It's been a while since a standings update. And I'm going to go traveling soon, and I don't know how much posting I'm gonna get to do, pretty much right up through the end of the regular season. I may have to miss games, which makes me SuperMegaUltraMiserable (SMUM). So I'd better get at least this one in now.
4. Philadelphia, 92 pts, 7 GR
5. Carolina, 91 pts, 5 GR
6. Pittsburgh, 90 pts, 6 GR
7. NEW YORK RANGERS, 89 pts, 5 GR
8. Montréal, 86 pts, 7 GR
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9. Florida, 85 pts, 6 GR
10. Buffalo, 82 pts, 7 GR
Wow, in all this time, the ranking still hasn't shifted. Don't get comfortable or anything. Just sayin'. It's neat.
Oh Em Gee why am I still listing Buffalo? I think maybe 'cause it's more embarrassing for them if I keep listing them and they never climb? Lindy Ruff is a dick.
Our next game is Thursday night at 7, and it's on the road against the suddenly-hot 'Canes. Do the math: if we win it, we tie them. If they win it, they're 4 points ahead of us with 4 games left in the standings. I know it's not too likely at this point that they'll find themselves in 9th or 10th at season's end, but we need the points on them to keep ourselves out of those spots. And bear in mind how much better a position like 6th or 7th is than a position like 8th. Taking these points from the 'Canes is almost as important as winning them for ourselves. They will be a very hard team to beat right now. If we play the way we have over the last 2 games, we'll be in okay shape.
Also in action before and on that night:
Blackhawks at Montréal, tonight at 7:30 - Come on 'Hawks - you want home-ice advantage, and we could use a little breathing room. The Habs have 2 games-in-hand on us - if they win them both, we're actually in 8th (which is not only precariously close to 9th, it's also a Bruins draw (and therefore likely early exit) in the first round). This counts as one of them.
Senators at Florida, tonight at 7:30 - Remember a week ago, when everyone said "OH HEY THE SENATORS WON SOME GAMES NOW THEY WILL END UP IN 4TH AND WIN THE CUP"? Yeah, that's over. Go Sens.
Sabres at Atlanta, tomorrow night at 7:00 - Go Thrashers! Keep sticking nails in this already-obviously-sealed coffin!
Flyers at Toronto, tomorrow night at 7:30 - I wouldn't normally actually consider catching the Flyers at this point, even though it's only a 3-point difference, because of their 2 games-in-hand and their playing-of-worse-teams-than-we-are-in-the-homestretch. But, our last 2 games of the season each are a home-and-home against each other, so there are big points to be gained between us. Toronto could certainly make this sound a little more plausible if they stole 2 here.
Devils at Pittsburgh, tomorrow night at 7:30 - If I weren't so busy, I would go to this game. I hesitate to say I have a good feeling about any game involving the NHL's godforsaken wunderkind, but the Devils will want one badly against another division rival after we spanked them so badly last night. Come on, Marty!
Canadiens at Long Island, Thursday night at 7:00 - I hate when bubble teams get to play the Fish Sticks, because I hate when bubble teams get free points. You can hope for the Isles in this one, because "anything can happen blah blah blah," but I wouldn't get too excited.
That's it! Let's Go Rangers!
Showing posts with label Let's Go Islanders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Let's Go Islanders. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Another quick standings update
The good news is that after Montréal scored first, Ottawa tied it 51 seconds later and never looked back. The bad news is that the Maple Leafs couldn't similarly hold off the Panthers. Overall, I'm actually okay with this - two bubble teams were playing opponents 10 points their inferior, out of the running for the season, and we went 1-1-0. I'll take it. Standings again stay in the same order, with numerical changes.
4. Philadelphia, 84 pts, 13 GR
5. Pittsburgh, 84 pts, 10 GR
6. NEW YORK RANGERS, 82 pts, 11 GR
7. Montréal, 81 pts, 11 GR
8. Carolina, 81 pts, 10 GR
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9. Florida, 80 pts, 11 GR
10. Buffalo, 76 pts, 12 GR
See how Buffalo is slowly fading away? Their 2 games-in-hand over 8th are now looking pretty vital, since winning them both still puts them a point behind, while the Panthers, with their win last night, have a win in their game-in-hand putting them in the playoffs again.
Tonight, we have 3 games of interest, and our prospects are not good for any of them.
First of all, at 7:00, the Islanders are in Carolina. Jesus, if Carolina can't get their shit together to beat this embarrassment of a hockey team, at home, to scrape themselves off the bottom of the playoff bin, I can't say as they deserve a playoff run. Expect 2 points gained for the 'Canes here, but Let's Go Isles anyway.
