The NHL Thread

[stinkbutt]

Gotta say it was a good day

[theresalwaysone]

"Every game. Every night," they said.
"Because it's the cup," they said.
"We've got multiple channels," they said.

And yet here we are with a goddam NHL playoff game being not televised because an East Coast game has gone in to overtime. How much longer are we going to have to fucking suffer through this bullshit? Either schedule the games to account for overtime or put them on different fucking channels.

[Footsteps86]

Kings game is on NHL Network right now per NHL.com. I wouldn't know though since our office doesn't get either NBC Sports or NHL Network. The irony of working the night desk of the sports department at a paper and not being able to watch the NHL playoffs. At least I can watch the Thunder/Mavs game.

[sk8njam]

KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Riggins33]

Fucking Kings are gonna turn me into a hockey fan!

[scenicworld]

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

[scenicworld]

"Every game. Every night," they said.
"Because it's the cup," they said.
"We've got multiple channels," they said.

And yet here we are with a goddam NHL playoff game being not televised because an East Coast game has gone in to overtime. How much longer are we going to have to fucking suffer through this bullshit? Either schedule the games to account for overtime or put them on different fucking channels.

My feed changed from the PHI/NJ game to the LA/STL game right at 7pm. Are you in so cal?

Fucking Kings are gonna turn me into a hockey fan!

Welcome to the dark side! It only takes a couple games to make someone a hockey fan for life. I remember some of your other posts in this thread about hockey ;-)

[sonnyboy11]

Kings were freaking awesome last night! Hope we can wrap it up on Sunday. Early game- noon PST.

Only downside to the Kings playing this well is it may start to screw with my concert schedule. I mean, as a Kings season ticket holder, I normally don't have to consider whether we'll be playing late in to May or June(!) when I start buying tickets for shows. Looks like it could really turn into an issue for that Roger Waters show on Saturday, May 19th and the Beach Boys on June 2nd. But what're ya gonna do??

[Footsteps86]

That's more like it! Now close it out on Monday! AAAAAAWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[scenicworld]

Kings were freaking awesome last night! Hope we can wrap it up on Sunday. Early game- noon PST.

Only downside to the Kings playing this well is it may start to screw with my concert schedule. I mean, as a Kings season ticket holder, I normally don't have to consider whether we'll be playing late in to May or June(!) when I start buying tickets for shows. Looks like it could really turn into an issue for that Roger Waters show on Saturday, May 19th and the Beach Boys on June 2nd. But what're ya gonna do??

#firstworldproblems

haha, j/k. I don't know what I would do in your position besides hope for good scheduling. I'd probably see Roger Waters instead of a King's playoff game, but I'd probably be checking the score on my phone every 5 minutes and miss some of the best moments of both.

I love that Sutter is putting the team up in a hotel during these 2 home games. Smart move and it seems to be working out well if yesterday's game is any indication. I'm really hoping they can wrap it up this Sunday, and I think their chances are pretty good since the Blues just seem mentally defeated in this series. GO KINGS!

[TomAz]

That's more like it! Now close it out on Monday! AAAAAAWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Smith was a monster tonight.

[Grandma]

the predators are THROUGH! kings vs phoenix, kings in 5.


the los angeles kings vs the new york rangers, rangers in 6

[stinkbutt]

I think it is too soon to tell on the East, but I will stick with my predictions of Rangers and Devils. I also think the Predators have one more win in them.

[theresalwaysone]

Smith was a monster tonight.

Well I wouldn't go that far. He made some crucial saves but he also got lucky on quite a few. Another game where he fumbles the puck and results in a dynamite scoring chance. Predators just couldn't capitalize. Good for the Coyotes and good for you though. Enjoy it!

[bartelby]

I still think the Caps are going to come through against the Rangers....

love the Phoenix run but it would be TERRIBLE if a team owned by the league actually won the Cup

[TomAz]

If by lucky you mean the predators were inaccurate with their shooting, is that really luck? Or is he in their heads, making them aim high and wide because they know the center is a wall? or is it the coyotes defensive pressure makign them get their shots off more quickly than they might have liked (that's what Smith said post-game).

[Footsteps86]

Sounds like Klesla's facing a suspension. Hopefully for less than 25 games.

