Finally, the second season has begun. And even the hockey haters at ESPN have taken notice... sort of. Next to the humongous ad for The Masters (which just happens to be on ESPN for the first time this year), a tiny box appears with links to tonight's scores. Better than nothing, I guess.
Anyway, these are unbiased thoughts. Why? Because apart from my desire for the Devils to fall flat on their faces as soon as possible, I'm watching these playoffs as a neutral observer. Honestly, it's more fun this way... though I suspect an Islanders playoff run might be more enjoyable. I also suspect I won't be finding out anytime soon.
Let's take a trip through the games. At every arena, an NHL logo appears behind each goal and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo is just inside of both blue lines, where we saw "Thank You Fans!" just two years ago. I guess this is clarification for those fans who thought they were watching the Super Bowl. Away we go...
- Rangers 4, Devils 1. I got to see all of this game. While it wasn't pure, beautiful playoff hockey, it was entertaining to watch. And I was very impressed with this Rangers team.
Once they settled in, the Rangers played a very smart game. They did everything they needed to do. They were physical, but not overly tough like the Devils tried to be. They were aggressive on special teams - both on the powerplay and shorthanded. Most of all, though, it seemed apparent that the Rangers just wanted it more.
On the Devils' first power play, the Rangers had four shorthanded shots, while the Devils didn't get a single shot on goal with the man advantage. That was a sign of things to come. Sean Avery and Scott Gomez were literally all over the ice. Martin Straka, of all people, lost his stick on a penalty kill and was flopping all over the ice to block the puck. That the Devils scored their only goal seconds later doesn't take away the effort, which was there all night.
Devils fans are going to say the Rangers got lucky tonight, and they have a pretty good argument. The Devils hit the crossbar three times. The Rangers' second goal was scored because Martin Brodeur was too busy counting sheep to cover up the puck when Ryan Callahan came charging in. The third goal bounced off Sergei Brylin's skate and to Sean Avery, who just happened to be crashing the net at the right time. It also didn't hurt that Gomez blew right by four Devils, all of whom just waved at Gomez instead of trying to stop him. In the end, you make your own luck, and the Rangers got themselves into a position to take advantage of the lucky breaks they received. The Devils can't say the same.
If I were a Devils fan - and I'm not, thank goodness - I'd be embarrassed. The breakdown of The Rock tonight was at least 50-50, and if the fans favored one side over the other, the Rangers had more supporters. The Devils didn't show up in their first home playoff game in their new arena. There's no excuse for that. They will probably put forth a better show on Friday, but is it going to be enough to trump a motivated and inspired Rangers team? That's a tough one.
- Penguins 4, Senators 0. Thanks to a solid effort by the Mets, I didn't have to check in on their game, which meant I could focus my attention on this game. Versus HD had been screwy during the first two periods, so I couldn't check in very often. Of course, by the time I got to this game, it was already over.
However, I did get to see Ottawa's failed attempts at flexing its "muscle". First, one of the Senators (maybe Wade Redden) dumped Crosby in the corner. The Senator went down... Crosby emerged with the puck. After the whistle, Crosby and this unidentified Senator were throwing haymakers with their gloves on. Seconds later, Ryan Whitney absolutely pummelled Redden (yes, it was definitely him) in a mismatch. Three minutes later, Gary Roberts dumped Chris Neil into the boards. Now, we all know Roberts is no stranger to drilling opposing players head-first into the boards (remember Kenny Jonsson?), but Neil is an abhorrent player. Roberts got a fighting major and a game misconduct by the time the ensuing scrap ended, but he was yapping all the way off the ice. Ottawa tried its best to intimidate Pittsburgh physically... and it didn't work. Let the record state - Pittsburgh owns Ottawa in every way.
Oh, and Marc-Andre Fleury got the shutout.
- Avalanche 2, Wild 0 (2nd intermission). This game wasn't even advertised on the channel information for Center Ice - not exactly a ringing endorsement. This is a unique series - and by "unique", I mean that I'm curious to see how it plays out, but I don't actually want to watch any of it. Admittedly, I've seen very little of this game, but I'm not too curious to watch any more of it. Maybe it's because it's not available in HD and the first two games were. I think I'm just inclined to avoid the Wild because Jacques Lemaire coaches them. Lemaire is wearing a pretty nice suit tonight, though - he looks like the Russian politician guy in Rocky IV.
- Flames 2, Sharks 1 (1st intermission). Now this is a game I can sink my teeth into. The Sharks have been one of my favorite teams to watch all year, and the Flames are a good match-up for them. Unfortunately, we don't get the excellent Sharks broadcast on CSN, but instead we're stuck with the CBC feed. Oh well.
It didn't take long for this game to get going. Calgary scored first on a deflection, then scored a second shortly after. Within ten minutes of the opening faceoff, the Sharks had pulled within one. The Sharks seem to have controlled play for the most part, but Calgary isn't out of any game with Mikka Kiprusoff in goal. They're not going to be intimidated by the Sharks - that's one thing Mike Keenan will always give you.
Of all the games we've seen tonight, this is the one game that has a chance of coming down to the wire. This looks like a fun one. You sort of wish Calgary had more offensive firepower so we could see a real barnburner, but this game is going to be all sorts of intense as it progresses.
Maybe this hasn't been the greatest night of playoff hockey we've ever seen. But I sure am glad the playoffs are here. Who knows what the rest of tonight has in store for us?
Anyway, these are unbiased thoughts. Why? Because apart from my desire for the Devils to fall flat on their faces as soon as possible, I'm watching these playoffs as a neutral observer. Honestly, it's more fun this way... though I suspect an Islanders playoff run might be more enjoyable. I also suspect I won't be finding out anytime soon.
