*macchiato done, cookies collected, time to write*
Ah, just when you thought I would never post again, I raise from the Ashes. Probably not for long. This blogging is so timeconsuming for me, that since late November, I have found zero time to write something. But how could I not return for my favourite pastime of the season: utterly and completely misreading the stars and other omens and failing in predicting the winner of the Stanley Cup!
But the Witch is back! And as last year, you can feast your eyes on a mix of wishful thinking, absurdity, hoping, runewatching, coin-flipping and crystal-ballery!
EASTERN CONFERENCE
[Senators #8 vs Rangers #1]
Last year the Rangers fought with all their might to make it to #8 ahead of the Canes. What a difference a year can make. This year they had several great runs and at times I had to admit they looked strong. Definitely stronger than I like seeing them. And they have King Henrik. Oh boy. But they also provided me with some fun moments and although I have no love for this squad at all, Torts definitely made my day the other week when he so openly dissed the Pens Prima Donnas. Nice. The Sens, ugh. So unless the Rangers decide to fail again in the first round, I can see them win this one quite easily. 4-2 Rags, I mean Rangers.
[Caps #7 vs Bruins #2]
Oh no. I hate this match-up this early in the Playoffs *wince*. Once the Flyers had 'left the building' last year, I totally jumped on the Bruins bandwagon. They were playing the game the way I had expected to see my Flyers play. But I have a soft spot for the Caps too. And correct me if I'm wrong, but there were some sparks in those last few games ... *ponders deeply* ... I can't think of bad things to say about the Bruins, such a complete team. And the Caps, do they even have a goalie?! But a little voice in my head is telling me to expect the perhaps unexpected and that maybe the Caps won't choke this time around. I am going to upset my buddy Sven with this and myself a bit too to be honest. 4-3 Caps.
[Devils #6 vs Panthers #3]
I have no particular interest in this match-up. Hate the Devils though, Panthers are so-so. So this is easy to decide on. The series score has nothing to do with me thinking the Panthers are THAT good, no, it's just a reflection of my dislike of the Debs. 4-0 Panthers.
[Flyers #5 vs Pens #4]
Oh boy. Really? In the first round? *sigh* Look. After the crazy trades that happened after the post-season I was really worried about how things would pan out for my Flyers this season. But I must admit, I am quite pleased. The season hasn't been perfect, but I had good hopes for a good Playoffs run. Hmm, well, if nothing else, I expect fireworks between the two. No love lost there! I don't mind seeing another bout of Lavvy trying to climb the boarding in order to give Bylsma a good talking to :D ... but the Pens, if they keep a healthy team, are quite formidable. Vomitted a bit in my mouth there :S ... so I am going for a mix of hoping and love for my Flyboys. 4-3 Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
[Kings #8 vs Nucks #1]
I just don't like the Nucks. Well, maybe Ryan Kessler, but that's it. The Kings have Anze! And Richie! And oh no, Carter, but I won't hold it against them. So simply because I hate the Nucks. I say. 4-2 Kings.
[Sharks #7 vs Blues #2]
Eh the Sharks made it again, eh? And the Blues too this time. What a lousy series, both are just such non-entities for me. So I am going to consult The Coins! Tail is Sharks. *flips a coin
several times* Oh, The Coins like a full series! 4-3 Blues. Whatever.
[Blackhawks #6 vs Yotes #3]
What is that? The Hawks are still here? I blotted them out last year. So pesky of them to return again ... *continues pretending the Hawks do not exist* ... guess that's a by for the Yotes. Lucky bastards. 4-0 - as they had no opponents - Yotes.
[Red Wings #5 vs Predators #4]
Red Wings, my fave Western team. So, easy for me. Wings of course win. Don't want them to get too tired. 4-2 Wings.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Rangers vs Caps]
Ohhhh, with the Sens out of the way it is time for the Rangers to say bye bye. Come on Caps! 4-3 Caps.
[Panthers vs Flyers]
Yeah no rocket science required to figure out what I am going to predict here ;) ... 4-1 Flyers.
[Caps vs Flyers]
Caps, I love you guys, but my Flyers will get stronger with each series. 4-2 Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Kings vs Blues]
As The Coins helped me out during the first round, let me consult them again. Kings are tails. Oooooh nice, I would have gone with the Kings here. And The Coins agree strongly. 4-1 Kings.
[Yotes - Red Wings]
No contest. Red Wings march through and quite easily too with lots of Datsyukian dekes. 4-1 Wings.
[Kings vs Red Wings]
You may know I am an Eastern Conference girl myself, but this is a sexy Western Conference Finals match-up. Delish! My Western faves have to win this one though, would love to see them in the SC Finals! But the Kings won't just give it up and will take it all the way to game seven, before gracefully bowing out. 4-3 Wings.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Red Wings]
Hahah, this is the exact same final series I predicted last year. My my, how wrong I was. But hey, a mix of wishful thinking, absurdity, hoping, runewatching, coin-flipping and crystal-ballery can be very potent and maybe this year that dream really will come true xD ... last year I predicted a 4-2 Flyers win and I see no reason why it should be different in this SC dream. So yeah. 4-2 Flyers. And I will be in Hockey Heaven!
So what do you think?
Showing posts with label red wings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label red wings. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Friday, 25 November 2011
Black Friday Hockey
Black Friday Hockey. Or as I like to call it, "Hockey Night In Holland'. There were so many early games that I was able to watch a whole bunch of games before 1am! So I got myself some nice tasty food morsels, Cherry Coke (usually drink water only, so that is my guilty pleasure lol), started up NHL Gamecenter and settled in for a hockey-filled evening.
Starting off with the WINGS @ BRUINS. Tuned in just in time to see my hero Datsyuk score one of his awesome goals to make it 2-1. A pleasing score ... but I wasn't that happy with the Wings' play once they got there. There was a sense of complacency, which would have been alright with a 2-goal lead perhaps. My view is that when you lead by one goal, you keep pushing pushing pushing for another one before you take it down a notch. And I love Zetterberg, but that was a disgusting giveaway. Of course Bergeron would not let it go by unpunished!
At least it lead to a more animated remainder of the game. The OT was hectic with the Bruins looking just a tad sharper, but it ended in SO. Seguin and Pevs missed, Horton got a goal. But the Wings won this one with pretty nice goals by Datsyuk and Bertuzzi. Yeah! I would have liked to see the Bruins continue their awesome 10-game winning streak and turn it onto an even longer one, but not at the expense of my fave Western Conference team.
Next up. HABS @ FLYERS. Hmm. I had planned to to switch to this game as soon as it started, but the Wings game got me excited enough to keep watching. Unfortunately I saw that at the end of the 1st period the Habs had scored. I hate the Habs so much and for a minute considered watching the Oilers game instead. But have to stick with my Flyers, eventhough I noticed that I hate the Habs so much, that seeing them on Flyers ice made me quite nauseous!
