Startling the person next to me in reaction to the game...priceless. It appears to be a test of core strength for these evenly matched teams. What a tug-of-war we are in for. I'm rooting for the Bruins, that town could use a celebration.
In an NHL article après losing to the Flyers in Game 4 (5-3) Marian Hossa talked about moving beyond frustration and playing smarter...actually he mentioned that word quite a few times...HOSSA MANTRA...WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER. A tip of the Tony Robbins hat to you sir.
Full Story
The only question I would ask the Blackhawks and want to correct is: WHY DO YOU ALL LOOK SO NUMB OUT ON THE ICE? Is that about playing smarter or about something else? Something else that the Flyers seem to have.
What can Chicago salvage from game 4? Scoring goals 2 & 3...knowing they are capable of scoring like that under that kind of pressure...these two goals may have made all the difference heading home as opposed to walking out of the Wachovia Center with a 4-1 or including empty net 5-1 wound.
This is a most unwelcome team role-reversal but I keep 'seeing' my nephew TJ (who lives outside of Chicago) at the parade in Chitown, hopefully foreshadowing to this result - that the unexpected underdog wins in the end.
GO HAWKS! PLAY ALIVE! BLACKHAWKS FANS HELP THEM OUT!
ps. You better believe my nephew is an Islander fan. Hawks are his second team...distant second if he wants to be invited to the big people table at Thanksgiving.
It's 8:03 and I should be in front of a TV but am not, busy day. So before jumping into my car to get in front of a TV here's a thought for game 4...so it's like this...Blackhawks are like people with book smarts and the Flyers are like people with street smarts. Usually it's good to have as even a balance of both but that's not going to happen with these two teams. Who wins the Stanley Cup is going to depend on what type of 'event' they are at - street fight or intellectual debate. In game 3 Philly did what they are so good at doing - pulling the other team into a street fight, thus they won - although not enough of an impressive sequence or goal to make it seem like Philly can pull this whole thing off from 2 games to 1...and that is why my cell phone is still chirping crickets. Chicago looked tired in OT- yeah it sucks when the muscles start to feel sour. But like I said in prior blog post it's all about endurance so unless Chicago wakes up and turns the atmosphere into a debate of intellect (aka skill), the Flyers are going to win. And by now if you follow this blog, you know how hard it was for me to type that last sentence. For some reason I don't think Chicago is done - maybe something such as a loss was needed to jilt Chicago out of their trance. Whether it be a gut feeling or a wish I think/hope Chicago is going to come down heavy in this game and remind everyone why they (team) are playing for the Stanley Cup in the first place, while at the same time reminding Philly of how lucky they were to have even gotten this far. Hope all that makes some kind of sense, it's hard to type a blog post with one foot out the door, it's 8:15 now and I've got to find myself in front of a TV pronto.
GO HAWKS!
So the Blackhawks are up 2 games to zero as Game 3 is about to start in a few minutes. If the Flyers want to stay in the race, they will need to draw upon the energy of their fans around them. Anyone who has been at a do-or-die game at the Wachovia Center knows what I mean. Not sure what happened to Peter Laviolette but it has resulted in a scattered energy on the team, unable to focus under his leadership and like Chris Pronger, some are acting out.
Got a kick out of the shots of Antti Niemi in the third period Monday night...the crazed look in his eyes was like the look of a crazed ex who just doesn't get it that it's over.
Blackhawks still not impressive, like studying for a C and surprisingly getting an A. All the Flyers have to do is use the boards and shoot.
Best part of the series so far? The sound coming from Flyers fans on my phone -
GO HAWKS! Let's keep it this way.
GAME ON!!
Tonight is Game 2 of the Stanely Cup Finals. Much to do went around about Peter Laviolette sending in Brian Boucher to replace Micheal Leighton in Game 1. I was more focused on the poor performace of both teams, who looked like pee-wee teams doing the ping-ping scoring that often goes on at that wee age, which at that age is cute. The Blackhawks got off easy - there was no victory for them this game but it appeared they realized that by how they skated off the ice. As for the Flyers, the last thing they needed was internal drama which was what their coach wound up creating - it's one thing to replace your starting goalie when the score is 4-0 but this was not the case. Coach Laviolette made Leighton look like a chump early on in this final race, there were other Flyers that should have exited instead of Leighton.
