Apr 04 2009
Today’s thoughts……….
- Prayers go out to the family and loved ones of former Sabre Taylor Pyatt of the Vancouver Canucks. Pyatt lost his fiancee in a car accident yesterday.
- Congrats to goaltender Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins……his perseverance and solid performances have earned him a contract extension with the Bruins. Terms have yet to be disclosed, but it’s nice to see Thomas finally get rewarded for persisting toward his goal of an NHL career even when he had to play in Europe to continue his career. The Bruins gave him a chance, and he took the reins - and now is regarded among the league’s better goalies.
- Today’s games between the Rangers and Bruins, and the Sabres and Devils, are two huge keys to the puzzle for the 8 spot in the East. If the Bruins win, and the Sabres defeat the Devils, then the Sabres actually control their destiny for the playoffs - win out and they are in. Pretty remarkable, considering where they’ve been the last few weeks. UPDATE: Thank you, Tim Thomas!!!! 1-0 Bruins win!
- Another key pair of games is out West, featuring the Blues against Dalas and the Predators taking on the Blue Jackets. St. Louis currently holds the 8 spot, with Nashville only a point behind. Meanwhile, the Jackets try to hold on to 6th and avoid a first round matchup with the Red Wings.
- The more I watch the Blues, the more I think this is a team that could be surprising and scary to the upper seeds if they can finish the job and get in. They’re young, hungry, and quite frankly have nothing to lose - no one expected them to be in this spot, so there’s no possible downside - just possibility to exceed expectations. That makes a team very loose, and very dangerous.
- Another team looking fairly dangerous in the West is the top seeded San Jose Sharks. Despite missing a host of players to injuries, they’ve won 7 of their last10 to put a virtual stranglehold on the top spot in the conference race. It looks like perhaps they’ve finally figured out the issues that have caused them to struggle down the stretch and in the playoffs in years past. If the Blues are in the 8 spot taking on San Jose in the first round, this could be one of the best playoff series to watch in years!
