<p>Well, hockey fans, tonight’s the night! Can’t believe it’s been a year since our last hockey discussion here but time flies. I look forward to our usual lively discussion about this year’s games. Does anyone have any predictions? As usual, all we here in Toronto have is a published apology from our team for yet another year having missed the playoffs. I’m rooting for Pittsburgh but I think that the series against the Flyers will be a tough one. Seeing a lot of the teams that I don’t see very often through the regular season will be fun. I’d like to see a couple of upsets in the early round!</p>
<p>My Sabres made a valiant run in Feb/March but fell short, so it’s the Rangers for me. The Caps can be dangerous, but Henrik has been amazing this season, so let the games begin.</p>
<p>What was I thinking - the Senators, not Caps! Well, senators are in Washington :)</p>
<p>If Tim Thomas can capture the magic again, the Bruins will repeat.</p>
<p>I expect the sissy-boy Canucks to flame out well before the finals this year. Hopefully there won’t be a repeat of the riots.</p>
<p>runnersmom, some of the so-called experts are predicting that the Sens will produce one of the first round upsets. They won the season series against the Rangers 3-1 and have a great record over the past several years when playing in MSG but I’m doubtful that it will happen. Lundqvist and the Rangers had a great year, it was fun watching them. They’ll need to increase their goalscoring for the playoffs. Another longshot upset might be LA over Vancouver. If the Kings can score some goals for Quick, and the Canucks are without D. Sedin (and Luongo isn’t at his best), who knows, it could happen. 
</p>
<p>Or, maybe CardinalFang’s Sharks will upset the Blues!</p>
<p>Did someone say my name? </p>
<p>I remember the first time the Sharks played the Blues in the playoffs. My Fang Jr was just a little tyke then, but he remembers too. Game Seven. We went to the Tank to watch the game-- on TV, because the game itself was in St. Louis. Owen Nolan scored a goal “from the note,” from center ice. Bedlam. </p>
<p>This year? Well, the Blues are a very good team. The core of the Sharks has been in the Western Conference Finals the last two years. Maybe experience will help.</p>
<p>Time for Lundqvist to step up in the postseason. (Hockey, Masters, Final Four, Baseball, and NBA, Kentucky Derby–makes the head spin. No other time like this time of year.)</p>
<p>Let’s go, Predators!</p>
<p>Switching back and forth between Flyers/Pens and Detroit/Nashville. So far, so good!</p>
<p>well, my poor underachieving Caps are trying a different strategy this year. We couldn’t do anything from the #1 seed, so maybe this is what the doctor ordered.</p>
<p>… or maybe we will just get eliminated in the first round again. I would say our team is finally healthy, but we are on goalie #3 right now. He has shown well last year and this year when he got a shot in the NHL, but only has 15-20 games of experience.</p>
<p>Sooo bummed the Pens let that one slip away! Geeze louise up 3 -0 and manage to lose it. :(</p>
<p>To hijack this thread, fellow sports fans, great victory by the Knicks over Bucks tonight.</p>
<p>laxmom, I was also disappointed but not entirely surprised. They’re going to have to put in a good effort for 60 minutes to beat the Flyers. Hopefully, they’ll come back strong in the next game (and the linesman will realize that when a player is 3-4 feet into the opposing team’s zone before the puck or the opposing team’s defensemen, it’s offside!).</p>
<p>Happy about Nashville and the Kings! I’m not sure I can keep up this pace, though. Watching three games in one night and staying up way too late. :)</p>
<p>Shea Weber should be, and I think will be, suspended for slamming Zetterberg’s head into the glass. I’m rooting for Nashville, but that was ugly.</p>
<p>^ I was JUST about to post the same thing. </p>
<p>I am a Wings fan, through and through. Have been from the cradle. However, I don’t care WHAT side of hockey you’re on- you DON’T do things like that. He’s lucky Z was not seriously injured. That’s risky, uncalled for, unsportsmanlike, and just way too dirty even for hockey. Hit the wrong way and…well, I just don’t really want to think about it.</p>
<p>The game last night was just ridiculous. WAY too many penalities on both sides. What happened to hockey? What is this “OH you touched him! I must blow the whistle!” crap? Let 'em play.</p>
<p>Helm is also out for the post-season (no one’s fault, just a nasty spill). :(</p>
<p>I hate the Wings, through and through–my contract as a Sharks fan requires it-- but that was a dirty hit. You just don’t do things like that. I hope the suspension is more than one game.</p>
<p>^ I understand :). All’s fair in hockey fan-dom ;). </p>
<p>But I agree. And I would say the same thing if a Wings player did it. Probably sensitive to those things given the fact that my dad has a double closed head injury. That kind of stuff just really makes me mad. Grumble.</p>
<p>A FINE? He got a fine! $2500. Whoop. What’s he making a year? Ridiculous.</p>
<p>And this is his SECOND fine this year. Shouldn’t that have some weight? Ugh</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=627504[/url]”>Predators' Weber fined $2,500 | Predators v Wings - 2012 Stanley Cup Conference Quarterfinals;
<p>Let’s Go Rangers! Handled the Senators quite nicely, tonight, a team that handled them during the regular season 1-2-1.</p>
<p>A fine? Did they also give him a stern talking-to? Feh.</p>