At the rate our teams are going Fixer...I don't think either one of us should watch.
haha, true. I'm a sucker though. Especially with the flyers. Kinda like Charlie Brown going to kick the football that Lucy holds for him.
I know how that feels...I'm a Browns fan. Although actually, that would be more like Lucy pulling the football away and then using a weed wacker on my man region while shooting my dog and pouring sugar in my gas tank.
At the rate our teams are going Fixer...I don't think either one of us should watch.
haha, true. I'm a sucker though. Especially with the flyers. Kinda like Charlie Brown going to kick the football that Lucy holds for him.
I know how that feels...I'm a Browns fan. Although actually, that would be more like Lucy pulling the football away and then using a weed wacker on my man region while shooting my dog and pouring sugar in my gas tank.
It could be worse. At least we aren't fans of this pathetic team.
More shame for Washington Capitals. Sweep ranks among least likely playoff exits since 1996
By Timo Seppa
Hockey Prospectus
Archive
Kim Klement/US Presswire
The Caps' sweep was one of the most suprising exits in recent history.
On April 21, 2010, the Washington Capitals were poised to put away the Montreal Canadiens, leading the first-round playoff series 3-1. Just seven days later, the Habs stunned the hockey world, winning three games in a row to take the series, all while holding the regular-season offensive juggernaut -- 3.82 goals per game, the highest mark since the lockout -- to two goals or fewer in each of those games.
Given the disparity of Washington's 121 points, plus-85 goal differential and .738 point percentage to Montreal's 88 points, minus-6 goal differential and .537 point percentage, it appeared to be the biggest upset in recent playoff history. Until ...
You would have thought the Capitals had hit rock bottom last April, but this season's playoff exit -- a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a division rival and bottom-four seed -- has provided a new kind of humiliation.
The Lightning were a legit team this season, quickly rebuilt from an Eastern Conference cellar dweller through bold moves by new GM Steve Yzerman. Just based on the teams' records, Tampa had a solid 44 percent chance to advance past the Caps. In that context, the Caps' loss isn't altogether astonishing. However, there's a big difference between losing in six or seven games to a roughly equal team compared to getting skunked.
Calculated from points percentage only, the odds of Montreal's comeback against Washington were about 12 percent. The odds of a Lightning sweep were roughly 5 percent. In that sense, this was an even uglier result than the loss to Montreal last season, despite the higher caliber of Tampa's team.
For a No. 1 seed to lose two such series in consecutive playoffs is either very bad luck or a sign that something needs to change with the team. But how bad was Washington's performance this season compared to other postseason stinkers? Let's take a look at sweeps by lower-seeded teams since 1996 to find out:
Worst Upsets Since 1996
Year Favorite Points GD Underdog Points GD Odds of underdog sweep*
2001 #2 Ottawa 109 +69 #7 Toronto 90 +25 2.1%
2003 #2 Detroit 110 +66 #7 Anaheim 95 +10 2.6%
1999 #2 Ottawa 103 +60 #7 Buffalo 91 +32 3.3%
2011 #1 Washington 107 +27 #5 Tampa Bay 103 +7 5.0%
2001 #2 Dallas 106 +54 #3 St. Louis 103 +54 5.0%
2007 #3 Atlanta 97 +1 #6 NY Rangers 94 +26 5.4%
2010 #1 San Jose 113 +49 #2 Chicago 112 +62 5.9%
*Calculated from points percentage only
Since the lockout, there have been 11 sweeps. Of them, the only other sweeps by lower-seeded teams were No. 2 Chicago over No. 1 San Jose in the 2010 Western Conference finals and the No. 6 New York Rangers over No. 3 Atlanta in the first round of 2007. Yet in both cases, the nominal underdog had a higher goal differential -- a sign they actually were the stronger teams to begin with. Therefore, this sweep is the worst since 2005-06. For sure.
