Just a few things that caught my eye:
- Gale-force winds swept through Newark tonight. It was a quick storm; 48 seconds long, in fact. Wind direction? From the right circle through the crease. New Jersey's world was shattered with a mere1:20 left. Just when you think you're home free, a hurricane can change your future in a blink of an eye. One word -- WOW!
- Was the pilot light completely out in Washington in the first 20 minutes? No spark, no nothing -- the Caps got damn lucky.
- Chris Clark looks like he never missed a game let alone 50 -- that's leadership.
- Chad LaRose. I'm telling you -- maybe he's the next... John Druce.
- Jussi Jokinen -- waived in Tampa Bay of all places; scoring important goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs in Carolina. Those Lightning really are screwed up.
- Effigies of Joe Thornton are burning in all 30 NHL cities, not just San Jose. The big twit ducked reporters after last night's game and sat pouting on the bus while his teammates stood before the mikes to explain the series loss. He's not wanted at home and after that stunt (remember, it isn't the first time), no city that's serious about playoff success wants him, either. Spit. And he's such a nice guy. Double-spit.
- Sergei Fedorov -- the epitomy of a winner. Brings it when he has to. So does Eric Staal.
- Nikolai Zherdev was probably the third-most talented player on the ice tonight (Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin were one-two with Niklas Backstrom a close fourth). But he wasn't even Alexei Kovalev-like. At least Kovalev turns on the switch when he wants to. Zherdev doesn't give a crap -- his heart is three sizes too small.