Can someone please tell me how the NJ Devils can sweep NY in the last series and get blanked in Game 1 today??
488671
First of all, the Rangers are nothing without Jagr.  When he went down, NY had to scramble to find someone to lead the offensive charge.  They couldn't.\n\nCarolina is a much more balanced team.  Not to mention faster.  It's no surprise they threw everything they could at New Jersey.  And, yes, it looks like the long layoff after the 1st round sweep took away the momentum they had coming out of the regular season.  While the Canes are flying high coming off a tough 6 game win over Montreal.\n\nBut, as a Devils fan, I'm sorta glad they lost (tho, 6-0 is pretty embarassing).  It reminds them that bouncing back from a loss is so important in the playoffs.  Champions play through adversity like this.  I'm confident they'll regain their competitive spitit.  Lou will see to that.
664069
Well....I am a diehard Piston fan, but 3 games in a row against a team like Miami is next to impossible.  If the "good" Piston Team decides to show up, then they have a slim shot.  You can't play poorly as they have the last two series and expect to come out ahead.  If they play like that again, they don't deserve to win!
675187
I am ecstatic! My proud, young underdog Sabres weren't expected to even make the playoffs this year by the so-called "experts" and now they're crushing the top seed left in these glorious Stanley Cup Playoffs! Fantastic! :)\n\nWe now return to Buffalo for Games 3 & 4 at home, but no one expected us to be up 2-0 after the first two games in Ottawa. The Sabres are in complete control of this series and I believe they shall go on and win it (not sure about a sweep). I KNOW we can defeat Carolina because we've done it several times this season, and it's looking like they may beat New Jersey. \n\nI don't wish to get ahead of myself here but my Sabres are setting themselves up to WIN IT ALL! How awesome would that be for the long-suffering fans back home in Buffalo, eh? :)\n\nLet's Go Buf-fa-lo!!! =)
648510
sharks will be the western conference final champions.  the ducks will be roasted in the western conference finals by the sharks.  in the east it will be a dog fight between buffalo and the winner of the new jersey-carolina series. if the 'canes win i say it will be buffalo vs san kose for the cup.  if the devils win i say new jersey will have to pull out a few miracles to beat buffalo. either way it'll be buffalo and san jose to play for the stanley cup
163176
Nobody will ever say they suck, they just fail under pressure.  1-14 is no good any way you slice it.  The Yankees, Toronto have the best shots, Mets, maybe.  Jones, Chipper and Smoltz cannot carry a team of no names into the series.
1121346
Yep.  All NY sports fans are cocky.  And all NY teams suck (except the stoopid Yankees).\n\nGo Devils!
1024913
Unfortunately that story is untrue.  It was on ESPN.com for a little while but it was taken off.  I believe that's what he was offered, he hasn't accepted yet though.\n\nTo person below me- Elias sucks?  I think not.  Before Elias came back the Devils were barely a playoff team and hardly staying above .500.  Elias comes on, quickly makes an impact, and at the end of the season we win the division with 101 points and sweep the Rangers in round 1.  And what kind of a season did the players on the Leafs have?  Did they make the playoffs?
370941
If that previous poster looks at the penalties that his Flyers were taking it is due to the fact that Philly can't keep up with the Sabres speed. The officals are also dictating this game alot, yes they are saying that your going to get pentalized if you hook or clutch and grab. \n\nGo Sabres!!!  Just admit the fact your team will be looking to next year, maybe time to drop GM Clarke, goon hockey is over.
722763
if san jose beats edmonton, then there will be a dog fight in the west between the ducks and the sharks.  i think the ducks might win.  buffalo is hot so whoever plays them in the finals better be hot too. their goalies get better every game.  i pick sharks or ducks to win.
441476
No one with a brain.  Take your good start and enjoy it.  They will be lucky to finish 3rd in the central.\n\nThe Cards and Astros will both beat them easily.  Chicago probably will too...atleast you have Pittsburgh to beat up on.
800568
You and me are both worried. Really worried. We've lost Strahan, Umenyiora (I know I spelled that wrong...), Madison, Toomer, Arrington, Petitgout. The list keeps going on and on and on. If we were healthy, I wouldn't be so worried. I'm worried that they're playing on Monday night and they're playing away.\n\nIt's going to be a really rough game for us tonight. Do I think we can win? I am hoping, praying, begging, pleading so. We need this win. With Dallas' win yesterday, we need to keep that one game distance with them, or else our playoff hopes are done for this season. \n\nHere's hoping that the G-men take it all the way. Go Giants!
