And then there were two as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins square off for the most famous trophy in professional sports.

My analysis and prediction of the series can be found here.

The short version: Penguins in Six.

As always, I encourage reader comments, and I have no problem with differing viewpoints as long as it's done respectfully. Insulting and profane responses will be deleted and ignored as I have no patience for trolls.

On your mark, get set...Discuss!

Fresh from NHL headquarters:

2008 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES M                                #2 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Philadelphia
Friday, May 9, 2008                                Philadelphia at Pittsburgh        
Sunday, May 11, 2008                                Philadelphia at Pittsburgh                
Tuesday, May 13, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia                
Thursday, May 15, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
*Sunday, May 18, 2008                        Philadelphia at Pittsburgh                
*Tuesday, May 20, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia                
*Thursday, May 22, 2008                        Philadelphia at Pittsburgh

                                               
2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES N                                #1 Detroit vs. #5 Dallas
Thursday, May 8, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                        
Saturday, May 10, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                        
Monday, May 12, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas
Wednesday, May 14, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas
*Saturday, May 17, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                
*Monday, May 19, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas                
*Wednesday, May 21, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit

Check 'em out here.

In a nutshell, Rangers, Red Wings and Canadiens in six, Sharks in Seven.

Discuss!

NY Rangers forward Sean Avery has been making a name for himself as one of the league’s most pesky players (and arguably the most disliked) and now his name will likely be enshrined for posterity for a rule change.

During Sunday’s playoff game between Avery’s Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, he created a stir by planting himself in front of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur during a power-play, facing Brodeur and waving his stick in the netminder’s face.

The tactic screened Brodeur, who after the game said that he couldn’t see the puck or the play developing in front of him because of Avery’s antics.

It failed to result in a goal, although Avery would score moments later on the same powerplay. You can check out Avery’s little gambit in more detail here.

Commentators were stunned by Avery’s actions, most saying they’d never seen anything like this before in their lives. Brodeur obviously wasn’t pleased with it, the game referee warned Avery and the Rangers bench that it could result in a penalty if he did it again, and even Avery’s teammate Chris Drury shouted at him during the play to keep his stick down.

Globe & Mail blogger James Mirtle was all over this story, as well as its aftermath.

Avery’s stick wind-milling action failed to draw a penalty at the time because there wasn’t anything in the NHL rulebook saying you couldn’t do what he did.

Screening a goalie is a common practice during a game, but players doing so aren’t facing the goalie and waving their stick in his face. Their backs are almost always turned to the netminder, facing the play as they look for the incoming shot, not only to prevent the goalie seeing the puck and create a scoring chance, but also to avoid injury themselves by getting hit from behind with the puck.

It didn’t take long for the NHL to react. Effective Monday, the league issues the following:

"National Hockey League Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell today issued the following advisory on the interpretation of Rule 75 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct: "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."

Now some may argue as to why there was such an uproar over Avery’s actions and question the league cracking down on it.

Regardless of the interference implication or the unsportsmanlike conduct, what Avery did was dangerous, to Brodeur, an opponent or teammate, even to himself.

Avery couldn’t see the play developing behind him, has no idea where the puck is nor does he know where the position of his teammates or opposing players are around him, as he was mainly focused on Brodeur.

With his back to the player and waving his stick around in that manner, he risked injuring Brodeur despite the netminder’s protective equipment, and could’ve clipped a teammate or an opponent in the face or head with his stick.

Avery was also putting himself in danger of being struck from behind with an incoming shot, which could’ve seriously injured him if it struck him in the head or back of the neck, despite the helmet he wore.

It’s good to see the NHL jump on this quickly, and obviously they had the blessing of the NHLPA implement this rule change so quickly. No one wants to see this become an established practice throughout the playoffs by waiting to change this rule in the off-season, especially if it were to result in a game-or-series winning goal.

Can you imagine the uproar if Avery or another player were to pull the same stunt resulting in a Stanley Cup winning goal? It would dwarf that of Brett Hull’s controversial “foot in the crease” goal from the 1999 Cup Finals, which was an embarrassment the league front office has no wish to repeat.

If Avery harbored hopes of his name going down in NHL history, he got his wish. This will forever be known as "the Sean Avery rule".

