Tuesday, May 2, 2017

NHL Playoffs in Middle of Second Round

I have been watching the National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs more this year than at any other time in my life...I'm getting to really like this sport that I've never even remotely come close to playing.  The closest I ever came to it was as a little kid, playing "field hockey" one-on-one with my sister in our backyard using croquet mallets and tennis balls.  Not exactly the scenario we see on ice, five-on-five with the breakneck speed, fights, collisions with the wall, violent body checking, and penalties!  I'm not all that interested in which teams win, but I'll pick one or the other to root for during a game, just to make it a little more interesting.  There are four series ongoing: New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers, and Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues.  I'm pulling for New York, Washington, Anaheim, and St. Louis....other than the Ducks-Oilers series, which is knotted at 1-1, all of "my" teams are behind in their respective series.  Last night game #3 of the Washington-Pittsburgh series was a thriller, with the Caps struggling to avoid going down three games to none against the defending Stanley Cup champs.  They held a 2-0 lead going into the final two minutes of regulation, but then the Penguins, hampered by some crucial injuries, suddenly ramped up their offense and scored two quick goals, sending the match into overtime.  Washington recovered, though, and sank an early overtime goal to salvage their game and keep them competitive in the series.  Tonight will be game #3 between Ottawa and New York, with the Rangers behind 0-2 and hoping to accomplish what Washington did.  For myself, I would like to see each series go the full seven games, just in order to have more hockey to watch...

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