The NHL playoffs are here, and already one series is decided. The Philadelphia Flyers needed the very last regular season game to clinch the final playoff berth as a number 7 seed. They had to defeat a New York Rangers team who was hanging on by a thread down the stretch, and stayed alive until the very last game. But the Flyers did something most people out side of Philly thought impossible.
Not only did they defeat the New Jersey Devils, they did so in just 5 games. Another early exit for the Devils. Is it Martin Brodeur's fault? It may seem easy to put the blame on him. But he lost the first game 2-1, and the last game 3-0. It wouldn't have mattered if the Flyers scored 3 goals, 10 goals, or just 1 goal, the Devils weren't going to win that game without putting the puck in the net. A 2.24 GAA, in the playoffs, isn't that bad. He led the team to a first place division finish, and a second place conference finish. I don't think he is washed up, just yet.
The Olympic games were another story. The Us clearly beat Canada the first time around because Marty played poorly, and clearly lost the gold medal game because Luongo played stellar. Marty may not be Canada's best goalie anymore, but I think he is still the best fit for New Jersey for another two to three years, they just need to start scoring in the playoffs.
EA Sports played out the playoffs, and they had the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup. Chicago looked like the best team for most of the year. The last time they won a division it wasn't the Central, but the Norris. They beat the Devils and Sharks handedly, but started to skid just before the end of the season, and then picked it up the final couple weeks of the season. If they win their last game versus Detroit, they would have had the number one seed in the West. Now they are struggling with Nashville, and don't look quite like the playoff team last year who got through Calgary and Vancouver. I still think they have a very good chance at winning the Cup, but they cannot afford to get in these long series this early on.
Washington picked things up during the middle of the season with a 13 game winning streak. It was at that time that they pulled away from all the other teams in the league. They played the Blackhawks on a Sunday afternoon, and came back from three goals down to beat them, and that was the game that really set them apart from everyone else. I still don't think they have enough playoff experience to win the Cup this year. Russia lost huge to Canada in the Olympics, and I think Washington will come up short in the playoffs partly because of Ovechkin. He certainly is finding the net, but I am still not convinced of his leadership skills; with his cheap hits and wild celebrations.
It is great to see all these new young stars taking over. Though there are still some old veteran lingering around in the playoffs, like Rob Blake, Nick Lidstrom, Brodeur, and mark Recchi, guys like Crosby, Malkin, Brown, Toews, Kane and Ovechkin are definitely taking over. Last year, Crosby was the youngest captain to win a cup, and there are captains this year younger than him who could win one.
It took a triple overtime game for Ottawa to beat Pittsburgh, which is leading to some discussion about a 4-4 playoff overtime, or possibly even a playoff shootout. I don't think the hockey enthusiasts will like that much. I, for one, am not a fan. I think it works well in the regular season. And it is too bad that some games go long, and then the teams are tired in the next series, or the series after that. But part of the long overtimes are due to the great goaltending we have been seeing this year so far.
Whoever wins the Stanley Cup this year will of course will be well deserving. I think the Conn Smythe winner will be a goalie, especially as we move into the second, third and final rounds.
Budd Foxx brings a unique style to sports writing. Although very opinionated and it's true he likes to add his own twist (some call it spin) to his articles, he is always well informed on his topic. Next time you are in a conversation about sports, be sure to quote him from one of his articles, you'll definitely be adding to that discussion.
Bud Foxx played sports all through high school and college. In High school he was captain of his cross country and track team, played varsity baseball and hockey. In college he again played varsity hockey for 1 year, varsity baseball for 4 years and ran cross-country and track for 4 years, 2 of which he was captain.
Foxx's articles appear in http://www.eazybetz.com and http://www.eazyonlinepoker.com where he is a staff writer.
No comments:
Post a Comment