But I persevered and tuned in for the second period. In the early minutes I saw several interesting attempts to score on Price, most noteably a breakaway rush by Sean Couturier and just a few seconds later Roo and Talbot had a great chance as well, both attempts making me wonder 'How in the hell did they not score?!' ... but I like it when my Flyers start playing hard and fast and they definitely went for it. By the time Roo equalised the game, my guys had thrice the shots on goal (2nd period stat: 5 vs 18). And Roo's wrist-shot was amazing. One of those shots taken from an apparently impossible angle. And they kept going and going, succesfully killing a PP and following it up smoothly with another goal. Voracek this time. He's one of the new additions that make sense to me. I am still trying to discover what Lilja and Rinaldo are supposed to add to the mix (feel free to add your thoughts about this in the comments). But I digress, because with 5.9 seconds left in the 2nd, Roo scored again. 3-1! YEAH!!! Oh, Kessel better get some goals tonight, Roo is close to taking over his spot in 'most points'. The third period saw no goals, but I liked the energy shown by my guys and they kept it interesting to watch. And I must point out Sergei Bobrovsky's awesome goaltending, he had several big saves today and looked as sharp as ever.
After that fun game I tuned in to the RAGS @ CAPS game. The Rags were ahead 3-1, but the first thing I got to see was a goal by the Caps which gave me good hope of a possible turnaround for the Caps. Unfortunately just a bit later the Rags answered and made it 4-2. Third period wasn't good for the Caps either and when the Rags made it 5-2 I gave up and switched to ....
... the OILERS @ WILD game. I had been switching back and forth, but decided to go with this game permanently, because I like to see the young Oilers play (4 points combined this game) and they were en route to beating the Wild. A 5-2 win for these former underdogs. And in the end the Caps lost 6-3.
It's 1am here and I don't have any energy left for watching the Pens. The Leafs game is even later, so I will watch those games tomorrow and share my thoughts about later!
Let me finish this post with a fun pic and a little musing ...
Musing: Wouldn't it be funny if Bobs became the starter once more and we'd have the most expensive back-up goalie?!
Starting off with the WINGS @ BRUINS. Tuned in just in time to see my hero Datsyuk score one of his awesome goals to make it 2-1. A pleasing score ... but I wasn't that happy with the Wings' play once they got there. There was a sense of complacency, which would have been alright with a 2-goal lead perhaps. My view is that when you lead by one goal, you keep pushing pushing pushing for another one before you take it down a notch. And I love Zetterberg, but that was a disgusting giveaway. Of course Bergeron would not let it go by unpunished!
At least it lead to a more animated remainder of the game. The OT was hectic with the Bruins looking just a tad sharper, but it ended in SO. Seguin and Pevs missed, Horton got a goal. But the Wings won this one with pretty nice goals by Datsyuk and Bertuzzi. Yeah! I would have liked to see the Bruins continue their awesome 10-game winning streak and turn it onto an even longer one, but not at the expense of my fave Western Conference team.
Next up. HABS @ FLYERS. Hmm. I had planned to to switch to this game as soon as it started, but the Wings game got me excited enough to keep watching. Unfortunately I saw that at the end of the 1st period the Habs had scored. I hate the Habs so much and for a minute considered watching the Oilers game instead. But have to stick with my Flyers, eventhough I noticed that I hate the Habs so much, that seeing them on Flyers ice made me quite nauseous!
But I persevered and tuned in for the second period. In the early minutes I saw several interesting attempts to score on Price, most noteably a breakaway rush by Sean Couturier and just a few seconds later Roo and Talbot had a great chance as well, both attempts making me wonder 'How in the hell did they not score?!' ... but I like it when my Flyers start playing hard and fast and they definitely went for it. By the time Roo equalised the game, my guys had thrice the shots on goal (2nd period stat: 5 vs 18). And Roo's wrist-shot was amazing. One of those shots taken from an apparently impossible angle. And they kept going and going, succesfully killing a PP and following it up smoothly with another goal. Voracek this time. He's one of the new additions that make sense to me. I am still trying to discover what Lilja and Rinaldo are supposed to add to the mix (feel free to add your thoughts about this in the comments). But I digress, because with 5.9 seconds left in the 2nd, Roo scored again. 3-1! YEAH!!! Oh, Kessel better get some goals tonight, Roo is close to taking over his spot in 'most points'. The third period saw no goals, but I liked the energy shown by my guys and they kept it interesting to watch. And I must point out Sergei Bobrovsky's awesome goaltending, he had several big saves today and looked as sharp as ever.
After that fun game I tuned in to the RAGS @ CAPS game. The Rags were ahead 3-1, but the first thing I got to see was a goal by the Caps which gave me good hope of a possible turnaround for the Caps. Unfortunately just a bit later the Rags answered and made it 4-2. Third period wasn't good for the Caps either and when the Rags made it 5-2 I gave up and switched to ....
... the OILERS @ WILD game. I had been switching back and forth, but decided to go with this game permanently, because I like to see the young Oilers play (4 points combined this game) and they were en route to beating the Wild. A 5-2 win for these former underdogs. And in the end the Caps lost 6-3.
It's 1am here and I don't have any energy left for watching the Pens. The Leafs game is even later, so I will watch those games tomorrow and share my thoughts about later!
Let me finish this post with a fun pic and a little musing ...
 |
| That is one scary 'tache! I like my Roo smooth, so can't wait for December lol |
Musing: Wouldn't it be funny if Bobs became the starter once more and we'd have the most expensive back-up goalie?!
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Season 2011 - 2012 | My 1st Night With NHL Gamecenter
And what a glorious night it was. Could have been even better, but more about that later.
If like me, you are European, you will know that getting your hockey fix has been problematic at times. If not, in short: at the end of last season ESPN lost the international NHL broadcasting rights to some shady consortium. I am sure it's not as shady as I make it out to be, but it has definitely less cachet than ESPN in my opinion. Up until the very last week before the season start we had no idea if and where we'd be able to watch hockey, but then word came that we could all sign up for NHL Gamecenter. Since then, in some countries, hockey has returned to television which actually messed up people's access to their Gamecenter accounts (if they got one of course). And ESPN America does on occasion air a game or two (weird stuff), but OK, the Netherlands are not much of a hockey market so I don't have to worry about any TV station acquiring the Dutch broadcasting rights anytime soon ;)
I didn't get Gamecenter straight away. I have very little opportunity to watch games live and I wasn't sure if it would be worth the investment. I have caught a few games online, but stream hunting is not really appealing and quite illegal as well ;) ... so yesterday I decided to give myself an early Christmas present and ordered a year's worth of yummie NHL games!
The first game I watched was the FLYERS-JETS game and this is why the night was not as glorious as it could have been ...
