2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread (Second Round is set, begins tomorrow)

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

Metropolitan Division
*The New York Rangers have clinched the top spot in the Metro division
Islanders - 96 pts
Capitals - 96 pts
Penguins - 95 pts (1st Wild Card)

The Flyers, Devils, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes have been eliminated from playoff contention

Atlantic Division
-The Canadiens and Lightning will finish in the top two spots but the division is not yet decided.
-The Red Wings and Bruins sit in the 3rd place playoff spot and the 2nd Wild Card spot respectively
-The Senators and the Panthers are on the outside looking in, but still alive.  

The Sabres and Maple Leafs have been eliminated from playoff contention.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division
-The Predators, Blues, and Blackhawks have clinched playoff berths, but any could finish 1st in the division
-The Wild sit in the 1st Wild Card
-The Jets sit in the 2nd Wild Card
-The Stars and Avalanche are not mathematically eliminated, but would need a miracle

Pacific Division
*The Anaheim Ducks have clinched the Pacific Division title
Canucks - 95 pts
Flames - 91 pts
Kings - 88 pts
-The Sharks are in the same spot as the Stars and Avalanche

The Oilers and Coyotes are eliminated from playoff contention.  

What a season for my New York Rangers.  First to clinch a playoff spot and the odds on favorite to capture the President's Trophy as the league's top regular season team for the first time since they last won the Cup in 1994.  They will in all likelihood take on the 2nd Wild Card (which could be anybody besides Montreal or Tampa at this point) and then the winner of the other Metro division matchup.  

Anaheim looks like they will place #1 in the West for the 2nd straight year... but as in the East there is still a lot of positioning to be settled.  One of the Jets, Flames, or Kings is going to be left on the outside looking in; all very solid teams.

The current bracket:

EAST
Montreal vs. Pittsburgh

Tampa vs. Detroit


NY Rangers vs. Boston

NY Islanders vs. Washington


WEST
Nashville vs. Minnesota

St. Louis vs. Chicago


Anaheim vs. Winnipeg

Vancouver vs. Calgary


Such a huge gap this year between the good teams and the bad ones, especially in the East.  The playoffs are going to be completely unpredictable and a ton of good teams are going to suffer a very disappointing 1st round exit.  Not one team that currently sits in playoff position started this season thinking a mere playoff berth would mean a successful year except Calgary and MAYBE the Islanders.  

April 15th can't come soon enough.  

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Will definitely be heading to either STL or Nashville depending on who the Blackhawks play in the first round. I suppose I could head to Chicago also, but tix back in December were going for like $200 for 300-level seats for a regular season weekend game against Nashville, so Chicago isn't terribly affordable for normal people. Haven't celebrated with 2,000,000+ in downtown Chicago in about two years now

I have either the Blackhawks or the Wild coming out of the West.  May very well come down to those two in the Central Division Final.  Could always be the Kings, too... of course. 

If you have a chance to get to Nashville, go there.  Nice little roadtrip and the tickets won't be too bad.  I'm in the same boat as you.  To get to MSG for a playoff game will set you back $200 at the least and that's for 400 level seats that are limited view.  Maybe if they draw the Caps at some point I'll Chinatown bus my way down to D.C. because the get-in price probably won't exceed $80-90. 

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The Rangers clinch the President's Trophy, and the Icelanders blow their game against the Flyers in one of the most improbable way you could possibly think. 

That would be the cherry on top, to see the Icelanders blow it down the stretch. 

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After an absolutely insane night of hockey, we have a couple new official participants in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

EASTERN CONFERENCE









WESTERN CONFERENCE

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too early.  hoping for Isles to clinch a home ice series. tonight did not help.

Isles fans have to brace themselves for the worst right now.  Pittsburgh and then a red-hot division foe to finish the season.  Ottawa comes in to play a Rangers team that has everything wrapped up and has already started letting guys sit for soreness and fatigue. 

