Welcome one and all to Stanley Cup Playoff hockey! I certainly hope you’ve been watching and enjoying the first round; but if not, I’ll try to quickly bring you up to speed with the most current goings-on…
My playoff darling Vancouver Canucks (1) had a chance to be the first team into the second round on Tuesday night. Having won two straight at home, Vancouver also scored a commanding game three win on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks (8). The fourth meeting on Tuesday, however, was not to be the last. After the teams sparred to a 1-1 tie in the first, the Hawks broke the game open in the second period. The generally unflappable Roberto Luongo looked like Steve Mason with mono, and Chicago found the net six (!) times in a row. It should be a battle Thursday in game five….we’ll see whether the Hawks can make a series of it, or whether Vancouver can again show its might in closing out Chicago to end round one.
Wouldn’t you be sick if you were an LA Kings (7) fan right now? On Tuesday night with their series vs. San Jose Sharks (2) tied at one game apiece, the Kings were sitting on a 4-0 lead at home. I had just watched Chicago destroy the Canucks, and felt like I was about to witness another beating in LA. After their fourth goal at the beginning of the second period, I went to bed thinking the Kings had this one in the bag. But San Jose would roar back with three straight goals, closing the gap to 4-3. It was the Kings who scored next to extend their lead, but the Sharks rallied with two more to tie the game at five….and that was all in the second period. (I guess I should’ve stayed up a little longer.) After a scoreless third, the Sharks would net the game-winner three minutes into OT. Jackets fans everywhere are realizing that things could be worse….our ‘roll over and die’ performances could have happened, as was the case in Los Angeles, in the playoffs. San Jose leads the series, 2-1.
You have to love overtime in playoff hockey. None of the short, open four-on-four format of the regular season….just period after period until somebody puts a puck in the goal. Wednesday night showcased the best OT game I’ve seen this post-season as the Washington Capitals (1) and New York Rangers (8) ended regulation knotted 2-2. The teams battled through almost two full overtime periods, each nearly capitalizing on chance after chance to score. But it was none other than former Blue Jacket Jason Chimera who broke the tie and won the game for Washington, knocking in a puck that bounced off him and almost right into an open net. With the victory, the Caps seized a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Another former Blue Jacket, Rusty Klesla, reached his own career milestone on Wednesday as the Detroit Red Wings (3) took on the Phoenix Coyotes (6). He became what I can only assume is a rare statistic (what, me research?) of guys who, in their first eight playoff games were: swept twice…by the same team…while playing with two separate teams. (Thanks to John Kemp for pointing out that tidbit.) Rusty died at the four-game sword of the Wings in ’09 with the Jackets, and has now also done so with Phoenix. Detroit broke open a close game in the third period, and prevailed 6-3 over the dogs from the desert. There’s probably still a chance to get in on Scottie Upshall‘s tee time for this weekend, Rusty. Best of luck to you next year…
(And in related, saddening news: the Red Wings have advanced to play at least four more games this season.)
The only team I like to see lose as much as Detroit is the Nashville Predators (5), who are in a dog-fight with the Anaheim Ducks (4). (You thought about Michael Vick just then, didn’t you?) The series is tied 2-2 after the Ducks turned in a dominant performance Wednesday, winning 6-3 in Nashville. Go write a sad country song about it, Preds fans; and here’s hoping your achy breaky hearts don’t have to deal with a round two.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins (4) and Tampa Bay Lightning (5) get less air time than the big-market teams from NYC and DC, so shall they get less effort here. (Sorry, Bob.) The Pens got an OT win on Wednesday, and now lead the Bolts 3-1 in their first round series.
(And in related, less covered news, the Montreal Canadiens (6) lead the Boston Bruins (3) 2-1.)
Finally, hats off to the Buffalo Sabres‘ (7) Ryan Miller for his shutout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers (2) Wednesday. You may remember him best as the goaltender for Team USA during the last Olympics. I don’t care who you are; a good old-fashioned, red-blooded American should never root against the goalie for our national team. That series is also now tied 2-2.
Weekly Reader Predictions
Below are my first-round playoff predictions as submitted to the Fansided writers’ pool before the first games were played…
West:
Vancouver in five
San Jose in five
Detroit in four
Anaheim in seven
East:
Washington in six
Philadelphia in six
Montreal in seven
Pittsburgh in five