Connect with us

Calgary Flames

Day 24 – Open Playoff Thread (Brooms on Deck)

Published

on

Potential elimination faces two teams tonight and both will be sweeps if they happen.

Sharks vs Red Wings (Series 3-0 Sharks) 7:00 PM ET VERSUS (HD),TSN (HD),RIS (HD)

Jumbo Joe has come alive and his game has been multi-faceted. Not only has he put in two game winning goals this playoffs he has also succeeded in largely controlling Pavel Datsyuk. He is mucking it up in the corner and showing an edge and toughness we don’t usually see. I picked Ryan Kesler as a front runner for the Conn Smythe at this point for the Canucks and Joe Thornton is my pick for the Sharks.

The Sharks have surprised me this year. They are showing the exact opposite of their previous playoff reputation. In previous playoff years they seemed to find ways to lose games they should have won. This year it is the opposite. They are showing tenacity and the ability to win games they have not necessarily looked dominant in. That is just what you need in the playoffs. 

Sorry Red Wings, like the Kings before you, you probably deserved to win more games but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Regardless of the outcome tonight I see the Sharks taking this series eventually.

Flyers vs Bruins (Series 3-0 Bruins) 8:00 PM ET VERSUS (JIP),CBC (HD),RDS (HD),CSN-PH (HD),NESN (HD)

This one has been a disappointment to me. I was expecting a classic 7 game series but the Flyers along with their goaltending woes have, well, not come out flying. The team looks tired and out of gas and they are only half way through the second round? History will not repeat itself with another historic comeback, with the Flyers winning 4 straight.

The Bruins have battled through adversity. Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas and Patrice Bergeron who leads the Bruins in points with 2G and 10A are on their way to a Conference final. I expect the Bruins will finish it tonight because they will be looking for redemption from last year.

There will be some soul searching in Philadelphia in the off-season but to me it comes down to two simple things. Lack of Goaltending and a lack of Chris Pronger, not much else to say, except that I have no idea who to cheer in a Bolt vs Bruins Conference final.

My Conn Smythe pick for the Bruins is Tim Thomas as goaltending wins the day in the Eastern Conference. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dwayne Roloson is my fourth and final pick.

by M Smith