As promised here is my Eastern Conference Quarter-finals preview and predictions.

Again, I'd love to read your comments, and if you disagree with me that's fine, but please, don't take it personally if I didn't pick your team to win or if in your opinion I haven't given them a chance. Remember, they're just one person's opinion. If I'm right, fine, if not, no big whoop.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins: Canadiens swept the season series 8-0, enroute to locking up top spot in their division and the conference, whilst the Bruins battled injury and inconsistency to scrape into the post-season. The Bruins will try to use a physical, disciplined defensive style to shut down the Canadiens speed and to generate traffic in front of the Montreal goal. They’ll look to goalie Tim Thomas and captain Zdeno Chara to lead the way but that might not be enough to blunt the Canadiens offensive attack and league-leading power-play, led by Alex Kovalev's line. Habs rookie Carey Price is starting his first NHL playoffs but his unflappable demeanor and sound goaltending style will make it tough for the Bruins to score.  Both teams have been bit by the injury bug of late but the Canadiens are the healthier of the two. The Bruins will battle the Canadiens hard and could win a game or two but appear to lack the offensive punch and defensive ability to contain the Habs. CANADIENS IN FIVE.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators: The Sens won the season series 3-0-1 but have been in free-fall since mid-January whilst the Penguins have overcome injuries to key players to finish second overall in the Conference. The Senators have far more playoff experience than the Penguins, but they're a team wracked by dissension, shaky goaltending, inconsistent defense and with key forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly sidelined by injury. The Penguins lost to the Sens in five games last season but they’re a year older, wiser, healthier and better this time around. Their offensive attack, led by Evgeni Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, could prove too much this time around for a floundering Ottawa team to shut down.  PENGUINS IN FIVE.

Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers took the season series 2-1-1, but struggled down the stretch whilst the Capitals were one of the NHL’s hottest team’s over the same period, catapulting them to the Southeast Division title. For the Flyers, their role is simple: shut down the Alexander Ovechkin line and generate traffic in front of Caps goalie Cristobal Huet, and they’ve got a good chance to defeat Washington. Easier said than done, as the Capitals head into this series riding a wave of momentum, spurred by Ovechkin’s amazing play, Huet’s goaltending, the coaching of Bruce Boudreau and the overall improvement of their roster. The Flyers possess more experience than the Capitals, but there are concerns about Martin Biron’s goaltending, their defensive depth and overall health. The Flyers also haven’t played the Capitals since early February and could find this club far different from the one they faced earlier in the season. CAPITALS IN SIX.

New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers. The Rangers won the season series 7-0-1 but it’s the Devils who’ll have home-ice advantage in this match-up. The last time these two met in the playoffs the Devils swept the Rangers in four, but the Rangers are a healthier, more defensively sound club this time around, and can rely on strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils will again use their grinding, physical defensive style to try to wear down the Rangers, but their lack of offense could make it difficult to cash in on scoring opportunities. Ultimately the Devils hopes will rest on goalie Martin Brodeur, who had another strong performance this season and must carry that over into the post-season for the Devils to have a chance. This series should be a close one but in the end the Rangers offensive depth and improved defensive game should see them through.  RANGERS IN SEVEN.

And then there were two….

The Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks will meet to determine who takes up the Stanley Cup for 2007. So without more ado, here’s my breakdown and prediction.

Coaching: It’s the first time coaching in the Finals for Anaheim’s Randy Carlyle and Ottawa’s Bryan Murray so there’s no experience advantage here. They’ve both done a tremendous job getting their teams this far, but throughout this year’s playoffs the Senators appeared to play a more disciplined game than the Ducks. That being said, Murray hasn’t had to deal with his team facing adversity this spring, whereas Carlyle had to rally his troops against a surprisingly strong Detroit Red Wings team in the Conference Finals. ADVANTAGE: None.

Goaltending: Ray Emery has been a steadying presence between the pipes for the Senators, something they’ve lacked over the past ten years in the playoffs. The Ducks, however, have J.S. Giguere, winner of the 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, who stole two games for his club against the Red Wings in the Conference Finals. Giguere does struggle with rebounds off the end board, has an average glove hand and can be beaten by side-to-side passing. Emery tends to come out too far to cut down angles, leaving him susceptible to being beaten by dekes or side-to-side passing. Ultimately, Giguere’s experience gives him the edge.  ADVANTAGE: DUCKS.

Defense: At first glance the nod would go to the Ducks, who have two previous Norris winners (and contenders for the award this year) in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer patrolling their blueline, as well as the under-rated Francois Beauchemin and veteran Sean O’Donnell. However, the Senators blueline corps is one of the deepest in the NHL (Redden, Phillips, Corvo, Volchenkov, Meszaros and Preissing), capable of strong two-way play. The Ducks tend to over-rely on their “big three” of Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin, whilst the Sens have effectively spread their ice-time fairly evenly for most of their d-men. Another factor of note was how the Ducks defence struggled against the speed of the Red Wings in the Conference Finals, something the Senators, no slouches in the speed department themselves, will no doubt exploit. The Senators blueline corps can not only skate but are capable of effectively laying on the body, especially Anton "A-Train" Volchenkov and Chris Phillips. ADVANTAGE: SENATORS.

Forwards: Both clubs possess depth in scoring talent and checking prowess. Offensively the focus will be on the Ducks “kid line” of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, as well as veteran Teemu Selanne, and the Senators top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.  Both sides also have depth in second line scoring, which have proven important factors for both clubs reaching the Finals.  Expect the Ducks to put their focus on shutting down the Alfredsson line, no easy task but then again, that line hasn’t faced a hard-hitting team like the Ducks yet. The series ultimately could come down to that. If the Ducks fail to shut that line down, they could be in trouble, but if they can keep them off the board, they’ll have a great chance to win this. ADVANTAGE: NONE.     

Other factors: Andrew Savoie, a regular poster to my “Fans Speak Out” message board, recently made a terrific post on how the two clubs match up in significant factors such as special teams, faceoffs, and other categories, so I’m posting it here verbatim:

“On face-offs, the Ottawa Senators have a slight edge, winning 495 out of 941, for a percentage of 52.6%, the Ducks, also won 495, but faced 991 face-offs, for 49.9%.
 
In the scoring and trailing first category, both almost have identical records. Ottawa has not lost a game when scoring first, and has a 4-3 record when trailing. The Ducks are 8-1 when scoring the first goal, and the same record as Ottawa when trailing.
 
5 vs 5, Ottawa has scored 29 of them and allowed 22, for a +7. Anaheim has scored 24 and allowed 20, for a +4. A slight advantage for Ottawa.
 
The powerplay, Ottawa overall is at 20%, with a whopping 31.2% on the road. Anaheim is at 15.3%, 17% at home. Advantage Ottawa.
 
The penalty killing, Ottawa is at 88.6% overall, at 92.5% on the road. Anaheim is at 86.8% and 90.9% at home. Again a slight advantage to Ottawa.”

Looking at these factors, Ottawa had the slight edge over the Ducks.  ADVANTAGE: SENATORS.

If Giguere can keep playing at a high level, if his teammates can avoid the penalty box and if they can shut down the Sens top line, they’ll be in good shape. The Ducks will play them hard, but their propensity to be drawn into penalties  by a fast-skating team (as demonstrated in the Conference Finals against the Wings)could prove costly against the Senators. The Wings also took away Anaheim’s physical advantage and I expect the Sens will try to do the same. The Senators are a very fast club like the Wings, and they’ll use that speed to their advantage against the Ducks “big three” defense. The Senators also play a strong, responsible defensive game and are extremely aggressive on the PK, something the Ducks haven’t experienced in this year’s playoffs.

PREDICTION: SENATORS IN SIX.

Previous record:

Conference Quarterfinals: 5-3.
Conference Semis: 2-2.
Conference Finals: 2-0.

I posted the following on Kukla's Korner in response to yet another stupid article in the Canadian media about the NHL's playoff scheduling and its "kowtowing" to NBC, and felt it a worthy blog post. Please excuse the acid, didn't mean to splash any on ya.

I’m getting sick and tired of this whining in the Canadian media that -heaven forbid - some playoff games aren’t starting on a Saturday night.

These dingbats should count themselves lucky they get the wall-to-wall NHL coverage free of charge that we Canadian hockey fans enjoy, not just throughout the season but in the playoffs. Some have the nerve to claim the NHL is showing contempt for Canadian hockey fans. Try telling that with a straight face to an American hockey fan, who has to subscribe to Versus, or hope his local cable company carries the local games, otherwise he’s stuck watching NBC’s minimal regular season and playoff coverage.

Folks, the NHL isn’t taking Canadian fans for granted or expressing contempt. The league understands that its fanbase is strong in Canada and isn’t gonna go away.

The reason for the goofy playoff scheduling is because the NHL is stuck with a crappy TV deal with NBC. The league, because of its own mismanagement, is so desperate to maintain its visibility on a major US TV network that it’s willing to let NBC call the tune when it comes to playoff scheduling.

It’s a business decision, and has nothing to do with alienating Canadians or treating them with contempt, OK?

Yes, it’s a bit annoying, but hardly worth the reams of indignant columns written by hacks in the Canadian media.

So what if a playoff game starts on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon? It’s not as though this is a foreign concept. It’s happened before. Remember Bobby Orr’s famous OT goal? Scored in the afternoon on Mother’s Day. The famous Game Six when the Islanders began their run of four straight Stanley Cup championships? Won on a muggy May Saturday afternoon.

Some folks (including some whose opinion I respect) are calling for scrapping this TV deal, but what’s better? The current deal, or nothing at all?

Sure, that’s fine for we Canadians who get all the NHL hockey we want for free courtesy of CBC, TSN, and Rogers Sportsnet, not counting the highlights shows on two of those networks plus The Score. We live in hockey heaven, whereas American hockey fans can only dream about the type of intensive coverage we enjoy here (kinda like our medical system).

So please, spare all of us the faux outrage and indignation because the playoffs won’t start on Saturday night, and stop all this pointless drivel about the NHL alienating Canadians or showing us contempt.

There’s lots of things we can complain about how the NHL conducts its business. This TV issue isn’t worth it, and quite frankly, these silly complaints make we supposedly nice, tolerant Canadians look like a bunch of whiny ####es who couldn’t get to the big clearance sale on time.

Oh, and yes, you caught me on a bad day. So sue me. Good luck getting blood from a stone!

As I predicted, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Detroit Red Wings in six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

What I didn’t predict, however, was how tough the Wings made it for the Ducks, how much luck played a part in this series, and how the Ducks nearly beat themselves.

I was expecting the Wings to be a tough opponent for the Ducks, but believed the Ducks supposed physical advantage and blueline depth to carry the day.

Instead, the Wings took away that physical advantage, and despite an injury-depleted blueline corps proved capable of playing stingy defense.

On paper, the Ducks blueline corps is better than the Wings. On the ice, however, it was a different story, as the Wings speedy forwards frequently made Anaheim defense (which consists of Pronger and Niedermayer, two Norris nominees and prior winners) look ordinary.

Both teams got lucky in this series. The Wings won Game One courtesy of two lucky bounces off Ducks d-man Francois Beachemin. The Ducks caught lucky breaks with their game-tying goals in Games Two and Five.

The Ducks inconsistency and undisciplined second period play made them their own worst enemy, unable to put together a solid performance for an entire game in this series. Against a team like the Wings, that nearly proved lethal.

Anaheim lived dangerously, but just when it seemed they might succumb to their foibles they’d regain the form that made them one of the top teams in the league and one of the favorites to go to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Give the Red Wings credit, for they’ve proven they can play a hard-hitting, solid defensive style whilst still proving opportunistic with their offensive game. This is a team that'll continue to be one of the top teams in the West.

But in the end, the Ducks did it with timely goal-scoring, solid goaltending from JS Giguere, and the ability to overcome their inconsistency to emerge as Western Conference Champions.

American hockey fans watching Game Five of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres on NBC this past Saturday afternoon got a rude surprise at the end of regulation time.

With the game set to go into overtime, NBC without warning abruptly cut to coverage of The Preakness, the second jewel in American horseracing’s Triple Crown. The only heads-up was NBC informing viewers who had Versus that they could switch to that channel to watch the OT.

Fine if you have Versus, but not for those who don’t.

That generated justifiable outrage, even some calls from American hockey fans and some bloggers and pundits that the NHL should dump NBC when the current contract with the network expires.

Don’t count on it. The NHL needs NBC much more than the network needs the NHL.

As I pointed out in a post on Tom Benjamin’s blog on the subject:

“(T)he NHL won't do this because they're desperate to keep their product on a major US network, despite shoddy ratings or mistreatment by said network.

Right now NBC is the only major network willing to broadcast their product due to the sweetheart deal they have with the NHL. That's why it was willing to extend the deal recently by another two years. They're not losing any money in the deal, they only have to provide minimal coverage, and they can influence both the NHL's regular season and post-season schedule to determine the best matchups.

Can you imagine NBC have that kind of sway over the NFL, NBA or MLB? They've got the NHL by the short and curlies and they know it, so they're obviously not gonna lose any sleep over any outrage from NHL hockey fans over switching unannounced to coverage of the Preakness.

And they certainly won't care how much Bettman stamps his little feet in protest. In fact, Bettman was probably outraged but didn't say a word to the good folks at NBC, because he needs them more than they need him.”

There was probably considerably more outrage at NHL headquarters than their tepid response that was published in The Globe & Mail. Bottom line, there's nothing the NHL can do about it.

Don't be surprised if the league points out how accommodating NBC has been in their playoff coverage by pre-empting shows (such as the documentary on Barbero).

A horserace like the Preakness trumps coverage of an NHL playoff game for any of the American networks. 

In other words, folks, your complaints and outrage will fall on deaf ears.

All of this is merely reflective of how far the NHL's value has declined in the all-important American sports market. 

If the Anaheim Ducks should advance to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, they’ll have goaltender J.S. Giguere to thank for it.

In Game Five of the Ducks-Detroit Red Wings Western Conference Finals, Giguere flat-out robbed the Wings, who were clearly the better team in regulation but ultimately came up short, falling in overtime 2-1.

Giguere wasn’t perfect, as the goal by Detroit’s Andreas Lilja handcuffed him high to the glove side, but that was the only one he’d allow after that.

The Wings had their way with the Ducks for most of Game Five. They out-shot the Ducks by a wide margin, dominated them in the second period due in large part to the Ducks taking undisciplined penalties yet again and out-hit them, once again proving that the Ducks no longer have a physical advantage in this series.

Yet try as they might, they couldn’t beat Giguere. Sure, Nicklas Lidstrom rang one off the goalpost in the third, but it’s the ones that go between the posts and across the goal line that count. After the Lilja goal, Giguere was flawless. He did what a big game goaltender does when his team is over-matched by keeping them in the game and giving them a chance to win.

The Ducks got that chance within the final two minutes of the third, when Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk took a bad penalty and Johan Franzen failed to clear the puck on the ensuing Ducks PP, a six-on-four with Giguere pulled for the extra attacker. Scott Niedermayer pounced on the loose puck and his shot struck Lidstrom's stick and ricocheted over Dominik Hasek's shoulder for the tying goal.

There’s still a perception that Giguere isn’t a “big game” goaltender. Yet going into overtime in this one, he’s the all-time winning percentage leader for goaltenders in playoff overtime, going into this one with an 11-1 record.

Make that 12-1 now, but it was arguably the easiest playoff OT victory for Giguere. His teammates needed “Giggy” in regulation, but they didn’t really need him in overtime, as they regained their poise and their game, resulting in Lilja’s turnover that resulted in Teemu Selanne’s winner.

The Ducks have the Wings on the brink of elimination because of J.S. Giguere.

That’s a headline I never thought I’d type heading into this year’s playoffs, especially in a series against the Buffalo Sabres, and one I’m betting denizens of “Leafs Nation” never hoped to see.

I don’t mean that disparagingly, Senators fans, just being honest. After years of watching this team come up small in the playoff so often, it was an easy assumption to make going into the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs.

But once the Sens got past the Penguins (yes, I picked the Pens to upset them) and after their strong showing against the New Jersey Devils, my opinion changed, leading to my at-the-time bold prediction that they’d upset the Sabres.

And this should be considered an upset, except that for most of this series, the Senators were the dominant team. This victory in five games over the Sabres was not a fluke, nor was it lucky. Ottawa deserved to win this series.

Their penalty killing was incredibly aggressive. They constantly forechecked and were responsible defensively. That defence corps is scary-deep, with guys who can move the puck well and chip in offensively (Redden, Corvo, Preissing) and those who can play a tough, physical defensive style (Volchenkov, Phillips, Schubert).

Volchenkov in particular has emerged as my personal favourite with his bone crushing hits and shot-blocking ability.  Anyone who still believes the myth of “weak Russian players” need only watch “the A-Train” to have their minds changed. This guy is the epitome of "old time hockey".

Ray Emery may not be winning many fans with his cockiness, but his play has given the Sens the confident goaltending they’ve lacked for years in the playoffs. When you're doing as well as he is, you can afford to be cocky.

Their best players were just that, their best players, particularly Daniel Alfredsson (my candidate to win the Conn Smythe Trophy), Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, who were only shut out once in this year’s playoffs.

Alfredsson has been silencing his critics this spring by doing what a great captain does, leading his team to victory. Whether it's scoring or setting up goals, working the PP, killing penalties, blocking shots, or playing the body, "Alfie" has been unusually aggressive this spring, and it's made him Ottawa's best player in this year's playoffs.

Their secondary forwards, notables like Mike Fisher, Antoine Vermette, Chris Kelly, Dean McAmmond, Mike Comrie and Oleg Saprykin, have been tremendous in their work ethic and their two-way play.

The Senators were simply too good in the little things that win games.

It has to be heartbreaking for the Sabres and their fans. This was supposed to be “the year” when finally a championship would come to Buffalo, but it was obvious to me in their opening round series against the lowly New York Islanders that something was wrong with this club, that this year’s playoffs was going to be a hard road.

Ultimately, my concerns about the Sabres, which I expressed in earlier posts on this blog so I won’t waste time repeating myself, were justified.

Something was different about the Sabres this season compared to last year’s playoffs, when they came so agonizingly close to going to the Finals.  

Perhaps they put too much pressure upon themselves, or maybe not enough. Whatever the reason, they’re now heading into an off-season filled with as much uncertainty as there was a year ago.

Last summer, the casualties were Jay McKee, JP Dumont and Mike Grier. This year, it could be Daniel Briere, Chris Drury or perhaps a couple of other players will be dumped to free up salary to retain those two.

This unexpectedly short Eastern Conference Finals appearance will definitely influence the off-season plans of Sabres management.

They can make no excuses since they were simply beaten by a much better team, one that deserves to be in the Stanley Cup Finals. Hopefully, the Sabres have learned some valuable lessons from the Senators, lessons the Sens themselves took years to learn.

The Ottawa Senators deserve to be Eastern Conference Champions.

The heading says it all, folks. There’s no better way to put it. The Anaheim Ducks nearly blew Game Four of their Western Conference Final against the Detroit Red Wings.

Sure, they emerged from the first period with a 3-1 lead, and ultimately won 5-3 to tie the series at two games apiece, but in the second period and the early minutes of the third the game nearly slipped away from the Ducks.

It was easy to see it in the second period, as the Wings came on with one of their most dominant periods in this series, second only to their blowout of the Ducks in the second period of Game Three two nights before.

And the scary part for the Ducks was, they gave it to the Wings. Served it up to ‘em on a silver platter.

After playing disciplined hockey in the first period, taking no penalties, the Ducks took five in the second, and that allowed the Wings, who had pressed the Ducks in the first and had stepped up the pressure in the second, to get back into the game with two powerplay goals.

The Ducks just sagged after that second goal, scored by the Wings Dan Cleary. They practically stopped skating, as the veteran Wings, sensing they had their opponent against the ropes, pressed the attack. Only goalie J-S Giguere, who was the goat on two of Detroit’s goals this net, kept the opportunistic Wings from taking the lead prior to the end of the second period.

Not two seconds into the third, and with his team already shorthanded,Anaheim forward Rob Niedermayer, who’d been jawing with the on-ice officials earlier in the game, took a cross-checking penalty, setting up a five-on-three powerplay advantage for the Wings.

