I don't think Lemaire will tank it -- he's publicly stated that he won't rest key players today (although, I would not fault him if he scratched Gaborik... just to be safe).
That said -- the Wild don't have anything to play for. Colorado, on the other hand, with a loss could be facing the prospect of having to play San Jose in the first round.
Avs have plenty to play for and I expect them to win at home today.
Dear Mr. Leperrier
Watch your back fool!
Yours Truly,
The Boogey Man
That was very calculated.
We don't need to be dressing all the horsemen against a finesse team like Colorado -- especially when Lapperiere will run like a sissy. I'd rather let Fridge or Simon (or Burnsie) take care of it.... or grab a guy like Sakic and see how they like that.
We'll save Boogey for the more physical teams.
Good to see Parrish get a greasy goal. We NEED those in the playoffs.
Wednesday can't come soon enough!
Well, here it comes!
Eastern Conf:
MTL/BOS: Canadiens in 5 (despite Hab's injuries)
PIT/OTT: PIT in 6 (This year was/is the start of the Ottawa downfall)
WAS/PHI: Caps in 4. (Peaking at the right time)
NJD/NYR: Rangers in 6
Western Conf:
Wings/Preds: Wings in 5 (Wings D is so healthy right now, it's scary)
San Jose/Cal: Sharks in 5 (Stop Iginla, stop flames. San Jose has the power)
Wild/Col: Wild in 6 (Despite 2 games of brainfarts (it IS Lemaire) Wild will out muscle the Avs)
Ducks/Stars: Ducks in 5 (Ducks are in a great position this year. Beat Dallas, then you have a phsych. advantage against the Wings)
oink
It's the most wonderful time o' the year!!
MTL/BOS: Canadiens in 7 (this series will be a good old fashion knife fight)
PIT/OTT: PIT in 6 (the Pens are the team that I think has the best shot at the cup from the east)
WAS/PHI: Phi in 5 (Ovechkin is a factor but I don't think the Caps as a team are quite there yet. Build some in the offseason they'll be a bigger factor next year)
NJD/NYR: Devils in 6 (Marty Brodeur.)
Wings/Preds: Wings in 4 (This should be a nice warm up for the Wings)
San Jose/Cal: Sharks in 7 (Kippy and the D keep the Flames in this thing for a few game, San Jose's talent ultimately wins the day)
Wild/Col: Wild in 7 (I honestly think The Avs could steal this one. They owe the local club from a few years back. Colorado is in perfect position to let the Wild think they're the better team and show them unless they skate their asses off, they aren't )
Habs/Bruins: Canadiens in 5 (Boston had 11 guys who have never been in the playoffs - Source: ESPN)
Pens/Sens: Pens in 6 (Three words: Sid. Marian. Evgeni.)
Caps/Flyers: Caps in 7 (MVP scores 2 hat tricks in this round)
Devils/Rangers: Rangers in 6 (Drury and Gomez finally fully click with the rest of the team)
Wings/Preds: Wings in 4 (The only sweep of this round)
Sharks/Flames: Flames in 7 (Calgary had the Sharks number this year)
Wild/Avs: Wild in 6 (I have a feeling this will be a bigger physical battle than most people expect, and the Wild will capitalize)
I'd just like to add that aside from the Sabre's housecleaning of last year, the Sens fall from the top has been one of the saddest NHL frustrations of the last few years.
I can't figure that team out. Bad luck, bad coaching and/or bad front office moves. Excellent team on paper. Guess it goes to show that talent doesn't always work as well as cohesion and tactics.
Habs/Bruins: Habs own da Bruin (oooowwwwnnnnssssss, owwwwwwwnnnnnsss) in the regular season, but will young Carey Price be able to hold up to the pressure? Yes, for at least the 1st round. Habs in 5.
Pens/Sens: Without Alfredsson and Fisher --- this will be a quick death for the Sens. Pens in 5.
Caps/Flyers: Ovechkin vs the Flyers??? Did someone forget how strong a season Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Braydon Coburn (all Philly younguns) had? I'll take Alexander in a close one... Caps in 7.
