The Rite of Spring

[DustDevil61]

Rangers over Capitals in five. I really like the way the Rangers match up in this series.

Flyers over Devils in six. Anticipating a very tight series between the two teams. Could see multiple OT games in this series. In the end though I think Philly just has the better overall team.

Kings over Blues in five. I think the Blues are the better team, but the Kings just strike me as a team that has the hot hand and sometimes that's all you need. If Jon Quick plays like he did against Vancouver, the Blues have no shot in this series.

Predators over Coyotes in six. Maybe the least interesting playoff series in NHL history. The fact they are scheduled for two Friday games in the series while no other series even has one I think should tell you how much the networks really think people are going to care about this series. Think both teams are pretty evenly matched. Just like Nashville's playoff pedigree to give them the edge.

Two out of three Friday games are in Phoenix, so I'd say that one reason why the games are scheduled on Friday when no other series has Friday games is for the NHL to give all those hockey fans in Phoenix the best shot at filling their arena. The game in Nashville could be used to gauge the Phoenix television market's interest in the Coyotes.

</tinfoilhat>

[BigBubba]

[pmoehrin]

Rangers over Capitals in five. I really like the way the Rangers match up in this series.

Flyers over Devils in six. Anticipating a very tight series between the two teams. Could see multiple OT games in this series. In the end though I think Philly just has the better overall team.

Kings over Blues in five. I think the Blues are the better team, but the Kings just strike me as a team that has the hot hand and sometimes that's all you need. If Jon Quick plays like he did against Vancouver, the Blues have no shot in this series.

Predators over Coyotes in six. Maybe the least interesting playoff series in NHL history. The fact they are scheduled for three Friday games in the series while no other series even has one I think should tell you how much the networks really think people are going to care about this series. Think both teams are pretty evenly matched. Just like Nashville's playoff pedigree to give them the edge.

Two out of three Friday games are in Phoenix, so I'd say that one reason why the games are scheduled on Friday when no other series has Friday games is for the NHL to give all those hockey fans in Phoenix the best shot at filling their arena. The game in Nashville could be used to gauge the Phoenix television market's interest in the Coyotes.

</tinfoilhat>

I just don't think its anything more then NBC saying were not putting the Coyotes/Predators on network TV.

I don't think they have any faith in either market to be a major draw and nobody cares outside of Phoenix or Nashville could give a crap about either of these two teams either. I just see zero interest being shown in this series by anyone outside of the most diehard of hockey fans and Coyote/Predator fans.

[WSU151]

Silly me for doubting the mighty Florida Panthers.

Yeah you pretty much nailed the Panthers-out-in-4 prediction. You are a in' genius.

Seeing as you probably thought they'd go further, you're not one to talk.

I wasn't dumb enough to think they'd get swept. It's not like New Jersey dominated the series.

[RyanMcD29]

Rangers over Capitals in five. I really like the way the Rangers match up in this series.

Flyers over Devils in six. Anticipating a very tight series between the two teams. Could see multiple OT games in this series. In the end though I think Philly just has the better overall team.

Kings over Blues in five. I think the Blues are the better team, but the Kings just strike me as a team that has the hot hand and sometimes that's all you need. If Jon Quick plays like he did against Vancouver, the Blues have no shot in this series.

Predators over Coyotes in six. Maybe the least interesting playoff series in NHL history. The fact they are scheduled for three Friday games in the series while no other series even has one I think should tell you how much the networks really think people are going to care about this series. Think both teams are pretty evenly matched. Just like Nashville's playoff pedigree to give them the edge.

Two out of three Friday games are in Phoenix, so I'd say that one reason why the games are scheduled on Friday when no other series has Friday games is for the NHL to give all those hockey fans in Phoenix the best shot at filling their arena. The game in Nashville could be used to gauge the Phoenix television market's interest in the Coyotes.

</tinfoilhat>

I just don't think its anything more then NBC saying were not putting the Coyotes/Predators on network TV.

