CrashingTheGoalie

by desertdawg

As Round Two appears on the horizon, I thought it might be a good time to collect my thoughts.

First, I am not willing to concede that The Sharks are chokers…not yet, anyways. The Ducks will still be playing a very good hockey team on Saturday night. And that very good hockey team will be swimming in the womb of the Shark Tank where, up until recently, they have been all but unbeatable.

It’s just that the “recently” has become a stumbling block. And when I watched Joe Thorton make that horrible…let’s make that lazy and horrible…giveaway in the third period last night, I could only shake my head.

Where is the pride?

Where is the brainpan?

Does pressure affect him that adversely? So, Joe has a chance for redemption, but the clock is ticking and the Ducks’ confidence is growing. Should be a must watch game later Saturday.

And the other must watch game will be held in Chicago, where all Canuck fans are simply hoping for another massively physical confrontation. To my way of thinking, if the Ducks prevail in their series, then it doesn’t matter much whether we face Calgary or Chicago. Both teams can bring a lot of offence to the table. Calgary is particularly prone to defensive gaffs and goaltender meltdowns. But Chicago has had some holes poked in them late in the season…and as the argument goes, they are young and inexperienced.

But as I said, it should not matter much to our guys if we do end up playing either one of these teams. The fact is, when we play our game, we are better than both.

As always, it is our game that is the concern. And if we play our game, then it’s the other teams that need to be concerned.

And of course, if the Sharks do somehow slip through, then we’ll draw Detroit…a prospect that doesn’t scare as us nearly as much as it used to. The Wings can score, there’s no doubt of that. But they have their own defensive shortcomings and we could certainly expose those. They cruised past Columbus and could be ripe for the picking if they just plan on cruising to the final.

In the east, the easiest series to pick was, of course, Boston/Montreal. Most pundits figured the Habs would at least win a game or two, but that’s when they also figured this team cared. Apparently not.

As for Pit/Philly I still think Sid & Co. will prevail. But I still don’t see them as Cup material. Great offence sure. But the D is very suspect at times and I just don’t see Fleury hoisting Lord Stanley’s big silver jug over his head.

Washington’s performance is a bit of a surprise, and like the Sharks they are facing a big time choker label. But any team with Ovechkin pulling the trigger cannot be counted out. This guy is no Joe Thorton…he really does care. I wonder what my close personal friend Don Cherry thinks of that, by the way. Here’s this big Ruskie just showing mad passion for the game while the big Canadian kid is playing like they’ve spiked his Gatorade with Phenobarbital.

As for Carolina/New Jersey, it’s hard to get excited about either one, although the game authorities are suggesting that it will be the Devils in the Cup final. But for my money, I’d be hard pressed to see anyone beating Boston in the east. Good goaltending. A stud D man and a prodigious offence.

Be great to see the Canucks take them on.