My Thoughts (May 14)

Eastern Conference Final Game 1

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Pittsburgh Penguins

         The conference finals began last night with the Tampa Bay Lightning facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. This series is expected to feature lots of speed and scoring. This, however, was not the story last night. Here’s why:

         The Lightning began as the speedier team in the 1^st period. About 30 seconds in, Victor Hedman was just inches away from scoring the game’s 1^st goal, but the puck rang off the post. 2:50 into the game, Ryan Callahan hit Kris Letang hard into the boards, temporarily taking him out of the game. Callahan received a 5-minute major penalty for boarding, but Pittsburgh couldn’t make anything out of their power play. At the 12:25 mark of the 1^st period, Lightning goalie Ben Bishop suffered an injury and had to be carried off on a stretcher. The Penguins got Letang back shortly after, but the Lightning broke the ice when Alex Killorn scored five-hole on a semi-breakaway at 18:46.

         While the Penguins had scoring chances in the 1^st period, I thought Tampa Bay did a very good job defending against their speed and blocking shots. In the 2^nd period, the Lightning would continue to do this, and it achieved more success. At 2:33, Ondrej Palat made it 2-0 when he scored off a rebound for a power play goal. Late in the period, as the Penguins tried to press the attack, Tampa Bay got a lucky bounce off a shot block, generating a 3 on 1. Rookie Johnathan Drouin blasted a shot into the net behind Matt Murray to make it 3-0 at 18:25. Though it appeared Pittsburgh was out of gas at this point in the game, they finally got on the board when Patric Hornqvist scored a power play goal at 19:05.

         While the Penguins were a little more urgent in the 3^rd, the Lightning continued to frustrate Pittsburgh with their tight defense and solid play from backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning would go on to win the game 3-1. While the Lightning may have won game 1, I think some bad blood is developing between these two teams. I feel the hit on Letang will have ramifications throughout the series. Though Bishop is injured, I think the battle between young goaltenders will also shake things up a bit. I expect the rest of this series to be long but exciting.

Weekly Recap (May 13)

It’s that time of week again! Here’s what’s been going on the past week:

Conference Final Matchups Set

         The San Jose Sharks capped off the second round last night with a convincing 5-0 win over the Nashville Predators in game 7. They will play the St. Louis Blues in the western conference finals. San Jose has reached the conference finals for the first time since 2011. St. Louis has reached the conference finals for the first time since 2001. San Jose has never appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals. St. Louis has made 3 consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances (1968, 1969, and 1970), but they got swept all 3 times.

         The Sharks went 2-1-0 against the Blues during the regular season, winning both games on the road. Though the Sharks won the season series, that doesn’t mean anything for the upcoming series. Regular season stats are thrown out the window come playoff time. I think this will be a very fast and physical series between 2 very large teams who can also skate fast and score goals off the rush.

         While the Sharks offence is faster than the Blues, I’d say the Blues hold the structural and strategic advantage offensively. I also think the Blues are better equipped defensively, with big, solid players like Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Boumeester. I’d give the goaltending advantage to St. Louis. Brian Elliot has been one of the most consistent goalies these playoffs. Though we haven’t seen much of Jake Allen this playoffs, he was solid during the regular season. I predict the Blues will win this series because I think they’re slightly better defensively and between the pipes.

         The Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the eastern conference finals. The Lightning made the Stanley Cup Finals last year, but were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games. They hope to make the Finals for the second consecutive season. The last time this happened was with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009. This is Pittsburgh’s first conference finals appearance since 2013, when they were swept by the Boston Bruins.

         The Lightning went 3-0-0 against the Penguins during the regular season, outscoring them 15-9. Though these stats suggest the Lightning will easily win this series, regular season stats don’t matter in the playoffs. Both these teams are very fast and have a lot of offensive depth, so it’s hard to predict who will win. The last time these 2 teams met in the playoffs was in the first round of 2011, when the Lightning overcame a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Penguins in 7 games.

         Offensively, these teams are very even. Defensively, I think the Lightning possess slightly more size and experience, though not by much. In the net, I’d say Vezina candidate Ben Bishop holds a slight advantage over rookie Matt Murray. Murray, however, has been very solid for the Penguins these playoffs. He outplayed both Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby in the first two rounds, so it’s possible he also outplays Bishop. Because all categories are practically even, this series is a toss-up. However, I have to say that I think the Penguins will win this series in either 6 or 7 hard fought games.

Darryl Sutter Extended by Kings

         Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter has agreed to the terms of a new contract with the team. It’s unknown how long he’s been signed for, but some sources say he’ll make at least $3 million per year. Sutter has a very impressive coaching resume in his 5 seasons with the Kings. He holds a 186-112 regular season record and a 42-27 playoff record with 2 Stanley Cups. He has previously coached the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames.

Travis Hamonic Rescinds Trade Request

         Before the 2015-16 season started, Travis Hamonic requested Islanders general manager Garth Snow trade him. He wanted to be closer to home in Winnipeg where a family member was experiencing health issues. The situation apparently settled down enough for Hamonic to rescind his request. He later said, “I love being an Islander more than anything. It’s one of the best things I’ve done in my life.”

Wild West Conference (May 12 Game 7 Recap and Preview)

Blues vs. Stars Game 7 Recap

         The Blues appeared ready to play in game 7 yesterday, while the Stars did not appear to be. The Blues came out with a dominant 6-1 win on the road to advance to the western conference finals, where they will face either the San Jose Sharks or Nashville Predators.

         Robby Fabbri opened the scoring with a power play goal at 5:23. The Blues would then go on to score two goals in the final two minutes of the 1^st. Paul Stastny snuck a shot into the net at 18:22, followed by a long-range buzzer beater from Patrik Berglund at 19:56. Dallas’s goalie woes continued when Lehtonen was replaced by Antti Niemi for the the 2^nd period after giving up 3 goals on 8 shots. The Blues continued their dominance when David Backes scored at 3:50. Troy Brouwer would make it 5-0 when he finished off a pretty passing play at 15:06.

         In the 3^rd period, Dallas finally woke up. Patrick Eaves scored for the Stars off a fortuitous bounce in front of the net at 5:15. Though the building finally had some life, it was too late for the Stars. With nothing to lose, they pulled the goalie with about 7 minutes remaining. Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the empty net at 15:20. Paul Stastny, Robby Fabbri, and Troy Brouwer all finished the night with a goal and two assists. As a result, the Blues won the exciting series in a decisive game 7 to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Predators vs. Sharks Game 7 Preview

         The Nashville Predators come into San Jose tonight for a final showdown with the San Jose Sharks. The victor of this series will face St. Louis in the conference finals. San Jose has featured a powerful offence while Nashville has exhibited grit and the will to win.

         The Sharks attempted to close out the series in overtime of game 6, but the Predators had other plans. Viktor Arvidsson became the unlikely hero of the game and possibly the series when he scored off a wicked backhander at 2:03 to win the game. Now we have nearly reached the moment of truth: a 7^th game to decide the ultimate winner of the series.

         Predators head coach Peter Laviolette has won 5 straight game 7s as a coach, including game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes. Can he do it again? The Predators and their fans sure hope so. While game 7s have recently not been kind to the Sharks, this year’s team is different. Under new coach Pete DeBoer, the Sharks offence seems to find a way to get it done in clutch situations more often than in the past.

         Though both teams look very good, I’m going to have to agree with the experts on this one. Many have chosen the Sharks to win game 7. However, I wouldn’t count out the Predators by any means. They have surprised many this postseason, and I feel they have what it takes to win this year. I still think the Sharks will win, but it might take a late goal or overtime goal to do so.