I don't think they have any faith in either market to be a major draw and nobody cares outside of Phoenix or Nashville could give a crap about either of these two teams either. I just see zero interest being shown in this series by anyone outside of the most diehard of hockey fans and Coyote/Predator fans.

Well.. it's also taking into consideration the other 3 series should get high ratings and thus are attractive for sticking on NBC. Can't pass up on 2 NYC market teams, Philly, Washington, and LA making a comeback as a hockey market. Nashville's been on NBC twice these playoffs (granted they were facing Detroit..) so I think it's more so worrying about Phoenix and markets outside of Nashville tuning in.

Either way, everything's on national TV.. I've got no complaints

[BigBubba]

Silly me for doubting the mighty Florida Panthers.

Yeah you pretty much nailed the Panthers-out-in-4 prediction. You are a in' genius.

Seeing as you probably thought they'd go further, you're not one to talk.

I wasn't dumb enough to think they'd get swept. It's not like New Jersey dominated the series.

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

[WSU151]

Silly me for doubting the mighty Florida Panthers.

Yeah you pretty much nailed the Panthers-out-in-4 prediction. You are a in' genius.

Seeing as you probably thought they'd go further, you're not one to talk.

I wasn't dumb enough to think they'd get swept. It's not like New Jersey dominated the series.

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

And please, list the professional prognosticators who didn't think Florida would win one game...

[BigBubba]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd of actual fans.

[WSU151]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd.

OH SNAP!!! Good one!!

If championships were won based on fan bases, you'd be brilliant.

[BigBubba]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd.

OH SNAP!!! Good one!!

The Leafs had 4 less wins playing in a much harder division. Listen, if you, IslandStyle, Lebda4Norris, and all seven other "Cats" fans want to pretend this 37-win team was good, by all means, go ahead. Celebrate winning the worst division in the league and having three playoff wins. Feel proud about beating the likes of the Caps, Jets, Hurricanes and Lightning and not having to face Ottawa and Boston a combined twelve times a year. I won't stop you. Just don't bitch about it here when they become last year's Lightning (barring any significant summer additions, I should add).

Hint: There's a reason everyone wanted this team to make a playoff run (they're not that good).

[maz]

<Stamkos goals graphics removed>

Well, if there's one thing we can be proud of, it's that the penguins shut out the top goal scorer in the league.

[WSU151]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd.

OH SNAP!!! Good one!!

The Leafs had 4 less wins playing in a much harder division. Listen, if you, IslandStyle, Lebda4Norris, and all seven other "Cats" fans want to pretend this 37-win team was good, by all means, go ahead. Celebrate winning the worst division in the league and having three playoff wins. Feel proud about beating the likes of the Caps, Jets, Hurricanes and Lightning and not having to face Ottawa and Boston a combined twelve times a year. I won't stop you. Just don't bitch about it here when they become last year's Lightning (barring any significant summer additions, I should add).

Hint: There's a reason everyone wanted this team to make a playoff run (they're not that good).

It's weird that you defend the Leafs because they played Ottawa and Boston. What did Ottawa and Boston do in the first round? Did the Capitals actually win a series?? But you're right, the Caps are no good either.

With all the fans and all the money in the world, the Leafs should be better than, I dunno, 13th in the East. Did the Leafs really have fewer points than Carolina, Tampa, and Winnipeg??

Keep throwing those stones from your glass house. You're doing great!

[ninersdd]

Here are my predictions:

Kings in 7

Preds in 7

Flyers in 6

Caps in 7

[Cujo]

EAST

Flyers def. Devils in 6

Rangers def. Caps in 4

WEST

Kings def. Blues in 6

Coyotes def. Preds in 7

[IceCap]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd.

OH SNAP!!! Good one!!

The Leafs had 4 less wins playing in a much harder division. Listen, if you, IslandStyle, Lebda4Norris, and all seven other "Cats" fans want to pretend this 37-win team was good, by all means, go ahead. Celebrate winning the worst division in the league and having three playoff wins. Feel proud about beating the likes of the Caps, Jets, Hurricanes and Lightning and not having to face Ottawa and Boston a combined twelve times a year. I won't stop you. Just don't bitch about it here when they become last year's Lightning (barring any significant summer additions, I should add).

