Stanley Cup Playoffs 2010

Another season in the books, another playoffs ready to start.

My wit isn't functioning right now, so strait to the contestants: (I'll add some breakdown later, when I'm not feeling lazy)

East -

1 - Washington Capitals
2 - New Jersey Devils
3 - Buffalo Sabers
4 - Pittsburgh Penguins
5 - Ottawa Senators
6 - Boston Bruins
7 - Philadelphia Flyers
8 - Montreal Canadians

West -

1 - San Jose Sharks
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Vancouver Canucks
4 - Phoenix Coyotes
5 - Detroit Redwings
6 - Los Angeles Kings
7 - Nashville Predators
8 - Colorado Avalanche

Match-ups:

East -

(1) Washington vs (8) Montreal
(2) New Jersey vs (7) Philadelphia
(3) Buffalo vs (6) Boston
(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Ottawa

West -

(1) San Jose vs (8) Colorado
(2) Chicago vs (7) Nashville
(3) Vancouver vs (6) Los Angeles
(4) Phoenix vs (5) Detroit

My picks:

Montreal in 7
New Jersey in 6
Buffalo in 5
Pittsburgh in 6

Colorado in 7
Chicago in 4
Los Angeles in 6
Phoenix in 5

I don't need a score card! Because I already know the outcome of these games......

WINGS WILL WIN IT FOR SURE!!!
LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!!

And of course the Leafs are no where near a Stanely Cup... Ugh, why do I even bother trying to be a fan. It's like I'm a masochist.

My team of choice is Vancouver, of course. Congrats, Henrik Sedin on winning the Art Ross Trophy. After that my teams of choice are Montreal, Ottawa, New Jersey, and Phoenix. I`m only cheering for Phoenix because of family ties, even if my family there has no interest in hockey.

Coming to Canada, I had someone of an idea of how seriously you guys took Hockey. I made assumptions on how dedicated the average Canadian was to the sport.

I underestimated how much you guys go bonkers over the sport!

While it's not Hockey 24/7, it almost is for some people! I tried to emerge myself in the sport with my fellow Canadian friends who were kind enough to tell me what the hell was going on. Now I consider myself to be fairly educated on the game, and wouldn't you know it I'm looking forward to watching the playoffs!

After watching a hometown hero score in overtime in the Olympics, the celebration that resulted was one of the best parties I've ever been apart of. Hell, it wasn't even my country who won!

I better watch myself... you guys are going to turn me into a Tim Hortons drinking Hockey playing Canadian!

East -

1 - Washington Capitals
2 - New Jersey Devils
3 - Buffalo Sabers
4 - Pittsburgh Penguins
5 - Ottawa Senators
6 - Boston Bruins
7 - Philadelphia Flyers
8 - Montreal Canadians

West -

1 - San Jose Sharks
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Vancouver Canucks
4 - Phoenix Coyotes
5 - Detroit Redwings
6 - Los Angeles Kings
7 - Nashville Predators
8 - Colorado Avalanche

Match-ups:

East -

(1) Washington vs (8) Montreal
(2) New Jersey vs (7) Philadelphia
(3) Buffalo vs (6) Boston
(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Ottawa

West -

(1) San Jose vs (8) Colorado
(2) Chicago vs (7) Nashville
(3) Vancouver vs (6) Los Angeles
(4) Phoenix vs (5) Detroit

My picks:

Washington in 6
New Jersey in 5
Boston in 7
Pittsburgh in 4

San Jose in 5
Chicago in 4
Vancouver in 7
Detroit in 6

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BurntHouse

Coming to Canada, I had someone of an idea of how seriously you guys took Hockey. I made assumptions on how dedicated the average Canadian was to the sport.

I underestimated how much you guys go bonkers over the sport!

While it's not Hockey 24/7, it almost is for some people! I tried to emerge myself in the sport with my fellow Canadian friends who were kind enough to tell me what the hell was going on. Now I consider myself to be fairly educated on the game, and wouldn't you know it I'm looking forward to watching the playoffs!

After watching a hometown hero score in overtime in the Olympics, the celebration that resulted was one of the best parties I've ever been apart of. Hell, it wasn't even my country who won!

I better watch myself... you guys are going to turn me into a Tim Hortons drinking Hockey playing Canadian!

---

God how I remember how the streets exploded when we won the gold. It was a really beautiful moment to see an entire city come to life cheering.

I remember one guy was running around drunk out of his mind wearing a Canadian flag like a cape. The guy was so out of his mind from fervor and alcohol that he ran right out into the middle of the street and got hit by a car. The guy in the car fortunately saw him coming and slowed down enough that he only fell onto the front of the hood. However what really surprised me was that the driver got out of the car in the middle of the road and high fived the guy on his hood.