♦ They lost 6-4. To the annoying Thrashers, ah, I mean Jets. Whatever. What is it with these guys that makes my guys choke? The last nine encounters between the two, the Jets won eight times :p
♦ Bobs was in net. I saw people demand his head on a plate. Sure, I will not deny he let in a few soft ones, but lets face it, those first ten minutes of the game the whole team was playing in a most disgraceful manner. This was his first loss in regulation and he still came out of this game marginally better than Pavelec ... .872 vs .871 ;)
♦ So the first ten minutes were horrible, unfortunately the same was true for the second period. At this time I was ready to just ignore the game and solely focus on the Kings-Red Wings game. But I gave it another go as the third period started and was happy enough to find the guys were playing are more focused game and managed to score a few goals to make it 5-4. Actually, I made that sound a bit dull, but it was actually a pretty exciting third period. And damn, Matt Read. Two awesome goals, a huge slapshot followed by a precise wrist-shot. Nice, I was on the edge of my seat. One to watch for sure :D
♦ I will never understand why Lavvy then chose to go for an early - if you ask me - empty net ... a huge gamble if you ask me. It looked uncomfortable from the get go and yeah, that didn't work out well at all
♦ And a final musing about why Bryzgy didn't play this game. Looking at the losing trend we have when meeting the Jets and that horrible game in October - yeah, the one that we lost 9-8 and which had the highest number of goals in one game in the last 15 years and made both teams look crap - and Bryzgy's subsequent loss of confidence ... I am not surprised at all that Lavvy sent in Bobs. Better to preserve Bryzgy's new-found confidence right?
During this game I also kept an eye on the RED WINGS-KINGS game. Gamecenter makes it so easy to switch between games! I needed myself a bit of Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar and of course the Red Wings, who are my fave Western Conference team.
♦ So what a stroke of luck that I changed to that game just in time to see Richie score an awesome shortie! Speed, cunning and precision execution. It was beautiful to see. And he seems happier in LA. He wasn't even grumpy during the intermission interview! :D
♦ And then the Red Wings went on to score four goals, unanswered by the Kings. My hero Datsyuk got two goals. So all is good in the West in my book
♦ And can I just say that the Kings' black home jersey is the most awesome jersey in the league? I see a Richie or Anze jersey in my future lol
At this point I was a bit tired, but decided to wait for the 1am start of the CAPS-LEAFS game. I was a bit scared, what with the November slide and all. And eventhough the Caps are having a bit of a struggle too at the moment, it's still the Caps!
♦ So, although I had plenty of reasons to be worried (Reims still out; Armstrong, Grabovski, MacArthur, Lombardi *and* Komisarek as well, the Monster in net, a few annoying losses in the last couple of weeks) I needn't have worried. My Leafies looked just fine in the first period and went into the second period with a 2-1 lead. And that's when the schooling started. Four awesome goals, three of which on the PP! And to finish things off, a third period short-handed goal. BOOM! 7-1! I mean I have a soft spot for the Caps and don't like to see them struggle, but when my guys win this big, I can't help but feel elated!
♦ Who did all this scoring you ask? Ah, it started with Connolly, not even two minutes into the game. Then Frattin scored his first NHL goal. Grats! In the second period we saw awesome goals by Bozak, Kessel (14th this season, still leading the League *kiss*), Lupul and Franson. Steckel scored against his former team in the final minute of the game and celebrated like it was a game-winning goal. But hey, he hadn't been involved in a goal in eleven games, so who can blame him. Nice going
♦ Monster looked confident in net and made some awesome saves, and didn't play so messy on the rebounds; lets hope he can keep this up till Reims returns!
♦ And I need to put the spotlight on Lupul for a bit. A goal and three assists! And the game's 1st Star. I liked the way he played at the end of last season and I am glad to see him progress this season as well. Love him! *let me fawn for a bit* Love the Kessel-Lupul-Bozak line in general
Today I also watched the OILERS smash the BLACKHAWKS. Yeah! And BOSTON had a great evening as well, schooling those pesky ISLES.
♦ Love all those youngsters at the Oil. Hall, Eberle, Hemsky all scored goals. Nugent-Hopkins didn't, but he was certainly a driving force with 5 assists, creating great opportunities for his teammates. And some of the goals were so beautiful. Just for a certain tic-tac goal I think I will have to post a second article to feature some of my fave goals last night, cause there were plenty all across the league
♦ The Bruins had an uncharacteristic start of the season, dwelling near the last place in the Eastern Conference, but they are on a huge winning streak ... won last eight games now. And I haven't seen an Isles game in a while, but this is the weakest I have seen them play. They hardly gave any resistance at all and the Bruins just trampled all over them. The scoreless second period was odd, but hey, still got six goals in the end
*reads back*
Whoa, apologies for that waterfall of words, just couldn't stop myself ;) ... so just a few final observations and then I'm posting this monster!
Other noticeable occurances:
♦ Thank you Yotes for denying the Sabres aka BKK aka Blunt Kitchen Knives the win
♦ BizNasty scored. A goal I mean. And this is sweet, his mother was there for the first time ever to witness it. Biz told us she has been ill for the past two years but for the first time felt good enough to make the trip to the rink (yay for Mum)
♦ BOOOO! The Habs won. Don't like the Rags either, but I like the Habs even less (and I am putting that politely lol)
PS ... I hope the Leafies have an awesome game tonight versus the Canes ... *keeping fingers crossed*
 |
| My Gamecenter view - and a nice 7-1 win for the Leafies |
If like me, you are European, you will know that getting your hockey fix has been problematic at times. If not, in short: at the end of last season ESPN lost the international NHL broadcasting rights to some shady consortium. I am sure it's not as shady as I make it out to be, but it has definitely less cachet than ESPN in my opinion. Up until the very last week before the season start we had no idea if and where we'd be able to watch hockey, but then word came that we could all sign up for NHL Gamecenter. Since then, in some countries, hockey has returned to television which actually messed up people's access to their Gamecenter accounts (if they got one of course). And ESPN America does on occasion air a game or two (weird stuff), but OK, the Netherlands are not much of a hockey market so I don't have to worry about any TV station acquiring the Dutch broadcasting rights anytime soon ;)
I didn't get Gamecenter straight away. I have very little opportunity to watch games live and I wasn't sure if it would be worth the investment. I have caught a few games online, but stream hunting is not really appealing and quite illegal as well ;) ... so yesterday I decided to give myself an early Christmas present and ordered a year's worth of yummie NHL games!
The first game I watched was the FLYERS-JETS game and this is why the night was not as glorious as it could have been ...
♦ They lost 6-4. To the annoying Thrashers, ah, I mean Jets. Whatever. What is it with these guys that makes my guys choke? The last nine encounters between the two, the Jets won eight times :p
♦ Bobs was in net. I saw people demand his head on a plate. Sure, I will not deny he let in a few soft ones, but lets face it, those first ten minutes of the game the whole team was playing in a most disgraceful manner. This was his first loss in regulation and he still came out of this game marginally better than Pavelec ... .872 vs .871 ;)
♦ So the first ten minutes were horrible, unfortunately the same was true for the second period. At this time I was ready to just ignore the game and solely focus on the Kings-Red Wings game. But I gave it another go as the third period started and was happy enough to find the guys were playing are more focused game and managed to score a few goals to make it 5-4. Actually, I made that sound a bit dull, but it was actually a pretty exciting third period. And damn, Matt Read. Two awesome goals, a huge slapshot followed by a precise wrist-shot. Nice, I was on the edge of my seat. One to watch for sure :D
♦ I will never understand why Lavvy then chose to go for an early - if you ask me - empty net ... a huge gamble if you ask me. It looked uncomfortable from the get go and yeah, that didn't work out well at all
♦ And a final musing about why Bryzgy didn't play this game. Looking at the losing trend we have when meeting the Jets and that horrible game in October - yeah, the one that we lost 9-8 and which had the highest number of goals in one game in the last 15 years and made both teams look crap - and Bryzgy's subsequent loss of confidence ... I am not surprised at all that Lavvy sent in Bobs. Better to preserve Bryzgy's new-found confidence right?
