SAN JOSE 4, DETROIT 3 (Sharks lead series 1-0)
The Wings didn't get much time to rest after their Game 7 win in Phoenix. In fact, their plane landed in San Jose after the airport's curfew the other night, so they're facing a $2,500 fine. While physically they seemed fine last night, they were a bit fuzzy at the start of this game. They allowed 3 goals in 79 seconds in the 1st period. Apart from that, they looked great, except a semi-soft goal allowed by Howard. So enjoy it while it lasts San Jose. Joe "Dude" Pavelski scored twice (including the game winner), and had an assist. The Dude abides.
Tonight's game:
7:00pm - Montreal @ Pittsburgh - Versus
Saturday's games:
12:30pm - Philadelphia @ Boston - NBC
8:00pm - Vancouver @ Chicago - Versus
Sunday's games:
2:00pm - Montreal @ Pittsburgh - NBC
8:00pm - Detroit @ San Jose - Versus
Who saw this bracket-busting matchup coming? The 6th seeded Bruins and the 7th seeded Flyers. Both teams vanquished their respective Division's champions in Round 1. And now one of these 3rd place sides will be in the Eastern Conference Finals.
These teams met 4 times, including that epic overtime game at Fenway. Each team beat the other once in regulation, and once in overtime/shootout (in other words, both teams are 2-1-1 against each other). The Flyers won the first two games, back in 2009. The Bruins won on New Years Day, and in their most recent meeting in March. That was a 5-1 Bruins victory.
But what does the regular season mean now? Next to nothing. In the regular season, Brian Boucher was a liability for the Flyers. He was their MVP in Round 1. In the regular season, the Bruins' Power Play was a joke. That unit throttled Buffalo, scoring over 27% of the time.
As well as he played against New Jersey, Brian "Waterboy" Boucher is no Ryan Miller. Then again, the B's have made a lot of goalies look like Ryan Miller this season. Boucher made 1 start against the B's, but played in 2 games. He had a .949 SV% in that time.
Tuukka saw the Flyers twice. 1-0-1 record, 1.92 GAA, .944 SV%. So once again, do not expect many 5-4 games this series. Things will be tight, and the scoring will be low.
But there will be blood. Zdeno Chara and Chris Pronger will spearhead both team's physical games. The challenge will be to stay within the rules. Both team's PP units excelled in the 1st round. Then again, both team's PK units performed just as well, so don't be shocked to see the likes of Sobotka and Hartnell spending time in the clink.
The Bruins will be adding to their roster, while the Flyers have been forced to subtract. Marc Savard returns this series. It's unclear how often he'll play, and it might be tough going for him to be dropped in the middle of a physical and hard-checking series. Expect him to be on the power play, but I doubt he'll be very effective at the start of the series.
The Flyers lose two weapons to shot-block related injuries. 33 goal scorer Jeff Carter won't play, and neither will 17 goal man Simon Gagne. 11 of Carter's 33 scores came on the power play, so that unit loses a bit of bite. That being said, there's still Mike Richards (31 goals), Danny Briere (26 goals), and Claude Giroux (4 goals, 2 assists in New Jersey series) to contend with.
And that's where I'm worried. The Bruins continually made some big mistakes in the Buffalo series. But they were saved by Rask half the time, and by Buffalo's offensive ineptitude the other half. These mistakes can't persist. The Bruins don't need to play flawless hockey to beat the Flyers, but the outcome of this series will be determined by how many mistakes the Bruins make in their own zone. Michael Ryder, Dennis Wideman, I hope you fully understand this.
Oh, and Marco Sturm needs to score. If he gets hot, then those mistakes won't be so costly. Sturm had 2 goals and 2 assists against the Flyers this season, including this one...
To me, this is the Bruins' series to lose. They have an excellent goaltender, they know how to play physical hockey, they've been excellent killing penalties. The Flyers are truly a solid, balanced team, but they lack that goaltending. And so long as the B's are careful with the puck in their own zone (especially when Richards or Briere are on the ice), and guys like Recchi, Krejci, Bergeron, Chara, and Wideman keep up the effort and the work, the Bruins will win in 6 games.
Schedule:
Sat 5/1 12:30pm - vs. Philadelphia - NBC
Mon 5/3 7:00pm - vs. Philadelphia - Versus
Wed 5/5 7:00pm - @ Philadelphia - Versus
Fri 5/7 7:00pm - @ Philadelphia - Versus
Mon 5/10 7:00pm - vs. Philadelphia - Versus
Wed 5/12 7:00pm - @ Philadelphia - Versus
Fri 5/14 7:00pm - vs. Philadelphia - Versus
The final eight. The West saw some predictable teams advance, with more trouble than predicted. But the East saw the upsets. We've also seen the exit of some of the best goalies in the nHL. Soon-to-be Vezina winner Ryan Miller was ousted, as was Ilya Bryzgalov, and so was 4 time Vezina winner Martin Brodeur.
Four of the Original Six are in the 2nd round. Only 1 "warm weather" team remains. The Sharks are also the only relatively recent expansion team left. Apart from them, every team left has existed since 1970.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
A couple of upsets threw the Eastern Conference on its head. You'll also find three of the hottest goalies on this side of the bracket, particularly Jaroslav Halak.
#4 PITTSBURGH vs. #8 MONTREAL
The Canadiens rode Halak past Washington. But they also benefitted from the Capitals (apart from Ovechkin and maybe Backstrom) choking like crazy. Gorges and Gill emerged as a dominating defensive duo, but I'll still attribute Washington's demise to choking, as opposed to Montreal doing anything superlative. Pittsburgh doesn't choke. M.A. Fleury might give away a game, but the Pens will prevail.
Pittsburgh in 6.
#6 BOSTON vs. #7 PHILADELPHIA
When you get the 6th seed, you don't expect to have home ice advantage in any round. The B's last played the Flyers in the postseason in '78. Back then they were perennial playoff adversaries. Brian "Waterboy" Boucher struggled all season, but stunned New Jersey in Philly's 5 game series win. So don't be shocked if the Bruins struggle to score much. Although the B's will have Marc Savard back. Moreover, a much more reliable Tuukka Rask. Look for another close-fought, physical series, like the one with Buffalo.
Bruins in 7.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
All the favorites in the West won, except the 4th seeded Coyotes, who had to face a healthy Red Wings side that most people picked to win the series anyway.
#1 SAN JOSE vs. #5 DETROIT RED WINGS
What does San Jose get for having the best record in the West? A 2nd round date with the mighty Red Wings.
Both teams struggled to get into this next round. But I can't help but think of the Sharks as chokers and the Red Wings as winners. Detroit's skaters boast over 1,600 combined playoff games. That's absurd. They're always calm, always professional, rarely make mistakes. And they have a hot young goalie in Jimmy Howard.
Nabokov had an excellent series against Colorado. But Paul Stastny is not Henrik Zetterberg. Then again, Howard hasn't had to face the likes of Marleau or Heatley.
I can't pick against Detroit here. Wings in 7.
#2 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs. #3 VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Anticipate a back-and-forth series, as both these teams play excellently on home ice and struggle just a bit on the road (especially Vancouver). The season series was also split 2-2. Two of those games were close, two were blowouts. Antti Niemi has emerged as Chicago's netminder, and he excelled in the series against Nashville (2.15 GAA, .921 SV%). But stifling the Preds is a much lighter task than stopping the Sedins and Canucks. And don't forget Mikael Samuelsson, who scored 7 times in the 6 game series against LA. Then again, Vancouver has an over-the-hill Luongo in the net.
I predict high scoring games, but the Blackhawks riding a hot young goalie into the Conference Finals. Chicago in 6.
Washington's gone. The 8th, 7th, and 6th seeds in the East have all advanced. Gotta love the NHL Playoffs.
MONTREAL 2, WASHINGTON 1 (Canadiens win series 4-3)
I found it difficult to root for Montreal, even though it offered the best result for the Bruins. But what was difficult for the Caps was finding a hole in Jaroslav Halak's wall. He made 41 saves. In the last 2 games this series, he stopped 94 of 96 shots, and 131 of 134 in the final 3 games (all Montreal wins, of course). So now guys like the overrated Mike Greene have to sit and watch everyone else contend for the Cup.
The Red Wings are the Red Wings. In a Game 7, even on road ice, it's hard to pick against the likes of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom.
DETROIT 6, COYOTES 1 (Red Wings win series 4-3)
Datsyuk scored twice, plus an assist. Lidstrom had a monstrous game in all three zones. He scored twice as well. Zetterberg had 3 assists and was +3. From the drop of the puck, Ilya Bryzgalov was under siege. He sustained a 17 shot onslaught in the 1st (Phoenix only managed 6 shots that period). But the Wings broke through in the 2nd (22 shots, 4 goals). Detroit finished with 50 shots on goal.
The Red Wings have won 10 of their last 12 playoff series, and 30 of their last 40.
After a 13-12 debacle, the Sox won another close, 1 run game, albeit much more subdued. Buchholz went 8 innings, scattering 7 hits (6 of them singles, 1 double), and allowing only 1 run. And that's all he could manage to allow. He threw 117 pitches.
There's been constant background rumbling about Buchholz moving to the pen to bolster the Sox' struggling relief. To do so would remove the Sox starter that's performed best this season. He's 2-2 with a 2.19 ERA, and while he's allowed ample unearned runs, and only has 2 Quality Starts, he's gone 5+ innings in all 5 of his starts.
The Sox offense ground out 2 runs. They had opportunity for more, registering 7 hits and drawing 5 walks. The Sox were 1/7 with runners in scoring position.
Scoring twice and winning 2-1 is hardly something to be awestruck by, but 2-1 wins are much more reassuring than 13-12 wins. These are the kinds of games the Sox are built to play and win. Excellent starting pitching overcoming the shortfalls of a weak offense and a shallow bullpen.
Rubber game tonight as Jon Lester faces Brett Cecil.
The first 36 minutes of the game looked like a repeat of too many Celtics' regular season games. The C's shot out to an early lead, stretch it out (to 21 at one point in the 3rd), tire out, then fall out. But the End Game was different in the postseason. When the Heat came back from down 21, shrinking the deficit to 3 at one point, the Celtics turned off the cruise control and stepped on the gas.
Maybe they really were just saving themselves for the postseason.
Dwyane Wade had 31 points, and Mario Chalmers had an electrifying 20 off the bench for Miami. But the rest of the Heat were ice cold. Meanwhile, the C's got 24 from Ray Ray, 21 from Pierce, 16 from Rondo (plus 12 assists and 8 rebounds), and 14 from KG (plus 8 boards). The Celtics' team beat the Heats' individuals.
11 of Ray Allen's 24 points came in the 4th quarter. 5 of Glen Davis' 7 also came in the 4th.
The officiating was inconsistent, but it seemed to even out for both teams. Both Miami and the Celtics were 19 of 22 from the line.
This is the 3rd straight season that the Celtics have advanced beyond the playoffs' opening round. That hasn't happened since 1988.
It's also nice that the Celtics didn't have to go 7 games, or play any overtime in this series, unlike the last two seasons' opening round series.
It's waiting time as both the Celtics and Cavaliers await their 2nd round matchup.
The hits just keep on coming. Marc Savard has been cleared by the medical people and Peter Chiarelli has announced that he will play in the Conference Semifinals against either Philadelphia, or the team that harbors the man who injured him: Pittsburgh.
Even though a Bruin/Flyer matchup might offer the Bruins a better chance of advancement to the Conference Finals, you can't resist the theater that a Penguins/Bruins series would offer now.
Claude Julien might have trouble finding ice time for Savard, as Bergeron and Krejci were 1 and 2 among Bruins forwards in time on ice. Shawn Thornton might be the forward to get scratched. Then again, it might be Daniel Paille or Michael Ryder, considering their lackluster performances.
