By Kat
Readers of this blog will remember my predictions for Round One of the NHL playoffs, and are probably shaking their heads as I am with how the 2012 quarterfinals have played out thus far. Over the course of last week, teams that many pundits predicted to go deep into the playoffs now find themselves packing their lockers or staring elimination in the face. Read More
by Kat
New York Rangers (4) – Ottawa Senators (2)
(Photo: The Star)
The Ottawa Senators might be the lovable upstarts in this year’s playoffs, but a rude awakening awaited them at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. Despite the Senators dominance of the Rangers during the regular season – goalie Craig Anderson had a perfect record at MSG – there was little carryover on this night, with the Rangers leading 4-0 three minutes into the third period. While the Senators eventually managed to muster two goals on Henrik Lundqvist later in the third, it was too little too late. Rangers captain Ryan Callahan had the Garden crowd serenading his name, as he laid hard hits on Ottawa’s Jesse Winchester and Matt Gilroy late in the first period soon after scoring the game’s first goal.
It may only be Game 1, but the Senators will have to muster a much better effort Saturday night if they have any hope of staying in this series. The two teams play tomorrow at Madison Square Garden before shifting playoff hockey returns to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. Read More
By Kat
We’re just one more sleep away from the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the start of another two months of hockey drama. Last year’s playoffs were laden with rivalries, upsets, near-comebacks and Game 7s for the ages; parity in the league has only grown since then, so I would nothing less than the excitement from last year to repeat itself. Read More