4 posts tagged “dallas stars”
Sean Avery is a piece of shit. He's a rotten festering gigantor piece of shit. Let's make that perfectly clear.
But when Sean Avery made comments a couple of months ago about other players dating his "sloppy seconds," a not-so-veiled reference to his ex-girlfriend hockey whore Elisa Cuthbert, the NHL completely overreacted by suspending him.
Hockey is a relatively violent sport, and Avery is known for trying to be the "bad boy" of the league, attempting to psych out his opponents when possible. And he will amass a lot of penalty minutes.
But suspending a guy for making derogatory comments about an ex? OH NOEZ!!!!
However, the Dallas Stars locker room apparently didn't like Sean Avery to begin with, with several players going on record about their disdain for him, including goaltender Marty Turco. They have no interest in ever bringing him back.
So now there are rumors that the New York Rangers might bring him back to their team.
In Avery's season and a half with the Rangers, the club was 50-23-13 when he played and 24-35-9 when he was out of the lineup.
"Sean is a good hockey player," Renney said. "He can help anybody he plays for, there's no question about that. ... This is a guy who can play and is a great teammate. He was always there for his teammates and laid it on the line every night. How can you not admire that? We had him in a good situation and we used him, I think, appropriately. The entire organization benefits by that."
Really coach? If Sean Avery is such a great player and teammate, then why didn't the Rangers re-sign Sean Avery to a new contract after the 2007-2008 season? They didn't even TRY.
The truth is, the Rangers didn't want Sean Avery on their team because of the bad PR he had generated while on the team, especially during the playoffs when the NHL had to create a new rule based on Avery's stickwaving in front of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur's face. I'll venture a guess that the Rangers players didn't like him either.
Because Sean Avery is a piece of shit.
Last night, from the third period onward, I watched the Dallas Stars vs San Jose Sharks Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
The score at the end of 3 regulation periods, was 1-1. If the San Jose Sharks won, they'd force a game 7, having come back from a 3-0 game deficit. This would also return the series to San Jose for the finale.
Only two times in NHL playoff history has a team come back down 3-0 to win a game 7.
Instead, we got 4 OVERTIME periods of phenomenal saves, exciting plays, momentum turns, and superb drama. Not to mention one of the most insane (and legal) hits you'll ever see with Dallas' Brenden Morrow leveling Shark Milan Michalek.
Michalek was gone for the rest of the game with what was likely a concussion, as well as some sort of arm injury.
But even this amazing hit soon became old news watching both goaltenders Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov make superhuman saves to keep their team in the game.
Ultimately Dallas won the game 2-1 on a Brenden Morrow PPG, sending the Stars into the Western Conference finals against the favored Detroit Red Wings.
One of the complaints about hockey over the years is that not enough goals are scored, and the league made attempts to alter the rules of the game to allow for more offense. But the reality is that time and time again, the best hockey games don't end by a score of 8-6, but 0-0 or 1-1 ties that go into OT.
The drama that is inherent in these low-scoring games with superb goaltending, are the games that make hockey great. I don't have any issue with the rule changes that the NHL made (except the one that limits goaltenders to only playing the puck wiithin a box behind the goal) in order to hypothetically increase the number of goals scored, as long as we continue to witness games like this. Low-scoring ties that go long into the night. A battle of attrition and heart that shows who the best team is.
So my first round predictions were hit and miss, but that's no surprise. Let's review, shall we?
Eastern Conference
New York Islanders (8) vs Buffalo Sabres (1)
Original Prediction: Sabres in 4
Reality: Sabres in 5
To their credit, the Islanders played a more competitive series than most people would have expected. Certainly the return of Rick DiPietro helped, but while the games were fun to watch because the Isles kept the games close, they still lost in the 1st round, again.
Tampa Bay Lightning (7) vs New Jersey Devils (2)
Original Prediction: Devils in 6
Reality: Devils in 6
I think this is the only prediction I got right on the nose. From the highlights I saw, the Devils looked to be in trouble a little too much, and Brodeur didn't have a dominating series as he usually does. But that just makes me think he's saving one of those golden performances for another round.
