Battle Of Hudson

A few days have passed since the untimely death of Derek Boogaard. It’s still hard to fathom that the 28 year-old mammoth of a man who gave his heart and soul for his teammates, was discovered dead at his Minneapolis apartment by brothers Ryan and Curtis on Friday The 13th- sending shock waves throughout the hockey community.

The loss of a popular teammate and even better person away from the ice who devoted much of his time to charities helping soldiers and kids, is shocking. True enough, he last played a day after my birthday on Dec.9, 2010 sustaining a concussion and shoulder injury in a fight with Ottawa’s Terry Carkner. The severity of the injuries forced him to miss the last 53 games. A disappointing first year on Broadway had him motivated to get into even better shape as he recovered from a fourth concussion. Boogaard was looking forward to working with Ranger trainer Reg Grant this summer to prove himself after inking a four-year $6.5 million contract last summer, departing Minnesota.

Instead, we’re left with questions as to how The Boogeyman died. With homicide ruled out and no signs of a struggle, who knows what the cause of death was. Out of respect for a good man, we’re not about to speculate. The autopsy should take several weeks along with toxicology reports. I’d rather not even think about it. A good person has left us way too soon and now it’s time to mourn as the Wild organization did over the weekend thanks to a special memorial held in front of the Xcel Energy Center, organized over Facebook by big fans Katie Haag and Shelby Leske that included several former teammates along with the entire Boogaard family.

We devoted a whole page to Derek Boogaard on a six-year career that featured plenty of fisticuffs along with one awesome goal he scored at MSG against the Caps. I’m proud to say I was there along with Dad, Justin and Mike for that cool moment which snapped a 234-game drought. Even though they didn’t win the game, Boogey won. That’s all that mattered.

I wish there could be a moment of clarity. Unfortunately, when something like this happens, it makes you rethink things. The entire hockey community has come together, memorializing Boogaard’s tragic death. Hopefully with his brain donated to BU, something good will come out of this. I’ll always remember that cool No.94 Ranger jersey. The man had a sense of humor till the end.

Special players rise to the occasion. Performing on the big stage has never been a problem for Jaromir Jagr. The former NHL great turned back the clock with a vintage game in today’s quarterfinal between Team USA and the Czech Republic at the World’s. No.68 dialed it up, notching a hat trick to lead the Czechs past an overmatched young American squad 4-0 in Bratislava- advancing the defending champs to the semifinals before a raucous atmosphere that featured overwhelming support.

As Zach Parise said during intermission on Versus, “What can you say about this guy?” Like many, he’s seen it before with Jagr victimizing the Devils a few Springs ago in the last Battle Of Hudson. The speed isn’t the same but the instincts along with incredible hockey sense are for the now 39 year-old who the Pens are rumored to have interest in. Could a Pittsburgh reunion be in the works for GM Ray Shero? Jagr’s contract with Avangard Omsk ran out but he may stay put. Of course, the wider hockey surface benefits his style- allowing him more room and space to create along the wall.

Personally, I’d love to see Jagr return to the NHL for one more go round. In 1,273 career games, No.68’s tallied 646 goals along with 953 assists totaling 1,599. If he came back, a few milestones are attainable with JJ needing one point for 1,600, 47 helpers for 1,000 and 54 goals to join the 700 Goal Club. If he played 27 games, the former Blueshirt would hit 1,300. While the point would be easy, the other two might be more difficult. It’s hard to gauge how an older and slower Jagr would do back on the smaller North American ice. With more of an emphasis on speed, could his body hold up over an 82 game schedule? Of course, if he played with say Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, that would certainly benefit him. Imagine what Pens games would be like. Super Mario II ring a bell? A Pens ticket would become a hot commodity, which would benefit a league where attendance isn’t always positive despite what spin the NHL puts out.

Of course, all this is wild speculation. Fun to envision. One thing about Jagr. He’s still quite potent on the power play where two of his three markers came, including a familiar 5-on-3 one-timer that deflected off Mike Komisarek’s stick past Ty Conklin for the Czechs’ second of the day. Jagr started the scoring when he took full advantage of a Kevin Shattenkirk turnover, beating Conklin through the wickets on a mini-break late in a first period controlled by Scott Gordon’s younger club.
Our country lost their discipline in a poor middle stanza. James van Riemsdyk’s silly elbow handed the Czechs a two-man advantage. After some strong penalty killing along with a couple of big stops by Conklin on Marek Zidlicky, the Czech Republic used a timeout to rest their top unit. It paid dividends when Roman Cervenka dished across for a quick Jagr rocket that Conklin had no chance on. He actually was in good position before the puck changed direction due to Komisarek.

Due in large part to special teams, Team USA never got any quality chances on Thrasher netminder Ondrej Pavelec (29 saves), who denied Nashville prospect Craig Smith in the first. Gordon’s club did blow their own abbreviated 5-on-3 prior to Jagr connecting, staking the Czechs to a two-goal lead after 40 minutes. The U.S. effort was better in the third but they never were able to match their more experienced opponents’ firepower. Czech Republic had a loaded roster that included Devil Patrik Elias, Tomas Plekanec (Mtl), Michal Frolik (Chi), Jakub Voracek (CBJ), Milan Michalek (Ott), Zbynek Michalek (Pit) along with former NHLers Petr Prucha, Jiri Novotny, Karel Rachunek, Lukas Krajicek and Martin Skoula. Cervenka, former Ranger draft pick Jan Marek and Czech captain Tomas Rolinek are no strangers to international play.

Conversely, Team USA’s roster was comprised mostly of kids who didn’t represent us in Vancouver when our country was runner-up to Canada in one of the most memorable games ever. It still hurts. Ranger Derek Stepan was held off the scoresheet for the first time along with linemates Blake Wheeler (Atl) and Van Riemsdyk (Phi). In seven games, Stepan paced us with seven points. Others who played well included Smith, Devil Nick Palmieri, Ryan Shannon (Ott), Jack Skille (Fla), Jack Johnson (LA), captain Mark Stuart (Atl), Ryan McDonagh (NYR), Cam Fowler (Ana) and future Blueshirt Chris Kreider. Komisarek (Tor), Shattenkirk (Stl), ex-Blue Yan Stastny , Tim Stapleton (Atl), Paul Gaustad (Buf), Mike Brown (Tor), Chris Porter (Stl) and Clay Wilson (Fla) also rounded out the roster along with Islander Al Montoya.

The difference in skill level was evident on the Czechs’ final two tallies. A Stepan mistake in the neutral zone led to a quick set up for Plekanec, who wired one top shelf for 3-zip. A frustrated Stuart slash late allowed Jagr to turn the trick when No.68 worked a textbook give-and-go with Plekanec, who found him for an easy finish to plenty of salutes from a pro-Czech crowd that included painted faces and funky outfits in their flag colors. European fans are classic. One day, I have to go see a game overseas. Just for the atmosphere itself along with a unique culture, it’ll be worth it.

While Czech Republic awaits the Germany-Sweden winner, tomorrow features a heavyweight quarter match between Russia and Canada. Versus is airing it live at 2 ET. If you get a chance to tune in, don’t miss it! With Detroit and San Jose off after another amazing performance from Pavel Datsyuk, who along with Niklas Kronwall have helped the Red Wings rally from an 0-3 hole to even the series, you can catch an encore of the Jagr Show at 8 tonight.

I was going to do a separate entry on this series, which has become the second this postseason that needs a Game 7 after one team led 3-0. We saw it in Round One when the Blackhawks rallied to not only force a deciding game but got a Jonathan Toews shorthanded goal with two minutes left, taking the Canucks to sudden death before Alex Burrows rescued the city of Vancouver. Now, it’s another experienced former champion standing up to make it the kinda series I envisioned. I took the Sharks in seven. So, it’s not surprising that tomorrow will see an epic conclusion to a classic Conference Semifinal where basically every game’s been decided by a goal sans a late Darren Helm empty netter that sent The Joe into a frenzy.

