Chuzwazza
Registered User
I don't think I've come across a day or two where I cared less about my own results and more about those around me! It didn't hurt that my game was basically inconsequential, but even so, this year has proven to have a lot of good finishes in store for us....and possibly the best yet to come
STORY 1: OTTAWA VS. WASHINGTON FOR HOME ICE THROUGHOUT.
With the Senators up by a point, but having only 1 game left (compared to Washington's 2) and a tough game against the Bruins on hand, things looked pretty good for the Caps. However, the Sens came out hard and shelled Marty Turco, putting 5 past him before he got dragged. Even Chris Osgood didn't escape the barrage, letting in a goal on just 2 shots. With Ottawa taking care of 1 part, the Flyers took care of the other, beating the Caps 4-1 and sealing the #1 seed throughout for the Sens. On a side note, the Bruins now have to wonder how Turco will recover from the shelling in their last game of the season, and must deal with the injury to center Jason Allison, who could miss the first couple of games in the opening round.
STORY 2: ISLANDERS VS FLYERS FOR HOME ICE IN 1ST ROUND
At first the Isles looked safe, while the Flyers were more worried about staying ahead of the Sabres, but after a poor stretch by the boys from Long Island, and a good run from the Flyers, things got awful close. The Islanders managed to lose back-to-back games against the Devils, leaving Philli to try to get 5 points in 3 games to take the lead, but losses to the Coyotes and the red hot Rangers means that Philli will start the playoffs on the road this season....wait for it...AT the Islanders. Talk about a painful loss! Did we mention they're without Aaron Ward for a week or two?
STORY 3: PITTSBURGH, ATLANTA & THE RANGERS FOR THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT
This was one of the more interesting battles down the stretch. The Pens and the Thrashers both unloaded vets at the deadline, and tried to steal that 8th spot in the east. Both teams struggled to get some composure down the stretch, and ended up leaving the door open for a charging Rangers squad. The Pens went 3-7 in their last 10, and the Thrashers went 4-5-1 while the Rangers reeled off their last 6 straight. After upsetting the Flyers to take a 1 point lead over the Pens, the Rangers sealed their post-season ticket with a 4-1 win over Florida. They will be without Aleksey Morozov for most, if not all of their post-season campaign, something which I'm sure Ranger fans are not looking forward to!
STORY 4: THE WINGS, JACKETS, DUCKS & SHARK LOVE SQUARE.
Here in the HFNHL, things are far more complicated than real life. We don't settle for a simple love triangle. No, we take it 1 step further. what was a 3 way battle for the 3, 4 and 5 spots suddenly became a 4 way battle when the Sharks came tearing through on a 7 game win streak. The Jackets lost to the Ducks, not only costing them home-ice advantage, but meaning that they will probably finish in 6th in the West. The Ducks now have an outside chance at moving ahead of the Wings. Anaheim plays the struggling Pens, while the Wings play the Western conference champ Blues, and the lowly Nashville Predators. San Jose could shake things up with a pair of Wins over the Avs, forcing Anaheim to beat pittsburgh to keep home ice advantage. Throw in a couple of long standing rivalries between arguably the 3 most influencial front offices in the league and it's all good...particularly given the 4 teams will play each other in the 1st round!
STORY 5: D-DAY, THE DAY OF DAYS
Buckle up your seat-belts folks!, this one is going to be a dandy! When it got down to the last 4 or 5 games of the season, and we saw that Edmonton and Calgary (who were locked in a fight for the 8th playoff spot out west) were playing each other 3 times (including the last game of the season for both teams) we wet our mouths in anticipation. Now, it's down to 1 game. The Oils need to win, but have to do it without their best offensive player...Ryan Smyth. The safe money is on the Flames, but these Oilers have a habit of overachieving. Just in case you needed more incentive for a game than the playoffs being on the line...did we mention that they're both from Alberta?
So, most of these have played out, but the best is almost certainly still to come. Stay tuned folks. this one should be one to remember!
Buffalo Bill,
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News
STORY 1: OTTAWA VS. WASHINGTON FOR HOME ICE THROUGHOUT.
With the Senators up by a point, but having only 1 game left (compared to Washington's 2) and a tough game against the Bruins on hand, things looked pretty good for the Caps. However, the Sens came out hard and shelled Marty Turco, putting 5 past him before he got dragged. Even Chris Osgood didn't escape the barrage, letting in a goal on just 2 shots. With Ottawa taking care of 1 part, the Flyers took care of the other, beating the Caps 4-1 and sealing the #1 seed throughout for the Sens. On a side note, the Bruins now have to wonder how Turco will recover from the shelling in their last game of the season, and must deal with the injury to center Jason Allison, who could miss the first couple of games in the opening round.
STORY 2: ISLANDERS VS FLYERS FOR HOME ICE IN 1ST ROUND
At first the Isles looked safe, while the Flyers were more worried about staying ahead of the Sabres, but after a poor stretch by the boys from Long Island, and a good run from the Flyers, things got awful close. The Islanders managed to lose back-to-back games against the Devils, leaving Philli to try to get 5 points in 3 games to take the lead, but losses to the Coyotes and the red hot Rangers means that Philli will start the playoffs on the road this season....wait for it...AT the Islanders. Talk about a painful loss! Did we mention they're without Aaron Ward for a week or two?
STORY 3: PITTSBURGH, ATLANTA & THE RANGERS FOR THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT
This was one of the more interesting battles down the stretch. The Pens and the Thrashers both unloaded vets at the deadline, and tried to steal that 8th spot in the east. Both teams struggled to get some composure down the stretch, and ended up leaving the door open for a charging Rangers squad. The Pens went 3-7 in their last 10, and the Thrashers went 4-5-1 while the Rangers reeled off their last 6 straight. After upsetting the Flyers to take a 1 point lead over the Pens, the Rangers sealed their post-season ticket with a 4-1 win over Florida. They will be without Aleksey Morozov for most, if not all of their post-season campaign, something which I'm sure Ranger fans are not looking forward to!
STORY 4: THE WINGS, JACKETS, DUCKS & SHARK LOVE SQUARE.
Here in the HFNHL, things are far more complicated than real life. We don't settle for a simple love triangle. No, we take it 1 step further. what was a 3 way battle for the 3, 4 and 5 spots suddenly became a 4 way battle when the Sharks came tearing through on a 7 game win streak. The Jackets lost to the Ducks, not only costing them home-ice advantage, but meaning that they will probably finish in 6th in the West. The Ducks now have an outside chance at moving ahead of the Wings. Anaheim plays the struggling Pens, while the Wings play the Western conference champ Blues, and the lowly Nashville Predators. San Jose could shake things up with a pair of Wins over the Avs, forcing Anaheim to beat pittsburgh to keep home ice advantage. Throw in a couple of long standing rivalries between arguably the 3 most influencial front offices in the league and it's all good...particularly given the 4 teams will play each other in the 1st round!
STORY 5: D-DAY, THE DAY OF DAYS
Buckle up your seat-belts folks!, this one is going to be a dandy! When it got down to the last 4 or 5 games of the season, and we saw that Edmonton and Calgary (who were locked in a fight for the 8th playoff spot out west) were playing each other 3 times (including the last game of the season for both teams) we wet our mouths in anticipation. Now, it's down to 1 game. The Oils need to win, but have to do it without their best offensive player...Ryan Smyth. The safe money is on the Flames, but these Oilers have a habit of overachieving. Just in case you needed more incentive for a game than the playoffs being on the line...did we mention that they're both from Alberta?
So, most of these have played out, but the best is almost certainly still to come. Stay tuned folks. this one should be one to remember!
Buffalo Bill,
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News