FLIN FLON SAKATCHEWAN – We’ve got a couple of good conference finals in the NHL going on right now. The Ottawa Senators hold a 2-1 lead in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins after Wednesday’s 5-1 rout. The Senators are picking up where they left off against the Rangers with stout defensive play, good goaltending, and timely scoring.
A win tonight for the Sens in Ottawa will give them a commanding 3-1 lead heading back to Pittsburgh for game 5. The Pens will try to get back on track after things went a bit squiffy for them Wednesday night. It remains to be seen who the Penguins will go with in goal tonight. Will it be Marc-Andre “Red Light” Fleury? Or Matt “El Matador” Murray. I’m thinking it will be Fleury to start on a very short leash. Any signs of trouble and Murray will be in.
Sidney Crosby recovered from his concussion in the Pens’ series against the Caps and is playing. But he has been ineffective against the Senators. It’s probably a mix of Sid not being at 100% and the Senators excellent defensive play. I don’t see Pittsburgh advancing if Crosby doesn’t get going. And I’m ok with that.
Out west the Predators and Ducks are knotted at two after Anaheim’s OT winner last night. In the first year after the shocking trade of Shea Weber for PK Subban, the Preds find themselves two games away from making it to their first Stanley Cup Final. I’m rooting for Nashville. It’ll be good to see some new blood in the Final. Nobody outside of Orange County and Western Pennsylvania wants to see a Ducks-Pens final.
A Senators – Predators final is very appealing. The original Ottawa Senators won 11 Stanley Cups back before the FDR administration. This version of the Sens hasn’t had much success other than a Eastern Conference Championship and a Finals loss to the Ducks in 2007. The Preds haven’t been there in the franchise’s 20-year history.
Now, for a brief moment lets talk about the New York Knickerbockers. They can’t win for losing. As Buddy Diaz put it yesterday, the franchise is cursed. Or the basketball gods just hate the franchise. It starts with ownership at the top. There are a lot of deadbeat owners in the sports world who only care about lining their own pockets. But at least they don’t do it under the guise of trying to win.
James Dolan cares nothing about the Knicks winning. He’s done nothing but turn a circus into an even bigger circus. I didn’t think things could get any worse than the Isiah Thomas years. But Phil Jackson seems set on ensuring that nothing goes smoothly and the Knicks keep losing. Now they have the 8th pick in the draft after getting the high hard one in the draft lottery. I’ve been a Knicks fan on the periphery for the last decade and a half. And I think I’ll stay away for awhile longer. I’m not coming back until there’s a change in ownership.
Thats it for me today. Come back tomorrow for Junoir Blaber.
