re: 2017 NHL Playoff Thread: PENGUINS WIN THE CUP, Crosby robs Malkin of the Conn Smythe

quote:

---

Have the Blue Jackets ever won a playoff series?

---

that is a big fat NO. 0-2 in their playoff series history.

I'm going to game 3 or 4 in Columbus. Part of me wants to go to Pittsburgh on Friday.

quote:

---

Going to game 3

---

good luck to you boys maybe you will finally win a series.

May have to make it to Nashville if they get to the 2nd round.

I'm glad it looks like there's no games on NHL Network. My cable system dropped the channel, but the NHL.TV app still blacks out games on NHLN for me. Which sucks. Any game on NHLN I can't see. I much prefer CNBC or USA.

And the skating penguin is by far their best logo. The black and classic yellow is sharp. I hate the dull gold look.

Caps in 5
CBJ in 7
Montreal in 6
Senators in 7

Hawks in 7
Blues in 7
Oil in 6
Ducks in 4

HABS v RANGERS
Probably the best first round series on paper in the East. Both have excellent goaltending, though it is a bit of a question where the Canadiens' goals will come from outside of Max Pacioretty. Still, I love their defense, I love the Forum, and in a series that will come down to goaltending, I'll take Price over Lundqvist. Barely. HABS in 7.

SENATORS v BRUINS
God damn, do I hate the Bruins. I hate their stupid faces, their stupid uniforms, and their stupid city. But come on, the Senators have a negative goal differential and the Bruins play "playoff hockey" year long. Boston has better possession stats, better special teams, and they flat score more goals. There's no earthly reason for them to lose this series, but... the Sens have defied logic all year. BRUINS in 6.

CAPS v LEAFS
The Caps get to face an earlier version of themselves. The Leafs are a fun, young team who can light the lamp but don't play a lick of defense. This is pretty much what the Caps were in 2008. Leafs have some injury concerns on their blueline, which is exactly what you want before playing one of the best offenses in the league. CAPS in 5.

PENGUINS v BLUE JACKETS
The Jackets are slumping, but so were the Penguins until a week ago. The Jackets play bruising defense and like to hit a lot, slowing the game to a crawl. The Pens want to open it up and let their offense roll. Whoever can dictate style of play will win this series (with a nod to the officials and how tight the whistles are). Letang is a huge loss for the Penguins, as he logged nearly 30 minutes a game last year in the playoffs. Still, I can't bring myself to pick Torts. PENS in 7.

HAWKS v PREDATORS
The Hawks have owned the Predators, and the Preds had an off year, but... man, they were so far out of the playoff picture early on and they fought their way in. They've got a deep scoring attack, and I still love Subban beyond all reason. The Preds also throw a metric shite ton of shots on net, which could be a problem for the Hawks.I know the Blackhawks are a better team, but I just have a feeling on this one. PREDS in 7.

WILD v BLUES
The Wild are in free fall, but they seemed to have righted the ship in the past two weeks, albeit against some bad teams. I love their depth down the middle, as they have four centers all with at least 50 points. They are the highest scoring team out west, which no one really thinks thanks to their well-earned defensive rep. I think it comes back together for them. This team is good. WILD in 6.

DUCKS v FLAMES
The Ducks get one of the few teams they can't push around at will. The Flames are every bit as nasty and tough as the Ducks, and Johnny Hockey is a blast. The Flames are a boring, low-event team, which can frustrate some of the more high powered offenses, but I think the Ducks will be able to handle a bunch of 2-1 atrocities against the sport. This should be an ugly series, won by the team that makes the fewest amount of mistakes. DUCKS in 7.

OILERS v SHARKS
This sucks. We could've had traditional rivals like the Battle of Alberta and California, plus a neat contrast in offense/defense styles. Instead, the two slow it down teams are in one series, and the two high flying offenses are against each other. The Oilers just don't match up well with Sharks. They score a ton of goals, and McDavid is the Truth, but the Sharks can still score, and they have Brett Burns and a killer defense. I wish they weren't playing in the first round, because I think the winner of this series is going to the Cup Finals. SHARKS in 7.

Canucks just fired their HC