New York Rangers (6) vs Atlanta Thrashers (3)
Original Prediction: Atlanta in 7 games
Reality: Rangers in 4
Well, I knew the Rangers would make it a tough series, but I also expected the Thrashers to show up. They got destroyed. The Rangers became a stronger team in March and have been pretty good since. I don't know if they are THAT good, or the Thrashers just choked in their virgin playoff appearance.
Pittsburgh Penguins (5) vs Ottawa Senators (4)
Original Prediction: Penguins in 6
Reality: Senators in 5
This is where I thought there would a surge from Pittsburgh and an upset in the 1st round. It didn't happen. Ottawa completely outplayed the Penguins. As bad as the NHL wants Sidney Crosby to be the next Gretzky (NBC was making constant comparisons on their telecasts), it's not happening, yet.
Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs Calgary Flames (8)
Original Prediction: Red Wings in 5
Reality: Red Wings in 6
If you saw this series, it was basically all home ice advantage, until Detroit decided to win game 6 in Calgary in 2 OT. Game 5 in Detroit saw the Red Wings kill the Flames by a score of 5-1. The Flames became a bunch of goons, with the coup de gras being this incident involving backup goaltender Jamie McClennan. McClennan had just come on the ice 17 seconds prior.
McLennan was suspended for five games, not that it mattered since they lost the next game. Huge fines were levied to both the Calgary coach and organization. But most of all, Calgary embarrassed themselves and all of Alberta.
Minnesota Wild (7) vs Anaheim Ducks (2)
Original Prediction: Ducks in 5
Reality: Ducks in 5
Oh wow, I got two predictions on the money. The Ducks are the best team in the West.
Dallas Stars (6) vs Vancouver Canucks (3)
Original Prediction: Stars in 7
Reality: Canucks in 7
Seems like I just got the wrong team. The only one of the 1st round series to go 7 games, and I didn't even get to watch the game 7, though I saw some of the other games, 3 of which went into OT. Game 1 went into 4 OT. This was some good hockey and phenomenal goaltending.
San Jose Sharks (5) vs Nashville Predators (4)
Original Prediction: Sharks in 6
Reality: Sharks in 5
Well, I gave the Predators an extra game of chance, but they couldn't run with it. Same matchup as last year, same result, Sharks in 5. I guess if it happens again next year, I know what my prediction will be.
Overall, 2 predictions on the money (right team, right number of games), 3 predictions on the right team, and 3 incorrect predictions, with the Rangers-Thrashers series being WAYYYYYY off. I hate the fucking Rangers.
So now that that's wrapped up, lets run down the 2nd round (Conference Semifinals) matchups and predictions:
Eastern Conference
Buffalo Sabres (1) vs New York Rangers (6)
The Sabres didn't murder the Isles but they beat them handily. The Rangers just murdered Atlanta. This should be a pretty darn good series, but I still think the Sabres are the team to beat. And the Rangers won't be beating them unless Ryan Miller dies of AIDS this week.
Buffalo Sabres in 6.
Ottawa Senators (4) vs New Jersey Devils (2)
This series is going to depend upon the Devils being the team they should be, instead of the team that had trouble with Tampa Bay. The Lightning had great offense to be sure, but they Devils should've been able to shut them down easily. If Brodeur becomes supergoalie as he has in the past, Devils win. If not...
Ottawa Senators in 7.
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks (2) vs Vancouver Canucks (3)
The Canucks just got through a long tough series with the Dallas Stars, and now they have to face the best team in the West.
Anaheim Ducks in 5 games.
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs San Jose Sharks (5)
Detroit may have home ice, but San Jose doesn't need it to win. They're a great team and they're going to make this an interesting series.
San Jose in 6 games.
If I get the opportunity to watch more of the games, I'll try and blog my thoughts. We'll see if I'm successful on that front.
