What you missed last night while you were charing your roomba (not a euphamism)

Red Wings beat the Flames, 2-1: The Wings goals were scored in the exact fashion that you would expect them to score. Datsyuk makes a move and with no release, snipes high blocker. Holmstrom in front, tip, goal.

Devils beat the Bruins, 3-2: Marty Brodeur caught the puck, made a sick saucer pass to Clarkson, who scored on Thomas. Was anyone else surprised that Chara made no play on Clarkson?

BJs beat the Oilers, 5-3: Why would I watch this game?

What you missed last night while you were on a flight back from Vancouver

Red Wings beat the Avalanche, 3-2: This was really good hockey game. Not as a far of a drop-off in energy or skill from the Olympics that might have been expected. Granted, Detroits power play is full of 5 current or former olympians and they showed it. Datsyuks fake shot drop pass to Lidstrom was dirty it fooled Craig Anderson and 3 of the 4 Avs penalty killers. Johan Franzen's goal was superb; he recognized the forthcoming poke check, so he roofed the puck short side. I still don't understand the "incidental contact rule" that washed out a Detroit goal. Just take a note from international play and call in the crease violations. If Holmstrom stands in the crease, its a face-off outside the zone. If Anderson comes out side the crease, well then, incidental contact might occur.

What you missed last night while you were eating a superb burger

Red Wings beat the Canucks, 5-4: Maybe the Wings shouldn't start Osgood until the 2nd half of the season or maybe he gets all his bad start out of the way now. The 2 goals he have up last night were softer than soft. So air? Yes, they were air goals. That doesn't make sense. Anyway, the Wings came back, because they are the Wings. And Tomas Holmstrom was in front. And thats how it goes

Avalanche shut-out the Oilers, 3-0: I know we are only through 1/8 of the season, but are the Avalanche actually good? And can Craig Anderson keep this pace up? The answers to these questions are yes and maybe. The Avalanche were terrible last year, but mostly because of injuries and terrible goaltending. Not only is there 1st round pick playing, but their 2nd round pick is in the lineup and actually playing better. Plus it seems like some of the west (ducks, wings) have gotten worse.

Capitals beat the Flyers, 4-2: Semin's game winner was so amazing. His wrister isn't even fundamentally sound. He shots off his back foot with no weight transfer. Its all wrist. Unreal.

Weekend Wrap Up OR There was only one game, so its pretty much a what you missed

Well that game sucked. I guess not, for Detroit fans. Or fans of shut-outs. I can't remember a less competitive game in Stanley Cup Finals since Ed Belfour was on cold meds and NJ put in 7 in a game 1 a few years back.




Some cool things from the Red Wings:

Rafalski's shot is perfect. If you don't hit Holmstrom and put it on net, its going in.
The slap pass to Zetterberg makes me feel tingly.
The Red Wings know to go upstairs from the hash marks in. Its simple hockey.


The Penguins embarrassed themselves with stupid, immature penalties.

Lets get a better game 6.

What you missed last night while you were miss-playing a line drive to left field

Canucks beat the Blues in OT, 3-2 (VAN win series 4-0): I finally got an OT call right. Anyway, the OT was probably the best (almost) period that the Blues played all series. If not for repeatedly shooting at Roberto Luongo's chest, they might have won that game. Chris Mason actually made the better of the saves, but was once again supsetable to the weak five-hole shot. Did you catch Burrow's celebration? Yea, it was the bow-and-arrow tribute to Luc Bourdon. Got to love that.

Penguins beat the Flyers, 3-1 (PIT leads series 3-1): Marc-Andre Fluery was the difference in this game. He got peppered with 46 shots and made 45 saves, some in that you might categorize as sensational. The Flyers played well, real well. Mike Richards was an absolute beast on the ice, but it came down to Fleury making saves and Biron, not.

Sharks beat the Ducks, 4-3 (ANH lead series 2-1): The Sharks persevered last night in spite of Evegeni Nabakov. He was kind of awful - Carey Price level soft goals. Scoring 4, should give the Sharks confidence, especially since it was their big guns doing the work.

Red Wings beat the BJs, 4-1 (DET leads series 3-0): Before the puck dropped, Fox Sports Ohio (or whoever shows the BJs games on Center Ice) gave the viewers a look inside the BJs locker room. Wow, they were fucking tense. Not one smile. Just a lot of guys saying cliches ("play our game," etc). Then the Red Wings killed the crowd with that early Holmstrom goal. How impressive was it, that Hossa got the rebound upstairs so quickly off his backhand? Anyway, story of the series, Nash a non-factor and Osgood non-sucking.

Hurricanes beat the Devils, 4-3 (series tied 2-2): What a comeback ruined! Devils fight back from 3-0. Score 2 in the final period and then let up the game winner with less than a second. This is when a short memory comes in handy. Does anyone else think Brodeur acts the same way he did at the end of this game as when some takes the last drumstick at dinner?

Weekend Wrap Up OR Twitter makes me look like a fool

So a little background, ever since I can remember when a play-off game goes into overtime, everyone who I am with picks a winner from each team. If you follow The2Man twitter, you can see a time line of Bress' incorrect picks.

Anyway, the first weekend of playoff hockey was a great one. I'm not sure if its obvious to everyone, but you can just feel the players turning it up, tightening the D, and its only the first round!

Here are some surprises from the first round:

• The Rangers - seriously. Look everyone knew that only shot they had was Lundqvist, but I don't htink anyone expected him to pitch a shut-out on the road and have the Rangers be up 2-0 going back to the garden.
• Claude Giroux - kid had 51 points in 19 play-off games in the Q play-offs last year. And then with the big boys does plays like this:

that, my friends, is a penalty kill

• Chris Osgood - look, its not like he's the reason the Wings are up 2-0, but come on, he's doing what he needs to do and didn't Theodore a game. (yes, Theodore is now a verb).
• John Toews - Yes, he's the captain, doing what a captain should do in the play-offs. But my god, he's only 19 in his first play-offs ever (I don't count the frozen 4, those are single eliminations games)
• 
  

Its a sick pass, but Toews knows to put it upstairs.

Not Surprises:

• The Red Wings dominating
• 
  

If you can not hit Holmstrom, you'll score.

• The Canadiens/Bruins and Philly/Pitt series being all out wars.
  
• The Devils/Canes series being very low scoring.
• St.Louis about to get swept
• The Sharks getting upset. Jonas Hiller is not Swiss cheese.

What did I miss?

-bress