Game 1: Mon. 8PM @NY Game 2: Wed. 8PM @NY Game 3: Sat. 1PM @NJ Game 4: 5/21 8PM @NJ Game 5: 5/23 8PM @NY * Game 6: 5/25 8PM @NJ * Game 7: 5/27 8PM @NY *
2012 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
3 PHOENIX COYOTES vs. LOS ANGELES KINGS 8
Game 1: Sun. 8PM @PHO Game 2: Tue. 9PM @PHO Game 3: Thu. 9PM @LA Game 4: 5/20 3PM @LA Game 5: 5/22 9PM @PHO * Game 6: 5/24 9PM @LA * Game 7: 5/26 8PM @PHO * (may be moved to NBC)
All times are Eastern - all games on NBC SPORTS unless noted otherwise above
I pick the Rangers (in 5) and the Kings (in 5), a collective orgasm for the television folks, and a shaggy beard on me as long as the Rangers survive.
Rangers in 5? You mean you think there might be moments where we can actually feel a little relaxed about things. Oh, I so wish!
The Rangers have played 14 playoff games so far, obviously. Of those games, three were decided by 2 goals. All 11 others were decided by 1 goal. That's INSANE. (The last 6 were all by one goal, BTW.)
Even large leads within the games have been rare--tonight the Rangers had a two goal lead for all of 38 seconds. Man, what a pair of series.
Rangers/Devils seems destined to go seven games. I'm picking New Jersey.
I'm also picking Phoenix over Los Angeles just so I can take the opposite tack and predict ratings armageddon for NBC and the NHL. Coyotes! Devils! The Cup!
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
Devils in 6 Kings in 5. LA vs. NJ, is still East Coast vs. West Coast that NBC can use to play up on. As long as it wasn't the Flyers, I am ok with whoever wins, but as a Pens' fan this is a giant lost year.
(edited by lotjx on 13.5.12 1721) The Wee Baby Sheamus.Twitter: @realjoecarfley its a bit more toned down there. A bit.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... CRZ, locations for the games in the Western series are wrong - Games 1/2/5/7 are in Phoenix, 3/4/6 in LA.
Devils in six. Rangers have history working against them - no team that's needed seven games for both the first 2 series has ever taken the conference finals - and you can make a strong argument that 1) they've been outplayed in both series despite winning them and 2) the Devils are better than both the Senators and Capitals.
Despite the loss tonight, Coyotes in seven. They've already shown resiliency in these playoffs in the Chicago series with their constant coughing up of leads late, and I have to imagine Tippett will adjust and get the defense fixed so that Smith isn't constantly under assault like he was tonight, because the offense showed tonight that Quick can be taken.
Regardless of how these series turn out, I'm reasonably certain the Cup will be headed west once all is said and done.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
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