2004 NHL Playoffs

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Chizip

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My predictions

Nash over Detroit
STL over San Jose............Dallas over Nash.....STL over Dallas
Dallas over Colorado........STL over Calgary
Calgary over Vancouver

Tampa over Islanders
Boston over Montreal......Tampa over TO........Tampa over Boston
Philly over Jersey.............Boston over Philly
Toronto over Ottawa


and the 2004 champ - the ST LOUIS BLUES!!!!
 
Predictions:

1st Round:
West
DET/NAS: Detroit in 4
SJ/STL: St. Louis in 6
VAN/CGY: Vancouver in 5
COL/DAL: Colorado in 7
East
TB/NYI: Tampa Bay in 5
BOS/MON: Boston in 7
PHI/NJ: New Jersey in 6
TOR/OTT: Toronto in 6

2nd Round:
West
DET/STL: Detroit in 6
VAN/COL: Colorado in 6
East
TB/NJ: Tampa Bay in 7
BOS/TOR: Toronto in 7

3rd Round:
West
DET/COL: Detroit in 5
East
TB/TOR: Tampa Bay in 6

Final:
DET/TB: Detroit in 6

Bet on it. :wink:
 
fah said:
My meaningless predictions...

Vancouver beats Calgary
Vancouver beats Colorado
Vancouver loses to Detroit
Detroit beats Philadelphia and wins the Stanley Cup

:lmao:

Wait...that was a joke right? :uhoh:
 
I've always maintained....if you are going to say something stupid, say something really stupid.

But seriously, one of my best friends is seriously devoted to the Flyers. So, as a friend, I told her that I would cheer for them in the East. :huh:
 
Tampa Bay?

As much as I love their system, it's a long shot at best. Khabibulin and Grahame haven't been consistent... barring tonight's contest (it is the Islanders after all). Even Fonzorella criticized their play publicly. Fonzorella!

Philadelphia is due to win... even though I loathe their existence, I have to admit that. If by small chance Colorado makes it out of the first round, whoever draws their mangled body will make short work of them. Dallas and Detroit are the teams to beat in the West, and if Nabokov can continue his regular season form, San Jose could be a worthy darkhorse.

DET/NSH... superstitious.
SJ/STL... SJ in 6.
VAN/CAL... won't speculate.
DAL/COL... DAL in 7.

TB/NYI... TB in 6.
BOS/MON... BOS in 5, unfortunately.
PHI/NJ... PHI in 7. That's right.
TOR/OTT... Toronto no longer has Ottawa's kryptonite. This one's the toughest call. If Lalime were healthier, I might be compelled to say they have the advantage... but I'll sit on the fence.
 
Pinball Wizard said:

Philadelphia is due to win... even though I loathe their existence, I have to admit that. If by small chance Colorado makes it out of the first round, whoever draws their mangled body will make short work of them. Dallas and Detroit are the teams to beat in the West, and if Nabokov can continue his regular season form, San Jose could be a worthy darkhorse.

Ah, cujo. You have such a way with words. :up:

After that first unexpected win, everyone in Denver is predicting a Cup.

You know what I think about that already. :wink:
 
Tonight's games are going good. Boston won so that's pretty cool. Col is beating Dal. The only surprise is Calgary is beating Vancouver 2-0.
 
So the Canucks' win streak stops at 7 games. I listened to NHL Radio for the 3rd period... The Canucks just didn't sound very inspired. Each team scored a questionable goal from what I undertand, plus a very lucky goal by the Flames, which turned out to be the winner (apparently the puck got lost in Salo's equipment, yet no whistle?). Sounds like Calgary earned the win, but were quite fortunate nonetheless.

Should be a great series...wish I could watch!
 
Enough of this uninspired nonsense.

If a team cannot get motivated to exercise their potential in the playoffs, then they don't at all deserve to be there. The fear of losing is the emotion of a team without a core. I don't care if on paper, or in the vast conceited bank of the team's subconscious, a dormant champion lurks awaiting the call for greatness. The playoffs are not a summon... and hesitation is not the desired virtue for a winner.