Going back a bit further in history, we find three particularly surprising upsets in which the underdog dismantled the favorite in four games. Those three worst playoff defeats of the past 15 years: Anaheim over Detroit in 2003, Toronto over Ottawa in 2001 and Buffalo over Ottawa in 1999. Yet in two of those cases, Anaheim in 2003 and Buffalo in 1999, you had two "live dogs" that would end up making the Stanley Cup finals. The real anomaly is seventh-seeded Toronto's clean sweep of second-seeded Ottawa in 2001. The Senators managed only three goals in four games -- shut out twice by Curtis Joseph -- ignominiously losing to a team 19 points behind them in the standings and far behind in goal differential. The Maple Leafs went on to be defeated in seven games by eventual Cup finalist New Jersey in the following round.
While not as stunning, Washington's loss to Tampa on the heels of the Montreal playoff debacle in 2010 will be tough to take for Capitals management and fans. Although the Caps have put together back-to-back regular seasons atop the Eastern Conference, the ignominy of their past two playoff exits ranks right among some of the most shocking ousters in the past 15 seasons. And that fact likely won't let Caps coach Bruce Boudreau sleep too well any time soon.
I took the GRE, started a new job this week, went to a Tigers game and game 3 at the Joe. So now you know where I went, because I know you were worried.
If there is 1 team I could always picture blowing a 3-0 series lead it's SJ...I'll never understand yesterday's game...up 3-0...why not come out flying? some run and shoot offence...you are up 3-0, take the game to them...up 3-0 the coach said all the right things, apparently the players didn't get the message. They did come back and tie this up which has to be a good sign....but if they lose Sunday...they better watch out.
My favourite excuse from Wings fans this week...to much time off, we are out of sync...last year it was not enough rest...when Pittsburgh beat em' for the cup it was not enough rest ...the fans have more excuse's...I'll hardly hear any of them say we got beat by the better team.
Bad sign for the wings though is that they are blowing leads...which I take as a sign of age...so even if they come back and win this series, I suspect Vancouver will make quick work of them. I thought last August Vancouver would have to be a favourite to win it all...they look like they still are the best team...I especially like how LU is playing...he seems to have settled down after the Chicago series.
So far the 2nd round has been extremely boring...maybe the 3rd round will be better.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
If there is 1 team I could always picture blowing a 3-0 series lead it's SJ...I'll never understand yesterday's game...up 3-0...why not come out flying? some run and shoot offence...you are up 3-0, take the game to them...up 3-0 the coach said all the right things, apparently the players didn't get the message. They did come back and tie this up which has to be a good sign....but if they lose Sunday...they better watch out.
My favourite excuse from Wings fans this week...to much time off, we are out of sync...last year it was not enough rest...when Pittsburgh beat em' for the cup it was not enough rest ...the fans have more excuse's...I'll hardly hear any of them say we got beat by the better team.
Bad sign for the wings though is that they are blowing leads...which I take as a sign of age...so even if they come back and win this series, I suspect Vancouver will make quick work of them. I thought last August Vancouver would have to be a favourite to win it all...they look like they still are the best team...I especially like how LU is playing...he seems to have settled down after the Chicago series.
So far the 2nd round has been extremely boring...maybe the 3rd round will be better.
I dano.. the first time we had a 2 goal lead was in the last 20 seconds of the third period last game...
Lack of goals is starting to scare me! But we had Rinne lookin behind him a few times.. hopefully we're getting in his head
If there is 1 team I could always picture blowing a 3-0 series lead it's SJ...I'll never understand yesterday's game...up 3-0...why not come out flying? some run and shoot offence...you are up 3-0, take the game to them...up 3-0 the coach said all the right things, apparently the players didn't get the message. They did come back and tie this up which has to be a good sign....but if they lose Sunday...they better watch out.
My favourite excuse from Wings fans this week...to much time off, we are out of sync...last year it was not enough rest...when Pittsburgh beat em' for the cup it was not enough rest ...the fans have more excuse's...I'll hardly hear any of them say we got beat by the better team.
Bad sign for the wings though is that they are blowing leads...which I take as a sign of age...so even if they come back and win this series, I suspect Vancouver will make quick work of them. I thought last August Vancouver would have to be a favourite to win it all...they look like they still are the best team...I especially like how LU is playing...he seems to have settled down after the Chicago series.
