clayjoh 3 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 After watching last nites game it's obvious the two best teams in the west were on display and in all l ikelihood it will come down to them in the western final barring massive upsets or season ending injuries But who else do you guys think are Good teams in the west apart from their current records Who could make life miserable for the Wings or Sharks in early playoff rounds I'm not convinced Chicago is anywhere near elite team status in spite of their record I see the Flames Ducks and Coyotes as having the size and style to be tough teams to get by in the playoffs The rest of the west looks too small or too unskilled to be real threats to me Chime in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShanahanMan 473 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Any team can surprise you. I mean, people were wondering who the Wings were gonna face in the Stanley Cup finals in 03 and 06 and yet out of nowhere, we lose in the first round. I think any team is capable, honestly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ms_Hockey 0 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I think if Calgary keeps going on their uphill stride, they might surprise us all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOwl 77 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 It'll take a major blunder for San Jose or Detroit not to make it to the finals. Vancouver is really weak, same with Anaheim. The only other "threats" could be Calgary or Chicago. It's impossible to predict the match-ups though, since everything is so tight in the West. The East isn't wide open at all, it's basically Florida, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Buffalo fighting for the last two spots, the top 6 is basically set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Vancouver has given us trouble this year. They've got speed, several lines that can score, and the best goalie in the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wingsallwin 0 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I don't see the Canucks would go that far. Yes we had a trouble against the Canucks this season but it is hard to say now we are or not. Because when we played against the Canucks, we were in pretty bad on both defenses, and goalies. Canucks seems to rely on Luongo too much. That's what my freinds excuse on. "We did not have Roberto, that why we lose". Always same way, which makes Canucks look worse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfanatic4alltime 32 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 The thing i love about the NHL playoffs is that upsets happen quite frequently (hopefully not to our beloved Red Wings) all it takes is a hot goalie as us wings fans have sadly seen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueMonk 102 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I wouldn't be shocked, but I'd be surprised if Detroit and San Jose meet in the playoffs. There are no sure things in the NHL. The top two seeds meeting in the conference finals... how often does that happen? The Wings will be vulnerable in the first round. They are every year. The Sharks would struggle to beat Calgary or even Anaheim in a series. It's all about matchups. The league is not geared towards the best teams in the regular season going the distance and meeting in the late playoff rounds. It's romantic to think that, but it's not realistic. Granted, these seem like the two best teams in the west right now, but I'm not convinced we'll see things the same way in 3 months. The Sharks have played out of their minds but without facing some adversity along the way, they could easily crumple if they get down in a series. The Wings have question marks of their own with the defensive breakdowns and unreliable goaltending. I hate to be the party pooper, but this talk is extremely premature. I hope the Wings and Sharks do meet in the WCF; that would be a series for the ages. But don't count on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOwl 77 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Vancouver has given us trouble this year. They've got speed, several lines that can score, and the best goalie in the world. I don't see why Luongo is always referred to as the best goalie in the world. The Canucks suck, and have always sucked. Florida sucks, and have always sucked. He's never won a Vezina or been that close, or lead the lead in SV% or GAA. He's accomplished fairly little to be called the best goalie in the world. He's been in the playoffs once? Sure he's been on mediocre teams, but look at Mason, or Thomas, Kipper, Backstrom, etc etc etc. I don't know, I'm pretty sure the best goalie in the world would be enough to take a mediocre team into the play-offs every year. He's good, can be good, but everyone says he's the best, and I have no idea in the world stats wise, or simply performance wise, why. I live in Vancouver and don't understand the hype. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elriqo28 2 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I am actually worried about Chicago. I know we have beaten them all 4 times thus far, but they seem like a team that is only getting better. I have a feeling they will be fighting for division titles with the Wings for a few years to come. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernWingsFan 854 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 After watching last nites game it's obvious the two best teams in the west were on display and in all l ikelihood it will come down to them in the western final barring massive upsets or season ending injuries But who else do you guys think are Good teams in the west apart from their current records Who could make life miserable for the Wings or Sharks in early playoff rounds I'm not convinced Chicago is anywhere near elite team status in spite of their record I see the Flames Ducks and Coyotes as having the size and style to be tough teams to get by in the playoffs The rest of the west looks too small or too unskilled to be real threats to me Chime in! If we are looking at it just from a standings perspective right now with where the Wings currently are, then San Jose. However, no 7-game series in the playoffs is an absolute slam dunk for the higher seed or "favorite", I don't care if you are seeded 1st or 8th or 100th. 2005-06 (?) should serve evidence of that as all the lower seeds in the Western Conference beat the higher seeds in the 1st round, and Wings fans have definitely witnessed their fair share of top-seeded early round exits over the current decade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RusDRW 155 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Tough opponents: Vancouver, Anaheim So-so: Red Wings Bubbles: Calgary, San Jose the rest are just garbage, especially, in play-offs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I don't see them winning anything or even getting to the 2nd round, for that matter, but if the BJs squeeze into the playoffs and Mason is still hot, they'll probably give the high seed team they face a bit of a hassle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lets go pavel 2 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Tough opponents: Vancouver, Anaheim So-so: Red Wings Bubbles: Calgary, San Jose the rest are just garbage, especially, in play-offs. I'm pretty sure we'd win that matchup! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I don't see why Luongo is always referred to as the best goalie in the world. The Canucks suck, and have always sucked. Florida sucks, and have always sucked. He's never won a Vezina or been that close, or lead the lead in SV% or GAA. He's accomplished fairly little to be called the best goalie in the world. He's been in the playoffs once? Sure he's been on mediocre teams, but look at Mason, or Thomas, Kipper, Backstrom, etc etc etc. I don't know, I'm pretty sure the best goalie in the world would be enough to take a mediocre team into the play-offs every year. He's good, can be good, but everyone says he's the best, and I have no idea in the world stats wise, or simply performance wise, why. I live in Vancouver and don't understand the hype. Luongo was robbed of the Vezina trophy 2 years ago. He's absolutely one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best goalie like I think he is. No other goalie in the league could have taken that s***ty Florida team to the playoffs either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Luongo was robbed of the Vezina trophy 2 years ago. He's absolutely one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best goalie like I think he is. No other goalie in the league could have taken that s***ty Florida team to the playoffs either. Out of active NHL goaltenders, a prime Osgood or Brodeur. That's pretty good company to keep, imo. He was robbed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 Out of active NHL goaltenders, a prime Osgood or Brodeur. That's pretty good company to keep, imo. He was robbed. A prime Osgood? When did he single-handedly take a s***ty team to the playoffs? Come off the Ozzie homerism here. Ozzie was never in the same league as Luongo at any point in his career. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ms_Hockey 0 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 A prime Osgood? When did he single-handedly take a s***ty team to the playoffs? Come off the Ozzie homerism here. Ozzie was never in the same league as Luongo at any point in his career. I don't know about you, but Ozzie taking the Isles to the playoffs was pretty damn impressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted January 19, 2009 I don't know about you, but Ozzie taking the Isles to the playoffs was pretty damn impressive. That Isles team was better than the teams Luongo played for in Florida. Besides, they canned him after only a few seasons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
