[pete_b]

What does everybody think about the tight race in the East between the Flyers and the Rangers. Is this finally the Rangers time to shine or do the Flyers have to much pride not to win their division. Are the young Rangers gonna show up the experience Flyers or does experience hold water in the end. Just curious. Im a Flyer fan myself. Im a big Esche fan. Any New Yorkers wanna make something of it?

[ThePundit]

Hi again, Pete B. I'm an Islander fan, and besides the Islanders winning, nothing gives me more pleasure than to see the Rangers lose.

To give you an idea of how much I loathe the Rangers, I don't recognize their alleged 1994 cup. Since all they really did was buy the whole Edmonton team that year, I credit that cup to Edmonton.

So hopefully the Rangers will fall apart. (Hopefully the Islanders can make a move but I highly doubt they will)....1940 forever!!!!

[blueandwhite]

the things I am learning on this site - that is hilarious, that whole 1940 story. Or it's very very serious. because the curse continues.
I think the Leafs haven't won since 67 'cause they just can't win. Or it's the curse of Harold Ballard.

[EmpireWF]

Gotta love Isle fans...hanging on to those 70s championships...

Anyway, I may be a bit biased but I love the chances of the Rangers to lead the division and possibly move up in the Eastern Confernece. Lundqvist is as hot as a goalie can be. Jagr's mishaps in the Olympics (as far as injuries go) scare the hell out of me. He was as hot as a scorer could be. He needs to continue his record setting pace.

In a month or so, Prucha will be coming back and who knows what Sather will be doing at the deadline.

[anrobins]

This is something the NHL needs, two of its bigger market teams from the East battling for first place. On paper, the Flyers look good, but they must keep their injury prone veterans healthy down th stretch. The Rangers are an unkown to me because of their youth. Their goalie is on a roll, especially with the confidenc boost the gold medal is sure to give him. Right now, I say the advantage goes to the Rangers, but this race should be exciting in the final 25 games.

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by anrobins

This is something the NHL needs, two of its bigger market teams from the East battling for first place.

No way! That's the last thing the league needs. It may be what it WANTS, but not what it needs. The eastern conference has virtually every up and coming star in the league, it has a majority of the major hockey markets, the solid attendance and nothing short of an east coast bias.

What the NHL needs is powerhouses and great matchups in the west to balance the east. The only team anyone ever talks about on a consistent basis or respects in the west is Detroit. What the NHL needs to do is pay attention to and build respect in western markets.

[anrobins]

I agree that the NHL needs to build its western markets, but it needs success from its big market teams to gain exposure. I love that Nashville and Carolina have been successful. However, reality shows that with the NHL unwilling to be creative in marketing itself, the big markets need to win if we want more games on NBC and the OLN deal to change.

What I would really love to see is the NHL back in places like Winnepeg. They had great fans who understood the game. It is frustrating to watch my beloved Wings play in places where the fans are basically clueless.

[davetex]

Originally Posted by pete_b

What does everybody think about the tight race in the East between the Flyers and the Rangers.

Its going to be close. But, I think the Flyers will pull it off. Man, if the Flyers had all their men healthy.....no brainer!

[CityofBrotherlyShove]

Im a Flyer fan myself.

Welcome Pete! I'm a Flyers fan too - born and raised in Philadelphia.

I agree that the race for the Atlantic Division lead will be a good one these next two months. Winning the Atlantic Division is going to be crucial for the Flyers and Rangers, given how well the Sabres, Hurricanes, and Sens are playing. It could be the difference between a #3 ranking and a #5 or #6 ranking in the playoffs, which is huge.

As far as the Flyers are concerned, it comes down to two things: health and goaltending.

The Flyers have not been healthy all year - they have yet to play a game with a fully healthy lineup. Odds are that Primeau will not return this season, if at all, so replacing him will be difficult. But it looks, by all accounts, like Forsberg is finally healthy, as are Handzus, Pitkanen, and Kapanen. Gagne should be back soon as he is recovering from a Kasparitis hip check and Kim Johnsson and Chris Therien are recovering from concussions. In addition, the Flyers rookies, upon whom the team has been dependant as of late, are all well rested and ready for the playoff run.

As far as the goaltending goes, it's hard not to feel confident. Esche came into theis season as the starter, though he has struggled a bit with a handful of injuries. In his absense, Antero Niittymaki has played lights out hockey, including winning a silver medal in the Olympics and being named MVP. Hitch swears there is no goalie controversy, but I remain unconvinced. As far as I'm concerned , the job is up for grabs. May the best goalie win.

It will be an incredible two months for hockey, there's no doubt about that. Go Flyers!