Through Two

Canucks lead Sharks 2-0

It never ceases to amaze me how hockey analysts still can overrate the effect a fight can have on a game. I'm sure that there are times when a fight can help to change the momentum and possibly the courst of a game. However, I think that is far more common in the regular season than in the playoffs. There isn't much fighting in the playoffs to begin with, and the stakes are so high at this point that if you really need to see a teammate fighting to get you motivated, then you probably weren't a big reason your team is in the Conference Finals. Last night, Jeremy Roenick was all over the fight between Marleau and Bieksa. He went so far as to label it the potential "turning point" in the series. I don't know how much of this was attributable to his earlier comments calling Marleau "gutless," but I have to think that JR was trying to make amends with his effusive praise for Marleau deciding to drop the gloves. Of course I think everyone got a good laugh when Keith Jones told Roenick that Marleau was merely pretending that "he was punching your (Roenick's) head." Needless to say, it was the sloppy defense and penalties that were the real reason for the Sharks falling into a 2-0 hole in the series. The Sedins finally starting looking like the world-clas players they are, and the Sharks simply had no answers in their own zone.

Once the game got out of hand, the most entertaining thing to watch was Ben Eager's meltdown. If it wasn't his moronic attempts to get Maxim Lapierre to fight, then it was his laughable attempt to smack talk Luongo after scoring to cut the Canucks lead to 7-3 with a few minutes left in the third period. I've never seen an NHL player so blatantly stand over a goaltender in the crease and try to talk smack. The fact that his team was getting blown out made it a cringe-worthy incident. Thankfully, the linesmen and referess handled it perfectly. One linesman bolted to the net and cleared it out of the wayso Luongo could extricate himself from the mess, and the rest of the officials managed to calm the situation. I give Luongo a lot of credit for not going berserk there. He even handled the post-game interview with class, refusing to divulge what Eager said to him. My personal favorite was when Luongo said, "It's good that he's on the ice. He keeps taking penalties."

Finally, in what was the worst uncalled crease violation since Brett Hull, Alex Burrows somehow managed to get away with having both of his skates firmly in the crease on the fourth Canuck goal. It's impossible to say if it would have made a difference since the Canucks looked so dominant, but it was a 3-2 game at the time. I noticed the violation instantly and was shocked that it wasn't called. Darren Pang pointed this out immediately on the Versus broadcast (leave it to the goalies....). He noted on the replay that it was clearly goalie interference. I hate to say it, but in this case it would have almost been necessary for Niemi to draw attention to the fact that he was interefered with. One of the aspect of Niemi's game that I think makes him so successful is how calm and focused he remains in spite of the chaos that is going on in and around the crease. In this situation it worked against him. Surprisingly, not a single Sharks player or coach seemed to lobby for a call.

Right now, the Canucks look dominant. That certainly doesn't mean this series can't change. We only have to look back to the Canucks' near collapse in the first round to see that dominance in one or two games doesn't guarantee it will continue.

Right place, right time

There are nights when you sit back on your couch after a game and pity those who aren’t hockey fans, those who weren’t counting down the minutes to the game, those who dismiss hockey as some sort of bizarre Canadian fascination that isn’t worth their time, those who don’t fiddle with the radio dial while driving in an attempt to find any station that is discussing the big hockey game instead of the relief pitcher who just blew his 3^rd save in a May baseball game or the latest NBA player to make a fool of himself. Last night was one of those nights. It was a night where the hockey Gods rewarded the hockey fans.

Yesterday afternoon, I was driving and listening to a national sports talk radio program when they took 2 minutes out of their 5 hour discussion of Lebron James in order to quickly discuss the upcoming Game 7 between the Wings and Sharks. “There’s no star power.” Yup, I actually heard someone say that. Shortly thereafter, someone else said that for the casual fan, star power in the NHL begins and ends with Crosby and Ovechkin. These are the people we hockey fans pity after a game like last night.

This series between the Red Wings and Sharks was one that reinforced my belief that traditional rivalries can often be overrated when measuring the entertainment factor of a playoff series. This didn’t have any historical rivalry to draw from – no video to trot out during breaks of fantastic finishes or legendary games from the 60’s. The Sharks haven’t even been around long enough. There was no hate factor here. If anything, this was more akin to two heavyweight fighters with a mutual respect going at it. There were no dirty hits, no fights, and no genuine animosity aside from the typical after-the-whistle nonsense that is typical of every play-off game that is played. It was a shame that either team had to lose.

