Observations, Part XI

[sparkle twin]

On ch4, the sports guy said the western conf. final schedule is out.....

Sun/Tues in StL

Thu/SATURDAY in .....



Found the schedule

WESTERN CONFERENCE



St. Louis Blues (C2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)/Nashville Predators (WC1)

Sun 5/15, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Tue 5/17, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Thu 5/19, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Sat 5/21, 7:15pm: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

*Mon 5/23, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Wed 5/25, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Fri 5/27, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports


https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoffs-conference-finals-schedule/c-280638428

 

[sparkle twin]

Jimmy Fallon is doing superlatives for NHL right now...





People are fast with this stuff, found it on twitter already....

 

[drwpreds]

On ch4, the sports guy said the western conf. final schedule is out.....

Sun/Tues in StL

Thu/SATURDAY in .....



Found the schedule

WESTERN CONFERENCE



St. Louis Blues (C2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)/Nashville Predators (WC1)

Sun 5/15, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Tue 5/17, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Thu 5/19, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Sat 5/21, 7:15pm: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

*Mon 5/23, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Wed 5/25, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Fri 5/27, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports


https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoffs-conference-finals-schedule/c-280638428

Lord, that schedule is a beautiful sight, especially for us out of town fans. A 6:15 Saturday night game in Smashville?? Yes, please.

Come on Preds, make it happen- give us some more home games....

 

[Wine Cups]

If we wind up facing the Blues and the series starts on Saturday, that looks like a prime opportunity for a road trip. Even from Birmingham I may have to do it.

We need to get some gold in that building........

Roadtrip!!!

 

[Pred303]

Gameday. For a chance to go to the Conference Finals. It's about frigging time. Don't let the frigging sharks stop us.

 

[token grinder]

yep there would be riots.

or negative TV ratings.

no matter. Just score 1 more than the other team tonight.




Please.

 

[Pred303]

A moment to sit back and reflect on this big game. Since Forsberg was 3 years old, many of us have waited for this game and this opportunity. 18 years. tens and tens of thousands of dollars. thousands and thousands of hours. thousands of posts. uncountable hours of analyzing and fretting.

no way of knowing what happens tonight. after all it's hockey. the slightest freak bounce might be the difference between winning and losing. we don't know how the pressure will effect either team. will the extra day off have given our young team the time to contemplate the importance of this single game and make us play scared? will it make the older sharks more nervous and grip their sticks too tightly?

we simply can't know.

what I do know is we can't win playing timid and not to lose. we have to come out playing aggressive, frantic hockey. we need to play from ahead and put more pressure on them. we need an all out, give it everything every shift, full throttle game. we need a hero. or two or three. If we win, I expect the winning goal to once again come from an unlikely type guy. don't care who.

I go into tonight nervous but as confident as I can possibly be given the circumstances. us having already going thru a game seven this year should be a slight advantage. we have a chance, it might be a puncher's chance here on the road, but that's all one can ask for.

Win or lose, I couldn't be prouder of this team and what they have done these playoffs.

 

[drwpreds]

A moment to sit back and reflect on this big game. Since Forsberg was 3 years old, many of us have waited for this game and this opportunity. 18 years. tens and tens of thousands of dollars. thousands and thousands of hours. thousands of posts. uncountable hours of analyzing and fretting.

no way of knowing what happens tonight. after all it's hockey. the slightest freak bounce might be the difference between winning and losing. we don't know how the pressure will effect either team. will the extra day off have given our young team the time to contemplate the importance of this single game and make us play scared? will it make the older sharks more nervous and grip their sticks too tightly?

we simply can't know.

what I do know is we can't win playing timid and not to lose. we have to come out playing aggressive, frantic hockey. we need to play from ahead and put more pressure on them. we need an all out, give it everything every shift, full throttle game. we need a hero. or two or three. If we win, I expect the winning goal to once again come from an unlikely type guy. don't care who.

I go into tonight nervous but as confident as I can possibly be given the circumstances. us having already going thru a game seven this year should be a slight advantage. we have a chance, it might be a puncher's chance here on the road, but that's all one can ask for.

