Devils vs Sabres

	vs
DEVILS		SABRES
3-0		3-2

The Aesthetics
This is a quality Eastern Conference matchup. Or so it would seem on the face of it. Both logos have a few simple colors and a simple, clean design. But it's the subtle "NJ" in the devil that puts the Devils logo over.
Devils

The Nickname
The Devil is a pretty nasty character. You'll need more than a Sabre to defeat him.
Devils

The Analysis
This is where the Sabres logo has yet to earn a single point in the competition so far. Where is the sword? At least we see a silhouette with horns and a pointy tail in the Devils logo. We know what that is. If I didn't know any better I'd say the other logo was for a team called the Bison or the Buffaloes. Not the Sabres. I've gone though the whole Buffalo thing before. No sense in beating that horse. We'll call today sweep day.
Devils

WINNER

3-0

 

Hurricanes vs Islanders

	vs
HURRICANES		ISLANDERS
6-0		1-6

The Aesthetics
This one is quite obvious. One spells out the entire team name, the other doesn't. One blatantly features a hockey stick and an ugly puck. The other features a subtle puck and is just all-around better looking. Hmm, who could it be?
Hurricanes

The Nickname
Hurricanes have a habit of devastating islands leaving Islanders homeless from time to time.
Hurricanes

The Analysis
This is where you can't take for granted the little things like sending a shout-out to your home crowd. The outline of Long Island in the background of the blue circle in the Islanders logo makes a big difference. Here's the thing, though. On one side, I see a hurricane. Show me an actual islander and you can have this point, Isles. The "Gordon's fisherman" logo may have been silly, but at least I saw an islander in it.
Hurricanes

WINNER

3-0

 

Lightning vs Flyers

	vs
LIGHTNING		FLYERS
2-3		4-5

The Aesthetics
You would think the fact that the entire team name being spelled out would automatically lose this point for the Lightning. But that's not quite the case. The Lightning logo makes much better use of color in that there's more of it. Despite wearing black home jerseys, the only black in the logo is the drop shadow on the bolt. The Flyers logo is almost all black but for the orange circle in the middle.
Lightning

The Nickname
No bird can Fly through a Lightning storm. It would get zapped!
Lightning

The Analysis
Neither logo makes a representation of its home city. The Lightning wear a shoulder patch with the outline of the state of Florida behind the bolt, but that logo's not in this competition. This one spells out the whole name and therefore defeats the purpose of what a symbol should be. The Flyers, however, does that very well. It's a "P" for Philly with a wing attached. (I guess the "P" flies.)
Flyers

WINNER

2-1

 

Flyers vs Senators

	vs
FLYERS		SENATORS
4-4		3-2

The Aesthetics
It's funny. I never noticed the similarities between these two logos until just now. Both have wing-like elements on the left side and semi-circles on the right. Anyway, the Flyers logo has the same problem as the Sharks in the West. Too much black and not enough of the primary color. Find a way to make this logo more orange and then we'll talk. Until then, despite being a little heavy-handed with the detailing, the Senators logo is so much cooler looking.
Senators

The Nickname
Within the government, the Senator holds a lot of power over what laws should be passed to, say, protect endangered species, some of which may Fly. I know, a stretch, but you come up with something better. Seriously, comment away if you feel like it.
Senators

The Analysis
I'm not entirely sure what a Flyer is meant to be — perhaps a generic bird of some sort — but this competition is about logos, not team names. And when you say Philadelphia Flyers it's difficult for me to picture anything but the winged "P." So I'd say they got it right. I'm just not as happy with the Senators logo. I've heard rumblings that the Sens will go full-time with what is currently the third jersey logo. It's light years ahead of this one and I'd love to see them do it. Maybe then they can have this particular point.
Flyers

WINNER

2-1

 

Maple Leafs vs Rangers

	vs
MAPLE LEAFS		RANGERS
0-6		2-6

The Aesthetics
Don't we just love those Original Six matches? We have a combined total of 31 letters embedded in these two logos. How much worse can it get? There's no reason to spell out your team name all over a logo that is supposed to serve as a symbolic replacement for said name. I like the use of multiple colors in the Rangers logo but it's the unique maple leaf silhouette that at least gives us some graphical representation of the team name. They'll take the point.
Maple Leafs

The Nickname
If we're sticking with the whole park ranger interpretation — which is lame, I know — then its the Ranger who is in charge of protecting the Maple trees and their Leafs.
Rangers

The Analysis
Neither logo makes a real effort at city recognition but each has been in those cities for nearly a century. It's not that I hate old logos or those which have been around for many years. That's a big part of what hockey is today. These two logos are some of the most recognizable in all of sports. But that doesn't mean that graphically we still have to live in the early 20th century. Make a few upgrades to show us that these teams exist in 2007. A good example is the Bruins. Ward off staleness, folks. Now when it comes down to it, the Leafs logo takes this point for unique lettering and a very cool maple leaf outline. (Shut up! Did the Maple Leafs really just get a win?)
Maple Leafs

