Definitely scary times in the last 10 minutes of the Sharks 4-3 win over Calgary, but they still got the win. The Flames might be able to take some form of solace from their near comeback (and how devastating might it have been if the Sharks had blown a 3 goal THIRD PERIOD lead?), but not really.
One of the big things about the NHL playoffs is it's all about "win and advance." The fact that Calgary got within a goal with just over a minute to go and had a chance to tie means... not much of anything. Reality of the situation is that the team with a greater number of talented players is now up 3 games to 2 in the series and has a chance to close it out on Sunday.
Going into this series, it seemed that the Sharks were a better team on paper than the Flames, but Calgary was a hard-working lunch-pail type crew that would keep coming at you... in some legal ways and others more questionable. The ramifications of this for the Sharkies being that they "should" win the series if they could at least roughly match the Flames in the effort/intensity equation. As the series got underway, this notion has fairly well played out as predicted:
Game one - Sharks lose due to (A) defensive breakdowns... i.e. not clearing the puck and (B) lack of a sense of urgency on offense.
Game two - Sharks win, thanks to solid D coverage and some very timely saves by Evgeni Nabokov.
Game three - The epic collapse game... Sharks blow an early 3 goal lead by sitting back on their heels offensively, not by not clearing the puck out of the defensive zone (anyone remember game one?).
Game four - Big comeback for the Sharks... the goal by Jonathan Cheechoo with five minutes left to tie may have saved the season and that to win it by Joe Thornton with 9.4 seconds left won the game. What was most exciting for this scribe was watching the Sharks offensive pressure in the 20 seconds preceding Big Joe's goal. Imagine if you will a funnel... with the Sharks D and the offensive blue line as the big end and the net behind Mikka Kiprusoff as the little end. Yep, for those 20 seconds, "a river really did run through it." I know it's too much to ask for a team to play like that for an entire game, let alone a postseason, but the Sharks (or any talented team) would be unbeatable applying that type of pressure on a recurring basis.
Game five - Good game. Close game. Fast game. Sharks the better team (pretty much) in the game. San Jose got some more excellent goaltending from Nabokov (who has played at least as well as Kiprusoff in this series) and very timely goals by the super-talented and very hard-working Cheechoo and then held on to win. Going back to prior discussion, it certainly was nettlesome to see them rock back onto their heels and allow Calgary to attack for basically the last 10 minutes, but they got the win, and perhaps will learn a thing or two about how to keep applying pressure even when you've got the lead. Would have been nice if this lesson had fully sunk in after game three, but... a win is a win is a win.
Looking at a big picture reset, five games in, three Sharks victories... two brilliant players on Calgary, higher total skill level on the Sharks. Not to continue hitting an ailing Lipanzer, but it seems the Sharks should be fine if they just keep the focus and effort up, particularly if the hockey Gods should be so kind as to grant them one of those apparently volatile 3 goal leads. Anything can happen in this wacky game of hockey, but it's still the Sharks series to lose.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Things Do Work Out
Effort and determination pay off. Sharks win. Back in "control" (home ice, outplayed Flames last game, won last game) of series. So very happy.
Now gotta keep it up.
It's like haiku...
Now gotta keep it up.
It's like haiku...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Train Wreck of a Game
Very rough game to watch put out by the Sharks this evening. After taking an early 3-0 lead, and watching one of Calgary's best players in Mikka Kiprusoff go to the bench, the Sharks then played their way to a 4-3 loss.... ouch.
Scoring chances for the Sharks were few and far between post 3 goal lead and Calgary's pressure in the defensive zone seemed to give the San Jose players nowhere to go with the puck. Joe Thornton seemed to only have the puck on his stick for mere seconds until being harassed by multiple Flames players. Unfortunately, this strategy appears to be a sound one to employ as Milan Michalek and Jonothan Cheechoo have thus far proven themselves unable to both support the double-teamed Thornton and then generate scoring chances.