Morale is important Coach Laviolette if you want your boys to win for you because when it comes down to it in my world, it's all about making 'Dad' proud and as that goes, by removing your goalie when both teams were playing loosely, you publically put your team in a submissive position which can change the entire mindset of a team who really believed they could win the Stanley Cup under your leadership. But like in any family dynamic there is always someone in the role of scapegoat. In ice hockey that role is all too often filled by the goalie. In my opinion Leighton should have finished the game. What a coach can do in a scenario like game 1 is essentially play confidence chicken with the other coach - puff up his feathers and show 'fake it to you make it' confidence in your collective team because at the end of the day it's not about one game, one win or one loss...it's about who is still standing at the end of what is one long ass season. It's about endurance.
All Leighton needed was one confidence boost moment like Antti Niemi had late in the game when he impressed even himself with a glove save off of Daniel Briere's line drive from the slot.
Washington leads series against Pittsburgh 2-1
Carolina leads series against Boston 2-1
Vancouver leads series against Chicago 2-1
Anaheim leads series against Red Wings 2-1
Ok so this is what I had predicted for Round 2 and beyond:
Chicago vs. Vancouver = Chicago
Anaheim vs. Detroit = Detroit
Pittsburgh vs. Washington = Pittsburgh
Boston vs. Carolina = Boston
Stanley Cup Final: Boston vs. Detroit
2009 Stanley Cup Champions: Boston Bruins
The current standings are messing up my predictions but in all honesty I don’t mind a bit – makes for more suspenseful hockey. Even though each game is a new win opportunity, I think it’s safe to say there wasn’t a person who didn’t think that Pittsburgh HAD to win this game, Malkin had to step up asap and the depth of this team needed to find its way back to the ice. Done, done and done. Carolina just seems to get better with each game, and Eric Staal should be cloned. Anaheim’s confidence/mindset has carried them this far and more than any playoff team, it has remained constant. Vancouver is still aglow and like Anaheim, their conditioning may be giving them an edge over the Blackhawks who are looking a little sluggish out there. One thing that seems apparent, some (not all) goalies are getting tired.
Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien stated in the post game interview (NHL network) that there are such things as hockey gods…ah ha! Another believer! Wonder if he also believes in parking gods – living in NYC, I pray to them often.
Wonder if Martin Brodeur is out of shock yet.
Pittsburgh 5 : Philadelphia 3
Pittsburgh wins series 4-2
OH HAPPY DAY!! At first it was dreadful to hear the horn sound three times for the Flyers. I could not believe they could win this game so effortlessly so I spent the entire game pacing between my new found photog friends Tim and Tom and my sister who was also rooting for the Pens. After the 1st period the Flyers were up 2-0. The only thought I had about the Pens winning was that from my years of watching Flyers hockey, Philly does better when they either bully effectively or score the first goal within the first 10-12 minutes of the game which they did not do, the first goal (Mike Knuble) occurred with about 3 minutes to go in the 1st period. That was the good news going into the second, the bad news…Danny Briere scored #3 a few minutes into the 2nd. However, the second period turned out to be the game changer. The pens were able to get off 20 shots despite 13 penalty minutes whereas the Flyers has the same number of penalty minutes but only 9 shots. Two other game changing happenings in the 2nd period – after the third Philly goal Marc-Andre Fleury went into a zone and remained there and the Pens did what the Flyers did not do – diffuse the weight of winning the game among as many players as possible. In the 3rd period, Philly was too much on the defensive so 5 shots on goal was not going to bring them a come from behind win. Although considering that the Pen’s sixth goal was an empty netter by Sidney Crosby in the last minute of the period, tying the game was not out of reach for Philly. Surprisingly Flyer fans were not sore losers this time around, they seemed too disappointed to be obnoxious, or like some of the fans around us, too liquored up. It’s always hit or miss when going to the Wachovia Center but this time around I had a fabulous time – great view of the game, lots of laughs with staff and fans, edge of your seat hockey… all culminating in the Flyers going boo-bye. Here's a video of the last 10 seconds of the game:
Calgary 1 : Chicago 5
Chicago leads series 3-2
Anaheim 2 : San Jose 3 (OT)
Anaheim leads series 3-2
The Flyer/Pens game must have tired me out – after arriving back at my mom’s house I went to say hello to my cat Freddy Bear and conked out next to him. Zzzzz. So I missed the later games. In reading the recaps and watching highlights – advantage still stands for Chicago and Anaheim. Chicago is just getting started in playing their ‘better than’ hockey and with 48 shots on goal, San Jose better have won the game…yet they won by only 1 goal. The Ducks can figure out a strategy to win the series based on the last two games won by the Sharkypoos, who seem to have woken up but the question is, did they wake up in enough time.
