VM1138

The evolution he makes transitioning from a diatribe about royalty taking credit for things they don't do, into diving and then hitting into boards is phenomenal. The guy's logic is sound, clearly.

Go Bolts!

Don't they usually list the game time as starting a half hour than it actually does?

Bylsma. Based on regular season play, it's amazing the Pens did as well as they did without Malkin and Crosby. Trotz deserves one, but he didn't do anything he doesn't do every season, and Vigneault had all the firepower to work with.

I really don't understand why some people say the Sharks are better. They finished a point or two ahead of Detroit and Detroit was basically sleepwalking through the last half of the season, also plagued with injuries. So what if they have more high scoring forwards? Historically, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen are better than anyone they can bring come playoff time. Pavelski and Setoguchi are the most dangerous to the Wings, and Thornton always racks up some assists, but Marleau always disappears and Heatley is always hit or miss. Also, the Wings have more spread out scoring. Every single player on this team (except for maybe Kindl and Salei) can score on the Sharks, who have inferior goaltending to Howard. The Wings play a more disciplined game as well. I'm not going to get cocky and predict a blowout, but I'm sick of reading about how someone's brain tells them that the Sharks are the better team. I'd like to see evidence of this. Apparently no one considers that our top core hardly played this season compared to the Sharks top core of scorers. Franzen is the lone disappointment, but he's back to form in the playoffs and so that's irrelevant now.

Come on Wings, come out strong! Great goaltending, solid defense and an offense on the attack!

Didn't watch the game, but a 1-0 score in the 3rd is a good showing for Nashville. Not getting blown out by the "obviously superior" Canucks.

Awesome that Pittsburgh is out, but also awesome that Tampa advances to the second round. No way they make it out of second round but it looks good on Stevie's resume to have this sort of progress his first year there. I watched a few of their games and Tampa really doesn't look good. They're sloppy and some of them don't play very hard. I wonder what moves Yzerman makes in the off-season to make them stronger? Washington is going to massacre them.

Let's just hope reffing doesn't decide this one.

Not sure about Modano being put on the top line. We need hard working excellent skill players up there to counter San Jose. I fear Modano's habit for floating could hurt the team. Hudler might have been a better option for top line minutes. Hopefully Modano can keep up the momentum from Game 4.

Predators step up their game in the playoffs, Vancouver steps down. Luongo has a history of choking, Rinne, despite having a shaky first round, is at worst the same as Luongo right now and probably better. Plus, Nashville has the never say die mentality that wins series, Vancouver is notoriously weak mentally and easy to rattle. Predators in 7.

And honestly, with terrible reffing, a decimated team, and facing a more powerful San Jose team last season the Wings still almost beat them. The five game series is misleading. Detroit blew out San Jose in Game 4 and only lost the other games by one goal, with the game winner usually on an extended 5 on 3 penalty kill.

Let's hope this rematch goes as well as the Phoenix one did!

At this point I don't care. It'd be cool to see Vancouver lose, but honestly let's not pick our poison. Too many people are thinking Nashville will be a pushover. Either team will be hard for different reasons. So I'll just wait to see who we play and hope the Wings aren't too rusty.

But the nature of most dives is that there's only incidental contact and they go down like they were shot.

Tampa not looking too great so far. They're going to need to be patient and wait for Pittsburgh to make a mistake.

Exactly. Besides, didn't Holland already say he'd be offering one year contracts for Lidstrom as many years as he wants to play?

Just did a quick permutation of possibilities and it looks to me like Nashville is going to be our most likely opponent next round. The only way we don't is if LA beats San Jose (not going to happen) or Vancouver and San Jose both win their series (my money is on Chicago). And Nashville, I think, poses the greatest threat to the Wings. They have depth, good defense, and bad series or not Rinne can be scary. The Wings can beat any team in the playoffs, though. I just don't like all the motivation Nashville will have to unseat Detroit going into this series, and their general scrappiness.

Ah yes, the "screw you guys, I'm going home" routine.

This or the Pittsburgh-Tampa series. If either goes to seven games the second round won't start until Friday at the earliest.

The difference between Ken and Mick and other announcers like Pierre is that Ken and Mick, in their small talk, stick to hockey and don't make themselves sound like fools. Pierre and his buddies will talk about some cabin they own in the woods, long hard ones and whatnot, just rambling and saying absolutely bizarre things.

2-1 now. Surprised this isn't garnering more discussion here. I don't see Anaheim winning this game. Nashville will move on to the second and will be riding high and DANGEROUS.

So now we know the second round won't start until what, Thursday at the earliest?

You know, when those commercials first came on, I felt bad for making fun of him. But then I remembered he's a lawyer and has done way worse. He's earned the ridicule.

3 pts, 4 games in the playoffs, not too shabby.