Stanley Cup Playoffs

Marc-Andre Fleury was sensational tonight as the Penguins won in Philly to take a 3-1 lead in the Battle of Pennsylvania.


Fleury has been slow to develop since being the number one overall pick in 2003 as an 18 year old, but is finally getting close to the superstar status the organization envisioned for him. He's always had lightning quick reflexes but now he has the technique and experience to go with it. He made 45 saves in this game, including a ton in the third period when the Flyers were playing with all-out desperation.

Hope my Caps can pull out the series with the Rangers.

Any news on the ratings for the playoffs so far? I have the feeling hockey is growing in popularity.

Liverlips said:

Hope my Caps can pull out the series with the Rangers.

Any news on the ratings for the playoffs so far? I have the feeling hockey is growing in popularity.

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I can't believe the Caps are on the verge of elimination. They've outplayed the Rangers in every match!

The ratings have been good regionally. For instance the New England Sports Network got 9.4 in the Boston area while the Celts-Bulls got 9.5. (In other words the Bruins are winning with white viewers) The Rangers got their highest regional rating (3.04) in 12 years on Monday night and the Sharks got their highest rating ever.

Check these sites for near daily updates:

Puck the Media

Sports Media WatchEdited by: Matra1

Alexander the Great! Alex Ovechkin scored an incredible goal against the Rangers on Friday night (April 24):

Here it is

The Penguins spot the Flyers a 3-0 lead in Philly then roar back to win 5-3 and take the series in six games. A very well played series by both teams -- Go Pens!

Let's go Penguins!! I am hoping we can get to the finals and win this year. But we need to get through Boston, and probably Detroit in the Finals.

I'm for Detroit to repeat! Go Redwings!

Matra1 said:

Alexander the Great! Alex Ovechkin scored an incredible goal against the Rangers on Friday night (April 24):

Here it is

Click to expand...

This was an absolutely incredible goal- thanks for the link! Crosby is a best play-maker in the league IMO, but Ovechkin seems to be the most natural goal scorer in the league.

My Flames just got crushed today- Kiprusoff let in 4 goals and was pulled. Khabibulin seems to have a knack for getting the best of Kiprusoff when it matters, just like when Tampa Bay beat Calgary a few years ago in the cup when they had Khabibulin.

The Rangers looked awful without Sean Avery on Friday night. He was pulled from the line-up due to his meltdown in the previous game. Coach Tortorella said he lacked discipline. Yet today Tortorella will miss the game as he has been suspended for getting into a fight with a fan! So much for discipline!

Yea the Rangers played fabulously to take a 3-1 lead and now seem to have totally lost their composure. They will need a big effort from Lundqvist if they want to advance.

Henrik is my favorite goalie to watch. He really is forced to make tremendous saves every night due to the Rangers porous defense.

Although I want the Caps to win - because of Ovechkin - that was a thuggish cheap shot by Donald Brashear on Betts, who is now out indefinitely.

Here it is

He was also involved in a pre-game incident for which he has a disciplinary hearing today with the NHL. Edited by: Matra1

On Tuesday night there are 2 Game 7s: NYR at Washington (7pm) and Carolina at New Jersey (7.30pm). I'd liked to have watched both those games.

Tonight it is Chicago at Calgary (game 6) at 9.30pm EST and San Jose at Anaheim (game 6) 10.30pm. I don't know what Versus will do tonight; presumably they will join the 2nd game in progress.

I know it is not easy to schedule the playoffs but this isn't very good for those of us who'd like to see all the games. The NHL constantly shoots itself in the foot.

the nhl needs to get rid of brashear and laraque. They cant skate, they cant score, they are fat, out of shape and old.

Matra1 said:

Although I want the Caps to win - because of Ovechkin - that was a thuggish cheap shot by Donald Brashear on Betts, who is now out indefinitely.

Here it is

He was also involved in a pre-game incident for which he has a disciplinary hearing today with the NHL.

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There are still too many of these cheap hits in hockey although it's improved some. Brashear, Domi, Hatcher Bertuzzi etc. all have taken cheap shots in recent memory. Brashear is a goon.

