The only negative thing about the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is that there are literally half as many games going on. With only eight teams remaining, the bountiful menu of NHL playoff action has been reduced.
The optimist in me loves that the intensity continues to ramp up. Every game won is one win closer to the Stanley Cup. There are 16 wins required to hoist the chalice and join the hockey immortals and the first 12 are always the hardest to get. Every team that has made it this far has knocked out the first four and believes that they are equipped to get the next four. Every player and coach will toss out the “one game at a time” cliché, but in reality it is one series at a time.
The sense of urgency is at its peak. There can be no such thing as a bad shift, a bad period or a bad game. The team that can maintain the intensity and focus will always come out on top. Sure, talent and skill certainly have their place, but will and determination can overcome almost anything. Almost.
Week three is winding down Saturday night, and the drama continues across the board. Here is a recap of each series in the conference semifinals.
Eastern Conference
1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7) Ottawa Senators
With Pittsburgh riding the wave of superstars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jarome Iginla they have forged out to a 2-0 series lead. Ottawa showed some spunk in Game 2 and refused to go away quietly.
So far, captain Jason Spezza has yet to hit the ice for the Senators. Reigning Norris Trophy winning defenseman Erik Karlsson hasn’t quite been himself either. Considering his Achilles tendon was almost completely severed back in January, he gets a pass. Craig Anderson was yanked in Game 2 after allowing the fourth Penguin goal.
The series heads back to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. I expect the Senators to win one or maybe both. They have been a different team at home this year, and welcoming back their captain could be a real spark.
5) Boston Bruins vs. 6) New York Rangers
Game 1 was an overtime dandy, with Brad Marchand netting the winner past a sprawling Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers looked to be the more fatigued of the two teams that had each played seven games in the first round. There was plenty of hitting on both sides of the ice, with timely scoring from each club.
The Bruins have leaned hard on some rookies in Game 1. Zdeno Chara played over half of the game for Boston as the Bruins were forced to rotate three defenseman due to injury. Johnny Boychuk, Chara and Dougie Hamilton ate the bulk of the minutes with injuries. Game 2 is Sunday back in Boston. Expect a much better effort from the Rangers who were kept in the game by Henrik Lundqvist. Search parties are still out looking for Rick Nash and Brad Richards. Tommie Lee Jones can’t even find the Ranger’s top scorers.
Western Conference
1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7) Detroit Red Wings
Detroit made a statement on Saturday afternoon taking Game 2 with a 4-1 dominant performance in Chicago’s barn. The Red Wings turned the tables on the Blackhawks after being dominated in Game 1 by the same score. The series heads to Detroit on Monday night with the Red Wings now holding the home ice advantage.
Chicago is still waiting for Jonathan Toews to show up this postseason. Patrick Kane led off the scoring Saturday, before Detroit roared back with four unanswered tallies. Four different Detroit players scored in the win with 10 different Red Wings registering a point. The balanced attack from the Wings poses a legitimate threat to the President’s Trophy winning Blackhawks.
5) Los Angeles Kings vs. 6) San Jose Sharks
It looks like the Kings and Sharks are actually playing a series now. With San Jose and Logan Couture swiping an overtime win Saturday night, the Sharks have drawn their first blood (gratuitous shark joke). They very easily could be leading this series if not for a couple of boneheaded plays in Game 2. San Jose let Los Angeles steal the game after holding a 3-2 edge with less than two minutes in the game.
Game 4 will be Tuesday night where the Sharks will look to knot the series up in the HP Shark Tank. Goals will be hard to come by and there will be plenty of hitting and heart-stopping goaltending. The Sharks had a 17-2-5 regular season record at home and will look to capitalize on Saturday night’s momentum building win and even the series.