The 1st round of the NHL was chalk full of intrigue and drama. It was packed full of controversial hits, overtime thrillers, epic combacks, and many tightly contested series. The 2nd round? Not so much. The dissapointing Washington Capitals have already been swept out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Philly Flyers and Detroit Redwings both find themselves down three games to none, facing down near insurmountable deficits. The closest series has been Vancouver and Nashville, but I fear an overtime victory for the Canucks in game three on a ridiculous penalty call will be too much for the already overmatched Predators to overcome.
The least surprising outcome of this round has been watching the Flyers goaltending implode once again. Has there ever been a team in sports that fails so spectacularly at the same position over and over again in the playoffs.
The biggest shock has been the Tampa Bay Lightning looking like a well tested playoff juggernaut. The 41 year old journeyman Dwayne Roloson is playing some of the best hockey of his life in net. Sean Bergenheim has been unreal good on a line with Dominic Moore. Ryan Malone has battled his way to the front of the net, stepping in for an again injured Simon Gagne. And Eric Brewer has been a dominate two way defensemen, especially with veteran Pavel Kubina going down. If the Bolts can keep this level of play up, they are going to be very hard for any team to knock off.
Meanwhile the Capitals showed a lack of heart, desire, and commitment that has become an unexplainable habit for them in the NHL playoffs. I really thought this would be their year to shine. Now Caps fans have to really wonder if it wouldn't be best to have some major changes down in DC. Alex Ovechkin deseves to have a better squad put around him. He is a force and Brooks Laich is a proven warrior. Everyone else on that team should be fair game for discussion about possible changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment