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

[fouhy12]

This should be an awesome ECF. The Pens seem to be very top heavy, but the Bruins have depth. It should be very competitive. I love that dirty water!

My takeaways from this series about the Rangers:

1. Torts needs to go.

2. No depth scoring.

3. Bad powerplay.

4. Bad defense.

I can't wait for next series!

[Kramerica Industries]

That wasn't much fun.

Totally appropriate for a 4th liner to administer the last rites to the Rangers. It was shameful how the Rangers got killed by the Thornton/Paille/Campbell unit in this series.

[HedleyLamarr]

Is it fair to start calling Henrik Lundqvist a "choking dog" in meaningful games? I've been questioning the size of his chest the last couple years now.

I believe I made a post a year or two ago pointing out his playoff win/loss record and his demerits and his ability to come up small when the games mean more.

[Kramerica Industries]

Henrik's only poor game this entire postseason was Game 2 of this series.

Come on now. The Rangers offense has been seriously lacking in the playoffs for quite some time now. Hank can only do so much. The Rangers have scored two goals or fewer in 20 of the 32 playoff games they've contested in the past two years. Just how good do you expect Hank to be? He's the only friggen reason they got past Washington.

2011-12: 1.84 GAA, .931 S%

2013 (entering today): 2.15 GAA, .934 S%

Lifetime: 2.29 GAA, .920 S%.

I ing wish this choking dog was the Lightning netminder.

[Still MIGHTY]

[HedleyLamarr]

Lundqvist also has a career 30-37 record in the playoffs, a blown 3-1 series lead to his "credit", and lost Game 82 against the Flyers in that "Winner makes the playoffs" game. I think it's at least worthy of discussion.

Not saying it's all his fault, but it's expected that defenses tighten up in the playoffs, yet Henrik's playoff numbers have been about the same...or worse....than his regular season marks.

To me, that doesn't show that he's a big-game performer when the spotlights get brighter.

[NEW.ERA]

Stop Iginla. Make me happy Boston!

[Sodboy13]

For any non-partisan fans watching tonight wondering what these offensive combinations are all about for the Blackhawks, Chicago fans are all too familiar with this game:

[Kramerica Industries]

Lundqvist also has a career 30-37 record in the playoffs, a blown 3-1 series lead to his "credit", and lost Game 82 against the Flyers in that "Winner makes the playoffs" game. I think it's at least worthy of discussion.

Not saying it's all his fault, but it's expected that defenses tighten up in the playoffs, yet Henrik's playoff numbers have been about the same...or worse....than his regular season marks.

To me, that doesn't show that he's a big-game performer when the spotlights get brighter.

His '08 and '09 playoff performances (and '06, but the Rangers were long into a tailspin by this point) were not exactly stellar, no. Facing the superpowered Capitals offense in 2009 didn't do his numbers any good, and he did allow nine goals in Games 5 and 6 of that series.

But I look at his past two postseason performances, and see absolutely stellar production over 32 games. To me, Hank is not the problem in the least the past two postseasons. The problem is the often-feeble New York offense, which makes no sense given their collective talent. A true case of the whole outweighing the sum of the parts.

[Corvus]

My only point is people will find reasons to root for or against something. To sit there and call someone and idiot for having their own reason for rooting is in itself a statement of idiocy.

But it is Ads were talking about... sooooo, not surprised.

Everyone can have an opinion. That doesn't mean they are free from being criticised and discussed.

[fouhy12]

Lundqvist also has a career 30-37 record in the playoffs, a blown 3-1 series lead to his "credit", and lost Game 82 against the Flyers in that "Winner makes the playoffs" game. I think it's at least worthy of discussion.

Not saying it's all his fault, but it's expected that defenses tighten up in the playoffs, yet Henrik's playoff numbers have been about the same...or worse....than his regular season marks.

To me, that doesn't show that he's a big-game performer when the spotlights get brighter.

His '08 and '09 playoff performances (and '06, but the Rangers were long into a tailspin by this point) were not exactly stellar, no. Facing the superpowered Capitals offense in 2009 didn't do his numbers any good, and he did allow nine goals in Games 5 and 6 of that series.

But I look at his past two postseason performances, and see absolutely stellar production over 32 games. To me, Hank is not the problem in the least the past two postseasons. The problem is the often-feeble New York offense, which makes no sense given their collective talent. A true case of the whole outweighing the sum of the parts.

The defense wasn't doing him any favors either. If not for Henrik, you could probably add one goal to each game for the Bruins. I think he was the only one that kept them in the games.

[drdougfresh]

Welp.

[CS85]

With a win tonight, the Blackhawks should be up for the task, considering they took games 2, 3, and 4 off.

[Funky Bunky]

Is it fair to start calling Henrik Lundqvist a "choking dog" in meaningful games? I've been questioning the size of his chest the last couple years now.

I believe I made a post a year or two ago pointing out his playoff win/loss record and his demerits and his ability to come up small when the games mean more.

You've gotta be trolling. His save percentage these playoffs has been .934! He's one of the few reasons the Rangers made the playoffs, and he's one of the few reasons why they even got this far.

[drdougfresh]

With a win tonight, the Blackhawks should be up for the task, considering they took games 2, 3, and 4 off.

I feel like even though its 3-2, it's Chicago's series to lose right now. The Wings came out so flat and looked jittery tonight, makes me a little worried about the youth of this team. If we lose again Monday, I have little hope.

[HedleyLamarr]

Is it fair to start calling Henrik Lundqvist a "choking dog" in meaningful games? I've been questioning the size of his chest the last couple years now.

I believe I made a post a year or two ago pointing out his playoff win/loss record and his demerits and his ability to come up small when the games mean more.

You've gotta be trolling. His save percentage these playoffs has been .934! He's one of the few reasons the Rangers made the playoffs, and he's one of the few reasons why they even got this far.

I'm looking at the totality of his work, not just this season.

[dbadefense1990]

*note: this was going to be posted last night, but had other plans, so here it is today

Ever since the Curse of Marty McSorely...

...was initiated by Jaques Demers' and the Habs' suspicious in 1993, no Canadian team has won the cup. Five times has a team reached the Final and lost (Canucks twice, Flames, Oilers and Sens), with four of those times losing in Game 7. A year after relocation to Denver, the former Quebec Nordiques went on to win the cup, just as the club was to enter its prime. And since Montreal's last cup, every Final series except 1997 and 1998, 2001 and from 2008-2011 had at least one nontraditional "sun belt" U.S. team playing in it.

These are cold, hard facts to look at, when assessing Canadian teams in the Bettman era, so the believability of a hockey curse on an entire nation is very high. I can clamor why Canadian teams usually jump ship on the last of their teams standing (except the Canuckeheads), and of all the "it's our sport," and "bunch of stupid Americans who don't follow hockey and take our cup" rhetoric. Hard to believe that the closest at retrieving the cup was off the skate of Gelinas in Game 6 at the Saddledome almost a decade ago.

[IceCap]

....and the Kings won the Cup last season. So you know, get over it?

[The_Admiral]

all the "it's our sport,"

It is their sport.

[dbadefense1990]

....and the Kings won the Cup last season. So you know, get over it?

I was just putting my two cents on how Canada has been cursed out of the cup for now 20 years. Did I even put the Kings out there in my post? Learn to read.

And for the record, the McSorley Curse affected Canada more than the Kings. While no other Canadian team has won the cup, Montreal hasn't even been to the Cup Final since. The crushing blow to the Kings was more of McNall's bankruptcy and prison incarceration nearly destroying the franchise.