2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round Two (Part Four)

I love a good Game Seven. There’ll be at least one of those in two nights time when the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins face off for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals at the Capitals home arena, Verizon Centre in the District of Columbia.

If Pittsburgh’s effort to beat Washington at home in Game Five was big, well the Capitals breaking back to tie the series at a charged-up Mellon Arena in the Steel City was monumental. This series has been so spectacular. You almost don’t want it to end. The momentum shifts back and forth have been awesome to watch. Just when you think one team has the edge, it shifts back the other way. Game Seven is wide open. I can't pick a winner.
Congratulations to the Chicago Black Hawks for becoming the first team in the league to qualify for a Conference Final. They’ll be in the Western Series, facing the winner of the still-to-be-decided series between defending champions Detroit and the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions, the Anaheim Ducks. It could be decided tomorrow at Honda Centre in a Game Six that’s suddenly a sudden-death game for the Ducks.

Chicago were huge tonight. They are insanely fast, and there’s two kids on that roster, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Towes, who’re going to be at the top of this league for a long time to come. Add in guys like Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell and Brent Seabrook and you have a damned good hockey team. I think the Black Hawks are going to figure at the pointy end of the Western Conference for many years to come. They’re young and motivated and they don’t know what losing is all about.

As for whether they can beat either Detroit or Anaheim – the series seems to be leaning in the Red Wings’ favour, but who knows what the final two games may hold for either team – well, the jury’s still out on that…
So, we have two big games tomorrow: the afore mentioned Game Six in Southern California between the last two Stanley Cup Champions, Detroit and Anaheim. I think the Red Wings might win the game and the series. They have been dominant these last two games. They’ll oust Anaheim and go on to play Chicago for a slot in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

A few hours before that, Game Six between Carolina and Boston. It’s back at RBC Centre in Raleigh. If Carolina – and Eric Staal – play tomorrow night like they played Game Four at home, they’ll be damn near unbeatable. Of course, if they leak four goals like they did in Game Five they’re in trouble and will probably lose, forcing a Game Seven at TB Banknorth Garden in Boston. And then it’s anyone’s series to win, a la Pittsburgh and Washington. I still think Carolina can get it done.

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round Two (Part Three)

Game 5 - Pens win in OT vs. Washington, in Washington. That was a HUGE victory for the Pens, on the road. They go home to Mellon Arena for Game Six, with the upper hand. Washington came back from a deficit against the Rangers. Now the Pens are coming back from a deficit - albeit not as big as the 3-1 hole the Caps found themselves in on Broadway in Round One of the playoffs - against the Caps. It's interesting... I think this series will go Seven. I can't pick a winner.

Shame on the NHL for not getting this game, with it's marquee stars involved, on NBC, who showed a repeat of Law & Order. Whatever they may have charged, surely it was worth it, Commissioner Bettman? SURELY!!

Next on my Watch List...an intriguing Game 5 in Vancouver, Canada to come between the Black Hawks and the hometown Canucks.

What a great second round this has been! Ducks and Wings tied at 2. Hawks and Canucks tied at 2. Caps and Pens previously tied at two. Carolina with the upper hand against Boston - who would've thought that?! Surely not me. Not anyone in Boston, either. Eric Staal is leading the way for the Canes. It's exciting times. Talk about parity... You gotta love this time of the year!!

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round Two (Part Two)

Carolina and Chicago are on fire right now. Two teams who did not get much love from the pundits and critics ahead of their quarter final series – against Boston and Vancouver respectively – are having amazing series.
I admit I didn’t think the Hurricanes could keep up with Boston. After the 4-1 demolition job the Bruins did in the first game. Then the Canes come back and do a similar job in Game Two. Then they win the third with a dramatic OT goal. Eric Staal has been sensational for the Canes this series. People seem to forget, also, that Cam Ward won a Stanley Cup between the pipes a few years back. He hasn’t lost the skill.

Then…Chicago. Wow. They put 6 (6 of the last 7) in the net in the last two periods of Game Two after being down 0-2 for a 6-3 victory. They went home to United Centre and I thought that they’d carry the momentum. Not to be. They had a bad game at home in the Windy City. Then, Game Four – you see Vancouver totally dominate the game for the first 58 minutes. Then Chicago come alive with a late tying goal and, ultimately, an OT winner. It’s interesting now, tied at 2. I think the series will go right down to the wire. Still got my money on Vancouver, for their experience – but, saying that, I’d love to see the young Black Hawks win. Mark my words, there’s a stack of amazing young talent on the Hawks roster, led by Toews and Kane. They’ll be around for a while yet.