If the Islanders were to somehow miss the postseason it would be worse to than the Mets in 2007.  I know there are quite a few Isles/Mets fans out there, and I would almost feel bad.  Key word being almost.  The Penguins missing out would also be utterly hilarious. 

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Please let us beat your Rangers, HD!

Everything is clinched, wrapped up, fin...

Go ahead, Hatman.  Take the W.  When Canadian teams make the playoffs, hockey wins.  

EDIT: Zuccarello already confirmed to be sitting tomorrow.  He probably won't be the only one, nor will the Rangers be playing at full throttle.  I've watched them take their foot of the gas this year when it was fine for them to.  Vigneault knows that the playoffs are a marathon, not a sprint.

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I'm just glad the Kings are out.

They aren't.  The Flames and Kings play tomorrow and the Kings are only two points back.  A Kings win and it comes down to the final day.  Winnipeg still also has to clinch the last spot.  All three are decent teams, but decent means that anything could happen on any given night with any two teams involved.  I'll consider the Kings to be done when the little "e" is next to their name in the standings.  Until then, everyone is going to be on notice.  I've never seen a squad so unfazed by adversity. 

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Friggin' Pens have played horribly down the stretch. When they back their lazy asses into the playoffs, I wouldn't be surprised to see them bounced in 4 or 5 games in the first round.

Way to go on that Ben Lovejoy trade, Rutherford!

Whoever loses the Penguins/Islanders contest on Friday, if it is in regulation, is going to be in a world of hurt.  If either of them actually do manage to miss out it will be one of the more embarrassing collapses in NHL history.   These have been two teams who have spent a majority of the season at a >99% chance to qualify per sportsclubstats.com. 

With Boston laying an egg tonight against Washington, things are going to get very, very interesting. 

NY Islanders - 98 (39 ROWs) @Pittsburgh, vs. Columbus
Detroit - 97 (38 ROWs) @Montreal, @Carolina
Pittsburgh - 96 (38 ROWs) vs. NY Islanders, @Buffalo
Boston - 95  (37 ROWs) @Florida, @Tampa Bay
Ottawa - 95 (35 ROWs) @NY Rangers, @Philadelphia

...all teams have played 80 games.  This might be the wildest finish I've seen.  I can't remember any time where FOUR playoff spots were up for grabs with only 2 games to go.  Must see TV for the last 3 nights of the regular season. 

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Who do the Rangers want to play in the playoffs? If they want to play the Sens, then they better let us beat them tonight!

Personally, I'd prefer to avoid the Bruins, but we're the best team and it shouldn't matter.  Gotta take care of business. 

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Who do the Rangers want to play in the playoffs? If they want to play the Sens, then they better let us beat them tonight!

Personally, I'd prefer to avoid the Bruins, but we're the best team and it shouldn't matter.  Gotta take care of business.  

And, much akin to your beloved Mets, the business of arranging offseason workouts will begin shortly.

And who are you a fan of, Mr. Blue PA?

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Friggin' Pens have played horribly down the stretch. When they back their lazy asses into the playoffs, I wouldn't be surprised to see them bounced in 4 or 5 games in the first round.

Way to go on that Ben Lovejoy trade, Rutherford!

Whoever loses the Penguins/Islanders contest on Friday, if it is in regulation, is going to be in a world of hurt.  If either of them actually do manage to miss out it will be one of the more embarrassing collapses in NHL history.   These have been two teams who have spent a majority of the season at a >99% chance to qualify per sportsclubstats.com. 

With Boston laying an egg tonight against Washington, things are going to get very, very interesting. 

NY Islanders - 98 (39 ROWs) @Pittsburgh, vs. Columbus
Detroit - 97 (38 ROWs) @Montreal, @Carolina
Pittsburgh - 96 (38 ROWs) vs. NY Islanders, @Buffalo
Boston - 95  (37 ROWs) @Florida, @Tampa Bay
Ottawa - 95 (35 ROWs) @NY Rangers, @Philadelphia

...all teams have played 80 games.  This might be the wildest finish I've seen.  I can't remember any time where FOUR playoff spots were up for grabs with only 2 games to go.  Must see TV for the last 3 nights of the regular season. 