So far the 2nd round has been extremely boring...maybe the 3rd round will be better.
I dano.. the first time we had a 2 goal lead was in the last 20 seconds of the third period last game...
Lack of goals is starting to scare me! But we had Rinne lookin behind him a few times.. hopefully we're getting in his head
I hear what you're saying about the lack of goals...but the playoffs are a grind...and usually only the best teams are left now...Rinne has been outstanding...their still my pick to win it all. This is the predators game...they kind of lull you to sleep and hope to sneak 1 by you...hopefully the Canucks wrap this series up tonight.
GO CANUCKS GO
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Vancouver 1-4 in games when they can eliminate their opponent...not good...both Sedins are -7 in the playoffs...they wouldn't be my top line Monday...it would be Kesler's line...their were several times in Saturdays game after just terrible defensive play getting hemmed in, they should have been benched for a shift or 2...the coach needs to get the message through.
They need to win Monday...2 7 game series in the first 2 rounds don't bode well for Vancouver.
Boston is looking good though...It could be SJ vs. Boston finals...
I especially like Horton...Don Cherry has just be raving about him the last couple weeks.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
2 unlikely sweeps and 2 teams that had chances to wrap it up at home in 5 but now
must be shitting in their Bauers.
Datsyuk = most underrated player in NHL and I'm not even a Wings fan.
Comments
you sure?
http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/scoreboard?date=20110506
edit, just checked the local listings and this is the case here.
also the game isn't listed on NHL network or center ice channels, although i would assume the NHL network will pick it up.
i'm gonna watch the bulls tonight.
haha, true. I'm a sucker though. Especially with the flyers. Kinda like Charlie Brown going to kick the football that Lucy holds for him.
I know how that feels...I'm a Browns fan. Although actually, that would be more like Lucy pulling the football away and then using a weed wacker on my man region while shooting my dog and pouring sugar in my gas tank.
It could be worse. At least we aren't fans of this pathetic team.
More shame for Washington Capitals. Sweep ranks among least likely playoff exits since 1996
By Timo Seppa
Hockey Prospectus
Archive
Kim Klement/US Presswire
The Caps' sweep was one of the most suprising exits in recent history.
On April 21, 2010, the Washington Capitals were poised to put away the Montreal Canadiens, leading the first-round playoff series 3-1. Just seven days later, the Habs stunned the hockey world, winning three games in a row to take the series, all while holding the regular-season offensive juggernaut -- 3.82 goals per game, the highest mark since the lockout -- to two goals or fewer in each of those games.
Given the disparity of Washington's 121 points, plus-85 goal differential and .738 point percentage to Montreal's 88 points, minus-6 goal differential and .537 point percentage, it appeared to be the biggest upset in recent playoff history. Until ...
You would have thought the Capitals had hit rock bottom last April, but this season's playoff exit -- a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a division rival and bottom-four seed -- has provided a new kind of humiliation.
The Lightning were a legit team this season, quickly rebuilt from an Eastern Conference cellar dweller through bold moves by new GM Steve Yzerman. Just based on the teams' records, Tampa had a solid 44 percent chance to advance past the Caps. In that context, the Caps' loss isn't altogether astonishing. However, there's a big difference between losing in six or seven games to a roughly equal team compared to getting skunked.
Calculated from points percentage only, the odds of Montreal's comeback against Washington were about 12 percent. The odds of a Lightning sweep were roughly 5 percent. In that sense, this was an even uglier result than the loss to Montreal last season, despite the higher caliber of Tampa's team.
