YoungGuns1340

Ovechkin - Datsyuk - Carter Nash - Malkin - Parise Zetterberg - Richards - Doan Hartnell - Getzlaf - Holmstrom Sharp Chara - Lidstrom Green - Keith Wideman - Weber Souray Brodeur Luongo

Either team is going to be tough, so I'm picking the team down the street. No need to travel 4 hours by plane when you can get to the rink in less than 4 hours by car.

Thank god for the state of Minnesota. I don't care what anyone says about Lemaire - his system is boring and overdone. Same thing for 9 years. Thank god thats over. Maybe we'll have some more interesting games against Minnesota now.

As that while they're letting themselves get mowed over in the corners at every other turn? Sounds like a good way to avoid injury.

Mike Milbury's got the answer. Throw pucks at the net, and your team will beat the Red Wings. Newsflash, Mike: The Wings have had bad goaltending all year. The opposition has thrown all kinds of pucks at the net this year. And we still have 50 wins.

I can understand not being especially motivated, but does that mean you have to get your can knocked all over the ice? And give the puck away? And make sloppy passes?

I wish there was a clause in my contract that said I could perform my job at 50% for the last month of the year. That'd be nice.

God what a bunch of sad sacks.

Our shooting and timing has been utter crap lately. I really hope that changes. We aren't going to score the 3 goals we need with these kinds of shots and offensive efforts.

God I'm ******* sick of this regular season bulls***. What have we had, 2 good games in the past month?

I love how Seabrook assaulting Datsyuk was "battling" in the corner to Doc, yet Kronwall or whoever doing the same to Kane was "working him over". Those cross-checks to Datsyuk were about 8 times worse than what Detroit suffered a penalty shot against for.

I'm just hoping this a repeat of 2002 where we stumbled into the playoffs but had a happy ending. But yeah. We're boring, and we suck lately.

Tuomo Ruutu 08-09: 26G, 28A, 54pts. Career high. It was a great trade for both teams. And both teams will tell you that.

I'm really on the fence about having all these long contracts to players at or approaching 30 years, but on the other hand, we'd lose nothing in signing Hossa, and we'd gain a lot by trading Hudler AND Filppula, because thats probably whats going to have to happen.

All players get NTCs because they like where they're playing and don't want to move. But that doesn't mean players won't oblige to be traded by a team that no longer wants them. Its happened on a handful of occasions already in the last few years. Most guys don't want to stick around on a team thats asking them to pack their bags. NTCs have become a means of having more control over where you get traded, if you're forced to move. How many "X GM has asked X player to compile a list of X amount of players he would accept a trade to" newscasts have we heard in the past few years? Plenty.

Phoenix had keeping Anaheim out of the 6th spot to play for. Down and out teams - especially division rivals - love to play spoiler. Add that to the fact that Gretzky needed to finish the year strong, and a couple of wins against playoff teams bodes well for his off-season fate. I'd also bet that the Blues would rather play Anaheim than San Jose. Theres still a lot for the Blues to fight for tomorrow. Doesn't guarantee a win, but we'l see.

The Jackets or Ducks are going to be tough customers regardless, so we might as well take the one that requires next to ZERO travel. This could be just what the doctor ordered to kick off a long playoff run.

1. Points 2. Wins 3. Season Series (Blues win this)

Yup. The Blues have to WIN (i.e. get TWO points) in order for us to face the jackets. If anything happens BUT them getting two points, we face Anaheim.

We won't play the Blues, no matter what happens tomorrow. Its down to Anaheim or CBJ.

Blues win ---> Wings vs. Jackets. Blues hold the tie-breaker between the Jackets, which is winning the season series.

Um, if the Blues win tomorrow, they'll take 6th spot overall. They'll have 92 points (same as CBJ), 41 wins (same as CBJ), and they'll have the tie breaker (they beat CBJ 4 or 5 times in the season series this year. Anaheim ends the season with 91 points. So rest assured, if the Blues win tomorrow, we won't even have to step out of the Great Lakes Region in the first round. No time change either.

Ahh, never mind. If the Blues win tomorrow, they'll get sixth. They won the season series against Columbus. Its ******* nuts that the Blues can end up in the 6th spot, and Anaheim in the 8th.

Ok, well, if the Blues can get the win tomorrow, then we're facing either the Jackets or the Blues. Whats the tie-breaker after wins. Goals for, or goal differential? Anyways, GO BLUES.

f*** that s***. How the hell can you not put that away, Anaheim?