Apparently, coming back after being down 0-3 is the new thing to do. Three times in the last two playoff seasons? Craziness. The fact that only the Flyers were able to finish the job underscores how difficult it is to complete the comeback and how much it takes out of the tank. The Wings gave everything they had, and Datsyuk had perhaps the most legendary performance by any player whose team didn’t live to see the third round. Even down 3-1, he almost singlehandedly got the Wings back into the game with a shot that I still can’t figure out how it went in. Thornton was almost as brilliant. We know Joe isn’t exactly the most colorful guy, but he certainly didn’t wilt under the pressure. He played the way a star center should, and I know hockey fans are eagerly anticipating watching him go head-to-head with Kesler in the next round. Despite their players succumbing to injury at an alarming rate, you kept seeing Datsyuk and Zetterberg buzzing around simply refusing to let the Wings season come to an end. However, the goal that ended the series was scored, appropriately, by Patrick Marleau. Called “gutless” just a few short days ago, Marleau played an outstanding hockey game. Even Jeremy Roenick gave him credit for stepping up. And let’s be honest, JR wasn’t really that far off base when he called Marleau “gutless” after Game 5. Perhaps that actually ignited the fire that drove Marleau to play better. Who knows? Regardless, Marleau was simply in the right place at the right time when he scored that game-winning goal - just like all the hockey fans who were sitting in front of their tvs for a very memorable Game 7 in a tremendous series. I pity those who missed it…

Weekend action

Lightning take 2-0 series lead on Capitals

The Caps are inviting disaster by dropping the first two games on home ice after falling in OT last night against the Lightning. If they do not mount a comeback to take this series, this might be the end for Boudreau behind the bench. Worse yet, I don't know if Mike Green will recover. This has been a nightmare of a season for Mike Green. If he isn't getting blasted in the head by the puck, he's taking stupid penalties or lapsing defensively. Last night was basically a microcosm of his season. The game was tied 1-1 and the Caps had finished dominating the second period, in which Green took a roughing minor. St. Louis attempted a slap-pass over to Lecavalier which connected perfectly with Green's skate blade before sliding past a desperately diving Neuvirth. Wrong place, wrong time. Shortly afterwards Green would take an ill-advised roughing penalty when he decided to stop short of playing the puck against the boards in order to drive an elbow backwards into Steven Stamkos' face. Wrong place, wrong time. Then in overtime, after a horrific line change by the Caps, Green found himself all alone defending a deep two-on-one. He might as well not have even been there as Purcell easily fed Lecavalier in front of the net for the game winner. Silly penalties, bad luck, and poor defense. If the Caps are going to turn this series around, Green is simply going to have to play better, and the Caps are going to have to start scoring goals.

Sharks take 2-0 series lead on Red Wings

After a pair of 2-1 wins on home ice, the Sharks have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on the Red Wings, but I don't think the Red Wings are going to roll over here. They are going back home and will be in front of a raucous crowd at the Joe. They, like the Caps, need to find a way to score goals. Niemi, who looked fairly pedestrian during the majority of the regular season, is playing like the goalie that won the Cup for the Blackhawks last year.

Canucks and Predators series tied 1-1

The battle of two Vezina finalists is proving to be quite the goalie duel. Rinne has been brilliant in keeping the Predators in this series as it could easily be 2-0 Canucks. While I still think the Canucks will come out on top, I wouldn't be shocked if the Preds found a way to ride Rinne to a major upset here. He'll have to continue to stand on his head as the series heads back to Nashville.

Bruins take 1-0 series lead over Flyers

If the Bruins had any lingering thoughts of their historic collapse last season, they sure didn't show it. They controlled this game from the very beginning and chased Boucher en route to putting up 7 goals. The Flyers looked absolutely nothing like the team that blitzed the Sabres in Game 7 of the first round. Their goaltending was once again subpar as Boucher gave up 5 goals in less than 2 periods of play; the defense looked lethargic and out of position most of the night; and the offense looked sloppy and out-of sync. The Bruins are an offensively challenged team, yet the Flyers made them look like the 1980's Edmonton Oilers. On the bright side, it's unlikely the Flyers can play that poorly in a second straight game. Their best players were Versteeg and vanRiemsdyk, which is a good sign. If their big guns show up to play in Game 2, they should at least be competitive. The key will be getting a solid 60 minute performance from Boucher, who is slated to start Game 2 despite being yanked in Game 1.