Catching Up

Alright, we swore to ourselves that we would keep this up to date, then the reality that is college set in & about 10 projects all appeared at once. Really should be working on that now, but taking a time out to update on current happenings in NHL & NASCAR.


NHL:
Playoff time, first round is nearly over, wow.
What's been happening in the East:
Caps vs Canadiens
This has been quite the series. Many people thought the Caps would come in and dominate, and though they have in certain games, the Habs have fought hard enough to force a game 7 tomorrow night in Washington. This will be the 4th straight series the Caps have had to go 7 games, and every single time Ovechkin has made the playoffs, it's gone that far. (Do they realize they don't have to play all 7 games??) Can the Habs pull off the upset? Will the Caps lose another game 7? We shall have to wait & see.

Devils vs Flyers
Another series that people thought would be easily won by the higher seed team. Didn't happen. Flyers pretty much dominated the series, only losing one game to the Devils. So the team with the questionable goalie situation beat the team with Marty Brodeur...who has lost 4 straight playoff series, by the way. Is age catching up to Mary? Should he play less in the regular season? And after the loss, the Devils coach, Jacques Lemaire, announced he is no longer going to coach the team. The end of the trap, thank the lord.

Sabres vs Bruins
One of the series people thought could go either way. Ryan Miller of the Sabres had been solid all year, particularly in the Olympics, taking the USA to a silver medal. Boston had trouble finding the net during the season & had some major injuries. But they got hot at the right time. This series was rather physical, but the Bruins were able to crush the Sabres dreams by winning game 6 last night. Injured star Marc Savard has been given the all-clear to play starting in the 2nd round, which may help provide the team with more offense.

Penguins vs Senators
Obviously the series I was able to watch the most, and cared the most about. The Pens came out lackluster in game one, allowing the Sens an easy win, but then turned around & took the next three games. Game 5 looked to be in the hands of the Pens, until a goal from the Sens tied it up, launching what turned out to be a 3 OT battle, that ended with the Sens avoiding elimination and forcing a game 6 back in their own arena. The Pens knew they had to win game 6 because no one wants a game 7 situation. They didn't start off so well, going down 3-0 to the Sens. Shortly after the 3rd goal, Matt Cooke finally got the Pens on the board. Guerin scored on the PP and Cooke scored again to eventually tie the game, yet again sending it into OT. This one wouldn't last nearly as long however, as Mark Eaton & Jordan Staal made some excellent moves that resulted in Pascal Dupuis getting the OT game winner past Leclaire.
The series was dominated heavily by Pens captain Sidney Crosby, who had 14 points in 6 games and routinely made the Sens defense look like pylons. Geno also looked solid, contributing several goals. Fleury, although he did give up a few questionable goals, looks to be in the playoff form that we all have come to expect from him.

Ok, now a quick overview of the West (cause I really don't know much about it, haven't seen more than 2 of the games except in highlights)
Sharks vs Avalanche
Ah the Sharks...the team who annually bows out the 1st round, no matter how well they do during the regular season. It looked like they might be on their way out yet again, with the lowest point being when they scored on their own net in OT. But they shocked nearly everyone by winning the series 4-2.
Blackhawks vs Predators
Everyone thought the Hawks would roll in and destroy Nashville. While they did win the series 4-2, the Preds did give them a bit of a run for their money and proved that even a team without any real superstars can still compete at a decent level. The series wasn't without its controversy, with the Hawks tying a game shorthanded because Hossa was in the box for a 5 min major, and then Hossa scoring the game winner. Many thought his hit was similar to the one Ovechkin placed on Campbell, and therefore he should've been given a game miscounduct and suspended. However, no such penalty was called and Hossa was allowed to play in the rest of that game and the next one.
Canucks vs Kings
This series looked for awhile like it was going to be won by L.A., Luongo was performing questionable at best, but the Sedin twins once again were the heroes. Luongo's performance was back & forth quite a bit, it will be interesting to see how he does in the 2nd round.
Coyotes vs Red Wings
The Coyotes shocked everyone this year by not only making the playoffs, but securing the 4th seed and putting up a fight to the finally healthy Red Wings. The series has been an intense one, with a lot of scoring at times and flying animals (with 8 or no legs). The Coyotes were on the brink of elimination, but were able to win game 6 to force game 7 tonight. Will the Wings win their first game 7 on the road in an insane amount of time or will the Coyotes shock everyone & move onto the 2nd round? Personally, I'm pulling for Phoenix, the team needs a playoff run to help gain support and grow the fan base if they're gonna stay there.

Ok, now that I think I covered the major news in hockey, on to a little bit of NASCAR before I have to actually do some work.
This past weekend the boys were in Talladega, so you knew it would be a crazy race. The vast majority of the race was rather calm, until the end, as usual. For the first time, NASCAR had to use all 3 attempts at a green-white-checkered. The race ended with Kevin Harvick barely getting past Jamie McMurray to break a winless streak that dated all the way back to his 2007 Daytona 500 win. As usual, tempers were high after the race with Jeff Gordon stating his Hendrick Motorsports Teammate Jimmie Johnson was getting on his nerves and pissing him off. Is Jeff finally sick of his pupil doing better than him and will this actually result in anything? Who knows. But it seems like Jeff has been more vocal about Jimmie and his actions lately, which is causing a bit of a frenzy in the world of NASCAR.

Well, alright. Off to do actual work. Will update on the results of the two upcoming game 7s in the NHL and matchups for the 2nd round.