It’s been a hard fought battle all the way with San Jose prevailing by one the first three, including a pair of OT winners from Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. To Detroit’s credit, they fought back with two one-goal triumphs, including a miraculous third period comeback with Jonathan Ericsson, Kronwall and Tomas Holmstrom scoring in succession to stun HP Pavilion in Game 5. Game 6 was incredible with unbelievable netminding from Antti Niemi (42 saves) giving his team a chance to steal it. When Logan Couture nudged Dany Heatley’s rebound across the line, the Sharks led with 16:06 left. But Jimmy Howard (24 saves) also made a few clutch stops including a ridiculous glove save off a tricky Heatley deflection. The Wings wouldn’t be denied when Valterri Filppula found a pinching Kronwall for a shot Henrik Zetterberg redirected.

They took advantage of a terrible San Jose change with Filppula steering home a ridiculous backhand saucer feed from who else but Datsyuk. Datsyukian as I refer to him on Twitter is amazing. He’s playing with a bad wrist and took only one key defensive draw late last night and won it. Whatever pain he’s in, you wouldn’t know it. I’ve said it before. Not to sound like an echo, but there’s no more complete player than Pavel Datsyuk. The man is a magician with the puck who never takes a shift off. His backchecking is second to none even though I think Ryan Kesler wins his first Selke. I love Kes, who reminds me of Mark Messier. He’s having a great playoffs. But if you were to ask me who my favorite player is to watch, it’s Datsyuk. The man is all heart. He only got one point last night but it’s his constant play with and without the puck that is breathtaking. Take his wizardry that made Jeremy Roenick target Patrick Marleau dizzy before feeding Nick Lidstrom for Holmstrom’s decider the other day. It’s just remarkable.

The Red Wings will attempt to become the fourth team to make it all the way back from 3-0 behind. Can they join the ’42 Maple Leafs, ’75 Islanders and last year’s Flyers, who went to Game 6 before falling to Chicago in sudden death? It shouldn’t be easy at one of the best home ice advantages in the league. It’s not like the Sharks have played poorly. Yesterday was their first bad game. Without Niemi, it’s not a contest. None of that matters. Something Todd McLellan pointed out in his press conference. Game 7 is about stars. It’s where heroes are born. San Jose should have Ryane Clowe back to reunite with Couture and Heatley, who’ve been their best line. Joe Thornton has played better hockey than any other playoffs. Pavelski is as clutch as it gets and Setoguchi has been everywhere. Is this the game Marleau shows? It’s all on the line.

Hockey’s been dead here for a while. To be perfectly blunt, it already feels like months since the Rangers and Sabres lost their first round series. If that’s how this blogger feels, I can’t imagine how Hasan does or any Islander fan. We live and die with our teams and the fact that once again, no one’s playing deep into the nice May weather can totally suck.

For me, I continue to follow the playoffs where you have no clue on what will happen next. Can Nashville force a seventh game tonight? Are the Sharks in trouble after blowing their second chance to put away Detroit? In what looked to be your typical second round following a long, exciting first round with Tampa and Boston sweeping, the Preds and Wings don’t want it to be over yet. They continue to fight, forcing the Bolts and Bruins to wait patiently before the Conference Finals can begin. Is it fair? Probably not. But it might help concussed B Patrice Pergeron, who’s a vital cog for Claude Julien. You hope he’ll be alright following Claude Giroux’s clean hit. If not, Tyler Seguin will make his playoff debut under intense scrutiny. It’s the Bruins’ first appearance in the Final Four since ’92 when the Original 6 black and gold featured Ray Bourque, Adam Oates, Cam Neely, Glen Wesley, Joe Juneau and Andy Moog.

To think that back then I was a young, innocent teenager who enjoyed the throwback style we got. Gretzky was King and Super Mario reigned supreme along with a long haired Czech teen phenom named Jagr as his sidekick, going back-to-back in the Steel City. The hockey version of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, who were supposed to win a lot more before Lemieux’s back problems and Hodgkin’s. When you look at the point totals of classic scoring races, Mario and the Great One dominated while Oates and Pat Lafontaine along with Stevie Y all did their thing. The excitement dominant finishers like Brett Hull, Alexander Mogilny,The Finnish Flash and The Russian Rocket generated along with a gifted Russian named Fedorov, injected life to a sport that wasn’t always about dirty hits and controversial remarks. In the glory days, our heroes were men built like Messier, whose dominance in a series win over Jeremy Roenick and the Blackhawks led Edmonton to another Cup.

Maybe it’s me but back then, stars were more celebrated. It wasn’t just limited to Sid vs Ovi. American stars like JR, Lafontaine, Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios and Mike Modano transformed the sport- making it more popular in The States. Today, we get emerging young stars Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, Paul Stastny, James van Riemsdyk along with black and blue types Ryan Kesler, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Callahan and Dustin Brown, who we identify with. The names on the blueline have changed to Johnson and Johnson, plus Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk, giving us hopes for the future. Might that include Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider along with Nick Palmieri and Mark Fayne and Kyle Okposo? Ask the new kids on the block and they’ll tell ya who inspired them. The stars of yesteryear’s impact can’t be forgotten. So, the next time you watch, images of Leetch, Chelios, Modano, Roenick, ’96 World Cup hero Tony Amonte, John Leclair, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin, Gary Suter and Mike Richter should all be fresh. With recent Vancouver hero Ryan Miller, Conn Smythe candidate Tim Thomas and rejuvenated Al Montoya, there’s much to like. Indeed, The Kids Are Alright.

Speaking of Team USA, they dropped their final preliminary at the World’s to the Swiss 5-3 in Slovakia. Ty Conklin allowed all four goals and Andres Ambuhl scored a goal and assist for the pesky country nobody likes facing. Nothing for D-Step or Kreids, who’ve both been good this tournament along with Palmieri and Blake Wheeler. They failed on two power plays trailing 4-2 before a brilliant feed from Fowler set up a cutting JVR with reliever Montoya pulled for an extra attacker. However, the Swiss held us off by working the puck out and getting an empty netter to clinch the win. Now, it’s onto the elimination round with a potential quarterfinal against familiar face Jagr and the Czech Republic. No picnic. The next game features Sweden and Canada with the winner drawing Russia. Yikes. Norway qualified with a 5-2 win over France. Slovakia didn’t but won today 4-1 over Denmark. Marian Gaborik had an assist and Marian Hossa tallied while old reliables Miro Satan (1-1-2) and Jozef Stumpel (assist) had strong games.

Kudos to Versus for televising most of our games live. The quarters will be played in Bratislava at Orange Arena. With a secondary helper late, Stepan hiked his team-leading scoring total to seven points (2-5-7). Wisconsin’s Craig Smith notched his team best third goal. A breakout tourney for the future Predator who ranks second with half a dozen points (3-3-6). Palmieri has two goals and a helper. We’ll see how they fare in crunch time.

Well, at least not everything’s going poorly in the nation’s capital with President Obama receiving plenty of deserved kudos for giving the okay on a successful mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. The President visited Ground Zero today along with Rudy Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg in a fitting 9/11 tribute that finally had some kind of closure. Of course, it’ll never be over. But at the very least, we can take pride in the red, white and blue for accomplishing what George W. Bush set out to.

I’m not quite sure how to transition from 5/1/11 to the latest Capital disappointment but here goes. Many came away impressed with the Caps’ improved defensive oriented system, which conquered the Rangers in five games. Myself included, I expected Washington to oust Tampa Bay and advance to the Conference Finals. I chose the Caps in six thinking Alex Ovechkin would continue to get support from Alex Semin, Marcus Johansson, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble, Jason Arnott, Jason Chimera, Mike Green and John Carlson. I also figured Nicklas Backstrom would awaken from the malaise he was in all year.

