(inspired
by Tim Wharnsby, CBC Sports)
When the Stanley Cup playoffs start in the spring
each year, they’re very exciting to watch.
Admittedly, though I hadn’t watched the playoffs for several years, this
year, I found myself watching them with great anticipation. It all started with the Toronto Maple Leafs
qualifying in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Although I guessed they probably wouldn’t
make it past Round 1, nevertheless, I was rooting for them, hoping that, at the
very least, they would not be totally humiliated by their opponent, the dreaded
Washington Capitals.
The Washington Capitals had achieved first place
during the regular season in the Eastern Conference. If there was a team to avoid, this team would
be it. But, true to form, the Toronto
Maple Leafs gave Round 1 their best effort knowing that the odds did not favour
them advancing to the next round. To the
hockey world’s amazement, including my own of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs
gave the Washington Capitals a real run for their money. They managed to take the series to six games
instead of just the minimum of four, and five of those games were decided in
overtime. I don’t think that the
Capitals believed that the Leafs were capable of such battle and were, thus,
taken by surprise. However, eventually,
the Capitals did prevail and advanced to Round 2 against the Pittsburgh
Penguins, the defending champions. But,
the odds were against Washington advancing to the next round.
Now that I was hooked into watching the playoffs, I
found myself watching all the playoff games, especially in Round 2, and being
particularly interested in those that involved the two Canadian-based teams
left: the Ottawa Senators and the
Edmonton Oilers. When I realized that
the Pittsburgh Penguins were the defending champions and were the most likely
to win the Cup again, I also got involved with watching them in Round 2 against
the Washington Capitals. When I look
back at the results of that particular series now, I can see the scores for
each game were close, within one or two goals, except for Game 2 where the
score was Pittsburgh 6, Washington 2, and Game 6 where the score was Washington
5, Pittsburgh 2. In this seven game
series, only Game 2 was decided in overtime.
These two teams were very closely matched in talent and
perseverance. But, the Pittsburgh
Penguins finally prevailed and advanced to Round 3 against the Ottawa Senators.
I also found myself watching the Edmonton Oilers
playing the Anaheim Ducks in Round 2.
Both teams, part of the Western Conference, were considered strong. In this series, Games 3 and 6 were “blowout”
games with a goal differential of three in Game 3, and six in Game 6. Games 4 and 5 were decided in overtime: Game 4 in the first overtime period, and Game
5 in double overtime. It was a
nail-biter of a series that went the full seven games. These two teams were also closely matched in
talent and perseverance. However, the
Anaheim Ducks finally prevailed and advanced to Round 3 against the Nashville
Predators.
At the same time, I was watching the Ottawa Senators
in their Round 2 series against the New York Rangers in the Eastern
Conference. In this series, Games 3 and
4 had a three goal differential, and Games 2 and 5 ended in overtime: Game 2 in double overtime and Game 5 in the
first overtime period. This series went
six games with Ottawa winning the series four games to two. Ottawa would now advance to Round 3 versus
the Pittsburgh Penguins. This round
would be a real challenge for Ottawa.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, in Round 2,
the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators were battling it out. This series went six games. There was no great goal differential in any
game and none of these games went into overtime. In the end, however, the Nashville Predators
prevailed and advanced to Round 3 against the Anaheim Ducks. It was obvious during Round 2 that the St.
Louis Blues were not going to go down without a fight.
Now, in Round 3, there were four teams left, two
series. The winners of the Eastern and
Western Conferences would advance to the Stanley Cup final. These two series were going to be very
interesting, indeed. In the Eastern
Conference, the Ottawa Senators would face the Pittsburgh Penguins, and, in the
Western Conference, the Nashville Predators would face the Anaheim Ducks. No team was expected to go down without a
fight.
For Ottawa, their major asset is a defenseman named
Erik Karlsson, the captain of the Ottawa Senators and their best player. Erik is an excellent penalty killer for
Ottawa and probably the best defenseman in the world. And, they have a very strong goalie, Craig
Anderson, whose record is 2.44 GAA during the playoffs and 2.28 GAA during the
regular season. When Anderson is “on”
and in his best form, the Ottawa Senators are a team to be reckoned with. Anderson’s backup goalie, Mike Condon, has a
record of 3.92 GAA during the playoffs and 2.50 GAA during the regular
season. The Senators would be facing the
defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Still, Ottawa cannot be discounted from Round 3 and a possible Cup
final. Ottawa is a very determined and
talented team.
For Pittsburgh, their major assets are Sidney
Crosby, the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the best hockey player in
the world according to his reputation, and Evgeni Malkin whose goal scoring
abilities closely match those of Sydney, particularly in the playoffs since
Sidney couldn’t play in every playoff game due to concussion issues. Pittsburgh also has another strong goal scorer: Phil Kessel whose total playoff goals exceed
those of all the other players in the other Round 3 teams except for Ryan
Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks whose goals total only one more than Phil’s.
Pittsburgh also has two strong goalies: Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both have good records. Matt Murray has a 2.41 GAA in the regular
season, but was on the disabled list for part of the playoffs due to an
injury. And, Marc-Andre Fleury has a
2.56 GAA during the playoffs up to and including Round 3, during which Matt
Murray took over again. Given the fact
that they have very strong offensive lines and strong goalies, Pittsburgh cannot
be discounted from Round 3 and ultimately the Cup final. Pittsburgh is not only a determined team, but
very talented, especially in the offensive area.
