Western Conference

For some reason I like the Avalanche in this one. I think this team is gaining momentum and re-discovering their identity. If Theodore can outduel Osgood/Hasek in this series, Colorado can take it.

Joshua’s Pick: COLORADO IN SEVEN

Sarich’s big hit on Marleau was a big turning point for the Flames in game 3, but Marleau’s response to it may have also been a turning point for the Sharks in the series. His willingness to pay the price along the boards and get right back into the game shows his commitment and leadership: a true character player. I’d also like to see some iso-cam footage of Ryan Clowe from that series to figure out how he kept finding so much open space in the high-slot. Turco will make the Sharks work hard for their goals, but they’ve got the firepower, and now I truly believe they have the leadership as well.

Joshua’s Pick: SAN JOSE IN SIX

Eastern Conference

Got to take my Habs in this one. It could be a rough series, which plays to Philadelphia’s advantage. If Montreal can stay disciplined they will get the powerplay opportunities they need to put the Flyers away. Price has shown some rookie traits, but has kept his composure well despite the mistakes. I can see him getting more and more confident the longer the playoffs go.

Joshua’s Pick: MONTREAL IN SIX

This one could go the Rangers way because of two players: Lundqvist and Avery. A pest like Avery is great for getting in the heads of an opponent; if he can get into the head of a seasoned vet like Marty Brodeur, he has the potential to wreak havoc with a young team like the Penguins. Henrik Lundqvist highlights the one huge strength that the Rangers have in this series: solid goaltending. Despite those factors, I think the Penguins are gaining the poise and confidence to carry them deep in these playoffs. They have too much skill for the Rangers to handle.

Joshua’s Pick: PITTSBURGH IN FIVE

This was by far the most intensity the Flames have shown in this series - and they were able to show it for an entire 60 minutes - something that the Flames have had trouble doing throughout this entire season. Recently, there had been a lot of questions and concern about the play of the 3rd and 4th lines on the Flames squad, but tonight, these guys showed up hungry and were the main reason the Flames were victorious. More specifically, Matthew Lombardi and Wayne Primeau were tremendous on the forecheck, not allowing the Sharks to setup offensively.

This puts the Flames in a great positions heading into game 7.  The majority of the pressure is now placed on the Sharks to win this game. Let’s hope the Flames take their energy from game 6 and bring it with them to game 7.

So what does game seven mean? For Calgary, a loss would not be catastrophic. Disappointing, yes, but most pundits didn’t expect the season to last this long. The Sharks, on the other hand, have been perennial playoff blunders, seemingly unable to reach their potential on the NHL’s biggest stage. It’s safe to assume that big changes could be afoot in San Jose should they fall to the Flames tomorrow night. The same cannot be said of their counterparts. A first round departure would likely result in the typical minor off-season tweaks for which Darryl Sutter is known. But let’s not dwell on the “what if we lose” scenario. Instead, let’s ask “what do we need to do to win?”

Here are my keys to victory on Tuesday night:

• Shut down the stars - when the Sharks have been successful, it’s been on the efforts of Thornton, Cheechoo, and Marleau. The Flames can win this game if they continue to pay close attention to shutting those guys down.
• Keep the shots down - it’s hard to win games when you’re getting outshot 40-15. Make life easy for Kipper by keeping the shots down to low 20’s.
• Energy through all the lines - all four lines need to contribute, as they did last night. Guys like Lombardi, Nystrom, and Vandermeer providing a spark could be the difference.
• Let’s get physical - as we saw in game three, big hits can swing the momentum of a game. Laying the body to the Sharks early and often will set the right tone for the Flames.

There’s too much snow to golf, so let’s keep playing hockey!

Michael’s comments cause me to reflect on life in our office as a non-fan. Michael, I’ll try to take it down a notch or two, channeling more to the blogs and less public chat with my fellow fans. Just for you.

No promises, though. This is playoff season, after all.

Things I noticed from the game 6 are:

Positives:

With the exception of a few costly giveaways, I felt that the Flames play was their best of the series. They managed 36 shots on goal (compared to 10 in the previous game), and had several excellent scoring opportunities.

Kipper had a strong game, even though he allowed 4 goals in 26 shots. To be fair, the goals that were scored were very difficult goals.

Iginla looked great. This guy plays with so much intensity and is a true leader - you can tell this guy wants to win more than anyone else on the ice. His supporting cast needs to pick up their play.

Negatives:

Matthew Lombardi - this guy has amazing speed and can blow by most defenders, however, I don’t think he knows what to do with the puck when he gets close to the goal.

