Stanley Cup Roundup

As always, there are some seriously good series being played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All Original Six teams made the playoffs, the top two markets in the country (New York, LA) each have two teams in the mix, Canada was well-represented, and there are no teams from truly poor hockey markets like Phoenix or Nashville. And we're already rid of the Vancouver Canucks.

Sharks 4, Canucks 3 (OT) - Sharks win series 4-0

Vancouver went with Cory Schneider and it didn't really work out. This was a matchup between teams that perennially choke in the playoffs, so one of them had to advance and one had to be embarrassed. I had to post a pic of a hot girl in Vancouver colors, since I won't have a chance to post anymore in the upcoming weeks.

Blackhawks 3, Wild 0 - Blackhawks lead series 3-1

Chicago only lost 7 games in regulation this season, and Minnesota doesn't appear to be much of a match for them. The Wild aren't healthy and the Blackhawks have Patrick Sharp, who had 2 goals in the game and has 4 in the series.

Senators 3, Canadiens 2 (OT) - Senators lead series 3-1

Only 8 penalty minutes in this game. There were about 30 times as many penalty minutes in the previous game. Montreal got conservative in the 3rd period and it screwed them. Ottawa grinded out a pair of goals. Carey Price appeared to hurt his groin at the end of the 3rd and backup Peter Budaj allowed the Kyle Turris game-winner. Ottawa scares me more than any other team in the East. They're getting 110% from their talent and they've been working their asses off all season. Every game they played against the Bruins was close and they got better and better against the B's as the season progressed.

Islanders 6, Penguins 4 - Series tied 2-2

The Penguins have the best skaters in the NHL. No doubt about it. They're stacked. Unfortunately, their goalie is Marc-Andre Fleury. He allowed 6 goals on 24 shots. One fourth of the shots on goal went by him. And some of them were hideous. He's allowed 14 goals in the last 3 games, and Vokoun might get the start in Game 5.

Tonight's games...

7:00pm - Bruins @ Maple Leafs - Bruins lead series 2-1 - NESN/NHL Network
The Bruins need to remain consistent. Tonight they have an opportunity to start burying Toronto's grave. They also have an opportunity to give Toronto a second life.

7:30pm - Capitals @ Rangers - Capitals lead series 2-1 - NBC Sports
The Rangers were up against it and Game 3 and came through. Washington looks good, they have Ovechkin, they have depth, and the Rangers don't seem to know how to win playoff series. However, the Caps will have to find another gear to knock them out.

9:00pm - Kings @ Blues - Series tied 2-2 - CNBC
The defending Champions don't look as sharp as they did last year. I haven't seen much of this series but St. Louis has looked good from what I have seen. And Jonathan Quick has looked human.

10:00pm - Red Wings @ Ducks - Series tied 2-2 - NBC Sports
This series is a big reason why Detroit will be moving to the Eastern Conference. A fanbase in the Eastern Time zone is forced to watch playoff games at 10:00pm. On weeknights. Not good for business. One good thing is if Detroit wins they could face Midwest rival Chicago in the next round. And if Anaheim wins they could face California rival LA.

-The Captain

Jarome Iginla Goes to Pittsburgh, Not Boston

I had already written a post with my thoughts about the reported deal that sent Jarome Iginla to Boston. I was on the fence, because the 35 year old winger had only scored 9 goals. And also because the Bruins still needed at least one more defenseman. And also because selling key parts of the future for current gain is what Toronto got wrong with the Kessel deal. I was on the fence about Iginla coming to Boston. Now he's going to Pittsburgh. And I am sad, but will get over it.

Iginla would have helped the Bruins, but he wouldn't have solved key problems like lack of depth on defense. Iginla had scored 30+ goals every season for 11 years. But this season, in an 82 game schedule, he'd be on pace for 23.

And it would be very likely that he would be a short-term rental, not a part of the Bruins' core for a few seasons.

So I'm not too sad about this. It was something of a tease, with reports that he was coming here. But apart from that, it isn't the end of the world that the Bruins didn't land him.

-The Captain

Penguins 2 Bruins 1

Bruins seemed to dominate the final 2 periods, but they just couldn't get the puck in the net. The Penguins have a ton of injuries, but they just keep winning and now are in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Crosby scored again and he is leading he NHL is points, but the one positive I take from this game is that Seguin scored and he seems to be getting on a roll. The Bruins really need him to be a goal scorer if they are going to make a deep playoff push. I feel that is one of the Bruins weaknesses is they don't have that guy you just know is going to score. Seguin has the talent to be "that guy".

The Bruins play again Tuesday vs Winnipeg.

Penguins 3 Bruins 2

Exactly what I was worried about happened last night. The Bruins lost their legs somewhere in the middle of the 2nd period, and the wheels eventually came off. It was extremely painful to watch as they had a 2 goal lead with just 5 minutes left in the game, but once the Penguins score that first goal you just knew it was all over.

As much as I would like to say that this is a game the Bruins let slip away, I can't. They were dominated more than half the game and out-shot 34 to 16. You expect to get out-shot by a team like the Penguins with the amount of offensive power they have, but that doesn't excuse that big of a margin.

With the loss the Bruins are still just 1 point behind the Canadiens for first place in the East, and have still played two fewer games than them. The Bruins play again tomorrow when they face the last place Forida Panthers.

Bruins @ Penguins Preview

The Penguins look to win their 6th straight game, and 4th consecutive victory over the Bruins, yet Boston has earned at least a point in 11 of its 12 road games. This is a really good test for the Bruins, who have been looking to prove they are among the NHL's elite.

It's too bad the Bruins had to play last night too, and it's really too bad that they will be without Chris Kelly on top of it, who was lost to a knee injury last night. I know he has had a bad year, but he is a good player, and depth is one of Boston's biggest strengths. The good news is that the Penguins are also shorthanded and in a much bigger way after losing Malkin to an undisclosed upper-body injury.

The key tonight is shutting down the Penguins offense, which is deadly. Crosby is a force this year and leads the NHL with 45 points. I really believe though that Chara can rattle him, and that Boston's defense is good enough to limit a team like this. I am a little worried about the Bruins legs coming into this game as they had to play an overtime game last night, but if they are there then I think the Bruins defense is setup exactly for this sort of game.

Bruins win 4-2
Player of the Game: Seguin
Game starts at 7:30pm