re: NHL Playoffs.

Normal service has resumed

A little off-topic, anyone finding these SC playoff commercials awesome? The music, the plays/moments, the slow-mo... they all are just spine-tingling to me.

The one with Gretz I saw for the 1st time a couple of nights ago made me wanna cry.... And hate Phoenix/NHL for what they did to an icon...

quote:

---

Devils get the Flyers in the first round. Not good considering we haven't beaten those Philly bastards all season.

---

Lexo hit on the head....

And of all the teams stats, I think one of the most interesting is the 5 on 5 (goals for/against) ratio. IF the Caps win tomorrow, then 7 out of the 8 top teams in that category will have advanced. The exception is Buffalo, but that can be explained by their astounding 0% PP success! Vancouver and Philadelphia are both over 2.0, which is really impressive. That means they're scoring over twice as many full strength goals as their opponents. They were also both at/over 25% on the PP (Vancouver's horrendous PK is what kept allowed the Kings to last as long as they did).

Looking ahead, Boston is in the most trouble based on those stats. They were at a meager .57 and obviously relied on the combo of their PP success and Buffalo's PP futility to advance. Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Vancouver are the top 4 teams left in both 5 on 5 and PP %. I expect at least 3 of those 4 to find their way into the conference finals. Having said all of that, it's a small sample size of games thus far and certain teams have had more favorable matchups than others. Nonetheless, I think it's a good indication of how the teams are playing and what you might be able to expect moving forward.

quote:

---

whoever draws Boston next is in luck I had Pitt getting them, that Sabres series was physical as hell...should be a cakewalk unless they have finally gelled

---

I do think Savard's return will have an emotional (if not tangible) impact. And Boston's PP did get going finally. Rask was outstanding and they'll have a chance to win some games if he keeps playing like that. As for the Pens, I think everyone has been focusing on Crosby's 14 points and Malkin's good play, but the best thing they have going is team play. 12 different players scored for them in those 6 games. That's a pretty remarkable stat and it shows that everyone is doing their part. If the likes of Cooke, Dupuis, and Talbot are scoring, there's not going to be any team that has much of a shot to beat them. The only real question mark to me will be Fleury. He looked better as the series progressed and 7 of the goals he allowed were on the Sens' PP, but he can't afford to let in soft ones ala Game 1.

quote:

---

I think more of a question mark for the Pens is Stall something doesnt look a hundo percent right with him this year

---

He did seem off earlier on in the series, but I thought he played well the last two games. He made a great play on the series clinching goal so I'm hoping that carries over for him. Their center play is exactly what makes them so tough so you're right about Stall needing to be in form. The most striking deficiency against Ottawa was the PK IMO, and that's usually one of Stall's strengths. I'm hoping the extra rest will help.

quote:

---

A little off-topic, anyone finding these SC playoff commercials awesome?

---

Beyond awesome. The best hockey ads since the black and white ESPN ads.

quote:

---

when and why did you get into hockey?

---

I generally watch the big events in every sport so I've always watched the NHL playoffs, but I've really gotten into the sport as a whole after the lockout (and my interest has been increasing each year). And believe it or not, my basic knowledge of the game/rules/players generally came from the hockey video games (which I started playing in the early 90's). Since there was no geographical influence in choosing a team, I went with one that I thought had young, promising players. That of course was Pittsburgh. A big reason for my growing interest has been increased HD availability and the NHL network. I've gotten to the point now where I'll watch just about any regular season game and of course every playoff game. It's a great sport and once you learn the rules, it sells itself IMO. I just wish I had easier access to seeing live games.