Instead, I underestimated a strong Bolts club that had been my darkhorse due to real MVP Martin St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier, Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell, Victor Hedman, Eric Brewer, Mattias Ohlund, Dwayne Roloson and my favorite third line featuring one-time Ranger Dominic Moore along with former Islander Sean Bergenheim and super pest Steve Downie. Did we mention ex-Isle Nate Thompson does a lot of the grunt work, becoming a real valuable player under snubbed Adams candidate Guy Boucher? Truthfully, the Lightning were always going to be a tough match up for the Capitals due to a solid nucleus that executed Boucher’s 1-3-1 to perfection, allowing Roloson to see the puck without a plethora of chances versus a highly skilled opponent.

Nobody is playing at a higher level than St. Louis, who of the three Hart nominees (Daniel Sedin, Corey Perry) hasn’t come down yet in crunch time. There, the cool small wonder sits atop the playoff leaderboard with six goals, seven assists and 13 points. The ’03-04 former league MVP who last time the Lightning went this far led them all the way to Lord Stanley, is a constant waterbug every shift. The undrafted gem from Vermont is always on the puck utilizing his speed and skill to create as was evidenced on a nice set up for linemate Lecavalier that steered the Bolts back ahead in Game Three. Speaking of the rejuvenated Vinny C, he’s back in a big way scoring huge goals like his sudden death crusher during Game Two that proved to be a fatal blow to the Caps. His dozen points (5-7-12) include a playoff tying three deciders (tied with David Krejci). The dynamic duo are joined by Downie, who Boucher shifted off the top line to a checking type that’s wreaked havoc. All season, the rambunctious play of Moore, Bergenheim and Thompson have given opponents fits. Perfect players for the postseason where board battles are frequent and play gets chippy.

The genius behind bringing in Bergenheim, Moore, ’04 hero Kubina, Simon Gagne and adding Brewer at the deadline is someone who knows a thing or two about winning in GM Steve Yzerman. The same young executive in Year One that hired Boucher under new management. Imagine that. From top to bottom, the Lightning Bolts got a remake and look equipped to challenge Boston for their second Cup appearance. If only it worked that way on Broadway.

Most impressive has been the play of Brewer, who plays the kind of aggressive, physical style the Islanders wanted no part of, trading him a decade prior to Edmonton for Roman Hamrlik. The Oilers didn’t keep him. The Blues were sellers. So, they got what they could for a former ’97 fifth overall pick that’s better than his career stats. Won battles and clearing out in front don’t show up on the stat sheet. He’s the biggest reason Tampa’s blueline is so much tougher, allowing Hedman to settle in while Brew and Ohlund manage the game’s elite. Even minus Kubina and Gagne, Boucher’s Bolts got it done quickly for a stunning sweep of the No.1 seed. Toss in stellar goaltending from Roloson (10 GA in series, 14 during 7-game win streak) and the Lightning are right there for the hardware. Roli is the youngest 41 year-old, sparking the Bolts back from a 3-1 deficit to oust the Pens. Now, they get the Bruins, who should be a stiff challenge after sweeping out Philly to avenge last year’s humiliation.
While the Bolts move on, once again the Caps end in turmoil, unable to get past Round Two with a disastrous result to a close rival. How’d it happen? Ovechkin became the only scorer who held up his end of the bargain while Semin again disappeared and Backstrom continued his mystifying slump to conclude a dreadful first year in a new 10-year deal that has Charles Wang drooling. What happened? As new star Jeremy Roenick remarked on Versus, he’s far too talented for this and will have plenty to answer after a long summer.

As for Semin, we have never trusted the enigmatic Russian, who is a classic tease that floats and loses composure. When he’s not engaged, undisciplined penalties creep up that prove costly. Not exactly the kinda player you can trust with a year left at $6.7 million with a cap hit of $6 M. Might GM George McPhee consider trading the Russian enigma? If they could get a proven performer who plays a more straight forward game conducive to the postseason, they’d have to consider it. Semin’s style might be a better fit in Hollywood where the Kings could use another finisher.

Offensive domino Mike Green also enters the final year of his contract and will earn $5 million ($5.25 M cap hit) before turning restricted in 2012. No one would argue how dangerous the top Cap power play rover is. One of the best quarterbacks in the game who possesses a rocket, Green’s also a great skater who can transition the puck from defense to offense in a jiffy. For all his skills, he’s still an adventure defensively. If Washington decided that they needed an overhaul, they could get creative and propose a blockbuster involving Semin and Green to LA for Ryan Smyth and Drew Doughty, who’s due a raise this summer from the $3.475 million hit. The age difference between Doughty (21) and Green (25) is four with both celebrating birthdays during ’11-12. Both are elite blueliners who’ll earn hefty new contracts. The bigger risk is dealing a player with untapped potential eight years younger for a rugged, experienced warrior who’s been where the Caps are trying to get.

If Bruce Boudreau sticks around, then owner Ted Leonsis is a man of integrity who understands that it takes time to adjust on the fly to a new system. It’d be easy to point out the latest failure as grounds for axing our favorite Haagen Dazs fan. However, his gutsy move to abandon the run ‘n gun for a more diligent checking system produced a great second half with the Caps winning the East with 107 points in an improved division. That has to be considered along with a track record that’s produced four division titles, a President’s Trophy and tops in the conference. Something Leonsis alluded to on his blog, which indicated that they needed to take a few days before making up his mind. When you make such a radical change mid-season, there’s bound to be some road blocks. Maybe it was too much to expect the Caps to win the Cup. More time is needed so that players don’t panic when it fails.

The Caps have important decisions to make come July with Brooks Laich, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon and Scott Hannan all up. Laich’s been a good player who they should bring back while Arnott played well after the trade from the Devils. If he took a one-year discount, they’d be nuts not to re-sign the vet, who still is hungry for another Cup. The other four probably are gone even though Bradley and Gordon were good soldiers. Hannan was a risk after dealing offensive playmaker Tomas Fleischmann, who was a point-a-game before a pulmonary embolism ended his year. They missed his creativity.

Washington needs another rugged defenseman that can support Carlson and pup Karl Azner (RFA). If they keep Green, then the top six should remain intact featuring Jeff Schultz, John Erskine and Dennis Wideman, who was hurt. They also could get more mobile so that they’re not pinned in like they were by Tampa. Tom Poti is likely finished which is a shame since he developed into a solid D in the nation’s cap. They definitely missed him. Words I never thought I’d utter.

Where the Caps go from here remains to be seen. There’s enough talent obviously to compete. But until they take that next giant step, there will remain skepticism. Is it time for a change?

These playoffs have been amazing thus far. NHL Overtime has become a daily Rite Of Spring. Counting last night’s exciting Boston 3-2 OT win over Philadelphia in Game Two, there have already been 18 games that required sudden death. Four have gone to double overtime, including Nashville’s stirring 2-1 win at Vancouver taking Game Two to earn a split with Game Three tonight back in Music City. More remarkable is that there’s been at least one OT game 13 of the last 14 days with only the Canucks’ 1-0 Game One shutout of the Predators on April 28 breaking the trend.

With two more games on the slate tonight featuring the Caps and Bolts at the top of the hour and the Canucks and Preds later, might we see more of the most exciting hockey our sport has to offer? Let’s hope so.

