Eastern Conference: #2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #3 Columbus Blue Jackets

[pilldoc]

All discuss regarding this series goes here.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Date	TIME (ET)	#2 Pittsburgh vs. #3 Columbus	Networks
Wednesday, April 12	7:30 p.m.	Columbus at Pittsburgh	USA, SN 360, TVA Sports
Friday, April 14	7 p.m.	Columbus at Pittsburgh	NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Sunday, April 16	6 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Columbus	CNBC, SN 360, TVA Sports
Tuesday, April 18	7:30 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Columbus	CNBC, SN 360, TVA Sports
*Thursday, April 20	TBD	Columbus at Pittsburgh	TBD
*Sunday, April 23	TBD	Pittsburgh at Columbus	TBD
*Tuesday, April 25	TBD	Columbus at Pittsburgh	TBD

[mojo1917]

Just want to say with this current playoff seeding you really get ****ed if you don't win your division

These two teams should not be meeting until at least the quarters...that said, good intense hockey comes early in the tournament..

I will never root for the Pens, but I hate Fonzie so much, I will tune into this series because these teams are in the process of working up a pretty good hatred for one another, and HATE I HATE !

 

[notfondajane]

6 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

Just want to say with this current playoff seeding you really get ****ed if you don't win your division

These two teams should not be meeting until at least the quarters...that said, good intense hockey comes early in the tournament..

I will never root for the Pens, but I hate Fonzie so much, I will tune into this series because these teams are in the process of working up a pretty good hatred for one another, and HATE I HATE !

 

I just want out of the playoffs! 

[ruxpin]

Good lord.

 

I made an "I don't know" pick of Pens in 7.   It might be fun to see Hartnell against the Pens in the playoffs again. 

 

I agree with @AJgoal that it's really a shame these two are playing each other in the first round.  They seem like they should be conference finalists, or at least quarters.   But it is what it is.

 

This could run the whole gambit of sweep one way to sweep the other.  But I think it goes 7 and I think the Pens win at home.

[FD19372]

Columbus in 4. No particular reason. I just want to see it happen.

[yave1964]

For my wife I would like to see the Jackets win it, but I don't think so.

 

  The Jackets, if they have a weakness it is down the middle where Wennberg is talented but young and inexperienced, Dubinsky is okay and everything else is just illusion. Too much smoke and mirror at the center position, not enough substance to hope to contain let alone play with Crosby/Malkin/Bonino. It is there that IMHO the series will be won in six hard fought nasty games by the Penguins.

  The two teams do not like each other and I anticipate some serious nastiness and just hard hitting hockey with no quarter given. As mentioned by quite a few it is a damn shame that the 3 and 4 best teams in al of Hockey are playing in the first round under this inane playoff system.

Pens in 6. Go Jackets.

[hf101]

On 4/10/2017 at 4:09 PM, mojo1917 said:

Just want to say with this current playoff seeding you really get ****ed if you don't win your division

 

Yep.  I'm not sure anyone likes this format.

With that said, I think this matchup goes 7 games with the Bob being the MVP and Dubinsky shutting down Crosby.

This has to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the Playoffs to watch..

[pilldoc]

Bob or Murray.  Coin Flip.  Would love to see the Pens go down, but they are the defending Cup Champions for a reason.  Even with the injuries they sustained, they still found ways to win.  This is going 7.

 

https://www.random.org/coins/

 

Heads = Pens

Tails (Canadian Leaf) = Blue Jackets

 

I flipped 7 coins each representing 1 game

 

Winner = Pens (4-3)

 

So there you have it...the most unscientific method of picking a series.

[Poulin20]

On 4/10/2017 at 4:16 PM, notfondajane said:

I just want out of the playoffs! 

 

We are right there with you!  We want you out too! 

[WordsOfWisdom]

The Penguins have serious injury problems, and won't be hungry enough this year to want it again, so I went with the Blue Jackets on this one.

 

[B21]

1 minute ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

The Penguins have serious injury problems, and won't be hungry enough this year to want it again, so I went with the Blue Jackets on this one.

 

 

What are you talking about? Kessel is always hungry. 

[B21]

Blue Jackets in 6. Because I'm not going to "Eddie Mush" my boys...

[notfondajane]

1 hour ago, Poulin20 said:

 

We are right there with you!  We want you out too! 

After we win the cup! Lol!

