1st Round Playoff Recap- Eastern Conference
I often get into arguments with people about which is a better playoff: The NHL or the NBA. Obviously, everyone is biased with which sport they prefer, and sadly, most people don’t enjoy hockey. But after watching numerous great 1st-round series in the NHL, it is hard to argue.
In the East, we saw three upsets, with the biggest shocker coming when the Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadians coming back from 3-1 in the series to send Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals home very early. As a Ranger fan, it was nice to see the tides-turn, as the same happen to my Rangers against those very Caps just a year ago.
Halak was brilliant, making save after save against one of the most talented lineups I’ve ever seen.No one, and I mean no one, expected this series to end the way it did, proving that anything can happen in the NHL playoffs.
The other surprise wasn’t a surprise to me at all. The 7th Seed Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the 2nd seed New Jersey Devils. It has come somewhat of a tradition that the Devils will have a great regular season, only to crap-out come April. The Flyers flat out dominated.
The Boston Bruins upset the Buffalo Sabres, but in a series where the teams are in the same division, there really isn’t a clear-cut advantage. These two teams played six times this season, so it’s safe to say that they knew each other. I can’t remember which game it was, but the one that went to double-overtime was one of the most entertaining hockey games I’ve seen in my life. The Bruins just scored a few past Ryan Miller than the Sabres could against Tukka Rask. It was a ver entertaining series.
The final series went the way many thought it would, but just took a little longer. The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburg Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators. It came down to the Senators not being able to hold onto leads,and the Penguins just being too good. I was shocked that the Senators finished as high as they did (5th). Like the Bruins/Sabres series, they had a very entertaining triple-overtime game, but other than that, not much drama.
Check back tomorrow for a Western Conference recap.
