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Post by soolkyut on Apr 5, 2004 19:42:13 GMT -5
What are people's predictions for the Stanley this year? Mine is Dallas, They have turned it on late and as long as Turco plays well they definitely have a shot
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Post by DanCan on Apr 6, 2004 4:46:29 GMT -5
Me thinks the race will be wide open this year. Me also think, with the lockout looming, that we will get one heck of a playoff.
East: Tamba should be able to down Islanders in the QF, and I think, I hope, that Senators will get the last laugh against Leafs. If Tamba can remain healthy they will be a tough opponent for Senators in the semis. I expect TB/Senators to match up with New Jersey in the Eastern conference finals, provided that the devils' 2nd line start to produce a little more. And maybe Langenbrunner will step forward again? Philadelphia hasn't solved its goaltender question for the playoffs - Esche will be in net - and Roenick isn't 100% healthy. New Jersey will meet Boston in the semi (I guess), even without Thornton. I don't think that Montreal will be a threat unless Koivu, Kovalev, Perreault and others start to warm up. In the semi, NJD will down Boston, with or without Thornton. And I also think that NJD will prevail against Ottawa or Tamba (though my heart beats for Ottawa).
West: I don't think that Detroit will be fooled once again this year. They will beat Nashville in the QF. Flames could easily upset Vancouver in the other QF. Bertuzzi is out, and Näslund is exhausted (according to his own comments in a Swedish newspaper), so I think Vancover will fall in the first round (maybe, Öhlund and the Sedin twins will then travel to the Czech Republic, but it will be without Näslund). With Kariya out indefinitely and Tanguay and Forsberg rusty after long injury periods, things looks pretty bad for the Avs. Yes, I also think that Dallas will down Colorado in the first round. The last QF, Sharks vs STL is very open. I think it can go either way, but I guess STL will get the edge. So it will be Detroit vs Dallas and Calgary vs STL in the semis. If Detroit hope to beat Dallas, then the Zetterberg- Datsyuk-Hull line needs to step up its game, and Detroit would need to solve its goaltender problem. I don't think it will happen. Dallas will beat Detroit in the semi and then advance to the Stanley Cup finals after beating STL.
So it will be Dallas vs New Jersey in the Stanley Cup finals. The final will be determined by the performance of Turco vs Brodeur. It could go either way, but perhaps the Devils are not as hungry as the Stars?
So, yes, I also believe that Dallas is a good bet. But the race is too damn close to call.
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Post by Jd on Apr 6, 2004 14:58:51 GMT -5
If Naslund is exhausted, he sure has fooled Canucks fans with 3 goals in 3 games and I think about 6 or 7 points to finish the season. Cloutier has only allowed 7 goals in his last 6, while the Canucks have won 6 in a row. They even have their 4th line rolling with Keane and May. The Canucks are rejuvinated. I think they have a chance to come out as western conference champions. Having said that, so do 7 other teams. I don't think Nashville will make much noise.
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Post by DanCan on Apr 6, 2004 16:40:21 GMT -5
Jd, I hope you're right about Vancouver. You know, sometimes it's really interesting to follow the Swedish media's coverage of the NHL. For instance, the Swedish media are still convinced that Forsberg will quit the NHL and play for MoDo (his youth club) next season -- with or without a NHL lockout. There are no question marks to that issue, but in the N.A. media, it has totally been denied. Well, we will see who's right. A little more than a week ago, Markus Näslund had a very candid interview with Sportsbladet, Sweden's leading sports paper. You can find the article here: interview with NaslundThe headline says: "Naslund considers quitting" According to the interview, Naslund is actually considering quitting from hockey. He will make the decision after the playoffs. Näslund is quoted for saying: "I am extremely exhausted. Its not given that I will play more seasons - neither in NHL nor home in Sweden". And he continues: "I have to do what has to be done this season before I can make a decision regarding my future. It feels like the family has to get its share soon". The paper adds, that Naslund does not make it a secret that he longs for the season to be over. The paper also add that Naslund suffers from minor injuries to his shoulders as well as a hyper-extended elbow. It's interesting to note, that Näslund did not deny the story when it was published in Aftonbladet on 24 March, but he reacted strongly when Vancouver Providence published the same story on 31 March. He says that he's been misquoted, and I think that is partly true. What he probably meant was that he's exhausted of all what has happened (after his concussion and the Bertuzzi incident). But if it is true that he is psychologically (and not physically) exhausted, that's bad enough. I agree that Naslund has rebounded somewhat in the last week of the regular season, but I have the feeling that this was mainly due to Brendan Morrison who became red hot. With grinder Matt Cooke as a stand in for Bertuzzi, I don't think that Vancouver's scoring line looks solid. And the 2nd line with the Sedin twins is cold as ice. But regular season is regular season. Let's see what happens in the playoffs.
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Post by sammy on Apr 7, 2004 4:55:26 GMT -5
Detroit vs Toronto in the finals with the Red Wings winning in 6 games. Detroit will not make the same mistake as last year. Toronto's work ethic is good right now with Belfour red hot.
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Post by pihinalle on Apr 7, 2004 10:09:32 GMT -5
No no no! You are all wrong. Montreal will win it this year.
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Post by OttawaCdn on Apr 8, 2004 8:08:01 GMT -5
Aves in 6 vs. the winner of the leafs/sens series.
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Post by marrella on Apr 9, 2004 16:01:41 GMT -5
I'm not going that far out. I'll stick with my first round predictions of:
East TBL in 4 Boston in 5 Philly in 7 Sens in 6
West Detroit in 5 San Jose in 5 Calgary in 7 Colorado in 7
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