Rite of Spring 2013 (NHL Playoffs): "You have no fear of the underdog, that's why you will not survive."

[BigBubba]

It's a shame that the Habs traded this incredible prospect away...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-WX-r-le7g

You'd think MLSE could afford to get a behind-the-net camera with resolution higher than a 2002 Nokia flip phone, but apparently not.

Anyways, a home win, a Phil Kessel road goal, and a picture of Max Domi wearing a Leafs jersey at the draft is all I need to sleep easy until October*.

*Barring a Luongo trade

[charger77]

[Sport]

Sports are never fun, the bad guys always win.

This seems accurate. There's also the question of whether you or I, deep-down, want our favorite teams to lose.

...It has been proven that we are more emotional when our teams lose than when they win...

Who are you? Deep-down I want my favorite teams to win. Every game.

I get no masochistic pleasure from being a fan of bad teams. I also get more emotional when they win. When they lose, especially as I've matured, I shrug and move on with my day.

[RedRenesis]

Unlike the title of this thread, it is the underdogs I fear this year.

Absolutely. Another point in Pens franchise history, should this go 7, is the Pens inability to win home game 7's.

[Kramerica Industries]

Dan Bylsma in general has a shockingly awful record in home close out games.

Game 5 of 2009 ECQF vs. Philadelphia (up 3-1): Lost

Game 6 of 2009 ECSF vs. Washington (up 3-2): Lost in OT

Game 5 of 2010 ECQF vs. Ottawa (up 3-1): Lost in OT (Matt Carkner on a 3OT goal, yeesh)

Game 7 of 2010 ECSF vs. Montreal: Lost

Game 5 of 2011 ECQF vs. Tampa Bay (up 3-1): Lost (8-2)

Game 7 of 2011 ECQF vs. Tampa Bay: Lost

I mean, the Penguins have never closed out a series on their home ice under Bylsma. Just be glad the Red Wings had home ice in the 2009 Final.

[dbadefense1990]

Unlike the title of this thread, it is the underdogs I fear this year.

Absolutely. Another point in Pens franchise history, should this go 7, is the Pens inability to win home game 7's.

Actually the thread title pokes the fact that the favorites will be lax at the underdogs, and they will undermine the potential the underdog has at upsetting the favorite. Instead of just goofing off and expecting a silver platter, all teams, no matter who they face, should anticipate their opponents to fire on all cylinders, and have a sense of urgency in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If there's no sense of fear from the underdog or whoever, as the title says, you will not survive.

[RedRenesis]

Dan Bylsma in general has a shockingly awful record in home close out games.

I mean, the Penguins have never closed out a series on their home ice under Bylsma. Just be glad the Red Wings had home ice in the 2009 Final.

Depending on how this playoff year goes Bylsma may be treading into Bill Cowher territory for me. Sure he gets credit for turning around the team in 09, but remember Therrien had them within two wins the year before. With his first full season in '010 playoff runs have been short-lived, and like you point out winning big games at home in the playoffs is proving as difficult for Bylsma as they did Cowher. I know :censored:ting on a guy who won a cup four years ago may be wrong, but hes had progressively better teams each season since, and the playoff performances are getting worse.

[Kramerica Industries]

Yeah, just to expand on that record for a minute there; Penguins home record in each playoff series under Bylsma:

2009

ECQF vs. PHI: 2-1

ECSF vs. WSH: 2-1

ECF vs. CAR: 2-0

SCF vs. DET: 3-0

9-2 home record. Absolutely stellar.

2010

ECQF vs OTT: 1-2

ECSF vs. MTL: 2-2

3-4 home record. Subpar, and obviously the Game 7 thumping from 39-win Montreal to close out Mellon Arena. Not good times.

2011

ECQF vs. TB: 1-3

Including an 8-2 loss in Game 5 with the series for the taking, and then the 1-0 loss in Game 7 when Dwayne Roloson stopped basically his age in shots.

2012

ECQF vs. PHI: 1-2

Belies the Penguins generally awful home record at Consol vs. Philadelphia (3-8). Furthermore, until their Game 5 home win, they had lost five straight home playoff games, and nine of their last twelve home playoff games (from Game 2 vs. Ottawa in 2010 through Game 2 vs. Philly in 2012). Overall, the Bylsma Penguins have only a 14-11 home playoff record, and given that they have held home ice in every series since 2010, that's a very disappointing mark.