Aside from all the classic games, goalies have stood out at the start of Round Two with brilliant performances turned in by Pekka Rinne, Dwayne Roloson and Tim Thomas. Facing the No.1 overall seed with the most lethal offense, Rinne has held Vancouver to only two goals on 63 shots. While he was less busy in Game Two finishing with 32 saves to Vezina counterpart Roberto Luongo’s 44, the quality was in a different stratosphere with the athletic Finn robbing the Canucks of a commanding 2-0 series lead at least five separate times. His acrobatic denial of a certain goal was Hasek like in style, doing anything he had to to stop the puck. There also were stone jobs on Henrik Sedin and Maxim Lapierre, who had easy paths to the net. Rinne had the Canucks shaking their heads, which bares watching with a pivotal game tonight. … A funny thing’s happened in the Tampa/Washington Southeast showdown. The play of elder statesman Roloson has the Lightning in good position to pull the upset. They won both games at Verizon, including a wild 3-2 sudden death win Sunday thanks to Roli’s heroics along with Vinny Lecavalier, who potted his second of the game in beating Michal Neuvirth. The play of the former Islander who has a wealth of postseason experience going to a couple of Cup Finals (’99 Sabres, ’06 Oilers) has stymied the Caps, who have gotten little from top pivot Nicklas Backstrom (2 assists). If they hope to advance, that must change. They’ll need to solve Roloson, who kept his team in Game Two with 35 stops to steal it. We’ll see what Alex Ovechkin and Co. are made of.

… Not to be outdone, the other Vezina candidate Thomas was at his absolute pinnacle in thwarting ever dangerous James Van Riemsdyk and the Flyers, backstopping the Bruins to a 3-2 win in what else…overtime! The B’s climbed out of an early two-goal hole due to JVR (8 SOG, 10 Att in 28:18), who tallied twice in the game’s first 10 minutes. The kid from Jersey was a one man gang, using superior speed and size to circle past the Boston D for quality chance after quality chance only to be denied time and again by Thomas, who stopped the final 46 shots in one of the most clutch performances you’ll see. Boston recovered thanks to goals from Chris Kelly and rookie sensation Brad Marchand 75 seconds apart in the first. Despite a dominant 32-12 shots edge combining the third and OT, the Flyers couldn’t get another past Thomas to square the series. They also had to again relieve a starter with Brian Boucher coming out due to an injury suffered in the second while making a glove save. In came Sergei Bobrovsky, who made half a dozen stops, including a couple of big ones keeping the game tied before Boucher surprisingly returned for the third/OT. To his credit, Bouch was sharp when called upon while Thomas stopped all 22 shots, facing a barrage. That included his own Hasek impersonation with a backwards save in the final sequence of regulation, negating who else but Van Riemsdyk with Danny Briere unable to steer home the winner as the buzzer sounded. As often happens when a hot goalie stands on their head, all it takes is one mistake for the other team to win, which is exactly what happened when an errant Braydon Coburn reverse missed his partner, instead going to Nathan Horton who intercepted and sent a cross-ice feed for David Krejci’s OT winner that went in and out of the net so fast that it required replay to confirm the obvious. Everyone knew it. The puck hit the back iron before exiting, allowing Thomas’ super effort to hold up.

… There have been a few great games turned in by goalies with rookie Corey Crawford topping the list with some of the best goaltending you’ll ever see in allowing the former champion Blackhawks to push Vancouver to the limit before Alex Burrows ended their bid to repeat Flyers HISTORY from an 0-3 deficit. Carey Price was also outstanding in a losing effort to blood rival Boston with Horton ending the Habs’ season. Roloson outplayed Marc-Andre Fleury but also benefited from dynamic duo Lecavalier and deserving MVP candidate Martin St. Louis, who were too much for a shorthanded Pens’ club minus Sid and Geno, blowing a 3-1 lead. It’s hard to put one at the top. Between Rinne’s acrobatics and Thomas’ wild style, they’re the two most fun to watch because you never know how they’ll stop the puck. No disrespect to Luongo, who is a fine goalie. But he is not on par with either and has arguably the deepest blueline along with The Sedins, Ryan Kesler and Burrows roaming around. We still feel either Price or Henrik Lundqvist were robbed by GMs just as Guy Boucher was for the Jack Adams with writers opting to include Alain Vigneault along with certain winner Dan Bylsma and “The Czar,” Barry Trotz. Everything else, we have no issue with.

Let the games begin!

Today feels different. Perhaps it has something to do with yesterday’s big news with a successful U.S. Mission finally getting Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

As news leaked via Twitter (where else) before media news outlets confirmed a prosperous day in American History, the drama built to a feverish pitch. Everyone was real careful before locking in on the No.1 terrorist on our Most Wanted List. The way rumors spread, it was wise to use caution. When something like this happens, everything stops. It’s already been a few years since they caught and executed Saddam Hussein. Now, on May 1, 2011 nearly 10 years after 9/11 that impacted so many innocent lives destroying families, we will not forget where we were. Just as we’ll never forget that tragic day that caused heartache and panic.

It’s hard to express what this means. As I watched the news with Dad downstairs, finally President Barack Obama made the trip to make an official announcement over an hour after he was expected to speak. The wait was worth it. Sure. We’ll never get back that long sad day. All those lives lost. It’s easy to reflect back and see where you were at that exact moment. I was supposed to be at work in Jersey City at Harborside Financial Center right across from the beloved Twin Towers. Every day, I made it a point to stop and look at them, admiring what our way of life is all about. Then, one day they vanished due to pure evil.

Oddly enough, as I crossed the Bayonne Bridge, Howard Stern announced it and to my amazement was a dark cloud of smoke coming from the Towers. A surreal scene as I saw plenty of police cars en route to 34th Street Bayonne Station, aware that there’d be no Light Rail service. A crowd gathered at the parking lot, including a co-worker Jason Riggati I knew. We stood and watched helplessly as the Twin Towers burned to the ground, killing thousands. Fresh in my memory are the screams and the, “Oh my God’s,” most of us echoed. The crazy aspect is that we were the lucky ones. We lived to tell about it.

Even as Obama read his well prepared statement, I felt sadness thinking back at how many died. So many NYPD, FDNY and soldiers who sacrificed for our cause. The families affected will never get back their lost ones. I can’t imagine losing someone I loved. We’ve all had to deal with family deaths. Last year, it was a close friend who died in a car accident. It’ll be a year on May 21 since Lyndsay Richburg left us. It still hurts. That kind of pain is different from a severe attack out of pure hatred and jealousy. I miss our friend dearly but know he’s up there watching over us. I hope that’s how Moms and Dads feel about their sons and daughters who are long gone. You can’t erase memories. Wrap your arms around a memory and it’s there forever. <<<333

Cherish every day. You never know when your time is up. While we can’t get back September 11, 2001, we can move forward knowing our true heroes prevailed yesterday. Of course, the job is far from over with Al Qaeda still lurking along with many other evil doers. Something President Obama alluded to in a well thought out, concise statement:

“For over two decades, Bin Laden has been Al Qaeda’s leader and symbol. The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat Al Qaeda. But his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that Al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.”

In that moment, I felt humble with incredible pride. Just like Post 9/11 where we banded together for our cause, we again witnessed the best of America. As word spread during the Mets-Phillies game on ESPN, suddenly fans started patriotic chants of, “USA! USA!! USA!!!” Ironically, it was a classic game that went 13 innings before New York prevailed 2-1. I’m no Met fan like Hasan. But how can one not recall Mike Piazza’s three-run home run versus the Braves at Shea in the first ballgame after 9/11? As emotional a moment as it gets. Being a Yankee fan, I’m still prouder of the 2001 team that fought valiantly winning all three games at the only true Stadium, featuring dramatic home runs from Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and Derek Jeter. Even in defeat, the Yankees made our city proud.

How about all those who surrounded the White House and celebrated in the streets with patriotic American flags while singing the Pledge Of Allegiance and God Bless America? That was something else.

