Thursday, April 09, 2009

Hockey season closes: Time to renew the hate

Oh you remember the delicious Conference finals of last season, don't you? Yes you do. If you're a Pens fan you're nodding hard enough to give yourself whiplash and if you're a Phlyers fan you're clicking the back button enough times to lock up Internet Explorer and cursing yourself for clicking on that link to The Nittany Line. It doesn't matter which side of the state you root for it was a great time last season, nothing is better (or worse) than a Pens/Flyers playoff series. Well fear not oh loyal Pennsylvanian supporter, we may not have to wait this season for the fun. Here are the current standings.

Carolina is firmly in fifth place two points ahead of Pittsburgh with the same number of games left to play (2). Philly is tied with Carolina but has a game in hand so that means Philadelphia, barring some cataclysmic play, will finish in fourth place and will play the fifth place team in the first round of the playoffs. That team could be Pittsburgh, and oh wouldn't that be great? Unfortunately, it probably won't be the Pens because they would have to win out and Carolina would have to lose both of their games. Carolina is two points ahead of Pittsburgh and they have the tiebreaker because they have more wins, but it would be great to have an opening round matchup with Philly just to renew the hatred once more. But it's more likely that we'll have the stale matchups of Carolina/Philly and Pitt/New Jersey, but we can all hold out hope that the impossible happens.

Go Pens!

5 comments:

jd said...

if the pens were smart, they would tank the last game of the season for the more favorable matchup (NJ). just like they did last year. given the schedule remaining and their position in the standings, it is highly likely they will put themselves in position to do so. i don't think they want to play the flyers in the first round, which is not an insult to the Pens; it's just that the pens match up better with the devils, and the devils are tanking.

and nobody wants to play the hurricanes right now.

hey, in hindsight, it was the right move; the flyers had two prolonged series in which they lost their two best defensement, and the pens were rolling and rested.

5 OT was delicious too, if not more memorable b/c i stayed up and had a physics final the next morning at 8.

we'll see next wednesday, i guess.

Galen said...

5 OT was delicious too, if not more memorable b/c i stayed up and had a physics final the next morning at 8.
You sir, are a champion fan.

Nick said...

Brass Bonanza, bitches! Hartford Whalers (Carolina Hurricanes) representin'. I was so happy they corrected their wtf offseason move and brought back Erik Cole. Paul Maurice is nice too, but I had no problem with Laviolette.

Scrappled said...

Balls. Suck 'em.

jd said...

o fer f$cks sake, here we go again...

way to play 2.5 good periods of hockey flyers. and then give up 2 goals in the third and lose home ice advantage.

may sean avery and sidney crosby get thorenson'd.