[Buffalo Rick]

There is  ton of mystery surrounding this Cclumbus team.  We know they have mucho trouble beating Washington.  But they can beat everyone else.  And I like their chances to pull the upset here

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

This series actually feels like a "pick'em" to me.

 

On the one hand, you have the defending SC Champs...albeit it on their second run trying to repeat (hard to do!) AND are banged up in some areas, particularly, no Kris Letang.

 

On the other hand, you have  a very strong, playoff built type team like the Columbus Blue Jackets....who actually have a few players who are still rather new to this whole playoff scenario.

 

Both teams play completely different styles, winner will be determined by who can dictate their style.

If its run n gun and special teams, I think it favors Pittsburgh.

If its grind, in-your-face, low scoring, it goes the Jackets' way.

 

That said, Pitts CAN play a defensive game when they want to...and the Jackets CAN run n gun a bit if they need to.

Again, feels like a pick'em.

 

I will be rooting for a Columbus victory in the series (and yea, they CAN do it), but out of respect for what they have accomplished, I am giving the Pens a slight nod and will say Pittsburgh in 7.

[ruxpin]

20 hours ago, B21 said:

 

What are you talking about? Kessel is always hungry. 

[B21]

2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

[nossagog]

Well it looks like Murray is down for a while for the Pens.  The "official" word is LBI, no timetable for return. 

[nossagog]

Great game by the Pens, play the game and use your skill.

 

Not sure if Calvert will have to sit due to this at the end of the game.   Sorry, this is just unacceptable in the game of hockey.  

 

[B21]

Of course he sits...

 

#mostprotectedteaminhockey

[pilldoc]

@nossagog

@B21

 

I have no problem teams sending messages during a playoff game.  HOWEVER, what Calvert did was right out of scene from Slap Shot (not really, but you know what I mean).

 

Seriously, there is no room in the game for what Calvert did.  If both players are face to face and some pushing and shoving happens near the end of the game...then so be it.  However, Kuhnhackl had his back turned and was attacked from behind.  How hard of a hit did it have to be in order to break his stick?

 

Again.... no room in the game for that type of crap.  I'm surprised for the viciousness of the hit all was called was 2 min for cross-checking. 

 

By the precedents set forth through out the season and previous seasons .... Not a major penalty. No injury (i believe), Calvert has no previous injury....therefore nothing else will come about.

 

Does he deserve to sit?? I really don't know...... at least he should be donating some of his salary to the NHL.

 

I do agree ...this type of behavior does not belong in the game.....

[ruxpin]

8 hours ago, nossagog said:

Great game by the Pens, play the game and use your skill.

 

Not sure if Calvert will have to sit due to this at the end of the game.   Sorry, this is just unacceptable in the game of hockey.  

 

Oh my god that was horse s###. What kind of bush league crap move was that?  If he doesn't sit, this league is more ridiculous than I thought. 

[ruxpin]

7 hours ago, pilldoc said:

@nossagog

@B21

 

I have no problem teams sending messages during a playoff game.  HOWEVER, what Calvert did was right out of scene from Slap Shot (not really, but you know what I mean).

 

Seriously, there is no room in the game for what Calvert did.  If both players are face to face and some pushing and shoving happens near the end of the game...then so be it.  However, Kuhnhackl had his back turned and was attacked from behind.  How hard of a hit did it have to be in order to break his stick?

 

Again.... no room in the game for that type of crap.  I'm surprised for the viciousness of the hit all was called was 2 min for cross-checking. 

 

By the precedents set forth through out the season and previous seasons .... Not a major penalty. No injury (i believe), Calvert has no previous injury....therefore nothing else will come about.

 

Does he deserve to sit?? I really don't know...... at least he should be donating some of his salary to the NHL.

 

I do agree ...this type of behavior does not belong in the game.....

Well, first the crosscheck and then coming back for the blow to the head. Each should be suspendable on its own. The only thing he didn't do was get behind him and bend him over.  What a punk. 

[WordsOfWisdom]

I was under the impression that Malkin was injured going into this series.

 

  

 

 

[nossagog]

31 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

I was under the impression that Malkin was injured going into this series.

 

  

 

 

I think they were resting his shoulder until the playoffs.  He was having some minor issues, then blocked a shot with the shoulder.   With them winning games, I think they just decided to let him get better and rest up.