During this game I also kept an eye on the RED WINGS-KINGS game. Gamecenter makes it so easy to switch between games! I needed myself a bit of Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar and of course the Red Wings, who are my fave Western Conference team.
♦ So what a stroke of luck that I changed to that game just in time to see Richie score an awesome shortie! Speed, cunning and precision execution. It was beautiful to see. And he seems happier in LA. He wasn't even grumpy during the intermission interview! :D
♦ And then the Red Wings went on to score four goals, unanswered by the Kings. My hero Datsyuk got two goals. So all is good in the West in my book
♦ And can I just say that the Kings' black home jersey is the most awesome jersey in the league? I see a Richie or Anze jersey in my future lol
At this point I was a bit tired, but decided to wait for the 1am start of the CAPS-LEAFS game. I was a bit scared, what with the November slide and all. And eventhough the Caps are having a bit of a struggle too at the moment, it's still the Caps!
♦ So, although I had plenty of reasons to be worried (Reims still out; Armstrong, Grabovski, MacArthur, Lombardi *and* Komisarek as well, the Monster in net, a few annoying losses in the last couple of weeks) I needn't have worried. My Leafies looked just fine in the first period and went into the second period with a 2-1 lead. And that's when the schooling started. Four awesome goals, three of which on the PP! And to finish things off, a third period short-handed goal. BOOM! 7-1! I mean I have a soft spot for the Caps and don't like to see them struggle, but when my guys win this big, I can't help but feel elated!
♦ Who did all this scoring you ask? Ah, it started with Connolly, not even two minutes into the game. Then Frattin scored his first NHL goal. Grats! In the second period we saw awesome goals by Bozak, Kessel (14th this season, still leading the League *kiss*), Lupul and Franson. Steckel scored against his former team in the final minute of the game and celebrated like it was a game-winning goal. But hey, he hadn't been involved in a goal in eleven games, so who can blame him. Nice going
♦ Monster looked confident in net and made some awesome saves, and didn't play so messy on the rebounds; lets hope he can keep this up till Reims returns!
♦ And I need to put the spotlight on Lupul for a bit. A goal and three assists! And the game's 1st Star. I liked the way he played at the end of last season and I am glad to see him progress this season as well. Love him! *let me fawn for a bit* Love the Kessel-Lupul-Bozak line in general
Today I also watched the OILERS smash the BLACKHAWKS. Yeah! And BOSTON had a great evening as well, schooling those pesky ISLES.
♦ Love all those youngsters at the Oil. Hall, Eberle, Hemsky all scored goals. Nugent-Hopkins didn't, but he was certainly a driving force with 5 assists, creating great opportunities for his teammates. And some of the goals were so beautiful. Just for a certain tic-tac goal I think I will have to post a second article to feature some of my fave goals last night, cause there were plenty all across the league
♦ The Bruins had an uncharacteristic start of the season, dwelling near the last place in the Eastern Conference, but they are on a huge winning streak ... won last eight games now. And I haven't seen an Isles game in a while, but this is the weakest I have seen them play. They hardly gave any resistance at all and the Bruins just trampled all over them. The scoreless second period was odd, but hey, still got six goals in the end
*reads back*
Whoa, apologies for that waterfall of words, just couldn't stop myself ;) ... so just a few final observations and then I'm posting this monster!
Other noticeable occurances:
♦ Thank you Yotes for denying the Sabres aka BKK aka Blunt Kitchen Knives the win
♦ BizNasty scored. A goal I mean. And this is sweet, his mother was there for the first time ever to witness it. Biz told us she has been ill for the past two years but for the first time felt good enough to make the trip to the rink (yay for Mum)
♦ BOOOO! The Habs won. Don't like the Rags either, but I like the Habs even less (and I am putting that politely lol)
PS ... I hope the Leafies have an awesome game tonight versus the Canes ... *keeping fingers crossed*
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 3 & 4 | May 5th, 2011
If I had a less sunny disposition I would be very depressed this morning! I did not sleep well in general and waking up to a bunch of losses - from my point of view anyways - hardly gave me the morning start I was looking for ;) ... where to start? My first thought: What The Hell Is Going On?!?!
[Caps-Bolts] 3-5. Bolts sweep the series with 4-0. Wow, I never expected this. I dig the Bolts and I know they are a tough team to play but a 4-0 sweep is just amazing. Expected them to make things difficult for the Caps, but definitely had the Caps pegged as series winner. Looking at the games the Bolts did not even outplay the Caps, but somehow they managed to keep the edge and just win. Excellent result for them and their seventh win in a row these Playoffs. Can they keep it up in the Conference Finals? Let me close the chapter on the Caps with a long Ovi-quote: "I don't think we miss something. We have unbelievable team, great locker room, great atmosphere … but we just miss one opportunity to win one game and didn't bounce back. Again, it happened and we're going to see what is going to happen. This locker room is unbelievable. Everybody supports everybody. I hope this same team is going to be here next year." Yes, there is always next year! ;)
[Flyers-Bruins] 1-5. Bruins lead series 3-0. Well, I could totally cry over this result. But lets not go that far hahah. I watched the first fifteen minutes of this game, then I really had to get some sleep, but those two early goals were awesome from a Bruins perspective, but I was thinking "Lavi, chatting with Boosh is not going to save this game". Although admittedly Boosh did look a bit better after the chat - for the rest of the period anyways. And even the rest of my guys looked a bit less ruffled. But that lightning fast Bruins start put a dent in my confidence in the outcome of this game for sure. I tell you, waking up during the night, checking the NHL app nervously, seeing your team is behind 4-1, is not a lot of fun. Seeing the end result was 'only' 5-1 actually felt good :p ... I have DVR'ed this game and I will watch any Flyers game, a loss or not, but I might just skip this one. What do you guys think? Can someone please tell me if Sergei looked half-decent in goal? I hope that the powers that be will finally decide on an experienced and accomplished starter for next year. I am a total Sergei fan and I am positive he will continue to grow as a goalie next year and will be awesome for the Flyers ... but until he reaches that potential it would be great to have someone in net who is NOT Boosh and certainly not Leights. But it is unfair to blame the goalies for everything. I was not impressed by the rest either during the first period. Now, we know that last year we got back from that 3-0 series deficit, but can be do the same this year? I fear Game 4. If my guys show the sheer brilliance I know they possess I will be inclined to still believe. And for the love of all that is good, guys, do not allow the Bruins a full sweep! *worried*
[Sharks-Red Wings] 4-3. Sharks lead series 3-0. An OT win for the Sharks. The various reports I read are fuzzy about this one, I will have to see for myself to make any assumptions I suppose. But having Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the Three Star Selection to me reeks of an awesome game by the Wings, but somehow they just failed to win this one. If I manage to watch this game today I might add a bit more insights, but this it for now.
