2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[The_Admiral]

In all fairness, the Blackhawks didn't enter this series as a hastily cobbled assemblage of scrappy overachievers. They had more wins than the Sharks but fewer overtime losses. That's what's nice about this series: it's settling a dispute, and to my liking.

[LightningRide75]

The Blackhawks are better. They're younger, faster and stronger.

[charger77]

For the record, New Jersey was the 5 seed in 1995 and the 4 in 2000.

[IceCap]

Another choke job for the Sharks. Chicago is up 3-nil.

I wouldn't call the Sharks chokers but huge massive underachievers. Blowing a 3 games to 0 lead. That's a choke job.

Any other team in this situation? No, not chokers. The Sharks though? With their playoff history and depth of the current team? Yeah, they are.

[Sodboy13]

Versus had an interesting stat regarding the Sharks last night. If they lose this series, the Sharks will become only the second team in NHL history to have four consecutive 100+ point seasons, and not make the Finals in any of them. But perhaps Sharks fans can take solace in the fact that 1) 100 points isn't the benchmark it used to be, given the freebie overtime loss points; and 2) the other team was the '76-'79 Islanders, and the four seasons after that stretch went okay for them.

And Justin, your Blackhawks analysis is priceless - keep these pearls of wisdom coming. I still get a smile out of how the Hawks play like a bunch of girls.

[HedleyLamarr]

Another choke job for the Sharks. Chicago is up 3-nil.

I wouldn't call the Sharks chokers but huge massive underachievers. Blowing a 3 games to 0 lead. That's a choke job.

Any other team in this situation? No, not chokers. The Sharks though? With their playoff history and depth of the current team? Yeah, they are.

The only reason the Blackhawks aren't the #1 seed is because they lost an overtime game to Detroit on the final Sunday of the year. One point seperated the two.

You can't say these Sharks choked when they're playing a team that had more wins during the season than them. Hell, most of us had the Sharks losing in the second round.

[STL FANATIC]

He's not gonna shut teams out or allow just one or two in a bad game on a frequent basis.

He has seven shutouts in 35 starts and two in 15 playoff games, and he's won his share of bailout games too.

Look, I'm not saying he's a great goaltender. He's a pretty good one who has gotten hot and lucky at the right time while backstopping the league's deepest team. Is some of his success a function of his team? Of course it is; whose isn't? (Well maybe Ryan Miller.) But to refuse him any credit and write him off as a piss-poor goaltender just sounds like you haven't watched the games. He's been doing proverbial headstands for quite some time now, outperforming much more heralded peers, and absolutely deserves credit for the Blackhawks being five wins away. 44/45 and 44/46 against the West's best team isn't something a piss-poor goaltender does.

I've watched all kinds of Hawks games this year. He's a decent goalie on a hot streak. Period. I did call him "piss-poor" ones, but last night I gave you my rational opinion of him. He's a middle third starting goaltender. If he keeps up his play next year I'll gladly comeback and admit it (well not gladly, but I'll have no problem doing so). But I just don't see it.

[rams80]

He's not gonna shut teams out or allow just one or two in a bad game on a frequent basis.

He has seven shutouts in 35 starts and two in 15 playoff games, and he's won his share of bailout games too.

Look, I'm not saying he's a great goaltender. He's a pretty good one who has gotten hot and lucky at the right time while backstopping the league's deepest team. Is some of his success a function of his team? Of course it is; whose isn't? (Well maybe Ryan Miller.) But to refuse him any credit and write him off as a piss-poor goaltender just sounds like you haven't watched the games. He's been doing proverbial headstands for quite some time now, outperforming much more heralded peers, and absolutely deserves credit for the Blackhawks being five wins away. 44/45 and 44/46 against the West's best team isn't something a piss-poor goaltender does.

I've watched all kinds of Hawks games this year. He's a decent goalie on a hot streak. Period. I did call him "piss-poor" ones, but last night I gave you my rational opinion of him. He's a middle third starting goaltender. If he keeps up his play next year I'll gladly comeback and admit it (well not gladly, but I'll have no problem doing so). But I just don't see it.

Isn't it about time for you to single praises of the talent on the Rams' roster?

[STL FANATIC]

And Justin, your Blackhawks analysis is priceless - keep these pearls of wisdom coming. I still get a smile out of how the Hawks play like a bunch of girls.

Will do. I don't recall that one, but I don't doubt it either.

The truth is that the Hawks are team made up of lots of skill. They don't take hits well, but they don't necessarily need to. They cycle as well as anyone and thus keep scary possession of the puck. Probably the scariest part about them is that every time they get one of those lucky bounces to the guy standing in no man's land, you know they're gonna score, because almost all of them have good hands and finish breakaways. Their tough guy Ben Eager is worthless, and their other tough guy Buff-lynn is worthless as a tough guy and a prick, but somehow he's scoring goals.

I still contend their goaltending is mediocre to marginally above average and that it's currently benefitting from luck and the team in front of it.

Can't wait to see them blow this 3-0 lead.

[MDC]

He's not gonna shut teams out or allow just one or two in a bad game on a frequent basis.

He has seven shutouts in 35 starts and two in 15 playoff games, and he's won his share of bailout games too.

Look, I'm not saying he's a great goaltender. He's a pretty good one who has gotten hot and lucky at the right time while backstopping the league's deepest team. Is some of his success a function of his team? Of course it is; whose isn't? (Well maybe Ryan Miller.) But to refuse him any credit and write him off as a piss-poor goaltender just sounds like you haven't watched the games. He's been doing proverbial headstands for quite some time now, outperforming much more heralded peers, and absolutely deserves credit for the Blackhawks being five wins away. 44/45 and 44/46 against the West's best team isn't something a piss-poor goaltender does.