One thing's certain, Savard will be on the ice for the power play. And that unit actually exploded as Krejci quarterbacked it. to better than 26% against Buffalo.
The bad news on the injury front is that Mark Stuart will likely miss the entire 2nd round. The Bruins could use 15 minutes from him as Andrew Ference (why the hell did the B's give him a contract extension) struggled.
BOSTON 4, BUFFALO 3 (Bruins win series 4-2)
David Krejci scored twice, Satan and Recchi had the other two for Boston. The Sabres valiantly stayed in it, thanks to some Bruins' turnovers, but as well as they could respond, they failed to initiate. Tuukka Rask came up with some huge saves, and the Bruins advance to the Conference Semis. The B's killed every single penalty they committed.
MONTREAL 4, WASHINGTON 1 (series tied 3-3)
Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves on 54 shots, and Mike Cammalleri scored twice in the 1st period. Washington's really shit the bed in this series, and they're in very serious danger of a 1st round exit, San Jose style.
CHICAGO 5, NASHVILLE 3 (Blackhawks win series 4-2)
It was harder than I thought it would be (That's what she said), but the Blackhawks prevailed. Almost all the scoring was in the 1st, as the Blackhawks ended the opening period up 4-3. Marian "Not Suspended" Hossa had 3 assists.
Tonight's Games:
9:00pm - Detroit @ Phoenix - Versus (series tied 3-3)
As important as simply amassing Wins are right now, it's hardly heartening to win 13-12 when your supposed "Ace" is on the mound. Josh Beckett went 3 innings, allowing 8 runs off 9 hits and 3 walks. In 5 starts this season, Beckett has made only 2 Quality Starts, and his ERA sits at a lofty 7.22.
Beckett struggles in April, so it's not time to panic. Not yet. But May is very very close, folks.
Thankfully, Delcarmen, Papelbon, and Bard combined for 4 perfect innings of relief. Unfortunately, that came along with 4 earned runs in 2 combined innings from Atchison, Schoeneweis, and Okajima. But in the end, Toronto's bullpen was slightly worse.
Sox @ Jays tonight again, Buchholz vs. Shaun Marcum.
"Advancement." Such a simple word for such a glorious achievement. The Bruins haven't advanced in the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 1992.
And we can thank a few principles for this feat: Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, Dennis Wideman, and Zdeno Chara most of all.
"Here we go Bruins, here we go. TUU-KKA!" That's the anthem, get your damn hands up. And it's been well earned. Tuukka made several huge and timely stops in this game. Two minutes before Krejci's first goal, Rask made a crotch-save, and alertly smothered the puck with his glove. When the game was 2-1 in the 2nd, Rask made an excellent ankle save as the game shifted violently from end to end. Then late in the 2nd, he stopped Vanek at point blank range. Early in the 3rd, after a Hunwick giveaway, Rask made the stop, firmly holding the post. Rask came through several times in the 3rd.
Then there was Krejci. At the end of the regular season, he came into his own once again, showing sparks of 08-09. His first goal was something I've seen in college hockey quite a bit this season, particularly from the BC Eagles. Krejci was in the high slot, above the compressed defenders near the crease. Recchi perfectly executed a shot-pass, which is something that is essentially a shot away from the net, but toward that player in the high slot. Krejci whiffled it into the net. It was the first time the Bruins took the initial lead in the series.
In the 3rd, Krejci's goal came from Lucic's triumph over two Sabres behind the net. Lucic found Krejci in the crease, and it was an easy goal from that range.
I already mentioned Recchi, but his goal came from a Dennis Wideman decision. On a 4-on-3 power play, Wideman crashed the net, which disturbed Buffalo's triangle defense. This gave Bergeron a clear passing lane to find Recchi, who shot at a near 90 degree angle past the committed Ryan Miller.
Satan's goal turned out to be the game-winner. He was spotted by Wideman, who snuck a pass through traffic, found Satan, and the scorer dangled, deked, and toyed with his ex-teammate Miller.
Now, all three of Buffalo's goals were extremely preventable. The first came after a Wideman giveaway, as he attempted a fadeaway breakout pass into the center of the ice. Ryder Three Stooged the puck, giving it away to the dangerous Nathan Gerbe. This resulted in a goal right after Krejci's 2nd made it 3-1.
Even though Wideman's giveaway resulted in a goal, at least he had a great game otherwise. The same cannot be said for Michael "The Saboteur" Ryder. I praised Ryder after his Game 2 performance. But he's back to being a premature ejaculating (figuratively speaking) fucko. He was hesitant and tentative with the puck in all three zones last night.
Special teams achieve new emphasis in the postseason. The Bruins, who struggled on the power play all year, were 6 of 22 (27.3%) in this series. Meanwhile, the B's killed all 19 of Buffalo's power plays. That's sheer dominance in the special teams category.
Now there's much work to be done by the Bruins. They made plenty of mistakes in this series. Mistakes that were rescued by Rask's goaltending, and saved by Buffalo's offensive ineptitude (especially without Vanek for most of the series).
But let's enjoy this upset victory. This is a 6 seed upsetting a 3. The Bruins were the only team to win a road game in this series. And they'll face a foe from Pennsylvania in the next round, dependent on the outcome of the Montreal/Washington series.
If the Canadiens win, the Bruins will play the Flyers (and have home-ice advantage). If the Capitals win, the Bruins will play Matt Cooke and the Penguins.
A couple series came to an end this weekend, a couple were extended.
Sunday's games...
PHOENIX 5, DETROIT 2 (series tied 3-3)
Special teams have dominated this series, and that continued to be the case Sunday afternoon. The Red Wings not only went 0 for 5 on the power play, they let an extended 5-on-3 go to waste. Meanwhile, Phoenix scored 3 power play goals, along with a shorty, and sent the series back to Arizona tied 3-3.