Agreed. If I wasn't a hyper-partisan Pens fan, I'd be really excited by the whole thing. Of course, because I am, it's like torture to watch. Especially at the beginning of the year when I said on my podcast that I thought they were a sure thing to win the Cup this year. They've been embarrassing. It's not so much the losing. It's the lazy play and coaching that has bothered me. Defensively, we're truly awful without Kris Letang and trading a good Defenseman Simon Despres for Ben Lovejoy (who was no good the first time he was here so why in blue blazes would they want his ass back?!) May be one of the worst trades this team has made in years.

They have no flexibility to build depth with Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Fleury taking up so much of the payroll.  Sound crazy, but I think you guys have to trade Malkin, because there's no way Crosby is going anywhere.  He would command quite the return. 

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Who do the Rangers want to play in the playoffs? If they want to play the Sens, then they better let us beat them tonight!

Nash, Zuccarello, and Staal are all resting tonight.  I doubt the Rangers care too much about this game.  They'll sit back in their defensive structure but they are not going to press much.  I'm watching tonight's game with far more intrigue concerning the playoff race than how my team looks.  It's all about the Cup now. 

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Who do the Rangers want to play in the playoffs? If they want to play the Sens, then they better let us beat them tonight!

Personally, I'd prefer to avoid the Bruins, but we're the best team and it shouldn't matter.  Gotta take care of business.  

And, much akin to your beloved Mets, the business of arranging offseason workouts will begin shortly.

And who are you a fan of, Mr. Blue PA?

Much much less stress involved in giving up on my team halfway through the season than watching them crash and burn in a blaze of disappointment

OMG... Flyers?  Really?  Feel free to start a 2015 draft thread, then. 

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Boston is on the ropes.  Ottawa and Pittsburgh have a little work to do but not much.  They should both get in.  Los Angeles down 2-0 to Calgary.  Yikes.  Who would've thought to Kings and Bruins would miss out on the playoffs?  Last year's Stanley Cup champion and President's Trophy winners both missing with largely intact rosters. 

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Thank you Rangers!

You can have it.  Like I said... we didn't really care about this one.  Still played well.  Such is the luxury of wrapping up the regular season title. 

Rest easy, Rangers.  Let those boo-boo's get nice and healed. 

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And after an absolutely insane night of hockey, the Kings are OUT and the we have 4 new participants.  

EASTERN CONFERENCE














WESTERN CONFERENCE

















Bruins, Penguins, and Senators to battle it out for the last two spots in the East.  The West is almost completely set.   All the teams have been determined, but home ice in the Vancouver/Calgary series is not set, and St. Louis and Anaheim are still fighting for the #1 overall seed in the West, who will play Winnipeg. 

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Let us pray that the Senators and Bruins get in.

Fairly unlikely, Pittsburgh has to lose both of their games.

Fabulous to see Winnipeg finally make it. I'll be cheering them on all the way, unless they play the Senators for the cup

I'm all over Winnipeg if the Rangers were to bow out... although if the Rangers were to get upset this year I'd probably need some time.  Usually it's one round until I can watch again. 

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If it's Anaheim vs Winnipeg, there will be even more reason for me to cheer for the Jets, as the only team I hate more than the Ducks is the Leafs. (And not just because of 2007; wtf does Anaheim have a hockey team?)

SoCal can support multiple teams in any sport.  The Ducks have been a very successful franchise, honestly.  Plus, thanks to the Angels (and to an extent the Chargers), you had a built-in sports rivalry between Anaheim/Orange County and LA.  Before the Cup runs, when contraction/relocation was a pretty legitimate possibility, if you wanted to move a team out of California I would've argued it should be the Kings.  They'd never won a title, only played in one Final, and had never even gotten to the 3rd round in any other season.  A true sad sack franchise.  Washington was in the same boat until Ovechkin saved them. 