While we still talk about those two incredible baseball memories on both sides, for me I can recall being at the first sporting even following the terrible tragedy. It was a preseason game between the Devils and Rangers. I’ll admit to having a heavy heart and even being a little afraid. But if we stayed home, the enemies win. You have to stand up and fight for what you believe in. The national anthem by John Amirante was extra special with Rangers and Devils all looking up at our beautiful red, white and blue and stars and stripes. It’s a moment I can still see from our 411 seats. On my old computer, I saved a picture of that Star Spangled Banner. It will always be special. For one night, even the bitter Hudson rivalry took a back seat for a common ground. The same is echoed for an emotional home opener versus the Sabres where Mark Messier donned a FDNY helmet in a fitting tribute. Definitely one of the cooler sports moments considering the occasion.

This historic event yesterday isn’t only about our great country. But about those who believe in peace and freedom. Our northern neighbors lent a helping hand to the fight on terror. For all his insanity, Don Cherry gets it right on Coach’s Corner every Saturday night on Hockey Night In Canada, honoring those who represented his country. Next time, we’re upset about something, let’s remember that it’s not the end of the world. Thank you to all our men and women who sacrifice for our cause. The true definition of heroes.

In case you weren’t paying attention, there’s other hockey going on over in the Czech Republic where the World Championships are taking place. Today, Team USA got off on the right foot by posting a 5-1 win over Austria. A better beginning for ex-Isles coach Scott Gordon who also was behind the bench last year when they were upset by Germany in their first game.

Wisconsin was well represented with the Ranger duo of Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh donning the cool home white USA threads along with 21 year-old Craig Smith, who’s a Nashville prospect. All had good days with Stepan setting up a pair of goals, including one for future Blueshirt Chris Kreider, who looked poised throughout. The Boston College standout is expected to return for his junior season, which probably is the right decision. No sense rushing the former No.1 pick when our team probably is a couple of years away from contending. It’s encouraging to see Kreids looking like he belongs while getting the chance to reunite with WJC hero Stepan and McD.

Other highlights included Thrasher Blake Wheeler finishing off a nice dish from a tough angle and Blue defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk rifling one far side past Austrian netminder Jurgen Penker (27 saves).

Another familiar face represented the red, white and blue in net with Islander Al Montoya turning aside 12 of 13 shots. Seeing Al in net was cool, giving me flashbacks of his heroic effort in ’03 that led USA to upsetting Canada when Marc-Andre Fleury’s gaffe allowed our country to finally win the World Junior Championships. Of course, Ranger fans still fret over Glen Sather selecting Montoya sixth overall in the ’04 Draft. What people forget is that Henrik Lundqvist was unknown and Dan Blackburn was finished due to that freak injury in the weight room. I will always feel Al never got a fair shake here due to Lundqvist’s emergence. He was an AHL All-Star his second pro season in ’06-07 but was blocked by Steve Valiquette. There were a couple of instances he was an emergency recall but for whatever reason, Ranger brass refused to start him when it could’ve boosted his value.

Eventually, Al was dealt to Rangers West in the Desert with Marcel Hossa for Freddy Sjostrom, David LeNeveu and Josh Gratton. Ironically, he was similarly blocked by Ilya Bryzgalov and former Ranger Jason LaBarbera. The former Wolverine got his break when the Islanders gave him a shot with the Chicago native producing nice results (9 Wins, 2.39 GAA, .921 Save Pct, SHO). Al was re-signed for next year and will likely split duty with Rick DiPietro.

Kudos to Versus for extending their hockey coverage this morning at 10 ET with familiar face Bill Pidto running things along with special guest analyst Zach Parise, which had to bring a tear to Devil fans. He looked a bit weird in studio but did alright. The next game is Monday at 10. So, if you can’t catch it live, set the DVR. Somewhere in California, Brian’s smiling. 😛

This season’s come to an odd end for the Battle teams, for even though the Rangers and Sabres made the playoffs, they suffered brutal playoff defeats (particularly the Sabres) while the Devils had a relatively serene second half of the season and finished on a high, having a 28-10-3 second half record to hang their hat on for next season as well as lucking into the #4 pick – although some would say it was a just reward for playing all out when we buried ourselves so far in the abyss we couldn’t even see the hole. I know Derek and Brian are probably thinking why do they get caught up in it, and with some of our brutal playoff defeats the last few seasons I admit falling prey to this mindset too although I have far less to complain about than most fanbases on the whole in the last decade and a half.

Still, sometimes you need a reminder of the good side of sports. Invariably if you only measure success by championships, just about any fanbase will be dissapointed more often than not. As I’ve always said though, sports is the best reality TV out there. You can’t script it – except maybe with wrestling, and just when you think you have it figured out, something unpredictable happens and you realize you have no flipping clue what’s going to happen next. With that in mind, and in the middle of a quiet time around here I’m writing a piece I wanted to write on Fan Appreciation Day but instead figured on saving it for now – my list of the top ten Devils games I’ve ever attended.

This list will be tilted toward the modern-day to be sure, since I only went to a handful of games a season before becoming a full season ticket holder in 2005-06 (ironically the first season after the lockout), and I haven’t been to fewer than twenty-seven games a year since then. My first hockey game attended in December 1996 was an odd Devils win where Mike Dunham actually started but was relieved after the first period trailing 2-0 against the Ducks, and the team came back to win 5-3. Of course, there’ll be a sprinkling of the past throughout this list. What’s tough is narrowing this list down to ten since there are so many games I could put. Even games that meant very little, such as normally mundane regular season games in December and January – well less mundane against rivals – are among the games I’ve had the most fun at.

Among the games left off this list are big playoff wins, numerous regular season triumphs over rivals like the Rangers, Flyers and Pens – as well the Prudential Center’s first hockey game (a 4-1 loss to the Senators to be sure, but hey it was the beginning of a new era, being acquainted with the home I expect to be acquainted with until I’m old and gray at the very least). As such there’s very little rhyme or reason to my list, with one exception. The top spot was easy, it was filling out the other nine that I got into trouble with. This post may be a little long, but what the hey, I have five hundred hours between Jet picks during the NFL Draft and I’m a bit laid up being ill anyway so what better time to have a piece like this?

Without any further ado, let’s begin:

Honorable Mention) 2007-08 Regular Season – Devils 2, Rangers 1 (CAA), Devils 3, Rangers 2 (MSG, SO win)…at some point on this list I have to mention this back-to-back series of games as my Devil-Ranger regular season inclusion on this list. These games were a home-and-home two days apart, both came down to the wire and things were even more intense than usual, for these were the first Devil-Ranger games with Sean Avery wearing the blue and white. He made his presence immediately felt, although he wasn’t as effective against us yet as he would be the following season. While I remember little about both games you sort of have to mention it when you see your team beat your biggest rival in both arenas two days apart.

10) Game 1 2005-06 Regular Season – Devils 4, Penguins 1. Even though it’s not on my top ten in terms of excitement I have to mention this game just because it was my first hockey game live in eighteen months, after the lockout that wiped out 2004-05. Although I became a full season ticket holder for the first time that season I intentionally avoided going to the preseason games because I wanted my first game back after eighteen months to be one that counted, after all.

That game was also remarkable for the debuts of two super rookies – Zach Parise for us and the much-ballyhooed Sidney Crosby for the Penguins. Parise won round one with a goal and an assist, prompting chants of ‘Zach is better!’. Down 4-0, Crosby and the Pens finally got on the scoreboard midway through the third period when he assisted on a power play goal that spoiled what would have been yet another Martin Brodeur shutout to tack onto the eventual all-time record.

9) 2008-09 Regular Season – Devils 4, Avalanche 0 (Brodeur’s return). This is one of those normally unremarkable games against a non-rival team that turned into an event, for after fifty games on IR, Brodeur made his triumphant return to the net that February night. While Scott Clemmensen had handled things better than anyone could have asked for in his absence, clearly the crowd was amped to see the return of #30, cheering literally every move he made during the warmups.

