This is the first year in a long while that I didn’t do my hockey predictions for the playoffs. The irony is that this year I probably watched more hockey than the last couple of years put together. The Sabres even worked their way in to the playoffs (only to play some of the most inconsistent hockey I’ve ever witnessed and getting knocked out by Philly). So why is it that I didn’t do one of my in-depth looks and predictions of what is to come? The short answer is that I let time get away from me. By the time it even occurred to me the first round was half way done. It has been amazing to me how easy it is to let time get away from you when you have a teething baby who makes sure your sleeping is done in one or two hour blocks.
Trust me, I’ve been watching hockey, especially this years playoffs, even after the Sabres were eliminated. Tampa Bay sending team Ovechkin packing has been a hilight for me of the second round. Seeing that the Vancouver v. Nashville series is the only competitive one of the second round is something that I would have never dreamed of! Secretly I’m pulling for a Tampa Bay v. Nashville Stanley Cup series. Why? Why not! We’ve seen a lot of the team that every one expects to win big year after year. It’s fun to watch a couple of discounted teams overcome the odds and show why best of 7 series are far more entertaining than a one and done can ever be.
So here’s to a few more weeks of big saves, heroic goals, questionable calls, and unlikely stars. And if there just happens to be a big all out brawl between Boston and Philly, well I can’t say that I’d complain about that.
Just a Man with a Mash Paddle 