Is it just me or have the playoffs thus far been a collective yawn? Perhaps it's due in part to the screwy scheduling(some series have played four games while some have only played two-the Blues & Hawks played Saturday in St. Louis and then Sunday in Chicago while the B's & Habs play Thursday then don't play again until Sunday and both games are in Boston!) and ESPN's penchant for showing the same series time and again probably contributes as well. Plus the fact that many of the more interesting series are out West has probably limited my viewing and thus appreciation. But it seems like the thrilling OTs have been few and far between and too many games are one sided shutouts. Here's my breakdown after the first week of the opening series and what I've gotten out of them:
Worst Series:
Ottawa and Philly. So far the Flyers have scored one goal in three games and yet only trail the Sens two games to one. Ottawa has hardly been lighting it up either scoring a total of six goals so far with three of them being empty netters. These games are boring as all get out and yet so far every one has been on either ESPN or ESPN2. Yawn.
Best Series:
The Bruins & Canadians might be a great one but so far ESPN has only shown one of the two games. I was glad to see that tonight's contest is on so I can catch some more of this rivalry. The series that I like so far is Colorado-LA. All three games have been televised and they all have featured up and down action, hard hitting, and a growing dislike between the teams. Plus both squads have talented players who can put the puck in the net. In three games the teams have totaled nine goals each and watching Sakic, Forseberg, Allison(my God he's a big son of a B with hands), and Palfy is a treat especially after you've sat through a Sens-Flyers bore fest.
Biggest Upset:
The Nucks taking two at the Joe was sweet. But if the Wings can win tonight and even the series at two it's over baby. This series is interesting in that the Canucks are a clear dog to the high powered Wings but expect for the opening game there has been little drama. If it goes seven it could be fun.
Who Cares?:
Carolina-NJ. This has got to be the least interesting series going. Yes, Jersey's got Brodeur and a lot of playoff experience but I have a hard time getting into this one. I didn't see much of the first two games but they were both low scoring duels where Carolina won despite being outshot by a significant margin. Finally on Sunday I have a chance to watch a whole game and the Devils blow em' out early and cruise to an easy win. I don't care who wins this series just get it over with.
Muddling Through:
St. Louis-Chicago and San Jose-Phoenix. Talk about lack of drama. I haven't been able to see a lot of the Sharks-Yotes series but I gather I'm not missing much since all four games haven't really been close. I have seen some of the Blues-Hawks and it's doing nuthin' for me. After the Hawks split two in St. Louis you'd figure they'd come out for the home crowd on Sunday flying high. Instead they fell on their faces and got dumped 4-0.
Can't Even Judge It:
Islanders-Leafs. The Isles haven't been to the playoffs for years and the Leafs are one of the classic NHL teams so I figured this could have some viewing interest. Apparently ESPN doesn't feel this way since they haven't shown one game of this series yet. Yeah, can't enough of that heated Philly-Ottawa rivalry and by all means show me the Devils-Canes showdown everyone is talking about. There is a very good chance that the Islanders will be eliminated without me having a chance to watch two minutes from one of their games. That just ain't right.
Lest you think I'm giving up easy on my beloved sport I'll have you know that I still have faith that the playoffs will shake off a poor first week and turn the intensity and action up another notch so that I can continue to tell people that there ain't nothing better in sports than the Stanley Cup playoffs. Three OT games tonight would be a great start.
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