I've watched all kinds of Hawks games this year. He's a decent goalie on a hot streak. Period. I did call him "piss-poor" ones, but last night I gave you my rational opinion of him. He's a middle third starting goaltender. If he keeps up his play next year I'll gladly comeback and admit it (well not gladly, but I'll have no problem doing so). But I just don't see it.

Okay, he may come back to Earth next year and become a solid goalie, unlike the elite goalie he is playing like. But right now, he is leading (maybe second-in-command to Toews) a team about to sweep into the finals. So you know what? If this is piss-poor, or playing like a girl, i have no problem with it

[STL FANATIC]

He's not gonna shut teams out or allow just one or two in a bad game on a frequent basis.

He has seven shutouts in 35 starts and two in 15 playoff games, and he's won his share of bailout games too.

Look, I'm not saying he's a great goaltender. He's a pretty good one who has gotten hot and lucky at the right time while backstopping the league's deepest team. Is some of his success a function of his team? Of course it is; whose isn't? (Well maybe Ryan Miller.) But to refuse him any credit and write him off as a piss-poor goaltender just sounds like you haven't watched the games. He's been doing proverbial headstands for quite some time now, outperforming much more heralded peers, and absolutely deserves credit for the Blackhawks being five wins away. 44/45 and 44/46 against the West's best team isn't something a piss-poor goaltender does.

I've watched all kinds of Hawks games this year. He's a decent goalie on a hot streak. Period. I did call him "piss-poor" ones, but last night I gave you my rational opinion of him. He's a middle third starting goaltender. If he keeps up his play next year I'll gladly comeback and admit it (well not gladly, but I'll have no problem doing so). But I just don't see it.

Isn't it about time for you to single praises of the talent on the Rams' roster?

No.

And I'm hardly the only person who thinks Niemi is playing way over his head.

[IceCap]

Another choke job for the Sharks. Chicago is up 3-nil.

I wouldn't call the Sharks chokers but huge massive underachievers. Blowing a 3 games to 0 lead. That's a choke job.

Any other team in this situation? No, not chokers. The Sharks though? With their playoff history and depth of the current team? Yeah, they are.

The only reason the Blackhawks aren't the #1 seed is because they lost an overtime game to Detroit on the final Sunday of the year. One point seperated the two.

You can't say these Sharks choked when they're playing a team that had more wins during the season than them. Hell, most of us had the Sharks losing in the second round.

If they end up losing to Chicago, no it's not a choke, if you look at the season in a vacuum. When you compare it to the recent history of the team, however, yes it is. How many times has this team seemingly had the chance to make it to the Finals? And every year they find some way to blow it? It's just more of the same here.

[The_Admiral]

Their tough guy Ben Eager is worthless, and their other tough guy Buff-lynn is worthless as a tough guy and a prick, but somehow he's scoring goals.

Byfuglien doesn't intend to be an enforcer/goon, and he scores goals because he has a hard shot and a large body. Most of his scoring comes from screening the goalie and tipping in others' shots, but he has two game-winners in this series and they weren't the usual Byfuglien specials; he just fired rockets through bad coverage. Ben Eager isn't very good, no, and yet the Hawks have been doing really well since reinstalling him in the lineup, though this could easily be a false causality.

[WJMorris3]

Darn it, league, you're not doing enough to help the Habs win. I mean, Leighton should have been given a game misconduct by now!

[NJTank]

For the record, New Jersey was the 5 seed in 1995 and the 4 in 2000.

And they were a solid #4 in 2000, they actually had the second best record in the East, and had home ice in the Finals.

[Magnus]

Perhaps I am an evil-hearted bastard, but I just spent the last 10 minutes messaging all my Facebook friends who are Habs fans and leaving snide remarks on their walls.

Anyway, Philly-Chicago should be a helluva Final.

[Shane Does Art]

Perhaps I am an evil-hearted bastard, but I just spent the last 10 minutes messaging all my Facebook friends who are Habs fans and leaving snide remarks on their walls.

Anyway, Philly-Chicago should be a helluva Final.

Yup, you are.

[RedRenesis]

I sincerely hope not.

Then you had better start hoping for some goals.

FIIIINALLLYYYYYYYY!!!

Keep hoping.

[NEW.ERA]

Blame Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plecknec all haven't scored in 10+ games. You can't win a Stanley Cup unless everyone's contributing. You can get to the East Final on Goaltending and Mike Cammalleri playing out of his mind, but when it matters the most they're just not getting the goals from those other three key members of the the Canadiens.

[habsfan1]

Blame Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plecknec all haven't scored in 10+ games. You can't win a Stanley Cup unless everyone's contributing. You can get to the East Final on Goaltending and Mike Cammalleri playing out of his mind, but when it matters the most they're just not getting the goals from those other three key members of the the Canadiens.

The Habs are playing like they have literally run out of gas. During today's game, the puck just could not get fired into the net. With weather already approaching 30 degrees celcius over here, the players minds are probably more focused on vacation time than the freaking series. N.E.P. is right though. When Cammy or Gionta aren't scoring, no one is scoring. That's why Leighton has a unbelievable 3 shutouts in this series alone. 3 shutouts is totally ridiculous and unacceptable because not once did Leighton "steal" a game all by himself. The Habs just made life that damn easy for him.

It's quite bizarre the idea that one team can overcome the league's top 2 teams but fall to a team that barely made the playoffs by winning a shootout. Part of me still doesn't get it. I know it's not technically over, but with this kind of play, it appears already over to me.