Win or lose, I couldn't be prouder of this team and what they have done these playoffs.

Absolutely- and I was thinking about this this morning- we have already been lucky enough to witness at least 4 unbelievable things/moments that will all go down in Preds history- things we will be talking about 25 years from now:

Game 6 win at home vs Anaheim to stay alive

Winning Game 7 on the road to advance

The 3 OT win to avoid going down 3-1

Finally, the OT win to send this to a Game 7.

All incredible moments. Any team would be lucky to experience just one of those in a given year.

But despite all of those incredible games, all of which will go down in history- a win tonight- a Game 7 victory on the road to put us in the Western Confrence finals for the first time ever??? That will surpass all of those other moments.

It has been an unbelievable run........

 

[Pred303]

I find the way I cope with such hockey stress is mentally I have huge hopes but low expectations.... well that and a couple pre-game martinis.

 

[nomorekids]

I wish I could just sleep through this game. The anxiety is unbelievable.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

Where is everyone going to watch?

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Where is everyone going to watch?

Da House where booze and food are good but cheap.

 

[jntarheels]

On ch4, the sports guy said the western conf. final schedule is out.....

Sun/Tues in StL

Thu/SATURDAY in .....



Found the schedule

WESTERN CONFERENCE



St. Louis Blues (C2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)/Nashville Predators (WC1)

Sun 5/15, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Tue 5/17, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Thu 5/19, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Sat 5/21, 7:15pm: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

*Mon 5/23, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Wed 5/25, TBD: STL @ SJS/NSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Fri 5/27, 8pm: SJS/NSH @ STL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports


https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoffs-conference-finals-schedule/c-280638428

Should be noted: "All times ET, subject to change"

 

[Drake744]

Where is everyone going to watch?

My friend's apartment (where we watched the last game 7), or if his roommate decides to be annoying, Buffalo Wild Wings probably.

 

[drwpreds]

I wish I could just sleep through this game. The anxiety is unbelievable.

Yep- I will be a complete wreck watching this game- I know it's stupid but the stress is almost unbearable for me in a game like this- I can handle it much better in person than on tv. There is a part of me that wants to go see a movie during the game- come home, check the score, and then enjoy watching it knowing we won.

But I know there's no way I will be able to do it

 

[Drake744]

How do fans even deal with playing in the Cup Final?

 

[PredsV82]

How do fans even deal with playing in the Cup Final?

see, that would be easier than tonight, at least I think so.

tonight is when we can take a step we have had chances to take before but have failed.

I will be crushingly disappointed if we lose tonight (though not angry)

If we win tonight, everything else this season is gravy. I'll be nervous of course but making the WCF would mean we will be playing with house money as far as Im concerned

 

[drwpreds]

How do fans even deal with playing in the Cup Final?

I have thought about this a lot- it’s a very interesting question.

For me, and I may be in the vast minority, but I don’t think it is possible for me to be any more nervous in a Cup final game than I am in other big games in earlier rounds.

For example, Game 7 against Anaheim- that is just a first round series, but after the Ducks scored to make it 2-1 early in the third period, for the rest of that period it would be impossible for me to be any more nervous than I was for the last 17 minutes of that game. Same goes for tonight and even the game 6 OT winner.

I know on the surface that sounds completely stupid- the Cup final is obviously more important.

But I have thought about this a lot and I think part of it has to do with what we would have already accomplished. If we lose that Game 7 against Anaheim that means we blew a 2-0 series lead and didn’t even get out of the first round.

But if we lose game 7 of the Cup finals, it means we won 3 series, knocked off the Ducks, Sharks and Blues- and took the Penguins to 7 games. Even though it would hurt bad to be that close to winning the Cup, that is still an unbelievable run that we would all look back on with positive thoughts. Also, in a Cup final loss, our season is over regardless of the result. Losing in other rounds means we are prevented from seeing us play another round. (Like tonight- if we lose tonight we are prevented from playing on and having at least 2 more home games).

So I could get over that a lot better than not even getting out of the first round.

