Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has a .943 save percentage in the playoffs. Thomas has led the Bruins to a 2-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. | Slidingsideways/Flickr.com
The NHL playoffs have begun and are living up to expectations. Every game has been extremely entertaining. There have been seven games that went into overtime including two that went into double overtime. Not only have the games been close, but they have also been very physical. This is one of the main things that make hockey such a great sport to watch.
Of the eight series being played right now, only two have been lopsided. These series are Los Angeles vs. Vancouver and Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh. The Kings and Flyers are up on their opponents, big.
It is a huge surprise that both of the losing teams are so down right now. Vancouver won the Western Conference last year and was the number one seed in the West this year, and had the best overall record in the NHL in the regular season. Many people thought that this was their year to take home the cup. That is, until the Canucks lost one of the Sedin sisters to injury.
This may be the biggest reason why Vancouver has struggled against the Kings. Roberto Luongo has also played horrible in goal. His play was so bad that he was benched for game three. The only way for Vancouver to come back in the series is if Luongo, the projected Vezina Trophy finalist, can come back and play a strong goal for the remainder of the games.
The Penguins were picked by even more people to win the Stanley Cup coming into the playoffs. Not many people saw the Flyers blowing them out. This team has struggled to get going and it seems as if the physical play of Philadelphia is getting to their heads.
Pittsburgh has a better chance of coming back from down 0-3. The team of superstars just needs to come together like they did at the end of the season. They were quite possibly the hottest team down the stretch and it all started when Sidney Crosby came back from his head injury.
The Flyers did dominated Pittsburgh this season, but it looked like the team had started fresh and was back to playing high quality hockey. This is why it is so surprising that the Penguins are not putting up a fight. It is going to be difficult for them to come back from 0-3, and the only way they will is if they start playing hard-nose hockey.
A series that has lived up to expectations is the Bruins vs. the Capitals. The first two games went into overtime and the third game was tied 3-3 with two minutes remaining in the game. Both goalies have played extremely well.
The Capitals goalie, rookie Braden Hotlby has held his own during the beginning of the series. He’s made some spectacular saves and along with the defense, are the main reasons why Washington is still in the series.
The Bruins have been led by Tim Thomas in goal. Thomas has also stepped up his game and had some amazing saves. The defense has also been very important to the team. They have figured out a way to slow down Alex Ovechkin. In order for the Capitals to win this series, Ovechkin needs to figure out a way to get going.
The Rangers vs. Senators has also been a very physical series. All of the games have been close so far and Ottawa has shown that they can play with the Rangers. The Senators leadership is the main reason why they have been so successful. Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Neil have been the teams’ standout players. The two veterans have played very well and in order for the Senators to have a chance, they need to keep up the physical play.
The Rangers have been led by Henrik Lundqvist. His superior play in goal is the main reason why New York is leading the series. Brian Boyle has also been played great. He has scored a goal in all three games in the series. The Rangers may be on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals if they keep playing elite hockey.
The Blues vs. Sharks series has also been very entertaining. The Blues lost their starting goalie Jaroslav Halak for game three but were able to pull out a win with backup Brian Elliot in net. These two teams are probably the most evenly matched of all of the series and that is why all of the games have come down to the wire. The deciding factor will be if Halak is able to get back in goal for the Blues. It could be devastating if he is lost for the series.
The NHL playoffs have not disappointing and it will be intriguing to see who takes home the cup come summer time.
Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.
Loading ...
