Switch Hitting, Visitors Overstaying Their Welcome

Switch Hitting
The Easter Bunny tucked a pair of Twins tickets into my Easter basket right next to the peeps and malted milk balls.  Okay, it wasn't the Easter Bunny, it was Connie and Randy, but they sure made my Easter Day bright!  Bobbi and I took in the game Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the beautiful weather along with a Twins Win.  

Check out the Through The Lens tab at the top of this page for some pictures from the game.   

I spent some quality time with Mr. Thome and his team mates and got to razz Bobbi about her affinity for the dreaded Vancouver Canucks.  Yes, there was hockey talk at a baseball game and just so you all know - there were folks all around, especially the two guys behind us, who were all over the NHL playoffs with me.  This is the State of Hockey.  

For Vicki - Check out the Through The Lens page for a special set of shots just for you   .   

Overstaying Their Welcome

This first round of playoffs has been filled with overtime sessions and it's the visiting teams who are coming up the big winners.    

Tampa Bay vs Pittsburgh: Pens 3-2 series
New York vs Washington: Caps 4-1 series winner
Montreal vs Boston: Bruins 3-2 series 
Buffalo vs Philadelphia: 3-3 series tied

Nashville vs Anaheim: Preds 4-2 series winner
Chicago vs Vancouver: 3-3 series tied
Phoenix vs Detroit: Wings 4-0 series winner
Los Angeles vs San Jose: Sharks 3-2 series

• Rangers/Caps - New York is just about as merciless as Canada is when their teams lose.  Check out the Rangers message boards for some of the best Marian Gaborik bashing you'll ever see.  Porcelain Groin Boy has some serious reckoning to do this summer in order to win back the Ranger fans come this fall.  He simply must learn how to be a two way player or he's doomed to be the whipping boy of New York.  Given the price and length of his contract the Rangers are stuck with him so I'm guessing the GM and coaching staff will be working closely with Gaborik as well.

And now some love for my boyfriend!  It has been great to see Ovechkin work on being a two way player over the course of this season.  His efforts have paid big dividends and the team has shown great strides as well.  Wes said it best during a Chalk Talk last season when he commented how a team that simply strives for offense and speed will find themselves out of steam and out of the playoffs if that's all they have.  The Caps have worked to be better defensively and they've taken down one conference rival for their efforts.  I couldn't help but smile when hearing the VS in game commentators and the analysts refer to the changes.

• Penguins/Lightning - Tampa Bay refuses to go down without a fight.  After losing games 3 and 4 they responded by embarassing the Pens in game 5 by winning 8-2 on the Pens home ice.  The 2 Penguin goals didn't come until the third period in a game that was both tragic and comical to watch.  Game 6 is Monday night.  I expect it to be an epic butt-whoopin' by the Pens who never let a bad game go unpunished. 

    

• Hawks/Canucks - Vance's Hawks had a thing for the number 5 in game 5...they won it 5-0.  Luongo continued his M.O. of melting down in the playoffs and so did his team mates.  I really didn't expect this to happen until the Cup Final but heck, I'll take the Canucks being ousted whenever it can get done.  If this is the round in which the Hockey Gods deem it then who am I to disagree?  Game 6 was a nail biter with the Canucks clearly determined to get back on their game.  Each time Vancouver scored, the Hawks answered back though.  Loungo didn't start this game in net but he had to finish because Schnieder left the game with an injury.  I'm not saying Lou's the reason the Hawks won it in overtime...or am I?  Game 7 is Tuesday and you can bet there isn't anything on the face of this earth that will keep me from watching!  

         

• Preds/Ducks - I've said it before and I'm still saying it - The Most Entertaining Series of round one.  Yes, these games have been ungodly late to start and the overtimes by the teams playing ahead of them haven't helped that.  Let me assure you they've been totally worth staying up to watch.  Anahiem came back in game 4 with a commanding 6-3 win after being totally embarrassed about their play in game 3.  The Preds, who have never made it beyond the first round of playoffs, pulled together and said "Not This Year."  They gritted it out in game 5, sending the game into overtime by scoring with just 36 seconds left in the 3rd period.  It took less than 2 minutes in overtime to get the winning goal and send the series to game 6.  The Ducks scored first in game 6 and the Preds answered back with two goals of their own.  The Ducks tied the score late in the second but the Preds owned the third period getting the winner and an empty netter to boot.   I am NEVER sad to see the Ducks laid to waste and this time is no different.  
  

• Coyotes/Wings - The Red Wings finished sweeping the Coyotes out of the first round pretty easily.  Makes me glad the Wild didn't get into the playoffs - that's what this particular series did for me.  Of course, the real story here is whether or not the Coyotes are moving back to Winnipeg.  Will they or won't they?  If you believe everything you read in the press - who knows?  The media seems to think it's a done deal but Bettman is denying it to the hilt.  I'm not even sure who the lesser of the two evils is in that pairing but I can't help feeling sad for the Yotes fans.  Minnesota's been there, done that - having lost an NHL team.  The difference between us is that you can take it to the bank that Arizona will never get an expansion team ever again.  Just as hockey should have never left Minnesota, the game never should have been transplanted in the middle of the desert. 
  

• Habs/Bruins - The Bruins were down 3-1 halfway through game 4.  They battled back in the second period and then fell behind 4-3 early in the third.  With less than 7 minutes left in regulation the Bruins tied the game to send it into, you guessed it, overtime.  It took 2 minutes into OT for Boston to put the winning goal in the net.  Game 5 was a nail biter with two scoreless periods and the Bruins taking the 1-0 lead early in the third period.  With six minutes left in regulation the Habs finally got one past the Bruins goalie and into overtime we go...familiar territory in round one.  In fact, it took 2 overtimes to get the job done but the Bruins stuck it out to come away with the lead in the series, coming back from a 2-0 series deficit.  Game 6 is Tuesday.   

• Kings/Sharks - Runner Up for Most Entertaining Series of Round One.  Game 3 started out with the Kings trampling all over the Sharks 3-0 in the first period but this game would turn out to be the Battle Royale of the series so far.  the second period was a scoring buffet with a total of 7 goals being scored and the game tied up.  There was a moritorium on scoring in the third period so off to overtime they went.  The Sharks scored early to finish the game off but it was still close to 1:00 a.m. before it was over.  Games 4 and 5 were relative snooze fests in comparison: Sharks 6-3 in game 4, Kings 3-1 in game 5 - a game in which the goals were all scored within the first 9 minutes and their goalie made 51 saves.  Game 6 is Monday night.    
  
• Flyers/Sabres - Game 4 was mild (Sabres 1-0) compared to game 5: Sabres up 3-0 in the first period and then watched as the Flyers scored 2 in the second and 1 in the third to send the game into...shockingly, overtime.  Buffalo found their game in OT but still felt embarrassed when all was said and done.  Game 6 just pissed me off with the Flyers answering back every time the Sabres scored and yes, there was overtime.  The Flyers pulled this one out of their butts and have forced a game 7 on Tuesday night.  The Sabres better get their heads on straight - I'm counting on them.