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NHL Playoff Observations -- Wednesday

Just a few things that caught my eye:

  • The best trade that was never made. Yup. Roberto Luongo. Otherwise, Joe Cannata (yah, I don't know either) would have been in the blue paint tonight. Bobby Lou has something to prove and he'll carry this series. He'll also take the end of his composite and stick it up Alain Vignault's ...
  • OK, so the green men are one thing, but let's kill the knock-offs. The guys in Pittsburgh are frightening. Black tights with bright yellow suspenders that hold up bright yellow tutus? Men in bike shorts are bad enough ...
  • You know things are ugly when Wade Redden -- yes, Wade Redden -- gets a goal and an assist. It was his first multi-point playoff game in seven years.
  • The Isles were dominated. The Leafs were just plain schooled. There's a big difference. I wonder if the latter learns anything.
  • How playoff crazy are Maple Leafs' fans? Thousands packed Maple Leaf Square outside the Air Canada Centre to watch the first postseason game in just under a decade. One Toronto newspaper had 33 -- yes, 33 -- pages of hockey content on Monday. Wow. I can't even imagine what a parade would look like.
  • Hey -- Randy Carlyle. Stop overthinking things. Juggling your forward lines before the game made zero sense. Did you honestly believe putting Joffrey Lupul with Mikhail Grabovski would light a fire under the little Belarusian?
  • James Neal's injury looks bad. He was slashed on the wrist right before he caught a toe pick and torqued his lower leg/ankle. I wish I hadn't picked him in my playoff pool. Sigh.
  • I'm not easily grossed out, but Sidney Crosby's tongue issue is crazy. I knew he'd blown out a lot of teeth, but I had no idea (until tonight) that his tongue had been essentially ripped off his bottom jaw and the surgery was to reattach it. Shudder. He'll be back, but that's not something you mess with.
  • I've always liked Kevin Poulin, but I like him even more now. The guy has future between the pipes on the Island. Or Brooklyn. Wherever they play.
  • You might not like the Canucks, but there's something wonderful about the way the Canadian national anthem is handled in that arena. I always get goosebumps when the singer stops and the crowd carries it perfectly.
  • Dion Phaneuf looked lost out there. A captain can't play like that. Then again, he shouldn't be captain. But I digress.
  • Hey Leafs -- here's a little trick they teach kids learning defence. I thought you would have known this already. BLOCK THE PUCK OR GET OUT OF THE GOALIE'S WAY. Sorry about yelling there, but that's such a simple concept. James Reimer had no chance on most of those goals because you whussed out and weren't willing to pay the price. 
  • Welcome to the playoffs, John Tavares. Yes, that's a target on your back. And chest. And shoulder. And ankle. And ... you got the point (and the hack and the hit and the ...)
  • Brent Burns is a Sasquatchian power forward, but does he even qualify at D next year? Keeper leaguers beware. Twenty of his 30 games played came at wing. Then again, 17 of his 20 points came there, too.
  • I like the Orcas to eat the Sharks. Ooops, did I really type that? But watch for the situation in the face-off circle. The Sharks are second in the league in face-off wins and have something like six or seven guys who win more than they lose. The Canucks only have two guys who do the same and Henrik Sedin isn't one of the them.
  • Marty Havlat is hurt. Again. Nazem Kadri gave the puck away at the offensive blue line. Again. Did you know pigs can fly?