My Thoughts:
Eastern Conference
• Bruins vs Canadiens. To be honest, I was hoping for a little bit more out of this series. It currently stands at 3-0 Bruins and looks to be over tonight in Montreal. The Bruins just have too much depth for the Habs and Thomas has looked good when needed. Its hard not to root, at least a little bit, for the Canadiens, this being their Centennial season and all. However, living in New England has turned me into a bit of a Bruins fan and how can you not like a guy like Marc Savard. The Bs are going to be very tough to stop.
• Capitals vs Rangers. The Rangers have a 2-1 series lead after taking both games at the Verizon Center. Ochovechkin (my name for Alex Ovechkin following his 50th goal celebration) has been held without a goal in this series but has still been a force, most notably in game 3 at MSG. His strong defensive play and great backchecking on a short handed bid by the Rangers could have been a game-changing effort. I fully expect him to solve Lundqvist tonight and he may need to because I doubt the Caps' young goalie Simeon Varlamov can continue to stand on his head the way he has the last two games. If the Caps win tonight, look for this series to get heated as it heads back to DC for game 5.
• Devils vs Hurricanes. I'll admit it, I have barely watched this series. Not because I'm not interested but because I've have hated watching the Devils play for so long that its kind of a force of habit. What I do know is that the series is tied at two a piece with both teams splitting games at home. This one might go 7 games.
• Penguins vs Flyers. I hate the Flyers, I really do. They have a few players I admire as hockey players (read: Mike Richards) but I really despise them as a team, especially after they acquired cement-head Dan Carcillo at the trade deadline. As such, I could not be more pleased with the Pens having a 3-1 series lead as they head home for the potential last game of the series tomorrow. Biron is not a Stanley Cup-worthy goaltender. I'm sorry, its just fact. I loved the guy during his time in Buffalo and was sad to see him go, especially now that we dont have an NHL-calibre backup, but he is not the guy to lead a team to the Cup. Both Crosby and Malkin have been playing well for the Pens and Bill Guerin seems to have found new life after being dealt at the deadline. M-A Fleury stole the crucial fourth game for them and may be asked to do so more often as the Pens move forward. For this to really be considered the rivalry it is hyped up to be, the Flyers should start winning some games... Nevermind, forget I mentioned it. I could very easily see a Penguins vs Bruins Easter Conference Final.
Western Conference
• Sharks vs Ducks. Wow. That is pretty much all I can say at this point. For the Ducks to take both games in San Jose, a place the sharks played astonishingly well all season long, is absolutely out of this world as far as I'm concerned. It looked like the Ducks were selling off a lot of their talent at the deadline and were ready to start rebuilding but the veteran core pulled them into a playoff spot and now has the President's Trophy winners on their heels. The Sharks pulled out a lucky win yesterday on a night when Evgeni Nabokov did not look his best. Are the Sharks destined for post-season failure once again? I sure hope not and if they can win another at the Honda Center to pull even headed back to the Tank as well as get the power play back together I don't honestly see it happening. Yet.
• Red Wings vs Blue Jackets. This one was over before it even started. I had hoped the Jackets would at least win one hame game, and they still technically have a chance to, but the Red Wings are just too good and this was a mismatch from the start. I almost feel bad for the Columbus fans... Almost.
• Canucks vs Blues. Bummer. I was really pulling for the Cinderella story Blues to at least make a series of it. No dice however as the Canucks stifled the Blues' power play and Luongo outshined Mason. The Blues will be back in the playoffs sometime soon and I think the extended time off will actually hurt the Canucks despite the fact that they are a tad banged up, missing Sundin (a trade deadline acquisition) and Sammi Salo (how is this guy still in the league?)
• Blackhawks vs Flames. Whhooo baby does this series have all the makings of a classic. Until two days ago, the Flames had not won a game against the Hawks in over a year. With the series at 2-1 Hawks and game four set for tonight in Calgary, its anybodies game. Things got quite chippy in game three and look for things to stay that way for the remainder of the series. Chicago gets a boost as Pat Kane returns tonight after fighting off the flu but after the tongue-lashing Jarome Iginla took last time, I would not want to go up against this team.
No comments:
Post a Comment