Devils/Rangers: This one comes down to Brodeur vs. Lundqvist. Rangers have more firepower... but I'll take Brodeur, he'll win this series. Oh yeah, "Rangers suck and Gomez swallows" (overheard at the Wild vs Rangers tilt this season -- a TON of Devils fans in the building) Devils in 7.
Wings/Preds: Ah, this one should be easy, right? Not so -- division rivalry and the Preds historically play the Wings tough. Will Hasek play well... or sulk if the Wings go to Osgood? I say Wings in 6.
Sharks/Flames: I now see why the Sharks traded away Kiprusoff.. they have the best goalie in the NHL (this season) in Evgeni Nabokov. A tough, grind it out series early... however, the Flames (and Kipper) fade fast at the midpoint, losing to the Sharks in 6.
Wild/Avs: Risebrough's trade deadline move on Chris Simon starts to make sense as he continues to provide veteran leadership... regardless of how many actual minutes he skates. Backstrom ... and passion from a fired up Wild team is the difference. And Gaborik will make his first case that he can deliver the frickin goods when it counts. EDIT: AVS in 6 -- barring superhuman 30+ minute per game efforts by Johnsson, Burns, & Skoula... and heroics from Backstrom... it looks like the Wild now don't have enough on the blue-line to stop all 3 of Colorados lines.
I'm gonna refrain from picking games, and just pick winners:
West
Wings/Preds: Wings
Sharks/Flames: Sharks (best team going right now.....though I can see Calgary stealing one or 2, including one in the Tank)
Wild/Avs: Wild in a long and dramatic series....continuing the short history between these two clubs.
Ducks/Stars: Ducks (about the most uneducated I am on any of the matchups)
East
Habs/Bruins: Habs....Kessel will score a goal at some point, though, and I'll chant "We had Kessel, clap clap clapclapclap" and my buddy Chris (a Mankato fan) will respond with "Holy Cross, clap clap clapclapclap"....then we'll continue drinking.
Pens/Sens: This will be fun hockey to watch. Pens
Caps/Flyers: Caps. Alex's post-season coming out party
Devils/Rangers: Rangers. Devils won't score enough goals, but will probably win 2 games by a total of 3-1.
Oh @#$#@
Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune
Nick Schultz
One of the Wild's most consistent defensemen will miss the Colorado series and probably be out longer.
By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune
With the Colorado Avalanche's horde of star forwards about to invade Xcel Energy Center, Nick Schultz -- arguably the Wild's most consistent and reliable defenseman -- likely will miss the first round of the playoffs and probably longer after undergoing an appendectomy Monday night.
"It's a good-sized blow, but we'll just have to deal with it," Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough said. "He's a solid, solid player and a solid, consistent player. He did it the same every night, and there were very few low spots.
"So that is the thing that will be most challenging to replace -- that consistency."
Risebrough declined to comment on how long Schultz will be out.
"I don't know that. I'd be guessing," Risebrough said.
Wild center Mikko Koivu had an appendectomy while playing for Houston is 2004-05 and missed 12 games. Earlier this season, Colorado's Paul Stastny missed 15 games following an appendectomy.
Schultz, 25, who ranks second in team history with 448 games, traveled with the Wild to Denver to play in Sunday's regular-season finale, but he missed the game because of what was thought to be a stomach flu. It was only the second game Schultz ever missed because of injury or illness.
He arrived at Xcel Energy Center on Monday morning for a team photo, but still not feeling well, he left immediately and didn't practice.
It was later discovered that Schultz had appendicitis. Risebrough said Schultz had some leaking of the appendix, "but there was not a massive rupture."
Schultz, who signed the longest, richest contract in franchise history in February (six years, $21 million extension), was a plus-9 this season and is a career plus-34. He led the Wild in blocked shots (147) for the third year in a row and was second with 101 hits.
Petteri Nummelin, who has played five games since Jan. 5 and 27 games all season, will replace Schultz in the lineup. Until Houston, the Wild's AHL affiliate, is eliminated, the Wild is only permitted four callups. Since it already has used two, the Wild won't call up a defenseman unless it's needed.
