2007/2008 Hockey Thread

[CQI13]

what some writer mentioned down here is that due to the contracts they have, it will be essentially the same team next year, so not sure how good that is for them.

[Gabriel]

what some writer mentioned down here is that due to the contracts they have, it will be essentially the same team next year, so not sure how good that is for them.

[Toe]

what some writer mentioned down here is that due to the contracts they have, it will be essentially the same team next year, so not sure how good that is for them.

If they can stay healthy next season, they should be either 1 or 2 in the Southeast Division. On paper, they have a tremendously capable team, but they've had injury problems, as well as various distractions throughout the season.

They should aim for a top defenseman in the free agent market, and try to keep Wade Belak there. Other than that, anything else they do should be for depth purposes.

[Plubby]

And Wade Belak!

[Guest Grapehead]

So Corvo gets his first hat trick today in his first game against the Sens, also Eaves added a goal... yikes.

[Toe]

No Antropov and no Sundin for tonights game against the Islanders. Hopefully we can get a lot of shots on net against Dubie and put home the rebounds. Chances are slim now, but Toronto still has a shot. Crazier things have happened in sports.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Toronto's done... really. 6 points out with 9 games left. I mean, not only Philly, but Buffalo, Washington and Florida all need to epic fail for Toronto to get in.

Montreal has a chance to re-take 1st in the East(at least for 1 night) tonight. It's awfully important that we win this game against St. Louis. Halak should be getting the start tonight. Should be a fun game to watch.

[Gabriel]

The Kings are the first team statistically eliminated from a spot in the playoffs. With 9 games left, if they won them all, they'd still fall 4 points short of where 8th place is right now.

Hopefully the Kings will call up some youngsters from Manchester (if they're not looking at a Calder Cup run), and maybe even Bernier if the Lewiston Maniacs aren't headed anywhere this season. There's absolutely no pressure right now, and with the goaltending being such a huge question in LA, there's no better time to give a guy like Bernier or Erik Ersberg the starts in net.

If they're looking to trade Cloutier, then a run of 3 or 4 good games isn't going to up his stock any. What you see is what you get, there... so unless they can't bring up Bernier, I don't think Cloutier should see any more game time. Ersberg should get the majority of the starts if that is the case.

[Guest Grapehead]

Lewiston has a decent chance to get somewhere in the Q playoffs so I don't think it'd be good for the Kings to take Bernier up.

[Gabriel]

Lewiston has a decent chance to get somewhere in the Q playoffs so I don't think it'd be good for the Kings to take Bernier up.

[Toe]

The Kings have to be a good team soon. With the roster they already have with great players like Kopitar, Frolov and Brown, and then prospects like Bernier, they have to be a competitive team in the next three seasons. To draw a good audience, they need to be in the playoffs. Considering not to far down the road the defending champions play, the Kings are in a tight spot.

I think Kopitar is going to be a dominating player in a few seasons.

[Gabriel]

I think that the LA Kings are on the brink of being a very good team. They've shown some good flashes of that this year already. What they need to do is bring in a couple good veteran forwards to work with the younger guys... find a way to try and replace Rob Blake, who probably won't come back to LA next season... and figure out their goaltending situation.

Cloutier isn't going to work out, and Ersberg should be in Manchester. Ideally, they'd find a number one goalie and give Labarbera the backup job, with Ersberg and Bernier in Manchester... but I have a feeling either Ersberg or Bernier will share the starting role next season with Labarbera.

[Toe]

The Islanders just scored a beauty of a shorthander.

[Cactus Drags]

I'd picked LA to be the zOMG where the fuck did they come from team this year, seems I cursed them instead.

Also, I didn't realise horse-collaring was legal in hockey. Or is it just when Minnesota are playing? Also, how can you have simultaneous diving and interference calls? and what's the deal with Mick Magoo (Macgoo? McGoo?)? The TSN guys seemed to be ragging on him a bit.

[Gabriel]

You get simulatenous calls for one thing and Diving when the referee was going to call the original infraction anyways, but the person who was on the receiving end of said infraction decides to try and make it look better for the official. Some officials will only call the one penalty, but if you get a stick in the face, and you go down so that people will notice, I'd call that a dive too... and I'm glad that they're cracking down on it a little. I hate that a guy gets clipped in the face, skates a bit, looks around and then goes to the ice.

You get caught with an infraction, then keep playing and let the refs do their job. If they miss it, get some vengeance with a big clean bodycheck later on.

[Plubby]

If you hit someone off the play, that's interference, right?

If they sell the off-play hit dead, that's diving.

[Toe]

Toronto wins but gains no ground as the Flyers and Capitals both won tonight. However, the team had to get some confidence coming back from the rocky start and winning without their two biggest scorers in Antropov and Mats Sundin.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Montreal blows one to the Blues. I can excuse the first period, there were some seriously bullshit calls and non calls, but the second we just didn't show up. The third we played well and just couldn't get it done. We get a 3 point lead on Ottawa which makes things ever so slightly more comfortable, but we're not going to surpass Jersey for the conference. They've got 2 games at hand and there's no way they're losing both of them.

[Gabriel]

Update:

San Jose has clinched themselves a playoff spot, but not their division yet. That brings the total up to two in the west.

Tampa Bay has joined Los Angeles in the cellar, as they became the second team to be statistically eliminated from the post-season.

I'm calling this now... Tampa gets Stamkos, and in two years ends up trading away Lecavalier and/or St. Louis anyways... Los Angeles gets Drew Doughty to add to their already great defense corps, and the Kings make the playoffs next season, while Tampa Bay finds themselves in the Draft Lottery again, hoping for Tavares.

Los Angeles seems to know how to build a team, whereas Tampa Bay seemingly has no fucking clue. Your star players are only as good as the people they play with. You can score 40+ goals Vinny, but if you don't make the playoffs, you had a shitty season.

[Toe]

Toronto won last night, and although Philly won too, we made up ground and chasing Boston may be a better bet anyways. We play them twice next week and We can get some help from the Habs as we chase them down.

Our playoff lives are almost in our own hands now.