VANCOUVER 4, LOS ANGELES 2 (Canucks win series 4-2)
Vancouver was down 2-1 going into the 3rd, but they've owned the 3rd period in this series. They scored thrice (one was an empty-netter) to clinch the series on road ice. Daniel Sedin had the game-winner, which was an absolute snipe over an attempting shot-blocker, but on the underside of the crossbar, ricocheting into the back of the net.
Saturday's games...
CHICAGO 5, NASHVILLE 4 - OT (Blackhawks lead series 3-2)
Marian Hossa got a 5 minute boarding major for this hit:
After the Blackhawks killed the lengthy penalty, which stretched into overtime, Hossa did this:
As much as I'm rooting for Chicago, I can't help but sympathize with the Predators. Hossa unleashes a dirty hit, then nets the game-winner. Oh well, life's unfair sometimes. I wouldn't be shocked to see Hossa suspended, but only because Chicago leads this series. If they were up against elimination, the NHL wouldn't have the minerals to suspend him.
PITTSBURGH 4, OTTAWA 3 - OT (Penguins win series 4-2)
Everyone's favorite Penguin - Matt Cooke - scored twice, including the 3rd period equalizer that sent the game into overtime. While Pittsburgh's several weaknesses were revealed to great effect in this series (inconsistent goaltending, occasional lack of scoring apart from Crosby and Malkin), they advanced in good order and will be a threat in the 2nd round.
SAN JOSE 5, COLORADO 2 (Sharks win series 4-2)
San Jose was down 2-1 early in the 3rd. Then they scored 4 times and rolled to their opening series victory. The Big Pavelski scored twice in the game, and 5 times in the series. Joe Thornton had his best postseason game in a long time with 1 assist and a -1. It was an empty-net goal. Thornton had 3 assists and was -4 in the series. San Jose now looks to advance beyond the 2nd round for the first time since the lockout.
Friday's games...
BUFFALO 4, BOSTON 1 (Bruins lead series 3-2)
The Bruins thought this was a best of 5 series, or so it seemed. No energy, no heart, no offense, no defense. The Sabres were playing postseason hockey, the Bruins were playing preseason hockey. Nuf Said.
MONTREAL 2, WASHINGTON 1 (Capitals lead series 3-2)
Ovechkin scored his 5th of the series, but once again got no support from his teammates. Give credit to Montreal netminder Jroslav Halak, who stood on his head and stopped 37 of 38 Washington shots.
Tonight's Games:
7:00pm - Buffalo @ Boston - NESN (BOS leads series 3-2)
7:00pm - Washington @ Montreal - Versus (WAS leads series 3-2)
9:00pm - Chicago @ Nashville - Versus (CHI leads series 3-2)
Remember that knock-knock joke? Dwayne the bath-tub, I'm dwowning! Only this time, the name's been misspelled.
Dwyane Wade scored an inexcusable 46 points, leading the Heat to a Game 4 victory, thus avoiding the sweep. Do the Heat have a chance? Hardly. But they can still wear out the aging Celtics with a lengthy series, which can foment doom for the next round.
I don't put too much stock in +/- as a basketball stat. But Pierce was -12, Glen Davis was -22 and Rasheed Wallace was -20. Clearly, in a game in which the Celtics allowed 101 points, defense was the main problem. And these +/- stats are a good place to start when looking to assign blame for the defensive shortcomings.
But to be frank, I'll be worried if the Celtics lose Game 5. The Heat took one. Just one (so far). There's no need to panic, or even consider preparing to panic.
Patriot fans seemed excited about this draft, perhaps more than previous years. They held a bevy of 2nd round picks, and it was hoped that their team would use them to fill their numerous defensive gaps. And to be frank, Pats fans were setting themselves up for disappointment. Unless the Pats traded up in the 1st round (what are the odds of that ever happening?), they weren't going to get any glamorous, big-name, "stud" players.
But as much as I defend the Patriots, this off-season as a whole has been nothing short of unfortunate. This team has holes on both offense and defense. Through free agency, trades, and the draft, they've done next to nothing to improve.
The running game remains an inconsistent and unpredictable (the last things a running game should be) secondary offensive option. So get used to more Red Zone disappointments.
The pass rush will continue to struggle, forcing a weak secondary to cover (or try to) for an eternity.
The Pats' receivers are good, but not great.
I guess you could call the 2010 Patriots' campaigns "bridge season," waiting for exorbitant contracts to expire and make space more productive players.
Anyway, here's who the Patriots drafted.
1ST ROUND, 27TH PICK, 27TH OVERALL: DEVIN MCCOURTY - CB, RUTGERS
Everyone in New England was expecting the Pats to draft an outside linebacker or defensive end here. Somehow, these people have forgotten that Bill Belichick rarely drafts what you'd expect. But in hindsight, this pick shouldn't shock anyone. The Pats' secondary was dreadful last year, and has been an Achilles heel for several seasons. The big reason the Pats and their fans want a higher intensity pass rush is to protect their vulnerable secondary.
McCourty was solid as a 3 year starter at Rutgers. There was a run on corners right after the Pats picked, so had they waited for the 2nd, the talent level would have dropped significantly. Given the Patriots' lack of quality and experience at the position, McCourty has the opportunity to earn any slot on the depth chart. But he'll certainly contribute on special teams, particularly on punt/kick blocking.
Now this is the pick that aggravated me. If the Patriots wanted a tight-end, they could have NOT traded down in the 1st, taken Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham (who is a stud). Gronkowski missed the '09 season with a back injury, which is why a guy with his talent and size (6' 6" 264 lbs) fell to the 2nd round. In 2008 with Arizona he caught 47 passes for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns. If the back problems are behind him, he could be an excellent Red Zone weapon. He's also an adept blocker.
