OT - Habs Win!!!!
CBC and TSN have been flipping the Canadian teams' series for the last couple of years. Chicago/Calgary was on TSN last year. CBC will have Habs/Pens next round according to the NHL's website.
Every team left in the west had more points in the regular season than every team left in the east. So the west should win the cup unless bettman decides to choke on crosby's dick again and let the pens have it.
Capitals had WAY more points than Montreal. This is great logic.
Am I missing sarcasm?
April 28th, 2010 at 10:56 PM ^
does not disprove logic. Over the course of the whole playoffs teams that did better during the regular season should come out on top. But regardless of that, the west is a much better conference anyways and will have home ice in the finals.
I think most people would agree that the West should win the cup you're supporting logic is flawed. Even before the playoffs the West was a better conference top to bottom and that remains after round 1. But using point differential isn't the way to prove the West is better. Anything can happen in the playoffs, as evidenced by the 3 out of 4 upsets in the East.
But the elephant in the room is the Pens. They could easily win the cup, especially since I don't see any of the remaining teams in the East pushing them past 5-6 games.
If Crosby wins another cup I will goudge my eyes out. Let's all pray that if the Wings can't do it, then some other West team can.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
I'm not sure why people try to attach so much significance to regular season points when it comes to playoff performance. The correlation really is pretty weak. Heck, just by way of example, the President's Trophy winner has only won the Cup five times in the last twenty years (1994 Rangers, 1999 Stars, 2001 Avalanche, 2002 Wings and 2007 Wings). Even better, the top four seeds in a conference have only all advanced to the second round twice in the last twenty years. It just really doesn't mean all that much, historically.
Normally i would be really happy about this but this all but assures that Cindy Crybaby will win the east. Go everyone but the pens.
Saw this coming. The Caps tend to skate and shoot, don't hit, and can't play quality D for 60 minutes. 40 blocked shots helped the Habs obviously but with a 6 on 4 and you can't keep the puck in the offensive zone you're destined to fail. Even if they had won they wouldn't have made it out of the east. Not a playoff team.
Wings - Pens rubber match is coming guys. Called it from Day One.
Go Wings!
As a hawks fan, I'll spare you wings fans my thoughts on which team is gonna win the West.
That being said ... I'm not really afraid of anyone in the East not named the Penguins. Given the remaining teams out east, I'd wager a finger the Pens make the Finals.
May the best team win the west
The whole Capitals organization just doesn't get it. Instead of getting an actual defenseman at the trade deadline, they pick up Corvo as if offense was their problem. When the habs started clamping down in the neutral zone, those odd man breaks that Semin and Ovechkin hunt for went away. Boudreau should have sent his forwards to play a little defense or block a shot. He didn't, and they lost.
What's even more sad? Montreal isn't a good team. They wouldn't have even sniffed the playoffs in the West. The Capitals didn't just get beat. They got beat by medicore Montreal team.
The Red Wings have it for the Finals. This pleases me.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:24 PM ^
How do they have home ice locked up for the Finals? Just wondering.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:29 PM ^
Home Ice is determined by total regular season points. If Detroit makes it to the Finals, they will have more points than whatever team makes it from the East.
Detroit had 102 points in the regular season, the Pens, who have the most points of anyone left in the East have 101. 102>101, thus the Wings will have home ice advantage in the SCF, should they make it that far.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:35 PM ^
You either don't believe in jinxes or are incredibly, border line thick-headed, confident.
That a hockey goalie is the single most important position in all of team sports.
B-ball? Lebron (best player) still hasn't won one.
Baseball? Even the best pitchers pitch every 3 days/1-2 innings at a time
Football? Not set up for individual performances, the QB needs a line/receivers etc.
Hockey goalie - most important position in all of team sports
April 29th, 2010 at 11:28 AM ^
To say that the QB needs a line and receivers is mirrored in a goalie needing a defense. No goalie, not matter their level of "heat" can stop undefended one-timers. The habs defense played at the level of Halak and together they shut down the caps speedy offense. The majority of the caps shots were disorganized and desperate because of the defense. Not to say goalie is not important by any means but certainly not a singular importance. If the habs played slow defense and didn't put the caps into the position they ended up in, Halak would have faced another 15-20 shots (or a handful of good shots) a game and by nature of the position, would have let 2-3 more through.
In a vacuum, a goalie could not touch the puck in an entire game, shut out and opponent and have a .000 SP. Just food for thought, IMHO, QB has to be the most important due to their ability to score, keep an opposing offense off the field and run down a defense. Not to mention the opportunity for negative plays, pick six, fumble etc. The positive and negative implications of a Qb's presense tops my list.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
"No goalie, not matter their level of "heat" can stop undefended one-timers. The habs defense played at the level of Halak and together they shut down the caps speedy offense. "
This is inaccurate on two levels. FIrst, a goaltender can absolutely stop undefended one-timers. It happens all the time. Second, Montreal's defense absolutely did not play at the level that Halak did. Halak didn't just have great positioning, but he had great rebound control (which is really what made the difference in the series). Montreal's defense did a good job changing Washington's game plan by forcing the Capitals to the outside and altering their timing, but to say that Montreal shut down the Caps speedy offense is simply inaccurate. Washington used their speed effectively and put a lot of shots on goal. The big difference was that Washington didn't get a lot of second chance shots, which was almost solely related to Halak's rebound control and not Montreal's defense clearing loose pucks. Montreal's defense played well, but no where near as well as Halak did.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:05 PM ^
April 28th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
He won one with the Wings in 1998.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:28 AM ^
Paccioretty and Palushaj could potentially both be called up if/when Hamilton is bounched from the AHL playoffs.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:11 PM ^
I may be getting ahead of myself here, but who's going to accept the Cup for the Habs?
