[lawrence97]

1995/1996 Playoffs

Rnd1:We get Boston, they are a very average team Makarov at 37 hits 96, Reichel is good, but thats about it. Tie of the round is Was(5)@Phil(4) NYI(3) agianst Mon(6) should be good too Montreal is a strange team, their physicality is all up fron with Clark, Neely Corson and Reechi. whilst having non physical defenders such as Iafrate Boyle and Gonchar! We go 3-0 but takes 6 games to win, We did not look at our best! The Red Wings Flames Stars and Oilers lost 1 game between them! The top 4 in the wedst really is the top 4. ONly shoch of the roud is Buffalo, where forsberg outdueled by Sakic for Hartford. We meet them again next. Phil gets past Washington in 7, Islanders sweep Montreal, they are the team on form after Detroit!

Rnd2: We have Hartford, NY Islanders vs Philadelphia, Detroit vs Edmonton, the 5th time they have met in the playoffs Detroi 4-1 ahread, can Lemieux win another one? Dallas @ Calgary their first real test of the stars being a top team. Rangers win in 7, despite letting a 3-0 series lead drop. Can't do that against the teams that are left. Islanders defeat Philadelphia 4-2, Detroit-Edmonton goes 7, as does Calgary-Dallas.
Gretzky Lemieux part 5 is probably their bet series, Gretzky and Lemieux combined for 30 points accross the series, Detroit won two games in ot, including the final game, where Edmonton had teid in in the last 30 seconds of regulation, only for Gretzky to set up Bellows for the elimination goal! Gretzky 5-1 up now in playoffs duels. Lemieux may look to move, its been 13 years, 2 sc final losses, 5 conference final elimination, and they don't look like they can beat the big teams, even with Bourque in the line up.

Rnd 3: NYI vs NYR 4th meeting in 5 years 2nd straight conference final which Islanders won their only playoff series against us in 5 games, Which started with two beatings of us. Dallas continue to suprise me and surely will be owerpowered by Gretzky and Hasek. After the first two games we are tied at one and Detroit easily go 2-0 up. We however win both games @ the Islanders defspite mogilny and Selanne combinined for 8 goals in the first 4 games. Bondra Linden and Modano are are playoff aces with 40 goal in 17 games. Dallas however shock detroit to even the series at 2. Benoit Hogue Damphousse Fleury and Lavoie just playing out of their skins, Hogue got 50 goals in regular season on the fleury line after never getting past 31. We finish this series at the first time of asking 6-3, Bondra 2 goals and LIdstrom 3 assists to get us back in the SC final! Dallas win 7-6 in ot in game 5 at Detroit, a Hogue hatrick including the ot winner puts them on the brink! This team is bonkers! Then a 6 goal 3rd period at Dallas for the Red Wings tursn a 2-1 game into an 8-1 laughter. Gretzky 4 points, and its back to the Joe for the decider. Detroit goes 3-0 up, but 3 goals in 2 minutes in the first, all assisted by Damphousse gets the Stars even! A fourth assist in the second for Fleury's hatrick makes it 4-3(Hogue two assists, that line is crazy strong). Can they hodl out in the 3rd. 10 minutes passes despite Detroit presure, but Gretzky sets up Bellows for the equaliser, and with 2 1/2 minutes to go last year Conn Smythe winner Kasatonov puts them ahead, Dallas fights back, but a Hull en ends the game. Bravo Hogue Fleury and Damphousse for a sensational season against the big boys in the West.

Stanley Cup Final

Detroit vs NY Rangers. Undoubtedly the teams of the 90's. Since 87/88 Rangers have 4 presidents trophies, Detroit 3, with 2 going elsewhere. Detroit has 3 cups and we have 4 with Calgary getting the other one. Who will win this round?

Red Wings, have Gretzky-Hull-Bellows as a top line with 536 points between them, klima and Amonte are strong 2nd line forwards, with Larry Murphy kasatonov Chiasson and Zhtinik as a solid defensive corp. They have Roberts Murray and Rucinsky as a decent 3rd line. Hasek in goal.

With us, our strength lies in our defensive corps. Lidstrom Pronger Blake and Niedermayer should hopefully see us through. Bondra is our man to hopefully keep pace with Gretzky. Regular season series, 7-6, 6-5 and 7-4 wins all for Detroit, with first two being at MSG. Detroit are probably favourites.

