This weekend was very exciting for hockey. Some of the best games of the year were played this weekend. The final spot in the eastern conference went right down to the shootout. It was real time hockey.
The first game that left me on the edge of my seat for the entire 60 minutes was the Toronto/Montreal game. Toronto needed to win in regulation to have a chance at making it to the post season. It was looking good at the beginning of the second when they were up 3-1 on Montreal.
Then, out of no where, my fellow Newfoundlander, Michael Ryder gets a natural hat trick to put his team up 4-3. I couldn't believe what just happened. Montreal then got one more from Chris Higgins to go up 5-3. I thought it was all over, but all of a sudden, Carl Colaiacovo, Brian McCabe, and Kyle Wellwood scored to put the Leafs up 6-5 through the third. Sheldon Souray left the game and that would be the end for Montreal.
I was happy that the Leafs won, but I didn't like watching Montreal walk off that ice, especially after great efforts by Ryder(3g, 1a) and Koivu(3a)
On Saturday night, the western conference was also getting closer to see who would represent them in the playoffs.
Calgary had Edmonton, and Colorado had Nashville. I wanted Colorado to make the playoffs, and I thought they could beat Nashville with the way they have played the past month, but I didn't think Edmonton would do much with Calgary.
For Colorado to get in, they had to win, and Calgary had to loose. Colorado was beating the Predators 2-1 for most of the game. Meanwhile I was watching the Edmonton/Calgary game, and when the Flames went up 2-0, i just put my television on mute and decided to read while I was waiting for the final score.
I was caught up in my book and never bothered to look at the TV for a while. When I finally decided to look, to my ashonishment, Edmonton was up 3-2. I was absolutely amazed.
After that game, I checked the scores and noticed that Colorado had succumbed to the Predators with a 4-2 loss.
It was a great effort by Sakic and company, and I will always be proud of how close they came.
When Sunday came, a lot of Leaf fans were pretty happy that the Islanders had to beat the Devils to knock the Leafs out of the playoffs. I would think that when the found out that backup goalie Scott Clemenson would be in the net, they weren't as sure.
The game was slow for the most part, and with 5 minutes left in the third the Islanders were up 2-0 and I was thinking that the leafs were finished.
The Devils managed to score a goal, and with only a few minutes left I thought it was over. Some how, some way, John Madden managed to get the puck in the net with .8 seconds left in the game. I could just picture Mats Sundin drenched in a sweat at this point.
No one could score in overtime, so it was off to the shootout. The last seed of the eastern conference was going to be decided by what team was lucky enough to come down one on one with a goalie and get the puck in the net. I was down on the floor at this point wondering what would happen.
I wanted the Leafs to get in, but when I saw the Islanders after Maddens goal I got that feeling that I got with Montreal, so I sort of wanted them to get in. Dubby stood his ground, and the Islanders are off to meet Buffalo in the first round.
Also on Sunday, previous the Devils/Islanders game, my Philadelphia Flyers had a game gainst the Buffalo Sabres. They had not beaten the Sabres all year, but I could tell when they started playing, this would be a very good game.
The Flyers were destroyed by the Sabres this year and in last years playoffs. This time how ever there was a difference....Martin Biron.
He made some key saves and the Flyers played a good hard working game to keep the Sabres from beating their team record for most points in a season. Good job Philadelphia, I am proud of you.
This weekend was very exciting, and I think the playoffs will be just as if not more intense.
Good luck to the Flames and Islanders, who managed to dodge the other teams chasing them, and the Avalanche, Leafs, and Canadians get my thumbs up for their great efforts.
I was looking around the internet for hockey articles and I came across one that I found very interesting.
At AOL's NHL Fan House there is a post that says Don Cherry has shown that hockey belongs in hockey. It has recently been voted that a player needs to get five instigator penalties to be suspended.
I was very happy to read this. Regardless of the injures that have occurred, fighting just belongs in the game. To North America, fighting is just as much a part of hockey as a car is to NASCAR.
Don Cherry, although sometimes has his head in the wrong place, was dead on with his opinion in my mind. A lot of players need fighting just to stay in the league. There would be a lot of players left unsigned if fighting was taken out of our game. It also adds excitement and hart to the game.
When I was in Pittsburgh, the first game I went to was against Montreal. Colby Armstrong made a check on Saku Koivu where he actually jumped off the ice and hit Koivu' head. It was a very dirty hit. What Armstrong didn't know was that Sheldon Souray was coming down the ice hard, and before Armstrong could do anything, Souray pounced on him like a cheetah on it's prey. It is the moment that makes that game stand out to me, and even though Souray was thrown out for the remainder of the game, I'm glad that it wasn't for more because he probably wouldn't pick up for his captain again.
Hockey needs fighting. I think that if it was taken out of hockey that attendance would drop as would viewers on television. Fighting is a part of hockey heritage, and should always be in the game.
The Maple Leafs are a likely choice for the final spot in the eastern conference to a lot of fans. Even when they are back in the 10th and 11th seeds, they manage to work their way up to the 9th seed, but they just can't get to 8th.
It seems to me that the Leafs are having a tough time playing games this season that are must-win scenarios. They manage to work their way back up to the 9th seed, but can never manage to squeeze into the final spot. Last night against the Rangers was a prime example of this when they lost 7-2 in a game that could put them in a tie with the Rangers for the final two seeds.
The Leafs and Habs have basically the same schedule for their final 3 games. Montreal = Boston, Long Island, and Toronto - Toronto = Philadelphia, New York, and Montreal.
They each have a gimme game against teams they can beat, but I would not bet against Philadelphia or Boston to be spoilers. The games against the New York teams will be tougher.
My guess it that they both will go 1-1 in their next two games and it will come down to the final game against each other.
For the Leafs to have a chance, they need to get some guys to step it up like Sundin does around this time every year. You can expect him to be playing his best hockey.
I also assume Tomas Kaberle and Darcy Tucker will be at their best.
Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky will need to get their huge frames down low to keep the puck in the opposite end to setup scoring chances.
The one player who will need to shine the most is Andrew Raycroft. If he plays bad, they loose, if he plays good, they win. Its that simple.
If you are in an area where you can watch Saturday's game between the long time rivals I suggest you sit down and enjoy the ride, because the eastern conference battle for the final seed truly will not be over until its over.