Watching Game Four – Washington vs. Pittsburgh. Been a very interesting game so far. Two soft goals, one each for Varlarmov and Fleury. Ovechkin’s hit on Sergei Gonchar ended up worse than it looked. I hope that Gonchar is okay. You don’t like to see a guy go down like that. Can't stand Sidney Crosby (and, to a lesser extent, Evgeni Malkin) smooching butt with the referees, trying for a major penalty against Ovie. It wasn’t that bad a hit, fellas. Give the striped crew some respect. It’s one of the most annoying things about Crosby – he’s always yap-yap-yap. No wonder no one likes the guy! Pittsburgh look the better team right now. I think this one will go to 7, especially if the series continues to go with the home ice advantage.

Quick turnaround for tomorrow’s Game 5 in Washington.

Also – Lakers in a HUGE Game Three vs. Houston & 500 miles for the NASCAR Spring Cup in Darlington tomorrow. Can’t wait!

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round Two (Part One)

Round Two - Part One

The Detroit vs. Anaheim series is intriguing right now. Nicklas Lidstrom, the consummate Swedish professional (and the first European captain to win the coveted Stanley Cup) won a tightly-contested Game One in Motown with forty-eight ticks of the clock left.

In game two, the Ducks broke back and won a 3OT thriller by 3-2, on the back of some outstanding goaltending by Jonas Hiller. People seem to forget that this is the team who took down San Jose, most people’s picks for Western Conference and Stanley Cup champion. They’re a good hockey team. They are aggressive on the fore check and guys like Chris Pronger are certainly not shrinking violets when it comes to dropping the gloves.

Going into The Joe and winning isn't an easy thing to do, especially not during playoffs. That joint is jumping at the best of times. During a playoff run, it’s as much as you can do to hear yourself think. It’s hard to win there when you’re not in a Red Wing uniform.

You cannot underestimate the home ice advantage. Yet Hiller, a goalie who supplanted the last Anaheim goalie hero, J.S Giguere (himself a Stanley Cup winner in net with the Ducks in 2007), earlier in the season, shut down the crowd as effectively as he shut down the Red Wings offense. It was reminiscent of Marc Andre-Fluery’s efforts in goal during Game 5 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals against the same Red Wings.

So, to Anaheim in sunny Southern California they went, for the third game in the so-far enthralling series. Everything suggested it would be close. It was. Hiller had another mammoth game, and the Ducks snuck away with a 2-1 victory, an important one on home ice. They win another in two nights, and they go back to Detroit with a chance to knock out the defending champs. Hiller has been sensational. Like with the victory over San Jose, if they win the series, it’s largely because of his work between the pipes.

Simply put, The Ducks are the giant killers of these playoffs. If they win Game Four in Honda Centre, watch out!
It’s really the time for unheralded goalies to stand up and show us what they’re made of, isn't it? Look at twenty-year-old Simeon Varlarmov in net for the Capitals. He’s had a HUGE series, off the back of a HUGE series against the Rangers in the first round. That save in Game One on Crosby was mind-blowing. Doc Emrick nearly blew a gasket.
Speaking of the Caps…

The Eastern Conference match-up between Crosby and Ovechkin – Pittsburgh and Washington – has been everything the press expected it would be. It has to make the folks at the NHL front office rub their hands with glee. Their two biggest stars on the ice against one another, and they both score hat-tricks in an epic Game Two that went to the Caps 4-3, despite the best efforts of one Sidney Crosby.

Seriously, what’s not to like? Ovie vs. Crosby; the Ovie-Malkin rivalry renewed; big hits; killer goal-tending; insane crowds rockin’ the red inside Verizon Centre; a shot at the Eastern Conference Finals; both teams hot on offense with good goalies. This is possibly the series to end all series’ this playoffs. I cannot wait for Game Four.

As for the other series in the East, Boston vs. Carolina, get back to me if the Canes win Game Three on their ice in Raleigh.