Non-Penguins NHL Games 2015-16

Postby **Blue Canary** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 12:59 am

Flyers gonna be all gassed up when Vorasuck comes back on Saturday.

Voracek does well vs. the Pens.

I'd bet my house that on Saturday we're in for the whole playoff atmosphere with Lauren Hart/Kate Smith "God Bless America" (

), jacked-up jackal fans, and the revival of "Crosby sucks!" I'm not yet ready, especially with so much riding on it.

I can deal with the "Crosby sucks!" as long as Sid responds the way he used to with a nice 3- or 4-point game.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:00 am

Eh, we have to take care of our own business and not worry about the Flyers unless we're playing them.

Postby **nocera** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:10 am

I'd bet my house that on Saturday we're in for the whole playoff atmosphere with Lauren Hart/Kate Smith "God Bless America" ( ), jacked-up jackal fans, and the revival of "Crosby sucks!" I'm not yet ready, especially with so much riding on it.

I can deal with the "Crosby sucks!" as long as Sid responds the way he used to with a nice 3- or 4-point game.

Good. That'll serve to get the Pens jacked up as well. Bring it on.

Postby **Blue Canary** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 2:04 pm

I'd bet my house that on Saturday we're in for the whole playoff atmosphere with Lauren Hart/Kate Smith "God Bless America" ( ), jacked-up jackal fans, and the revival of "Crosby sucks!" I'm not yet ready, especially with so much riding on it.

I can deal with the "Crosby sucks!" as long as Sid responds the way he used to with a nice 3- or 4-point game.
Good. That'll serve to get the Pens jacked up as well. Bring it on.

I like your attitude

. NTP66 is right, too. I just need to get my head right.

Postby **crusherstasiak** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:08 pm

All well and fine but I'd argue that the Flyers are good to go whereas Nick Bonino and too many of his cohort could give a ****.

Postby **Faubert5** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:28 pm

Islanders get the obligatory you're-down-by-one-with-less-than-5-minutes-to-play power plays.

Postby **Faubert5** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:29 pm

Islanders get the obligatory you're-down-by-one-with-less-than-5-minutes-to-play power plays.

Wow, during commercial they conferenced and corrected the call. No penalty - no contact he just fell.

Postby **crusherstasiak** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:32 pm

EN 4-2

Postby **Faubert5** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:33 pm

4-2 Preds.

Empty netter.

Postby **NTP66** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:05 am

Slowly but surely we're chipping away at the East. 1 point behind Tampa with a game in hand, a few behind the Isles and Rags (who lost in OT last night).

Postby **MR25** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:12 pm

I don't think us jumping Tampa in points would affect anything, though, since we aren't in the Atlantic Division. We would have to pass the Islanders for anything meaningful to happen in terms of seeding.

Postby **NTP66** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:55 pm

I apparently forget that we even have divisions anymore.

Postby **nocera** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:17 pm

The divisional playoff format is stupid. Go back to top 8, please.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:16 pm

Just make the division format an actual division format...don't put it in this weird midway, halfway nonsense...

1v4, 2v3 - Patrick Division Semi-Finals
Winner of each plays in the Patrick Division Final
Winner of the other Division Final plays us in the Wales Conference Final.

Couldn't be simpler...

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:24 pm

I think I would hate a "true" divisional format. I liked the original Top 8 because there was a good chance you would see matchups that you don't see as often during the season.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:04 pm

Hmph, interesting...I feel the complete opposite...I loathe the fact that there are few good rivalries in the league...Anaheim and LA, Philadelphia/Pittsburgh, Montreal and Boston...does anyone else really hate each other and make it known? Yeah, Toronto and Ottawa are rivals sure, but those guys have never met before, there's not a familiar face on either side, they don't give two ***** about each other, half of each roster is trying to stay in the show...

I want rivalries, I want hate...you can't form a rivalry without playoff wars...Washington and Pittsburgh met 7 times in 11 years in the playoffs, it developed a healthy rivalry. Obviously, things get weird when the author of their demise ends up there and both teams fall off a cliff for half a decade...but, Detroit and Colorado, I mean, where did that come from...? Playoff series.

If there's one thing that could ever turn me off from sports, it's the death of the rivalry. No one has pride in their team any more, you got free agency and expansion and way too much money and too much teams and the whole kettle of fish...no one hates each other enough. The best rivalry in the NHL this year, by a mile, has been LA/Anaheim. That hate is palpable. Granted, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh haven't even played really...

