NHL Playoffs

[Illiniwek]

Capitals in 7
Rangers in 6
Panthers in 5
Red Wings in 7
Stars in 5
Blackhawks in 7
Ducks in 4
Kings in 7

Rangers in 7
Red Wings in 6
Blackhawks in 6
Ducks in 5

Rangers in 6
Blackhawks in 7

Blackhawks in 5



It's going to be a tough road ahead for the Blackhawks to repeat; a lot of guys will need to step it up on defense. But the clutch leadership of Toews and unstoppable play from Kane and Panarin will inspire this team to defy the odds and win this Cup once again.

[Illiniwek]

Wake me up when its the Finals  :/

I don't disagree.  Best of 5 until the finals are plenty.  Too long of a post-season.

No way, NHL has the best playoffs. This is going to be a fun couple of months.

[Illiniwek]

Hah if henrik is out now for the Rangers, I now concede they will not make it out of the first round.

[Illiniwek]

It's going to be a tough road ahead for the Blackhawks to repeat; a lot of guys will need to step it up on defense. But the clutch leadership of Toews and unstoppable play from Kane and Panarin will inspire this team to defy the odds and win this Cup once again.

Even with the refs in your pocket you still managed to lose both (and hopefully only) 2 home games.  Great job!

1. Refs not in pocket. Its been a fair series.
2. The Hawks have been uncharacteristically unhinged and reckless. They are getting bogged down and are playing down at the Blues' level (not inferiority, but less polished play).
3. If you take away Kane's inadvertent high stick, Hawks should have won game 3. And then Shaw's penalty was just monumental idiocy. I don't even care about the slur, there is nothing stupider than taking that cheap shot. He is making it quite a bit easier to watch him probably leave this summer.

[Illiniwek]

Go Wings!!!

How do you guys like playing in the East?  Do you miss your rivalries with the old Norris Division?

I really miss having the Wings in the division. It was the best rivalry in the NHL, and think there is no doubt that the rivalry is just dead now. It just couldn't be sustained by playing only twice a year. If the Hawks and Wings ever play in the Stanley Cup Final, that would be an incredibly intense and fun 4-7 games of hockey. But the statistical unlikelihood of that happening, meaning no Hawks-Wings playoff series, just kills the rivalry. With my Michigan roots and chances of moving there, I may even come to root for the Wings as a secondary team. Best of luck to the Wings, lets both complete huge comebacks and play each other in June!

[Illiniwek]

Shaw has always been a bit of hot head.  Yeah, it's good to have a "get under the skin of the other team" kind of guy on your hockey team, but not when he's taking stupid penalties and diving.

Yeah with Byfuglien's exit years ago and Bickell's demise, the Hawks have really had no enforcer to protect his teammates and intimidate opponents. All they have had is Shaw's annoying, get under your skin annoyingness that, at the right level, can be effective. But when the veteran leadership fades to the background, like it has in this series, Shaw's behavior really becomes a liability, and is hard to defend.

There are a lot of parallels with this series and the 2013 series against the Wings. This team should have it in them to be able to come back and win, but going into tonight I certainly don't feel good with what I have seen in the first 4 games.

[Illiniwek]

West is going to be crazy. I can't believe no Chicago LA or Anaheim is going any further. I'll be rooting for the Sharks out of the west and maybe the islanders out of the east? Tampa isn't bad either.

[Illiniwek]

Some damn good Hockey this round already.

Amen.