Hint: There's a reason everyone wanted this team to make a playoff run (they're not that good).

It's weird that you defend the Leafs because they played Ottawa and Boston. What did Ottawa and Boston do in the first round? Did the Capitals actually win a series?? But you're right, the Caps are no good either.

With all the fans and all the money in the world, the Leafs should be better than, I dunno, 13th in the East. Did the Leafs really have fewer points than Carolina, Tampa, and Winnipeg??

Keep throwing those stones from your glass house. You're doing great!

The Panthers' playoff loss turned into an excuse to Leafs bash? Sweet!

The Leafs' continued suckitude has nothing to do with the fact that this Panthers team was the most blatant example of regular season "success" through playing the system we've seen in the NHL in quite a while. Really, they weren't that good of a team.

Again though, I fail to see what this has to do with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[Sport]

Flyers over Devils

Rangers over Capitals

Predators over Coyotes

Kings over Blues

[WSU151]

LOL a lot of people had them being swept.

But hey, if this were the regular season, that game 7 OT loss would've mattered!

If this was the regular season, the Leafs would still be playing, right?

Yes...in front of a sold out crowd.

OH SNAP!!! Good one!!

The Leafs had 4 less wins playing in a much harder division. Listen, if you, IslandStyle, Lebda4Norris, and all seven other "Cats" fans want to pretend this 37-win team was good, by all means, go ahead. Celebrate winning the worst division in the league and having three playoff wins. Feel proud about beating the likes of the Caps, Jets, Hurricanes and Lightning and not having to face Ottawa and Boston a combined twelve times a year. I won't stop you. Just don't bitch about it here when they become last year's Lightning (barring any significant summer additions, I should add).

Hint: There's a reason everyone wanted this team to make a playoff run (they're not that good).

It's weird that you defend the Leafs because they played Ottawa and Boston. What did Ottawa and Boston do in the first round? Did the Capitals actually win a series?? But you're right, the Caps are no good either.

With all the fans and all the money in the world, the Leafs should be better than, I dunno, 13th in the East. Did the Leafs really have fewer points than Carolina, Tampa, and Winnipeg??

Keep throwing those stones from your glass house. You're doing great!

The Panthers' playoff loss turned into an excuse to Leafs bash? Sweet!

The Leafs' continued suckitude has nothing to do with the fact that this Panthers team was the most blatant example of regular season "success" through playing the system we've seen in the NHL in quite a while. Really, they weren't that good of a team.

Again though, I fail to see what this has to do with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I just hate people who bash other teams even though their own team didn't get in. It's quite douchebaggery. I don't hate the Leafs. We've seen in these playoffs that parity is alive and well in the NHL. Don't try to tell me your team had a tougher time of it because of the two teams in your division that made the playoffs. Ottawa barely made it...it's not like they just missed out on the President's Cup.

The Panthers were good enough to get in the playoffs. If wins were the only thing that mattered, then the NHL would do away with the points for ties and OTLs. The system has helped other teams in the past, pre and post lockout, and suddenly it's an issue because a team where there is no dreary weather finally made the playoffs. I get the hate on the Coyotes, because the city coughs up too much money to keep a team that few people care about. The Panthers, on the other hand, just plain struggle to get fans, and they're quite aware of the fact, but at least they're not receiving government subsidies. As far as I know, they're just trying to get out of the hellhole they've been in for the last 12 years and start doing things the right way. That's admirable, to me, at least. The greatest stories in sports are about the underdogs making noise. I didn't expect the Panthers to go more than two rounds, tops. They have huge deficiencies especially even strength. But they were by no means terrible. The Cats' power play against the best penalty kill team in the history of the NHL was pretty amazing.