Am I crazy here??????????

 

[PredsV82]

I have thought about this a lot- it’s a very interesting question.

For me, and I may be in the vast minority, but I don’t think it is possible for me to be any more nervous in a Cup final game than I am in other big games in earlier rounds.

For example, Game 7 against Anaheim- that is just a first round series, but after the Ducks scored to make it 2-1 early in the third period, for the rest of that period it would be impossible for me to be any more nervous than I was for the last 17 minutes of that game. Same goes for tonight and even the game 6 OT winner.

I know on the surface that sounds completely stupid- the Cup final is obviously more important.

But I have thought about this a lot and I think part of it has to do with what we would have already accomplished. If we lose that Game 7 against Anaheim that means we blew a 2-0 series lead and didn’t even get out of the first round.

But if we lose game 7 of the Cup finals, it means we won 3 series, knocked off the Ducks, Sharks and Blues- and took the Penguins to 7 games. Even though it would hurt bad to be that close to winning the Cup, that is still an unbelievable run that we would all look back on with positive thoughts. Also, in a Cup final loss, our season is over regardless of the result. Losing in other rounds means we are prevented from seeing us play another round. (Like tonight- if we lose tonight we are prevented from playing on and having at least 2 more home games).

So I could get over that a lot better than not even getting out of the first round.

Am I crazy here??????????

see above... that's exactly my line of thinking

 

[hockey diva]

I am supposed to go see CA Civil War tonight, at 8 pm. Not sure if I should go or stay home and watch the game...

 

[worstfaceoffmanever]

I am supposed to go see CA Civil War tonight, at 8 pm. Not sure if I should go or stay home and watch the game...

The movie will still be new to you if you watch it tomorrow; the game won't.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

I hate this waiting. It feels like an extended PK that will never end.

Let's just get this **** over with.

 

[Legionnaire11]

How do fans even deal with playing in the Cup Final?

I kind of touched on this a few days ago. I've done it twice, in '97 with the Flyers and last year '15 with the Lightning...

By the time the Cup Finals roll around you barely remember the 2nd round. The Cup Finals will end about a month from now, it's a huge stretch of emotion to deal with in that time.

Now, there are some different emotions at that point. You are halfway in the "well, this is more than one could realistically hope for, so it's just nice to make it this far" and then there's also "we made it this far, we may never make it this far again, we need to get it done".

The Flyers loss was tougher because the Wings dominated that series so much, by game 4 I was just resigned to be entertained with how well Mike Vernon was playing because I knew the Flyers had no shot. I was younger then and the Flyers were the only team I had known, I was still young enough to idolize players as hockey gods, and it was still before so much access (internet) to teams, players and fans around the league, so it was really so much of thinking that Lindros, Leclair, Desjardins, etc were the greatest players on the face of the earth, that the Flyers were the team everyone wanted to play for. I was still able to legitimately hate other teams, players and fans because I was just too young to realize the gray areas, the business side, the family side... so watching them march to the finals and fail so hard, that was crushing.

Last season I was living in Tampa and didn't have a lot of access to the Preds, I watched every game for the Bolts and attended a handful (not a bad experience, but not nearly as great as a Preds game at Bridgestone!). I became pretty invested in the team and players, the run to the finals was very unexpected, each round was more intense than the last and this one ended with more of a feeling of glad to be there, enjoyed the experience kind of thing. The difference between 14 and 34 I guess lol


anyhow, yeah, if you think the emotions are crazy right now, they just amplify in the next round and then the next... it's a strange feeling when the playoffs finally end and you're not riding that roller coaster any more. But at least it makes for a short off-season. I can only image what it will feel like to see the Preds do it, a team that i've been with since before they had a name and witnessed every bit of history, every high and low, every first, most of it in person... it will be nearly indescribable!

 

[CMDEADLY]

Mularkey wearing a Preds hat on espn for his interview on NFL insider. Glad to see he's representing! Go Preds!

 

[jwhouk]

And as the old saying goes, "You know you're playing in an important game when there is no 'out of town scoreboard'."