Sunday night NHL hockey had very little to do with the race of making the playoffs. It was hockey between teams that are already in and the ones that won't make it this season. It doesn't mean the round didn't have all the intensity, at least in some games.
There were some meaningless, spiritless teams out there, but there was also a chance to take the mental upper hand over the rivals that will stand between you and the cup.
One epic matchup was between Flyers and Penguins, leaving Philly with two points and loads of bad blood for the next game. These two are bound to meet in the first round of playoffs and will still fight for the home ice for the rest of the regular season. One of the toughest bouts in the first round for sure.
Also Boston Bruins landed a statement, beating league leading New York Rangers on a game that may represent the East finals this year. Tight game, but a win is a win.
Near the bubble line, Florida Panthers padded their division lead with another one point performance. They've racked up 17 overtime losses, which is by far the most by any team heading for the postseason. Is it Panthers' resiliency that salvages points in almost lost games or their lack of spirit to go for the victories in overtime, who knows. One thing is for sure and that is the fact that in the postseason, you don't get anything for overtime losses. Now good for a team with Florida's record.
Showing posts with label overtime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overtime. Show all posts
2012/03/27
Playoff race - Mar 27 - No more extra points
Monday night's results were special; none of the playoff bubble teams made it to the overtime. Hence, no extra points were given and there was a clear distinction between winners and losers. It doesn't change the fact that West is still packed.
Big time winners last night were San Jose Sharks. After extended struggles, they managed to pull off a solid effort against desperate Colorado Avalanche. With a win in that game, they were rewarded with a number three seed in the West and have the position at the end of the regular season in their own hands. The sudden switch came in expense of Dallas Stars, who didn't manage to finish off Calgary Flames in their back-to-back contest. Flames still hang on thin hopes of late rush to the playoffs. Dallas has a decent position to stay in the last seeds or push back for the division lead.
Biggest losers of the round were Winnipeg Jets, who were basically eliminated for good by Ottawa Senators. Not far behind sit the Colorado Avalanche, who now have to wait and see where the competition gets with two extra games in hand. In the worst case the Avs will find themselves three to four points below playoff line when games are even. Also the Los Angeles Kings had to settle for a tough loss, again after a solid defensive effort. 1-0 soccer score victory for Vancover sends the Kings out of the top eight for now.
Big time winners last night were San Jose Sharks. After extended struggles, they managed to pull off a solid effort against desperate Colorado Avalanche. With a win in that game, they were rewarded with a number three seed in the West and have the position at the end of the regular season in their own hands. The sudden switch came in expense of Dallas Stars, who didn't manage to finish off Calgary Flames in their back-to-back contest. Flames still hang on thin hopes of late rush to the playoffs. Dallas has a decent position to stay in the last seeds or push back for the division lead.
Biggest losers of the round were Winnipeg Jets, who were basically eliminated for good by Ottawa Senators. Not far behind sit the Colorado Avalanche, who now have to wait and see where the competition gets with two extra games in hand. In the worst case the Avs will find themselves three to four points below playoff line when games are even. Also the Los Angeles Kings had to settle for a tough loss, again after a solid defensive effort. 1-0 soccer score victory for Vancover sends the Kings out of the top eight for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