Boston 4 : Montreal 1
Boston wins series 4-0.
Montreal fans showed zero class towards their team at the end of this game. I hope that under his catch glove and blocker, Carey Price’s middle fingers were up. Perhaps not kicking a dog when it’s down does not translate in French. Here’s my high school French translation for Habs fans…vous tous sucez le temps grand.
Washington 1 : New York 2
New York leads series 3-1
Washington 39 shots on goal Rangers 21, Washington had 3 more chances on the power play (6) than the Rangers (3). Regardless of what the final score could have been, the Caps were able to put only 1 goal past Henrik Lundqvist with those stats. Not a good sign, plus with each game Ovechkin looks more and more like the only cactus left in the desert. Going into the 3rd period, the Rangers were up 2-0. What I noticed was that the Rangers seemed like they did not know how to win the game from that point - ‘we’re ahead so what do we do now?’. I think this will make them vulnerable to a come from behind Caps win on Friday night if they should pull ahead of Washington but not know how to yank the last piece of the band-aid off. However, as strange as this might sound (it seemed strange thinking it)…Sean Avery’s penalty with about 3 minutes left in the game was the best thing that could have happened to the Rangers. In those last 3 minutes what I saw was the Rangers digging down deep and Rangers fans standing up high. The game came alive. It was the perfect lead in to the next game and a perfect fan send off to help catapult the Rangers towards closing out the series. Advantage goes to the Rangers based on those 3 minutes, maybe this time the Rangers can dig down with Avery ON the ice.
Chicago 4 : Calgary 6
Series tied 2-2
As much as Calgary fought to win this game, they gave up a three goal lead in the second period. Without the empty net goal, the score would have been 5-4. Discounting power play goals and the empty netter, Calgary ‘won’ 4-2. I’m still going with Chicago for the series win however they are going to have to push Calgary back or else the Flames will bully them out of the series. Overall the game seemed flukey.
Washington 3 : New York 0
New York leads series 2-1
By far this is the oddest thing in the playoffs so far – the Rangers and their fans showed up to play/cheer as if they were still in the regular season…9 minutes into the game they were going to lose. Was there anyone, Ranger or Ranger fan, who realized this was a playoff game? Yup. Sean Avery. 5 bucks Avery was more frustrated with his team than the Caps. 5 bucks Ranger fans (or majority of) think it’s beneath them to wear a colored t-shirt and swing from the rafters for their team. Avery’s acting out was understandable however being the tuning fork of the team takes away from his ability at times, this was one of those times. My hope is that he’s developed an off switch by now before he does something to mess up his career in a more permanent way. Overall, this is the kind of adversity I wrote about in an earlier blog post, and after seeing Ranger’s coach John Tortorella’s post game interview, advantage goes to Washington for the next game. Coach Tortorella…your team entered the playoffs seated 7th, up against 2nd seated team and beat them on their turf in the first two games therefore it was a little much that you were publically hostile towards your players. 2 minutes for uncoachmanlike conduct.
Boston 4 : Montreal 2
Boston leads series 3-0
Montreal accomplished two things this game – they scored first to give them their first lead in the series and even though the Habs lost, this time around they made Boston earn the win. Time to call this series for Boston, although I hope the Habs win on Wednesday for their fans and to tucker out Boston a bit for the next round. Both Boston and Detroit have had it a little too easy.
Chicago 2 : Calgary 4
Chicago leads series 2-1
The tug-of-war is alive and well between these two teams and with each game it intensifies. No doubt this will be a fight to the finish series, a lot more hockey equipment will be dropped to the ice. After watching this game, I’m going to go with Chicago for the series because their response to losing (while they are playing) errr how do I translate this…Calgary’s win didn’t seem like a win that would contribute to them coming back to take the series, it seemed like a bump in the road to Chicago moving ahead to round 2. Chicago’s drive is strong and their demeanor is sober, I’d be very surprised if they did not go far in the run for the Cup.