Game 1: Early 2-0 lead for Detroit through Klima and Murray. Linden and Demitra score after 12 and 16 mins of 1st period to tie it at 2, but Gretzky gets final word on PP. 2nd period, is the period we want back, after outplaying them in the first, and an even game in the second, they score 3 unanswered goals to go 6-2 up, Chiasson Bouillon and Bellows, with 1 Gretzky assist. Period 3 we try to fight back, but its over Gretzky scores again early, Modano adnB rind'Amour make it 7-4 but Hull from Gretzky makes it 8-4 4 points for their top line, 2 assist for Bondra but a -2.

Detroit 1-0 Rangers

Game 2: Rangers have to fight back, Khabibulin gets the start. Detroit go 1-0 up through Racinsky, but Modano equalises soon after. Murphy puts Detroit back in the lead. 2nd Period, and the Rangers are back on it outshooting Detroit 17-2, Yashin Blake and Nedved make it 4-2, and need to hold on to get back to msg with a tied series. Brett Hull scores after 2 minutes to get them within one, and then equalises in the last minute. OT is all detroit 9 shots to 2, and they score through McLlwain. Rangers in a whole

Detroit 2-0 Rangers

Game3: That 5 straight games Detroit have won against us. But the rot stops here, an 8-3 win, with Bondra getting 4 points. Ozonlish gets us the lead after 1 beofre 3 goals in the 2nd end the game through Sanderson Yashin and Bondra. Amonte theb Bondra and 2 for Linden make it 7-1, before Bellows and Murphy get destroit to 7-3. Sanderson makes it 8.

Detroit 2-1 Rangers

Game4: Khabibulin is now the started for rest of the series. Carey had played majority of season. Detroit again score first through Kasatonov. but Palffy equalises 10 seconds later before Niedermayers makes it 2-1 Rangers to compete 1st period scoring. Rangers dominate play in that period, but second period is even, and althoughb we go 4-1 through Palffy and Pronger, Detroit then get the 2 goals there play deserves through Hull and Murray(No points for Gretzky so far). Third period and rangers outshoot and out play the Red Wings all period. Final Shots are 39-29 to us, but you have to make it count on the scoreboard. Bondra does just that to make it 5-3, but McLlwain scores soon after to make it 5-4. Despite heavy pressure we can't score, but Palffy then pops up again with 2 goals, to take his tally for the match to 4, and we win deservedly 7-4. Now we have to find a way to win at the Joe

Detroit 2-2 Rangers

Game 5: Heading into this game Gretzky leads on 44, Bondra Linden and Modano on 38, Palffy on 31, with Detroit Bellows and Hull on 32. Putting Modano and Linden on the top line rather than Yashin and Palffy after the 2 straight defeats, and Khabibulin in goal has changed the dynamics of this series. Its now us who have the better of the play. First period its 15 shots to 11, and we score 3 unaswered goals. Blake Linden and Richer with a killer at 19:59 of the period. 2nd Period Detroit make a strong start and get one back through McLlwain, but we then take over again, and Blake and Palffy have surely won it for us. Brind'Amour gets another in the third, and Klima gets a late consolation. We win easily 6-2 it has to be said. Gretzky agains the Modano line is now 1 assist in three game and a -3!

Detroit 2-3 Rangers

Game6: Can Gretzky find a way to solve Khabibulin and the Modano line? Or will the Rangers get to win the SC at MSG? Its a strong start by Detroit and they dominate the 1st period 12 shots to 5, but can't solve Khabibuilin, my MVP. Modano solves Hasek though, with assists from Linden and Bondra, who are a brilliant line it has to be said.Period 2, the Red Wings are deflated and are out shot 16-6. We don't make the mistake of not capitalising, and Niedermayer and Nedved make it 3-0. We can't let this slip. However 3 minutes into the 3rd, and Detroit is on the board, Zhtink from Hull. A few minutes later its Bouillon from Gretzky and out of nowhere its 3-2. Its an even period, with Rangers getting 12 shots to Detroit's 9. Gretzky plays well with his line generating a decent amount of shots it has to be said, buts its Khabibulin who wins, He doesn't allow any more goals, and is my playoff mvp, but lets see who does get it!

Detroit 2-4 Rangers


Gretzky gets 45 points, Linden 43 Modano 41 and Bondra 40, he had most goals with 20.

Hart: Wayne Gretzky
Conn Smythe: Trevor Linden
Calder: Valeri Bure (Win)
Norris: Niklas Lidstrom
Vezina:Mike Vernon(Dal-unsuprisingly)