You Can't Avoid Boyd - NHL Playoffs: The Good, The Bad and The Winehouse

The NHL Playoffs: The Good, The Bad, and The Winehouse

The NHL playoffs are a week long, and we have seen quite the show thus far. Let’s look into what’s good, what’s bad, and what has the attractiveness of a dead, ugly singer.

The Good: Playoff hockey is very consistent. Players do what it takes to win the game. Scorers aren’t afraid to block a shot or deliver a big hit. Fourth line players score big goals. The NHL is the only sport where having the home advantage means nothing. Heading into tonight’s games, the home team has only won 32% of their games. We also know teams can go as far as their hot goalie let them. Jonathan Quick of the LA Kings, Henrik Lundqvist of the NY Rangers, and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators are three of the hotter goalies right now. Two of these teams are one win away from each moving onto the 2^nd round. The Washington Capitals are still in their series due to the play of third-string goalie Braden Holtby.

The Bad: Playoff hockey is very consistent. This duplicated line was done on purpose. Every year, there seems to be a missed call that affects the game. This year, Game 1 of the Penguins-Flyers series was won by the Flyers in overtime. The game shouldn’t have been in overtime as Danny Briere scored a goal after being a mile offside. Everyone in the arena saw it, but none of the refs or linesmen did. As hot goaltending can carry a team, bad goaltending can destroy it. Marc-Andre Fluery has been allowing too many easy rebounds. I haven’t seen someone score so easily on rebounds since Henny in 2010. Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks has lived up to his billing as one of the most erratic goalies by being benched after Game 2 of his series. The Florida Panthers and NJ Devils pulled their starting goalies early in the second period on Tuesday night.

The Winehouse: I need someone to explain to me how suspensions are handed down. After Shea Weber treated Henrik Zetterberg like a Grand Theft Auto prostitute last week and went unpunished, the head of discipline, Brendan Shanahan, has been handing out suspensions like Halloween candy. Many people associated with the league are questioning how Shanahan determines the length of these penalties. Carl Hagelin of the NY Rangers received three games after his elbow to the head of Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. While a suspension was warranted, three games seem a tad harsh for a young player with no history of dirty hits.

The Good: Sudden death overtime. The league scraps its regular season overtime system (4 on 4 for 5 minutes, then a shootout) for sudden death. Regular twenty minute periods until someone scores. We have already seen nine games this postseason, with two reaching a double overtime period. Nothing beats the experience of watching overtime playoff hockey. Everyone focuses on defense, so the scoring chances are limited. One bad play can cost you the game. I love it, despite the fact the Rangers are now in a dogfight with Ottawa since they lost twice in OT.

The Bad: As much as Brendan Shanahan is mindfucking everyone in the league with his suspensions, no one is arguing that these guys shouldn’t miss time. Some of these plays being penalized are beyond reckless. Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks was carted off on Tuesday after Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes left his feet to deliver a bone-crushing hit. Matt Carkner of Ottawa got a game for pummeling a defenseless player. Andrew Shaw of Chicago hit a goalie near the head. Arron Asham of Pittsburgh jumped a player after his teammate was hit hard, but legally. Eight players suspended so far, and we haven’t even played a fifth game in any series.

The Winehouse: Game 3 of the Flyers-Penguins series. The game was basically a real-life version of the movie “Slap Shot”. There were 158 penalty minutes in the game featuring three game misconducts and one match penalty (automatic ejection for deliberately trying to injure). I’m not opposed to violence in hockey, (http://handjobsforhamsammies.blogspot.com/2012/03/you-cant-avoid-boyd-street-fighting-man.html) but that game was ridiculous. Everyone was trying to fight, including Sidney Crosby, who pulled on the back of someone’s hair in a scrum and knocked away an opponent’s glove as it was on the ice. I’m shocked someone from the Flyers didn’t punch a hole in Crosby’s face. Even the play was undisciplined as there were a total of 12 goals in the game. Game 4 continued down this path as there a total of 100 penalty minutes (64 by the Flyers) and 13 goals.

               -Written by Marcus Boyd