At 7:30, the Kings are in Pittsburgh. This is like the Isles-'Canes game, but both teams are slightly better than their 7:00 counterparts. It would be a huge boon for us if the Kings can come into Pittsburgh and beat the Pens on home ice, but it doesn't seem terribly likely. I hate the idea of the Pens, infuriatingly 11-1-3 since former LA King Dan Bylsma took the helm, sitting at 86 points more than I can possibly convey in words, and my prayers are really with Bylsma's former team tonight. I'm trying to get comfortable with the Pens winning again, and it just isn't working, so I'm gonna try denial for a while and see how that goes.
Also at 7:30, Flyers in Buffalo. Yeah, that game. Obviously, priority one is no overtimes. With that out of the way, I really think I'm backing Buffalo here. I still don't think they're making it, and I'd love the Flyers to drop an easy two to make it easier for us to catch them. There are some caveats to that, of course: the obvious one is that if Buffalo loses, and then we beat them tomorrow night, they really are out of the running, which makes it that much more likely that we'll make it. More pressing on my mind, however, is that if the Sabres and Pens both win tonight, the Pens find themselves in 4th, with the Flyers in 5th. Gross. Also, if the Flyers lose a couple, and the Rangers AND Pens keep winning, we could see a round 1 playoff series of Rangers-Pens, with the Pens having home ice advantage. The Igloo is cursed for us, and I don't like that. Also, I live in Pittsburgh. I don't want the playoffs this year to once again leave me contemplating offing myself. Seriously, Fuck Sidney Crosby!
Realistically, though, the Flyers ought to win this game. Might as well concentrate on the positives - we'd have the chance to deliver Lindy Ruff a finishing blow tomorrow night. As usual, we can only win our own games. And if any of the 3 lesser teams in these games could step up for us tonight, all the better. Our eyes should be on tomorrow night - let the scoreboards do what they will.
4. Philadelphia, 84 pts, 13 GR
5. Pittsburgh, 84 pts, 10 GR
6. NEW YORK RANGERS, 82 pts, 11 GR
7. Montréal, 81 pts, 11 GR
8. Carolina, 81 pts, 10 GR
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9. Florida, 80 pts, 11 GR
10. Buffalo, 76 pts, 12 GR
See how Buffalo is slowly fading away? Their 2 games-in-hand over 8th are now looking pretty vital, since winning them both still puts them a point behind, while the Panthers, with their win last night, have a win in their game-in-hand putting them in the playoffs again.
Tonight, we have 3 games of interest, and our prospects are not good for any of them.
First of all, at 7:00, the Islanders are in Carolina. Jesus, if Carolina can't get their shit together to beat this embarrassment of a hockey team, at home, to scrape themselves off the bottom of the playoff bin, I can't say as they deserve a playoff run. Expect 2 points gained for the 'Canes here, but Let's Go Isles anyway.
At 7:30, the Kings are in Pittsburgh. This is like the Isles-'Canes game, but both teams are slightly better than their 7:00 counterparts. It would be a huge boon for us if the Kings can come into Pittsburgh and beat the Pens on home ice, but it doesn't seem terribly likely. I hate the idea of the Pens, infuriatingly 11-1-3 since former LA King Dan Bylsma took the helm, sitting at 86 points more than I can possibly convey in words, and my prayers are really with Bylsma's former team tonight. I'm trying to get comfortable with the Pens winning again, and it just isn't working, so I'm gonna try denial for a while and see how that goes.
Also at 7:30, Flyers in Buffalo. Yeah, that game. Obviously, priority one is no overtimes. With that out of the way, I really think I'm backing Buffalo here. I still don't think they're making it, and I'd love the Flyers to drop an easy two to make it easier for us to catch them. There are some caveats to that, of course: the obvious one is that if Buffalo loses, and then we beat them tomorrow night, they really are out of the running, which makes it that much more likely that we'll make it. More pressing on my mind, however, is that if the Sabres and Pens both win tonight, the Pens find themselves in 4th, with the Flyers in 5th. Gross. Also, if the Flyers lose a couple, and the Rangers AND Pens keep winning, we could see a round 1 playoff series of Rangers-Pens, with the Pens having home ice advantage. The Igloo is cursed for us, and I don't like that. Also, I live in Pittsburgh. I don't want the playoffs this year to once again leave me contemplating offing myself. Seriously, Fuck Sidney Crosby!
Realistically, though, the Flyers ought to win this game. Might as well concentrate on the positives - we'd have the chance to deliver Lindy Ruff a finishing blow tomorrow night. As usual, we can only win our own games. And if any of the 3 lesser teams in these games could step up for us tonight, all the better. Our eyes should be on tomorrow night - let the scoreboards do what they will.
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