Finally, the Patriots selected an outside pass rusher. Cunningham had 7 sacks last year, and 18 in three years as a starter. But he didn't reach that next level in his senior season as some might have expected. He was also arrested in 2007 for throwing soda cans at a sandwich shop clerk at 2:49 in the morning in a dispute about paying for a bag of chips. He played defensive end in school, but will likely move back to OLB in a 3-4.
I imagine getting drafted by an NFL team is pretty sweet. Then to find out that one of your teammates got drafted by them 9 picks later must be the cherry on top. Like a lot of guys in the late 2nd round, he's got lots of upside and lots of downside. His combine was forgettable, and he missed a few games in the '09 season. He accumulated 52 tackles in 10 games his senior season, along with 3 sacks, and 2 INTs. He could compliment Jerod Mayo very nicely.
I like this pick a lot, even though it wasn't on the defensive side of the ball. It's just nice that the Patriots drafted a WR who didn't have injury problems. That being said, U-Ohio is hardly known as a receiver factory. And Price's best game was against I-AA Cal Poly when he racked up 135 yards. It was his only 100+ game of the season. Price adds much needed depth and youth to the position.
Another tight-end? Haven't we seen this before from Belichick? The dude just loves tight-ends. But the experts are saying that Hernandez is a quality receiving tight-end. He caught 68 passes in '09, for 850 yards and 4 touchdowns. He's not as versatile as Gronkwoski, but is perhaps a better pass catcher. He could get bigger and tougher.
How do you get a name like Zoltan? You get born in Romania. Only three punters were taken in the draft. The other two were taken in later rounds. So for the Pats to spend a 5th round pick on a punter, he's better be great. He was first team All-Big Ten in '08 and '09.
ZOLTAN!
6TH ROUND, 36TH PICK, 205TH OVERALL: TED LARSEN - C, NC STATE
Larsen has the skills, but lacks the size. He's a serviceable backup lineman that can fill-in. He's tough and durable, and rarely wears out at the end of games.
7TH ROUND, 1ST PICK, 208TH OVERALL: THOMAS WELCH - OT, VANDERBILT
Another O-lineman who can do a few things really well, but gets exposed in other situations. He's 6' 7" and 300 pounds, but struggles to stay low (as you might imagine). Another attempt at depth here.
7TH ROUND, 40TH PICK, 247TH OVERALL: BRANDON DEADERICK - DE, ALABAMA
It wouldn't be an NFL Draft if Belichick didn't select a Nick Saban product. Deaderick is versatile and can contribute in multiple ways. He can play outside in a 3-4, inside in a 4-3. Belichick loves having a guy like that on the roster. He got shot in the '09 season, by a gun, and returned to practice two days later. Belichick loves having guys like that on the roster.
7TH ROUND, 41ST PICK, 248TH OVERALL: KADE WESTON - DT, GEORGIA
Weston's 6' 5" and 304 pounds. He can push up into the backfield, and he's done well to improve himself in college. It's hard to project the 248th overall pick to even make an NFL roster, but if he does, it will be because he's worked hard to improve his shortcomings.
7TH ROUND, 43RD PICK, 250TH OVERALL: ZAC ROBINSON - QB, OKLAHOMA STATE
Robinson's senior campaign was a major disappointment. As a sophomore and junior he surpassed 23 touchdowns each season, and threw 9 and 10 picks, respectively. He was also a much bigger threat on the ground, running for 847 yards his sophomore year. But senior year, he threw 15 TDs and 12 INTs. He only rushed for 305 yards. He has a shot to be the Pats' #3 QB.
So that's the Patriots draft. It's not awful. They did get some decent LBs. They addressed their vacancies at tight-end. They added depth at CB and WR.
But no running backs. And that's unfortunate. The Pats need a running game to help stifle opposing pass rushers, maintain ball possession, run out the clock, and punch the ball into the end zone. Oh well. At least they didn't draft Tebow. Good luck with that, McDaniels.
One series came to an end last night, one series was extended, one was tied, and another was brought one step away from ending.
PHILADELPHIA 3, NEW JERSEY 0 (Flyers win series 4-1)
Philly needed a last-day-of-the-season shootout win to make the playoffs, now they're the first team to advance. Brian Boucher carried the Flyers in this series, while Martin Brodeur was unable to do the same for the Devils. Claude Giroux scored twice in this game, and the Flyers scored twice on the power play. The Flyers' power play carried this series as much as Boucher did. They were 8 of 29 (27.6%) with the man advantage.
OTTAWA 4, PITTSBURGH 3 - 3OT (Penguins lead series 3-2)
It took 56 saves from backup goalie Pascal Leclaire for Ottawa to stave off elimination. It also took 107 minutes of hockey. Don't count out the Senators in this series. They go back to Ottawa for Game 6. Crosby and Malkin are some of the only Penguins playing at their best right now. Crosby had a goal and an assist, Malkin had a pair of helpers.
CHICAGO 3, NASHVILLE 0 (series tied 2-2)
Patrick Sharp scored twice, and Jonathan Toews scored once to propel Chicago in their Game 4 victory. Pekka Rinne finally fell back to earth. And now Chicago goalie Antti Niemi has the playoffs' best GAA (1.51) and SV% (.948). There are a lot of quality Finnish goalies out there.
SAN JOSE 5, COLORADO 0 (Sharks lead series 3-2)
Both teams finally remembered who they are. Colorado's Craig Anderson regressed to the mean and was pulled in the 3rd. Logan Coutere scored twice. Heatley had 2 assists. Marleau had a goal and an assist. Joe Thornton did next to nothing in his 18:26 on the ice. 1 shot, 1 hit, 1 takeaway, 2 giveaways. What an awful playoff performer he is. He's got 12 career playoff goals in 81 games. He's -3 in this series, and -15 in his postseason career.
Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Boston @ Buffalo - NESN (BOS leads 3-1)
7:00pm - Montreal @ Washington - Versus (WAS leads 3-1)
10:00pm - LA @ Vancouver (tied 2-2)
10:00pm - Detroit @ Phoenix - Versus (tied 2-2)
So much anger last night and today. People seemed stunned that the Patriots drafted CB Devin McCourty out of Rutgers. Folks are acting as though the Pats took a punter or a long-snapper with their pick.
