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NHL Playoff Observations -- Game 2 Friday

Just a few things that caught my eye:

  • Kris Russell is to Dustin Byfuglien as, well, Kris Russell is to Dustin Byfuglien. That attempted beheading of Nick Bonino is eerily similar to Big Buff's cross check to J.T. Miller's head. Will it be a double standard when Russell isn't suspended? You betcha.
  • One-two-three-four-five-SIX. If it was easy for me to count Hawks on Patrick Kane's goal, then ...

  • No Shea Weber? No problem ... so far. Roman Josi is massively underrated and Mattias Ekholm is the best two-way defender none of us knew. Until now, that is.
  • I'm not sure why, but the Chia Pet jingle popped into my head when I heard the radio call of Jason Chimera's game winner. Cha-cha-cha-CHIMERA would have worked soooo well on radio.
  • Get this -- Molson Canadian is putting turn-your-finger-green cheapie NHL rings in its two-fours of bottles. #anythingforhockey should be #anythingforbeersales because there are idiots who'll actually go looking for one of those things.
  • Joel Quenneville absolutely loves -- no, LOVES -- Scott Darling. Has he finally found his excuse, I mean reason, to shed himself of Corey Crawford?
  • Three points, including a goal. That was Nicklas Backstrom's best playoff performance since the Caps' heart-breaking first-round loss to the Habs in 2009-10. And the Caps have only missed the playoffs once since then. #noexcuses.
  • Speaking of Corey Crawford: who would you want in the net -- Crawford or Ben Bishop? Yikes.
  • Did Eddie Lack think he was at an amime convention? He sure looked surprised -- and then mighty unhappy -- with that fur pile that formed in his crease in the second.
  • Carey Price -- when you're good, you're also damn lucky, too. Miss a poke check, save the day with an outstretched big toe. Impressive.
  • If I had a rocket launcher, I'd make somebody pay. Maybe P.K. Subban pumped himself up with a Bruce Cockburn mix before the game. What a freaking shot.
  • Braden Holtby. If I've told you once, I've told you a dozen times -- DO NOT eat the black bean wraps from Starbucks. The result is the same -- it's either naturally caused or a nasty enteric infection. Yuck.
  • Is Calgary-Vancouver the new War of the West? Can you imagine how much worse this series would be if Torts was still behind the bench? Line brawls don't happen often in the postseason, but they're doozies when they do.
  • Pet peeve of the day -- get rid of those UGLY flat-brim ball caps and especially for post-game interviews. I'll quote the BroBible: "If you're still wearing a Flat Brimmed New Era hat, there's a good chance you still have a Limp Bizkit CD in your car. C'mon dude. Seriously? ... It's (so) 2013, bro."