Beast of the east humbled by Habs
So…is the Presidents’ Trophy becoming a curse? Well, if you ask the Washington Capitals and last year’s San Jose Sharks, they just might be open to the possibility that it just might be so.
Last year, the Sharks finished the regular season with an NHL-high 117 points, one more than the Boston Bruins…but fell to the Anaheim Ducks who squeezed into the playoffs with 91 points. This year it was the Montreal Canadiens entering into the post season with a mere 88 points…just five more than the Thrashers’ 83…and they then proceeded to knock off the mighty Washington Capitals, who finished with 121 points.
In fact, of the five Presidents’ Trophy winners since the lockout, three have failed to advance to the second round. In 2006 the Edmonton Oilers knocked out the top-seeded Red Wings and rode that waive right into the Stanley Cup Finals. Going back to 2000, it was the St. Louis Blues that ended their fine season on a down note, losing to the San Jose Sharks in seven games.
Bucking the trend of late, however, were the Red Wings of 2008 who skated away with the Stanley Cup after finishing the regular season with a league-high 115 points. They also pulled off that trick in 2002.
Speaking of ’02…that spring the Canadiens performed a similar feat by bumping the top-seeded Boston Bruins in the first round.
Bruins and Flyers - Who wins?
- #6 Boston (64%, 69 Votes)
- #7 Philly (36%, 38 Votes)
Total Voters: 107
Loading ...But back to Montreal’s latest stunner…this one was nothing short of amazing as they fell behind Washington 3 games to 1 and have been facing elimination since last Friday night. However since that time, have outscored the Capitals 8-3 over the course of games five through seven despite the fact that they were outshot…now get this…134-65.
The star on the Canadiens’ show was the man between the pipes, Jaroslav Halak who saved all but three of the 134 shots he faced over the last three games, (.978 SV%), including 41 of the 42 shots Washington took on him Wednesday night.
Another 41 shots were blocked in front of him.
Not to be overlooked here is the fact that Montreal’s penalty kill unit faced down the best power play in the NHL this year, holding them to just one, single, solitary goal on 31 power play opportunities. I guess it’s only fitting then that they closed out the deciding game seven while fending off a Caps’ man advantage.
Penguins and Canadiens - Who wins?
- #4 Pittsburgh (66%, 75 Votes)
- #8 Montreal (34%, 38 Votes)
Total Voters: 113
Loading ...With the 8-1 upset by the Habs, and the fact that all three division winners in the Eastern Conference went down in the opening round, this leaves #4 Pittsburgh as the highest remaining team in the east. Thus, they will take on the Canadiens while the #7 Flyers take on the #6 Bruins.
Of course, given that the Flyers have not seen action since disposing of the Devils in five games last week, the question that will be asked by some is “will they be rusty coming into the second round having spent so much time off?” Personally, I think that after playing 87 games with only the Olympic break in February to rest up, Philly probably looked forward to the time off. They should benefit from having been given time for some of the bumps and bruises to heal and it should make for a great matchup with Boston.
The Flyers got great goaltending from Brian Boucher, whose 1.59 GAA was tops in the first round, helping to keep the Flyers GA/G average down to just 1.80 per game. Philadelphia was led by Mike Richards’ 8 overall points as well as Claude Giroux’s 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. Chris Pronger and Danny Brier each had 5 points.
Boston’s Tuukka Rask had a nifty 2.18 GAA and .927 SV% against Buffalo, even though the Sabres were able to get off an average of 32.3 shots per game. The Bruins offense saw four players tallying five overall points…Mark Recchi, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Miro Satan. Two others…Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick…had four points.
The Bruins will regain the services of Marc Savard for their series with the Flyers (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
As for the team Montreal will face, Pittsburgh’s offense was on full display as they gave the boot to Ottawa in six games. Sidney Crosby’s 5 goals and 9 assists for 11 overall points led the Penguins’ charge. He was also a +7 in the series. Evgeni Malkin scored 4 goals, 4 assists and was a +2. Sergei Gonchar had 6 assists and was a +7.
As for predictions…well, I’m already on record as going with Detroit and Chicago out west. As for the east, well I’m gonna pick the Bruins in seven fun-packed, thrilling games. I’d like to jump on the Habs band wagon, but I think Pittsburgh will be playing just a little better team hockey than did the Caps in these past three games. Montreal makes it interesting though…but fall in six games to the Pens.
