The Stanley Cup Playoffs resume on Saturday with four games on the slate. With two series tied at 2-2 Game 5 is critical for survival in the toughest tournament on the planet. With teams matched so evenly every shift, every loose puck and every momentary lapse in judgment can cost a team their season.
There are also two series where a 3-1 disadvantage has the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings fighting for their lives. With each team headed into hostile territory trying to keep their dream alive, there will be no room for error.
Two teams can advance on Saturday night and two more will be in the driver’s seat. Let’s take a look at the matchups.
Detroit at Boston
For a fleeting moment on Thursday night it looked as though the Wings had solved Tuukka Rask, but that moment quickly passed. Rask has been the MVP of the series and it’s not even close. The Bruins are clearly the deeper, and more experienced team and while the Detroit has put forth a noble effort, they are simply outgunned. Jimmy Howard was out with the flu on Thursday, but Jonas Gustavsson looked just as capable in net. Howard will probably be back in goal, but neither he nor the majesty of Henrik Zetterberg’s beard can stop the Bruin’s express. Series over: Boston 3 Detroit 1
Columbus at Pittsburgh
In what has become one of the more entertaining series so far, the spunky Blue Jackets have battled the mighty Penguins game for game. As close as this series has been, either team could be up 3-1 at this point. The specter of Marc-Andre Fleury’s playoff failures has shown itself in both hilarious and disastrous fashion. With the distinct possibility that Fleury could be playing for his career in Pittsburgh, the pressure is squarely on the favored Penguins.
Coach Dan Bylsma has put out an APB on Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, calling them both out to step up for Game 5 and beyond. Every game has been close so far, particularly with the weird 3-1 score factor coming into play for all four games so far. Expect a scoring barrage with the token series blowout in this game. It’s still far from over, but the Pens will flex their offensive muscles. Penguins 6 Blue Jackets 2
Minnesota at Colorado
The Avalanche have become the media darlings of the postseason through the first two games of the series with their speed and young talent capturing the fancy of anyone with a microphone. However, the Wild have been grinding their way back into the series tying it up at two games apiece. After being outshot 32-12 in Game 4, I can’t imagine the locker room speech from coach Patrick Roy. Expect to see a different Colorado team in Denver Saturday night. A team playing as much from motivation as from fear of their coach going REALLY crazy. Colorado 4 Minnesota 2
Los Angeles at San Jose
What could have been the best potential series has been anticlimactic so far with San Jose routing the Kings before splitting two close games at the Staples Center. Hopefully for the Sharks a Game 4 loss has as much to do with Los Angeles playing well as San Jose playing poorly. The fourth win in a series is always the toughest to get and the Sharks don’t want to take their foot off the gas and let a dangerous Kings team back into the series. I think that this San Jose team is playing with more purpose and determination than any team they have had in recent memory. Their skate is on the throat of the Kings and they will hammer them to send them packing. Sharks 5 Kings 2.