Hahah, writing this up is actually a bit of a downer for me.
*eats an apple and starts musing about the next round*
[Caps-Bolts] 3-5. Bolts sweep the series with 4-0. Wow, I never expected this. I dig the Bolts and I know they are a tough team to play but a 4-0 sweep is just amazing. Expected them to make things difficult for the Caps, but definitely had the Caps pegged as series winner. Looking at the games the Bolts did not even outplay the Caps, but somehow they managed to keep the edge and just win. Excellent result for them and their seventh win in a row these Playoffs. Can they keep it up in the Conference Finals? Let me close the chapter on the Caps with a long Ovi-quote: "I don't think we miss something. We have unbelievable team, great locker room, great atmosphere … but we just miss one opportunity to win one game and didn't bounce back. Again, it happened and we're going to see what is going to happen. This locker room is unbelievable. Everybody supports everybody. I hope this same team is going to be here next year." Yes, there is always next year! ;)
[Flyers-Bruins] 1-5. Bruins lead series 3-0. Well, I could totally cry over this result. But lets not go that far hahah. I watched the first fifteen minutes of this game, then I really had to get some sleep, but those two early goals were awesome from a Bruins perspective, but I was thinking "Lavi, chatting with Boosh is not going to save this game". Although admittedly Boosh did look a bit better after the chat - for the rest of the period anyways. And even the rest of my guys looked a bit less ruffled. But that lightning fast Bruins start put a dent in my confidence in the outcome of this game for sure. I tell you, waking up during the night, checking the NHL app nervously, seeing your team is behind 4-1, is not a lot of fun. Seeing the end result was 'only' 5-1 actually felt good :p ... I have DVR'ed this game and I will watch any Flyers game, a loss or not, but I might just skip this one. What do you guys think? Can someone please tell me if Sergei looked half-decent in goal? I hope that the powers that be will finally decide on an experienced and accomplished starter for next year. I am a total Sergei fan and I am positive he will continue to grow as a goalie next year and will be awesome for the Flyers ... but until he reaches that potential it would be great to have someone in net who is NOT Boosh and certainly not Leights. But it is unfair to blame the goalies for everything. I was not impressed by the rest either during the first period. Now, we know that last year we got back from that 3-0 series deficit, but can be do the same this year? I fear Game 4. If my guys show the sheer brilliance I know they possess I will be inclined to still believe. And for the love of all that is good, guys, do not allow the Bruins a full sweep! *worried*
[Sharks-Red Wings] 4-3. Sharks lead series 3-0. An OT win for the Sharks. The various reports I read are fuzzy about this one, I will have to see for myself to make any assumptions I suppose. But having Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the Three Star Selection to me reeks of an awesome game by the Wings, but somehow they just failed to win this one. If I manage to watch this game today I might add a bit more insights, but this it for now.
Hahah, writing this up is actually a bit of a downer for me.
*eats an apple and starts musing about the next round*
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Playoffs Daily | QF Game 4 | April 21st, 2011
I could not contain my need to find out how last night's games went, so as I was headed for work, stuck in heavy traffic, I was reading tweets on my BlackBerry. And as I was scrolling I saw good news for the Caps, good news for the Pens fans, good news for the Ducklings and I thought "Hey, this is looking good!" and then I came upon the Flyers result and no. A 1-0 shutout is not what I was hoping for at all. Not at all. And it is also a bit of a lame loss. You know things are not going the way they should when you get your happy hockey fix from other teams. Cause I was very very pleased when I read the Red Wings have sweeped this series!
[Caps-Rangers] 4-3. Caps lead 3-1. Whew. The Rangers were onto something here. Caps were 3-0 behind after the 2nd period but managed to score three goals in a row to make it 3-3. OT was not enough for either team to clinch the win and the game had to go into second OT where Chimera scored to bring the Caps victory. Phew!
[Pens-Bolts] 3-2. Pens lead 3-1. Another long tough game. Bolts did good coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Took the Pens double OT to wint his one. Still think the Pens will win this round, but not without the Bolts fighting back!
[Flyers-Sabres] 0-1. Tied at 2-2. I hate games that generate only one goal. At least it was not a soft goal. Tough game, pretty much a goalie game too. Suppose we should be glad Boosh was in net. And really? A brawl at the end of the game? Shall watch it when I get home. In any case, not too happy with this result *sigh*
[Ducks-Preds] 6-3. Tied at 2-2. Awww my Ducklings fought back and well, not much else to add than well done Duckies, two more wins to go!
[Red Wings-Yotes] 6-3. Wings sweep this round with a 4-0 win! My fave Western Conference team, looking sharp. Have DVR-ed this one and will watch as soon as I get home!
And saunter over here to see my complete Whimsical Playoffs Predictions:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
[Caps-Rangers] 4-3. Caps lead 3-1. Whew. The Rangers were onto something here. Caps were 3-0 behind after the 2nd period but managed to score three goals in a row to make it 3-3. OT was not enough for either team to clinch the win and the game had to go into second OT where Chimera scored to bring the Caps victory. Phew!
[Pens-Bolts] 3-2. Pens lead 3-1. Another long tough game. Bolts did good coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Took the Pens double OT to wint his one. Still think the Pens will win this round, but not without the Bolts fighting back!
[Flyers-Sabres] 0-1. Tied at 2-2. I hate games that generate only one goal. At least it was not a soft goal. Tough game, pretty much a goalie game too. Suppose we should be glad Boosh was in net. And really? A brawl at the end of the game? Shall watch it when I get home. In any case, not too happy with this result *sigh*
[Ducks-Preds] 6-3. Tied at 2-2. Awww my Ducklings fought back and well, not much else to add than well done Duckies, two more wins to go!
[Red Wings-Yotes] 6-3. Wings sweep this round with a 4-0 win! My fave Western Conference team, looking sharp. Have DVR-ed this one and will watch as soon as I get home!
And saunter over here to see my complete Whimsical Playoffs Predictions:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Playoffs Daily | QF Game 3 & 4 | April 20th, 2011
I was fairly positive that I would wake up to a Nucks win. So seeing them being kicked in the nuts with a 7-2 Hawks win is hardly what I expected or wished for. But at least the Sharks are doing the right thing.
[Nucks-Hawks] 2-7. Wow. That has got to hurt! Really? 2-7? The Nucks better get to form in the next game.
[Sharks-Kings] 6-5. Whoa. Now I do not really care about either team, but the game recap tells me this was a wild game and I will watch the rerun tonight. I am sure that the Kings thought they had the game in their pocket once they got to the 4-0 lead. I doubt the Sharks can repeat such a feat again, so I think they used up their Playoffs luck. Not saying they can't move ahead in the Playoffs, just meaning to say they better not allow such deficits in the games to come ;)
Yesterday after work I watched the Bruins and Wings reruns. And I liked the way that the Bruins played in the first two periods. Thety should keep up that energy for the full 60. And they were a bit lucky that Thomas picked up his game in the third. But a blast to see the Habs lose :D
Should you care to see my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions, you can find those here:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
{edit} I just watched the Sharks game and that was a WILD second period, very entertaining!
