NHL Playoffs 2017

I'll admit I'm only partially paying attention to this year's NHL Playoffs, as the Kings did not make it in. But something pretty cool happened yesterday in Edmonton. The mic failed during the Star Spangled Banner, so 18,000 Canadians took over singing duties. Very cool. I'm now officially rooting for the Oilers to win the Cup. When they beat the Ducks, well, that will just be a bonus.

 

I'm casually monitoring the Blues progress. Got past the Wild in round 1 in short order, 4-1, but seem to be having trouble with the Preds. The Note are a bit of an enigma. Clearly second fiddle to the Cardinals now that the Rams have bolted, they still enjoy a modicum of hard core fan support. But will they ever sniff Lord Stanley's Cup? They haven't really ever come close, even though they made the finals in 1968-70. They were no match for the Candadiens & Bruins. The power in the league that year still resided in the east due to expansion. They basically won the west almost by default. Do they have a chance this year? The recent pattern has been to get the fan base hyped up for what eventually turns out to be a nominal playoff run. They just never quite seem to get there. They don't appear to have enough quality depth most seasons. I'll probably pay closer attention if they ever make it back to the finals. I do know this...Vladimir Tarasenko is a pretty darn good hockey player.

 

Very cool, indeed.

And the Oilers put the wood to my Sharks in the first round. Oilers are tough beyond tough - sure, the Sharks flailed about on the power play but the Oilers made sure that the Tiburones paid the price...again....again and again. 2-1 up on the Ducks now and let's see how the Ducks follow up on that 6-3 win. I'll follow the playoffs as a fan of playoff hockey - my boy has jumped ship and latched himself to the NY Rangers (from one sinking ship to another...)

 

Not looking good for the Blues after going down 3 games to 1 with last night's 2-1 loss. Guess they'll have to shelve those Stanley Cup parade plans another year.