We are two days into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it's blatantly evident that there is a tremendous emphasis early in this playoff season on goaltending and defense. What's new you ask? I understand playoff time is a different animal completely from the regular season as each game is viewed as monumental and a virtual must-win. The games themselves feature tighter checking, a more physical style of play and usually a more fierce attention to detail on defense. However, if the eight game 1's are any indication of what is to come we may be in for a low scoring and borderline monotonous opening round of the playoffs.
Consider the fact that four of these eight series have opened with a shutout, compared to last years first round where we saw a total of five shutouts and none in the opening games. The Eastern Conference matchups have tallied a total of nine goals combined throughout the four games, an average of less than 2.5 goals per game. Another mind-blowing stat is other than Brian Gionta's goal against Boston a mere 3 minutes into the game, there was not one goal scored in the first or second period of any Eastern Conference matchup. We watched as 3 games went into the third period deadlocked at 0 - 0, while the Habs had a 1 - 0 lead heading into the final frame. Now, I love a hard nosed defensive game just as much as anybody, but that's a little ridiculous don't you think? If you include the Vancouver - Chicago game with the 4 games in the east then we've watched 9 of 15 scoreless regulation periods thus far. Of those 6 periods that a goal has been scored in regulation, only 2 of them saw multiple goals as the Pens tallied 3 in the third against the Lightning and the Rangers and Caps traded 3rd period goals. It's safe to say we are hoping the Nashville - Anaheim and Detroit - Phoenix series' aren't going to carry the majority of the offensive prowess through the rest of this first round.
Aside from the lack of offensive firepower, the opening set of games has created a few more storylines to follow as we progress through the first round. Beginning out west where the last of the 8 game 1's was played late last night, the Sharks and Kings are playing only the third series all time featuring two teams from California. However, that story, along with the Sharks gutsy overtime win, was overshadowed today by the suspension of Kings forward Jarret Stoll for his hit on Sharks defenseman Ian White. Stoll drove White's head into the boards behind the San Jose net on an obvious hit from behind which forced White to leave the game and not return. White immediately fell to the ice after the hit and needed help getting up and skating off the ice as it looked like the Sharks defenseman may have a concussion. There was no penalty called on the play which seemed to further escalate the issue. The following face-off saw Sharks forward Ben Eager take his frustration out on Kyle Clifford as the two fought in the Sharks zone which ignited an intense battle that carried on throughout the game between the two teams and spilled into an overtime period before Joe Pavelski ended it for the Sharks. These two teams play in the same division all year and already have a rivalry brewing, but Stoll's hit may have just pushed this series into a new dimension. I'm looking forward to game 2 on Saturday!
On the topic of physical series and intense animosity towards one another, game 1 of the Bruins - Habs series didn't quite have the hostility and anger many of us expected. In fact, I thought I was watching a rerun of games 5, 6, and 7 of last year's series with Washington until I saw the big bear on Zdeno Chara's chest. The Habs did exactly what they did last year, they played dull, boring and a fundamentally sound defensive game while relying heavily on their goaltender. They also did one other thing; they won again. Fault them or not, the Habs have created a playoff system that they seem to be able to execute almost to perfection. Anyone who watched that game could see that Carey Price had just about the easiest 31 save shutout a goalie could have. Now, just to clarify, I am not by any means taking away from how Price played. However, the Habs did an excellent job getting into shooting lanes and getting rid of traffic in front of Price. The Bruins shot puck after puck directly into the chest of a well positioned Price as the Habs took the opener in Boston. For anyone hoping to see a repeat of that incredible February brawl between these two teams, I wouldn't hold your breath. But, a flicker of hope in this case came late in the third when public enemy number one Zdeno Chara tried to see if Montreal's leading scorer Tomas Plekanec would fit through the ice. The 6'9 beast Chara clearly looked frustrated after Brian Gionta's second goal of the night and decided to try and take these frustrations out on the 5'11 Plekanec. One can only hope we will see some of that edginess leak through tomorrow for game 2.
The third storyline that I wanted to take a look at which is emerging in these playoffs is one nobody would have dreamed of coming into the 2010-2011 season. The Washington Capitals are a defensive minded juggernaut that can clamp down and play dirty. Yes, it is true, the Capitals and Bruce Boudreau re-worked their team philosophy and became a much better team defensively then in years past. It is also true that they came into the playoffs as the second best defensive team in the east next to only the Vezina frontrunner Tim Thomas and his Bruins. But, come on, this is the playoffs and the run and gun Caps will once again surface and the system will come crashing down in DC. Well, granted it's only been one game and nobody won anything in one game, but the Caps looked pretty darn good defensively on Wednesday night. The Caps blocked an astonishing 32 shots in game 1 which more than doubles their season average of 15.3 per game. They held the Rangers to 25 shots in nearly 4 periods (they went almost to the end of the first OT) and Michael Neuvirth looked comfortable in his first playoff start. I've said it before and I'll say it again; defence wins championships. The Caps will score with all the talent they have, so if they can continue this defensive minded trend then we may be seeing a lot more of Ovi and company in the next month or so.
Well as I said before, I realize it's just game 1 and nothing is ever won in the first game, but there definitely are some emerging stories to keep an eye on as we move forward. Miller Time was front and center in Philadelphia as the Flyers will need to solve Buffalo's Ryan Miller if they have any hopes of repeating as Eastern Conference champs. The goaltending debacle in Anaheim cost them game 1 and they will have a new starter for game 2 as Ray Emery gets the nod. The Detroit - Phoenix and Pittsburgh - Tampa Bay openers were pretty uneventful and I hope to get a little more out of both those series as they progress. Finally, the Canucks won game 1 for the third straight year against the Hawks, so Canucks fans don't start planning any parades just yet until there able to win 3 more. Game 1's are in the books, hopefully we see a few more goals and some intensity levels increase as these series continue to develop.
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