WINNER

2-1

 

Canadiens vs Flyers

	vs
CANADIENS		FLYERS
5-2		4-3

The Aesthetics
Here, both teams have rather generic names both logos are letter-based — one a "C" and the other a "P." And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I'm all for it. I'm also all for the use of color, which is rather lacking in the Flyers logo. A single small circle of orange doesn't exactly spread around the color. Like I've said, I like the third jersey logo a little better.
Canadiens

The Nickname
I'm not sure how a battle between a Canadien and a Flyer would go down, but if we say a Flyer is a bird, those are nasty little pooping machines and no one is safe when they are airborne.
Flyers

The Analysis
One thing I should've mentioned in the Aesthetics section is the attractive simplicity of these two logos. There's not a lot of annoying detail here, just plain old great logos. And they're similar in a lot of ways. In fact, both are division leaders at the moment. But ultimately, it's the use of color, the subtle "H" and the Flyers logo's need for an upgrade that insures the victory for the Canadiens.
Canadiens

WINNER

2-1

 

Islanders vs Rangers

	vs
ISLANDERS		RANGERS
0-6		2-5

The Aesthetics
You've been waiting for it. The big New York showdown. And how fitting for Independence Day. (Yeah, actually I don't know what relevance that has either.) First off, both logos break the cardinal rule of spelling out the name. On the upside, the Islanders logo at least does it a bit more artfully. The problem I have is the hockey stick and puck. As for the other one, blandness thy name is Rangers. Seriously, two words. Lady. Liberty.
Islanders

The Nickname
You know frankly, there's no reason an Islander couldn't also be a Ranger. Conundrum. But for argument's sake, we'll say they're two separate dudes — in a straight-up fistfight. Fishing net versus tranq gun. I think we all know who gets capped in this one.
Rangers

The Analysis
So we're even going into this category, but if you've been reading long enough, you already know where I'm going. The Rangers logo makes no attempt at recognizing its home city — unless you want to say the shield itself has an extremely subtle NY in it. Personally, I don't. With Long Island making an appearance in the Islanders logo, I have to send the point their way for the modicum of effort. (First victory for the Isles in the tourney.)
Islanders

WINNER

2-1

 

Penguins vs Canadiens

	vs
PENGUINS		CANADIENS
0-3		4-1

The Aesthetics
For clever design I'm going to award this point to the Canadiens. The Penguins logo loses it because of the blatant hockey stick that penguin is holding.
Canadiens

The Nickname
Canadiens and Penguins both live in the arctic. But humans can be vicious and penguins are not and so's the way it goes.
Canadiens

The Analysis
In prior matches, I've talked about how cool the Canadiens logo is for working in that mysterious "H." Some will say it stands for "hockey" but I like to think there's something more behind it. Something French, perhaps so as to tie the logo to its home city of Montreal. Meanwhile, the Penguins logo has no connection to Pittsburgh and might as well be from Kansas City. And as for the logo itself, I was always more a fan of the '90s penguin.
Canadiens

WINNER

3-0

 

Rangers vs Bruins

	vs
RANGERS		BRUINS
2-4		1-2

The Aesthetics
We've got a couple more Original Six teams here and neither comes in with a great record. The colors, shapes and designs of these two logos are very different from each other. But that doesn't mean they can't be compared. The drawback of the Rangers logo is the 14 letters that spell out the team name all over it. It needs an update... just like the Bruins logo got recently. It's pretty sharp-looking now, if you ask me.
Bruins

The Nickname
Don't tell me, back to the old park ranger bit again? Yes, but with a twist. If he's not careful the Ranger could get mauled and eaten by a Bruin.
Bruins

The Analysis
As far as representing the team name graphically, neither does a very effective job. In the Bruins logo, where's the bear? At least we have a "B" but that could stand for "Boston" or "Bruins." With the Rangers logo, I'm not sure why they don't switch to Lady Liberty on a full-time basis. This point is difficult to award because neither logo earned it. The Rangers logo takes it by a very slight margin.
Rangers

WINNER

2-1

 

Lightning vs Islanders

	vs
LIGHTNING		ISLANDERS
1-3		0-5

The Aesthetics
With a combined one win and nine matches between them, these are two rather weak logos. Both spell out the team names and the creativity of making the bottom end of the "Y" in NY into a hockey stick almost overcomes the use of the stick itself and the puck. It's almost like choosing the lesser of two evils here. The Bolts will get the point.
Lightning

The Nickname
Lightning would strike an Islander dead, especially if he's out on his boat in the middle of a storm. Where do I come up with this shit?
Lightning

The Analysis
There'll be no sweep here. The Long Island map keeps winning me over, especially when the Lightning logo has no relevance to the Tampa Bay area outside of the wordmark.
Islanders

WINNER

2-1