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April 24th, 2007
Round 2
The second round of the NHL playoffs begins tomorrow night with much anticipation. I'll run down the match-ups and my predictions. I was 100% in round one, thank you very much.
Eastern Conference
BUF vs. NYR: I am a huge Rangers fan and I hope they will knock off the Sabres but I have to be real here. They need a Herculean effort to knock off the President Trophy winner. The Rangers have the better goalie in Lundqvist but the Sabres from top to bottom hold the advantage. Expect the Rangers to come out slow since they had the longer layoff but pick it up by the third period. The Sabres beat the Rangers all 4 times they played this year but they haven't played since December 1st so that's a moot point. I see this as being a series where the home team wins every game. The Rangers have a chance if Ryan Miller falters but the Sabres offense will be too much for the Rangers defense. Sabres will need all 7 games but they'll win 4-2 in Game 7 to reach the conference finals.
NJD vs. OTT: Smart money says never bet against Broduer but I see Ottawa coming out strong here and playing like they have something to prove. The Devils seemed shaky against the Lightning to start the series but finished very strong. Emery was solid throughout against the Penguins stars and the Devils offense is nowhere near as good as the Pens were. Expect this to be a very tight series with a couple of 1-0 or 2-1 overtime games. The Sens will win in 6, with Alfredsson being the MVP of the series.
Western Conference
DET vs. SJ: The Red Wings had an amazing record in the regular season and actually managed to make it past the first round this year! The Flames played them really hard and gave them a scare. A better Sharks team with Joe Thornton will play them tough as well. I just don't see the Sharks knocking off the wings without Cheechoo. The Sharks will lose in 5 with the Red Wings heading to the conference finals.
ANA vs. Van: The Canucks managed to eke by the Stars and are probably the most worn team in the second round. The Ducks, on the other hand, are well rested and are showing they belong right now. This could be their year. Luongo will stand on his head but it won't be enough as the Ducks strong offense dispatch of the Canucks in 5 games.
There you have it. Let's go Rangers!
April 25th, 2007
Website Updates
Hello All,
I'm watching the Rangers and they are currently losing 3-0 to the Sabres. They gave them way too many power plays and losing Rozsival doesn't help. It's alright, it's a seven-game series and the game isn't over yet... Lundy has played well and Miller hasn't impressed me too much, to be honest. The Rangers came out strong but just couldn't maintain it and took some dumb penalties. I have to say, I am liking the Buffalo fans right now. They know who the big guns are on the Rangers and are booing Jagr everytime he gets the puck (which isn't unusual) but also Sean Avery. Buffalo always had great fans and I wouldn't mind them winning the Stanley Cup for the first time this year (if the NYR don't!)
In regards to the website, I have posted every DVD review up to this point, well, almost. I finished Superman: The Movie but will wait to post it until I am done with my other projects. One of those projects is to add all my old written content and reviews to the website. I just finished posting all of my blog writings, from my blogger website that ran for a year in college (April 2003-2004), the one post from my failed NYR blog and finally all the LiveJournal postings (from this blog and TPL). You can navigate through all those old posts by going to the blog mainpage by clicking here. What's next for the site? I don't know. I have a book review I think I will post and then I'll do the CD reviews and finally all my old wrestling reviews. Sound good? I think so. Expect more content up in the next few days as my job is pretty damn easy and it's pretty low stress.
Take care blogites.
April 26th, 2007
Rangers Lose Game 1
Yes, the Rangers lost game 1. I can't say I am not surprised (upset yes, but not surprised). They started off well but just couldn't maintain the pressure. The game turned when Rozsival went down with an injury. Shortly after the Sabres blitzed the Rangers for three goals and the Rangers couldn't recover. I originally said I wasn't impressed with Sabres goalie, Ryan Miller, but I take that back. He was great. The Rangers trailed 3-0 in the third but I knew it was over when they couldn't convert on a 2-minute 5 on 3 power play. Even one goal would've given them 9 minutes to score twice. They did manage to score twice but the Sabres equalled that total to give us the final of 5-2. The next game will be better for the Rangers. They will have 6 defensemen for the whole game (hopefully) and they know what to expect from the Sabres. I expect a better showing. Despite the score, Hank played well. I'm not panicking, yet.
If I were a Canucks fan, though. I'd be worried. They were outplayed top to bottom and Luongo couldn't save them this time. Call it a hangover from Game 7 but they really need to be better in Game 2 or this series will be over quickly. Ottawa/Jersey plays tonight, as well as the Wings/Sharks. They've been playing NHL commercials on Versus showcasing some great moments in recent playoff history (Messier and the Rangers in 94, Darren McCarty's 1997 game winner) and they showed the Sharks upsetting the Wings in 94, the first time an 8th seed beat a 1 seed. I actually remember that series and it was an Osgood turnover in the third that led to the third and deciding goal for the Sharks. I'm sure neither Red Wings or Sharks fans forget this and it will probably be mentioned at lease once in the series.
April 29th, 2007
Game 3 Thoughts
The Rangers finally broke free with a huge 2-1 victory in double overtime to cut Buffalo's lead to 2-1. It was a damn exciting game but there were a few issues I had with the game. I think the referees controlled the game way too much. Giving Buffalo 6 straight power plays was absolutely ridiculous and the fact that Rachunek's goal was waved off was pretty inexcusable. It's the playoffs, let the guys play. On a more positive note, the goalies were fantastic. I didn't know Miller was this good, to be honest. This is a huge game for many reasons. The Rangers are not down 3-0 and a win on Tuesday will even the series. I think the game will take a bit out of the sails of the Sabres, too. They seemed really rattled by the MSG crowd. I said it before, I think the home team will win every game of the series. I expect a huge lift from the Rangers in Game 4 and if Jagr plays like a madman like he did tonight, the Rangers really could light it up. I predict a 4-1 final score.
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