i c-u-p

I haven’t mentioned anything at all about this year’s NHL playoffs, so I guess that I ought to now that they’re over 😉

Even though they were the long-shot 8th seed in the West that barely made the playoffs, let alone to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and never had home ice advantage, the Oilers shot themselves in the foot; plain ‘n’ simple. Roloson was a prime candidate for the Conn Smythe, but getting injured in game 1 of the final series dashed that idea. Markkanen stepped in and gave an amazing effort, considering he hand’t played since like January, and he kept the Oilers in the hunt for every subsequent game. Yet for whatever reason, the rest of the team forgot how to pull the trigger when they needed to. They unleashed some fancy passing that never amounted to anything. They’d always wait for a perfectly clear lane before shooting. And on many occasions, they’d still drop it back to the point, even when that lane was clear. When they did get in close and decide to shoot, they’d miss the net or put it over the net. On the powerplay, the ‘Canes were obviously doing whatever it took to shutdown Pronger, so why didn’t Edmonton get the puck in deep and let the forwards do the work? It boggles the mind, especially after the amazing playoff run that the Oilers had; they were definitely the most entertaining team in the playoffs. It think Edmonton were squeezing their sticks too tight in game 7. In other words, the Oilers own nerves and youthful exhuberance may have got the best of them. Congrats to Carolina – they have a lot of old guys that waited a long time for this.

Regarding my team’s early exit from the playoffs in the first round this year, the Flames were built for the old NHL; ready for bashing and grinding. The new rules this year really made that obvious. It’s pretty amazing that they managed to finish first in the Western Conference’s Northwest Division, but Calgary definitely looked out-of-place in the playoffs. Hopefully something is done over the summer and young speedsters like Lombardi and Kobasew play a bigger role next season.

IMO, the Stanley Cup was Buffalo‘s for the taking, if it weren’t for their defensive core being ravaged by injury and that stupid new Delay of Game rule for skaters clearing the puck over the glass.