And again...they made the playoffs and my local team did not. I haven't entered this thread saying "Man, the Kings". You know what I mean? Who does that?? I don't hate playoff teams because they did something that my team, with all the resources in the world, didn't do.

[BigBubba]

Let's clear a few things up:

• I never said the Panthers were going to 100% without-a-doubt going to get swept. I actually expected them to come away with one, maybe two wins.
• I don't know what the Leafs have to do with it. I know they suck - I just don't try to deny it.
• I also never said the Leafs had a tougher time because two other of their divisional rivals made the playoffs. Boston absolutely embarrassed the Leafs in their 6-0 season sweep. That's why.
• "If wins were the only thing that mattered, then the NHL would do away with the points for ties and OTLs". Just because the league does it doesn't mean it's the right system. Hell, they've kept the Coyotes around and MLB has the ASG winner have home-field advantage in the WS
• What does the Leafs having a lot of money have to do with being good? Sure, they can spend to the cap limit, but that's the key word: "cap". It also doesn't help that they're being weighed down by some horrendous contracts.

And I may as well:

Preds v. StL

Philly v. Rangers

Preds v. Philly (in the Finals)

[IceCap]

I just hate people who bash other teams even though their own team didn't get in. It's quite douchebaggery. I don't hate the Leafs.

I don't think there's anything wrong with saying "hey this team isn't as good as the other teams in the playoffs" even if your team didn't make it in. The Panthers' reliance on OTL points this season was cause for concern going forward. And as it just so happened they blew two chances to put the Devils away at the end, losing both games in OT. I'd say that justified people's concerns about the Panthers going into this post-season. Simply pointing that out, even if the team BigBubba and myself follows sucks hard, isn't in and of itself wrong in any way.

The system has helped other teams in the past, pre and post lockout, and suddenly it's an issue because a team where there is no dreary weather finally made the playoffs.

No team in recent memory did it to the extant that the Panthers did.

I get the hate on the Coyotes, because the city coughs up too much money to keep a team that few people care about. The Panthers, on the other hand, just plain struggle to get fans, and they're quite aware of the fact, but at least they're not receiving government subsidies. As far as I know, they're just trying to get out of the hellhole they've been in for the last 12 years and start doing things the right way. That's admirable, to me, at least. The greatest stories in sports are about the underdogs making noise.

The Panthers don't bug me. Sure, the tarps on the upper bowl and wiliness to sell ad-space to anyone anywhere are funny, but you're right. They're not killing their city financially. That, and the rats are some of my earliest hockey memories. I wouldn't be opposed to rooting for the Florida Panthers in certain match-ups. Plus I still love their original uniforms. Those were nice.

That being said, I rooted against them for two primary reasons. The first was that I like Marty Brodeur. He's probably the best goal tender of his generation, and I'd like to see him on one more deep post-season run. The second reason was that while the Panthers themselves don't bug me the way some of their supporters here acted during the NJ series really made me want to see them come up short. I'm sorry, rat nostalgia cannot overcome the self righteous attitude of Panthers fans who use their team's success to cheerlead for southern hockey solidarity, as if the Panthers making it to round two will somehow make the Coyotes less of a financial black hole.

Some American fans get annoyed when most of Canada latches onto the last Canadian team in the playoffs? I guess it works both ways.

And again...they made the playoffs and my local team did not. I haven't entered this thread saying "Man, the Kings". You know what I mean? Who does that?? I don't hate playoff teams because they did something that my team, with all the resources in the world, didn't do.

I don't hate any team in the playoffs for simply making the playoffs while the Leafs didn't. I thought the Panthers were in trouble because of their habit for collecting OTL points in the regular season. I wanted to see them loose to the Devils because I like the Devils' goalie and some Panthers bandwagon jumpers and fans annoyed me.

None of it had anything to do with with the Panthers managing to make it in while the Leafs couldn't. If I hated every team that made the playoffs while the Leafs fell short I'd hate most of the NHL.

[-kj]

So, basically, Florida wasn't good enough to be top half of the conference because they lost more of the carnival games than other teams?