Against a bad team and on an emotional high, we predictably rolled but what made this game so special was the shutout itself, under normal circumstances a tough feat but after missing four months particularly extraordinary. Me and a friend broke protocol Chico Resch-style by talking about the shutout after the first period, when he mentioned that he would be amused if this game ended 1-0 (which it was at the time) and I said I’d be amused by anything-0.

8) 2008-09 Regular Season – Devils 4, Penguins 3 (Doc Emrick night). I was debating whether to put this game or our wild 8-5 win over the Rangers here, I chose this game for a few reasons. First, we honored our legendary announcer before the game for making the Hall of Fame, and in his speech during the pre-game ceremony he said somewhat prophetically that he was looking forward to the show the two teams were going to put on. Although we struggled for a time that season after Brodeur’s injury, Clemmensen was gaining confidence with every game and it was perhaps this tilt – which gave us our ninth straight win – that illustrated his growth and our increasing confidence in him.

For a time, things looked bad as we fell behind 3-1 midway through the third period, but after a Brendan Shanahan goal pulled us closer, Jamie Langenbrunner tied it with less than forty seconds remaining, scoring with the net vacated. However, we weren’t quite into overtime yet and Clemmensen had to make a terrific save on an Evgeni Malkin breakaway with barely a second on the clock. In overtime, Langenbrunner wound up winning the game and it was this contest more than anything else that made me feel most proud of what this team was accomplishing without its Hall of Fame goaltender.

7) Game 4 2006 First Round – Devils 4, Rangers 2 at MSG. While I said I was restricting this to Devil games (despite being at other fun hockey games like a couple of the team’s minor league tilts and a Caps-Hawks showdown in Chicago a couple of seasons ago that turned out to be great theater), I never said I was restricting it to HOME games. This was the game that finally ended our playoff curse against the Rangers, although arguably with our performances in the first three it was only a matter of time before we closed out this series.

Fortunately I wound up sitting next to a Devils fan for this game, not to mention I had friends elsewhere in the arena. For all the talk about Ranger fans filling up our arenas (and justified) this was the one game where you could actually feel a Devil fan presence at MSG. Not nearly 50-50 to be sure, but clearly noticeable.

Even when the Devils fell behind after the first period – the only time we trailed all series – I was more annoyed than worried and sure enough, the Devils concluded their incredible roll of fifteen straight wins by scoring the next four goals in the final two periods before a consolation goal late gave Ranger fans something to stand and cheer for. Admittedly, I got goosebumps by the home crowd’s reaction to being swept but clearly I was in a magnanimous mood after humiliating our biggest rivals by a tune of seventeen goals to three in a four-game sweep.

6) Game 6 2000 Second Round – Devils 3, Leafs 0. In the days where I was only going to a handful – or less – games a season, this was the first playoff win I ever saw live at the Meadowlands, and it was a memorable one. For this was the game where the Devils put on a virtuoso defensive performance seldom ever matched in a playoff game, permitting a meager six shots by the Maple Leafs. Sitting in my dad’s boss’s seats, we arrived barely on time and before we literally had time to get to our seat with food, the Devils scored a mere seventeen seconds in while we were still in the hall. As it turned out, that would be all the Devils needed although they added another quick goal in the second period, then an empty-netter late in the third to seal the game and the series, putting the Devils in the Conference Finals. I’ve only seen the Devils win two playoff series live and this was one of them.

5) 2005-06 Regular Season – Devils 3, Hurricanes 0 (Stevens night). Fittingly after nearly 25 years of hockey in New Jersey, Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens became the first former Devil to have his number retired, and that alone makes this game special. Not to mention his speech before the game, where Stevens moved the crowd by saying this was the only time he ever felt intimidated on the East Rutherford ice, for intimidation was the one word you would use if you described Stevens as a player. Finally, the game itself was a fitting tribute as the Devils conjured up the ghosts of the recent past and put together a dominant defensive performance against the team who would later win the Stanley Cup that season.

4) Game 5 2009 First Round – Devils 1, Hurricanes 0. Geez, a lot of these games seem to be shutouts. This one gets bumped up on the list partly for personal reasons and partly cause it was a unique game. For most of my life as a season ticket holder, I’ve wound up going to games solo but for this all-important playoff game I wound up being with two of my best friends that night in what turned out to be the best goaltending classic I’ve ever seen in fifteen years of watching hockey.

With the series tied at two after three stright nail-biters followed a convincing Game 1 win at home, this game was critical and goalies Brodeur and Cam Ward were both determined to be a forcefield in net. At first, the Devils dominated, outshooting the Canes 29-10 at one point but couldn’t break through on Ward until finally midway through the second an Andy Greene shot was deflected home by David Clarkson on a power play, giving the Devils what turned out to be the game’s only goal.

Now behind, the Canes threw at least five kitchen sinks and everything else at Brodeur, eventually pumping some 40+ shots at him, but after losing Game 4 with less than half a second remaining Marty was as angry and hungry as I’ve ever seen him. Not only was this this best two-man goaltending show I’ve ever seen, it was the best singular performance of Brodeur’s career in my mind.

My emotional exhaustion after the Devils finally held on for a 1-0 win (despite both teams getting 40+ shots) has rarely, if ever been surpassed in my sports-viewing career. Even the ghastly events of Game 7 later on can’t eliminate how I felt after this game. Especially since it was the biggest playoff win in the short history of the Rock.

3) Game 5 2003 Stanley Cup Finals – Devils 6, Ducks 3. Amazingly enough, I was more nervous during this game than I was during Game 7 (more on that later). Why? Well, the Devils had come into the game losing two straight in Anaheim, both crushing games in overtime. Momentum looked like it was squarely with the team of Disney, and Ducks CEO Michael Eisner went around before the match guaranteeing victory. If there was one moment in the Finals where things looked the bleakest, it was after ex-Devil Petr Sykora‘s goal right off a faceoff barely a minute into the game. However, this contest broke the mold of the first four games and became a regular shootout as playoff sensation Jean-Sebastian Giguere continued to have problems with the arena in East Rutherford.

With the score tied at three midway through the second, Jay Pandolfo‘s foot scored the deciding goal, when a puck deflected in off his skate and after the officials first ruled it a no-goal they wound up changing the call moments later, giving the Devils the last goal they’d need. Just to make things a little easier, they scored two more in the third for a 6-3 final and at that point I felt deep down we were winning the Cup, no matter what happened in Game 6 – which turned out to be a no-contest loss to the Ducks in Anaheim.

2) 2008-09 Regular Season – Devils 3, Blackhawks 2 (Brodeur’s record-breaking win and Patrik Elias‘s team record in points). Why does this game get to second on my list? Because not only was it one of the most electric crowds I’ve ever seen from start to finish, but the entire game felt like a celebration for one of the two times in my life – the second one is below. Especially after Brodeur got the record-tying win in his hometown of Montreal, it felt like it was destined to happen that night and everyone knew it.

Facing a team that would go on to win the Stanley Cup, the Devils jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period, and the third goal would see yet another record…Elias passing John MacLean‘s team record of 702 points in his career with an assist on a Brian Gionta tally. Even having to hang on late after giving up a late third-period goal to cut the lead to 3-2 didn’t dull the enthusiasm, indeed it only made the crowd more amped for the finish, when Brodeur made one final save seconds before the buzzer to seal his triumph and Elias punctuated his night – St. Patty’s night (you really couldn’t make this up) – by coming out for the second star in a green hat with a four-leaf clover on top.

Somewhat fortuitously, I wasn’t in my regular section 208 for this game, for I’d decided weeks before to get discount tickets in 120, right behind Brodeur’s net. That turned out to be a terrific decision, both in terms of having the desired view of Brodeur during the end of the game (and after it when he cut the net out, a la college basketball), not to mention making a huge profit off the extra tickets when this game became what it did.

