Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates that today. Here’s to hoping that today provides us some baskets of hockey joy through all of today’s playoff games.
1. The Penguins find themselves in a precarious position. Yes, they’re a win away from the second round of the playoffs still, but in their 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 5 something happened that we hadn’t seen yet in the playoffs. Big offensive guns Steven Stamkos and Simon Gagne got on the score sheet in big ways. While a one-off game that turned into a blowout shouldn’t be a big reason for Pittsburgh to worry, seeing those guys find the net for the first time in the playoffs should be.
While the Penguins are without their major offensive weapons in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the Lightning’s major players are on the ice and after they’ve finally broken through, it gives Dan Bylsma something else to be concerned about heading into Game 6. If those guys have arrived, Pittsburgh’s hands are even more full than they thought they were heading to Florida.
2. Washington’s march into the second round is most impressive. The Rangers threw everything they had at the Caps and still got bounced in five games. While a lot of people might be upset or sad at seeing the Caps be less of an offensive dervish than in previous years, their handling of the Rangers was a clinical exercise in how to shut down an opponent’s offense and power play.
It may have seemed like a lot of the talk about the Caps’ new commitment to offense was just bluster but it’s very real and very apparent that it works well. The Caps are both high powered offensively and defensively stifiling. With Alex Ovechkin playing like a man possessed and Michal Neuvirth playing especially solid in goal, the Capitals are looking quite formidable. Look out world.
3. If you’re not enjoying the thrills and up and down play that Boston and Montreal are providing in their series I don’t know where to begin with you. Tremendous hockey and last night’s Game 5 double overtime win from Boston hammered that all home again. We’re rooting hard for Montreal in Game 6 just so we can have a Game 7 insane asylum special with these two. It’s only natural after all.
4. After back-to-back rough performances from Jon Quick and the Kings getting down 3-1 in the series, it was tough to believe that the Kings had another win in them. Then Quick goes out of his way to stop 51 out of 52 shots to lead the Kings to victory. That kind of win can be inspiring. Now if only the Kings could win on home ice...
5. It’s Sunday morning, do you know who your Flyers starting goalie is? If I had to take a guess I’d say that Brian Boucher gets the chance to prove himself in Game 6 but the leash will be short. Any signs of looking off and he’ll be out. Michael Leighton looked OK in relief in Game 5, meanwhile we’re wondering if perhaps Sergei Bobrovsky is totally out of gas after a big rookie season. Either way all around, the Flyers have some questions in goal to answer in the offseason whenever that begins.