[Nucks-Hawks] 2-7. Wow. That has got to hurt! Really? 2-7? The Nucks better get to form in the next game.
[Sharks-Kings] 6-5. Whoa. Now I do not really care about either team, but the game recap tells me this was a wild game and I will watch the rerun tonight. I am sure that the Kings thought they had the game in their pocket once they got to the 4-0 lead. I doubt the Sharks can repeat such a feat again, so I think they used up their Playoffs luck. Not saying they can't move ahead in the Playoffs, just meaning to say they better not allow such deficits in the games to come ;)
Yesterday after work I watched the Bruins and Wings reruns. And I liked the way that the Bruins played in the first two periods. Thety should keep up that energy for the full 60. And they were a bit lucky that Thomas picked up his game in the third. But a blast to see the Habs lose :D
Should you care to see my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions, you can find those here:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
{edit} I just watched the Sharks game and that was a WILD second period, very entertaining!
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Playoffs Tidbit | Datsyukian Deke
Thanks NHL *highfive* for uploading this vid. This move was so awesome that I want to share it with everyone and keep it archived in my blog for eternal viewing lol
Datsyukian Deke | Game 2
Click it! If you have seen it you know how awesome it is. If not, prepare yourself for some cool stuff!
Datsyukian Deke | Game 2
Click it! If you have seen it you know how awesome it is. If not, prepare yourself for some cool stuff!
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Playoffs Daily | QF Game 1 | April 14th, 2011
The Puck Has Dropped!
Hate it, hate it, hate it that I cannot watch at least some of the games live during the week. But work in the morning eh? Will try to catch as many games as I can over the weekend though. And I DVR'd two of last night's games and will check those out when I get home. So thanks nhl.com for NHL Gamecenter. That will my first online stop for the weeks to come :D
Alright, not a bad start at all.
[Pens-Bolts] 3-0. Not going to celebrate, but it is good for my predictions. OK. Some appreciation: Well done Flower!
[Yotes-Red Wings] 2-4. YEAH! And Datsyuk scored one.
[Rangers-Caps] 1-2 ... took an OT, but our Russian buddies Ovi & Semin nailed them! Yeah!
[Blackhawks-Nucks] 0-2. A shut-out. Excellent.
[Preds-Ducks] 4-1. Shaky start for the Ducklings. Ouch!
Tonight my Flyers play. Excited beyond belief!
Oh, for my complete predictions, have a look at my previous scribblings:
My Whimsical Playoffs Forecast
Hate it, hate it, hate it that I cannot watch at least some of the games live during the week. But work in the morning eh? Will try to catch as many games as I can over the weekend though. And I DVR'd two of last night's games and will check those out when I get home. So thanks nhl.com for NHL Gamecenter. That will my first online stop for the weeks to come :D
Alright, not a bad start at all.
[Pens-Bolts] 3-0. Not going to celebrate, but it is good for my predictions. OK. Some appreciation: Well done Flower!
[Yotes-Red Wings] 2-4. YEAH! And Datsyuk scored one.
[Rangers-Caps] 1-2 ... took an OT, but our Russian buddies Ovi & Semin nailed them! Yeah!
[Blackhawks-Nucks] 0-2. A shut-out. Excellent.
[Preds-Ducks] 4-1. Shaky start for the Ducklings. Ouch!
Tonight my Flyers play. Excited beyond belief!
Oh, for my complete predictions, have a look at my previous scribblings:
My Whimsical Playoffs Forecast
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Playoffs 2011 | Witchcrafting | April 12th, 2011
I would like to share my Whimsical Playoffs Forecast with you. One of my Twitter-buddies posted his predictions earlier, so I got inspired to try this as well. Staying true to my style, this is by no means an in-depth analysis and I will not be showing off my awesome hockey knowledge - hahahah! As if I possess such a thing! Nopes, it is a mix of wishful thinking, absurdity and hoping lol .. which is probably worse than runewatching or consulting a crystal bowl ;)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
[Series A - Caps vs Rangers]
Still hate the fact that the Rangers got through and left the Canes in 9th. So they must be dealt with in a swift and decisive manner. The Caps will dominate all but one game. I say 4-1 Caps.
[Series B - Flyers vs Sabres]
Sabres. Yuck. Still hurts seeing them in the Playoffs. My Flyboys will rise to the occasion and obliterate them. 4-0 Flyers.
[Series C - Bruins vs Habs]
This one is easy. Bruins will expunge the evil that is known as the Habs! I can see the Habs win one game by accident. 4-1 Bruins.
[Series D - Pens vs Bolts]
OK, I prefer the Bolts over Pens, but even in a delusional state of mind I just cannot see the Bolts move on past this stage. So with much regret: 4-2 Pens.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
[Series E - Nucks vs Blackhawks]
Blackhawks ... I pretend they do not exist. 4-0 Nucks. Cause Hawks? Where? *looks around, sees nothing, just some Nucks*
[Series F - Sharks vs Kings]
Have no idea and absolutely do not care. Tail is Sharks. *flips a coin several times* OK, sorry Kings, you are out! I flipped the coin five times and four times I had tails. Since The Coins seem so sure of themselves: 4-1 Sharks.
[Series G - Red Wings vs Yotes]
Like both but the Red Wings more. They have Datsyuk after all. And the Wings will really go for it. Yaps. 4-2 Wings.
[Series H - Ducks vs Preds]
Love the Ducklings! So I hope they can evade the Preds. Mama Duck will save them! 4-2 Ducks.
Ouch, what's next?
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Caps vs Pens]
Caps over Pens anytime and definitely not a prob for Ovi. So here is where the Pens buy it. Buh-bye! 4-2 Caps.
[Flyers vs Bruins]
Bobs {edit: ok so he got replaced by Boosh, and eventually Boosh will be replaced by Leights - I foresee pain in the future} settles in and beats Thomas. Yeah! Bruins have to go home now. 4-2 Flyers.
[Caps vs Flyers]
Caps, I love you guys, but my Flyers will be on a roll. 4-2 Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Nucks vs Ducks]
The Ducklings feel confident and surprise the Nucks. Sedin twins are seeing Ducks rain and forget to play. Ridiculous? Very much so! But sticking with it lol. 4-3 Ducks.
[Sharks vs Red Wings]
No contest. Red Wings march through and quite easily too with lots of Datsyukian dekes. 4-1 Wings.
[Ducks vs Red Wings]
Who knew right? But it is happening. The Wings soar as the Ducklings have more issues with flying. All that lurking around in ponds you know ;) ... 4-2 Wings.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Red Wings]
My dream comes true. My Flyboys totally dominate and even Datsyuk cannot save the Wings. But good effort there! 4-2 FLYERS!!