Oh my, oh my. What a way to end the day, a San Jose @ Colorado game, going into OT ties at 0-0, Sharks out-shooting the Avs 50-15, and then Boyle puts it in his own net.

Quote from Altitude: "Someone needs to give Boyle a hug after that" :rolleyes:

The Red Wings don't seem to be doing as well as I thought they would. Either that, or Phoenix suddenly gotten better!

Pheonix is a cinderella team and have been since the first game. Just look at their past records. Dismal at best.

We have our first semi-final contestant with Philly upsetting New Jersey in 5.

I was stunned at this. I thought Martin Brodeur had a bit more in him. Maybe its time to hang up the skates?

Take that, LA!

Upsets in the East, Evil in the West.

Sorry, we're already a game into this series and I'm just getting around to this.

Montreal stuns Washington and I laugh my butt off. The Caps are an immensely overrated team, with an overrated captain who has almost no leadership qualities. Their first-round exit was not at all surprising to me nor should it have been to anyone else.

Philly upsets New Jersey, but loses a lot of offense in the process. Again, not as surprising as it would seem, as the Flyers had the best record vs their division, in the atlantic division. I know I picked the Devils, but this result didn't really shock me.

Boston upsets Buffalo, and this was the series I saw absolutely zero games of. Someone else please break it down.

Pittsburgh defeated Ottawa, and in a manner somewhat echoing the cup run from last year, falling behind 3-0 in game 6 only to rally back for the series clincher.

San Jose defeats Colorado. I was a little disapointed, and even a little shocked the Avs lost this one. From what I saw, this series wasn't decided on who was faster, more skilled, more determined, or by better goaltending. The Sharks won this series by being bigger and more physical than the Avalanche. At every turn, Avs players were being simply pushed off of the puck. For a young and inexperienced team, that was enough to steal the series in 6.

Chicago beats Nashville. The Blackhawks didn't seem to get their playoff legs until game 4, and still lack a solid reliable presence in net, but managed to fend off a Predators team fighting to stay (or not) in Tennessee.

Vancouver tops Los Angeles. Again, this is a series I saw nothing of. This space needs filled in.

Detroit upsets Phoenix. And I don't care what the media was spouting, gushing over the Red Wings, the Coyotes were the superior team in the regular season and were certainly not the underdogs. Phoenix captain Shane Doan missed most of the series that saw Detroit squeezing out a semifinals qualification in 7 games.


For the matchups this round:

EAST

(4) Pittsburgh vs (8) Montreal
(6) Boston vs (7) Philadelphia

WEST

(1) San Jose vs (5) Detroit
(2) Chicago vs (3) Vancouver

Even though they were 16th in the league and toplled the presidents trophy winners, I don't think the Caps will pull out another upset against a much more galvanized Penguins Team. As for Boston vs Philly, they are two physical teams, and picking a winner isn't intuitive. All I can be certain of is that whoever emerges from this series will be banged up for the conference title.

In the West, much as I hate the Red Wings, I don't feel San Jose has what it takes to go the distance (insert sarcastically shocked voices). As I said above, they won the previous series by muscling the opponents off of the puck, a tactic that I don't feel plays well against Detroit.

My picks:

Pittsburgh in 5
Boston in 7

Detroit in 7
Chicago in 6

Detroit is an amazing team and have been in the playoff series for the last 19 years. Phoenix was not the better team, Detroit had most of its stars out with injuries for the majority of the season, after the Olympics when people came back recovered they shot up earning the points to qualify for the playoffs.

The only problem the Red Wings have is the fact that they are an on/off team. Did you even see game 7? Phoenix didn't stand a chance. That is the style and skill the Red Wings are capable of, unfortunately they won't show it unless backed into a corner.

And don't forget Datsyk is up for the Lady Bing AGAIN, after winning it for the last 4 years, showing they not only have talent and skill, but class.

Unfortunately as much as I would like to see the Canadians continue, it won't happen. Pits is a good team, even tho Cindy is a bit of a whiner. Detroit needed the two day rest from playing the Eagles gave them. I think you'll see a different team tonight than thursday, which they were coming off of a one day break from a game 7.

If Bettman didn't hate the wings, I know he'd move them to the east, where they belong. Unfortunately he's afraid they'll muscle out all of his favs and sweep the cup.

EAST

(4) Pittsburgh vs (8) Montreal
(6) Boston vs (7) Philadelphia

WEST

(1) San Jose vs (5) Detroit
(2) Chicago vs (3) Vancouver

My picks:

Montreal in 7
Boston in 5

San Jose in 6
Vancouver in 7

Chicago won the Stanley Cup.

I'm happy.... sort of, as after Colorado, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh fell, Chicago would have been my favorite.

Yea, I know this post is late, but noone else posted for over a month either:<_<:



lazy