This week we will be talking about the western side of the playoffs.
We will start in the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks series.
Chicago advanced in this winning 4-1, really no contest. And if I were the Minnesota Wild, you’ve got to make changes.
I do not know if it is coaching, but your goaltending is fine. Two good goalies but their team just could not play against Chicago.
I know some people are saying, well, it is the Chicago Blackhawks. Not too many teams can beat them.
But if you go out and spend all this money on players, you should crack the top-4. But Minnesota finished eighth.
They brought it on themselves and, honestly, Chicago will have a lot of competition in the next round.
Now Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks.
In this series, Vancouver should be walking away with their heads down because you are known as a power-house in the league and you have got to win at least one game.
San Jose swept the series 4-0 and they are a little under-rated. But watch out for them, they will shock a lot of people.
Good goaltending and their offence is, and always has been, great. And they have a solid defence lead by Dan Boyle.
But in Vancouver changes have to be made. Like, come on, it’s obvious you guys will not trade goalie Roberto Luongo, so trade Cory Schneider.
You have been given two starters and you won't give one away for some depth or a second-line forward or defenceman?
The good years in Van city are over.
Now to the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings series.
There might have been only one better series so far, and that was the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders series in which Pittsburgh won.
Not much to say except it was hard-hitting and fast-paced, and ended in six games with L.A. winning 4-2.
Now this team has got to be on many teams’ radar because with all that experience, and hardly any changes, I’d watch out for these guys to win two consecutive cups.
And Jonathan Quick is back to almost where he was last year, so that is deadly in playoffs.
As I have said a lot, watch out for the Kings.
Now let’s go to Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks.
Going into this series, I thought Anaheim was going to run over Detroit in five games. But the series went seven games, and the reason why is probably Detroit’s experience. They remind me of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. They are old but always are a threat every year.
But the team that advanced just out-worked the other in the final game, and I was a little shocked. But not as much as Anaheim was after losing the deciding seventh game 3-2.
As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, no team should win the Cup that blows a three-goal lead in the third period. And as far as the Washington Capitals are concerned, no team should win a Stanley Cup that gets whipped 5-0 in a playoff game.
Next week we will talk more about the Eastern Conference.