655519
Well, Moon, as it's still only the first round, it is far too early to tell. That said, I do like what's been happening so far. As correctly predicted here, the loathsome fat-cat red wings of dread detroit -- the #1 seed in the playoffs -- were unceremoniously dumped by the underdog Edmonton Oilers last night in six games! WOOHOO!!! Also, over the weekend, the Colorado Avalanche took out the hated dallas stars, another favourite, so again: WOOHOO!!!\n\nWhen my glorious Buffalo Sabres remove the utterly hateful philistinia floaters tonight (or Thursday night, either way, they go), the happiness trifecta will be complete and my three most hated NHL teams will have been eliminated in one fell swoop (I'll save that last WOOHOO!!! for later, lol). I love nothing more than to revel in the victory of the good and triumph in the defeat and abject humiliation of the evil -- and this applies to EVERYTHING! :)\n\nBut I digress... One reason these could be the greatest Stanley Cup playoffs of all time is that we missed out on ANY hockey all of last year because of the NHL lockout. Hockey came back in its full raiment of glory this season with rules changes which have directly correlated with a vastly improved on-ice product. Hockey has never been so good! Another reason -- indeed, THE reason! -- this could be the greatest playoffs ever is that my Sabres are so awesomely talented that they could conceivably go all the way and WIN Lord Stanley's Cup! Were that to happen -- and it's far too early to say now -- I would die and go to heaven on the spot! (OK, not literally... I don't even believe in heaven.) ;)\n\nAs for my expectations, well, I'm quietly confident my Sabres will continue to advance after defeating those despicable goon flyers tonight in their hellhole home in philistinia (Can ya tell I hate that godforsaken place and their truly horrible people?). But can they go all the way? In the East, where my Sabres play, Ottawa and New Jersey will be tough opponents and they may have to defeat both to continue (Carolina is struggling badly with Montreal and I'm not worried about facing either of them). If they can get out of the conference, I like their chances in the Cup Final, no matter who they face from the West. But again, all that is a long way away...\n\nLet's Go Buf-fa-lo!!! Let's Go Buf-fa-lo!!! Let's Go Buf-fa-lo!!! :)
595503
Haha, that was me about an hour ago (only I used language not as nice as yours). LoL. I think that the quality of play in this series has been badly tampered because of the whistles being blown during the games. Neither team has been able to play to their full potential, and I would've liked to see STRAIGHT UP BALL instead of a free throw bonanza. The Spurs have played as well as they could under the circumstances (give or take a turnover/missed shot here or there) and I am a firm believer that they could come back just like the Suns did the last round.  One thing is for sure: Dallas is LUCKY. This series could easily be 3-1 Spurs, and if they think Game 5 is going to be a cake walk, they are sorely mistaken! Spurs are the defending champs, and they CERTAINLY won't go down without a fight..! How great that fight actually is...? We'll just have to see Wednesday! =)
684029
Sorry i don't but good for u to stand behind your team no matter were they finsh that's a great fan, good for u.\n\nGO DEVILS GO in 2007 lol
1014887
I think Jussi can pull it off but the rest of the team can't hang him out to dry like they did for a good portion of Game 2. There's got to be complete faith in the goalie as well as a willingness to help him in any way possible. \n\nTrust him to stop the shots but don't make him take the shots. It's a very delicate balance and sadly, Carolina's better at it at the moment.
368540
New Jersey has a very good chance of advancing to the semis since they have homecourt advantage and the Pacers aren't what they used to be, but I think their luck will run out if they face the Heat in the semis.  As for Sacramento, I like to root for the underdog, but were talking about beating the San Antonio Spurs four times so I'm afraid they'll be booted out of the playoffs in four or five games (even though as a Mavs fan, it would be great if the Spurs got dethroned, but I would rather have Dallas do it than Sacramento - to earn the respect of the league.)
577787
Bearing in mind that the Ottawa Senators are the #1 seed remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are devastated after surrendering their first two games at home in this series, I expect them to play desperate hockey tonight lest they fall behind 3-0 in the series (a deficit virtually impossible to come back from). So my Sabres need to be fully prepared to withstand what should be a powerful onslaught, particularly in the 1st period. \n\nIf Ryan Miller plays like he did in Game 2, we should be in good shape. If he plays like he did in Game 1, we could be in trouble tonight. He's doing amazingly well for a rookie goaltender in his first NHL playoffs, but he does tend to give up too many rebounds and the Sens are a high-scoring team who capitalizes on mistakes (much like the Sabres, btw). \n\nWe also have to be careful about injuries. Ottawa are a bigger, more physical team than Buffalo and we did lose a key player, Tim Connolly, in Game 2. He has a history of concussions and actually had to miss an entire season because of it. As I write this, his status is still not confirmed for tonight's game nor are the details of his condition fully known. This worries me.\n\nThat said, I am confident my proud Buffalo Sabres will win at least one of these back-to-back games at home (we play again tomorrow night) and wrap up the series shortly. Then it's on to crush Carolina (possibly New Jersey if they mount a comeback) and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals where our team will win it all!\n\nThanks for the question, Moon! :)\n\nLet's Go Buf-fa-lo!!!