Rangers 1 : Washington 0
Rangers lead series 2-0
Just because the Rangers were ranked 7th, doesn’t mean that they were going to play that way – same for the Capitals on the flip side. This season I’ve watched probably every team play in one game or another but I didn’t watch the Caps, something about the team repels me which means their energy is probably unbalanced or dark. I’m also not a big fan of #8, beyond recognizing him for the stand out player he is. Advantage goes to Washington for the next game despite the Rangers in the lead and playing on home ice. The Caps played way beneath their ability this game and yet look how much effort it took the Rangers to score 1 goal and keep the Caps to none. Sooner than later being ranked #2 with #8 on the team is going to surface, let’s see if Washington can recognize that moment and build on it. As for the Rangers an image for them to build upon would be a v-shaped flock of geese with Henrik Lundqvist as lead goose. Curious to see who will be in net for Washington.
Columbus 0 : Detroit 4
Detroit leads series 2-0
Anyone shocked about how this series is going? A meditation going out to Columbus in advance of the next game is that they win at least one game on home ice, not only for themselves but also for their fans.
Montreal 1 : Boston 5
Boston leads series 2-0
Kind of the same situation as Columbus/Detroit except the Bruins are gaining momentum that could serve them beyond this series.
Calgary 2 : Chicago 3
Chicago leads series 2-0
If Calgary can step up its defense and gain some traction on home ice, the tug-of-war between these teams will be awesome to watch.
Wednesday, April 15th
(7)Rangers 4
(2)Washington 3
The advantage goes to the Rangers because of who they are matched up with in the first round – they have nothing to lose. In order to ever advance further in their bid for the Stanley Cup, the Rangers will have to somehow reconcile with the notion that that a team has to earn its way to a Cup – step by step. Washington has done this and will most likely reap the rewards. If the Rangers can avoid player egos turning on each other at the first sign of adversity, which they can be sure will happen against the Caps, they just might have a chance to force Washington to say, “Phew that was a close call” at the end of this series.
(5)Philadelphia 1
(4)Pittsburgh 4
Although I am thrilled the Penguins beat the Flyers, it doesn’t mean much because the Flyers played sloppy and unless Philly completely falls apart, no doubt they will recover quickly from this loss and come out swinging Friday night. Don’t know if his leadership will be enough to break the Flyer’s habit of getting in their own way and choking when it comes to the post season but John Stevens is one clever coach – if the Pens drop their style of play for a second, the Flyers will seep into that space, however trading Scottie Upshall created vulnerability in the team chemistry so it’s an uphill climb for the Flyers to begin with, especially if any resentment is buzzing around the team towards management.
(6)Carolina 1
(3)New Jersey 3
New Jersey is a more seasoned team so let’s see if Carolina can regroup and utilize their speed and figure out a way around the Devil’s defense. Looking beyond the playoffs, Carolina is building nicely as a team. The outcome of this series will most likely be based on the Devils already being a nicely built team and if they were any more organized, it would be a team deficit.
(6) St. Louis 1
(3) Vancouver 2
Both teams are probably just glad to have made it over the playoff race finish line and compared to other teams, are in a playoff world of their own. This will be an interesting series to watch due to the skill set each team possesses. With both Chris Mason and Roberto Luongo in net, even more reason why this series will be interesting to watch.
Thursday, April 16
(7)Columbus 1
(2)Detroit 4
Columbus making their first appearance in the playoffs is a win all on its own. Having to play against the Red Wings is a great learning opportunity for Columbus, who will get to experience what’s ahead for them in future playoff years – what kind of effort it will take to be a Stanley Cup contender and what kind of force they will feel coming their way from an opponent should they make it that far – can’t say enough about how much can be learned from the force of resistance. Out of all the series, I am most curious to see what will happen between these two teams.
(5)Calgary 2
(4)Chicago 3 (OT)
Probably going to be to most ‘spirited’ series – as in it’s gonna get nasty out there. Anyone watching these games is in for quite a push and pull experience – which is some of the best hockey to watch.
(8)Montreal 2
(1)Boston 4
While watching Boston beat the Isles on Sunday I thought to myself – if Boston plays like this (lackluster) in the playoffs, they will get hammered. Don’t think Montreal has the endurance to chip away at Boston’s numero uno spot in the standings but they are capable of energy surges so the Bruins better make sure they recharge effectively between each game.
(8)Anaheim 2
(1)San Jose 0
San Jose has been the only team echoing in my mind in regards to the Stanley Cup. Either things are going to go really well or really bad for this team because of what and which teams they will have to endure to make it to the top of the NHL hill. This game, it appeared as though their bodies came out on the ice but their spirit did not. Probably a necessary loss for the Sharks, a bite on the butt from the Ducks as a reminder that there is no free lunch. My guess is the Sharks will bite back and chomp their way through this series.
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