You have to expect this to turn around soon enough. There's no way a team with Crosby and Malkin (and, now, Iginla and Morrow and others) should continue to struggle so bad on their home ice. I expect the Penguins to take care of business against the Islanders.

[DaRadniz29]

Thanks for playing San Jose and Washington. Ugh, I hope the Sharks can navigate the waters these playoffs, but losing 3 of 4 down the stretch doesn't look good. Capitals and Rangers battling again, they always seem to meet somewhere down the line in the playoffs.

Anyway there's the data, but as they say "that's why you play the games"

Uh, I don't think it really matters that they lost 3 of 4. They lost a tough one to the hottest team in the league(CBJ), a goalie who owns them (Phoenix), and at the defending champs in a game which they were better off losing. They were all close games. Last year, the Sharks closed out the year winning the last 4, and did it matter? No, we lost in 5.

I hope you're right and it doesn't matter. I think they've got a better group of guys this year, and hopefully they can break through to the Stanley Cup Finals and win the Cup, because I'm getting tired of the choke talk and the only way it ends is with a Sharks Cup victory, I just don't think is the Sharks year, but I'll be ecstatic if they do win it this season.

[ninersdd]

My first round predictions:

Hawks in 5

Wings in 7

Sharks in 6

Kings in 6

Penguins in 5

Habs in 7

Rangers in 6

Bruins in 6

[CS85]

Via the Leafs subreddit...

[wildwing64]

Can you imagine painting an Anaheim duck on your face? No thanks!

No need to anyway. The Ducks sell Wild Wing masks at the team store. And they are awesome.

[Sport]

Tonight's the night. I wish the Blue Jackets were participating, but it'll be a nice consolation to see the Wild get stomped.

and because the "Because it's the Cup" campaign this year has left me unsatisfied, here's the best sports commercial of all time

[RyanMcD29]

Here's what I've got in the first round:

Penguins in 5

Senators in 7

Rangers in 7

Maple Leafs in 6

Blackhawks in 5

Ducks in 7

Canucks in 6

Kings in 5

And I guess for the rest

Penguins in 4

Rangers in 6

Kings in 6

Canucks in 7

Kings in 4

Penguins in 6

Penguins in 6

[sportstar1212]

My first round predictions:

Pens in 4

Habs in 6

Rangers in 7

Bruins in 5

Hawks in 4

Ducks in 7

Sharks in 6

Kings in 6

[Punch]

.

[youcan'tseeme]

Penguins in 6

Senators in 7

Rangers in 6

Leafs in 6

Chicago in 6

Detroit in 7

San Jose in 6

St. Louis in 6

[Kramerica Industries]

Eastern Conference:

1) Pittsburgh over 8) NY Islanders (4-1)

2) Montreal over 7) Ottawa (4-1)

6) NY Rangers over 3) Washington (4-2)

4) Boston over 5) Toronto (4-1)

1) Pittsburgh over 6) NY Rangers (4-1)

4) Boston over 2) Montreal (4-2)

1) Pittsburgh over 4) Boston (4-1)

Western Conference:

1) Chicago over 8) Minnesota (4-0)

2) Anaheim over 7) Detroit (4-2)

3) Vancouver over 6) San Jose (4-2)

5) Los Angeles over 4) St. Louis (4-1)

1) Chicago over 5) Los Angeles (4-3)

2) Anaheim over 3) Vancouver (4-2)

1) Chicago over 2) Anaheim (4-3)

Stanley Cup Final:

1) Pittsburgh over 1) Chicago (4-3)

Conn Smythe: Evgeni Malkin

I know, going out on a limb there with two #1 seeds in the Final. Hockey never works that way.

[NEW.ERA]

I get that Pittsburgh and Chicago have really set themselves apart from everyone else, or so it would seem. I think we could see just total craziness. I'm looking at you Islanders, Senators, Leafs, Wild, Sharks.

[FGM13]

Pens over Isles in 6

Habs over Sens in 6

Rangers over Caps in 5

Bruins over Leafs in 5

Hawks over Wild in 5

Wings over ducks in 7

Nucks over Sharks in 6

Blues over Kings in 7