The only black hockey player I'm a huge fan of currently is Jerome Iginla on my Flames. I drafted him and former goon Todd Bertuzzi in my draft this year. Anson Carter used to be a good black hockey player for Edmonton, but I forget where he is now. HOF goalie Grant Fehr was part black I believe.

The way hockey is now is fine and the best usually make it to the top. I hope the league doesn't start a ridiculous push for more black players- a lot of the black players are the tough/checking goon type instead of finesse/ speedy stick handling play-maker types anyway. Most blacks aren't interested in hockey- so why the hell should there be a push for more blacks in the sport (which I see starting a little). Even in Canada blacks are less interested in hockey than Canadian whites...

Damn, I'm mad my Flames lost.

i read an article recently about making hockey more diverse. i also remember reading an statement from kevin weekes trying to make the sport more diverse.Edited by: green fire317

Caps win! The less-heralded Russians (Semin and Federov) score for Washington as they come all the way back from 3-1 down. In other news, New Jersey also blows a series lead and gets upset by the number six seeded Hurricanes.

So second round matchups are:

#2 Detroit versus # 8 Anaheim

#3 Vancouver versus # 4 Chicago

and in the east:
#1 Boston versus #6 Carolina

#2 Washington versus # 4 Pittsburgh

Obviously the media will be all over the Washington-Pittsburgh matchup, what with the Ovechkin versus Crosby and Malkin storylines. And I'll admit that I find that compelling as well. I don't so much buy into the media-generated "rivalry" between Ovechkin and Crosby and between Ovie and Malkin, but all three are fantastic players and fun to watch. Throw in Ovechkin's extremely underrated supporting cast members Semin and Backstrom, and there's the potential for a lot of great goals to be scored. Washington does have the momentum from their comeback from 3-1 down, while Pittsburgh may be a bit rusty in comparison after finishing their series early. That said, I like Pittsburgh in this one. They really impressed me with their takedown of Philly.

I'll admit to not knowing too much about the Hurricanes except that they were one of the best teams in the league over the second half of the season. Still, as a Bruins fan I was glad Carolina upset New Jersey, which allowed Boston to play the Canes instead of Pittsburgh. My pick is Boston.

Anaheim did a great job to upset San Jose in the first round, but Detroit is really playing well at the right time. I think Anaheim's only real chance is if Hiller can really outplay Osgood. That's certainly possible, as Osgood is no superstar. But this Detroit team is just too good, with too much skill at forward and defense. Wings won't sweep, but they'll win.

Interesting matchup in the other series. I think Chicago is more talented, especially at forward, but so many of their key guys have no real postseason experience apart from the first round. Luongo is one of the better goaltenders in the game, but when Khabibulin is on, he can be as good as anyone (see Tampa Bay's Cup win as an example). The series probably comes down to who wins the battle of the goaltending, and that's a tough call to make. In the end, I had to go with Luongo and the Canucks.

Welcome to the board, Weston. Nice summary.


The Penguins aremy favoritesports team so am really anticipating the re-igniting of the Pittsburgh-Washington rivalry. Rather amazingly, these two teams met in the playoffs seven times between 1991 and 2001. The Pens owned the Capitals back then, winning six of them, including twice erasing 3-1 deficits.


But now it's a different era with different players.Both teams have an excellent corps of young talent. I was really impressed with how loud and boistrous the Capitals' playoff crowds have been. For many years, thousands of Penguins fans would travel to Washington for Pens-Capitals games and they would be noiser than the supposed "home" fans. Now hockey has really caught on in the D.C. metro area and it's great to see. In fact, every playoff team's home crowd looked to be wearing their team's colors this year. The NHL has a large and very passionate following, as it should as nothing beats the intensity and great play to be foundin the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Thanks Don.

Ovechkin has obviously been a blessing for the Capitals. He's just so much fun to watch, and is very charismatic for someone that doesn't speak English very well. He's played a huge role in helping a non-hockey market like D.C. embrace the sport. Of course, winning helps a lot as well.

