with the 2010 nhl playoffs in full swing, there’s hockey everywhere (well…if you’re in canada that is). games over games, goals after goals, and a surprising increase of over-time games. speaking of surprises, there’s quite a few in this year’s playoffs. a minor surprise is that all 8 series were tied at 1 game a piece after the first two games. this most likely is one of the side-effects of a ‘salary-cap’ era in nhl. have to admit it, but this is making the league more balanced and thus more difficult.
another surprise occurred prior to the playoffs kicking off. 7 out of 8 teams in the west had 100+ points. on one side, definitely balance…but for those points to be earned some teams had to lose them. so although there seems to be somewhat of a balance at the top, there’s quite a discrepancy between the top 10 teams in the western conference and the other 5. anyhow, moving along as there’s another bigger surprise in the making. one might even call it a cinderella story.
no, it’s not the montreal canadiens. even thought they beat the president’s trophy winning team in the first game of their series. they also surrendered a 4-1 lead to lose the game only 19 seconds into over-time. it’s not the phoenix coyotes, even though they’re currently leading the series 2-1 after a win in game 3. their qualification into post-season may have surprised some, but not really. their team is a nice combination of older experienced players with a younger touch. however, the pieces have been into place for a few years…it just took a more experienced coach to polish that diamond in the rough. it’s also not the los angeles kings. yes, their stars are young, but the team is held together by stanley cup winning players. while the team is counting on a young goalie, the leaders of the team are quite experience when it comes to the playoffs. it’s also not the vancouver canucks. sure they have the point leader for this season, but the team has been put together to be a force in the playoffs.
the cinderella story in the making are the colorado avalanche. this team was supposed to fight for the first draft pick in june, not for the second round of the playoffs. they barely made into the playoffs with 95 points (good enough for 5th place…only if they were in the eastern conference). the team is based on 19 and 20 year olds that are playing rolls that usually will be suited for more experienced players. their no.1 goalie was thought to be a back-up goalie back in september. their coach…was a nhl playoff virgin a week ago. to make things ever harder…their first round match-up are the perennial playoff under-achievers winners of the western conference, san jose sharks. the key to the series…perennial playoff under-achievers.
after game three, where colorado showed signs of another northwestern division team (edmonton oilers of 2006), the seed of doubt is finally starting to grow roots for the sharks. the sharks threw everything at anderson (the colorado goalie) in the first three games. yet, the avalanche are leading the best of 7 series by 2-1. it got so frustrating in game three that dan boyle scored on his own net, so they won’t be ‘shut-out’ in the game. but with all laughs aside, anderson is proving to handle every shot. the avalanche are playing a defense first game (it’s as if mourinho is coaching them). they shoot scarcely, they have a hot-hot goalie, and make sure to keep the game close going into the final minutes of the game. all the players are buying into what the coach is preaching, and the san jose sharks are starting to show frustration. if this keeps up in game four, the series could be over by game 5.
however, the story may not be all due to the avalanche, but also due to the lack of proper managment/coaching from san jose. the team is lead by shaky and fail under-pressure joe thorton, ex-fluke-captain marleau and cry-baby always wanting a trade heatley. the minute leading player of the team is a 40 year old defence-man. blake is a great player, but he’s 40. the goalie got raped by canada in the olympics for 7 goals…and never recovered. how this team manages to win the conference…and never show up in the playoffs will always ‘remain a mystery’. they play great as long as there is no pressure on them to deliver. as soon as the playoffs hit…the sharks drown.
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