Wow - didn't think this would ever happen again but the record setting deal is in place through the 2020-2021 season. Jesus, can you even wrap your head around the year 2020? For those of you with the cable/satellite provider who doesn't offer Versus - drop their shit now and get with the program.
Quest for the Calder Cup
Let's not forget that our Houston Aeros are playing for the Calder Cup. Our boys swept the Peoria Rivermen right out of the first round. The future appears to be looking up for the Wild. For the best coverage of our farm team add T3I to your favorites and check in often. Some of my favorite writers are found there, including the very charming MsConduct, who also writes for InGoalMagazine. I've been a huge fan of hers for some time now and once you read her blog I guarantee you'll be hooked as well. My favorite tweet of hers during game 2: "Have said "F**k me" at least 20 times during this game. New playoff slogan: Aeros Playoff Hockey: Enjoy Your Heart Attack." My kind of hockey fan! I'd love to take in a game with her some time.
Tampa Bay vs Pittsburgh: Pens 2-1 series
New York vs Washington: Caps 2-1 series
Montreal vs Boston: Habs 2-1 series
Buffalo vs Philadelphia: Flyers 2-1 series
Nashville vs Anaheim: Preds 2-1 series
Chicago vs Vancouver: Canucks 3-1 series
Phoenix vs Detroit: Wings 3-0 series
Los Angeles vs San Jose: Sharks 1-1 series
- Rangers/Caps - Favorite tweet from Russo: "Gaborik is honestly going to pull his groin if he keeps dodging checks and turning it over like this." Funniest moment of the series was watching Ovechkin try to put a hit on Brian Boyle...Ovie bounced right off of Boyle like he was a tennis ball. Second best tweet of the series from Puck Daddy: "Wow, almost had a Marian Gaborik sighting there for a second." Favorite chant of the series: "Avery Sucks! Avery Sucks! Avery Sucks!"
- Penguins/Lightning - The Bolts were determined to do better in their second game and boy, did they. The final score Friday night was 5-1. Brett Clark took a puck to the face and after being attended to on the ice by the trainer he managed to get up and make it to the locker room on his own. It's the playoffs, baby. Ultimately Tampa Bay doesn't have what it takes to get past the Pens, IMHO, and while they won't go down without a fight, they will go down. Game 3 is Wednesday night.
- Hawks/Canucks - The Hawks seem to have forgotten the first rule of hockey - puck possession. My favorite moment of the series so far is the Canucks sandwich from game 2. There were 3 Hawks putting a crushing check on a Vancouver player. Almost as good as a goal, which Chicago desperately needs. Game three felt like the Little Engine That Could with the Hawks taking a 3-1 lead before the 2nd period was over and never looking back. They chased Louongo from the net in the early minutes of the third period after scoring their 6th goal of the game. Lou has a history of ultimately choking in playoff series but I didn't think it would be in game 4 of the first round. This doesn't mean Vancouver is necessarily down and out but Lou being ousted usually signals the rest of the Canucks starting to unravel as well. And sure enough, 3 Canucks got 10 minute game misconducts shortly afterwards. The 7-1 blowout made the Hawks fans feel like there's hope.
- Preds/Ducks - The Most Entertaining Series of round one. Ducks take a 4-1 lead in the second game and then the Preds came back in the third period to bring the score to 4-3. Ducks end up winning 5-3 thanks to an empty netter but they were sweating it, big time, during the last 3 minutes of that game. Game 3 was high-energy, high-impact, high-emotion all the way. Preds score twice within 38 seconds during the first period. The Ducks come back with Selanne scoring twice within 30 seconds in the second period to tie the game. The third period had the Preds scoring, the Ducks answering back within 90 seconds and then the Preds putting the game away with the winning goal. There were boarding and roughing and fighting penalties in the second period which combined for a total of 22 minutes being served in the box. This is how Selanne summed up Sunday night's game: "Well, something a little bright thing," he said of the Ducks' brief comeback, "but we have no reason to lose this (expletive) game. No business. They wanted it more, they won the battles. We're lucky even to be in the game. Very disappointed."
- Coyotes/Wings - The Red Wings scuttled the Coyotes in seven games in last year's first-round series. They've now won four of five playoff games against the Coyotes in Phoenix over the last two years. They can close out the series and sweep the Coyotes in game 4 on Wednesday night. Boy, can I feel the Coyotes pain - been there, done that in round one a couple of times. Just to give you a feel for the hockey machine that is Detroit: they scored all four of their goals in the first three minutes of each period – and on their first shot of each period. In game three Valtteri Filppula made it 3-0 just 2:50 into the second to put the Red Wings in complete control with Johan Franzen adding the breakaway goal in the opening minute of the third. I won't say toast just yet but I think the Coyotes are up against a brick wall. It doesn't help that their goaltending has completely cracked at this point.
- Habs/Bruins - The story in this series has been Zdeno Chara, and it starts by going back six weeks ago when his hit on Max Pacioretty left the Habs player with a broken vertebra in his neck and a concussion. Pacioretty is still out of the line up. The crowd at Bell Centre for game 3 was purely hostile but the Bruins quieted the 21,000 booing and jeering fans by taking their first lead of the series just over three minutes into the game. Boston got their first win in the series at Montreal after Chara returned to the lineup after being being sidelined with dehydration issues after catching a virus before game 2. Game 4 is Thursday, just enough time to let game 3 sink in and fester in Montreal.
- Kings/Sharks - The Kings needed some of their 'lesser known' players to step up. The team was without Jarret Stoll, due to suspension. Anze Kopitar is out with a season-ending broken ankle. Goalie Jonathan Quick was a brick wall, getting the shutout. The blue line rocked for 3 goals, 4 assists and 11 blocked shots, as well as an efficient power play to even up the series. Again, I'm glad to see the Kings respond so well but ultimately I think the series will go to the Sharks. We'll see how game three goes - and I won't be staying up for it, so check in here for the final score. Okay, I watched the first period - aka: Train Wreck. The Kings scored 2 quick goals and had Niemi reeling in the net.
- Flyers/Sabres - And to think, the Wild coulda/shoulda/woulda had Peter Laviolette behind the bench 2 years ago...sigh. Making the tough decisions, based on what's best for the team, Laviolette put the backup goalie Brain Boucher in net for game 3. Boucher made 35 saves and the Flyers squeaked out the win to take the 2-1 lead in the series. Coach Laviolette also inserted Zherdev in the lineup who scored the winning goal. The Sabres have their work cut out for them going into game 4 Wednesday night and it will be interesting to see what, if any, changes Lindy Ruff makes.
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