[OT-NHL] The Annual NHL Playoffs Thread: 2003

[Paragon]

Congrats Nucks and the Wild.

P.s. wild, I hate you. no really i do. hate hate hate.
nothing personal



GO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paragon

 

[Quickbeam]

You're surprised? Really? I'm not. The Avs are notoriously horrible at keeping a lead. I can't take anything away from Minnesota, they played hard and deserved to win the series.

It was as I feared, the famed AMP line and Roy, which were so hot just a few weeks before playoffs, cooled down just in time for the Wild. Not to mention that Mandy Fernandez got touched by a god.

It's one thing to squander a lead -- which I agree is an Avalanche tradition. It's another thing entirely to squander a lead when you play two games on home ice, against a team with little offense to speak of and a young goaltender. But don't get me wrong, I'm plenty happy the Wild pulled off the upset.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Wow!...what a great game last night. The Canucks just rolled over the Blues in a fashion that I had to say warmed my heart.

This was the team I wanted to see in the playoffs. I, being the bigger man, will refrain from pointing and laughing at Flexor the Mighty and his feelings about which teams the Canucks cannot beat and why

I was worried that the Canucks would have to face the Avalanche or the Wings (Arch-Nemesis both), so--though they have shown incredible heart--I am glad that we are facing the Wild.

I'll re-state my respect for the Blues has grown hugely through this series. I was looking at the roster and they fielded 5 ex-captains! (Mellanby, Tkachuk, MacInnis, Pronger, Weight)...you can't do that and not be impressive.

I think it could have gone a lot differently had The Blues not been hit as badly by that flu.

In any event, The Canucks seem to be awake now and well-primed for the coming battle

We can thank St. Louis for the wake-up call.

 

[linnorm]

Jeez, am I the only Wild fan on the planet? If it weren't for the screaming fans selling out the Energy Center in the state of hockey every damn game...I'd think I was utterly alone. Anyway...GO WILD!

Fear not!! Wild fans may be few, but we are stalwart defenders of justice!!.... or something. I almost turned the game off when Sakic scored, now I'm glad I didn't.

GO WILD!!!

Paragon: The feeling's mutual.

 

[MThibault]

Course I do agree, if they win game 1, they are off to a good start and even more so if they go up 2-0, 3-1

I would actually bet against my Sens in game one on Friday. They've had a long layoff and without individual, game defining, superstars, timing becomes paramount. I'm sure they've been practicing and everything, but it isn't the same as real competition.

I'm not too worried about that though. After all the Sens were blown out by the Islanders in game one and came back to win handily. Philly won't be as easy as NYI turned out to be, but losing game one probably won't lose them the series.

Cheers

 

[Welverin]

On the other side, what's up with LeClair? Awfully quiet.

Can't really say, but it says something about their depth up front that John boy, Gagne, Williams, and Primeau can each come away with only one goal each and the team was still able to average 3.5 goals a game. On top of that Amonte and Handzus had none.

Now Nolan had to be hurt. The only time I noticed he was even out there was when the announcers mentioned how they thought he was playing hurt.

Ottawa vs. Philly: I think Philly is tired and as I said, I'm not sure how deep they are, or even how well their top guys are feeling.

Up front, deep. On the blueline they could have some problems, especially with Desjardins out.

New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay: This series figures to be the closest and most exciting based on the numbers. We have a #2 vs. a #3 seed.

You need to take more than seedings into account. Both Philly (107) and Toronto (98) had more points then Tampa (93) who barely finished ahead of Washington (92). For reference NJ had 108 and Ottawa had 113.

Not to take too much away from Philly, but Toronto was showing their age and hubris. All year they've blown hot and cold so it doesn't surprise me that they crumpled in 1 out of 3 games that were must wins. They had no focus in the early part of the series, gained it back in the middle, and then lost their focus completely in game 7. The leafs beat themselves, mostly.

No, the Flyers beat them. They were the better team and it showed. Philly outplayed the Leafs for most of the series and outright dominated for stretches. Now had Toronto been healthy for the whole series it would have been closer than the outcome makes it seem.

 

[shadoe]

Well, that was an interesting first round, I was most impressed that the Wild could pull of the win against the Avs. Now I just hope that the Stars and the Wild win this round so that we can have the battle of Minnesota for the conference finals. And in the east I would like to see the Ottawa and Tampa to win through, even though I believe it will be the Devils that beat the Lightning.

Go Stars
Go Wild

 

[GreyOne]

YEAH BABY

CANUCKS!

And I was there. I witnessed first hand the Canucks' dismantlement of the trash-talking Blues. Oh so sweet!

Whoever it was who mouthed off about the Blues exposing the Canucks for the "One-line team they are," enjoy your crow!

It's all gravy now baby. With that victory last night, the Canucks have excorsised the last of the Demons of Playoffs Past that coiled like a festering ball of frustration in my brain. Detroit, the land of arrogant overpaid superstars! Fallen! Colorado, the land of Spoiled Fans! Fallen!

WoooooHooooo!

 

[Broken Fang]

Oh well...after that disapointing game where the team that scored first didn't win (for the first time in the series) I guess I have to start rooting for the DUCKS and the WILD! Both teams have goalies who are playing incredible.

 

[EarthsShadow]

Go Ducks and Wild may the underdogs win from this point on!!

If the Ducks win the Stanley Cup, I am wondering if Hollywood was involved in it? It would make for a good movie.