Stanley Cup Playoff Pick 'Em 2007

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Asher
Even after last night?

If talent won out every time, the Wings would have 6-8 Cups in the past 12 years, instead of 3.

Wow.

You seriously think the Wings were the most talented team in the past 12 years?

More often than not, absolutely. They were able to buy all the talent they wanted, just like the Yankees. And just like the Yankees, it didn't always mesh well or live up to potential.

And who cares which team has 4 75+ pointers? To me, that suggests that all the scoring is carried by certain guys, and the rest of the roster is ****e.

I'm gonna use a basketball team as an analogy; you'll just have to roll with it, since I assume you don't follow the NBA. Most people think the Detroit Pistons have the most talented starting five in the league; if not this year, then certainly in the past 2-3. They never, not once, had a player in the leading scorers, because they had balance.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Guynemer
And who cares which team has 4 75+ pointers? To me, that suggests that all the scoring is carried by certain guys, and the rest of the roster is ****e.

I love that logic.

If you have 4 good guys, the others are automatically ****.



Matthew Lombardi, Craig Conroy, Dion Phaneuf...all "****e"...

The Red Wings only have 1 player with 75+ points. That says more "****e" than the team with 4 75+ point players...

Having a guy with 75+ points doesn't take away from the others at all. The problem here is Detroit is chock-full of overrated players. You can call this "balanced", but this side of Datsyuk and Lidstrom there are very few remarkable players on Detroit.

[Asher]

I take that back...Hasek is very remarkable in that he's perhaps the funniest diver in the league.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Asher
The Red Wings only have 1 player with 75+ points. That says more "****e" than the team with 4 75+ point players...

Why 75? Why not 52? 23? 48? ****, we could play this game all night.

Why points? Why not +/-? "Which team has 4 players who are at least +25? Hint: it's not Calgary!"

Seriously, Asher. You're boring.

[Asher]

Does this mean I win?

It's not very often you get all upset.

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by Ninot


Are you talking about his pick'em? Its looking like he got 75% of the East wrong.

I think NYE was referring to my earlier statement:

Originally posted by Sparrowhawk
I would be surprised at anyone that thought they wouldn't be down 2-0 at this point in the series. I predicted Calgary to win in 7, still think they will win in 7, and am not surprised to see them 2-0 down.

I think the first 6 games will all be won at home and game 7 will be the only game that matters. Then we will see if the Flames can win on the road.

* Sparrowhawk

I was not terribly excited to see Detroit dominate to take games 1 & 2, nor was a particularly impressed with Calgary's victory in game 3, but I suspect the rest of the series will continue with the home side winning.

/me

[notyoueither]

Yup.

[Asher]

Look Tingkai! Everyone is talking about the gaping hole in Calgary's defense, just like you said!

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=204706&hubname=nhl

Flames relying on blueline depth

Canadian Press

4/18/2007 8:45:15 PM

CALGARY (CP) - The Flames are prepared to go deep into their depth chart of defencemen again if need be.

Calgary will try for a second consecutive win against the Detroit Red Wings at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Thursday and even up their best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series.

The Wings lead 2-1 heading into Game 4.

The Flames' blue-line was a revolving door in Tuesday's Game 3 because of injuries, yet Calgary prevailed 3-2.

And they did it with a better defensive effort than they'd given to open the series in Detroit.



Defenceman Robyn Regehr was out with a knee injury and remains questionable for Thursday.

Rhett Warrener, who took a puck in the face late in the first period, and Dion Phaneuf, who needed stitches after a hard hit by Detroit's Dan Cleary early in the third, were out of action at different times to receive treatment.

Both returned to the game and will play Thursday.

Giordano, Regehr's replacement, scored in his NHL debut to tie the game while Phaneuf was getting his face stitched.

Andrei Zyuzin also saw his ice time increase with a depleted defensive corps.

Defencemen had unfamiliar partners and switched from right to left side, yet the Flames managed to cut the number of shots on goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff dramatically from the 97 he faced in the opening two games of the series.

''I think our defence are capable of playing left side and right side, which is an important factor when you get down to five because that's what's going to happen,'' Flames head coach Jim Playfair said.

''And more importantly, it's playoff hockey, so suck it up.''

With Regehr's status up in the air, Giordano may find himself playing an important role again.

''Every guy, if you're in the lineup or out of the lineup, it's a long playoff and there's going to be opportunities, so everyone has got to be ready,'' Flames winger Craig Conroy said.

When Calgary reached the Stanley Cup final in 2004, the Flames' also had to draw on their depth on defence because of injuries.

''I think 2004 taught us you need eight or nine guys who can step in and play,'' Playfair said. ''A guy like Mark Giordano coming in is what we expect. We expect to have injuries and we expect him to come in and be good.''

While Calgary's defence tightened up against Detroit on Tuesday, Playfair wants to further limit shots against.

''I think 30 is too many so we're preparing today to cut that back down,'' he said.

Detroit head coach Mike Babcock looks for a stronger start in the game and better performances from the Wings' special teams, which were held scoreless on four chances a man up and gave up two power-play goals to Calgary.

''I didn't think our team was very good early,'' Babcock said. ''We had three power-plays before we even got playing and we did nothing with them.

''Our power play has to be better and it's going to have to get us results. We lost the special teams battle 2-0 yesterday.''

The Flames may be the toughest team in the NHL to beat in their own building, but Detroit still has the upper hand in this series with the lead and home-ice advantage.

Game 5 will Saturday afternoon in Detroit and a Game 6, if necessary, would be back in Calgary on Sunday.

''We're still in a desperate situation,'' Calgary winger Alex Tanguay said. ''We can't afford to go down 3-1 with Detroit playing Game 5 and Game 7 in their building.''

It looked like the series would be over quickly after the first two games. Babcock wants Calgary's newfound confidence to be short-lived.

''You never want to give the other team momentum,'' he said. ''They were able to seize their first game at home and now they're trying to hold serve.

''It's up to us tomorrow to be better, so we can leave here with a split.''

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Asher
Does this mean I win?

It's not very often you get all upset.

No. You just have a special gift for annoying the bejeezus outta me.

[Asher]

It's because I'm right, and you hate being wrong.

[Guynemer]

No, it's just a gift you have. Not everyone has a gift in life, so congrats are in order, I suppose.

[Asher]

Thanks.

Also, who is the genius that scheduled back-to-back playoff games in cities 2,000 miles apart from eachother?

That's pretty brutal...

[Guynemer]

Gary Bettman: great comissioner, or greatest comissioner?

[Flubber]

ASher -- I'm going to the Flames tonight again


OH and I just a few seconds ago won some SWEET lower bowl presidents club seats for game 6 if its necessary-- So the Flames better win tonight and make it necessary!!!!

[Asher]

You jackass.