There are two teams I want moved.  Get the Panthers out of Florida and stick them in Quebec.  It's absurd to see 5,000 people in that arena every night.  No one cares.  Then take Arizona and put them in Southern Ontario or Seattle.  I'd like to see Carolina returned to Hartford and resurrect the Whalers, too, if only to bring back that fan-*******-TASTIC goal song... "Brass Bonanza"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKSpEfPOTo

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I'm rooting for the Jets in the west and the Capitals in the east. Love old NHL teams (I'd love to see the Nordiques and Whalers return) and the Jets just have a fun team. I love Alexander Ovechkin, too. He's my favorite non-Devils player in the league. What a freak of nature.

Oh so you're a Devils guy, eh?  That is just no bueno.  No bueno at all. 

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I watched the final period of the Panthers vs. Bruins game yesterday (for obvious reasons), and yeah, there was no one in the stands in South Florida, except for a bunch of New England snowbirds decked out in black and gold.

It's irritating to me as a hockey fan to see the nonsense in Florida while Quebec City fans of all people twittle their thumbs without a team and a hockey-ready arena sitting there.  And all the time the only city the NHL is getting serious about expanding to is ******* LAS VEGAS!  VEGAS! 

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@HockeyDude: today's the day for the Isles fan to root for the Rangers.  Isles get 1st round home ice with a Rangers win and an Isles win tonight.  currently NYR 3, WAS 1 2nd period

You're welcome. 

@Hatman: Congrats on the incredible run.  I think St. Louis was the last team to come from more than 6 pts back in January and still make it.  You guys were 14 back in mid-Feb.  That's outstanding.  Glad to avoid you for the first two rounds.

Hate this scheduling by the NHL.  These games should be played this afternoon.  Have to wait all the way until late tonight to get the final Stanley Cup bracket. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION COMING SOON!  Can you guess who I have winning it all regardless?

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And for my predictions!

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Metropolitan Division
(1) New York Rangers def. (W2) Pittsburgh Penguins in 4
(2) Washington Capitals def. (3) New York Islanders in 7

(1) New York Rangers def. (2) Washington Capitals in 5

Atlantic Division
(W1) Ottawa Senators def. (1) Montreal Canadiens in 7
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning def. (3) Detroit Red Wings in 5

(2) Tampa Bay Lightning def. (W1) Ottawa Senators in 7

Eastern Conference Final
New York Rangers def. Tampa Bay Lightning in 6


WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division
(W1) Minnesota Wild def. (1) St. Louis Blues in 6
(3) Chicago Blackhawks def. (2) Nashville Predators in 6

(W1) Minnesota Wild def. (3) Chicago Blackhawks in 7

Pacific Division
(1) Anaheim Ducks def. (W2) Winnipeg Jets in 7
(2) Vancouver Canucks def. (3) Calgary Flames in 7

(1) Anaheim Ducks def. (2) Vancouver Canucks in 6

Western Conference Final
Minnesota Wild def. Anaheim Ducks in 6


STANLEY CUP FINAL
New York Rangers

def.

Minnesota Wild

in 5 games

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The Blues are healthy going into the playoffs this year, Tarshenko is going to tear it up.

They are running into a juggernaut in Minnesota.  That team has been absolutely awesome for three months.

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HockeyDude, I just want to say that your sig helped us get a question at pub quiz back on Sunday that we wouldn't have otherwise.  And we won, so it was a free round.  Thanks!

I live to serve.

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I was going to go to Nashville on Friday night, but the stupid Predators front office has banned ticketmaster sales with credit cards from outside their TV market. And I don't know anyone with a credit card based in TN, KY, AL, MS, or GA.

I think Ottawa has done a similar thing to keep the Habs fans out, and it's a horrible practice. If your franchise doesn't have fans, that's your problem.

Find a hockey forum with individual sellers.  hfboards.com is a good place to start.  Or just hit the secondary market on Stubhub or NHL Ticket Exchange.