The Toronto Maple Leafs have two games under their belts – playoff jitters are not an excuse anymore and if they improve in Game 3 like they for Game 2, Leafs fans could go home very, very happy Monday night.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a much more difficult time with the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarter final than most thought – but the result was what almost everybody predicted. Minnesota played almost the perfect road game, they held one of the best offenses in the game to one goal during regulation with their backup goalie, they stayed out of the penalty box and they still lost.
The biggest mismatch of the postseason continues Friday night when the New York Islanders attempt to gain a little respectability against the Pittsburgh Penguins – a team that beat them in relatively easy fashion in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarter final. Sound easy?
The Los Angeles Kings find themselves in an unfamiliar position – trailing in a series! That’s right – LA won the Cup last year while going 16-4 and not trailing at any point along the way. But there is a reason that the Blues are up 1-0 – they outhit, outshot and completely outhit the Kings on Tuesday night for their first win versus the Kings in nine games.
Two of the hotter teams down the stretch of the NHL’s regular season meet in the Nation’s Capital Thursday night when the Washington Capitals entertain the New York Rangers in a playoff series for the fourth time in the last five years. Both teams heated up at precisely the right time in order to qualify for the postseason – the Rangers went 10-3-1 while the Caps went 11-1-1.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, perhaps the biggest surprise in the NHL this season begin their first playoff series in nearly a decade Wednesday night when they travel to Boston to play a Bruins team that limped into the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are right where they thought they would be – the #1 seed in the East and looking like the team to beat in the Conference. The New York Islanders on the other hand surprised many by qualifying for the playoffs since 2007.
The President’s Trophy winning Chicago Blackhawks look to carry their stellar Regular Season play into the post season when they kick off the Stanley Cup playoffs Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild – a team that most thought would be significantly better that they were this year.
The Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks begin their first round playoff series Tuesday night having taken completely different paths to the postseason. For the Ducks, they cruised into the playoffs looking average the last couple weeks of the season.