For a No. 1 seed to lose two such series in consecutive playoffs is either very bad luck or a sign that something needs to change with the team. But how bad was Washington's performance this season compared to other postseason stinkers? Let's take a look at sweeps by lower-seeded teams since 1996 to find out:
Worst Upsets Since 1996
Year Favorite Points GD Underdog Points GD Odds of underdog sweep*
2001 #2 Ottawa 109 +69 #7 Toronto 90 +25 2.1%
2003 #2 Detroit 110 +66 #7 Anaheim 95 +10 2.6%
1999 #2 Ottawa 103 +60 #7 Buffalo 91 +32 3.3%
2011 #1 Washington 107 +27 #5 Tampa Bay 103 +7 5.0%
2001 #2 Dallas 106 +54 #3 St. Louis 103 +54 5.0%
2007 #3 Atlanta 97 +1 #6 NY Rangers 94 +26 5.4%
2010 #1 San Jose 113 +49 #2 Chicago 112 +62 5.9%
*Calculated from points percentage only
Since the lockout, there have been 11 sweeps. Of them, the only other sweeps by lower-seeded teams were No. 2 Chicago over No. 1 San Jose in the 2010 Western Conference finals and the No. 6 New York Rangers over No. 3 Atlanta in the first round of 2007. Yet in both cases, the nominal underdog had a higher goal differential -- a sign they actually were the stronger teams to begin with. Therefore, this sweep is the worst since 2005-06. For sure.
Going back a bit further in history, we find three particularly surprising upsets in which the underdog dismantled the favorite in four games. Those three worst playoff defeats of the past 15 years: Anaheim over Detroit in 2003, Toronto over Ottawa in 2001 and Buffalo over Ottawa in 1999. Yet in two of those cases, Anaheim in 2003 and Buffalo in 1999, you had two "live dogs" that would end up making the Stanley Cup finals. The real anomaly is seventh-seeded Toronto's clean sweep of second-seeded Ottawa in 2001. The Senators managed only three goals in four games -- shut out twice by Curtis Joseph -- ignominiously losing to a team 19 points behind them in the standings and far behind in goal differential. The Maple Leafs went on to be defeated in seven games by eventual Cup finalist New Jersey in the following round.
While not as stunning, Washington's loss to Tampa on the heels of the Montreal playoff debacle in 2010 will be tough to take for Capitals management and fans. Although the Caps have put together back-to-back regular seasons atop the Eastern Conference, the ignominy of their past two playoff exits ranks right among some of the most shocking ousters in the past 15 seasons. And that fact likely won't let Caps coach Bruce Boudreau sleep too well any time soon.
They really are delusional in Washington, and not just on capital hill.
Yay! At least one more game until all I have is the Tigers.
I took the GRE, started a new job this week, went to a Tigers game and game 3 at the Joe. So now you know where I went, because I know you were worried.
My favourite excuse from Wings fans this week...to much time off, we are out of sync...last year it was not enough rest...when Pittsburgh beat em' for the cup it was not enough rest
Bad sign for the wings though is that they are blowing leads...which I take as a sign of age...so even if they come back and win this series, I suspect Vancouver will make quick work of them. I thought last August Vancouver would have to be a favourite to win it all...they look like they still are the best team...I especially like how LU is playing...he seems to have settled down after the Chicago series.
So far the 2nd round has been extremely boring...maybe the 3rd round will be better.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Lack of goals is starting to scare me! But we had Rinne lookin behind him a few times.. hopefully we're getting in his head
I hear what you're saying about the lack of goals...but the playoffs are a grind...and usually only the best teams are left now...Rinne has been outstanding...their still my pick to win it all. This is the predators game...they kind of lull you to sleep and hope to sneak 1 by you...hopefully the Canucks wrap this series up tonight.
GO CANUCKS GO
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Let's hope they can wrap this series up tonight
VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
♥
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
long trip back across country
They need to win Monday...2 7 game series in the first 2 rounds don't bode well for Vancouver.
Boston is looking good though...It could be SJ vs. Boston finals...
I especially like Horton...Don Cherry has just be raving about him the last couple weeks.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
2 unlikely sweeps and 2 teams that had chances to wrap it up at home in 5 but now
must be shitting in their Bauers.
Datsyuk = most underrated player in NHL and I'm not even a Wings fan.
It's my understanding that pizza sales are down, so Mike made a deal with bettman to get anouther home game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbhsYC4gKy4
James Tiberius Fucking Howard.