And finally…

1) Game 7 2003 Stanley Cup Finals – Devils 3, Ducks 0. There are three things you have to realize about this game before you fully get its meaning for me, even away from the obvious which is the only championship I’ve ever seen one of my teams win live. Number one, the 2002-03 team (led by the late Pat Burns) was by far my favorite sports team of all time. Even more than the other two Cup winners, this team showed by far more heart and character than any I’ve ever been fortunate enough to root for and this game was the culmination of a season-long belief in this team where few others had it, since we didn’t have the talent of Devils teams in the past.

Secondly, realizing this game might be a once-in-a lifetime event I bit the bullet after Game 5 and paid scalper price at two and a half times face, for a lower-bowl seat no less. Hey, if I was gonna see the team win the Cup I might as well have the best view possible and I did, looking right at Marty Brodeur for the first and third period from around the goal line several rows back.

And finally, as it turned out I was sick as a dog going into this game worse than I am right now – getting the early symptoms of a flu I struggled with for a couple weeks after that. My mother took one look at me and said you’re not going, and for one of the few times in my life I put my foot down and said this was a once-in-a lifetime game, of course I’m going. So I took an antibiotic and gutted it out.

Whatever nervousness I felt in my flu-like stupor, it dissipated just after the pregame warmups when the scratches were announced and long-time Devil Ken Daneyko wasn’t among them. Showing a personal touch some didn’t think he had, Burns understood the moment, that the big fella even if he wasn’t the player he once was would give the crowd inspiration and in my heart I personally felt that everything was going to be okay after that. Although the game remained scoreless during the first period, I wasn’t particularly concerned and of all people, little-used Mike Rupp scored early in the second period to give the Devils the lead and send the house rocking. Rupp would come up with three points on the night, a heady total for a guy who didn’t even play for most of the playoffs, assisting on both of playoff hero Jeff Friesen‘s Game 7 goals, late in the second and third periods.

Finally with the game in hand came one more thrilling moment, having Daneyko out on the ice for the last shift to ice the 3-0 shutout, giving the Devils and the gritty defenseman both storybook endings to a magical season and a terrific career. I whooped it up as much as I possibly could, during the game and in the post-game ceremony afterward, my mood being helped by the hot redhead from Boston – but a Devils fan – next to me who arguably had fun enough for the both of us. My only regret about that night is that I’ve never seen footage of me and her after the game that was taken by an NHL video camera, or had a picture of us taken (these were the days when I still used store box cameras). I’m sure it’s likely I got her sick at some point afterward but oh well lol. Like one of my other friends said before the game, don’t be afraid to have fun.

As with all the games on this list, but even more so that night I did.

Quick postscript: A few weeks after that 2003 win, almost by accident (through a Devils fan friend that worked with me) I found out about an appearance Daneyko was making with the Cup at a local radio station around fifteen minutes away. So not only was I there for the championship but through luck I wound up getting my picture taken with Daneyko and the Holy Grail – see above.

With one of the most electrifying first rounds in recent memory complete, there’s no time to breathe for the remaining eight survivors. They leave behind an NHL record nine straight days with at least one game needing overtime to decide. In total, 14 went to sudden death. Breathless is one way to describe it. More than ever, home ice means little as does seedings. The parity we’ve seen since the lockout has taken effect. Anyone can beat anyone. Even if the No.1 overall Canucks escaped their nemesis Chicago thanks to Alex Burrows, the lower seeds proved themselves worthy opponents with the exception of Phoenix-Detroit, which was never close.

Now, onto Round Two. The match ups are a little more enticing with one Conference Semifinal rematch in the works that both the Bruins and Flyers remember well. One a much happier moment while the other bitter, seeking revenge. Let the fun begin!

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS

(1) Washington Capitals versus (5) Tampa Bay Lightning

Analysis: The Caps are a different team than the one the Bolts saw in the regular season. Bruce Boudreau’s decision to alter his club’s style to a more playoff oriented defensive oriented posture has made them much tougher to play. Figure Nicklas Backstrom to be better and Mike Green even more dangerous. With John Carlson the shutdown D, it’s taken pressure off. Alex Ovechkin is a man on a mission. Alex Semin looks motivated. The Lightning boast the weapons to get to Michal Neuvirth in Hart candidate Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Vinny Lecavalier. Keep an eye on Nate Thompson, Dominic Moore and Sean Bergenheim, who hurt the Pens. Dwayne Roloson has the edge due to experience versus the Czech kid. The Bolts D collapses in front of Rollie. It might not work as well against a more dangerous opponent who activate their D. Roloson vs Neuvirth has to be one of the largest age gaps between netminders. Tampa can win if Ryan Malone and Teddy Purcell have strong series. But Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble, Jason Arnott and Marcus Johansson should tilt it the Caps’ way.

Prediction: CAPS IN 6

(2) Philadelphia Flyers versus (3) Boston Bruins

Analysis: The focus is on Boston, who comes off an emotional win over Montreal thanks to Nathan Horton, who must be glad not to be in Florida. How will the B’s handle the anticipated rematch against the team that made HISTORY last year? Vengeance is a strong word. It’ll be interesting to see how Claude Julien’s club approaches the Flyers, who used another comeback in victimizing Buffalo. The defensive edge belongs to the Bruins led by Norris winner Zdeno Chara, who rebounded from missing Game 2 due to dehydration. He’ll be asked to check Claude Giroux or Danny Briere. Pick your poison. That’s the dilemma Julien has against Peter Laviolette’s deep cast that includes James van Riemsdyk, Ville Leino, Kris Versteeg and hopefully Jeff Carter (knee sprain). Chris Pronger saw power play duty the final two games of Round One. That means plenty of Kimmo Timonen, Andrej Meszaros and Braydon Coburn against David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Horton, who need better series. The B’s got large contributions from Chris Kelly and Rich Pevereley, who along with Patrice Bergeron and rook Brad Marchand led the way before Horton’s heroics. Andrew Ference played nasty, getting away with one last night. Johnny Boychuk is solid. Tomas Kaberle a disaster. Keep and eye on Michael Ryder for the Bruins and Scott Hartnell for the Flyers. Tim Thomas was strong, looking the part of another Vezina. Brian Boucher did it in spurts with relief from Michael Leighton after replacing Sergei Bobrovsky. Can this goalie controversy work? Bouch needs to be large. If Carter’s back and Pronger sees increased minutes, the Flyers should prevail. The B’s may not be able to exploit the Philly weakness enough.

Prediction: FLYERS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (5) Nashville Predators

Analysis: The Canucks come off an exhilirating triumph over the Hawks thanks to Burrows and Ryan Kesler, who were tremendous in Game 7. It won’t be any easier for The Sedins against Norris challenger Shea Weber and capable partner Ryan Suter. The Preds play a tight checking style that can fluster opponents. We’re guessing Mike Fisher will see a lot of Daniel and Henrik. Whoever prevails should determine the winner. Fisher’s coming off a big series in finally getting Barry Trotz’ club past the first round. His three goals and three assists along with key faceoff wins like the one that set up Weber’s equalizer before Jered Smithson’s Game 5 heroics, can’t be underestimated. The Preds score by committee with Steve Sullivan, Jordin Tootoo, Joel Ward and Weber all involved along with long-time Pred David Legwand, Patric Hornqvist and Martin Erat back for this round. They’ll rely heavily on Pekka Rinne, who needs a stronger series versus Vezina foe Roberto Luongo, who still has plenty to answer. He’s never been past the second round. So, the pressure’s on. Louie should get plenty of help from a tough D led by Christian Ehrhoff that also features rugged Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa, plus Keith Ballard. Alain Vigneault likes to mix up who the Sedins play with. It could be interchangeable Swede Mikael Samuelsson who sees the bulk while Burrows and Kesler run rampant. Mason Raymond is capable and energizers Raffi Torres along with Max Lapierre are a nuisance. Our Chris Higgins wildcard rang true as he again opened the series last night with the only goal in a routine shutout for Luongo. Nashville better pick it up or they could be short work for the ‘Nucks.