On the defensive side, things appeared even rougher for the Sharks. Kyle McLaren both appeared to (pardon the cliche) handle the puck like a grenade most of the night and took one of the two penalties that were converted into Flames goals. Additionally, one of the more nettlesome developments was the less than stellar play of "here he comes to save the day" defenseman Brian Campbell. While he certainly had a few excellent plays, he also has made several giveaways in this series (one which led to the Flames 3rd goal in game one) that one wouldn't expect from a player of his reputation. I can't say for certain who should be the one to sit upon his return (but, me thinks I would vote McLaren off for a game), but here's to hoping Christian Ehrhoff can make it out there for game four.
The truly disconcerting thing about this game is that up until these developments, it appeared the Sharks were the better team... and in control of their fate as simply matching the Flames effort and intensity would result in a series win. After watching this debacle, though, I'm not as convinced the Sharks are the better squad. Whether that potential "non-better team" status would be due to the aforementioned effort/intensity calculus or simply poor defensive play, I'm not sure, but I am concerned.
Well, the experts had the Sharks prevailing out of a hard-fought series in either 6 or 7 games. We're now at a game 6 needing to be played (hopefully), let's see if the experts were right.
Scoring chances for the Sharks were few and far between post 3 goal lead and Calgary's pressure in the defensive zone seemed to give the San Jose players nowhere to go with the puck. Joe Thornton seemed to only have the puck on his stick for mere seconds until being harassed by multiple Flames players. Unfortunately, this strategy appears to be a sound one to employ as Milan Michalek and Jonothan Cheechoo have thus far proven themselves unable to both support the double-teamed Thornton and then generate scoring chances.
On the defensive side, things appeared even rougher for the Sharks. Kyle McLaren both appeared to (pardon the cliche) handle the puck like a grenade most of the night and took one of the two penalties that were converted into Flames goals. Additionally, one of the more nettlesome developments was the less than stellar play of "here he comes to save the day" defenseman Brian Campbell. While he certainly had a few excellent plays, he also has made several giveaways in this series (one which led to the Flames 3rd goal in game one) that one wouldn't expect from a player of his reputation. I can't say for certain who should be the one to sit upon his return (but, me thinks I would vote McLaren off for a game), but here's to hoping Christian Ehrhoff can make it out there for game four.
The truly disconcerting thing about this game is that up until these developments, it appeared the Sharks were the better team... and in control of their fate as simply matching the Flames effort and intensity would result in a series win. After watching this debacle, though, I'm not as convinced the Sharks are the better squad. Whether that potential "non-better team" status would be due to the aforementioned effort/intensity calculus or simply poor defensive play, I'm not sure, but I am concerned.
Well, the experts had the Sharks prevailing out of a hard-fought series in either 6 or 7 games. We're now at a game 6 needing to be played (hopefully), let's see if the experts were right.
Friday, April 11, 2008
All Around the Rest of the Mulberry Bush
The prior two posts have been all about your San Jose Sharks, but let's take a moment to look in on the other series rolling right now:
Detroit vs Nashville- See no reason to hop off the Red Wings bandwagon in this series.
Colorado vs Minnesota- Two overtime games played and things are right where they were at the beginning... all tied up. This one might be an excellent candidate for a 7 game series.
Anaheim vs Dallas- Holy Goons, Batman. Not surprised at all that the Ducks came out with malice in their hearts and dirty play on their minds, but would not have expected the Stars to shove home 4 power play goals in game 1. It will be very interesting to see how Anaheim responds... and if they know how to play a game that isn't at least a little bit dirty.
New Jersey vs New York Rangers- Goodness, should be lots of angry (and for good cause) Devils fans out there. It's not often that you see NHL referees mistakenly call icing (was on the Devils, with them shorthanded), but to do so with 30 seconds left in a one-goal playoff game is inexcusable. Adding further bewilderment, the refs not only didn't provide any sort of makeup call help in the last 30 seconds, they didn't call an obviously cross-check with 10 seconds left that enabled the Rangers to clear the puck, and win the game. Crazy.
Montreal vs Boston- Les Canadiens are in fact more skilled... and are playing that way.
Pittsburgh vs Ottawa- Same story as that being played out (at least for now) in the Montreal-Boston series.
