2011 NHL Playoffs

[Don]

And you couldn't have known the salary cap was going to be quite that big of a kaboom, right?

Why not? All the numbers are public. We know how much is committed to whom for how long. It's all on Capgeek.

Found out today that Capgeek has a very user-friendly mobile site. Wife wanted to know how much BizNasty pulls down for pine-riding and goofy twoops ($600K this year, $625K next year). That thing's a dream for hockey dorks at a bar.

Also, regarding the anthem, Blackhawks fans don't sing along, we just more or less rupture our lungs, which is awesome in person because then you don't have to hear Jim Cornelison so much. Best I've probably ever heard was Edmonton's crowd in the Finals against Carolina.

I didnt hear Vancouver last night, but I will never ever forget Edmonton singing in the Finals. To me nothing beats that.

Whew, what a game for the Caps last night. I'm still a little on edge about their play, I wonder how they would fare against a team that could actually score, but for now theyre playing great defense, and every d-man is buying in and sacrificing themselves for the team. Karl Alzner has been the player of the series for me. He always makes the smart outlet pass and hes just tough as nails to play against, but you dont ever hear his name cause he rarely makes a mistake. 2nd would be Marcus Johansson. Kid just keeps getting better and better. As games go along he just gets stronger and moves his legs more as the shallow Rangers defense corps starts to tire. His line with Chimera and Laich has been great in this series and will be key as we go along.

[cameroncrazie07]

Tomorrow is officially a must win for the Rangers. They do say that a series doesn't start until a home team loses. So I still don't think that they're done.

[The_Admiral]

Red Wings lead the Coyotes 30-22 in PIMs. In Detroit! What's going on in that series? The Wings probably didn't have 30 PIMs all year.

[GO2HELL]

Dear Canucks, please only lose game 3 or 4. Just so I can go to game 5. I got free tickets from my boss earlier today, and I would love to go to my second ever Canucks playoff game. First one being game 7 vs St. Louis in '03. There was one helluva crowd that night.

[Sport]

Dear Canucks, please only lose game 3 or 4. Just so I can go to game 5. I got free tickets from my boss earlier today, and I would love to go to my second ever Canucks playoff game. First one being game 7 vs St. Louis in '03. There was one helluva crowd that night.

In that case, I hope the Canucks sweep them.

[ninersdd]

After 1 goal in Game 1, there is already 5 goals in the Sabres-Flyers Game 2. Buffalo leads 3-2 right now in it.

EDIT: Make it 3-3

[officeglenn]

Bobby Ryan gets two games for his stomp on Jonathan Blum.

After watching the replay, knowing Ryan doesn't have much of a prior record and accounting for the fact that playoff games are regarded as worth more than regular season games, this seems about right.

[NJTank]

After 1 goal in Game 1, there is already 5 goals in the Sabres-Flyers Game 2. Buffalo leads 3-2 right now in it.

EDIT: Make it 3-3

so the next goal will make it seven.

[Don]

2 games is fair for Ryan. No real intent like Prongers incident a couple years back.

[Brass]

...isn't every playoff game a "must win"?

[Corvus]

...isn't every playoff game a "must win"?

There's different degrees of that, obviously.

[IceCap]

Red Wings lead the Coyotes 30-22 in PIMs. In Detroit! What's going on in that series? The Wings probably didn't have 30 PIMs all year.

Red Wings lead the series 2-0. I hate the Red Wings, but I'm pulling for them to end the Coyotes' season so we can get things started on the move to Winnipeg.

[TFoA]

After 1 goal in Game 1, there is already 5 goals in the Sabres-Flyers Game 2. Buffalo leads 3-2 right now in it.

EDIT: Make it 3-3

so the next goal will make it seven.

Sounds like a game I need to watch. I'm caught up in the NBA Playoffs right now, but that sounded like a must-watch.

[BrianVlietDesign]

Bobby Ryan gets two games for his stomp on Jonathan Blum.

After watching the replay, knowing Ryan doesn't have much of a prior record and accounting for the fact that playoff games are regarded as worth more than regular season games, this seems about right.

Viewing the replay, I agree that Ryan's stomp was intentional and not necessary. But, seriously, was it really worth 2 games? The NHL ceases to amaze me.

[dfwabel]

After 1 goal in Game 1, there is already 5 goals in the Sabres-Flyers Game 2. Buffalo leads 3-2 right now in it.

EDIT: Make it 3-3

so the next goal will make it seven.

Sounds like a game I need to watch. I'm caught up in the NBA Playoffs right now, but that sounded like a must-watch.

Sorry. The funny part is that if you live in the USA, you cannot watch that game unless you had a local feed or NHL Center Ice. It was not even live on NHL Network. The Big Lead questions the NHLs playoff distribution. A new contract is in the wings, but are they wanting to get money like the Big XII and possibly Pac-12 while not delivering the same audience for college football? Wow.

The NHL still does not bring in an audience.

Averaging 534,328 households nationally for the first night is not good at all.

[Don]

The Bruins are (finally) on the board! 2-1 Habs.

[Brass]

The Bruins are (finally) on the board! 2-1 Habs.

3-1 now following some of the worse defensive zone hockey I've ever seen. It's really similar to last year in the way that all of the goals are exactly the same. Rebounds. Last year, the Flyers killed the Bruins with rushing the net and getting rebounds. This year, the Canadiens are doing the same thing - getting around the always flat-footed defensemen and getting the juicy rebounds.

[NJTank]

The Bruins are picking up where they left off last postseason.

[Don]

My theory is that they want to come back from a 3-0 series deficit instead of blowing a 3-0 lead, just to change things up this year.

[Brass]

My theory is that they want to come back from a 3-0 series deficit instead of blowing a 3-0 lead, just to change things up this year.

And I have a theory of my own - if the Bruins do not get past the second round this year and Claude Julien returns as head coach for the 2011/12 season, then hypothetically, I could get a job with the Bruins organization, steal players equipment and resell it on eBay, piss on the Garden ice one hour before game time with clear evidence of me doing it, call Peter Chiarelli's wife a variety of names and still be able to keep my job.

If you thought watching the Bruins fall to the Flyers last year was embarrassing to watch, just give this game a watch and try to lay off the antidepressants.