# NHL: The Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 8, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187 "2012-04-08T17:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/401 "2012-05-16T10:14:24Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Really, why the hate? Because of the look on his face when he watches the call on the Jumbtron? That’s ridiculous. You don’t know what he’s thinking. I’ll bet that oftentimes it’s how he’s going to chew out the player in the locker room, in the film room or at practice. The guy doesn’t go over the top. He doesn’t act like a prick to the press or anybody else. > > As sports personalities go, he is one of the classy guys. > > He’s got the team winning, they play like a team, as hockey goes they play clean, there’s no indication that he plays favorites and they work hard. What’s a coach suppose to do? > > Last night the refs totally blew the hand-pass non-call. I don’t know how. When they called Kreider it was a make-up call and the look on Tortorella’s face said exactly that. > > It turns out Kreiders goal was not that important. You have to score at least one goal to win a game. The Devils didn’t do that. Doesn’t matter if he’s looking like that at the refs or one of his players if that is the case. He still looks like a douche and every time I see that face, I want to slap the smug off it. I don’t have to explain why I hate his smirk and I certainly don’t feel like debating what is admittedly a knee jerk reaction on my part. You should probably lighten up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/402 "2012-05-16T12:36:05Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > This just isn’t going to be a very fun final four. None of the remaining teams are dynamic offensively; New Jersey and New York aren’t bad but they’re not great, and Phoenix is bad and Los Angeles was the second-lowest-scoring team in the entire league. None seem, well, INTERESTING, and there’s no dynamic rivalry, no really interesting players or personal narratives. In the case of Phoenix you have a team on league life support that doesn’t even really have a certain permanent home; it’s a team without any sort of meaningful identity. Welcome to the Brave New World of Parity in the NHL. It’s pretty obvious to me that the level of play in these playoffs is rather mediocre. When was the last truly great team which won the Cup? Wings in '08? [115 regular season points] ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/403 "2012-05-16T14:28:17Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Doesn’t matter if he’s looking like that at the refs or one of his players if that is the case. He still looks like a douche and every time I see that face, I want to slap the smug off it. I don’t have to explain why I hate his smirk and I certainly don’t feel like debating what is admittedly a knee jerk reaction on my part. > > You should probably lighten up. I know what you are saying. I’m just saying that in the world of sports there should be a long list of characters that are more deserving of your venom. 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/404 "2012-05-16T14:41:29Z")
I like Torts, but to call the guy classy, upstanding, never over-the-top or anything else like that is a bald-faced lie. The man is crude, he’s rude, he’s dramatic and dismissive of others and he often reacts emotionally when rationality would be better for himself and his team. I think he’s entertaining and a good coach, and he does a good job keeping the attention on himself rather than the team, but he isn’t one of the classiest men in the NHL, or even on the Rangers bench. That just isn’t what that word means. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/405 "2012-05-16T18:20:27Z")
10 down, 6 to go. 😛 > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I just wanted to link to this story: [Staples Center to host 6 playoff games in 4 days](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/basketball/nba/05/15/staples.center.playoffs.ap/index.html?sct=nhl_t2_a4). > > Any guesses as to how the ice is going to be? Thursday night should be good since it’s the first of the 6, and then on the Sunday, Noon PDT game should be ok, since they will have all night to repair/prep the ice after the Saturday night Laker game. The Clippers and Lakers will have concerns about their games if the Kings and Coyotes go into double OT or later though. But overall, the ice will be good for Thursday and just “ok” for Sunday at worst. > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Welcome to the Brave New World of Parity in the NHL. It’s pretty obvious to me that the level of play in these playoffs is rather mediocre. When was the last truly great team which won the Cup? Wings in '08? [115 regular season points] Parity? More like changing of the guard. I see that you don’t stay up late enough to watch the Kings. Since Darryl Sutter took over, this team has been converted from mediocre to world beaters. Take a nap, and stay up late enough to watch the whole game on Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/406 "2012-05-16T18:58:10Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Welcome to the Brave New World of Parity in the NHL. It’s pretty obvious to me that the level of play in these playoffs is rather mediocre. When was the last truly great team which won the Cup? Wings in '08? [115 regular season points] I thought Boston last year was as good a team, top to bottom, as I’ve seen in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/407 "2012-05-16T20:11:30Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > 10 down, 6 to go. 