2nd Round Matchups
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins (1) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)
- With so much time between games, Bruins coach Claude Julien had his team scrimmage yesterday. With their opponent now known, don’t expect Boston to be arrogant just because they swept the season series versus Carolina. Meanwhile, stay-at-home defenseman Aaron Ward has been a great steadying force on Boston’s back-end this season.
- “We showed a lot of character at the end of the game,” said Game 7 hero Eric Staal about his team’s comeback victory over the Devils. Where does last night’s amazing comeback rank in Hurricanes history?
Washington Capitals (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
- Thomas Boswell instructs Capitals fans that they can finally take a deep breath. While the Capitals almost exclusively rely on all of their young talent to win them most games, last night was one for veteran Sergei Fedorov to help out. What an amazing shot it was by Fedorov, writes Mike Wise. Here are the five turning points from last night’s game. If you ask this writer, the Rangers straight out collapsed.
- Here is the Penguins/Capitals second round schedule. Only the first three games of the series will be televised nationally. Here is how the two teams matchup. As reported yesterday, the Penguins have removed Dan Bylsma’s interim coaching tag. Joe Starkey likens Dan Bylsma to the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin.
Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Anaheim Ducks (8)
- “Between the whistles, we back off and prepare for the next drop of the puck. We don’t involve ourselves with that extracurricular activity,” said Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood about not engaging the Ducks after the whistle. The Ducks/Wings is a genuine rivalry, writes Drew Sharp. Bob Wojnowski says Wings in six.
- Everyone is looking forward to the Wings/Ducks series, writes Helene Elliot. These two teams lead the NHL in playoff victories since 2003. Here is some action/reaction from Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register.
Vancouver Canucks (3) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)
- Who will the Sedins face most often this series? If Vancouver wants to win, they have to stay out of the penalty box. Here is the Canucks/Blackhawks second round schedule. Willie Mitchell was back on the ice on Tuesday.
- Forget everything else, these young Blackhawks believe in themselves, writes Chris Kuc. It appears the Hawks recognize the opportunity in front of them.
Teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs:
- “This was a first-round loss, it’s not like we were playing for the Cup, but we felt we had a great opportunity to be successful with the season we had,” said Devils netminder Martin Brodeur after yesterday’s difficult loss to the Hurricanes. Game 7 losses really don’t come much more harsh than that, writes Mark Everson. Tom Politi wonders how surprised Devils fans should really be with last night’s result? “To be honest, I’m still in kind of shock,” said Jamie Langenbrunner last night.
- We know the Rangers lost in Game 7 last night, but Larry Brooks wonders what would have happened had the Rangers played the way they did last night in Games 5 and 6? Chris Drury apparently played the series with a broken hand. John Tortorella was impressed with Sean Avery’s play last night. (Writer’s note: I’ve been critical of Avery on numerous occasions, but he was terrific last night.) With the series over, Tortorella did admit he was regretful over his Game 5 actions. In light of yesterday’s loss, here is what the Rangers need to do next.
- In Philadelphia, Bob Clarke is enjoying his new hands-off position with the Flyers. Meantime, Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Flyers should re-sign Martin Biron. Captain of the Flyers Mike Richards speaks candidly about what the Flyers can do better next season.
- Patrick Marleau has to be traded, writes Mark Purdy. Any rumors that Doug Wilson was going to be fired as Sharks GM have been quashed. Ray Rotto of the San Francisco Chronicle grades all the Sharks.
- Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun calls for Mike Keenan to be fired.
Teams that did not make the playoffs:
- Read about the Coyotes’ ownership and money issues here.
- Don’t expect Steve Tambellini to move too fast when it comes to naming the Oilers’ next coach, writes Jim Matheson.
- Tobias Enstrom suffered facial fractures during the World Championships but will be ready for Thrashers training camp in the fall.
- In Minnesota, Marc-Andre Bergeron’s back surgery was deemed a success.