Well I am a Stars and Blue Jackets fan and since neither one of them are still in the playoffs(Stars didn't make it) I will now root for the Penguins. The series will be billed as Ovechkin vs. Crosby but I think a case can be made that Malkin is just as good and arguably better than the both of them. I love to watch skilled open ice hockey and the Penguins/Caps series will be as close to that as it gets within the confines of what the NHL referees choose to enforce in the way of obstruction. I love the intensity of the NHL playoffs even when I don't have that much of a rooting interest. Outside of MMA, hockey players are the real warriors of the professional sports world and there is no greater achievement in sports than winning the Stanley Cup and enduring the grind and pain of this two month elimination tournament with games every other day. Looking forward to this series. Thank God I got the Versus channel.

Where is RealGeorge???
I've liked his pro-Penguins posts over the last couple years.I've been absent myself for a while, every now and again will jump on. But with the playoffs here, had to post.

Don, why on earth would you remind me of the pain inflicted by the Pens coming back from not one, but TWO 3-1 deficits!
Seems like just yesterday the last time that happened. Man time flies. But the old Patrick division has had lots of playoff drama, so even when the Caps were down I wasn't counting them out. I was bummed but not ready to pack it in yet.

For the NHL sake, we are rolling now. I remember two years ago, someone posting here some stupid article that said teh NHL was doomed. But the premise of that article was on a Tampa vs Calgary Stanley Cup. Imagine if Toronto play OK City in the NBA Finals. Be the same damned thing.
But now we've got lots of talent. Never mind just DC and Pitt, Chicago is finally back in, Boston, St. Louis beginning to claw back, things are beginning to look good for the NHL.
I couldn't be more excited.

Let's get a Hawks vs. Wings and Caps vs. Boston Final Four and see what the ratings do then. That'd be sweet.


Go Caps!!!

cslewis1 said:

Don, why on earth would you remind me of the pain inflicted by the Pens coming back from not one, but TWO 3-1 deficits!

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Sorry, man. It had to be very tough to be a Caps fan in the '90s. It was uncanny how the Pens and Caps would draw each other in the first round of the playoffs what seemed like almost every year there for a while.


Both are excellent young teams on the rise. Should be a heckuva series starting Saturday.

Don Wassall said:

cslewis1 said:

Don, why on earth would you remind me of the pain inflicted by the Pens coming back from not one, but TWO 3-1 deficits!

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Sorry, man. 

  It had to be very tough to be a Caps fan in the '90s.  It was uncanny how the Pens and Caps would draw each other in the first round of the playoffs what seemed like almost every year there for a while.


Both are excellent young teams on the rise.  Should be a heckuva series starting Saturday. 

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Those old Pens / Caps gmes were something else, didn't they play a super long OT game to decide a series?

The Red Wings are playing well but they have had problems with Anahiem before. Depends on the goal tending but I like the guys the Wings have this year.

Here's hoping for a seven game series full of overtimes, drama, momentum changes, goal scoring, outstanding saves and star players playing like star players. The non -hockey world is paying a little bit more attention to this series because of the star factor, I hope it's a memorable one that is very similar to the one the Bulls/Celtics are putting on right now.

jaxvid said:

Don Wassall said:

cslewis1 said:

Don, why on earth would you remind me of the pain inflicted by the Pens coming back from not one, but TWO 3-1 deficits!

Click to expand...

Sorry, man.

It had to be very tough to be a Caps fan in the '90s. It was uncanny how the Pens and Caps would draw each other in the first round of the playoffs what seemed like almost every year there for a while.



Both are excellent young teams on the rise. Should be a heckuva series starting Saturday.

Click to expand...

Those old Pens / Caps gmes were something else, didn't they play a super long OT game to decide a series?

Click to expand...

It was Game 4 in the '96 quarterfinals. It was in Washington and the Capitals already had a 2-1 lead, so if the Penguins had lost they would have been toast after losing in 4 overtimes and going down 3-1 in games. As it was they polished off the Caps in two straight after winning. Penguins backup goalie Ken Wregget was fantastic in that game, including stopping a penalty shot (in overtime!). The players were getting so sluggish (other than the amazingly well conditioned defenseman Sergei Zubov) that I remember wondering if the game was ever going to end. Petr Nedved's celebration after he scored was one of the best ever. I went through a lot of beer that night. Edited by: Don Wassall