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Superfraggle · 04-21-2012, 04:21 PM

The Past:

Day 62: Columbus 3 Montreal 2 : Outshot 41-33, Miller came up big for the win. Mtl led 2-0 at one point.

Day 112: Columbus 4 Montreal 3: Again outshot 44-33, again Miller outplayed Rinne for the win. Again, Mtl led 2-0. Had two goals disallowed, though.

So Columbus narrowly won both games, despite being outplayed on the strength of Ryan Miller. Unfortunately for them, Pekka Rinne has really come into his own since the last time we met, which may be the deciding factor in this series.

The Trade(s)

First and foremost:

To Columbus: Ryan Miller
To Montreal: Pekka Rinne and Michael Latta

Few would argue that this, more than any other, is the deal that turned around the Blue Jackets' season. Ryan Miller came in and stole the show for the first couple months, inspiring an impressive turnaround in his teammates.

Rinne, on the other hand, struggled at first as a Hab. GM Superfraggle never lost hope, however, fending off many offers for the struggling keeper. As the season closed, his faith was rewarded, as Pekka Rinne caught fire and comes into the finals as the top playoff goalie in the league.

Many believe that the fate of the 2012 CPHL Championship comes down to these two men. Miller has a history of success. Rinne is the hottest goalie around. Who will prevail?!!!

The Other Big Trade:

To Columbus: Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf, Cory Sarich, Mikael Granlund

To Montreal: Anze Kopitar, Chris Pronger, Bruno Gervais

From this trade only Vanek, Kopitar, and Gervais remain with the team they were dealt to. Pronger begat Michalek, who begat Ryan Whitney for the Habs, while Phaneuf was dealt with Rene Bourque (previously acquired from the Habs for Havlat, who begat Stafford) in a large deal which brought in Kuba and Lombardi.

The Road So Far:

Columbus (4th seed in the west):
defeated Dallas (5th seed) in 5 games
defeated Nashville (6th seed) in 6 games
defeated Anaheim (7th seed) in 4 games

Rick Nash leads the league by far with 24 points in 15 games
Brendan Morrison with 19 points
Mike Richards and Thomas Vanek with 15 each
Ryan Miller: 12-3-0, 2.63 GAA, 0.917 Sv%

Montreal (6th seed in the east):
defeated Washington (3rd seed) in 6 games
defeated Philadelphia (5th seed) in 5 games
defeated Ottawa (2nd seed) in 5 games

Anze Kopitar leads the team with 16 points in as many games
Alexander Semin and Patrick Marleau have 15 points each
Pekka Rinne: 12-3-1, 2.33 GAA, 0.930 Sv%, 3 assists

The Keys

For Montreal:
#1: Goaltending
#2: Shut Down Rick Nash
#3: Take advantage of team depth

For Columbus:
#1: Goaltending
#2: Limit Montreal's scoring chances
#3: Satiate any karma gods MJK may have angered over the course of the season.

Should be a great series.

04-21-2012, 04:21 PM	#1
Superfraggle First Line Centre Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Calgary Exp:	Stanley Cup Final Preview The Past: Day 62: Columbus 3 Montreal 2 : Outshot 41-33, Miller came up big for the win. Mtl led 2-0 at one point. Day 112: Columbus 4 Montreal 3: Again outshot 44-33, again Miller outplayed Rinne for the win. Again, Mtl led 2-0. Had two goals disallowed, though. So Columbus narrowly won both games, despite being outplayed on the strength of Ryan Miller. Unfortunately for them, Pekka Rinne has really come into his own since the last time we met, which may be the deciding factor in this series. The Trade(s) First and foremost: To Columbus: Ryan Miller To Montreal: Pekka Rinne and Michael Latta Few would argue that this, more than any other, is the deal that turned around the Blue Jackets' season. Ryan Miller came in and stole the show for the first couple months, inspiring an impressive turnaround in his teammates. Rinne, on the other hand, struggled at first as a Hab. GM Superfraggle never lost hope, however, fending off many offers for the struggling keeper. As the season closed, his faith was rewarded, as Pekka Rinne caught fire and comes into the finals as the top playoff goalie in the league. Many believe that the fate of the 2012 CPHL Championship comes down to these two men. Miller has a history of success. Rinne is the hottest goalie around. Who will prevail?!!! The Other Big Trade: To Columbus: Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf, Cory Sarich, Mikael Granlund To Montreal: Anze Kopitar, Chris Pronger, Bruno Gervais From this trade only Vanek, Kopitar, and Gervais remain with the team they were dealt to. Pronger begat Michalek, who begat Ryan Whitney for the Habs, while Phaneuf was dealt with Rene Bourque (previously acquired from the Habs for Havlat, who begat Stafford) in a large deal which brought in Kuba and Lombardi. The Road So Far: Columbus (4th seed in the west): defeated Dallas (5th seed) in 5 games defeated Nashville (6th seed) in 6 games defeated Anaheim (7th seed) in 4 games Rick Nash leads the league by far with 24 points in 15 games Brendan Morrison with 19 points Mike Richards and Thomas Vanek with 15 each Ryan Miller: 12-3-0, 2.63 GAA, 0.917 Sv% Montreal (6th seed in the east): defeated Washington (3rd seed) in 6 games defeated Philadelphia (5th seed) in 5 games defeated Ottawa (2nd seed) in 5 games Anze Kopitar leads the team with 16 points in as many games Alexander Semin and Patrick Marleau have 15 points each Pekka Rinne: 12-3-1, 2.33 GAA, 0.930 Sv%, 3 assists The Keys For Montreal: #1: Goaltending #2: Shut Down Rick Nash #3: Take advantage of team depth For Columbus: #1: Goaltending #2: Limit Montreal's scoring chances #3: Satiate any karma gods MJK may have angered over the course of the season. Should be a great series.