So much for my witchcrafting. For a more meaningful prediction you should probably stick with the guys at NHL On The Fly or even with my previously mentioned buddy. Eventhough I have to warn you! He has this strange affliction, he is a Habs fan. *chuckle* You can read his article here: Stevie's playoff predictions 2010-11
EASTERN CONFERENCE
[Series A - Caps vs Rangers]
Still hate the fact that the Rangers got through and left the Canes in 9th. So they must be dealt with in a swift and decisive manner. The Caps will dominate all but one game. I say 4-1 Caps.
[Series B - Flyers vs Sabres]
Sabres. Yuck. Still hurts seeing them in the Playoffs. My Flyboys will rise to the occasion and obliterate them. 4-0 Flyers.
[Series C - Bruins vs Habs]
This one is easy. Bruins will expunge the evil that is known as the Habs! I can see the Habs win one game by accident. 4-1 Bruins.
[Series D - Pens vs Bolts]
OK, I prefer the Bolts over Pens, but even in a delusional state of mind I just cannot see the Bolts move on past this stage. So with much regret: 4-2 Pens.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
[Series E - Nucks vs Blackhawks]
Blackhawks ... I pretend they do not exist. 4-0 Nucks. Cause Hawks? Where? *looks around, sees nothing, just some Nucks*
[Series F - Sharks vs Kings]
Have no idea and absolutely do not care. Tail is Sharks. *flips a coin several times* OK, sorry Kings, you are out! I flipped the coin five times and four times I had tails. Since The Coins seem so sure of themselves: 4-1 Sharks.
[Series G - Red Wings vs Yotes]
Like both but the Red Wings more. They have Datsyuk after all. And the Wings will really go for it. Yaps. 4-2 Wings.
[Series H - Ducks vs Preds]
Love the Ducklings! So I hope they can evade the Preds. Mama Duck will save them! 4-2 Ducks.
Ouch, what's next?
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Caps vs Pens]
Caps over Pens anytime and definitely not a prob for Ovi. So here is where the Pens buy it. Buh-bye! 4-2 Caps.
[Flyers vs Bruins]
Bobs {edit: ok so he got replaced by Boosh, and eventually Boosh will be replaced by Leights - I foresee pain in the future} settles in and beats Thomas. Yeah! Bruins have to go home now. 4-2 Flyers.
[Caps vs Flyers]
Caps, I love you guys, but my Flyers will be on a roll. 4-2 Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Nucks vs Ducks]
The Ducklings feel confident and surprise the Nucks. Sedin twins are seeing Ducks rain and forget to play. Ridiculous? Very much so! But sticking with it lol. 4-3 Ducks.
[Sharks vs Red Wings]
No contest. Red Wings march through and quite easily too with lots of Datsyukian dekes. 4-1 Wings.
[Ducks vs Red Wings]
Who knew right? But it is happening. The Wings soar as the Ducklings have more issues with flying. All that lurking around in ponds you know ;) ... 4-2 Wings.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Red Wings]
My dream comes true. My Flyboys totally dominate and even Datsyuk cannot save the Wings. But good effort there! 4-2 FLYERS!!
So much for my witchcrafting. For a more meaningful prediction you should probably stick with the guys at NHL On The Fly or even with my previously mentioned buddy. Eventhough I have to warn you! He has this strange affliction, he is a Habs fan. *chuckle* You can read his article here: Stevie's playoff predictions 2010-11
Monday, 11 April 2011
Stars, Stars, Stars ... forgot to reach for the stars | April 11th 2011
ESPN America was very gracious yesterday and showed two early games so I had a hockey-filled Sunday evening! The Flyers and Leafs played their last games on Saturday (will post a short message later) so I thought I would have a nice tension-free hockey evening.
Two games: Red Wings vs Blackhawks and Penguins vs Thrashers. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will recall that the only team I like out of these four are the Wings. The Pens & Thrashers are on my hate-list and the Blackhawks ... I just really do not like them. Hmm, odd, I thought I hated the Pens & Habs most, but at least I *love* to hate them. Blackhawks, I do not even want to think about them really, I just pretend they do not exist lol
OK the games.
Pens-Thrashers >> 5-2
- A rather boring game. I was definitely not on the edge of my seat
- But memorable because after all the games had been played, the Pens confirmed their penalty killing grandness, 86.1% ... have to give them props for that!
Wings-Blackhawks >> 4-3
- Hell yeah! That was exciting. I was definitely on the edge of my seat for this one!
- I wanted the Blackhawks to lose this one, because then the Stars would have the chance to clinch the 8th spot in the Western Conference and boot the Hawks out of contention!
- So you can imagine my chagrin when just 5 minutes into the game the Hawks scored. And you could see they had momentum. How different it was just a few minutes later. The Wings managed to reclaim momentum really quickly there! First Holmstrom scored and a minute later my man Datsyuk scored one too (he was also awarded the 1st star)
- And from there on the Wings did not give up the lead although the Hawks kept hunting. Both teams played a high-octane game and after three periods I was tired just from watching ;)
And that brings me to the title of this article. The Dallas Stars were in control of their own destiny. All they had to do was beat the Wild. But they did not. Instead they fell, hit Earth atmosphere and fizzled out in the atmosphere not even reaching the surface. I have not watched the game so cannot offer my view on how that went, but it's a pitty they failed to win this one. I am sure they agree ;)
[edit April 12th] Watched a rerun of the Dallas-Wild game yesterday and cannot say I was surprised at the outcome, Stars were not shining
Two games: Red Wings vs Blackhawks and Penguins vs Thrashers. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will recall that the only team I like out of these four are the Wings. The Pens & Thrashers are on my hate-list and the Blackhawks ... I just really do not like them. Hmm, odd, I thought I hated the Pens & Habs most, but at least I *love* to hate them. Blackhawks, I do not even want to think about them really, I just pretend they do not exist lol
OK the games.
Pens-Thrashers >> 5-2
- A rather boring game. I was definitely not on the edge of my seat
- But memorable because after all the games had been played, the Pens confirmed their penalty killing grandness, 86.1% ... have to give them props for that!
Wings-Blackhawks >> 4-3
- Hell yeah! That was exciting. I was definitely on the edge of my seat for this one!
- I wanted the Blackhawks to lose this one, because then the Stars would have the chance to clinch the 8th spot in the Western Conference and boot the Hawks out of contention!
- So you can imagine my chagrin when just 5 minutes into the game the Hawks scored. And you could see they had momentum. How different it was just a few minutes later. The Wings managed to reclaim momentum really quickly there! First Holmstrom scored and a minute later my man Datsyuk scored one too (he was also awarded the 1st star)
- And from there on the Wings did not give up the lead although the Hawks kept hunting. Both teams played a high-octane game and after three periods I was tired just from watching ;)
And that brings me to the title of this article. The Dallas Stars were in control of their own destiny. All they had to do was beat the Wild. But they did not. Instead they fell, hit Earth atmosphere and fizzled out in the atmosphere not even reaching the surface. I have not watched the game so cannot offer my view on how that went, but it's a pitty they failed to win this one. I am sure they agree ;)
[edit April 12th] Watched a rerun of the Dallas-Wild game yesterday and cannot say I was surprised at the outcome, Stars were not shining
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Hockey Night In Canada | Feb 27, 2011
Yesterday I watched the Preds-Stars game as a warm-up for the Pens-Leafs game and it was a bit boring. Probably because nothing much happened and there was nothing to gain for my teams based of the outcome of this game. But it's hockey and I'll watch as much of it as I can ;) ... the Leafs game. Now, that was extremely exciting. I was on the edge of my seat throughtout the first two periods. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay up for the last period, I was so tired and it was way past my bedtime, but earlier today I watched the highlights and what I can I say. I am proud of my Leafies, they played a high-octane game! And although they did not win this one, they got it to SO and bagged an all-important 1 point to stay in the race.
