Sports GFX Back Up!
Sports GFX is back up! Unfortunately we had experienced some major issues, so you'll need to re-register on the forums. This is a good chance to start fresh, and hopefully we can quickly grow. To contribute to this, we will be hold a graphics tournament within the next couple of days.
NHL PLAYOFFS ROUND 2 PREVIEW
Posted By Geordie
Well, we've now reached the second round of the NHL playoffs. Only eight teams remain standing, and two of them are Canadian. Who will advance to the Conference Finals? Who will advance directly to the golf course? Well, we won't know for at least a week. In the meantime, here is my look at the second-round matches.
(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers
Analysis: This state battle will be a hotly contested one, as there has always been some bad blood between these two teams. The Rangers may get off to a bit of a slow start in the series, having quickly swept Atlanta a week ago, but don't expect the President's Trophy-winning Sabres (who dispatched the Islanders in five games) to take this upstart Rangers team lightly. New York will also want to erase their dubious 0-4 mark in games against the Sabres this season. The Rangers will need to step up their game to match Buffalo if they have any aspirations of reaching the Eastern Conference Final.
Buffalo Sabres
Brian Campbell, D - Campbell is the undisputed anchor of the Sabres defence. He can do it all for them on the back end: He can skate, he can play offence, he can play defence, and he can play physical (just ask R.J. Umberger). Campbell will be called upon to perform perhaps the hardest task in the NHL today: Shut down Jaromir Jagr. If he can succeed in his mission, the Sabres will have an excellent shot at advancing.
Ales Kotalik, RW - Enjoyed a less-than-stellar opening round against the Islanders (only 1 point in the series). Kotalik, along with Jochen Hecht (0 points), and highly-touted rookie Drew Stafford (2 points) will need to step up their game in order to provide the Sabres with a balanced four-line attack, because they can't rely on guys like Maxim Afinogenov, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, and Thomas Vanek to carry them for the duration of the playoffs if they hope to win the Stanley Cup.
Tim Connolly, C - Connolly is a flashy, offensive-minded forward who only played 2 regular-season games this season due to post-concussion syndrome. Since his return, he has looked comfortable, having notched three assists in Round 1. The Rangers will present the first tough test for Connolly, with agitators like Colton Orr, Ryan Hollweg, and Sean Avery on the other side looking for his head. If he can survive past this round, he could become a vital cog in an already potent Buffalo offence.
New York Rangers
Jaromir Jagr, RW - Jagr, when committed, is still the best hockey player in the world, and he still has the potential to carry a team on his back. He has vision like no other in the NHL today, and he still gets the job done as a result. If he wants to succeed in this series, however, he will need to deal with the formidable rearguard tandem of Brian Campbell and Henrik Tallinder, who have the potential to frustrate the highly skilled Czech. If he gets frustrated, he'll start to lose his focus, and as he goes, so do the Rangers.
Sean Avery, C - Avery has suddenly blossomed into a complete player upon his arrival at Madison Square Garden earlier in the regular season. Playing alongside Jaromir Jagr, Avery has put up surprising offensive numbers, even averaging a point per game in the playoffs. Avery is one of the biggest pests in the game, but he's finally starting to show that he can back up the words that come from his unusually large mouth. Avery will need to get under the skin of the Buffalo skill players quickly if the Rangers are to advance.
Henrik Lundqvist, G - Hank was absolutely stellar in the first round against Atlanta, paving the way for the series sweep with solid goaltending. Lundqvist may have to step up his game even more to match his counterpart, equally solid Ryan Miller. Although his numbers are currently sparkling (4-0, 1.50 GAA, .939 SV%), if the Ranger rearguards can't handle the Buffalo forwards, this could be a long series for Mr. Lundqvist.
Welcome to Sports GFX V2!
We're hoping for a fresh new start. Sports GFX originally launched in May of 2006, and had been running rather strong, but due to the new school year, and a lack of time, I found I had little time to keep this site active.
Recently, I decided to revive this site. I put up some temp forums, just so we could get started. Now that the new skin and everything is complete, we hope to go only forward from here, and reach our maximum potential. That can't be done without you though, and would really be appreciated if you could become and stay active, to help this site grow.
Here's what V2 includes:
- New website
- A sick new skin for the forums
- An upgrade from MyBB to IPB
- Many new forum mods which are currently being worked on, such as and arcade and shop
- A new server
- More tutorials
- A V.I.P. program that we'd like to get up soon
- A gallery
- More articles by some of our talented writers
- Sig and wallpaper of the week
- More tournaments
- A fresh start
We are a work in progress, and are always looking to improve, so feel free to offer your suggestions.
Thanks and stay active!,
sunster13