Coyotes defenseman Rusty Klesla will have a hearing on Sunday afternoon for his hit on the Predators' Matt Halischuk during the first period of Game 4, the league announced on Saturday.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyo...#ixzz1u2ad1TEt

[theresalwaysone]

If by lucky you mean the predators were inaccurate with their shooting, is that really luck? Or is he in their heads, making them aim high and wide because they know the center is a wall? or is it the coyotes defensive pressure makign them get their shots off more quickly than they might have liked (that's what Smith said post-game).

To a degree, yes. When a team is facing a talented goaltender like Mike Smith, there just aren't a whole lot of available openings to shoot the puck at. And where there isn't anywhere to shoot the puck, there is a tendency to be ever more precise in where you shoot the puck. This leads to a lot of missed shots in which the Predators had by the truckload. It's a negative feedback loop and it looks like the Preds are hopelessly stuck in it, destined to be washed down the drain like so many other teams. Smith definitely has them off their game and that's a good thing. But I don't think he is a monster. Pekka Rinne is a monster. He can steal a game or two and has had to make many more difficult saves than Smith has (he's also lost 3 games though). Mike Smith has had his moments of questionable plays and he wasn't forced to pay for them in Game 4 like he was in Game 3. I think it's clear the Coyotes are going to move on, the question is: Will The Monster still be a monster against the Kings scorching hot offense?

[sk8njam]

sweep sweep sweep

[scenicworld]

KINGS!!

[suprefan]

I wonder if I should shave today or not.

[sonnyboy11]

I wonder if I should shave today or not.

I can't imagine that baby face of yours with facial hair. Pics or it ain't happenin!

KINGS!!

YEA! Another defensive type game but I'll take it! Quick #1 star but I honestly felt like our best player today was Kopi. Anyway, now we gotta wait an eternity for the next round... but we're movin on!

[stinkbutt]

Do you not realize "waiting an eternity" can be a significant advantage?

[Footsteps86]

The bad news: Klesla is suspended for Game 5.

The good news per Phoenix Business Journal:

Bettman is slated to hold a press conference before the Phoenix Coyotes-Nashville Predators playoff game. He is expected to announce the Coyotes are no longer on the market and the league is finalizing a sale with Jamison.

[sonnyboy11]

Do you not realize "waiting an eternity" can be a significant advantage?

Not sure I agree. We're hot. We're healthy. Quick is on his game. The guys will love the rest, I'm sure. And hopefully the other teams beat each other to a Pulp. But I'd rather see us get going again asap without losing any momentum.

[scenicworld]

I can see it both ways. Both series so far have had a few two day breaks between games so the team should be fairly well rested, but Stanley Cup playoffs after a tough 82 game season will always take its toll. The team is absolutely clicking right now, and I do worry about spoiling some of the momentum, but Sutter doesn't seem to let them lose focus for more than a few minutes so I'm optimistic that they can keep whatever motivation they have.

I do kind of want the other teams to have a tough battle so the Kings can use that momentum to their advantage and start out strong like the last two series, but at the same time that can build momentum for the other team and give them more confidence.

either way, GO KINGS GO!

[scenicworld]

This video makes me smile.
(WARNING: Turn your speakers down!!)



You will never hear that building get that loud for a Lakers or Clippers game!!

@Dustinpenner25 Thanks for the support lakings fans! Might have to reinforce the roof for rd3.U guys nearly blew it off!#143#1700 #bothy'allgobacktoseaworld

‎@mayorNHL #LAKings Doughty says late in the game the fans were so loud - 'I had chills running down by body. So, when I gout the puck I fanned on it.'

‎@JonathanQuick32 Never heard a rink as loud as the #StaplesCenter for the final 2mins! Thank you LA King fans! #goosebumps

‎@RichHammond After Brown's empty-net goal, that might have been the loudest I've personally ever heard Staples. That includes three NBA Finals.

[brematale111]

Yeah, I'm really, really worried about the Kings right now. They are playing way too good. Anyone think Phoenix can take 'em down?

[scenicworld]

The Coyotes (Doan especially) have been the Kings' kryptonite, so I'll keep taking it one game at a time.

[sonnyboy11]

Unbelievable finish to the Caps/Rags game here. NY all the way back! LA/NY SC final anyone?

To answer the above question- yes, the yotes can take LA down. They have an excellent passing game and good forecheck. I still think we have a leg up with our goaltending and penalty kill. But let's see what happens in this late game here with Nash before we just assume it's the nix facing off with us.