Prediction: CANUCKS in 6

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (3) Detroit Red Wings

Analysis: Whenever these two powerful teams meet, it’s highly entertaining puck at its finest. Usually, the Wings’ championship experience shines through against one of the elite franchises still searching for its first Cup appearance. However, last year in the same round, the Sharks prevailed in five, which should give them more confidence. Detroit’s more rested this time but will have to contend with Todd McLellan’s deeper Sharks who possess the best overall rookie in Logan Couture to go with gritty Ryane Clowe, clutch Joe Pavelski and dynamic ’97 Draft 1-2 duo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Did we mention there was a Dany Heatley sighting with the highly skilled sniper scoring a couple of money goals? You won’t find a deeper forward corps than the cool teal who must ditch those ugly black uniforms before we go Sean Avery and call the fashion police. A supporting cast of Devin Setoguchi, Kyle Wellwood and Torrey Mitchell are proof. Perhaps the back end is where they could struggle with Dan Boyle and Jason Demers offensive D who can be victimized in their end as can vet Niclas Wallin. It’ll hing on rough customer Doug Murray and their best defensive blueliner Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who makes solid reads defensively. The Red Wings probably boast an edge with Norris legend Nick Lidstrom, great passer Brian Rafalski, violent Nik Kronwall and sturdy ex-Shark Brad Stuart. It’s as good a top four as there is. Mike Babcock can also trot out Jonathan Ericsson and reliable vet Ruslan Salei. The key to the series is who dictates. The Wings’ superb puck possession is led by wunderkind Pavel Datsyuk, sniper Johan Franzen, crease crasher Tomas Holmstrom, gritty Dan Cleary and hopefully one of the game’s premier players Henrik Zetterberg. Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler can’t be overlooked and neither can Todd Bertuzzi, who had a good year in Motown. Justin Abdelkader does a lot of the board work and Darren Helm is so underrated. Does Mike Modano pop one in what looks to be it for one of the greatest Americans to ever lace ’em up? What about Patrick Eaves or Drew Miller? You never know where the offense will come from. It could come down to which goalie is better between Cup winner Antti Niemi and sophomore Jimmy Howard. There should be a lot of goals. So, it will be up to each netminder to come up with timely stops. Whoever does will prevail.

Prediction: SHARKS IN 7

The playoffs are where heroes are made. In what was a remarkable first round that included 17 overtime games, two series needed sudden death to decide in Game 7.

Yesterday, Alex Burrows rescued his Canucks from ultimate embarrassment- preventing the defending champion Hawks from completing another 0-3 comeback a la the Flyers last year. Storybook ending to a great series with Vancouver finally overcoming its kryptonite the hard way thanks to Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Toews’ late shorthanded goal that forced extras. Even in defeat, the Blackhawks did themselves proud with standout rookie Corey Crawford having the kind of game goalies dream about. At least half his 36 stops before Burrows cashed a Chris Campoli turnover were money. The penalty shot save that thwarted Burrows along with a three save sequence that included a sprawling right glove robbery of Ryan Kesler allowed his team a chance to tie it. Even in defeat, he was Crawesome! One to watch for next year.

While the Canucks and their legions of fans breathed easier now that they advanced to a Conference Semi meeting versus the pesky Predators, the final two teams survived on Round One’s final night. An hour separated the start times for the East’s last pair of virtuosos. It comes as no surprise that the much heated rivalry between the Canadiens and Bruins came down to a climatic deciding game which required OT. A game with more twists and turns much like the 34th installment of hockey’s greatest rivalry. Simply put, the Bruins never do it the easy way. So blowing a two-goal first period lead before the Habs tied it only to surge ahead again on a Chris Kelly tally before loathsome P.K. Subban blasted them into sudden death was about as startling as Mike D’Antoni’s defensive philosophy versus another Boston outfit. So, we got our wish with Carey Price’s money stops forcing do or die for the Original 6’s. Only this time, the B’s had the right formula with Tim Thomas early and Nathan Horton late to pull out a hard fought 4-3 Game 7 thriller. Wonder if circus clown Subban did any pointing at the crowd after being victimized by Milan Lucic for the series clincher? Enjoy your vacation dumbass!

The final series to go the distance was the Lightning and Penguins, who as predicted ran out of steam against a more skilled opponent minus Sid and Geno. Sure. They blew a 3-1 series lead in folding to the Bolts, who really turned it around with an 8-2 pasting in Game 5 before taking care of business at St. Pete to force Game 7. Credit goes out to vets Martin St. Louis and Dwayne Roloson who never let their team down. Having experienced winners like the dynamic former Hart winner and the Cup runner-up allowed them to relax. It really was the blowout that got the ship righted with the Bolts also getting a huge insurance marker from ex-Pen Ryan Malone following a big save from Rollie in capturing Game 6. Anything can happen in Game 7 and with the Pitt offense struggling to penetrate a stingy Tampa D that limited most of their chances to the perimeter, all it took was one play from underrated Dominic Moore, who made a sweet dish to former Islander Sean Bergenheim for an easy finish into an open side past a brilliant Marc-Andre Fleury, who did as much as he could to give his team a shot late. Ultimately, the Pens’ grinding style wore down along with the Bolts’ willingness to get in passing lanes and block shots like big pickup Eric Brewer. That along with Pitt’s inability to connect on the power play (1-for-34) including pulling Fleury for a 6-on-4 the final 90 was the difference. Two worthy Adams candidates but Guy Boucher outcoached Dan Bylsma, who mysteriously didn’t use clutch vet Alex Kovalev late when his team could’ve used more skill. Probably for the best that the Pens are out allowing Sidney Crosby a long offseason to get ready. Just might be best for the league too.

Before wrapping this up, big props to the Preds on winning their first series with perhaps them learning from last year’s heartache with a huge faceoff win from Mike Fisher allowing Norris candidate Shea Weber to force overtime in Game 5 where Jered Smithson played ultimate hero from unsung Jordin Tootoo. Great comeback story from substance abuse program to offensive surprise. Fisher was also instrumental putting up a series high three goals and three helpers while Weber and Ryan Suter blanketed Hart hopeful Corey Perry. Major kudos to Barry Trotz whose teams always fly under the radar and never miss a beat despite losing talent annually. They’ll get the Canucks in Round Two. … The Flyers also showed heart in having long memories, rallying from two down to pull out Game Six in OT thanks to Ville Leino and then blew out the Sabres 5-2 in Game 7. A bitter pill to swallow for a Buffalo club that fought valiantly before caving in the deciding game. … Joe Thornton also played OT hero to put away the Kings in a classic six-game series between Cali rivals with the deeper Sharks prevailing. … With the lone exception of the Wings’ surprising sweep of the Coyotes who we hope stay in Phoenix, every series was closely fought. Now, it’s onto the second round!

I went 5-for-8 in Round One going 3-for-4 in the East with Cup preseason pick Philly the only blemish. Out West, I split nailing San Jose in six and Vancity while misreading the special talent of Pavel “Datsyukian” Datsyuk and Hasan’s sleeper pick Nashville, who he has going to the Conference Finals. Not a bad call there if Vezina hopeful Pekka Rinne bounces back with a stronger Conference Semi versus the gifted Canucks. Here are your Round Two matchups:

EAST

(1) Capitals vs (5) Lightning

(2) Flyers vs (3) Bruins

WEST

(1) Canucks vs (5) Predators

(2) Sharks vs (3) Red Wings

We’ll make our selections tomorrow.