Washington vs Philadelphia- Good stuff, good stuff. This series delivered an EXCELLENT game 1 with the Caps taking the early lead, Philly coming back to be up 4-2 entering the 3rd period, and the Caps then answering with 3 for a 5-4 victory. If you haven't watched Alexander Ovechkin yet... do so.
Detroit vs Nashville- See no reason to hop off the Red Wings bandwagon in this series.
Colorado vs Minnesota- Two overtime games played and things are right where they were at the beginning... all tied up. This one might be an excellent candidate for a 7 game series.
Anaheim vs Dallas- Holy Goons, Batman. Not surprised at all that the Ducks came out with malice in their hearts and dirty play on their minds, but would not have expected the Stars to shove home 4 power play goals in game 1. It will be very interesting to see how Anaheim responds... and if they know how to play a game that isn't at least a little bit dirty.
New Jersey vs New York Rangers- Goodness, should be lots of angry (and for good cause) Devils fans out there. It's not often that you see NHL referees mistakenly call icing (was on the Devils, with them shorthanded), but to do so with 30 seconds left in a one-goal playoff game is inexcusable. Adding further bewilderment, the refs not only didn't provide any sort of makeup call help in the last 30 seconds, they didn't call an obviously cross-check with 10 seconds left that enabled the Rangers to clear the puck, and win the game. Crazy.
Montreal vs Boston- Les Canadiens are in fact more skilled... and are playing that way.
Pittsburgh vs Ottawa- Same story as that being played out (at least for now) in the Montreal-Boston series.
Washington vs Philadelphia- Good stuff, good stuff. This series delivered an EXCELLENT game 1 with the Caps taking the early lead, Philly coming back to be up 4-2 entering the 3rd period, and the Caps then answering with 3 for a 5-4 victory. If you haven't watched Alexander Ovechkin yet... do so.
Nice Sharks win
Definitely a bit late in recapping, but a very good game 2 win for the Sharks the other night. Granted, there were a few shifts spent running around in their own zone, but much better focus and intensity on the part of the boys in blue (more precisely, teal).
Given that the sum of the whole played better, let's take a look at a few of the moving parts:
1. Evgeni Nabakov- Fantastic play on the part of Nabby with several "how did he do that?" caliber glove saves. Mikka Kiprusoff got a large amount of credit after game 1 (and during game 2), but I'd say that he has been no better than Nabakov.
2. Joe Thornton- Has played well, which he always does. No points in game 2, but has been a force out there. Similar story really to Flames Captain Jarome Iginla.
3. Milan Michalek & Jonothan Cheechoo- No glaring giveaways, but can provide a bit more production... especially as they're usually paired with Big Joe.
4. Patrick Marleau-Joe Pavelski-Ryane Clowe- Excellent play from this line. Just need to keep doing what they're doing.
5. Jody Shelley- Singled out here to bring up the question of who should play... Shelley or Devin Setoguchi. Seto would certainly be getting more than the three to four minutes a game that Shelley has been on the ice for, but given that the Sharks are a more skilled team (and the Flames are more prolific hooligans), I think it not a bad idea to have a security blanket in Shelley available if needed.
6. Matt Carle- Yes, yes, yes. Carle didn't dress for game 1 in favor of Alexi Semanov (injury replacement for Christian Erhoff), but took Semanov's place in game 2. Carle did spend 2 minutes in the penalty box, but also contributed 10+ solid minutes on the D line. I see no reason to bring Semanov back... and would even consider sitting Kyle McLaren in favor of Carle upon Erhoff's return from injury.
So... all this being said, my feeling going into the series was that it would be a tough series for the Sharks, but one they should emerge victorious out of as they have the more talented team and should be a bit tougher than past years due to both the experience of heartbreak lived through and new blood on the team this season.
After game 1 I was disapointed in the Sharks efforts and intensity, but still felt them the better team and that if they played the way they're capable of, they'd be fine. Game 2 is now in the books, and I'm of the same opinion. It's not going to be easy, but assuming that the (orange-rimmed) eye stays on the prize all game long, they should emerge out of a hard-fought series.
Given that the sum of the whole played better, let's take a look at a few of the moving parts:
1. Evgeni Nabakov- Fantastic play on the part of Nabby with several "how did he do that?" caliber glove saves. Mikka Kiprusoff got a large amount of credit after game 1 (and during game 2), but I'd say that he has been no better than Nabakov.
2. Joe Thornton- Has played well, which he always does. No points in game 2, but has been a force out there. Similar story really to Flames Captain Jarome Iginla.
3. Milan Michalek & Jonothan Cheechoo- No glaring giveaways, but can provide a bit more production... especially as they're usually paired with Big Joe.
4. Patrick Marleau-Joe Pavelski-Ryane Clowe- Excellent play from this line. Just need to keep doing what they're doing.
5. Jody Shelley- Singled out here to bring up the question of who should play... Shelley or Devin Setoguchi. Seto would certainly be getting more than the three to four minutes a game that Shelley has been on the ice for, but given that the Sharks are a more skilled team (and the Flames are more prolific hooligans), I think it not a bad idea to have a security blanket in Shelley available if needed.
6. Matt Carle- Yes, yes, yes. Carle didn't dress for game 1 in favor of Alexi Semanov (injury replacement for Christian Erhoff), but took Semanov's place in game 2. Carle did spend 2 minutes in the penalty box, but also contributed 10+ solid minutes on the D line. I see no reason to bring Semanov back... and would even consider sitting Kyle McLaren in favor of Carle upon Erhoff's return from injury.
So... all this being said, my feeling going into the series was that it would be a tough series for the Sharks, but one they should emerge victorious out of as they have the more talented team and should be a bit tougher than past years due to both the experience of heartbreak lived through and new blood on the team this season.
After game 1 I was disapointed in the Sharks efforts and intensity, but still felt them the better team and that if they played the way they're capable of, they'd be fine. Game 2 is now in the books, and I'm of the same opinion. It's not going to be easy, but assuming that the (orange-rimmed) eye stays on the prize all game long, they should emerge out of a hard-fought series.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Item Needed: Intensity... In a Teal Sweater
Annoying one to watch in San Jose tonight. The Sharks appeared the more skilled team, but the Flames simply seemed to want the victory more. San Jose had flurries of passion (final minute as an example), but not in prolonged enough stretches to deserve the win.
Good thing to take out of this game is that it's only one game and assuming a more focused effort tomorrow night, the Sharks should be ok. Granted, it's cliche to make this point, but adversity such as this will reveal exactly who the Sharks are in this postseason.
Good thing to take out of this game is that it's only one game and assuming a more focused effort tomorrow night, the Sharks should be ok. Granted, it's cliche to make this point, but adversity such as this will reveal exactly who the Sharks are in this postseason.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Kid in a Candy Store... NHL Playoffs are here.
So... very... happy. The NHL playoffs start tomorrow and as always, some tempting morsels waiting to be sampled. Let's take a look for a second at what the various and sundry series have to offer... not so much from an X's and O's perspective, but rather what jumps out.
Western Conference (without the not so important seedings):
Nashville at Detroit: Have to give huge props to the Predators for making it to the playoffs again as with the exception of Jason Arnott, pretty much their entire team left via either free agency or fire sale trade (bye-bye Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen). That being said, I just don't see them being able to match the firepower of the Wings (who also kick in a good dose of grit and above average D for good measure).
Calgary at San Jose: If the Sharks wanted an early test of their toughness, they certainly got it in a matchup against the Calgary Roughnecks/Flames. Much has been written and said about the Sharks wilting in the face of adversity in the last few playoff years and the Flames love to provide adversity... often in the form of a cross-check, slash or sucker-punch. Perhaps it's a case of drinking the local Kool-Aid, but I do think this year's Sharks team will be a year wiser, and a goodly amount tougher with the additions of Jeremy Roenick and Jody Shelley (who I really hope plays)... as well as the return from injury of Ryan Clowe (who has already been tabbed for the Joe Pavelski-Patrick Marleau line).
Colorado at Minnesota: Not sure what to make of this one... the Avs certainly have the marquee names to throw out there in the person of Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Peter Forsberg, but it will be interesting to see what age and injury allow them to contribute. In this one, anything's possible (course that's like saying someone's "day to day"... aren't we all?)
Dallas at Anaheim: Has the potential to be a very "interesting" series in the sense that "Blood on the Highway" was an interesting movie to view in High School Drivers Ed. The Stars come off 60 minutes of thug practice from their final game of the year against the Sharks, but will be matching up against a team that not only majored in thuggery, I'd say they have a graduate degree in it. Here's to expecting Steve Ott to cheap shot Teemu Selanne and then get chased across the ice by George Parros, but into the waiting club arms of Brad May... lights out, Stevie (and Dallas).
Eastern Conference (again, seedings out the window):
Boston at Montreal: Original Six matchup. Teams that don't like each other. The rookie phenom on one end (Carey Price) with the scrambling and clawing wily veteren (Tim Thomas) at the other. Good stuff. Montreal is the more skilled team, but don't count out the B's, especially with the return from season-long injury of Patrice Bergeron.
Ottawa at Pittsburgh: A pairing that seemingly points towards a Pens victory. With a team built for now (Hello Marian Hossa, goodbye Kolby Armstrong), Pittsburgh will be going against a Senators team minus Captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher. This series might be over before it really begins.
Philadelphia at Washington: Alexander Ovechkin in the playoffs for the first time... how sweet it is. Will be terrific fun to see what he does against the... "questionably legal" tactics of the Flyers. Actually, will also be fun to play "guess how soon into game one Donald Brashear will be fighting Riley Cote, Scott Hartnell, Steve Downie or any of the other Flyer goons. I'd put the over/under at about 3 minutes... gotta let him take his first shift, you know.
New York Rangers at New Jersey: Good matchup. A couple of teams with enough skill, goaltending and spunk to do some serious damage in the playoffs, but only one will make it out of the first round. Jaromir Jagr may well be making his last run with the Rangers and Scott Gomez and Chris Drury will be just starting their Ranger playoff careers... and both did pretty well in prior stops. Each of them will be opposed by one of the best "clutchiest" goalies ever (and noted "all in the family" man) in Martin Brodeur.
Western Conference (without the not so important seedings):
Nashville at Detroit: Have to give huge props to the Predators for making it to the playoffs again as with the exception of Jason Arnott, pretty much their entire team left via either free agency or fire sale trade (bye-bye Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen). That being said, I just don't see them being able to match the firepower of the Wings (who also kick in a good dose of grit and above average D for good measure).
Calgary at San Jose: If the Sharks wanted an early test of their toughness, they certainly got it in a matchup against the Calgary Roughnecks/Flames. Much has been written and said about the Sharks wilting in the face of adversity in the last few playoff years and the Flames love to provide adversity... often in the form of a cross-check, slash or sucker-punch. Perhaps it's a case of drinking the local Kool-Aid, but I do think this year's Sharks team will be a year wiser, and a goodly amount tougher with the additions of Jeremy Roenick and Jody Shelley (who I really hope plays)... as well as the return from injury of Ryan Clowe (who has already been tabbed for the Joe Pavelski-Patrick Marleau line).
Colorado at Minnesota: Not sure what to make of this one... the Avs certainly have the marquee names to throw out there in the person of Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Peter Forsberg, but it will be interesting to see what age and injury allow them to contribute. In this one, anything's possible (course that's like saying someone's "day to day"... aren't we all?)
Dallas at Anaheim: Has the potential to be a very "interesting" series in the sense that "Blood on the Highway" was an interesting movie to view in High School Drivers Ed. The Stars come off 60 minutes of thug practice from their final game of the year against the Sharks, but will be matching up against a team that not only majored in thuggery, I'd say they have a graduate degree in it. Here's to expecting Steve Ott to cheap shot Teemu Selanne and then get chased across the ice by George Parros, but into the waiting club arms of Brad May... lights out, Stevie (and Dallas).
Eastern Conference (again, seedings out the window):
Boston at Montreal: Original Six matchup. Teams that don't like each other. The rookie phenom on one end (Carey Price) with the scrambling and clawing wily veteren (Tim Thomas) at the other. Good stuff. Montreal is the more skilled team, but don't count out the B's, especially with the return from season-long injury of Patrice Bergeron.
Ottawa at Pittsburgh: A pairing that seemingly points towards a Pens victory. With a team built for now (Hello Marian Hossa, goodbye Kolby Armstrong), Pittsburgh will be going against a Senators team minus Captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher. This series might be over before it really begins.
Philadelphia at Washington: Alexander Ovechkin in the playoffs for the first time... how sweet it is. Will be terrific fun to see what he does against the... "questionably legal" tactics of the Flyers. Actually, will also be fun to play "guess how soon into game one Donald Brashear will be fighting Riley Cote, Scott Hartnell, Steve Downie or any of the other Flyer goons. I'd put the over/under at about 3 minutes... gotta let him take his first shift, you know.
New York Rangers at New Jersey: Good matchup. A couple of teams with enough skill, goaltending and spunk to do some serious damage in the playoffs, but only one will make it out of the first round. Jaromir Jagr may well be making his last run with the Rangers and Scott Gomez and Chris Drury will be just starting their Ranger playoff careers... and both did pretty well in prior stops. Each of them will be opposed by one of the best "clutchiest" goalies ever (and noted "all in the family" man) in Martin Brodeur.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sharks playoffs... game on.
Well, day and time to be determined, but it's official... by virtue of Colorado beating the Wild (they actually only needed one point), the Sharks match up against the 7 seed Calgary Flames. There are certainly some concerned Sharks fans out there (for good reason really) who don't like this matchup due to the how shall we say... thuggish nature of the Flames, but I think the Sharks will be ok.
Granted, the Flames do have all world scorer (and talented thug) Jarome Iginla, as well as all "smaller" world defenseman (and thug as well) Dion Phaneuf, but after that things drop off a fair amount. They have gotten solid production this season from Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow as well as ex-Shark Owen Nolan, but they are certainly not as deep in talent as the Sharks.
This leads to the open question of how the Flames will attempt to win the series. Prediction here is that it's through pure brute force. It worked against the Sharks a few years ago as part of Calgary's run to game 7 of the Finals, but this year's Sharks team might be built of just a bit more solid stock.
It's a major get to have bruiser Ryan Clowe back in the lineup and one of the more fascinating questions going into the playoffs will be what coach Ron Wilson does with enforcer, and decently talented player, Jody Shelley. It would have to be at the expense of Marcel Goc or Devin Setoguchi, but here's to hoping that Jody cracks the lineup.
A second, and related question, is where Clowe fits in. He'll certainly be there and should provide some grit, it's just a question of whose line he plays on. Me thinks that if you put him with Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau, you make that line much tougher and provide a bit of a security blanket for Marleau. At this point, Setoguchi may get pushed out, and Goc in exchange for the solid penalty killing of Curtis Brown, but both players could well get the call at some point.
Proposed Forward Lines:
1. Thornton-Cheechoo-Michalek
2. Pavelski-Marleau-Clowe
3. Rissmiller-Mitchell-Grier
4. Roenick-Shelley-Brown
Extra forwards: Goc, Setoguchi, Plihal
Proposed D Pairings (not really as concerned or knowledgable about the pairings):
Campbell-Vlassic
Murray-Ehrhoff
McLaren-Rivet
Extra defensemen: Carle, Ozolinsh, Semenov
Granted, the Flames do have all world scorer (and talented thug) Jarome Iginla, as well as all "smaller" world defenseman (and thug as well) Dion Phaneuf, but after that things drop off a fair amount. They have gotten solid production this season from Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow as well as ex-Shark Owen Nolan, but they are certainly not as deep in talent as the Sharks.
This leads to the open question of how the Flames will attempt to win the series. Prediction here is that it's through pure brute force. It worked against the Sharks a few years ago as part of Calgary's run to game 7 of the Finals, but this year's Sharks team might be built of just a bit more solid stock.
It's a major get to have bruiser Ryan Clowe back in the lineup and one of the more fascinating questions going into the playoffs will be what coach Ron Wilson does with enforcer, and decently talented player, Jody Shelley. It would have to be at the expense of Marcel Goc or Devin Setoguchi, but here's to hoping that Jody cracks the lineup.
A second, and related question, is where Clowe fits in. He'll certainly be there and should provide some grit, it's just a question of whose line he plays on. Me thinks that if you put him with Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau, you make that line much tougher and provide a bit of a security blanket for Marleau. At this point, Setoguchi may get pushed out, and Goc in exchange for the solid penalty killing of Curtis Brown, but both players could well get the call at some point.
Proposed Forward Lines:
1. Thornton-Cheechoo-Michalek
2. Pavelski-Marleau-Clowe
3. Rissmiller-Mitchell-Grier
4. Roenick-Shelley-Brown
Extra forwards: Goc, Setoguchi, Plihal
Proposed D Pairings (not really as concerned or knowledgable about the pairings):
Campbell-Vlassic
Murray-Ehrhoff
McLaren-Rivet
Extra defensemen: Carle, Ozolinsh, Semenov
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Go Caps Go... and desired playoff matchups
The title is a bit misleading as the Capitals don't need any help... they beat the Panthers today and took the 3 seed in the East with Carolina being good enough to lose to Florida Thursday and open the door for Ovechkin and company.
Actually, with that lose, Carolina in effect went from the 3 seed to the 9 (pending of course the eventual Caps win today) and clinched playoff spots for Boston, Ottawa and Philadelphia.
The West has been a bit simpler in that Vancouver's lose on Thursday gave the 8 spot to Nashville... meaning that since Thursday, the West has simply been about 1-8 seedings and now the East has joined in this status.
So, the heavy lifting of getting there is done, but still quite a few things to get figured out on the final day. The various potential matchups are many so rather than listing out everything that could happen, let's look at what we'd like to see and what it would take on the final day to make that happen.
Western Conference desired matchups:
(1) Detroit vs (8) Nashville... set in stone.
(4) Anaheim vs (5) Dallas... set in stone.
(2) San Jose vs (7) Colorado... very much up in the air. Assuming Calgary wins vs Vancouver (safe bet as they're up 4-1 right now), this matchup would occur if Colorado loses in regulation to Minnesota on Sunday (not sure what an OTL would result in).
(3) Minnesota vs (6) Calgary... see above. Calgary and Colorado seedings will depend on Colorado's last game Sunday vs the Wild.
Eastern Conference desired matchups:
(4) New Jersey vs (5) NY Rangers... set in stone, just will have home ice determined by their game Sunday.
(2) Montreal vs (7) Boston... set in stone. Will be either with Montreal 1 or 2 and Boston 7 or 8 in the conference pending the Pittsburgh-Philly game Sunday.
(1) Pittsburgh vs (8) Philadelphia... would come about if Pittsburgh can beat the Flyers on Sunday. If they lose to Philly, Pittsburgh would play Ottawa in round one.
(3) Washington vs (6) Ottawa... see above. Could have Ottawa and the Flyers flipping opponents for their respective first round matchups.
Either way... the playoffs are oh so close to being here and everything starts over at the beginning. Don't be shocked at any lower seeds advancing... wasn't too long ago that the 1-4 seeds in the West all lost to the 5-8 teams. Hopefully that doesn't happen this year, but all bets are off in the wild and wooly NHL playoffs.
Actually, with that lose, Carolina in effect went from the 3 seed to the 9 (pending of course the eventual Caps win today) and clinched playoff spots for Boston, Ottawa and Philadelphia.
The West has been a bit simpler in that Vancouver's lose on Thursday gave the 8 spot to Nashville... meaning that since Thursday, the West has simply been about 1-8 seedings and now the East has joined in this status.