But this is a giant blow for a team that's already lost Kurtis Foster for the playoffs because of a broken femur.
Remember, at age 20, Schultz went head-to-head with the Joe Sakic-Peter Forsberg line in the Wild's 2003 quarterfinals upset of Colorado and coach Jacques Lemaire planned to use him in that role again.
"[Nummelin's] been out of the lineup only because of the performance of other people, so I'm quite comfortable with him coming back into the lineup," Risebrough said. "It gives him an opportunity now. It's a tough thing when you're in and out of the lineup. You never know when you're in and when you're out.
"That's not the case now for Nummy."
This is still going to be an emotional blow for the Wild, but Risebrough says players have no other choice but to move forward.
"There aren't a lot of tomorrows. It's do or die now," Risebrough said. "These are the circumstances now."
Must be nice to be able to edit.
Sucks to hear about Shultz.
Don't get me wrong, Shultz out is a HUGE hit for the hometown team. BUT, is Nummelin's speed that much of a hang-up? I know he hasn't played in a while, but he's fast and agile. He is probably better suited for this matchup than any other in the SCPs. I think we still have a good chance to finish off the Avs, and Shultz can get healthy by game 2 of the next round.
That being said, I think the Wild in 7 now.
I HAVE FAITH!!
If we were doing this for money, I'd probably take the Avs in 7.
Betting with only bragging rights on the line, I will update and say Wild in 7. The game difference is going to come from a sub par performance from the D- liners. Direct result of Shultzy being out.
I thought this was pretty funny:
Briefly: "Hockey Night in Canada" analyst and former Boston Bruins coach Don Cherry, on the Wild's new toughness:
"I was thinking they were going to match up with Calgary in the first round. Holy smokes! That would have been an atomic bomb!"
Source: Pioneer Press
This seems like a real treat for the playoffs! Awesome.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=359845
Quick thoughts:
Gary Roberts:
You're cool but you're dumb. Great night but that push into the boards was way lame. Watch your back.
Iginla's moves on that 3rd goal were awesome. Steal, break away (from his knees) and screen. Guy's a monster.
Malkin is gonna be a special treat to watch the next week.
AM I THE ONLY ONE LEFT IN THE WORLD WHO STILL THINGS THE SHARKS ARE NOTHING?!?!? oh yeah. I picked them to win. I dunno, I guess I fall prey to all the 'brains' who say that they're the team to beat. Yet, I watch them play, watch Ron Wilson behind the bench and say to myself 'these guys are poster boys with very little heart.'
San Jose Soft
Despite the loss, Wild played pretty well. Carney was pretty goofy for covering up the puck in the crease. I saw quite a few times where there wasn't a guy near the crease after a dump. A few shots on goal with nobody for a rebound. Boogey was rockin' and actually showed some offensive spunk.
I was at Luckys down here in Madison wearing my Gaborik jersey and some fucker in a Sakic jersey walks up and sits down next to me talking smack. Needless to say the overtime sucked ass and I beat the clowns ass in darts for a few drinks though.
I want to hump Brian Coopers leg and spuge Orange Blank
What a difference a day makes!
Calgary/San Jose:
Like a bad marriage. Back and forth, blah blah. Was impressed that they shut out a team that dominated them the night before.
Dallas putting up 4 against the Ducks?! Shit, Ducks can't put up more than 3 goals anyway. Very shocked at that outcome. Was Turco not playing? hah. I know it's only the first game.
Ah, and then the Wings. Actually, the Preds played a really decent game against them. Physical. Detroit seemed to get lazy in the 2nd period. Rafalski had quite a few brain farts. Guys like Holmstrom and Draper weren't really factors. Dom played well and let in a really soft goal (Tootoo scored in the playoffs?! good gosh).
Of course, Franzen, the big guns of Datsyuk and Zetterberg and Lidstrom came out to play. Zetterberg was all over the place.
I'll stop now.