Saturday Hockey Hodgepodge

First of all, I apologize for not writing a blog yesterday. I was home battling a version of the plague that I haven't quite chased away yet. I'm feeling a little better today so I figure I would let you know where we stand as all four Conference Semifinals get ready for Game 5 this weekend.

Montreal vs. Pittsburgh:

After doing the job and containing Alex Ovechkin in the 1st round Montreal is doing it again, finding a way to not only contain Sidney Crosby but also Evgeni Malkin.

Crosby has three assist int his series but has yet to find the back of the net while Malkin's only goal of the series has come in Game 3.

Pittsburgh's secondary players have played well this series and that may be one of the reasons this series is tied at 2-2. Pittsburgh's best players have yet to be their best players while Mike Cammalleri has continued to best the best player for Montreal scoring three goals this series for the Habs.

Watching this series is like watching a tennis match as both teams are going back & forth. Pittsburgh wins one , Montreal wins one. If this holds true to form then the Penguins should win Game 5 tonight.

I expect them to not only win tonight but to go back to Montreal on Monday to close out this series. They better as the longer Montreal hangs around the more dangerous they become

Detroit vs. San Jose:

If you recall in my last column I called out Johan Franzen saying he had yet to have a big game. That changed on Thursday night as he scored a natural hat trick in the 1st period en route to finishing with four goals & two assist in Detroit 7-1 win over San Jose.

Watching this performance on Thursday frustrates me as a fan because it shows how good Detroit is capable of being and how they could easily be up three games to one in the series. Alas they are not and now they have to find a way to win in San Jose tonight or their season is over.

Franzen had his big game now it's time for Datsyuk or Zetteberg to have theirs. To be fair both players have contributed on the score sheet this series but neither has taken over a game like they did in the 1st round. (Zetteberg in Game 2, Datsyuk in Game 7.)

I think it's very important that the Sharks close out the series tonight for two reasons. One, they can rest up before the next round starts and two, they won't have to go back to Detroit for Game six.

For a team that has a history of underachieving in the playoffs the last thing they want is to have to go to a game six after having a three games to none lead. a loss tonight and the doubts & questions about the Sharks start to creep back in.

After watching Game four we all know what the Red Wings are capable of. Are they capable of winning three more games. Time will tell.

Philadelphia vs. Boston:

Being down three games to none and facing elimination the Flyers needed a boost. They got it in the form of Forward Simon Gagne. Not only did he come back early from a foot injury for the 1st time in this series but he scored the game winning goal in overtime to give the Flyers a 5-4 win.

The series shifts back to Boston for game five, a place where Philly hasn't won in the post-season since May 4th, 1976.

Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st period on a wrist shot by Mark Recchi. Philly then went on to score the next three goals of the game before Boston cam back with two of their own to tie the game.

Flyers forward Ville Leino scored his 1st goal of the playoffs to give Philly a 4-3 lead late in the 3rd period before Recchi tied it up for the Bruins on a wrist shot with thirty seconds left to play.

The Flyers may have found the will to survive for another game but Boston showed their resiliency not once but twice in coming back to tie the game. I expect Boston to close out this series on Monday night.

Vancouver vs. Chicago:

For a series that I thought would be pretty tight it has been completely lopsided so far. Vancouver won Game one convincingly 5-1.

Since then they have gone on to drop the next three to Chicago giving the Blackhawks a three games to one lead in the series.

The main reason Vancouver is in this hole is because they can't stay out of the penalty box.

In Game three Dustin Byfuglien scored two of his three goals on the Power Play. In Game four Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored three power play goals and assisted on another one finishing with five points (3 G & 2 A) on the night.

During the end of the 2nd period I received a call from my friend Kris who is a big fan of the Chicago teams. I wouldn't call him a huge Balckhawks fan but he is aware of what they are doing and he is following them.

We were talking about the game when he mentioned that the Canucks seem like they are a dirty hockey team and that they are always taking cheap shots. He was just starting to realize what most hockey fans in Minnesota have known for years.

I thought this series would go six games at the start. After the last two games I'll be surprised if it doesn't end in five.

Reminder, we have two games tonight. Montreal vs. Pittsburgh at 6:00 PM and Detroit vs. San Jose at 9:00 PM. Both games are on Versus

Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.