Who were the Patriots' CBs last year? Jonathan Wilhite, Leigh Bodden, Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Springs, Darius Butler. This is not a list of past or future Pro Bowlers here. The Patriots' defense was shady and suspect at every position. The Pats couldn't go wrong drafting any defensive player in the 1st round.
I'm not in love with McCourty, nor am I projecting him to be the next Ty Law or Darrel Revis. But I will contend that drafting a CB is not a mistake here. The Patriots still have needs to address needs at other positions, notably linebacker. But they have 3 picks in the 2nd round to deal with those issues.
So get the fuck over it, fellow Patriots fans. The Pats drafted a guy who plays a position that has been an embarrassment for the Patriots ever since the departure of Asante Samuel.
1. Entry
Ryder gains the zone by feinting left, then going right. This gets an exhausted Grier out of position, and gives Ryder entry into the offensive zone.
2. Two-on-Three
Three Sabres are back to defend against two Bruins. Ryder takes one with him along the half-wall, this guy tries to challenge Ryder, but he gets away from him. Another Sabre is covering Sturm as he crashes toward the net. A third defends against a Ryder-Sturm pass. This is problematic for Buffalo, as they're on the penalty kill. Along with the afore-mentioned Grier, these are ALL of the Buffalo skaters on the ice. And they're only covering two of the five Bruins out there.
3. Miller Challenges
Ryan Miller is super aggressive. He plays high in his slot, he's not afraid of committing. He's also excellent at getting back into position, as we repeatedly saw in the first OT period. He shifts himself to the post, trying to stop Ryder from a bad angle shot, which the Bruins have been firing at Miller all series long.
3. The Greatest Trick Satan Ever Pulled
After getting beat, Grier lazily hovers in the neutral zone. He's tired. He's also got a lot of work to do. His three fellow penalty killers are covering two Bruins. So he has three of his own to cover in the neutral zone. This leads to indecision. He doesn't even try to stop Satan from entering the zone. And if he had, other Bruins would have been open anyway.
4. Carte Blanche
Satan can do anything he wants. He has two full seconds (an eternity in hockey), and a few yards of free space. Miller's moved back to the top of his crease. Sturm and two Sabres are banging around there as well. Miller has little choice but to commit to Satan's most likely shot attempt. He comes out and tries to decrease the angle. It's much harder for a skater to shoot the puck over a goalie, the closer a goalie is to the shot.
5. Patience
Satan reads Miller, so he pulls the puck to his backhand. But he still has two Sabre defenders to bear. But neither can do much as they're preoccupied with Sturm. Satan casually slips it between Tyler Myers' legs and into the net.
The NHL didn't want Miroslav Satan. He was on the so-called scrap heap. And the goal hungry Bruins picked him up. And thank God they got Satan.
The Sabres have scored the opening goal in all 4 games of this series. Considering that, along with their Ryan Miller, they should be up 3-1 instead of down 3-1. But they're not a team well-suited for the playoffs, apart from their goalie.
The Bruins continue to dominate the physical game. They continue to rely on Rask, who has been almost as impressive as Miller. They continue to lean on Bergeron's line. And somehow it's all working according to plan. Later in the playoffs, more Bruins will have to contribute. But right now, things have been working well.
The Sabres are up against it. They're under pressure, and I think their skaters will fold. Maybe they'll steal Game 5, but can they win 3 straight? Unlikely.
The three stars from Monday night's win were Patrice Bergeron, Vladdy Sobotka, and Dennis Wideman. I'm flabbergasted that Tuukka Rask did not make that list. Then again, it's not as if Bergeron, Sobotka, Wideman, Recchi, Boychuk, Chara, Hunwick, and Rask didn't deserve spots in that grouping. There can only be three "stars" in the game. But the Bruins were stellar as a team.
Where would this team be without Mark Recchi? At the country club. Nuf said.
Vladimir Sobotka and Johnny Boyhuck have both earned spots in the lineup for the 2010-11 season. Sobotka seems to be involved in every pivotal play. And Boychuk seems to be part of every turning point.
I was absolutely stunned to see that the Bruins only had 29 shots on goal in this game. It seemed like they had 40. Time of possession is an NFL stat, but the Bruins dominated in that area as well. The puck was almost always in Buffalo's zone, and Miller was always threatened.
This was a perseverance win for the Bruins. They played hard, then good things happened. And the passes that set-up both goals were nothing short of marvelous. Sobotka slipping a sandbagging pass to Wideman in the slot. Recchi instantly finding Bergeron in the same space.
I loved seeing the Sabres' emotionality after these goals. This is an opponent that isn't accustomed to playoff hockey, not used to struggling. They seem close to being unhinged. A physical effort from Sobotka, Boychuk, and hopefully Lucic in Game 4 can push them over the edge.
The Bruins needed a lot of character to win Game 2. And goals. They got the character from expected sources, but the suppliers of the goals were a bit surprising.
I've ridden Michael Ryder all season. I've called him "Appendix" (because he serves no purpose), I've called him "Bystander," I've lobbied to get his linemates credit for shorthanded time on ice because playing with him is like playing a man down. Michael, I'm sorry.
Ryder scored twice. And granted, they were "right place, right time" goals, but he usually finds a way to screw up in those situations. Saturday afternoon, he was poised and calm when the puck found his stick near the net. Oh yeah, he also destroyed Andrej Sekera with a freight-train neutral zone hit.
Zdeno Chara continually proves why he is the Captain of this team. He's initiated the physical play in this series, he's gotten into the Sabres' heads, and he's gotten into the offensive play. He's probably the best finisher on the Bruins, which is good for him, and kind of sad for the forwards. His first goal came thanks to Ryan Miller's aggressiveness, and some crafty positioning, 22 feet away near the faceoff circle. His 2nd goal was a 60 footer from the blue-line, vintage Chara. It was his first career 2 goal playoff game.
