Halak

Well, I can't say I wasn't worried that Jaro laid an egg in game 1. But he faltered against the Caps one game too, getting lit-up and pulled. But we're talking about the Capitals and Penguins respectively, so it doesn't get much tougher than that. And you have to wonder if the team didn't play deperate in front of him or could only have a letdown after the Caps series. Game 2 was a different story, 38 saves, back to 1.0 GAA and the win.

I have always been interested in goaltending. I've even tried to play the position. I love all the nuances that come with it. The quirky personalities, mental toughness, video game champ reflexes, yoga master flexibility. A goaltender cannot win any playoff game by himself, but he/she can single-handedly guarantee that the other team does not win. It's an amazing position.

So, when you have a guy like Halak that puts on a display, it's a joy to watch. There's nothing like watching a team realized that they have little to no chance at scoring; except for luck, a fortunate bounce. A zoned in goaltender seems to get better as the shots pile up. Impossible saves become expected. This why I watch hockey.

Losing Interest

It sad to say, but I am losing interest in the Playoffs. With The Kings and Senators bounced in the first round, I jumped on the Red Wings and anti-Penguins bandwagons. But it's not the same. I don't feel the urgency to watch the games. I guess it doesn't help that there aren't any true hockey fans here at work. I think more people will talk competitive eating with me, than NHL.

Round 2

I am following the Red Wings exclusively from here on out. It's hard to follow with the same enthusiasm once your team is booted from the post-season. There are two schools of thought. 1) Root against the team that bounced your boys out of the playoffs. 2) Root for them, since it's ok to lose to the eventual Cup champion. I plan on going with #1.

It is easy for me to hate the Penguins with Sydney Crosby. I don't know where this comes from. Crosby is a gamer. He plays hard; no floating for this superstar. I have plenty of respect for his game. But all the Crosby fanboys have ruined it for me. I want to see him lose. Same goes for Marc Andre Fleury.

Then you have Vancouver. I am disinterested in Vancouver, in general. Haven't cared about the Canucks since the Pavel Bure era. They have never been a polarizing team to me. Very meh. But after dropping the Kings, they need to lose. I was a big fan of Luongo when he was in Florida. But after the whole mess of making him captain of the team, not so much. I don't think a goalie should captain a team. It's great that he's on the ice the whole game, but a captain needs to also be on the bench with the players and coaches.

 

 

End of Round 1.

There were only two game 7's in the first round of the playoffs, with the Capitals getting bounced last night. The Wings take on the Sharks tonight, so no waiting around for Round 2.

 

I have done horribly in my picks. 3-5. Quite a few surprises in these playoffs.

 

EAST

With the Canadiens win, I go 0-4 in the East. What the hell happened? I really liked the Devils to go deep this year but they looked horrible against the Flyers. Brodeur is losing his playoff mystique. Philly lost a few key players in that series, so I doubt that they go on to the Conference final. The Bruins got things together, much like Philly, after limping into the playoffs. Penguins had a tough time with the Senators. I admit that was a purely homer call. But Penguins can't get away with playing like that against the Canadiens.

 

WEST

Called the Sharks, Red Wings and Blackhawks. But the Sharks made it look much harder than I expected. Kings lost, but they definitely have a good young team now. I'm still pulling for the Wings, but it was tough to see the Coyotes' not-of-nowhere season come to an end.

 

The absolute biggest surprise was the Caps losing to Jaroslav Halak. I am totally taking away any credit from the Canadiens, even though they played a great team in front of him. But shutting down the #1 team, highest scoring team, most dynamic team, was an amazing feat. Beside coming back from a 1-3 series hole, they kept Washington to 1.0 GAA while doing it. In the Habs wins, Halak had a 0.971 save percentage and 1.1 GAA while seeing 35+, 40+, and 50+ shots. Simply an amazing case of a goaltender stealing away a series. I love it!

RIP my teams...

Sens and Kings went out badly. Not that they got blown out, but hard fought games and at least two OT games each. Very close. But both of my teams blew third period leads and goaltending looked shaky at times. (More so for the Senators) It was frustrating to watch. They both could have pulled the upset, didn't happen 2-4 series losses.

 

It helped that I was busy in San Jose this weekend. Completely focusing on the games would have killed me. I still have my playoff beard. I usually fall back on rooting for the Red Wings, but they have a big game 7 tonight. One thing is for sure, the Coyotes are real. The Caps also face a game 7 on Wednesday. The worst case for me is if both the Caps and Wings lose. I will have no real interest in any team remaining in the Playoffs. We'll see....