I semi-loathe Game 4…

I’d be lying if I said that I think Round 2 is going smashingly. The games are exciting and well-played (for the most part); collectively, more so than in recent past. I even tip my proverbial hat to the Flyers, Penguins, and Stars. However, I can’t bring myself to do so for the Red Wings—largely in part due to the fact that they are the nemesis of all sports nemesis for me. They’ve definitely performed better than my Avs, and I’m finding myself with nothing but sheer hope that we don’t get swept. Having to endure a sweep, at home, and the fact that neither team has ever swept the other in the playoffs—talk about accepting defeat grudgingly. Game 4 is at 10 p.m. tonight, and each hour that passes by is pure agony. However, the words of the mighty captain, Joe Sakic, have been offering me some slight relief. The other day he said, “Well, the Red Sox came back on the Yankees.” That’s right Joe; they did.

Flyers: I am impressed with how far the Flyguys have come. They had a tough time beating the Caps, but showed their true worth as a playoff team by dominating the number-one seeded Montreal Canadiens. They have truly been a whole new team. For one, Martin Biron has undoubtedly made his presence known. I thought for sure Carey Price and Biron would perform as equals, but the difference truly ended up being experience. Price let the pressure to be perfect get to him. Once scored upon, he couldn’t seem to recover. Biron on the other hand showed a cool head, despite being challenged. Jaroslav Halak was put in for Price, but that seemed to do little to stop the likes of Danny Briere and Vaclav Proposal last night. Flyers lead the series 3-1, and I honestly didn’t see it coming. I feel as though the Habs are wasting their talent by getting too impatient and giving into the intensity. However, at least I’ll get to see the Pens and Flyers play in Philly for the East title (oh, like anyone can say it WON’T happen…).

Penguins: The Pens have shown they are unstoppable. They have won seven-straight playoff games/are undefeated and show no signs of slowing down. The likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin (up for the Hart trophy), and Marc-Andre Fleury have played consistently well throughout the entire playoffs. I thought it was just the Senators having a horrible series, but my opinion has completely changed. In what will most likely be a sweep after tonight’s game (7 p.m. on VS), the Pens have shown that they are without a doubt a should-be contender for Lord Stanley’s Cup. That’s not to say the Rangers haven’t put up a fight. Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury in particular have been tremendous. Drury limiting the damage by Crosby and Malkin and Jagr being the reason the Rangers have gotten off as many shots as they have. And who can forget the solid play by Henrik Lundqvist? What a goalie. I truly admire goalies (and my favorite players tend to be goalies), so perhaps I’m biased, but I think he’s defended the net better than most against the tough Pittsburgh offense. Overall, I’ve been pleased with the aggressiveness shown by both sides in this series. Sean Avery, no stranger to aggressive play, certainly contributed as well as Jagr. Neither player were willing to step down verbally or physically. They probably got rough out of immense frustration at times, but the Pens needed to be challenged physically. During the season and even into Round 1 of the playoffs, I wasn’t impressed with the level of physicality the Pens threw out there. I think that this series made them tougher in that regard and an even stronger contender for the Cup.

Stars: How disappointing have the Sharks been this series? I thought for sure underestimating the Flames would give them a boost to at least offer something against the Stars. They did manage to pull off a win against them, but let’s be real—the Stars let them win just so they can win the series in the mighty San Jose Shark Tank. My main question is, where has Joe Thornton been? I mean really; he had an assist last night, but what is going on with him? The Sharks have earned their nickname the Guppies. They only seem to be furthering the Stars momentum and at the same time are hurting their own morale. In all fairness though, who can compete against Marty Turco and Mike Ribeiro? Ribeiro is a threat all his own. I can honestly attribute the solo win the Sharks have to their ability of limiting the effectiveness of Ribeiro—if they can keep this up, perhaps they can pull off another win. However, I doubt it—the Stars are ready to put this thing away and get a rest before playing for the West title.

Avalanche: I don’t really know what to say here. How utterly disappointing. Everyone is trying to be positive, but the possibility of pulling ahead after going down 3-0 seems meek at best. With these additional injuries of our’s, it only makes things harder. Paul Stastny being out seems to be getting the most attention. While Stastny has assisted every once in awhile, he’s hardly performed to his capability. It’s frustrating, and I hate to say it, but—I’m not entirely sure we’ll miss him as much as we’ve missed Wojtek Wolski or will potentially miss Ryan Smyth. We’ll find out at 10 p.m. tonight how serious the Avs are about continuing on. My support is in their corner, but to say I’m disappointed in their lack of play is an understatement. As for the Red Wings……they can take their octopus and shove it. 

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