And then you say "goddamn they ruthless!"

I'll look at numbers later.

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The times for this series are actually reasonable!

Game 1: 2 pm
Game 2: 7 pm
Game 3: 7 pm
Game 4: 8 pm
Game 5: 7 pm
Game 6: 8 pm
Game 7: ?????


Hawks in 6. Bitches.
Shit gets real now. The 2nd round was essentially a "dud" for Hawks fans. This is for real now.

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The dates aren't. Sunday and Wednesday here, Saturday and Monday there, then Wednesday the 28th, Friday the 30th, Sunday the 1st if necessary. What is this, an NBA series?

I'll be out of town from the 31st through 11th. I might be enjoying some or all of the Stanley Cup Final in Pensacola and West Palm Beach again.

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This sounds again like you are young.

Welcome to the NHL playoffs. They drag on. And on.
Just like the NBA playoffs.

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yeah I hate the 2 days in between game thing

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I was exaggerating for effect. I think there have been NBA series, usually the first round, with three days off between games. Ugh.

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Yeah I get it, but I think we should be thanking our lucky stars.

The Hawks are playing a team that is 6 hours west of us (in Bettman's eyes) and they are up against two of the biggest draws in the east. I am stunned that there are not at least two games starting at 9:00 or 9:30. Honestly. I will take these starting times even if it is one game per week.

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I believe there's been almost as many games in the NHL with two days in between as the NBA. There's not been one game in a series with 3 off days in either league. Their postseasons are very similar in length man.


Hawks in 7. Quick will be great, we will be frustrated, but we will advance. Crow will have a good series again.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Maybe. I know we need the rest, but the Kings might need it more by dint of their extra games played and the high-impact style of their game. My first thought was that L.A. would punt Game 1 and come out storming the rest of the way.

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I'm saying Hawks in 6 (but if things break right, I could actually see 5) - because the Kings have got to be exhausted at some point.

The Hawks got a longer rest in between every series, the Kings have not.
The Kings are severely depleted on the blue line - yes, they have one of the best in the world playing there in Doughty, but so do the Hawks - but the Hawks have way more depth at D than the Kings.
The Kings are not as deep offensively as they have been the last couple years, but the Hawks have had a lot players that have been "slumbering" offensively, so I'm not sure there is an advantage to either team there.
Quick is a good goalie, but so is Crawford. I'm good with that 'matchup'.

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Hawks in 5.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Shaw out game 1

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

How's this for a hedge. Blackhawks in 7 ( home ice will matter here) but I can see the Kings winning this as well. I think Quick will play like he was supposed to last year and the Kings eke out enough offense to win 4 one goal games.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

I'm having trouble seeing the Kings winning. Apparently this is the most dominant team to go seven games twice and lose three games in a row twice. Their blue line is sketchy past Doughty and their dump-and-chase has always matched up poorly against our speed/possession/transition. They seem due to run out of gas. There's definitely a precedent for that in the conference finals:

the 2009 Hawks that finally hit a wall against Detroit
the 2009 Hurricanes that went all seven with Jersey and Boston and then got swept by Pittsburgh
the 2010 Sharks getting swept by the Hawks
the 2010 Habs running out of duct tape against Philly
the 2011 Sharks falling in five to the Canucks after seven with the Wings
the 2012 Coyotes doing the same against the Kings
last year's Kings against the Hawks
and last year's Penguins against the Bruins.

For whatever reason, this is not a time of the year when teams go the distance. I'll bet against the team that has had its back against the wall six times through two rounds. That can't go on forever.

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See now this worries me.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

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Elections have consequences.

Lines appear to be Bickell-Toews-Hossa, Sharp-Handzus-Kane, Saad-Regin-Versteeg, Bollig-Kruger-Smith. Defense is the usual.

For the Kings, looks like Gaborik, Kopitar, and the Greatest American Fuckface on the first line, Jeff Carter centering Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, King-Stoll-Williams checking, and holy shitballs, Mike Richards on the fourth line with Clifford and Lewis. At defense, it's Donuts with Muzzin, then worthless pylon Jeff Schultz paired with the short attention span of Slava Voynov, then Alec Martinez and Matt Greene on the third pair. The Committed Indian guys seem to have a boner for Matt Greene, but I've never thought that highly of him. They're currently missing Robin Regehr and a grown man who goes by Willie.

Second line shouldn't be too hard to shut down. Toffoli is good for a youngster coming out of a mediocre farm system but he's no one to cower before. Kopitar is just as good as Toews and possibly even better, it's just that no one's ever gotten a blowjob from the media for being a Good Old-Fashioned Hard-Working Slovene. The Kings got Gaborik for Matt Frattin in a puzzling trade with the Blue Jackets, Frattin having come to Los Angeles as the extra piece in the Scrivens/Bernier backup flip, and Gaborik is just killing everyone. He's made of glass, though, so someone should try to injure him. Everyone's talking about Trevor Lewis being on a hot streak because he scored that softie on Gibson, but come on, Trevor Lewis sucks. Kyle Clifford is a meathead. Mike Richards is really good, though, and I don't expect him to be on the fourth line forever.

Kings lead the playoff field in times shorthanded with 56 and are just ninth on the kill with 47. During the regular season, the Kings trailed only the dopey Flyers and Senators in times shorthanded with a whopping 296. If the refs do their jobs and the Hawks can cash in a few of those, that'd sure help a lot.

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I know Q's lines last about as long as a fart in a gale, but goddammit I am so sick of Zus centering a line with Kane on it . It shouldn't even be a fleeting thought let alone a reality at this point, even for one fucking shift..

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Not a mult.

I'm ready. Put me in, Q.

And here we go. Man I've been waiting seems like forever for this. Let's go guys!

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Hawks look pretty good. THis is already a bit scrappier than I thought it would be.
Too much too soon!

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I was just thinking the same thing. Is it us or the Kings out of gas you think?

Nice!

Versteeg bad tho

Roger Bossert scores, the real Saad father.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Hawks have tons of life. Kane has been active.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Fucking Hossa made that whole play. So big Edzo!!

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Both. Kings just played two sevens and less than 37 hours removed from their last win. Travel, road ice, spent a bit... they'll be dangerous still but less so today. They'll be back to life now after a goal. Being one down should wake these types up.
Kings are playing a bit undisciplined though IMHO.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I dunno thought they were both sloppy. Rozival and Leddy has the potential to be a really bad pairing. Ill take being up 1 after that period. Crowd seems dead too.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

I think Leddy looks good today...

Evenly matched period. Hawks looked good for most of it but for a burst in the middle where the Kings were doing whatever they felt like. Nice work from Saad and Leddy on the power play goal, nice work from Bollig toppling over from light contact. Gotta tighten up on defense a little bit, though; way too many odd-man rushes allowed, especially considering the Kings have been conscious of giving up too many odd-man rushes and breakaways to the Hawks. Crawford's been terrific.

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