That moment was the turning point of the game. Had the Wings cashed in, the Ducks already shaky confidence would’ve evaporated, and the series would’ve headed back to Detroit with the Wings holding a commanding lead and a chance to clinch the series.

But the Ducks killed off Detroit’s two-man advantage, and minutes later, with Cleary in the box for tripping, Ryan Getzlaf’s wrister from the point cleanly beat a screened Dominik Hasek, regaining the lead for the Ducks and holding up as the winner.

Give the Ducks credit, for they could’ve snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in this game. Instead, they rallied, drew inspiration from that key penalty kill and turned the tide of the game.

It was certainly a near thing, but with the series now knotted at two, there is no real certainty now as to which way this thing will turn. The Wings have proven much tougher than anticipated by both the Ducks and observers like myself, and suddenly the physical advantage that was supposed to tilt this series in Anaheim’s favor is no longer a factor.

Given the ebb and flow of this one, it’ll be interesting to see how both teams respond in Game Five.

It’s conventional wisdom in sports (and warfare) that one should never underestimate an opponent.

The Ottawa Senators forgot that wisdom on Wednesday night.

The Buffalo Sabres, seemingly down and out, written off by most observers (including a fair number of their fans) after falling behind 3-0 in the series to the Senators, fought back in Game Four.  After taking a 3-0 lead midway through the game, they hung on (thanks to Ryan Miller’s goaltending) to win the game 3-2 to stay alive in this series.

The Senators were guilty of a lazy start, resulting in Derek Roy’s goal only 9 second in. Still, they could’ve rallied back from that, and appeared on their way to doing so, but undisciplined penalties in the second led to Buffalo’s second goal by Maxim Afinogenov. Poor goaltending by Ray Emery resulted in Buffalo’s third, a sharp angle shot by Chris Drury.

To their credit, the Sabres fought back, potting two goals late in the second courtesy of their checking lines, and appeared to have regained the momentum.

But Ryan Miller regained his mojo, and try as they might, Ottawa simply couldn’t beat him despite numerous chances in the third period. When Dany Heatley took a dumb high-sticking penalty with less than three minutes left in the game, it effectively snuffed out Ottawa’s chances of tying the game and forcing overtime.

Now I don’t believe this means the Sabres are on their way to upsetting the Senators to win this series, although it would certainly make one heckuva story. The odd are against them, and while they’ll be playing Game Five in front of their frenzied faithful in Buffalo, the Sabres have to know the Senators will be far better prepared.

And for motivation for the Sens, the memory of that Game Four loss should provide plenty.

But the Sabres are still alive, giving hockey fans another chance to see another game between these two, one that could be one of the best in this year’s playoffs.

Those of you following the Western Conference Finals saw it. Those of you who didn't, check out this link.

Basically, in Game Three of the WCF between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, Rob Niedermayer and Chris Pronger of the Ducks both ran Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom into the boards, with Pronger driving Holmstrom's head into the glass, knocking the Wings forward silly and carving him for 13 stitches.

Holmstrom, to his credit, would return later in the game after getting stitched up and took his regular shifts in the third period. As I noted today in my "Fans Speak Out" message board, "Homer" is one tough hombre.

Niedermayer was given "five and a game". Pronger got nothing. The on-ice officials determined that Niedermayer caused the injury to Holmstrom. Replays, however, clearly showed Pronger to be the guilty party.

TSN's Bob McKenzie writes of the possibility Pronger might not be suspended by the league:

"If Pronger isn't suspended, well, that won't be a huge shock either. Holmstrom apparently did not suffer serious injury on the play, it's the Western Conference final and there have been hits like this one that have in the past gone unpunished."

If Pronger isn't suspended, that'll cause justifiable howls of indignation from Wings fans, but they should take heart in the fact that, as McKenzie also noted in his piece, the Wings "totally handing Anaheim its lunch on Duck ice" in Game Three with a convincing 5-0 victory.

Still, this was a cheap shot by Pronger, running a guy from behind and slamming his head into the glass. A lesser player than Holmstrom might've been more seriously hurt. Or Holmstrom could've been more seriously hurt if his head were at a different angle (looking downward) when Pronger drove his head into the glass.

Admit it, Ducks fans, if the roles were reversed and it were Holmstrom laying out Pronger with that kind of hit, you'd want him suspended.