Recchi's empty netter was his 52nd career goal in the playoffs.
It wasn't all roses, though. Milan Lucic nearly blew the game. Buffalo's first score came when Lucic left his side of the defensive zone, giving Tyler Myers a clean shot at the net. The puck took an unfortunate deflection off Begin's skates, but Lucic should have never left his man and his zone so empty.
Buffalo's 3rd goal, which turned a 2-2 tie (with Boston having all the momentum) into a 3-2 deficit, came off a Lucic turnover. It was wretchedly awful, he aired on the puck in the corner, giving Jason Pominville a wonderful gift. Rask may have done more to shorten the angle, but Lucic could have done a lot more to keep possession. And that's not Rask's style anyhow.
Lucic hasn't looked himself this season or this series. Part of it is excusable, what with the laundry list of injuries he's played with. But these were mental errors. The Hockey Gods have a way of punishing mental errors in the playoffs. He needs to sacrifice an ox to them and thus atone for his sins.
The evil spirits once possessing Dennis Wideman have been exorcised, but it seems as though they've taken refuge in Lucic.
Marco Sturm has been a ghost this series. Ein Geist in German. He's been adequate on the penalty kill (which as a unit has killed all 9 of Buffalo's power plays). But he led the Bruins with 22 goals. He hasn't come close to smelling his first playoff goal. He's got to use his speed to create space for himself, or draw attention and create space for others. He can be an excellent fore-checker due to his speed, if the Bruins decide to dump and chase, which they probably should more often when he and Satan are out there.
Speaking of Satan, he's had two nice games. He won the battle that led to Chara's 2nd goal. He, like Sturm, will get better scoring chances if they utilize his skating skills better. Lining up 3 or 4 on the offensive blue-line, then trying to carry the puck in doesn't seem to be working for him. You need to enter the zone with momentum, and that's something Satan and Sturm could really hurt Buffalo with.
The best line for the B's has been Wheeler-Sobotka-Ryder. Sobotka has impressed the hell out of me. The little big guy has left his mark on more than one Sabres' jerseys. He's crashing the net, and letting Ryder and Wheeler have some space. Wheeler was unbelievable Saturday night. He remembered how to play hockey. He made two beautiful passes to set-up Ryder's goals.
Andrew Ference's biggest contribution was a mistake. Had he not mishandled Wheeler's centering pass, Ryder doesn't get a golden opportunity to score. Other than that, Ference has been forgettable.
Daniel Paille has functioned properly on the penalty kill. Apart from that, he's been dust in the wind.
Johnny Boychuk has had a hell of a series so far. The Bruins needed him to step up with Seidenberg and Stuart out. He's been smart on defense, and aggressive on offense, following Chara's lead in both zones.
Boychuk took a wise hooking call in the 3rd, chopping down Thomas Vanek by the knee. Vanek missed the rest of the game, and his status is unclear with a "lower body injury." You hate to revel in an injury, but the reality is that any absence of Vanek is a big hit to the Sabres. Vanek's always owned the Bruins. In 36 career games against the B's, he's tallied 20 goals and 19 assists.
I saved the best for last. And you thought I wouldn't mention Tuukka Rask. While the stat-sheet says Rask was mediocre, and had an ugly 1st period (10 saves, 12 shots), the game is played on ice. He rebounded from some unfortunate play by his teammates, and settled in. It was like a pitcher allowing some unearned runs in the early innings, then nevertheless getting into a groove. He made some monstrous stops in the 1st to keep it a 2-0 game. And when the Bruins' momentum waned in the 2nd and 3rd, it was Rask who saved the day.
The series ships back to Boston tonight, which is a mixed blessing for the Bruins (18-17-6 at home).
So far, this playoff season has been nothing short of perfect. All 7 games have been decided by one goal. And Thursday night saw the first overtime games. Nothing better than overtime Stanley Cup hockey.
BUFFALO 2, BOSTON 1 (Sabres lead series 1-0)
Ryan Miller's 38 saves and some fastbreak offense propelled Buffalo to their first playoff victory since May 16, 2007. The Bruins got their goal on a power play, which is weird for them. What's not weird for them is being shutdown on offense. But this series promises to be a goaltender's dream with very low scores.
MONTREAL 3, WASHINGTON 2 - OT (Canadiens lead series 1-0)
Jose Theodore sucks. How he wins, and how he consistently dominates the Bruins baffles my mind. The Habs did a great job silencing Ovechkin, assigning a swarm of players to hassle him at all times. Supporting actor Nicklas Backstrom did his part with a goal. But Mike Green, Brooks Laich, and Alexander Semin didn't do much of anything.
VANCOUVER 3, LOS ANGELES 2 - OT (Canucks lead series 1-0)
Roberto Luongo made an epic save to keep this game going in overtime. Then the Sedin line took over, moved the puck around the back of the net, and gave Mikael Samuelsson an open shooting lane from the extreme high slot. Jonathan Quick had no chance to stop Samuelsson's bullet.
Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Ottawa @ Pittsburgh - Versus (Ottawa leads 1-0)
7:30pm - Philadelphia @ New Jersey (Philadelphia leads 1-0)
8:30pm - Nashville @ Chicago - Versus
10:00pm - Detroit @ Phoenix - Versus (Phoenix leads 1-0)
10:30pm - Colorado @ San Jose - Versus (Colorado leads 1-0)
We saw some good signs from the Bruins last night. We also saw some season-long struggles repeated. The Bruins only managed 1 goal, and that's usually not enough to win. Then again, both goals they allowed were quite preventable. Get used to these low scoring games, folks, because that's what this series will be about.