For Anaheim, their major asset is a center named
Ryan Getzlaf, the captain of the Anaheim Ducks and their best player. And, they have a very strong goalie, John
Gibson, whose record is 2.59 GAA during the playoffs and 2.22 GAA during the
regular season. When Gibson is “on” and
in his best form, the Anaheim Ducks are a team to be reckoned with. Gibson’s
backup goalie, Jonathan Bernier, has a record of 3.29 GAA during the playoffs and
2.50 GAA during the regular season. The
Ducks would be facing the awesome Nashville Predators and were a team not to be
discounted in Round 3.
And, for Nashville, their major asset is their goalie: Pekka Rinne whose record is a remarkable 1.70
GAA during the playoffs and 2.42 GAA during the regular season. Pekka Rinne has achieved several shutouts against
the other playoff teams and is a force to be reckoned with as a goalie. However, the Nashville Predators’ defensive
and offensive lines are also fearsome. The
top seven players in the playoffs are:
Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johanson, Ryan Ellis, Viktor Arvidsson, Roman Josi,
Colton Sissons (who notched a hat-trick in Game 6), and P.K. Subban. Other players that have also contributed significantly
are: Mattias Ekholm, Pontus Aberg, Austin
Watson, and Cody McLeod. During the
regular season, Mike Fisher, the captain of the Nashville Predators, and James
Neal were two big factors in Nashville’s success. Still, the Nashville Predators placed last of
the sixteen teams that qualified for the playoffs at the end of the regular
season. I’m sure no one in the hockey
world ever expected them to make it this far in the playoffs.
Still, Nashville has proven they are indeed a team to
be reckoned with. Amazingly enough, as of
last Monday, the Nashville Predators finally vanquished the Anaheim Ducks in
seven games and will advance to the Stanley Cup final. Who would’ve ever thought they could do that?
The thing is – Nashville has something, or a
combination of things, that the other playoff teams don’t necessarily
have. This team plays like a team should
– the players all contribute to play-making, defense, goal-scoring, puck
possession, and anything else that needs to be done during a game. If a team member is hurt and cannot play, the
other team members automatically fill in for him. I guess you could say that Nashville’s depth
comes from the fact that the players that usually fulfill the defensive role
have frequently, without being asked, become more offensive players and engage
in scoring goals for the team. The
evidence is there: several defensive
players have scored goals in these playoffs making the Nashville Predators
competitive in a way that they have never been before. This fact has made the team stronger and much
more successful than previously expected.
Now, we only have to wait till this coming Thursday
to find out who prevails in the Eastern Conference: the Ottawa Senators or the Pittsburgh
Penguins. The odds were in the favour of
the Penguins advancing, but the Senators have since proven that they have what
it takes to stick it out and fight to the bitter end. The Senators have the required ability to put
a past bad game behind them and look forward to the next game.
As it happens, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally
managed to dispatch the Ottawa Senators in seven games, with Game 7 finishing
in double overtime. I’m sure that the
Penguins didn’t anticipate that the battle with the Senators would be so long
and fierce. So, now the Pittsburgh
Penguins will face the Nashville Predators in the Cup final, beginning on May
29th. It should be a very
interesting battle indeed.
The Predators had swept first the Chicago Blackhawks
(in four straight) in Round 1, and then ousted the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim
Ducks in the second and third rounds, respectively. And, they did it in six-game series each,
thanks to their stingy defensive unit of Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm
and P.K. Subban.
This may be the best top-four defensive unit since
the Ducks won the Stanley Cup a decade ago with Scott Niedermayer, Chris
Pronger, Francois Beauchemin, and Sean O’Donnell.
But, the Predators also will endure their toughest
test yet against the Pittsburgh Penguins with their one-two punch down the
middle of Crosby and Malkin. Which team will
prevail and ultimately win the top prize in ice hockey: the Stanley Cup, which is considered the top
prize in pro sports? That is a prize
truly worth fighting for.
When the final buzzer went to end Game 7 of the
Stanley Cup Final, the Pittsburgh Penguins had won the series 4-3 and the
Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season.
The Nashville Predators were left looking stunned and extremely
disappointed though they had fought hard and long and, like the Ottawa
Senators, did not capitulate easily. The
Predators are to be praised for their perseverance and determination. Hopefully, they would learn from their very
first Stanley Cup Final series what it takes to win the Cup and take that
knowledge with them into the future.\
In the excited aftermath of Game 7, while the
Penguins were getting ready to receive the Cup, both teams shook hands and/or
hugged each other and the congratulations were exchanged. Reporters interviewed as many players as they
could while the team was still on the ice.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Penguins club: coaches, trainers, managers, owners, medical
staff, etc. were also milling around on the ice, excited and exchanging
congratulations among themselves and the players.
The players, without missing a beat, gave each other
the credit for the success of the series and the post-season, stating that they
relied upon each other each and every night to fulfill the tasks that needed to
be done to get the job done: to win the Cup. They did not give the credit to any one
player, but to the ability of the team to collaborate together in order to
win. Every one of the players knew that
they could never have accomplished this feat without having the full support of
each other and the wonderful, positive environment in which they operate. It’s a truly remarkable team and they deserve
to win the top prize. The Pittsburgh
Penguins are very strong both defensively and offensively, and that, paired
with having Matt Murray as their fantastically talented goalie, makes them a virtually
unbeatable team in men’s pro ice hockey.
This will be their legacy in the future.
copyright 2017 - Anne Shier
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