Well, it's a little late as I write this, as some of the games have already taken place, but none of the results affect my original predictions.
Actually, as I'm typing this, the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks just ended their THIRD OT period, and will be entering the 4th OT in about 15 minutes. They've been tied 4-4 for awhile now.
In any case, here goes...
Eastern Conference:
New York Islanders (8) vs Buffalo Sabres (1)
Even though the Islanders are my team, they barely squeaked their way into the playoffs. They don't have their top goaltender Rick DiPietro as he's still recovering from the affects of two concussions sustained in March, and it's questionable if he'll be available for the 1st round at all.
The Isles did make it without him, as Wade Dubielewicz (a name which I'm going to need to see a couple of more times before I spell it correctly without help) has been solid in goal for the Isles, but honestly, they're simply not a good enough team to do much of anything in the playoffs, and even less so against the best team in the NHL.
Sabres are gonna sweep the Isles in 4 games. If the Islanders win ANY game in the series, it will be a moral victory.
Tampa Bay Lightning (7) vs New Jersey Devils (2)
The Devils have Brodeur, the best goaltender in modern times, if not all time. The Devils also have a potent offense with guys like Patrick Elias, Jamie Langenbruner, Scott Gomez, Zach Parise. Not to sell the Lightning short, as they have Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards. But defensively, this is not the same team that won the Stanley Cup in 2003. As such, New Jersey should dispatch of them easily, but Tampa might win one or two in the series.
New Jersey in 6 games.
New York Rangers (6) vs Atlanta Thrashers (3)
This is an intriguing series. The Rangers have been hot down the stretch, but Atlanta has a solid team for once. This is a fairly even matchup, and I think home ice will be the deciding factor. So that being said...
Atlanta in 7 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins (5) vs Ottawa Senators (4)
As I write this, Ottawa has already won the first game of the series, but Pittsburgh is just too talented to lose in the 1st round, although I don't think they're talented enough to go much further. It'll be a good series either way.
Pittsburgh in 6 games.
Western Conference:
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs Calgary Flames (8)
Detroit is always in the playoffs and they always (?) get past the 1st round. This year will be no different. Detroit isn't going to go down to Calgary, despite the solid goaltending of Mikka Kiprusoff.
Detroit in 5 games.
Minnesota Wild (7) vs Anaheim Ducks (2)
Anaheim not only has two amazing goaltenders in J.S. Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov, but probably the most well-balanced team in the NHL, including Buffalo. There's no reason that Minnesota should pose much of a threat to the far superior, Ducks, who also happen to be my 2nd favorite team behind the New York Islanders. Obviously, the difference is that one of them has a chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
Anaheim Ducks in 5 games.
Dallas Stars (6) vs Vancouver Canucks (3)
As I watch this game enter its 4th OT period, you have to give credit to two of the league's best goaltenders in Marty Turco and Roberto Luongo, who after years of playing with the subpar Florida Panthers, is finally on a strong team. Still, I think Dallas is the stronger team when it comes to playoff hockey. But everyone is going to be tired for Game 2, especially if this game goes even longer than the 4 OTs its already gone.
Dallas Stars in 7 games.
San Jose Sharks (5) vs Nashville Predators (4)
San Jose, despite the lower seed, is a superior team, but Nashville is fielding the best team they've had in their short history. This is a rematch of last season's playoffs in which San Jose beat them in 5 games. No reason the same shouldn't happen, except in one more game.
San Jose in 6 games.
One thing that disappoints me greatly about the NHL's TV deals, is that when it comes to the many playoff games that are occurring, they're only going to be televised on either your local channels (FSN in most cases), VS. or NBC (weekend games). VS. can only carry so many games, which means a lot of the games won't be available to many people, and that sucks.
I do get to see all of the Ducks games since they're local market, and whatever airs on VS. when I am home, but that is going to mean I miss a lot of the games I want to see, whether that's due to the time the game is played, or it's simply not available. The NHL needs to do something to rectify that issue going forward.
