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Wow, this place is a morgue and i am probably the A#1 violator. Just really could never get it going in the regular season. Seems like everytime i went big on a play, the team came out inexplicably flat and lost. Worst season i have ever had on the ice. Which brings me to a question for anyone who wants to answer before i delve into some playoff thoughts:
Anyone think the "new NHL" is a lot less profitable than the "old NHL". I am really going to have to rethink the way i gamble on hockey next year. And a lot of the nice systems are gone because teams no longer travel much across time zones and long road trips are no longer the norm. Seems like everyone is playing 3I4s' now and the lack of travel has made them a lot less tough on teams. My honest thought is that teams really don't value home ice much anymore because there really is no "home ice" advantage like the old days when the rinks were all different and there really was an advantage to playing at home. There really appears to be no rhyme or reason to who plays well each night.
On to some playoff thoughts:
Is DAL going to get out of the first round? Are they going to score a goal in this series? I really like Vancouver with Luongo in this one. If Salo and Ohlund are healthy, they have a great blue line with Bieksa and Willie Mitchell along with those 2. Then you have a nice mix of forwards up front led by the Sedins who had 159 points i believe between them both. I really am wondering where DAL offense is going to come from. Debating a series play on VAN. Also will play VAN in game1 and if they lose come back with them in game2. Can't see them getting swept in both.
PITT/OTT: i like PIT to get 1 in OTT. This series goes 6 or 7 unless PIT can't get any offense going which is a possibility as they have struggled over long stretches of games at times. Debating playing this one UNDER in game1. Wondering how big a factor nerves are for PIT in game1 seeing they have so many guys who haven't been here before.
ANA/MIN: binary code series....1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0. We'll see how Backstrom does in the playoff spotlight. Lot different than playing regular season games.
SAN/NAS: Flip a coin, IMO. Sharks have been playing dumb hockey of late and finding the box wayyyyy too much. Can't do that here. Also, i would like to give a shout out to my old pal Forspussy and congratulate him on doing absolutely nothing since going to NAS. In fact, he sat the bench over the last 4 games of my hockey playoff finals. He has been demoted to the 2nd PP unit and 2nd line, and i think his head is half way to Sweden where i don't expect him to come back. NAS has REALLY struggled to find offense and i am not sure if they can just turn it on. Also, Vokoun hasn't exaclty been Bernie Parent since he came back. I give the series edge to the hotter team in San Jose. I would take SAN in the first one and just keep doubling up until they win. They won't get swept.
DET/CAL: Didn't we just do this a couple years ago. If both goalies are on, the first goal in the SERIES may win it. I am not sure i can pick a series winner here. DET is/has been banged up, CAL finally figured out how to win on the road and are lights out at home.
NYR/ATL: I really like the Rangers here. Avery and Lundqvist down the stretch gave them 2 things they had been missing. Grit/toughness and goaltending. ATL can't score. I am amazed with Kovalchuk, Kozlov, Hossa, Fatchuk, Crapnik and the likes that their PP isn't just amazing. But they struggled to score period down the stretch. With the NYR having a solid 2nd line with Straka, Avery and Shanny...2 good PP units and good goaltending, i really like them to knock out ATL who may just be happy to be here.
BUF/NYI: how can you pick against BUF. But see EDM last year.
NJD/TAM: Goaltending mismatch. The only thing that will keep TAM in this series is that NJD think scoring more than 2 goals isn't the way to play hockey. We'll see with Gionta/Gomez/Elias finally all back at the same time if they can find some form and get it cooking. Broduer kind of came back down to earth a little over the last 20 games, but dang, is TAM goaltending just shiatttt.
I am still looking at the card on Wed/Thur. My thought is this...there are so many series that could go either way, i can't justify laying fat juice in these games much at all. I actually may play a system in a couple of these where i take one team, then if they lose double up. Kind of risky, but man would i be surprised if like the NYR got swept by ATL or the Ducks by MIN. But stranger things have happened. Like PHI and TOR both missing the playoffs. Nice GM job by both those clowns the past couple years.