And as I said in the previous blog, take these picks to your local, friendly bookie at your own risk as I went 4-4 with my first-round picks. Meanwhile, “lola” accurately predicted 7 out of 8 based solely on whether or not she liked the team’s jersey or not.
But if I am correct, that would leave the Blackhawks and Red Wings battling it out for the Western Conference Finals and Boston dealing with Pittsburgh in the ECCS.
Either way, the Capitals are simply left to admire their President’s Trophy.
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148 comments Add your comment
DWTOO
April 29th, 2010
12:53 pm
Well, scratch one coaching rumor. Lindy Ruff will be beack next year as Sabres exercised their option. Also reported by minority owner (and WBF’s best friend) Larry Quinn they’re looking at a long tem extension. Oh, well.
Alan R.
April 29th, 2010
12:56 pm
Don’t get all the Crosby bashing, unless it’s just pure envy, the kid is a player.
Hmmm…
Alan R.
April 29th, 2010
1:00 pm
Well, scratch one coaching rumor. Lindy Ruff will be beack next year as Sabres exercised their option.
Good. I’d like to keep Afinogenov.
Dwayne
April 29th, 2010
1:10 pm
Joe, crotchby is a punk thug, no better than than some of those punk thugs in the NBA, talent? hell yes, clutch? hell yes, money? Ask USA Hockey team. Would I want him in a Thrashers uni? hell yes. That hurt me to say that. Hurt Doris too!!!
Red Light
April 29th, 2010
1:10 pm
No question Sid the Kid is one of the best players in the league. Is he THE BEST? Not sure about that although there are definitely arguments on both sides. Now, he has done a lot during the past two seasons to deserve the accolades but my problem is, just like with Tiger Woods, is that the media (particularly the Canadian media) propped him up as the savior of the sport. As you can see from my comments above, I’d like more people to recognize the other great players in the league. I can give you a very solid argument that Lidstrom is the best player over the past decade or more and would be glad to do so someday when I have time to list all of his accomplishments, but I think you all know what they are.
English Teacher
April 29th, 2010
1:16 pm
Hoping for more of this…
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2297779653_c41e1934fe.jpg
World Be Free
April 29th, 2010
1:35 pm
Long term for Lindy-which ensures the status quo in Buffalo, which ensures Buffalo will have wimpy teams that Thrashers can beat on a regular basis.
Norris Trophy candidiates should have firm criterion to be nominated. One special requirement should be that all nominated defensement consistently play DEFENSE against the opposing team’s number one offensive units. Green is like a forward pretending to be a defenseman.
Crosby or Overchkin? Crosby led his team in points during the opening series, made team-oriented defensive plays and setup his teammates for game winning goals. What did Ovechkin do in the opening series? Which leader is still playing? I am not a Crosby fan, but I cannot ignore his contributions.
GaVaHokie
April 29th, 2010
1:37 pm
Great interview with Evander Kane…
http://thrashers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=656&id=67895
Smoothie
April 29th, 2010
1:49 pm
Wanna market someone? Market Kane. Not because he’s black playing in a “chocolate city”, but because he is fast, gritty, intelligent and plays the game the right way. Not to mention he has a pretty good right hook!!
Don’t get me wrong, I have a hard time stomaching Crosby and Ovechkin, but it is what it is. They are the best players and they are the most dynamic. Not having them play against one another is a big blow to the ratings whether you like it or not. Everyone here is already a hockey fan. We’re going to watch hockey regardless of whom the NHL tells us are the best and most exciting players.
I just don’t know how you’re going to make casual fans into core fans during the playoffs when they are going to be subjected to the neutral zone trap in both of the next Eastern Conference match-ups. The only thing worse than going to a hockey game and having your team get frustrated at every turn by the neutral zone trap is trying to watch a team execute the neutral zone trap on TV…zzzzzzzzzz.
I agree that more of the marketing focus should be on the game and the plethora of great players throughout the league. But it’s a little late for that this season. Folks aren’t exactly buzzing around the water cooler to discuss Hal Gill’s reach and shot-blocking ability.
kracker
April 29th, 2010
1:51 pm
Thanks for the Kane interview link, GaVaHokie.
Yesterday, someone mentioned there was an interview with Dudley being put on the web. Do you have that link, too?