😛 > > Thursday night should be good since it’s the first of the 6, and then on the Sunday, Noon PDT game should be ok, since they will have all night to repair/prep the ice after the Saturday night Laker game. The Clippers and Lakers will have concerns about their games if the Kings and Coyotes go into double OT or later though. But overall, the ice will be good for Thursday and just “ok” for Sunday at worst. Although I know ice-making equipment and air conditioning is pretty damn good I seem to recall that in some of the hotter environments (PHX, Tampa, Dallas, etc) this tends to result in brittle ice… or, at least, ice that is more brittle than in, say, Edmonton. I think ice formed in dry environments tends to be more brittle than in moist ones (you’d think I’d know this, what with a degree in biochemistry!). I’m not even sure if this is true, though… does anyone know much about ice making? Having several basketball games played over top could result in a lot of ice fractures and issues; let’s hope there’s enough time to fix them. It probably helps that both teams are southern-climate teams, so they are probably used to those types of ice conditions and most US teams are used to playing in arenas that share sports, etc. I’m just idly wondering whether therre really is a measurable effect: if players who play up north most of the time notice consistent differences in the quality of the ice they skate on. I know Edmonton and I think Montreal were listed in a player poll a little while ago about “best ice” but I don’t know if there were any reasons given. > [@RickJay](#): > > I thought Boston last year was as good a team, top to bottom, as I’ve seen in a long time. And lucky. [Insert conspiracy theories here] [/bitter Habs fan] I know success is built on the backs of others, but did they really have to break two of them? :dubious:🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/408 "2012-05-16T21:13:39Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > I know what you are saying. I’m just saying that in the world of sports there should be a long list of characters that are more deserving of your venom. 'Nuff said. Don’t worry. I probably hate them too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/409 "2012-05-16T21:54:14Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Welcome to the Brave New World of Parity in the NHL. It’s pretty obvious to me that the level of play in these playoffs is rather mediocre. When was the last truly great team which won the Cup? Wings in '08? [115 regular season points] My thought is it is the Goalies. It has always been that a hot goalie could take a team through 8 12 or 16 games to a higher level than they played to through the season. It was one of the more exciting phenomena in Hockey. But now it seems like every year you can count on a 6-7 or 8 seed goalie or two or three getting hot and winning series they aren’t supposed to. It’s not like the goalies are getting tons of shutouts in the playoffs, But they are consistently up their play enough to just get the difference in a series. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/410 "2012-05-16T22:25:12Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > My thought is it is the Goalies. It has always been that a hot goalie could take a team through 8 12 or 16 games to a higher level than they played to through the season. It was one of the more exciting phenomena in Hockey. But now it seems like every year you can count on a 6-7 or 8 seed goalie or two or three getting hot and winning series they aren’t supposed to. It’s not like the goalies are getting tons of shutouts in the playoffs, But they are consistently up their play enough to just get the difference in a series. I’m with you on that. A goalie that gets hot at playoff time can carry a team. Lundqvist has gotten the Rangers off the hook of some horrible defensive mistakes. The glove save that Brodeur made last night was for the season highlight reel. Some of the lesser known goalies have really risen up and made it tough on guys that are used to scoring. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/411 "2012-05-18T04:36:32Z")
Uhmmm, go KINGS? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/412 "2012-05-18T05:11:51Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > Uhmmm, go KINGS? 😃 They don’t even need the encouragement. 11-1 now. Wow. During the regular season LA lost more games than they won (40-42) and how they’re ten games over even in just twelve playoff games. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/413 "2012-05-18T05:20:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > They don’t even need the encouragement. 11-1 now. Wow. > > During the regular season LA lost more games than they won (40-42) and how they’re ten games over even in just twelve playoff games. Amazing. And they’ve done it against the #1, #2, and #3 seeds. Crazy. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/414 "2012-05-18T05:24:16Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > And they’ve done it against the #1, #2, and #3 seeds. Crazy. Beating the #1 and #2 seeds, in the modern playoff format, is already an unprecedented achievement. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/415 "2012-05-18T05:38:03Z")
Double post. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/416 "2012-05-18T05:41:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Beating the #1 and #2 seeds, in the modern playoff format, is already an unprecedented achievement. True, but the level of domination is unusual, plus the contrast with the regular season record is pretty special. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/417 "2012-05-18T16:01:13Z")
And did you see that tackle on Doan by Doughty? Beautiful form! ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/418 "2012-05-18T19:49:13Z")
11 down, 5 to go. ;):p:D Nice clean, open ice tackle…maybe Drew Bo Doughty will tryout for the NFL…at least it wasn’t a dirty hit. And Kopitar just slipping that puck in under Smith reminds me of [this scene.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1I4P3umnzk) Listening to XM92 (NHL Radio on Sirius), there has been discussion of previous playoff teams who have gone 3-0 in the first three series and have lost in the Cup Finals, as well as 11-1 teams losing in the Finals. I forgot which teams and what years, but it has happened before. Hopefully the Kings will break that mold. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/419 "2012-05-18T20:39:40Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > Nice clean, open ice tackle…maybe Drew Bo Doughty will tryout for the NFL…at least it wasn’t a dirty hit. Or “[Brad Doty,](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/fox-news-gives-los-angeles-kings-worst-highlight-194517437.html)” if you will. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187/420 "2012-05-18T21:08:48Z")
Jeez…if that newschick would have shown up 15 seconds earlier to work that day, she would have been announcing their names perfectly, like any other knowledgeable celebrity fan…like the hottie Melyssa Silano… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/618187.md?page=22)