Thoughts?
GL to everyone!
Anyone think the "new NHL" is a lot less profitable than the "old NHL". I am really going to have to rethink the way i gamble on hockey next year. And a lot of the nice systems are gone because teams no longer travel much across time zones and long road trips are no longer the norm. Seems like everyone is playing 3I4s' now and the lack of travel has made them a lot less tough on teams. My honest thought is that teams really don't value home ice much anymore because there really is no "home ice" advantage like the old days when the rinks were all different and there really was an advantage to playing at home. There really appears to be no rhyme or reason to who plays well each night.
On to some playoff thoughts:
Is DAL going to get out of the first round? Are they going to score a goal in this series? I really like Vancouver with Luongo in this one. If Salo and Ohlund are healthy, they have a great blue line with Bieksa and Willie Mitchell along with those 2. Then you have a nice mix of forwards up front led by the Sedins who had 159 points i believe between them both. I really am wondering where DAL offense is going to come from. Debating a series play on VAN. Also will play VAN in game1 and if they lose come back with them in game2. Can't see them getting swept in both.
PITT/OTT: i like PIT to get 1 in OTT. This series goes 6 or 7 unless PIT can't get any offense going which is a possibility as they have struggled over long stretches of games at times. Debating playing this one UNDER in game1. Wondering how big a factor nerves are for PIT in game1 seeing they have so many guys who haven't been here before.
ANA/MIN: binary code series....1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0. We'll see how Backstrom does in the playoff spotlight. Lot different than playing regular season games.
SAN/NAS: Flip a coin, IMO. Sharks have been playing dumb hockey of late and finding the box wayyyyy too much. Can't do that here. Also, i would like to give a shout out to my old pal Forspussy and congratulate him on doing absolutely nothing since going to NAS. In fact, he sat the bench over the last 4 games of my hockey playoff finals. He has been demoted to the 2nd PP unit and 2nd line, and i think his head is half way to Sweden where i don't expect him to come back. NAS has REALLY struggled to find offense and i am not sure if they can just turn it on. Also, Vokoun hasn't exaclty been Bernie Parent since he came back. I give the series edge to the hotter team in San Jose. I would take SAN in the first one and just keep doubling up until they win. They won't get swept.
DET/CAL: Didn't we just do this a couple years ago. If both goalies are on, the first goal in the SERIES may win it. I am not sure i can pick a series winner here. DET is/has been banged up, CAL finally figured out how to win on the road and are lights out at home.
NYR/ATL: I really like the Rangers here. Avery and Lundqvist down the stretch gave them 2 things they had been missing. Grit/toughness and goaltending. ATL can't score. I am amazed with Kovalchuk, Kozlov, Hossa, Fatchuk, Crapnik and the likes that their PP isn't just amazing. But they struggled to score period down the stretch. With the NYR having a solid 2nd line with Straka, Avery and Shanny...2 good PP units and good goaltending, i really like them to knock out ATL who may just be happy to be here.
BUF/NYI: how can you pick against BUF. But see EDM last year.
NJD/TAM: Goaltending mismatch. The only thing that will keep TAM in this series is that NJD think scoring more than 2 goals isn't the way to play hockey. We'll see with Gionta/Gomez/Elias finally all back at the same time if they can find some form and get it cooking. Broduer kind of came back down to earth a little over the last 20 games, but dang, is TAM goaltending just shiatttt.
I am still looking at the card on Wed/Thur. My thought is this...there are so many series that could go either way, i can't justify laying fat juice in these games much at all. I actually may play a system in a couple of these where i take one team, then if they lose double up. Kind of risky, but man would i be surprised if like the NYR got swept by ATL or the Ducks by MIN. But stranger things have happened. Like PHI and TOR both missing the playoffs. Nice GM job by both those clowns the past couple years.
Thoughts?
GL to everyone!
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