Last day of the first round of the NHL playoffs, two Eastern Conference game 7's. So much excitement in this day that I'm sure most hockey fans are actually glad they have Wednesday off of watching hockey.
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Carolina wins 4-3 (Carolina wins series 4-3)
The most exciting game up to this point. Talk about a game that defined a series. No team led by more than a goal. With a minute and a half left in the third period, and New Jersey holding a 3-2 lead, the Devils thought they had it in the books, when Carolina scored two goals in under a minute to put themselves up 4-3 against Martin Brodeur. And no, the 4th goal was not an empty netter. Absolutely stunning upset, as the best active goaltender in the NHL let in two identical soft goals from the top of the left faceoff circle underneath his right arm. And now I'm looking like the smartest hockey guy in the world. Next up for Carolina: the Boston Bruins.
Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: Washington wins 2-1 (Washington wins series 4-3)
Alexander Semin got the flukiest goal in playoff history, and Sergei Federov stole the glory from Alexander the Great on a 2 on 2 rush, and in the end the Capitals come back from a 1-3 series deficit to defeat the Rangers in game 7. Varlamov was the MVP of the series, but the big question is will he be in net next series? Washington's faithful will all probably be quick to say yes, and so will Varlamov's teammates, but look ahead at their next opponent and realize the seriousness of the question: the Capitals move on to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jose Theodore might have made the Rangers look good offensively, but coming into the playoffs New York probably had the weakest offensive roster in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire league. And now the youngster is supposedly going to be pitted against Crosby, Malkin, Guerin, Gonchar, and another Staal brother. Rankings say a Penguin win will be an upset, but based on the talent level, should it really be one?
Predictions of the conference semifinals coming in the next post. In terms of guessing the team that wins, I went 6 for 8 in the first round. Number of games, a horrid 3 of 8. A combination of both had two accurate predictions: Pittsburgh in 6 and Carolina in 7.
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