The Wild Wild East

The second round is almost over with just the Bruins and Flyers left to finish up their war with Game 7 in Boston on Friday night. Where do we start? Oh, in case you haven’t heard, the Montreal Canadiens have landed in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jaroslav Halak has taken his Montreal team and have slain the two giants of hockey. First, Alexander Ovechkin and now Sidney Crosby. The Canadiens, against all odds, walked right into Mellon Arena in a winner take all 7th game and they shocked the Penguins, their faithful, and probably the NHL hierarchy. With a stunning 5-2 victory, the Canadiens sent out Mellon Arena on a sour note for the Pittsburgh faithful. You have to be impressed with this Montreal club. Halak is making history like other Montreal legends before him. Legends such as: Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, etc. His team has followed his lead and with tight defensive coverage and opportunistic scoring they have become a monster of a team. I didn’t see this one coming and I’m sure most of the hockey experts didn’t either! If they did, well… they’re full of s***! Sorry to cuss, but it’s a perfect word to describe it! Whoever they play next had better do a lot of studying! If Ovechkin and Crosby couldn’t figure them out, then why would you think the Bruins or Flyers can?

As for Pittsburgh’s failure, there’s no excuses. Overall, you just got beat! M.A. Fleury was outplayed by Halak. Malkin, for the most part, played very uninspired hockey. Crosby tried and worked his tail off, but to no avail. He got shot down just like the rest of them when it counted. Like I said, no excuses. Montreal deserved to win. It’s that simple.

Now, onto the Bruins and Flyers. How on Earth did the Boston Bruins forget to close the door on the Flyers? Easy. They got too cocky and confident of what they have been achieving. The only problem is that it takes 4 games to win a series. Not 3. Now that the Flyers have walked through that door, I believe that it’s anyone’s game to take in Game 7. Pressure is now on the Bruins because they don’t want to make history in blowing a 3-0 lead. The Flyers, on the other hand, have a lot of momentum. I still like the Bruins, but the way the East has gone… who knows?

Now, how about we talk about one of my favorite teams? Not! The Detroit Red Wings, who were finally put out of their misery by the San Jose Sharks. I don’t want to dwell too much on this series, but the Sharks were too hungry and the Red Wings are starting to show their age. Again, I personally want to thank the Sharks for eliminating the “Euro-Wings”. Thank you!

The next opponent for the Sharks will be the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks totally dismantled the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 (in Vancouver) to take the series. The Blackhawks are the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde team. When Dr. Jekyll shows up, the Hawks are passive, not aggressive, and seem generally uninterested. When this happens, they are very beatable. When Mr. Hyde shows up, look out! They are tough, fast, in-your-face, and physical. They can’t be beat when they play like this! San Jose/Chicago should be a very good series. Plenty of big names and lots of skill on both side. The question is… can Dustin Byfuglien be the one who tilts the series in Chicago’s favor? Only time will tell. Over and out!