1997/1998 NHL Playoffs
Islanders and Flames should be only oppsotion for me, but i am expecting the Cup in dominant fashion.
Rnd1: Boston with Reichle as star playerget swept and conceed 31 goals. Islanders through, Canadiens beat Flyers in 7 in highlight of the round(Ex Rangers Neely and RIchter and Iafrate vs Roy, Messier Kariya and Robitaille) Detroit Calgary Stars and Oilers all through.
Rnd2: Gretzky vs Bure in Rnd 2 is a highlight in match up of two of recent Stanley Cup Winners. Other winners Rangers get Montreal, and defending Champs Edmonton get the plucky Stars. We shows why we traded away those players to Montreal as beat them easily, although they did win 1 game. Islanders sweep Ottawa, and its another Islanders-Rangers rematch. Oilers thump Stars, but heavyweights Flames and Red Wings in a 7th game. Detroit win at home to set up anoter Gretzky-Lemieux showdown!
Rnd3: For the fourth year running Islanders and Rangers meet in the Conference Final. Oilers of Lemieux vs Red Wings of Gretzky meet up for the 7th time. Detroit ahead 4-2 in series match up but Edmonton stronger now, as Detroit look old.
East
NYR (1) 161pts vs NYI (3) 134pts
Game1:Niedermayer hat trick in a 11-1 Romp for Rangers 1-0 Islanders
Game2:Islanders win 3-2 Mogilny and Shanahan score the goals to tie the series!
Game3: 4th liner Satan the hero, with 3 points as a tight game goes 7-6 to the Rangers, Islanders had bigget lead of the game a 6-4 after 2, but Visnovsky and Lidstrom tries it in the third, before Sanderson OT goal wins it!
Game4: Islanders win 5-4! Shanahan and Gratton early in third enough for the win, to turn a 3-4 deficit into a win!!
Game5: Anoter tight game after the first game blowout 6-5 to the Rangers, Bondra with his 6th and 7th, scores the 3rd period goals to break a 4-4 tie and the 6-5 winner.
Game6:Rangers through! But in OT, 3-2 Kerr equalises with 18:56 gone in the third. Brind'Amour from LIdstrom the series winning goal!
West
Edm(1) 117pts vs Det(2) 116pts
Game1::OT winner by Mario Lemieux after Gretzky equalises with 13 sceonds to go. Edmoton wins 8-7. Gretzky 2 goals, but Lemieux 7 points with 3g 4a!)
Game2:Edmonton 10-2, Lemieux 4 points, Gretzky 0 in a thumping.
Game3
etroit 4-3 winners, and in ot, Lemieux only point in the game is to put the oilers 3-2 up early in third. Tarnstrom equalises for Detroit, adn Svehla wins it in ot, Gretzky had a goal and an assist early.
Game4: Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky score a hat trick each! But Detroit always ahead to tie series up
Game5:Edmoton win 4-2 for a 3-2 serie lead. Lemieux and Gretzky pointless for ones!
Game6: Edmonton wins another shootout, Claude Lemieux with 4 points and a hat trick, Mario with 4 points, Gretzky 1 goal and 3 assists!
Its a repeat of last years final where we got run over!
Stanley Cup Final
We've slowed in the playoffs, Bondra not scoring as highly, will change lines ups and top scorere for us Brind'Amour(25 in 15) is going on a line with Modano and Linden agaisnt the Lemieux line. Mario has 42 points in 16 games, Gretzky had 39 in 18. Lindros is still dangerous, as is second line of Francis Kozlov and Stillman. Regular season was a 3 gamed sweep for the Rangers, 9-1, 5-4 and 6-5. But this was alsmot exactly same scenario as last year. Can we get revenge for last year?
Game 1: Rangers 9-2 Oilers. Bondra best game of playoffs with 3 goals and an assist. Linden 4 points, Lemieux an assist but -2. So far so good
Rangers 1-0 Oilers
Game2:Rangers 4-3 two early goals by defenders Niinima and Brown, get Edmonton on board first, Bondra with 50 seconds to go in the first makes it 1-2. In the 3rd, Yashin with 2 and Kovalev gives us a lead that we hold onto for the win. Lemieux 1 point only again and 0 on the plus minus
Rangers 2-0 Oilers
Game3:Oilers 2-5 Rangers. Although KOlzig in goal is a massive upgrade for them, Brind'Amour Linden and Modano is a match for the Lemieux line, in fact its beating them overall! Lemieux again 1 assist and a +1. Rob Blake actuall gets 2 goals, with Modano and Linden and then KOvalev making it 5-1 before McGillies gets a late consolation
Rangers 3-0 Oilers
Game4:Oilers 3-6 Rangers. We get the Stanley Cup, apart from the Islanders, no one was a match for us this season, Ranges 4-0 after 2 minutes of the 2nd, Demitra, Blake Linden and Satan with the goals. Brown from Francis makes it 4-1, but Blake makes it 5 with his second straight 2 goal game, Lemieux with a goal and only points(4 in 4 for him)of the game make it 5-2 heading into the third, MacGillis with his 4th of the playoffs makes it interesting with 12 to go, but a minute later Blake completes the HAT TRICK! Thats 10 for him, ends it! Lemieux top scores in playoffs with 46, Brind'Amour for us with 31, Modano Demitra, Blake and Linden Yashin Kovalev and Palffy all in the 20's showing that our strength in depth is too much this year.
Hart: Lemieux
Conny Smythe: Lemieux(scandalous decision!)
Calder: Marc Savard
Norris:Lidstrom(3rd straight!)
Vezina: Richter(Mtl)