Let me just vent about the officiating, which didn't cost the Bruins a win, didn't impact the game, but was embarrassingly awful. Not only did Buffalo get away with 2 blatant dives, the refs completely missed Blake Wheeler's touch up on an icing call, they let Zdeno Chara leave the penalty box earlier (then realized their mistake and put him back in there), and they blew the Bruins offside before the puck ever crossed the blue line into the offensive zone. It was coincidental that all these errors went against the Bruins, but it was a sad example of refereeing.
I hate playoff officiating anyway. The gray areas of interference and roughing get expanded, while the black and white calls like hooking and delay of game remain exactly the same.
Buffalo's first goal was a product of their fierce counter-attack, which was sprung by several Bruins' shortcomings. Lucic failed to do anything to win a battle in the corner, the puck went up the halfwall and Bergeron lost a battle, then Matt Hunwick couldn't decide whether to play the puck, or step back and prevent a breakaway. The hesitation was enough to allow Derek Roy to escape, then find Vanek to score the game's first goal.
Their second and game winning goal was the result of the Bruins being too aggressive at one point, and too conservative at others. While two Bruin forwards attacked the puck at the blue-line, the other 3 B's collapsed as if they were on the penalty kill. This gave defenseman Craig Rivet acres of space above the faceoff circles, and Rask was unable to find the puck in the cluster of Bruin and Sabre bodies in front of him.
In a game dominated by defensemen and goalies, it's vital to not make mistakes like these two. Hunwick, considering that Roy and Vanek were on the ice, should have been more conservative and skated backwards to prevent an odd man rush.
Rask had a great game, and was the Bruins' best penalty killer. Some of the rebounds he allowed gave me heart attacks, but so long as they're steered away from Buffalo skates and sticks, he'll get away with them.
Zdeno Chara was the best Bruin on the ice, though. He triggered the Bruins' physical play in the 2nd period. He abused Buffalo's forwards, and got into their heads. How funny was it to see Kalete line him up, try to plant him in the boards, then plant himself because Chara juked out of the way? Z also set-up Recchi's goal. Miller had been smothering shots, but when the puck's travelling at 105 MPH, rebounds are inevitable.
Without Mark Recchi, this team is hopelessly deficient on offense.
Johnny Boychuk had a noteworthy game. Both phyiscal in his own zone and the neutral zone, and clever on offense.
Michael Ryder didn't foul up in any significant way. Although he did miss a wide open top corner of the net in the 2nd. He's not a detriment to this team, but he's barely a positive.
Wideman and Krejci by and large had solid games. In my preview, I mentioned how vital these two are. They did their jobs, Wideman didn't screw up, and Krejci provided opportunities for his mates.
Lucic was invisible for most of the game. I'll give him a free pass for this entire season due to the multitude of injuries. He turned it up in the 2nd period, but he seemed more of a factor after the whistle as opposed to before it.
The offense needs to come from somewhere. The defense is solid, if occasionally porous. But the D and the goalie are good enough for the Bruins to be in every single game.
They just need to generate goals. Not easy against Miller, but it's possible.
The Red Sox have once again prevented a team from scoring, their own team. And the only silver lining is that David Ortiz didn't strike out.
Dustin Pedroia remains red hot, but he can't do it by himself. He had 3 of the Sox' 6 hits yesterday. It's sadly funny that the "defensive" players have given the Sox some of the best individual offensive performances. Scutaro's hitting .310, Beltre's at .303, and Hermida's at .294. Meanwhile, V-Mart's struggling at .231, Drew's at .143, and we all know about Ortiz's difficulties.
But you know what, you're not going to win many games when your starter gives up 5 earned in 5.1 innings. Especially with a shallow bullpen to follow him.
Apart from Pedroia, who went 3 for 4, none of the Red Sox did anything to win this game.
The Sox come home for a 10 game road trip starting tonight against the Rays. Beckett faces Wade Davis.
It was not a good night for the favorites as home teams were 1-3 in the opening night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But if you were sitting at home watching, you won, because all these games were decided by 1 goal, and 3 of the 4 were decided in the 3rd period.
PHILADELPHIA 2, NEW JERSEY 1 (Flyers lead series 1-0)
Philly only managed 14 shots on Brodeur, but 2 slipped by. Chris Pronger and Mike Richards scored 2nd period goals to put the Flyers on top. Travis Zajac provided New Jersey's only goal deep into the 3rd period. Brian Boucher stopped 23 of 24 shots he faced. The Flyers had New Jersey's number all season, and that trend continued.
OTTAWA 5, PITTSBURGH 4 (Senators lead series 1-0)
This was not a goaltending exhibition. Brian Elliot and M.A. Fleury combined to stop 38 of the 47 shots they faced. It wasn't pretty. Ottawa was in control for most of the game, holding a 3-1 lead in the 2nd period, then a 4-2 lead going into the 3rd. That lead was tenuous, but so was Fleury's goaltending. No matter how close the Penguins got, Fleury allowed the Senators to re-extend their gap. Malkin had 2 goals and an assist. Crosby had 3 assists. I love the headline on Yahoo: "Defending Chumps."
COYOTES 3, RED WINGS 2 (Phoenix leads series 1-0)
Special teams, special teams, special teams. They become so important in the playoffs. The Coyotes scored all 3 of their goals on the power play. Which is weird because the veteran Red Wings have had a good penalty kill this season. Bruins fans might be pissed that Derek Morris got the #1 star (1 goal, 2 assists), but he fits so much better in Phoenix than he did in Boston. But I am pissed that the B's didn't get Wojtek Wolski, who had the tying goal in the 2nd.
AVALANCHE 2, SHARKS 1 (Colorado leads series 1-0)
The Sharks just love choking. If they get knocked out by another 8 seed this year, they should be banned from playoff play for 3 seasons, SMU style. Journeyman goalie Craig Anderson was the Aves' biggest star of the game. He made some huge saves early that kept this a 0-0 game. It was 1-1 until 50 seconds to go in the 3rd, when a centering pass ricocheted off Rob Blake's skate and past Nobokov. Heartbreaking way to lose, but Colorado deserved it. They simply wanted it more.
