The first week of the NHL postseason has been about as unpredictable as anyone could imagine, even in a sport where upsets are the norm, home-ice advantage is often meaningless and a hot goaltender can overshadow everything else that’s happening.
Perennial Stanley Cup favorite Chicago is down three games to none against Nashville and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals trail Toronto 2-1 in their first-round series, but that’s only part of the story. Seven of the first 24 games have featured a blown lead of two goals or more, 11 have gone to overtime and winning goals have come from some of the unlikeliest of sources.
“It’s harder to go to bed, I can tell you that — you want to watch the end of the games and when they last too long it’s a short night,” Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher said. I’ve been saying it all year: Just get in those playoffs. Home ice don’t mean a thing. It doesn’t matter who you play, everybody has a chance against everybody.
Hockey fans had a long night Monday as all four games went to OT for only the third time in NHL history and first time since 1985, including the Blackhawks and Capitals blowing two-goal leads to sow more seeds of doubt and give the Predators and Maple Leafs a jolt of confidence.
“Our guys think they’re a good hockey team, and they’re playing a good hockey team,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. “But I think you gain respect for yourself in the process and you start believing that maybe you can do this.”
The Blackhawks’ core has three Stanley Cups in the past seven years and a lot experience to lean on. Washington only has playoff disappointments in the rearview mirror, and panic is starting to set in about another early exit.
The Capitals were heavy favorites to beat the young Maple Leafs, but it hasn’t looked like it as all three games so far have gone to overtime.
“It’s a lot closer match than people let on,” coach Barry Trotz said after losing Game 3 in Toronto. “It’s not David and Goliath.”
Defending Cup champion Pittsburgh against Columbus looked like a close matchup on paper but hasn’t been as the Penguins are up 3-0 and Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, has a 3.49 goals-against average and league-worst .897 save percentage through his first three games of the playoffs after finishing first in the regular season (2.06 GAA, .931 save percentage).
Some of the biggest goals around the playoffs so far have come from surprising players, too, from Zack Kassian scoring two game-winning goals for the Edmonton Oilers to put them up 2-1 the San Jose Sharks to Tanner Glass having a game-winner for the New York Rangers.
STEPHEN WHYNO