Let's take a trip through the games. At every arena, an NHL logo appears behind each goal and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo is just inside of both blue lines, where we saw "Thank You Fans!" just two years ago. I guess this is clarification for those fans who thought they were watching the Super Bowl. Away we go...
- Rangers 4, Devils 1. I got to see all of this game. While it wasn't pure, beautiful playoff hockey, it was entertaining to watch. And I was very impressed with this Rangers team.
Once they settled in, the Rangers played a very smart game. They did everything they needed to do. They were physical, but not overly tough like the Devils tried to be. They were aggressive on special teams - both on the powerplay and shorthanded. Most of all, though, it seemed apparent that the Rangers just wanted it more.
On the Devils' first power play, the Rangers had four shorthanded shots, while the Devils didn't get a single shot on goal with the man advantage. That was a sign of things to come. Sean Avery and Scott Gomez were literally all over the ice. Martin Straka, of all people, lost his stick on a penalty kill and was flopping all over the ice to block the puck. That the Devils scored their only goal seconds later doesn't take away the effort, which was there all night.
Devils fans are going to say the Rangers got lucky tonight, and they have a pretty good argument. The Devils hit the crossbar three times. The Rangers' second goal was scored because Martin Brodeur was too busy counting sheep to cover up the puck when Ryan Callahan came charging in. The third goal bounced off Sergei Brylin's skate and to Sean Avery, who just happened to be crashing the net at the right time. It also didn't hurt that Gomez blew right by four Devils, all of whom just waved at Gomez instead of trying to stop him. In the end, you make your own luck, and the Rangers got themselves into a position to take advantage of the lucky breaks they received. The Devils can't say the same.
If I were a Devils fan - and I'm not, thank goodness - I'd be embarrassed. The breakdown of The Rock tonight was at least 50-50, and if the fans favored one side over the other, the Rangers had more supporters. The Devils didn't show up in their first home playoff game in their new arena. There's no excuse for that. They will probably put forth a better show on Friday, but is it going to be enough to trump a motivated and inspired Rangers team? That's a tough one.
- Penguins 4, Senators 0. Thanks to a solid effort by the Mets, I didn't have to check in on their game, which meant I could focus my attention on this game. Versus HD had been screwy during the first two periods, so I couldn't check in very often. Of course, by the time I got to this game, it was already over.
However, I did get to see Ottawa's failed attempts at flexing its "muscle". First, one of the Senators (maybe Wade Redden) dumped Crosby in the corner. The Senator went down... Crosby emerged with the puck. After the whistle, Crosby and this unidentified Senator were throwing haymakers with their gloves on. Seconds later, Ryan Whitney absolutely pummelled Redden (yes, it was definitely him) in a mismatch. Three minutes later, Gary Roberts dumped Chris Neil into the boards. Now, we all know Roberts is no stranger to drilling opposing players head-first into the boards (remember Kenny Jonsson?), but Neil is an abhorrent player. Roberts got a fighting major and a game misconduct by the time the ensuing scrap ended, but he was yapping all the way off the ice. Ottawa tried its best to intimidate Pittsburgh physically... and it didn't work. Let the record state - Pittsburgh owns Ottawa in every way.
Oh, and Marc-Andre Fleury got the shutout.
- Avalanche 2, Wild 0 (2nd intermission). This game wasn't even advertised on the channel information for Center Ice - not exactly a ringing endorsement. This is a unique series - and by "unique", I mean that I'm curious to see how it plays out, but I don't actually want to watch any of it. Admittedly, I've seen very little of this game, but I'm not too curious to watch any more of it. Maybe it's because it's not available in HD and the first two games were. I think I'm just inclined to avoid the Wild because Jacques Lemaire coaches them. Lemaire is wearing a pretty nice suit tonight, though - he looks like the Russian politician guy in Rocky IV.
- Flames 2, Sharks 1 (1st intermission). Now this is a game I can sink my teeth into. The Sharks have been one of my favorite teams to watch all year, and the Flames are a good match-up for them. Unfortunately, we don't get the excellent Sharks broadcast on CSN, but instead we're stuck with the CBC feed. Oh well.
It didn't take long for this game to get going. Calgary scored first on a deflection, then scored a second shortly after. Within ten minutes of the opening faceoff, the Sharks had pulled within one. The Sharks seem to have controlled play for the most part, but Calgary isn't out of any game with Mikka Kiprusoff in goal. They're not going to be intimidated by the Sharks - that's one thing Mike Keenan will always give you.
Of all the games we've seen tonight, this is the one game that has a chance of coming down to the wire. This looks like a fun one. You sort of wish Calgary had more offensive firepower so we could see a real barnburner, but this game is going to be all sorts of intense as it progresses.
Maybe this hasn't been the greatest night of playoff hockey we've ever seen. But I sure am glad the playoffs are here. Who knows what the rest of tonight has in store for us?
1) Straka has been doing that ever since he became a Ranger (and probably before, as well). In a game against Boston this year, he blocked Chara's slapper and broke his finger while on the PK. He then kept blocking shots, and took another off the same finger. It kept him out a few weeks but he never backed down.
ReplyDelete2) I think the Avs are going to win the series but I'm not super interested in it either. Minnesota is real boring to watch except when Gaborik is scoring 5 against the Rangers. However, in 02-03 they played a real good series when I think Andrew Brunette (before he was on Colorado) scored an overtime game 7 winner and the Wild advanced.
3) This is Keenan's first playoff since 1996 with the Blues. Crazy.
4) Last year's 1st playoff night was much better - because I fell asleep at like 11:30 watching Stars/Canucks and woke up at 2:45 with the same game in triple OT.