The secondary scoring has dried up. The majority of the goals are coming from their top 4-5 players, while most of the other players aren’t doing much at all. Huselius is ABSOLUTELY invisible and might as well be riding the pine and let a young guy come up from the minors.

The Big Guns for the San Jose Sharks have finally showed up and last night, Marleau, Cheechoo, Campbell, and Thorton lead the way in the Sharks win. Hopefully in Sunday’s game the Flames will get back to their old ways of shutting these guys down.

After a Habs loss and three Sharks goals in the first 3:33 of the Calgary game, I was ready to start drinking a little harder. Indeed, Trevor and I were counting the Flames out of game three. A friend of mine who happens to be a Flames fan transplanted to Vancouver watched the game with us in our hotel out here on the coast. A diehard he must be, for he kept the faith, regardless of the bleak outlook. What’s worse than the 3-0 deficit is that the transplanted Vancouver Canuck supporting Brit we brought along with us insisted “you guys will come back from this.” What does he know, right? He’s a limey, and this is hockey; he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

And then the hit. And then THE HIT! You know the ones I’m talking about. First Dion Phaneuf introduces Patrick Marleau to the end boards, cutting him above the right eye. Good tough Canadian boy that he is [nod to Don Cherry here], he gets it taped shut and heads back out on the ice. Soon after he starts up the ice, into the trolley tracks with his head down. Corey Sarich makes Marleau pay for it, crushing him with one of the biggest hits I’ve seen this season, bloodying the Shark captain’s nose.

I know you want to see it again:

Go ahead, rewind it and watch it a few more times. Savour this beauty of that bone crunching and momentum changing hit. I can wait.

That hit got the crowd back into the game, and by extension, it got the Flames back into the game. Once they scored that first goal, they knew they could win the game. Once again it was Owen Nolan pulling the trigger on the big goal (you’ll recall he scored the goal to eliminate the Oilers from playoff contention).

So who do we call the hero of this game? Is it Sarich for his timely hit? How about Nolan for the winning goal and two assists? Maybe Cujo for being perfect in relief for Kipper? I think the answer here is that Calgary is most successful when no single player is the hero. Heroic efforts from several players contributing to the collective is what makes any hockey team truly great. If Calgary’s key players can share the hero role around like this some more, this will be a very winnable series.

Any what of Kiprusoff? I would contend that he didn’t stand much of a chance on those three goals. That said, I think Captain Hook was wise to pull his star goalkeeper after that third goal. Allowing a goaltender to be shelled behind a weak defensive effort can hurt his confidence and potentially catapult him into a rut. Sitting Kipper down before things got ugly somewhat allows Mikka to save face and rebound with confidence in the next game. Meanwhile, a new goalkeeper provides a different look for the Flames, causing a situation that the Sharks may not have been fully prepared for. I can’t see why Keenan wouldn’t go back to Kiprusoff in game four, but regardless of who starts between the pipes, I think it’s clear that Calgary has two goalkeepers who can rise to the occasion.

Now get some rest, and bring back these heroics again on Tuesday. I’ll be watching from Vancouver, wishing I was in the Sea of Red.

So how is this relevant to us today? Well, check out this painful highlight from game 1 of the Caps/Flyers series:

Now, almost as painful as the fact that Thoresen took a slap shot that they feared had ruptured a testicle is the fact that the Capitals tied the game while he was writhing in pain on the ice. But no, the sacking hurts more … you guys know what I’m talking about.

Here’s the best quote to come out of that one, though: “[my girlfriend] is happy that my nuts are okay”. I’m sure she is. And I’m sure we’re all happy to hear that Patrick gets to keep both of his berries, swollen as they may be.

• It’s been 19 years since Gary Roberts won a Stanley Cup with the Flames, and he looks like he wants to win another. It also looks like he enjoys playing the Senators. Adding his performance to those of Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, and Hossa and these guys really have the firepower to make this a short series.
• Didn’t see much of the Rangers/Devils game, but it looks like Sean Avery is having an impact in this series already.
• Minnesota/Colorado made for an exciting start to the playoffs; A penalty shot and eventual overtime make for plenty of drama. If I had to pick an Avalanche player to score in OT, Joe Sakic would be my pick every time.
• Big play from Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff came to play tonight. The final few seconds of the game seemed to last an eternity as the Flames fought to keep a tying goal off the board. As Eklund said in his predictions, when Iggy and Kipper are involved anything can happen. If the Flames can play full series like that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them win this series. So far it’s been a much better start than last season in Detroit.
• And in the WHL: The Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes moved a step closer to meeting in the conference finals. Each with 3-1 leads in their respective series now, my dream series is starting to look like a reality. And yes, I’ll think about the road trip to support the ‘Canes in Calgary in that series.

… my wife really hates this time of year.