April 28th, 2010 at 10:14 PM ^
Halak. He won them this series, if they get there it will be on his shoulders
April 28th, 2010 at 10:13 PM ^
It's a sad night in D.C. Most of us were worried with the defense and goaltenders going into the playoffs, but I definitely did not expect this. The call on the Ovie goal they didn't count was a little iffy, but the Caps still have no excuses for blowing a 3-1 series lead. This one's going to hurt for awhile.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:15 PM ^
Where's Clarence Beeks at? He called this upset to an extent. Kudos on that call.
Also,why is everyone selling Montreal short against Pitt? A hot goaltender can carry a team a long ways (Giguere, Kiprusoff, etc.) and Montreal has a solid makeup.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:44 PM ^
I'm a Habs fan, and probably the blindest one on here ( I could be mistaken ), but even I admit that they wont last very long past this win. They may press Pittsburgh, but they expended too much energy in this series. Halak was rested for 1.5 games, and then he came back and was Godly. He will probably fizzle out slightly during the Pitt series, but Montreal needs him to steal games to win the series.
Nonetheless, GO HABS GO!
April 29th, 2010 at 12:26 AM ^
Pittsburgh is much more physical. They're very good at grinding a cycle, and will be able to put sustained pressure on Montreal. Pittsburgh is also one of the top shot-blocking teams in the NHL, so Montreal will really need to fight for their chances. Getting <20 shots a game won't cut it in a 7 game series with the Penguins.
Montreal is probably the worst team in the playoffs. They finished 19th overall in the standings. This defeat of the Capitals is a great story, but the Penguins are a whole other animal. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
You're right, but again this is the playoffs, so throw out the regular season records. A hot goalie can carry you all the way. I'm not saying Montreal should even be favored, but everyone is selling them totally short.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
This is right on the money, as far as the Pittsburgh analysis goes. While Pittsburgh and Washington are both incredibly talented, there is a substantial difference in the way that the talent is structured on the two teams and in the way that the two teams play. Pittsburgh will establish a down low cycling game from the first shift of the first game and focus on getting a lot of shots down low. Something that the Caps didn't do the entire series. The biggest blessing for Pittsburgh is that they were pushed by Ottawa, which required them to get to their playoff game (i.e. cycling and grinding down low) right off of the bat.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
Haha. Thanks for the shout out.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
Either the East is stacked, or pretty pitiful. No seed higher than 4 made it through the first round.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^
welcome to the Curse of the President's Trophy.
Sincerely,
A Wings fan who's been there way too many times.
P.S. Go Original Six!
April 29th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
I love the fact that four of the Original Six are still alive. Too bad the Rangers & Maple Leafs can't seem to get their act together.
Call me old-fashioned, but I can't stand seeing teams in places like Tampa & Phoenix let alone them making the playoffs.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^
Yep. The Presidents' Trophy winner has only won the Cup 25% of the time in the last twenty years. It's a big, unenviable target to have on your back.
April 28th, 2010 at 11:08 PM ^
POOP SHIT
I HATE YOUR FACE
BUTTS BUTTS BUTTS
ANGAR AM I
April 28th, 2010 at 11:21 PM ^
Insane.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:31 AM ^
I know that it is short for Les Habitants, but why exactly has this nickname stuck? Also, anybody else ever notice the spelling is the French way of spelling Canadiens and not Canadians, which is how it is spelled in English.
Here you go.
Habitants is the name used to refer to both the French settlers and the inhabitants of French origin who farmed the land along the two shores of the St. Lawrence Gulf and River in what is the present-day Province of Quebec in Canada. The term was used by the inhabitants themselves and the other classes of French Canadian society from the 17th century up until the early 20th century.
The team was founded specifically as a French-Canadian team (as opposed to the Montreal Maroons, an Anglophone club), and the spelling reflects this. English-speakers have a bad habit of pronouncing the name as though it were "Canadiennes." They are unwittingly referring to the team as a group of Canadian women.
BTW, contrary to popular opinion, the "H" in the team logo does not stand for Habitants. The logo is actually a "CHC" - for le Club de Hockey Canadien.
I knew what Habitantes meant and that it was the French Canadian spelling. I just wondered why the nickname of Habs has stuck.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
Montreal's gone soft. No riots this year.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
And I love Morrison and Knuble. All of those years watching HNIC has clearly left its mark.