NHL Playoffs: Off and running…

Well the NHL Playoffs are all in full swing and every team has one game under their belt. Some of the action over the past couple days has been interesting but not too shocking. But a few things have really impressed me. The Pittsburgh Penguins certainly manned up more than I personally thought they were capable of. I really felt, and still sort of do, that the Flyers would be able to take a physical toll on the Pens and win that series. Based on the action in game 1 it seemed to me that the Pens won all aspects of that game including the physical battles. The only occasions the Flyers really seemed to get an edge it was a move that caused them a penalty. Nice work Pens, it is efforts like that a team can use to get deep into the playoffs. I would be very happy to be incorrect about who I thought would win this series if the Pens continue to put on a clinic on hard work like that throughout their series. I know it is still very early in this series but you can tell a lot about how a team approaches and prepares for games.

And also kudos to the Ducks for coming out firing in the 3rd and putting an early loss to the Sharks. That surprised me but by no means do I think the Ducks are incapable of playoff success. I just feel the Sharks are that deep and can take this matchup.  Other notes in the West; As I thought the Blackhawks vs. Flames games was quite entertaining. I hope to see more fo the same moving forward.  The Canucks winning and Detroit rolling is no surprise, I expect to see more of that.

The East seems like it will be on track for some fun games. Pens vs. Philly and Caps vs. Rangers seem promising. The Bruins and Habs series may prove to be a little tighter than I expected but I still do not think the Habs can hang long term. The games may be closer than I expected but I am not sure that will shorten my expectations of the Bruins taking it in 5 games. As for the Devils and Canes I just don’t see that being exciting at all to watch unless your a Devils fan.

Anticipating the Playoffs and watching the standings take shape all season long is fun and stressful for NHL fans. And I always remember the intensity the Playoffs bring and can renew or create rivalries. But after watching the first games in round 1 I remember why this is such a great time of the year. To watch players of this caliber leave it all on the ice night in night out is priceless. As long as we can avoid any career threatening cheap shots throughout the Playoffs this has got to be sports at its greatest right here. I look forward to seeing how these battles play out and how they mold the storyline in the war for the Stanley Cup.