I've been vehemently against these kind of cheapshots throughout this season when lesser players have done them. My attitude doesn't change when a genuine superstar like Pronger does it in the playoffs.

At the very least, he deserves a one-game suspension. Whether or not the NHL has the parts to levy that suspension upon the Ducks best player before what could be the pivotal game of the Western Conference Finals remains to be seen.

**UPDATE** The NHL had the parts after all, suspending Pronger for one game. Some folks might believe it should've been more but considering Holmstrom returned and didn't miss a shift in the third, and will play again in Game Four, the league wasn't going to suspend him for more than that.  A one-game suspension, a game which could determine the course of the series, is better than nothing.

It may be premature to post this, but barring a miraculous comeback seen only twice in Stanley Cup playoffs history, the Buffalo Sabres won’t be advancing to the Finals as so many predicted they would.

Sure, at the start of the playoffs, I predicted the Sabres would get there, but ever since their first-round elimination of the NY Islanders, I thought they weren’t playing like a Cup contender. I caught some good-natured flak for this, but the Eastern Conference finals ultimately proved me right.

I’m not writing this post to gloat, but rather to point out that the Sabres have the potential to be a great team once they add a key ingredient: character.

That was something the Sabres had in last year’s playoffs, particularly when one by one their defensemen fell to the sidelines due to injury. With their backs to the wall in last year’s ECF, they came together as a team, showed incredible character, and came to within one period of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This year, perhaps weighed down by heightened expectations, perhaps believing their own press, perhaps believing talent alone would get them through, the Sabres weren’t the same playoff warriors they were a year ago.

Put simply, they lacked the character they had last spring.

Now folks will point to the Sabres woeful special team play in this year’s playoffs, especially in the ECF, or their inconsistent defensive game, or the struggles of their offensive game in the face of a determined defensive system throughout this year’s playoffs as the real culprit. All they need to do is address those problems and they’ll be a great team.

That’ll help, but ultimately without character, it won’t matter. Lack of character is why they've been unable to suitably address these problem areas. They're just not  yet willing to pay the price to elevate their game.

The Sabres and their fans need only look at the team that presently has them on the brink of elimination for a lesson in that.

For years the Senators were one of the top teams in the NHL, yet season after season came up short in the playoffs, usually beaten by teams with lesser talent or depth.

The reason why they became an annual spring joke, why they became known as choke artists, was because they lacked character. They weren’t willing individually and collectively to pay whatever price to take their game to the next level. They believed their talent was enough to get them through.

Talent helps, but as we’ve seen in playoff history, character is the ultimate measure of a winner.

The Detroit Red Wings used to be a team like that, too. In the early-to-mid 1990s they were, like the Senators, one of the best teams in the NHL, yet every spring they’d come up small in the playoffs. It got so bad that by 1996 folks were questioning Steve Yzerman’s leadership!

Of course, nobody does that now, and there’s a reason for it: the Wings finally learned the painful lesson that talent alone wasn’t enough, they needed character to win.

Today’s Senators remind me of those Red Wings teams. For years they came up short, getting so bad that earlier this season even the most faithful Sens fans were calling for team captain Daniel Alfredsson to be traded.

Nobody’s doing that now. “Alfie” and his teammates are playing like a team on a mission, and they, not the Sabres, look like true Cup contenders.

No doubt the Sabres have the talent,. Even if they end up losing either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere to free agency this summer (and I still think it’s possible they can keep both by dumping salary elsewhere, but that’s a topic for another day), they’re so deep in good young talent they should be a contender for years. The only thing preventing that from happening is the will of ownership to spend what’s needed to keep most of the core of the roster together.

But this team hasn’t learned yet that talent alone isn’t enough in the playoffs. To go to the next level, they need character.

Now if they rally from the almost insurmountable hole they’re currently in against Ottawa, that’ll be one of the greatest displays of character in Stanley Cup playoffs history.

But if not (and I don’t like their chances), they’re learning a valuable lesson, one that hopefully they’ll never forget, one that hopefully – unlike the 1990s Red Wings and the earlier versions of the Senators – they won’t need to keep relearning for years until it finally sinks in.