Aura

I suspect a couple of these series are going 7. Sens/Rags most likely I hope. Also I can't believe Crosby is back already. That seems risky but playoffs is playoffs.

LOL Anaheim.

Game 1 loss is on Holtby. I get that all three goals against weren't exactly 'easy stops', but you have to make a few big saves to keep your team in it. Hard to believe Flower Power outplayed Holtby but that's the way it goes. Also - some Pen literally just layed on the puck during one of the crazy scrambles near the end there and I coulda sworn that should be a delay of game. As for the other game tonight, where in the fuck did Ottawa come from?

Happy birthday, Ryan! Get some Kuma's mac and cheese to celebrate :).

Pretty crazy but they desperately need him. Took a total 180 with him on the bench.

I can't decide if I'd rather see Nashville or Edmonton in finals... I can't root for St Louis (on principal as a hawks fan) and I fucking HATE the current Ducks core ever since their 2015 conference finals. Cory Perry is truly a unique piece of shit and I would love Nashville to tune him up nice and good over the next few weeks. Preds vs Caps sounds fun as hell.

Best series of round 1 finished. Toronto is going to be the bane of many folks for years to come... But for now, Washington - you have one job to do. End the curse, beat the goddamn Pens once and for all. I'm fully Caps bandwagon round 2.

Sorry big bro :(. Not jumping on any bandwagon in the West, so I guess it's either New York or Toronto/Washington for me.

While I do love me some FlyLo, the only album that I thought sounded okayish on actual recording was Until The Quiet Comes. Which is his best album, coincidentally.

How embarrassing. 3 goals the entire series. They deserved the sweep. Anywho, at least I can pay attention to good hockey now? Fuck Edmonton.

Save some for game 5... great domination at da shark tank!

Sigh. Never over til it's over but hawks are basically done. Next season I'll do well to remember (again) to temper expectations and that end-of-season records seem to carry more weight about what teams might actually do going into playoffs. Not sure who I'll root for if San Jose can't survive Edmonton... anyone but Pens I guess.

I have nothing positive to say about the hawks. Arguably the worst loss for their current "core" since 2009. It was disgusting hockey. Made worse by a lack of heart and leadership. I don't know where they go from here... do something in Nashville or don't come back at all, I guess. For fucks sake.

Blah. Rarely have I seen a team seem to have so many opportunities yet not actually challenge the opposing goalie AT ALL. Rinne looked completely comfortable the entire game, save maybe one surprise wrister from Anisimov period 2. The first 20 minutes of the game is about as anemic as the Hawks have looked at year, and it was obvious Quenneville was outcoached by Laviolette because the team didn't even attempt to adjust until after intermission #1. I wasn't necessarily impressed by the Predators but their strategy was executed perfectly - go into shell mode from the moment the game starts and simply capitalize on infrequent opportunities resulting from Hawks' pushes. -- I think the Leafs will steal one game but it's all Capitals. They're just a complete team.

Well so far, it's less about the Sharks slowing the game and more about the Oilers needing to realize that you cannot go into a shell to protect a lead during the playoffs. Teams with experience will keep pushing, and that's exactly what the Sharks did. Can't wait for Hawkey tonight!

It won't be easy, hope Jumbo Joe and Couture get back very quickly. I think experience will trump youth here but Sharks' D gonna have to find a way to slow the game down and/or Jones is gonna have to steal a few...

Not much activity in this year's thread... Some fun first round matchups. Here are my picks:

Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?

^The new Pallbearer is fucking fantastic. Listened earlier. Now - Antoine Dufour - Back and Forth. Love this guy, favorite acoustic player save Michael Hedges. Seeing him and Andy Mckee play together was a real live concert highlight for me. Edit - listen to the electronic versions on disc 2 as well... this is just great.

I'm a fan. Inspired me to go back to this one (hadn't listened in a loong time)... one of the absolute best-sounding albums I've heard on the current speaker rig. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

Happy birthday west coast bearded brother!

Spent approx. 5 minutes blindly picking. Paid no attention nor did any analysis. Which means I'll probably do well this year.

We've got about a half foot so far in Chicago. Not coming down too hard but still going. Took longer to clean the car off than it did shoveling this morning.

Happy birthday Nate!

Sun Kil Moon - Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood