Who are Those Guys Wearing the Calgary Sweaters?
Monday April 16, 2007
A few thoughts, as the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs approach the midway point of the opening round.
- Was that the Philadelphia Flyers who showed up in Detroit, cleverly disguised as the Calgary Flames? Certainly not. The last-place Flyers are much better than the bunch of stiffs who got steamrolled by the Red Wings in games one and two. Besides, the Flyers only have one plodding, slow-footed defenseman named Derian Hatcher. The team playing Detroit appears to have six Hatchers.
- If you have no particular rooting interest, crave entertaining hockey, and don't have time to watch everything, reserve your TV for all Nashville-San Jose games. After splitting a pair of bitterly fought thrillers, the Predators and Sharks could be on their way to a series for the ages. If the hockey gods are smiling, one of these teams will face Buffalo in the Stanley Cup Final.
- If you can squeeze in a second set of games, watch Pittsburgh against Ottawa, where bad blood, sublime playmaking and iffy goaltending make for a fun night at the rink.
- Then there's the Vancouver-Dallas match-up. Decent hockey, very close, mostly well played, but somewhat lacking in hate. It too often has the look of a vigorous morning scrimmage. They aren't even running the goalies.
- It doesn't appear likely, but if Sidney Crosby's Penguins faced Vincent Lecavalier's Lightning in Round Two, we might finally figure out which of them is the most dominant forward in hockey today. Based on the early playoff returns and a good deal of channel-surfing, the edge goes to Lecavalier.
- Defying last week's prediction, Buffalo will not sweep the New York Islanders. After their 3-2 win on Saturday, the Isles were given credit for blunting the legendary Sabres' attack. That's a nice compliment for an underdog team, but dubious. The game's only real story was the return of Rick DiPietro to the New York net. Even with him putting on a brilliant show, the Islanders barely scraped by a Buffalo team that did not bring its A game, or its B game; more like a C-minus.
Comments
the flames have been overhyped since their cup run. It was three years ago! Let it go already. This year’s edition is terrible.
Liking the playoffs so far…especially if the Shames are swept by the Wings! It’s a likely outcome of that series, but watch out- there’s usually a dark horse who surprises everybody.
I wouldn’t consider a series between Sidney Crosby and Vincent LeCavalier a series bewteen the two most dominant forwards in hockey. That would be a Pittsburgh- San Jose series because Joe Thornton is more dominant than LeCavalier.