Smoothie
April 29th, 2010
2:05 pm
Kracker – Ben hasn’t finished transcribing the lengthy interview with milk Duds; he said there was too much background noise (Waddell wailing his eyes out outside his old office
to post it on-line. I’ll post a link to his blog when it’s up.
GaVaHokie
April 29th, 2010
2:06 pm
kracker… it’s not ready yet… Ben Wright is working on it. Keep an eye on the main site and the Blueland Blog.
http://www.bluelandblog.com
kracker
April 29th, 2010
2:11 pm
Thanks, you guys!
Joe Friday
April 29th, 2010
2:22 pm
“the NBA playoff games, at times, appear staged to promote certain teams to the deep rounds of the playoffs.”
Hoops is the sport I play (still) and I quit watching the NBA after Jordan would take the Bull into series, we’d win the first two games by 38 pts each, then go into Cleveland or whereever and lose games 3 and 4 by 10 (48 pts swing?) ensuring we go 7 games, where they’d take the 7th game by 38 again. Staged or fixed, it’s like WWF.
I knew my Crosby comment would liven up the troops! He did whine a lot to the refs his first couple years, but he’s toned that down, and that Valabik ball buster was ridiculous. But the kid has talent, a Cup where he played great and a gold medal in the past year (and he scored the winner for the gold) and he just had a great 1st round. Hate him, but you can’t say he’s overrated.
Scotty
April 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
Used to like Ovie over Sidney Crosby because I thought he was the more complete player on both sides of the ice. But after the last year I have changed my mind.
Oh I still think he’s a spoiled cry-baby brat, but the results speak for themselves. Crosby is not only a great player but he also makes the players around him better too.
Russ
April 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
If I were starting a team right now and could pick one player to build around I would go with Crosby. So, no I don’t consider him overrated. By the way my second pick would be Doughty, he is going to be his generation’s Lidstrom.
Savannah Blueland Fan
April 29th, 2010
3:28 pm
I, personally, never thought Sidney Crosby was over-rated. I did, however, feel that he was promoted by the NHL as THE BEST EVER waaaaayyyy before his pucks dropped. But you can’t really blame him for that. For me, it was the whining and the crying and the diving and all the immature belly-aching that turned me off. I will say, on his behalf, that this year he hasn’t done that quite so much. Maybe he grew up.
Savannah Blueland Fan
April 29th, 2010
3:40 pm
And, I might add, after all of his tantrums on the ice, once the final horn blows…..he seems like a fairly nice kid. But I still hope they lose.
World Be Free
April 29th, 2010
3:43 pm
Russ, I like Doughty too, but I think the real Nik Lidstrom of the next generation is going to be Victor Hedman. Not cause he’s Sweedish either
Cliff Fletcher
April 29th, 2010
3:45 pm
It is so nice being on this blog and not having to hear anything about Don Waddell. His name is rarely mentioned on the Rawhide blog anymore and that suits me just fine!
Scotty
April 29th, 2010
3:51 pm
FIRE WADDELL!!!!
sorry Cliff Fletcher…..
kracker
April 29th, 2010
3:55 pm
Anybody: What’s that online place to stream the games? A friend was asking…
Russ
April 29th, 2010
3:59 pm
WBF – I haven’t seen Hedman enough yet to form much of an opinion on him, but I’ll take your word for it that he is on his way. Let’s hope after a disappointing season that Bogosian can rebound and develop enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Doughty and Hedman in the near future.
Red Light
April 29th, 2010
4:00 pm
Smoothie, so as not to be rendered as being obtuse, let me just say this as I think you may have said to me once before:
TV doesn’t do the sport justice no matter how you slice it. Nobody’s coming to Philips next year because they got to see Crosby and Ovechkin do battle on NBC with a bunch of slathering turds talking about how wonderful they are. They’ll come to Philips because someone who digs hockey asks them to come along and experience it live.
We watch the games on TV because we care, but the casual fans aren’t sitting down with a bag of peanuts and a beer waiting for the next VERSUS broadcast to start whether those two are playing or not.
World Be Free
April 29th, 2010
4:33 pm
Russ-I think Hedman is going to be something special. If Tampa Bay can get their house in order, get a GM and decent coach. He has Lidstrom’s temperment.
I like Doughty alot-no sophomore slump for Drew, he was even better this year than he was last year. I wish we could see him play more often.
