yeah, that would be a great final. low scoring, but great

almost two full months later, and the stars still suck

is marc crawford even worth a damn?

i went to my one flyers game last night. My god they looked bored, like they'd rather be anywhere else. Terrible game.

Chara is a big dude.

I was just looking at the goal differential for VAN so far this year. +72. Jesus.

there is a woman that sits behind my uncle's seats, I assume she's at every game because she's been at every game I've been to and she has her own personal nicknames for every player and yells them incredibly loud. It's really annoying and comes off like she's just trying to prove that she knows every player on every line so intimately that she has a cute nickname for them.

Yeah and the next 5 highest goal differentials in the league go like this: +48, +38, +37, +35, +35. They're sick this year. No one's gonna stop them. As a vancouver fan, I've been waiting all my life for this season. If the Canucks go out in the first round, I'll amputate my arms and legs.

I'm holding you to this.

Yeah, famous last words. Ask me about last year's "sure thing" Caps squad

as me about last years fail into the playoffs Flyers

Goddammit, Barker, don't you ever learn?

The President's Trophy isn't a curse, but it also ain't a guarantee. The Canucks have had a great season, but there's a lot about the team that worries me for the playoffs. The first is, as usual, their defence. I'm hoping Hamhuis can get back soon, because he's vital for any chance of success. Edler's been out for 3 months for back surgery, so even if he returns he's gonna be a long way away from game shape. Ditto Alberts to a lesser degree. And without Alberts and Edler, their physical presence on the back end is all up to Bieksa, who is just as liable to be the worst player on the team as the best. Plus you KNOW Salo will be injured if the Canucks make it out of the first round.

On top of that, the team has taken on the personality of the Sedins; when they're getting the bounces they seem unbeatable, but when they don't get the bounces they seem disinterested in fighting through it. Fortunately this year, they've been getting a LOT of bounces - but the playoffs tend to even that sort of thing out. Malhotra is a huge loss. Raymond has to get his ass in gear. I like what Higgins and Lapierre bring to the team, but they've both got to step it up for the kind of battles the playoffs bring (especially in the West). Samuelsson drives me crazy - he can be enormously valuable, but he is also capable of being the selfish goat who single-handedly loses a seventh game. Kesler, Burrows, and the twins NEED to prove themselves this year. And Luongo and Schneider have been a great, steady tandem all season, but I'm not buying their sweaters until they take this team to the promised land.

So I dunno. In some ways this team reminds me of Van's last great hope, the '04 team led by the West Coast Express, which managed to choke on a 3-1 series lead against Minnesota. I just hope these guys are smart enough and dedicated enough to go on a decent run without turning into the embarrassing pack of crybabies they were last year.

Also, never forget the Canuck tradition: build up expectations, then smash them to pieces.

Not that it is all the revelatory to VAN fans, but I just realized that they've clinched the conference before any other western team has clinched a playoff spot and before any Eastern team has clinched their division!

Sorry Rads, the board is against you with jinxing yr team. This can only end badly.

No jinxing here. I am far on the east coast and haven't watched a single VAN game this season. I am basically a NASCAR fan commenting on the sport of hockey from afar relative to his team.

Nathan Gerbe scores the playoff-clinching goal one shift after being condescendingly patted on the head by Carcillo. Awesome.

cacillo fires up the other team as much or more than he fires up his own.

radcliffe, we meet again

Great first round battle coming up. Lucky that the Dallas Stars choked even bigger than the Hawks did.

which was hard to do, because the hawks tried their best to stay out

canucks should def win, but man to see luongo cry again would be the best. maybe the hawks can dress john scott up as byfuglien

I cannot wait for the TB/PIT series and for the love of God the BOS/MTL series. Nothing quite like an original six matchup in the first round. I have the flavor of Campbell's soup on my tongue.

I'm hoping the 'Nucks play "Chelsea Dagger" after their 4th win.

what an ENORMOUS choke job

total pack of gutless quitters they are!!!

radcliffe are you freaking out yet

and the answer is...no

I AM!!!!!!!!

Heard a caller on a national show today say, "If the Canucks don't win the Cup for their fans this year, they never will."

So there!