How the $%$ did the Caps blow a 3-1 lead to the 8th seed when you have that much talent??? Still confused but honestly not to surprised. SJ finally getting out of the 1st rd must have been a huge monkey off their shoulders especially after the ugly finish to game 4.
The Caps were built for the regular season, they didn't have the grinders needed to win in the playoffs. Plus sometimes when you run into a hot goaltender it makes even a great offense look anemic. The Caps also had goalie issues. I would like to see a Boston vs. Chicago final, only because its good for hockey (not that I am a fan of hockey, just watch the highlights). If I had money on who would be in the final, I'd say Vancouver vs. Pittsburgh.
Agree on the Caps but up 3-1 with two games on home ice is heartbreaking. I will say that is why I love the NHL playoffs because, like you said, one hot goaltender can carry you a LONG way regardless of home ice. Give me a Pittsburgh vs Chicago SC final and i'll be happy but after game 1, the Canucks looks STRONG.
Haha...we'll have to see about that. Halak was incredible today but I doubt he can be THAT good throughout the entire series. The Pens have a ton of weapons and come at you early and often.
Howard looks to be in a zone tonight and with Datsyuk scoring early Sharks will need to keep the pressure on.
Lifetime Canucks fan here. And while I don't think we're a favorite, I believe this is the best squad we've had in my lifetime...the only concern being Alberts on D (because Mitchell and Rome are injured). Pittsburgh has a clear path to the Finals with all the 1st Round upsets in the East...but man, Halak gave them A LOT of trouble today!
Great game, Sharks are all over Howard. Howard looks very sharp but he is getting bombarded with shot after shot.
Hold on there bud, Vancouver vs Pittsburgh? Have you ever seen the Nucks track record? They're biggest chokers ever
Random points... -Joe Thornton's pass-craziness pisses me off. Watching him play for Team Canada and Playoff Sharks...*shudder* -The number of shots being pelted on Halak are deceiving. Most of them are down low and not particularly dangerous; the Habs do an excellent job of making sure shooters get no space at all to launch high, timed shots. With all five of them collapsing in the slot, shots tend to be hurried and low and Halak is exceptional down low. -Never watching a Crosby game on TSN or NBC ever again. Seriously...every time he touches the puck or looks at it "holy crap sid the kid is amazing!"
i love the random "choke job" label. At least "another" is absolutely ridiculous The Caps went to Game 7 against the would-be Stanley Cup champions. And OV had an incredible run through those playoffs. To say he choked last year is really ridiculous. As for this year, it was a terrible series against a team that the Caps matched up the worst against out of all teams this year. (By no means is that a good excuse...but it is a fact) Halak was incredible--especially in Game 6. The Caps powerplay (spectacular during the season--though always ugly) was eaten up, and that was pretty much the difference. The Caps didn't really have goalie issues of their own. Jose was pulled 5 minutes into Game 2, and Varlamov did a good-enough job the rest of the series for the most part. The offense just didn't come through. I wouldn't say they were built for the regular season...I think guys like Knuble, Laich, Ovechkin, Carlson, etc. are playoff type guys that a team needs. But I do think Bruce (coach) should have allowed lines to play together over the final 2 months of the season. He was switching lines from game to game after the All Star break and even through the series. Consistency and chemistry was never built after they acquired the new guys at the trade deadline. Mike Green had a pretty terrible series. As did Semin. But it was the offense as a whole, the coach, and an incredibly big performance by Halak. Cammalleri was pretty awesome in the series too for the Habs. I'm pulling for the Canucks now
Agree on both points. And to add to your first point...the Habs blocked the hell out of shots in the Caps series. The difference in shot blocks was staggering. Hal Gil in particular is always in the way.. while Halak was great in Game 6...he was just "solid" in Game 7. But his #'s were still great because of so many "easy" shots. A ton hit him right in the chest
While I agree with you - I'm assuming "another" refers to the Olympics this year. But still, Ovechkin had a reasonable playoffs this year - just a case of running into a hot goalie. You the man!
I was thinking the same f'n thing...I was able to see SJ play the Stars this season and man, are they good... The Canucks have a decent team, but Pitt has an easy road...I say Pitt repeats...