HookyBob
April 29th, 2010
4:40 pm
kracker: Try ATDHE.net for streaming of live games.
R. Stroz
April 29th, 2010
4:41 pm
I may be “misinformed,” however, today’s conversation isn’t nearly as stimulting as yesterday’s discussion.
kracker
April 29th, 2010
5:13 pm
That’s it HookyBob! Thank you.
Alan R.
April 29th, 2010
5:14 pm
Fun fact: The people who stream games don’t like it when you use ATDHE.
You’ll find any and all info you’ll ever need here.
kracker
April 29th, 2010
9:30 pm
Sharks go 1-0 up on the PP!…loved the “Jaws” PP music…Sharks just go up 2-0!!! (except it was by Heatley grrrr)
Brendan
April 29th, 2010
10:58 pm
WBF, if the Sabres could just retain some of its players, they might get closer to winning a Cup.
Gotta keep either Tallinder or Lydman. I’d pick Tallinder. Actually, I’d pick both. These two defenders have been with Buffalo for many seasons now, and clearly the systems well.
Brendan
April 29th, 2010
11:08 pm
It’s another PPG for San Jose, as they extend their lead to 4-2 over Detroit. Go Wings!!!
kracker
April 29th, 2010
11:29 pm
Nail biter…4-3 Sharks w/ about 7 minutes to go! c’mon…
kracker
April 29th, 2010
11:46 pm
Sharks! yes
HookyBob
April 29th, 2010
11:46 pm
Uff,..da…
Best line of the night. “You might beat Detroit,…. but you have to set records to do it.”
Brendan
April 29th, 2010
11:51 pm
The storyline was San Jose’s special teams play, in the 4-3 win. Sharks lead the series, 1-0.
kracker
April 29th, 2010
11:54 pm
yea, HookyBob, I think they just said 1st time 3 players from the same school scored goals in a playoff game. Or maybe same jr team, not sure.
HookyBob
April 30th, 2010
12:01 am
You know,… methinks the 2nd round is going to be better than the first.. (not exactly a “go figure”).
Yes,..tonight’s top players made Wisconsin (and the WCHA) proud.
EA
April 30th, 2010
7:10 am
The Washington Post ran an article today telling how Brooks Laich, after losing game 7, stopped on his way home when he saw a Mom and her daughter in Caps gear waiting for AAA to come and change their tire. He changed the tire for them in addition to apologizing for the Caps loss. This is a good example of what great guys most hockey players are.
Tom
April 30th, 2010
7:13 am
Why I am a hockey fan.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/04/brooks_laich_changes_a_tire_af.html?wprss=dcsportsbog
Brooks Laich changes a ladies tire on his way home from the devastating Game 7 loss? Only a hockey player would do something like that…
We had a similar situation years ago. We were traveling with our month or two old son introducing him to family. As we were changing planes on a flight to Buffalo we ended up on the same flight as the Sabres coming home from a long road trip. Yes, they flew commercial in those days.
As we were trying to get all of our stuff organized in the incompetent way that new parents do, the Sabres players including Pat LaFontaine started grabbing all of our bags and carried them onto the plane for us.
That was the day I changed from enjoying hockey to being a life long hockey fan.
kracker
April 30th, 2010
7:40 am
That’s a nice story, guys. Win oe lose, life goes on.
World Be Free
April 30th, 2010
7:41 am
Brendan, I like both players. Both Lydman and Tallinder are solid NHL defensemen and both want to stay with the Sabres. But Buffalo needs a complete makeover at this point. It was the muckers and grinders that kept Buffalo in the Boston series.
EA-thanks for the Laich story-guys like Brooks worked hard, as usual in the Montreal series when other Caps like Semin disappeared. Semin reminds me of Sany Heatley-good for goals but no much else.
Tom-I heard alotta good stories about LaFontaine, his work with sick children all over WNY. We had a terminally ill boy in our neighborhood in Amherst, NY. LaFontaine’s car was over there alot, especially as the boy got sicker and the end was in site. He never asked for attention to his work with the kids. These are stories that ESPN will not cover about hockey players. The media outlets today are so screwed.
There was dicussion earlier about who you might pick to start a team, Ovechkin or Crosby. For my money, I’d pick Pavel Datsyuk. They guy is a classic team player, not big, but he hits, makes plays and may be the best defensive player in the entire league. And he’s Russian, so Don Cherry and the folks at TSN (Totally Screwed Network) rarely talk about him.