Some folks will laugh and based on a really bad run in the first half of the this season, who can blame them? But we picked up pace and suddenly, the play-offs are still within our grasp! *gasp* ... and since we have not reached the play-offs since the 2003-2004 season, you can imagine how much we all want this to happen. Over the past few months I have seen many mad and disgusted Leafs fans on the FB fan page. Personally I am a strong believer of sticking with your team through the good times and the bad times and definitely not disrespecting them, ever. But I digress. Lately people have started to hope again although a similar amount of people is telling 'the hopers' to stop being idiots and that they will just disappoint us again. To an extent I agree with the latter. I think that maybe they found their form a bit too late. Sure, there is still time to reach that 8th, but there are so many factors influencing the final result. The Sabres, the Thrashers and the Panthers have not given up either and are putting in good games too. And I read someplace that even the Devils have an inkling of hope to make it. Hahah, that sound ridiculous, but OK ... the puck can bounce in mysterious ways.
My plan is to just enjoy each and every game. No matter what happens, safe for a few games, the Leafs have showed up and played their games with energy and dedication and sometimes frustration. Six more weeks to go ... and I bet we will be seeing many great games.
OK, back to yesterday. Very happy for Lupul to get his first two goals! And I think he was robbed of his hattrick! The goal that got waived was a good hockey goal in my opinion, although I confess I might be biased ;) ... and too bad that the Pens managed to equalise the game in the third period. The OT was wonderfully hectic. The SO much less so. Heheh, some nice efforts by our guys there, but you have got to hand it to Fleury, he is great on these one-on-ones. Annoyed we did not get the two points, but heck, we got the one and there's another game today!
On to my Flyers. Could not watch this game, and after having seen the hightlights and some of the comments by my fellow fans, perhaps that was for the best. A lacklustre game and it definitely lacked in energy. Even the goals scored by the Sens seemed accidental. So why were we this gloomy? I find it hard to imagine, but maybe the trading shenanigans of the day prior had something to do with it? We were a bit low on D. Prongs injured and the newly acquired Boynton could not make it on time due to travel issues. JVR had to be sent down to the Phantoms for just one game to make room in terms of cap. But no, that cannot be it! We are to good to let stuff like that bother us! So I am going to go with this: we are conserving energy and saving the best for last. Hah. OK.
Elsewhere in the League. You can tell it's getting close to the play-offs. I have found myself cheering for the teams I hate most ... yes, yesterday ... I cheered for the Habs. I need to take a break for a few minutes to overcome the nausea that comes with the thought alone.
Back. But OK, the Habs beat the Canes. And the Red Wings beat the Sabres in SO. The Sabres were ahead 2-0 for a long time and on the road to two points, but thankfully Datsyuk and his teammates fought on and equalised the game. So just one point for the Sabres. So on behalf of the Leafs, thanks Habs and Wings!
And on behalf of the Flyers, thank you Bruins for beating the Nucks and keeping the one-point lead the Nucks have in the League standings!
Hockey Sunday. Sundays are great. A few early games allow me to have a fun hockey evening. Going to watch the Bolts vs Rags. Gooooo Bolts. Then the Jackets vs Preds and I will watch at least the first period of the Leafs game tonight. They play fellow contenders: Trashers. Have to work tomorrow, so unfortunately cannot watch the whole game.
Some folks will laugh and based on a really bad run in the first half of the this season, who can blame them? But we picked up pace and suddenly, the play-offs are still within our grasp! *gasp* ... and since we have not reached the play-offs since the 2003-2004 season, you can imagine how much we all want this to happen. Over the past few months I have seen many mad and disgusted Leafs fans on the FB fan page. Personally I am a strong believer of sticking with your team through the good times and the bad times and definitely not disrespecting them, ever. But I digress. Lately people have started to hope again although a similar amount of people is telling 'the hopers' to stop being idiots and that they will just disappoint us again. To an extent I agree with the latter. I think that maybe they found their form a bit too late. Sure, there is still time to reach that 8th, but there are so many factors influencing the final result. The Sabres, the Thrashers and the Panthers have not given up either and are putting in good games too. And I read someplace that even the Devils have an inkling of hope to make it. Hahah, that sound ridiculous, but OK ... the puck can bounce in mysterious ways.
My plan is to just enjoy each and every game. No matter what happens, safe for a few games, the Leafs have showed up and played their games with energy and dedication and sometimes frustration. Six more weeks to go ... and I bet we will be seeing many great games.
OK, back to yesterday. Very happy for Lupul to get his first two goals! And I think he was robbed of his hattrick! The goal that got waived was a good hockey goal in my opinion, although I confess I might be biased ;) ... and too bad that the Pens managed to equalise the game in the third period. The OT was wonderfully hectic. The SO much less so. Heheh, some nice efforts by our guys there, but you have got to hand it to Fleury, he is great on these one-on-ones. Annoyed we did not get the two points, but heck, we got the one and there's another game today!
On to my Flyers. Could not watch this game, and after having seen the hightlights and some of the comments by my fellow fans, perhaps that was for the best. A lacklustre game and it definitely lacked in energy. Even the goals scored by the Sens seemed accidental. So why were we this gloomy? I find it hard to imagine, but maybe the trading shenanigans of the day prior had something to do with it? We were a bit low on D. Prongs injured and the newly acquired Boynton could not make it on time due to travel issues. JVR had to be sent down to the Phantoms for just one game to make room in terms of cap. But no, that cannot be it! We are to good to let stuff like that bother us! So I am going to go with this: we are conserving energy and saving the best for last. Hah. OK.
Elsewhere in the League. You can tell it's getting close to the play-offs. I have found myself cheering for the teams I hate most ... yes, yesterday ... I cheered for the Habs. I need to take a break for a few minutes to overcome the nausea that comes with the thought alone.
Back. But OK, the Habs beat the Canes. And the Red Wings beat the Sabres in SO. The Sabres were ahead 2-0 for a long time and on the road to two points, but thankfully Datsyuk and his teammates fought on and equalised the game. So just one point for the Sabres. So on behalf of the Leafs, thanks Habs and Wings!
And on behalf of the Flyers, thank you Bruins for beating the Nucks and keeping the one-point lead the Nucks have in the League standings!
Hockey Sunday. Sundays are great. A few early games allow me to have a fun hockey evening. Going to watch the Bolts vs Rags. Gooooo Bolts. Then the Jackets vs Preds and I will watch at least the first period of the Leafs game tonight. They play fellow contenders: Trashers. Have to work tomorrow, so unfortunately cannot watch the whole game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)