2011 NHL Playoff Race
 

Wondering who else follows hockey here. My Devils are on the brink of pulling off THE greatest comeback in NHL history in terms of points gained to make the playoffs. It's still a long shot, but I (and other ESPN hockey analysts) think they're gonna pull it off.

Any other thoughts? I don't follow the West too closely. I'm assuming it'll be between Vancouver and Chicago. In the East Philly is choking HARD. The Caps are dangerous but they need the Goaltending there. They're probably my pick to be in the East Finals, against my DEVILS of course. Without Crosby and Malkin the Pens are crap. The Canadiens are scary due to the run they made just last year. It's all about who's playing the best going in, and if my Devils get in, I think they'll definitely make it to the Eastern Finals at least.

Oh, and Parise will be back likely for the last 3-4 games of the season as well.

Most exciting time of year IMO

Devil's fan here as well. This season has been emotional, to say the least. :rofl2:

BUMP. 6 points out with a game in hand on 8th place Buffalo

Since we don't have the NHL here in KC, I will pull for the Devils for you guys. Our Central Hockey team here has made the playoffs that start 4/1 but still have a chance, with 6 games left, to get the top spot in their division. Go Mavericks!

IF they pull off a playoff berth it will destroy the previous record of points overcame to make the playoffs in the NHL and will likely be recorded as the greatest comeback in sports history (though since Hockey is back seat to baseball, basketball, and football in the US, probably laregely un-appreciated)

Let's Go Caps!

http://www.thehockeynews.com/imgs/dy...l/h012423A.jpg

;)

Got bent over by the refs last night...Just horrible. NJD play the Caps well so should be interesting tonight.

:iagree: Def going to be fun! Cool to see a hockey thread started! :tup: :tiphat:

Yeah, that crap was painful to watch.

McElhinney played tremendouly well but the penalties were pretty bad. Especially the Volchenkov one that lead to the 5 on 3. Either way, Kovalchuk needs to bury that breakaway. No excuses.

Yeah, that's the only thing that kept me from getting too pissed off, McElhinney was playing great.

Whether or not NJ makes it, it has certainly been an impressive run. Reminds me of the Caps when Boudreau first took over. They went from a joke to the playoffs in half a year.

Lol love Boudreau. You see the Pens-Caps 24/7 on HBO? His favorite work is F&$K.

:icon18: That was an awesome broadcast. Actually made me respect the Pens a little bit more.....just a little. :p

Well, 7 points out, 10 games to go. Boston tonight, Pit on Friday, Buffalo Saturday. All on the road. This is the season for my Devils. They really can't afford to lose more than 2 of the remaining 10, and that's going off last year's stats of needing ~ 88 pts to make the playoffs in the East. That they're even in the race is amazing, but these next three games will help solidify any real hopes of a true miracle in the making.

Still no word on Parise either. Since it's playoff time I assume he'll just be in the lineup one night without any hype for a week prior. I just hope it's soon.

yeah im in STL and my Blues have no shot. They cant even be mentioned in the same sentence as these other teams.

Im a true fan and i support them even though they are crap but sometimes I think my sunday night hockey team could beat them......

The west is tougher in general but it's been tough for st Louis for a long time.

Looks like last night basically put the nail in the coffin. Now 9 points out with 9 to go. Would need to basically go 9-0 WITH help of other teams losing. Not impossible, but not holding my breath. Still though, I'm really proud of my team. They took a totally lost season and made it exciting again. I'm still holding out hope though. It's never over till it's over.

Yeah, oh well, it was a fun ride.

The real bitch of it is that if they did make it they'd have a really good chance at going far. With the exception of Washington, the top teams in the East are skidding badly. And Washington really needs to count on lots of offense (which they have) because their goalies are young and not playoff proven.

did anybody elses team run a deal like the Blues

Certain tickets about 4000 seats, you would buy season tickets and pay half. You only had to pay the other half if the Blues made the playoffs. It was part of their "Every Game Counts" promotions

kinda a good idea provided they made the playoffs. Now the owners are looking for buyers for the team......:shakes head::shakes head:

Not sure how much sense that makes. Definitely out of the question for the Devils. They just built a new arena and the majority owners partners were already looking to sell their share shortly after the Kovalchuk signing.

def an impressive 2nd half for the devils and its too bad they couldn't have played like that just even a month sooner. The sabres turned themselves around just in time earlier in the season and i'm really looking forward to the playoffs. obviously they still could not make the playoffs but with how they have been playing, its really going to be tough for carolina to catch them.

I think the way the East sits right now is the way they will enter the playoffs, perhaps with Washington and Philly switching positions. Whoever comes out of the East should have an advantage in the Finals as the West teams will be beating the crap out of each other as usual. If Vancouver ends up playing Chicago in the first round, that may be the only way the Canucks will be ousted. I don't see any other team matching up well against them in either conference. The only hope for the East is if Washington gets consistent high quality goaltending.

It's gonna be a fun Playoffs. Just as long as the Rangers don't win I'll be happy. They're more balanced than in previous years. A lot more depth and Lundqvist is an animal. I just hate them.

Rangers

They'll be lucky to make it.

Here we go again...:rolleyes: LOL

When my brother was a season ticket owner for the Capitals, returning season ticket owners got an inside track on playoff tix.

I saw them play the Rangers in the playoffs recently, and way back in 98 I saw them play Buffalo en route to the only cup final they've ever played in.

How are the Devils doing? :ugh:
:tup:

Since 1995 - Devils...3 Stanley Cups.

Since 1940 - Rangers...2 Stanley Cups.

The Rangers aren't in yet. I'm looking forward to next Saturday's game.

Here ya go.....the 1st round playoff schedule and where to see the games:


http://mit.zenfs.com/206/2011/04/Scr...1.05.10-PM.png
http://mit.zenfs.com/206/2011/04/Scr...1.05.19-PM.png
http://mit.zenfs.com/206/2011/04/Scr...1.05.28-PM.png
http://mit.zenfs.com/206/2011/04/Scr...1.05.38-PM.png

Let's go Caps!

pittsburghhh! i see crosby coming back and scoring the game winning goal to win the stanley cup. no doubt about it

It's going to be interesting to see how Washington fares in this year's playoffs. Last couple years, they lived by a fast transition game, scoring tons of goals, and then their defense was crummy and they lost in the playoffs. This year, they focused on defense and have had their best defensive season since the late 90's. But some of their D men are nursing injuries and the offensive production has tapered off. After gambling this whole season on changing from an offensive juggernaut to a playoff-ready defensive squad, will it pay off?

After the Bruins embarassing playoff leave last year I hope they get it done this year.

Pittsburgh has to make it through Tampa Bay for Crosby to have a chance at that...and they are saying Crosby won't even be playing in this series. Lightning will take it in 7. :hello:

I looked forward to it and enjoyed the outcome as well :tiphat:

Also, don't go talking about the past. That means nothing currently.

We had a terrible season that was made interesting towards the end. The Rangers were at the top of the conference for most of the season and backed in to the playoffs. They are a good playoff team though and always make things interesting. In fact, I'll bet they take Game 1 in Washington. But Lundqvist looked tired on Saturday. He wasn't himself. He's gonna need to stand on his head to get the Rangers through. They are at least a better coached, and far more defensive minded team than they have been in the recent past. But in the Playoffs your best players have to be at their best. Maybe Gaborik will wake up. The loss of Callahan will prove huge especially on the PK. It should be interesting.

I also see Philly going out in 6.

The Rangers always make for a difficult matchup for the Capitals. They're a very physical squad. I hope the Caps win, but I'm thinking 6 games at best.