[Drez7]

Sabres Own Montreal Again!!!

[robert goulet]

The dream is over...Leafs out in '06...son of a bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!

RG

[Lizard King]

The dream is over...Leafs out in '06

At least something good came out of tonight.

Dam Habs lost again, all we needed was a point!! :x :x

Big game vs. NJ on tues. its going down to the wire now, I hope we make it.

[ryan93]

Tough way to go out too, they were on such a high after winning the game 5-1 against Ottawa, go back to the dressing room just in time to see Carolina score 2 quick goals to tie the game against Tampa Bay up 2-2...only to see Martin St.Louis score in overtime, thus eliminating the Maple Leafs.
They showed a lot of heart & courage in recent weeks, and Mats Sundin just took his game to another level, probably the best hockey i've seen him play in his NHL career, yet for the Leafs, they simply just run out of time. Had they went on this run a week earlier, they'd be right there.

How about Joe Thornton & Jonathan Cheechoo! Thornton with 3 more points tonight (that's 10 in 3 games) to overtake Jaromir Jagr for the league lead. Thornton now has 125 points to Jagr's 122, each player having 1 game remaining. And Cheechoo with yet another hatrick, goals 54, 55, 56. He's got a 2 goal lead on Jagr, so it looks like Thornton will take home the Art Ross (and Hart???), while Cheechoo will snag the Rocket Richard.

[ryan93]

And i'm quite concerned with my New York Rangers, they are playing horrible heading into the playoffs. They only have 1 game to get back on track, and it's against the Ottawa Senators, whom should come out strong following a 5-1 loss to the Leafs tonight. Henrik Lundqvist hopefully will be back after missing 7 games, but that isn't for certain (Weekes has lost 4 in a row). Hopefully a few more of the injured bodies can get back for the game too, guys like Steve Rucchin, Darius Kasparaitis, Marek Malik, Martin Rucinsky, etc.
Jagr/Nylander have to get going again as well after a couple of average games.

[Lizard King]

Joe Thornton is a machine right now, him and Cheechoo are a deadly tandem, I guess we know who won that trade now.

Joe gets my vote for the Heart. Although Jagr is deserving as well.

[ryan93]

I think it comes down to Thornton and Jagr (3rd canidate i don't know, maybe Miika Kiprusoff). All along i've been leaning towards Jagr, but Thornton the last couple of weeks, and in particular the last few games is really making a case for himself. It's a tough call and should be a very close race, both are very derserving of being named the MVP.

[cferneyh]

Joe Thornton is a machine right now, him and Cheechoo are a deadly tandem, I guess we know who won that trade now.

The team that got more players, because it gives them more depth. :lol:

All I can think of is the first game the Leafs played after the Olympics - at home against the Crapitals - and they lost. Then they completely shit the bed against Montreal for those two games. Give them a split and a win against the Craps and they are tied with TB with a game in hand. Bah! :x

[cferneyh]

I think it comes down to Thornton and Jagr (3rd canidate i don't know, maybe Miika Kiprusoff). All along i've been leaning towards Jagr, but Thornton the last couple of weeks, and in particular the last few games is really making a case for himself. It's a tough call and should be a very close race, both are very derserving of being named the MVP.

Maybe I'm biased because I live in Calgary, but I really believe it should go to Kipper. I know there are cases to be made for the rejuvinated Jagr, and Thornton obviously turned SJ around, but going into tonight's game the Flames have scored only 214 goals - which is fewer than every single team in the East, and only Chicago and St. Louis have scored fewer in the West. Chicago has 24 wins, the Blues have 21, the Flames have 46. I think that alone tells you how valuable Kipper has been to that team.

[tigerthelion]

I think it comes down to Thornton and Jagr (3rd canidate i don't know, maybe Miika Kiprusoff). All along i've been leaning towards Jagr, but Thornton the last couple of weeks, and in particular the last few games is really making a case for himself. It's a tough call and should be a very close race, both are very derserving of being named the MVP.

Maybe I'm biased because I live in Calgary, but I really believe it should go to Kipper. I know there are cases to be made for the rejuvinated Jagr, and Thornton obviously turned SJ around, but going into tonight's game the Flames have scored only 214 goals - which is fewer than every single team in the East, and only Chicago and St. Louis have scored fewer in the West. Chicago has 24 wins, the Blues have 21, the Flames have 46. I think that alone tells you how valuable Kipper has been to that team.

Jagr, Thornton, and Kipper all have solid cases for MVP. Personally, I don't like goalies winning the award since they have their own award (Vezina) but most people would say the most valuable player should get MVP no matter what position he plays. I know the Sharks have been playing great lately but what it comes down to for me is the fact that the Rangers weren't even supposed to contend for the playoffs and San Jose were thought of as a playoff contender and maybe more. San Jose has a better team than NY if you take away Thornton and Jagr respectively. However, I know that Kipper is the main reason why the Flames win most of their games because they are a horrible offensive team.

My hope is for Jagr but I think they'll give it to Thornton.

BTW, why did Domi skate away from Chris Neil?

[cferneyh]

BTW, why did Domi skate away from Chris Neil?

I didn't see the play in question, but earlier this season I read an interview with Domi (I think it was in the Toronto Star) where he admitted that he doesn't really feel it is up to him to fight anymore and he'll leave that to others. That's right - the league's highest pain goon thinks fighting is below him. :roll:

[direwolf74]

I know that Kipper is the main reason why the Flames win most of their games because they are a horrible offensive team.

Kipper is definitely our MVP, but I think you're forgetting about our kick ass defence (best goals against in the NHL). I'm thinkin' we're not too shabby in that area. It's true we're not very dangerous offensively and we don't have anybody lighting it up like Thornton or Jagr. But what I like about the Flames is that their goals come from all over the place with all four lines pitching in. Iggy, Huselius, Langkow, Phaneuf, Simon, Lombardi, Hamrlik, Amonte, Lundmark, Kobasew, and Donovan have all pitched in offensively down the stretch. During the '04 playoffs, if you held Iggy, Conroy, and Gelinas off the scoresheet, chances are you'd end up beating the Flames, but this year it's a much more balanced effort.

But what's really impressive about the Flames is their ability to completely shut down the opposition's top lines with their relentless forecheck. Throughout the season they've managed to frustrate the hell out of offensive minded teams like Detroit, Ottawa, Colorado, Dallas, Anaheim, San Jose, and Edmonton. This team isn't scared of anybody, and they don't change their style to suit a particular opponent. They win by simply out-skating, out-hitting, and out-working you. And that's why they're such a bitch to play against.

[tommygunn]

Joe Thornton is a machine right now, him and Cheechoo are a deadly tandem, I guess we know who won that trade now.

I think mostly everyone knew who won the trade the minute it was announced.
Some who are a lil slower than others have to make up charts about it months later, and even then they F that up. :lol:

[fingernailsonhull]

BTW, why did Domi skate away from Chris Neil?

My guess was that he was trying to win the game and/or avoid a suspension for the next one. Had he known the Leafs would have been out of the playoffs, well, maybe Belak would have fought him.

[cferneyh]

I know that Kipper is the main reason why the Flames win most of their games because they are a horrible offensive team.

Kipper is definitely our MVP, but I think you're forgetting about our kick ass defence (best goals against in the NHL).

Definitely agree that the Flames D is tops in the league, but to stress the impact of Kipper, take a look at the save % and GAA by the Flames' backups:

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Yikes!

Granted Sauve and Boucher will never be confused with Patrick Roy, so I wonder if the Flames' D could make even an average NHL goalie look awesome. Or, I wonder if Kipper was on a team with crap D (like the Leafs) what his numbers would look like......