Down But Not Out – Fighting to the Last in the NHL Playoffs

Frank Doyle notes that stays of execution were the order of the day in the NHL last night, as Montreal and Detroit kept their seasons alive with quality wins.

Detroit’s position was the most parlous of eight teams left in the playoffs. The hockey aristocrats found themselves down 0-3 against San Jose and in a deep, deep hole, but the Red Wings rallied to win 7-1, keeping the series alive and saving themselves from the ignomy of being swept on their own ice. And when the Series is still alive, who knows what may happen?

In theory, the Sharks have only to get lucky once in the three games remaining and the NHL odds favor them greatly, but the reality is that San Jose has to win Game 5. When you’ve dropped the big man you need to polish him off. The very last thing you want is to see him rise from the deck, spit out whatever teeth he lost, and get set to tear your head off. If San Jose doesn’t win Game 5, the Sharks remain favorites but some big wiseguy bets start coming in on Detroit. Been there, done that. And that counts.

The Sharks’ potential difficulty serves as a warning to Boston. Boston has owned Philly in the playoffs and is hoping to finish it all in Game 4 tonight. The Bruins do not want the Flyers to do what the Red Wings did last night. If you’ve got them down, finish them off.

The other two series have been evenly matched. Montreal was never meant to challenge Pittsburgh the way the Habs have been doing, but then Montreal were never meant to get past Washington in the first place. There are many ways to win in hockey, but a goalie who’s hot it the playoffs is a serious asset on any team. Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak looks as solid as the rock of Gibraltar right now and the team can feed off that. The Habs know they’re always in the game when Halak is between the pipes.

It’s all about the goalies in the Chicago v Vancouver series as well, a who’ll-blink-first contest between the Blackhawks’ Antti Niemi and the Canucks’ Roberto Luongo. Chicago lost the first on home ice only to win the next two. A loss on home ice would cost the Canucks’ dearly in Game 4, but it’s hard to see it happen. This series has seven games written all over it.