Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 13

The opening round of the Western Conference playoffs was settled Monday night. The #1 overall seed in the NHL went down, and a team advanced for the first time in 13 years.


CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 4, CALGARY FLAMES 1
***Blackhawks win series 4-2***
Nikolai Khabibhulin had a bit of a resurrection in this series. He stopped 43 shots in this one. The Blackhawks played the 1st period with confidence. The Flames were lost, without a plan, without direction. Chicago went up 2-0 in the 1st, and that was it.

The Blackhawks advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1996. As much as I like Calgary, and even though the C's are playing the Bulls, I'm glad Chicago won. It's good for hockey. It's the 3rd largest market in the country, and hockey is an afterthought there. Hopefully this will help make hockey a part of Chicago, and make Chicago a part of hockey.



ANAHEIM DUCKS 4, SAN JOSE SHARKS 1
***Ducks win series 4-2***
A few lucky breaks for Anaheim, but the Sharks let these breaks kill them. The final 10 minutes of this game didn't see an intense San Jose team desperately trying to score. They skated slow, hit softly, gave up the puck, and even let the Ducks score a goal. They looked like the Canadiens looked near the end of Game 4.

Jonas Hiller stopped 36 of 37 shots he faced. And now he'll get to see what it's like to play Detroit.

Ryan Getzlaf had himself a Gordie How hat-trick (goal, assist, and a fight), a rarity in playoff hockey.

Bye-bye, Joe Thornton.

In celebration of the Ducks' win, here's Marguerite Moreau, who played Connie in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and is now kind of cute:





QUACK! QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!



Western Conference Semifinal Match-ups:
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks
#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks

Full preview coming up when the Eastern Conference sorts itself out.

Tuesday's games:
7:00 PM - Rangers @ Capitals (series tied 3-3) - Vs.
7:30 PM - Hurricanes @ Devils (series tied 3-3)

-The Commodore