Time to hide the faint of heart…because at long last….PLAYOFF HOCKEY IS HERE!!! With the classic “Me Like Hockey” song blaring in the background….I present to you the playoff hockey roundup….let’s get to it.
Playoff Hockey Roundup — April 11th
Doing something a little different here….a little something from the 4 GDT’s from the Arena.
First up…
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators 7pm EDT VS,CBC
Some quips from our respective GM’s….
Srotanes (Sens fan)
“This matchup to some may be the determinant of this series. Widely recognized around the Arena to be one of the top two series in this round, one should expect to see some of the best hockey of the year. Ottawa and Pittsburgh both boast fantastic offense, with big names on either side. While Ottawa has the upper hand in experience in these star players, that may mean nothing if Pittsburgh’s top line shows they are not intimidated.”
Ogre1Kanobe (Pens fan)
“This year it will be the young Penguins who hope to send Ottawa home early. It is their youth that may be their greatest weakness and yet their biggest strength. They have youthful energy, even late in games. They don’t want to lose. They are too young to know they are not expected to win. They know if they fall behind in a game, they can come back. “
Want some more?? Find it and bring it to the GDT.
San Jose Sharks @ Nashville Predators 8pm EDT TSN
The Arena has voted this the most exciting series by far and away…..almost 50% of those polled thought this would be the runaway winner due to its goalie tandems and immense offensive talent. Game 1 is in Nashville and the Honky Tonk and the Fiddler will be on all cylinders high for this high octane matchup. Will Sullivan be back tonight? Who will start in the nets? Will Guerin provide the playoff experience the Sharks need….find the answers to these and many more questions only on the GDT.
Dallas Stars @ Vancouver Canucks 10pm EDT VS, CBC
Here is some random analysis ….first from Andrew and Erin.
Andrew: “Obviously, we can’t state enough how important it is to win on home ice. A loss tonight could put the Canucks in danger of dropping both games on home ice, and getting off to a horrible start. The last thing Vancouver needs to do is have pressure on themselves to start winning road playoff games, with elimination the consequence in failing. It’s always hard to call game one of a series a must-win, but if Vancouver can guard home ice, they’ll be in much better shape the rest of the way through. This game could go a long way in answering the goaltending questions for both teams. For Vancouver, a strong outing from Roberto Luongo could help silence his doubters quickly, while any sort of choke by Marty Turco will have Dallas fans calling for Mike Smith. It’s hard to recommend a style that the Canucks should play. The smart choice would probably be their normal, defensive style, and keep games low scoring. However, Dallas hasn’t put up more than 4 goals in a game against a quality team since mid-February. Perhaps if Vancouver pushed the tempo into an offensive game, they could out-gun the Stars in an old fashioned shootout. This would probably be the only team the Canucks could do that to, and is probably way too risky of an approach. However, if they are to fall behind, Vancouver must push the tempo to get back into things, because playing from behind is not something the Canucks should feel comfortable doing against Dallas. Expect a tight one tonight, and all series long.”
Erin: “The Canucks seem to lead the Stars in every individual category for team leaders during the regular season (which means absolutely nothing, but I couldn’t help but notice that as I was creating the GDT)
How in the world did Matthew Barnaby get 127 PIMs in only 39 games? That’s pretty impressive. I mean, I know he’s a tough guy and all, but wow! Two of the Canucks players are celebrating their birthdays today (hopefully with a win!). Alex Burrows is 25, while Trevor Linden is 37.”
And a counterpoint from the Stars faithful…..
From the Critters: “The series will probably be dominated by defense and goaltending. Dallas ranks third in the NHL in goals against average at 2.36 and Vancouver is sixth at 2.39. The Stars are 22nd in scoring at 2.64, and Vancouver ranks 21st at 2.65. In the season series, Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo had a 2-1-1 record with a 1.46 GAA and a .951 save percentage. Topping that, however, was Stars goalie Marty Turco, who went 2-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and a .959 save percentage. Each team scored five goals in regulation over the span of four games.”
Expect a hard hitting, low scoring one from GM Place tonight, grab a cold one, and head over to the GDT.
Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks 10:30 EDT TSN
The series that I personally am probably looking most forward to…with the questionable availability of Giguere…this series turns on Bryzgalov who based on last year seems up to the challenge. This matchup has also all been decided on one goal games.
From Michael (Ducks Fan): “I think it’ll be a good series, who knows it could come down to 7 games. I know a team will not sweep 4-0, but I know for a fact that Anaheim has the opportunity to win this. I think it’ll go in 6 games, Ducks win 4-2…with goaltending and the power play being the difference.”
From Patty: (Wild fan): “However, it will not be difficult for Minnesota to surpass its output from the 2003 Western Conference finals, where it scored a grand total of one goal en route to being swept by Anaheim. Eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere posted shutouts in each of the first three games before allowing a first-period tally by Andrew Brunette in Game Four. That was the only goal allowed in that series by Giguere. Hopefully the sticks aren’t so sleepy tonight!”
There will be no sleep tonight….and there is no shootout…so expect some OT possibly tonite at the GDT.
Hopefully everyone enjoys the action…all brought to you by The NHL Arena.
