Ponds and Pucks

Eastern Conference:
Buffalo leads the Islanders 2-1
Tampa Bay leads New Jersey 2-1
Rangers lead Atlanta 2-0
Ottawa leads Pittsburgh 2-1

Western Conference
Detroit leads Calgary 2-0
Anaheim leads Minnesota 3-0
Vancouver leads Dallas 2-1
San Jose leads Nashville 2-1

Anaheim could sweep the series tonight, but I doubt it.

So here is my newest feature, the Overtime Count.
To date, there have been 7 overtime periods, and all have been in the Western Conference.

As we start looking at the end of the North American hockey seasons; last night, the AIHL started up their 2007 season with Melbourne dominating Adelaide 6-1. Canberra was also victorious, taking the win from the Brisbane Blue Toungues 5-2.

Finally, a mea culpa. Many thanks to Lyndsey who pointed out that it was Buffalo, not Detroit who won the President’s Cup, despite what I wrote in my previous posting. I have no good excuse except that I had a very long day including hitting two Napa Valley vineyards for wine tastings and a 2 hour drive. I will be more studious in the future and make sure to error-check myself.

Today’s Detroit-Calgary game proved why the Red Wings are the President’s Trophy winners — they played a textbook game. If you are a pee-wee hockey coach, you should show your kids this game. The lessons were all there: how to play a 5 on 3; how to stop a fast break; how to rebound, pass, shoot; how to keep the other team off the board. Calgary had 15 shots on goal — not just in one period but over the entire game. The only mistake of the game was Hasek letting one get by him, but you can’t have it all. Detroit showed today why they are so damned good with their 3-1 win.

In other action, Anaheim beat Minnesota 2-1, and Ottawa overtook Pittsburgh 4-2. At the time of this writing, Vancouver and Dallas were tied 1-1 and just going into OT.

The NHL has a nice little list of the longest playoff games. If you scroll down to June 10, 1996, they list the only OT goal to ever win the Stanley Cup. That right there is a game that I’d love to relive. I wonder if anyone has video of it that they could post online? I also noticed the high amount of 1-0 games. My fiance, who I have gotten into hockey, hates games like that. She likes high-scoring games. I, on the other hand, love a good defensive battle. So here’s my discussion for the weekend:
Which do you prefer? Defensive low-scoring games or high-scoring shootouts?

Recapping the game one’s from last night:
Tampa Bay 3, New Jersey 5
Atlanta 3, Rangers 4
I caught a decent part of this game and the last minute and a half showed how good Lunqvist can be. He held up when the Rangers were down 2 skaters and were blasting at the net.
Detroit 4, Calgary 1
This one wasn’t a game.
Buffalo 4, Islanders 1
I’m calling shenanigens on this game, and predicting a comeback for my Isles in game 2. Why? Just ‘cuz

Yesterday I broke down the Eastern playoffs, so today is time for the West.  This is the more competitive division, so look for more upsets here.

1) Red Wings vs 8) Flames
Season Series: Tied 2-2
Detroit is the top seed in the west and has won the Central division … so what else is new? 
Can they capitalize on this to move on to the second round?  They might be in trouble because Calgary is one of the better teams out there.  With Jarome Iginla running their offense, they might be able to take anything that the Wings can dish out.  But at the end of the day, the Wings will move on.
My pick: Red Wings in 6

2) Ducks vs 7) Wild
Season Series: Tied 2-2 (1 Shootout)
The Wild are good, there’s no question about it.  But this is the Ducks’ series to win.  At the end of the day, their lines are put together better than just about any other team.  Forget that the season series was tied, this one ends in 5.
My pick: Ducks in 5

3) Canucks vs 6) Stars
Season Series: Tied 2-2 (1 Shootout)
Are you seeing a trend with these season series?  You should.
Here’s an interesting side note for this one.  The final score for all 4 games was 2-1, and the home team won them all.  That’s where the Canucks will get their advantage.  But I don’t think it will be enough. Dallas will win one in Vancouver and take the series.
My pick: Dallas in 7

4) Predators vs 5) Sharks
Season Series: Nashville 3-1 (1 Shootout)
This was the only season series that wasn’t tied.  But the two teams have almost identical records (Nashville  51-23-8, San Jose 51-26-5)  In my mind, this series comes down to a battle of two players: Paul Kariya and Joe Thornton.  Kariya will win it.
My pick: Nashville in 6

As an aside, I watched the first two episodes of “Thank God You’re Here” the other day.  Episode 1 — David Allen Grier is very gray
Episode 2 — His hair is black
I understand wanting him to look younger, but they could have spaced it a bit better.

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