So, the heavy lifting of getting there is done, but still quite a few things to get figured out on the final day. The various potential matchups are many so rather than listing out everything that could happen, let's look at what we'd like to see and what it would take on the final day to make that happen.
Western Conference desired matchups:
(1) Detroit vs (8) Nashville... set in stone.
(4) Anaheim vs (5) Dallas... set in stone.
(2) San Jose vs (7) Colorado... very much up in the air. Assuming Calgary wins vs Vancouver (safe bet as they're up 4-1 right now), this matchup would occur if Colorado loses in regulation to Minnesota on Sunday (not sure what an OTL would result in).
(3) Minnesota vs (6) Calgary... see above. Calgary and Colorado seedings will depend on Colorado's last game Sunday vs the Wild.
Eastern Conference desired matchups:
(4) New Jersey vs (5) NY Rangers... set in stone, just will have home ice determined by their game Sunday.
(2) Montreal vs (7) Boston... set in stone. Will be either with Montreal 1 or 2 and Boston 7 or 8 in the conference pending the Pittsburgh-Philly game Sunday.
(1) Pittsburgh vs (8) Philadelphia... would come about if Pittsburgh can beat the Flyers on Sunday. If they lose to Philly, Pittsburgh would play Ottawa in round one.
(3) Washington vs (6) Ottawa... see above. Could have Ottawa and the Flyers flipping opponents for their respective first round matchups.
Either way... the playoffs are oh so close to being here and everything starts over at the beginning. Don't be shocked at any lower seeds advancing... wasn't too long ago that the 1-4 seeds in the West all lost to the 5-8 teams. Hopefully that doesn't happen this year, but all bets are off in the wild and wooly NHL playoffs.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Approaching the Wire
Some interesting developments since Sunday night... we've seen Buffalo officially change from playoff contender to pretender, Washington charging hard, but still needing someone to lose a game and Nashville go a leg up on Vancouver.
Things are getting to the point now of looking ahead to the few remaining games to see what might happen. Below are the bubble (not in, but not out of the playoffs) standings as of Thurs Apr 3 during the Vancouver-Edmonton game along with the key Friday night games.
Eastern Conference standings:
3. Carolina- 92 points. 1 game left.
6. Ottawa- 94 points. 1 game left.
7. Boston- 92 points. 2 games left.
8. Washington- 92 points. 1 game left.
9. Philadelphia- 91 points. 2 games left.
Eastern Conference Friday night games:
Florida at Carolina- win and they're in for Carolina. lose and they're likely done.
New Jersey at Philadelphia- lose and Philly is probably out.
Boston at Ottawa- big for both teams. Most likely win and in, lose and... questionable.
Western Conference Standings:
7. Calgary- 92 points. 2 games left.
8. Nashville - 91 points. 1 game left.
9. Vancouver- 88 points. 2 games left... 1 ongoing vs Edmonton.
Western Conference Friday night games:
Nashville at Chicago... may not be neeed for Nashville as Edmonton is up 2-0 after 2 on the Couv.
Things are getting to the point now of looking ahead to the few remaining games to see what might happen. Below are the bubble (not in, but not out of the playoffs) standings as of Thurs Apr 3 during the Vancouver-Edmonton game along with the key Friday night games.
Eastern Conference standings:
3. Carolina- 92 points. 1 game left.
6. Ottawa- 94 points. 1 game left.
7. Boston- 92 points. 2 games left.
8. Washington- 92 points. 1 game left.
9. Philadelphia- 91 points. 2 games left.
Eastern Conference Friday night games:
Florida at Carolina- win and they're in for Carolina. lose and they're likely done.
New Jersey at Philadelphia- lose and Philly is probably out.
Boston at Ottawa- big for both teams. Most likely win and in, lose and... questionable.
Western Conference Standings:
7. Calgary- 92 points. 2 games left.
8. Nashville - 91 points. 1 game left.
9. Vancouver- 88 points. 2 games left... 1 ongoing vs Edmonton.
Western Conference Friday night games:
Nashville at Chicago... may not be neeed for Nashville as Edmonton is up 2-0 after 2 on the Couv.
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