The aesthetic wonder that is the Canucks will only maintain their superficial value if they fail in this series. Beating the Flames will happen if they scratch the finish off their face, showing what real character... substantial or shallow... exists underneath the blatant crease-mongering. Bertuzzi is not an excuse, and after their exit from the playoffs, using his name as a shell for blame is bullshit. Move on and stop using absent players, or absent motivation as justification for post-season shortcomings.

If you are a champion Vancouver, step up and quit complaining... you're starting to sound all too much like the Leafs and their supporters.

Go Leafs Go.

PS- I suggest you stop listening to the Vancouver affiliate on NHL radio Michael... try the Flames station, and the words "luck" and "miracle" might not be as prevalent in use.
 
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Cujo, I agree - If the Canucks are truly uninspired at this time of year, then they don't deserve to hold Lord Stanlely's mug. It's ironic, though: it's not the Canucks that are making themselves the underdog in this series - it's everyone else, including Hockey Night in Canada and the Calgary media. The Canucks themselves aren't making any excuses. Everyone else seems to be doing it for them. Even Dan Cloutier said that there's no way you should get outworked in your home building - especially in the playoffs.

The Canucks are an odd bunch. They have the same core players they had six years ago, when they were very young. They've improved each and every year by quantum margins, levelling off the last two years, at the beginning of which they overcame huge odds to make the playoffs by winning the most games of any team since Christmas in the year 2001. They've undergone quite the transformation from absolutely dispicable (ie, the Tom Renny, Mike Keenan years), to one of the best in the league. Those core players are now in their prime. Yet, as you say, they hesitate; they doubt. They're afraid of losing. (This raises an interesting piont, by the way: Gretzky, who captained Team Canada's 1996 World Cup team, said, "The difference between us and the Americans is they want win and we're afraid to lose." As we know, the Canadians lost.)

I have no answers, but this spring should answer some questions. I've seen character in this team over and over in various situations. I've seen them come back time and time again from huge deficits, tying or winning the game late in regulation time and time again. This is a group that believes in each other, and best friends off the ice. But they do hesitate. They have to change that if they want to win, for (to use a cliche) "he who hesitates is lost".
 
Agreed. (The Gretzky anecdote wasn't over the top this time).

:up:

Although I did hear Cloutier make reference to the quality of his team... in quite a demeaning tone to the Flames. So in that respect I don't think it's all the media and Calgary supporters making claims about the Canucks' chances.

You hear they're going to light up the Calgary Tower on Sunday night? How classy!

I tried my best to get tickets...

:down:
 
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Pinball Wizard said:

Although I did hear Cloutier make reference to the quality of his team... in quite a demeaning tone to the Flames. So in that respect I don't think it's all the media and Calgary supporters making claims about the Canucks' chances.
I obviously didn't see the interview, but what I meant was that the Canucks aren't the ones making themselves out to be the underdogs in this series. From what you say, it sounds Cloutier was, if anything, saying the opposite - that the Flames are the underdogs. Now this isn't good either, but it's a completely different accusation.

To elaborate on the point, perhaps to take it one step further and to the right (or left...I'm on the other side of the world, don't forget ;) ), I think if all things are equal - that is, if the Canucks equal the Flames desperation, intensity and work ethic - it will be the team who has the most talent that will come out on top. The law of averages will have to take over at some point, if the Canucks meet this work ethic/desperation criteria. And if they do, the Canucks will win this series....but that's a big IF.

Secondly, the Canucks have just lost Cloutier, maybe for the rest of the playoffs. I find it odd how so many Canucks fans are now completely beside themselves with glee, thinking their saviour Hedberg has finally come to the rescue (despite him falling apart several times during the season)...and that Cloutier, so completely horrible that he is - despite coming off three 30 win seasons in a row, something that besides him only Brodeur has ever done - has done them this huge favour by getting injured. For me, the jury is out on Hedberg. He could take the Canucks far, or he could collapse. This injury could either make or break the Canucks, I suppose. I'm still betting on the former.

PS. Cujo, why have you changed your prediction from "Flames in seven" to "won't speculate"?
 
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Predictions for tonight:

Detroit over Nashville 3-1
Boston over Montreal 4-3 (OT)
St. Louis over San Jose 2-0
Vancouver over Calgary 5-3
 
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