EA
April 30th, 2010
8:08 am
Tom, thanks for providing the link. We must have been reading it at the same time.
GaVaHokie
April 30th, 2010
8:20 am
Wow, that Brooks Laich is a real a-hole huh?
Pretty awesome story… I wish more stories like that would make mainstream media instead of Todd Bertuzzi’s hit on Steve Moore or Richard Zednik getting his throat slashed open by a skate.
SC 360
April 30th, 2010
8:32 am
This just in, shortly before the heroic efforts of Brooks Laich on the Roosevelt Bridge, it is being reported that Penguins star, Sidney Crosby drove by the damsel in distress shouting “get the hell out of the way, you’re blocking traffic”. Crosby then whined to the state police that a reckless driver on the bridge was impeding his progress.
Red Light
April 30th, 2010
10:31 am
Thoughts on a slow day…
1) Every Stanley Cup coach got another chance with the same team or another team. Why hasn’t Bob Hartley?
2) At one time, Scott Mellanby was praised for having a great effect on the Thrashers younger players and how he handled himself publicly for the organization. Why wasn’t he offered a position here?
3) Mellanby, now a professional scout with the Canucks, is part of a deep scouting staff with five former NHL players
Vancouver Canucks scouts
Ron Delorme 524 career NHL games
Thomas Gradin 677 career NHL games
Scott Mellanby 1,431 career NHL games
Harold Snepsts 1.033 career NHL games
Lucien DeBlois 933 career NHL games
In contrast, the Thrashers have just one guy on their scouting staff with NHL experience, yet Dudley said he sees no reason for change?
Atlanta Thrashers scouts
Pete Mahovlich 884 career NHL games
Dan Marr 0
Marcel Comeau 0
John Perpich 0
Mark Hillier 0
Mark Dobson 0
Just wondering…why?
DWTOO
April 30th, 2010
10:47 am
Think Mellanby was offered a job with the organization. However, he wanted to work out of St. Loius, or somewhere else, and the Thrashers wanted him the ATL.
Russ
April 30th, 2010
10:51 am
Red Light – Please clarify your question #1. Bob Hartley won a stanley cup with Colorado and then got another shot with Atlanta.
glovesave29
April 30th, 2010
10:58 am
Red Light – awesome bit of info. Did ya also notice that they are a varied bunch too. Think the ‘Nucks put some thought into this? Jeez, I wish we had an organization that was this thorough.
Sorry FIF – not ignoring you, bidnit has been crazy (about damn time, too) – but to answer your question about Halak…sorry man, not drinking the Kool-Aid just yet. He had a PHENOMENAL second half of the series. He was as hot as any goalie I have seen in a long, long time. His body was quiet, his positioning strong, rebound control was perfect. Puck probably looks like a bowling ball to him right now. I have read alot here praising the MTL D for blocking so many shots, but that is a function of Halak’s brilliance. The D can play more aggressive and take those chances when they have total faith in their goalie. They feed off of each other. If you try to go and block a shot and miss, you’ve created an odd man situation against…but if you know your goalie is on fire, you go for it and hope you create an odd man for yourself. Playoff hockey – gotta love it!
I watched the game with a fellow goalie and a Montreal native. He agrees with me. Halak is HOT. But I don’t think a great stretch of 3 games make you a “money” goalie. Could it be the start of his legend?…absolutely! But for every Billy Smith, Grant Fuhr, Bernie Parent (a few of the true MONEY goalies) – there are goalies who got hot for a few weeks in the early rounds, then got pummeled later (Don Beaupre, Arturs Irbe, Kelly Hrudey, Mike Palmateer come to mind). I am sure he was motivated by Ovechkin’s “shaking” comment.
I like to see great goaltending as much as the next guy. I’d like to see Halak continue to shine. I would not shock me if he does, but I can see him “wetting the bed” too. Eventually the wear and tear of 40 – 50 save per game playing every other night against the best the NHL can throw at him, plus adding the pressure of being a goalie in Montreal (perhaps the toughest job in the NHL) may break him. Odds say it will.
Red Light
April 30th, 2010
11:27 am
Russ: He did get a shot in Atlanta, but why not since? Plenty of former coaches get another shot, particularly those who led a floundering franchise to their only playoff appearance!