Stanley Cup Playoff Pick'em 2010

[Asher]

I lied, one more post because this stat amuses me:

Luongo is currently the biggest sieve in the playoffs, allowing more goals than any other goalie. Even more than Jimmy Howard.

Edit: Oh, jesus Christ, that just made my day. CBC just aired a 4 minute report on The National essentially talking about how annoying Canucks fans are. It used the words "schizophrenic", "fickle" and tape from the radio of the hosts of Team 1040 (Vancouver sports ratio...home of the Canucks on radio) saying they were embarrassed by Canuck fans. It concludes with the reporter saying: "It's fitting that the most famous fans - the green men - are known for being, well...annoying".

So ****ing true.

Edit2: It's at the 22 minute mark: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/ID=1488299694

[Ben Kenobi]

Fickle?

This has been the most hard-luck franchise, behind perhaps only the LA Kings. And yet, they have the second longest sellout streak in the NHL. I'd call them the most devoted fanbase of any NHL team.

CBC has no love for Vancouver. Ever. They'll be cheering when they are out just as they did in game 7 against the Rangers.

Luongo is currently the biggest sieve in the playoffs

He's also the only goalie, ever, to defeat a goalie who posted 3 shutouts in the same series.

[Asher]

From the Globe & Mail writeup of the game. Clearly another reputable Canadian media source biased against the Canucks.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks-crush-canucks/article1561019/

Discipline

The Canucks did not practise what they preached. After admitting that they lost their cool in Game 3, the Canucks promised that they would not let Chicago rattle their tempers and brains again. Instead, undisciplined play ran rampant. Usual suspects such as O’Brien and Burrows were guilty of losing their composure, and for the second consecutive game, so did Daniel Sedin. O’Brien was assigned to Byfuglien, but was too enthusiastic and got benched after two early penalties. Burrows’ cheap shot on Byfuglien really stung, and Sedin took two needless penalties, both of which led to goals.

Goaltending

Luongo was not sharp. Seabrook’s opening goal – a real softie – spelled trouble, and while none of the following tallies were as glaring, a couple needed to be stopped. Luongo wasn’t bumped, banged, pushed, elbowed and pitch-forked as much in Game 4, but the way he was playing, the Blackhawks didn’t need to resort to ruffian tactics. At the other end, the Canucks broke another promise. Though they certainly had more bodies screening Antti Niemi, they didn’t treat him as rudely as their pre-game build-up suggested, and they didn’t intimidate him until late in the third period when Henrik Sedin collided with him behind the net. Niemi made 26 saves, same as Luongo. The Finnish rookie isn’t stealing this series, but he doesn’t have to.

The Globe also has a column up by a different author:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/canucks-on-precipice/article1561420/

So what did Daniel Sedin do in the most important game of the season? Took two incredibly dumb penalties in the second period, one of which led to a Chicago goal. What does Alex Burrows do? Takes an even more mindless penalty than he did in the last game and it allows Chicago to score on the power play to make the game 5-2.

This on top of two dreadful penalties that defenceman Shane O'Brien took in the first 10 minutes of the game, one of which, of course, led to a Blackhawks goal.

It was hard to believe the Canucks could play this poorly, this stupidly, given what was at stake. But they did and now face elimination, deservedly, as the series moves back to Chicago for Game 5.

From one of the comments:

of the eight goalies remaining in the playoffs Luongo ranks 8th in ga avg (3.27) and eighth in SV% (.892).

The total combined salaries of 6 of the 7 other goalies (excluding Nabakov at 6.00 mil) are 7.625 mil compared to Luongo's 7.750 mil. And in a hard salary cap league that should be something to at least think about.

[Asher]

[Ben Kenobi]

while none of the following tallies were as glaring

So CBC admits that Luongo was hung out to dry tonight.

Thank you.

I can't see why CBC isn't saying that the officiating was the biggest piece of **** that ever graced the NHL.

Frankly, I'd be disgusted if they jobbed Chicago the way they jobbed Vancouver today.

All I want is a fair series. No penalty parade in favour of Chicago.

[Asher]

You should go be a whiny little ***** elsewhere. Try canucks.com.

We like reality over here.

[Ben Kenobi]

People, raise your hands, how many of you think that Asher would be saying these things if you replaced Luongo with Kippersoft?

Yes or no?

Didn't think so. Thank you very much, have a nice night.

[Ben Kenobi]

You should go be a whiny little ***** elsewhere. Try canucks.com.

Unlike you, I'm here sucking it up, taking my licks.

You disappear whenever Calgary loses. Funny how that works.

Suck it up buttercup.

[Asher]

When Kipper had an off season, I was very critical of him.

Fortunately, Kipper plays big in the playoffs with better numbers than Luongo. Not only that, anyone who has watched him in playoff series knows he's always a very big threat to steal a series even if the team infront of him doesn't deserve to be there.

Luongo is a big liability right now for Vancouver.

I don't disappear when Calgary loses, I criticize what went wrong. I certainly don't pretend there's a grand NHL/CBC/Globeandmail/CTV/Versus/NBC/Bettman/ref conspiracy against the team and ignore the obvious flaws.

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't disappear when Calgary loses, I criticize what went wrong. I certainly don't pretend there's a grand NHL/CBC/Globeandmail/CTV/Versus/NBC/Bettman/ref conspiracy against the team and ignore the obvious flaws.

Have I not said that the Canucks have some flaws that need to be addressed?

We disagree on the source of those flaws. I think the defense is more responsible than Luongo because Luongo has had two really solid games just this series.

Also, I'm pretty certain that if the officiating were as one-sided against Calgary that you'd have a few choice words as well. Of the three crucial penalties in the second period, I can't see any justification for them at all. The Sedin 'cross-checking' call that started the parade is the biggest mystery ever.

It killed one of the more exciting games of the series. I quite enjoyed the first period. I would have been pleased as punch if the game ended, even if the Canucks lost by a goal, if the rest of the game were like the first. I quite enjoyed the first two games of this series.

The **** officiating is ruining my enjoyment of hockey. It turned the best potential series into ****. I'll be pleasantly surprised if the Canucks get fair officiating the rest of the series.

[Asher]

The officiating was fine. You are both epicly ****ing retarded and ridiculously biased. It's a common problem with 99% of the Canucks fanbase.

Your PK is the problem. The fact that your players are sniveling little *****es like Burrows with no concept of discipline is the problem.

The fact that the refs call the Canucks out for their stupidity doesn't make the refs at fault.

Man up, **** off, and move on.

[Ben Kenobi]

I'm sorry Asher, but 2 5-3 advantages to 0 is not my idea of a 'fair' game, especially not in the playoffs.

[Asher]

100% of the penalties called there were blatant and unmissable.

The fact that Chicago plays a smarter game than the Canucks is the reason here.

You seem to imply the refs should stop calling all of the blatant **** the Canucks players were doing just 'cause they'd already had a penalty against them. IT DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT.

You are dumb. Canucks players played like undisciplined goons, they got caught doing it. Then they forgot how to kill penalties.

Blame the Canucks, not the refs. If you look at the ****ing video, they're all obvious penalties. Burrows ****ing crosschecked Bufflin-dude in the face not a few feet away from the face of a ref, for Christ sakes.

[Ben Kenobi]

Are you defending the Sedin 'crosscheck' call that started the whole penalty parade?

[Asher]

Refs you suck1 refs you suck refs you suck
[action=Asher]dances in green spandex with a curiously small package[/action]
[action=Asher]tosses things on the ice while ranting about Ron MacLean having it out for the Canucks[/action]