Maxime Talbot telling 18,000 of those goons to shush sparking a rally to end their season in their building...epic. Signing with that team a short time later...crap. Yeah, I know, a five year deal for a fourth line center...he's an idiot not to take it...I get that...but still...**** that...

The last hope is full-on divisional playoffs...we should want Pittsburgh/Philadelphia, Pittsburgh/Washington, Pittsburgh/New York...I want that competition. Pittsburgh/Ottawa...Pittsburgh/Buffalo...it's like, "whoa, look out for these guys...when these two teams get together, it's like lighting a match in a swimming pool!"

Don't get me wrong, I get what you're saying...we see the Isles six times a year as it is, do we need seven more games...? For me, the answer is yes. But I can see the other side...

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:45 pm

Good points. I love the rivalries too. The Washington-Pittsburgh rivalry has fizzled out, and that's been disappointing. To your point, all it would take is one heated playoff series to get that going again. I had the immense fortune of attending the iconic Talbot game, thanks to free tickets in the lower bowl from my wife's employer (!). Next to watching the Pens hoist the Cup, that was the best hockey memory of my life.

I'm curious as to what your thoughts are with the NHL artificially shoehorning all of these divisional games towards the end of the season. I understand the logic behind it, but I don't think it's well-executed. We didn't even play the Flyers until a month after Christmas. I'd rather see the divisional game scattered throughout the season.

Under the old system, didn't we play the Flyers 5-6 times a year? Feels that way, but I could be wrong. In any event, I understand the change is meant to essentially make the playoffs start in mid-March, but I was a fan of the old schedule. Felt like we went through long stretches of the season without those rivalry-ish games (PHI, NYR, NYI, etc). Again, could just be my perception though.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 10:00 pm

I don't really care for the artificial scheduling, as it were...some people in and around the league aren't really thrilled with it either...

You figure that the last ten games or 12 games or whatever, you figure those are games that are going to be well attended if you're the thick of it and poorly attended if you're not...if anything, I would want to sprinkle Philadelphia, Washington, Islander games in and around December and January and whatever to boost up some of that...but I don't know, they have that data, I don't...

The most I think was 8 times a year...that was too much...that waters it down...4 to 6 times a year throughout the year (if you want to keep a couple in the holster for after the AS/Olympic break, ok fine), guaranteed two playoff series in the division...that's good...most everything is probably not gonna work...

And that's awesome that you were there for that! Even in my living room, I could feel it and I was watching with a Flyers fan and a Devils fan...and about ten seconds after the faceoff after the fight, I said, "here we come..." because you could feel an immediate shift in everything...so great...

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 10:10 pm

and about ten seconds after the faceoff after the fight, I said, "here we come..." because you could feel an immediate shift in everything...so great...

Yup, it was amazing. Truth be told, when the Flyers went up 3-0, if it would have went to 4 I likely would have headed for the exits early to avoid the rabid mob. The life absolutely got sucked out of that fanbase. Walking out we weren't accosted or even heckled, everyone just walking with their heads down. It was wonderful.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 10:12 pm

To shift gears to NHL action, the talented Chris Neil going after one of the future stars of the league, as he sits defenseless after crashing hard into the end boards:

https://twitter.com/HarrisonBacon/statu ... 94/video/1

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 10:18 pm

Yeah, I was watching that game. It was pretty chippy actually. Rasmus Ristolainen got his first career fighting major after he felt up Alex Chiasson...

Watching Avs/Flames right now, Avs in the playoff hunt...just gave up two shorthanded goals on the same power play...3-1 Flames...

Postby **Gaucho** » Sat Mar 19, 2016 6:11 am

Neil gonna Neil. Coward.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Sat Mar 19, 2016 6:20 pm

Sharks score three quick goals in the third, chase Lundqvist...home ice in the first round looking possible for us at this rate...

Postby **meow** » Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:12 pm

Eaves with an absolute beauty against the Isles. Picked Nielson's pocket in the nz, hit ludicrous speed and blew by the D and double tapped his own rebound up under the bar. Great sequence.

Postby **meow** » Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:14 pm

https://twitter.com/myregularface/statu ... 5490644992