re patrick playoffs look like this in article bson apr hal gnu ai mit edu bson gnu ai mit edu jan brittenson writes in article apr sei cmu edu gjp sei cmu edu george pandelios writes the pens won t be playing montreal because boston will win adams divisional play buffalo and quebec will make decent showings boston out of sheer determination will win a game against the pens but no more they have heart but the pens have too many big guns and too many ways to win if boston does indeed win the adams nothing is certain and indeed gets to play the pens then i think you ll find a very different boston team this year boston will use every trick in the book to shut down the pens offense something they didn t even try last year the pens weak spot is defense and goaltending if boston first i enjoyed reading your post second i disagree with the pen s weak spot being defense and goaltending for a couple of reasons barrasso has had a spectacular year no slow start consistently sharp gaa and leads the league in wins tommy deserves the vezina given the lack of respect he commands though i doubt he will win it the other reason concerns the pens team defense they are hovering around rd or th in the fewest goals allowed that is a big improvement for them and it indicates that they are playing better team defense can shut down the pens offense and get an early goal then you have a real game if the pens score first then it s practically over i don t think the pens have the discipline to stick to the team game if they re held scoreless minutes into the second boston doesn t have the guns of the pens but the pens doesn t have the defense goaltending and discipline of boston still boston can put the puck in the net remember that boston is not a run and gun patrick style team although they played run and gun hockey for the better part of the regular season who doesn t even neely backchecks all the way in behind his own net if necessary penalty killing will be a big factor boston are i believe over the last something short handed situations meaning they have scored shg while giving up ppg one in a lackluster game against ottawa i d say the series will go to or but i m much less certain whether it will be in favor of the pens or the b s their styles going into the playoffs are too different to make it predictable still i d place my bets on the pens i think my prediction is that if the b s can get the first goal in four of the games they ll take the series otherwise the pens will but i d rather wait and see whether the b s will actually get out of the adams to begin with buffalo quebec and montreal aren t exactly planning to call it a game and go home jan brittenson bson gnu ai mit edu we ll see it ll be fun george george j pandelios internet gjp sei cmu edu software engineering institute usenet sei gjp fifth avenue voice pittsburgh pa fax disclaimer these opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the software engineering institute its sponsors customers clients affiliates or carnegie mellon university in fact any resemblence of these opinions to any individual living or dead fictional or real is purely coincidental so there
