It’s set up to ensure that that at least 3 teams from each division are represented and every division has representation in the conference finals. It’s a business and they wanted to do that so they did it-every league does. The NFL yearly lets some 8-8 or 7-9 team from an ass division host an 11-5 squad in a Wild…

No, they’re the second seed in their division and they get to play the third seed in their division. I agree it’s pretty dumb but eh, that’s the system, it’s division based, has its positivies and negatives. If it were the old way with 3 divisions and the division winners were the top 3 seeds, Tampa would be…

Well boo hoo, the Caps play the team that HAD to win like 20 of their last 30 games to get the last playoff berth on the second to last day of the season. Should teams be reseeded in the playoffs based on perceived “hotness”? Should the Flyers be bumped from Wild Card to 2nd based on the last two months?

The playoffs are about surviving attrition, you’d rather be dishing than receiving. As good as the Blues are, the top end talent on the Hawks is absurd and their chemistry is unreal, and the best way to disrupt that is by bruising ribs and creating doubt. Hits like the one Fabbri threw on Roszival are valuable,…

Andy Warhol, Fred Rogers, Gene Kelly, George A. Romero, Henry Mancini, August Wilson, both Ken Griffeys, every NFL quarterback ever (Marino, Namath, and yes, Unitas), Andrew Carnegie, Heinz Ketchup, the windshield on your car, most of the skyscrapers in New York City, Ron Paul (?) and a whole bunch of cool weird shit…

Really none of those things are true except the last one, and I’m a transplant who only roots for the Pirates. The two comparable teams are better both currently and historically, Baltimore doesn’t have a hockey team (fuck the Penguins but still). Johns Hopkins is a terrific school and the hospitals are excellent, but…

You’re kidding, right? Only thing Baltimore has over Pittsburgh is a dope aquarium.

Ah yes, Mr. Turkey.

The only thing keeping Bad Schenn afloat is the quality of the team he now plays for. A lot of guys will look functional (ancient Scuderi) on that Kings team, but as a standalone piece Luke is a garbage player. And Lecavalier has been better because he gets icetime, albeit a lot of powerplay and pretty sheltered, but…

Sometimes teams rebuild, so two straight playoff misses (if they totally fall on their faces in the next three games) isn’t some big horror. They weren’t nearly expected to make them this year, so it’s just gravy if they do. As for improvements-Gostisbehere? A rookie defenseman who paced for 60ish points? Schenn’s…

They made them in 2014, so it’d be two straight, and they still control their own destiny in these next three games. So, don’t speak from any authority here, especially considering that farm system, which contains the best group of D prospects in the league by far, two of which will likely be on the team next season.…

Yeah, Hextall is actually a good executive. Helped construct the LA juggernaut when he was there and then turned around and got them to take two terrible hockey players off the Flyers’ cap. His team will be competing for championships in a few years, tough to say that about any other team in Philly.