opening puck drop and to take the game temperature frequently. Before most games, I quietly remind them to blow the whistle as soon as the puck is frozen and call it tight in the first period, and warn them about what might happen if they don't.

I loved Bylsma'a comment about Fluery being in goal for "the next 4 games".

Presumably, he's including the first 3 regular season games this fall.

So if Asham, Adams, and Neal all get suspended, what do the Pens do Wednesday?

Start Malkin and Crosby on the same line?

Vitale comes in for sure. Who else?

Three forwards were healthy scratches yesterday. The others were Eric Tangradi and Dustin Jeffrey. My guess us Staal goes on Malkin's wing, Vitale centers Cooke/Kennedy, and the other two join Richard Park on the 4th.

Looks good for fans of a sweep.

If you would just tear yourself away from your precious sheep once in a while, and pay attention, these things wouldn't happen.

Sheesh, @JackStraw. You act like @Podein25 simply tearing himself away from the sheep is even an option.

Am I missing something? Why not?

You just need to have your Sarcasm Meter taken in for recalibration.

That was the most classless & gutless display by a playoff team that I have ever witnessed.

If that had been the Flyers, I would be embarrassed to be a fan.

How any Pens fan can respect or root for THAT team is a mystery. Punks. Losers.

EVERY Penguin fan I know really is embarrassed (I don't maintain contact with the braindead loudmothed ones)

If they are going to do that, then someone should just lay Crosby out hard. Period.

Disagree.

Take the high road. End the series on Wednesday with a clean, convincing win. Be the team with the singular focus of winning the Cup.

Good quote and probably very apt yet it is so much more fun to rant about it.

Thanks. I simply can't understand why people who ascribe to paranoid conspiracy theories continue to watch.

Blown calls are part of the game. Always have been. If Fleury had made the save, if the Pens had held a 3-1 lead at home in Game One, if they had scored first in overtime, this isn't even an anthill of discussion.

The real story here is the Pens choked.

Thread over. Nicely summed up, @radoran

I just hope this is not Campbell's signal to the refs to start increasing the amount of calls.

@flyerrod:

Gee, according to @orange_crush, The Flyers have the better PP and PK, and 5v5 play benefits Pittsburgh. I'm sooooo confused...

Does calling the integrity of the product into question do more damage than ACTUALLY losing the integrity of the product?

@SpikeDDS:

Are you really saying that Torts was calling a spade a spade? That the league WAS trying to fix the WC in favor of the Flyers? Unlike a vocal percentage of fans, I believe the league attempts to run their operation legitimately. Screwups happen.

"Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence" -- Napoleon Bonaparte

Primary difference between Cambell and Tortorella:

The former said it was a bad mistake. The latter implied bias and/or a fix.

Calling the integrity of the product into question does a lot more damage to everyone's meal ticket.

Couturier - the rookie played more against Malkin's line than any other NHL forward this season.

... and what was impressive was that Lavi still managed to match that line, despite not having the last change.

Best jokes are in Boston-Washington preview, but there's some good stuff on Chief, Bryz, and Cooke.

http://www.downgoesb...ce-playoff.html

It's playoff time, which means it's time for everyone to who writes about hockey to prepare their predictions for the eight opening series. Don't fight it, it's the law.

Today we'll take a look at the Eastern Conference matchups, with the Western Conference following tomorrow. Remember, as per the official rules of playoff predictions, we all agree to never speak of these again once the first round is over.

#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators

The matchup:

In a nice change of pace, the Senators have decided it might be fun to suffer a crushing playoff defeat to a different original six team.

The view from New York:

Henrik Lundqvist says his injured forearm has healed enough for him to play, he supposes, since every time the team doctor shows him an "x-ray" it's actually just a picture of Martin Biron inside a circle with a line through it.

The view from Ottawa:

The Senators have to be considered spoilers, assuming we're talking about all the great Senators vs. Bruins jokes I had written for this preview a week ago.

Player to watch:

Erik Karlsson will try to continue racking up the points with his impressive offensive instincts despite being a squishy wet stain on the end boards after Brian Boyle's first shift.

Prediction:

Two straight weeks of facing John Tortorella in the playoffs has Senator fans longing for the calm, even-tempered days of Pat Quinn.

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals

The matchup:

This series will feature a Bruins team that keeps talking about being the defending champions and pointing up at a banner that mentions some sort of weird trophy we've never seen before, according to confused Capitals players.

The view from Boston:

Milan Lucic has been running at starting goaltenders all season long, and was deeply disappointed to find out that the Capitals currently don't have one.

The view from Washington:

After breaking down videotape of the Bruins' seemingly endless parade of cheap shots and flagrant attempts to injure opponents, Dale Hunter has asked whether there's any chance he could be allowed to coach them instead.

Player to watch:

Alexander Ovechkin will try to use his speed to stay out of the reach of Zdeno Chara, which gives him about eight square feet of ice surface to work with.

Prediction:

The series sets a ratings record with viewership in the tens of millions, assuming everyone who makes a "Tim Thomas at the White House" joke over the next few days decides to tunes in.

#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils

The matchup:

In an unfortunate break for Panther fans, they get a matchup with a team full of guys who live in New Jersey and won't find it distracting to be surrounded by rats.

The view from Florida:

The Panthers will plan to continue to exploit the secret to their stunning regular season success, just as soon as they figure out how to get a bonus point for losing overtime games in the playoffs

The view from New Jersey:

Devils coach Peter DeBoer will be facing the team that fired him after last season, he says, and everyone who hasn't paid attention to the Panthers in years agrees to just take his word for it.

Player to watch:

Panthers goaltender Jose Theodore had an excellent year after signing a cheap free agent deal in the offseason, according to the conversation your Maple Leaf fan friend is currently having with an empty bottle of scotch.

Prediction:

You make this your "upset special" in the office pool, and so does everyone else in the office.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers

The matchup:

There may be some bad blood between the teams right now but that won't be the case by the end of the series, experts say, since by then most of that blood will be all over the ice, boards and ceiling.

The view from Pittsburgh:

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have developed a well-deserved reputation for being whiny, since they're always saying things like "my arms hurt from celebrating goals on every second shift".

The view from Philadelphia:

Assistant coach Craig Berube recently criticized the Penguins for being dirty players, according to the guy standing near the smoldering remains of the Irony-Meter.

Player to watch:

Ilya Bryzgalov had a reputation for poor playoff performances in Phoenix but Flyers officials say they're confident he'll find it much easier to succeed now that he's under less pressure in Philadelphia, before pausing and admitting that that sounded a lot better in their heads.

Prediction:

After watching several games of this violent rivalry, Matt Cooke can no longer contain the urge to gnaw through the ropes, escape the padded room Mario Lemieux had him locked in, tackle the semi-lifelike android that took his spot in the lineup in training camp, hurdle onto the ice and start elbowing craniums.