Last year only the only Canadian representative in the NHL playoffs was Montreal, this season will see at least three, likely 4, and possibly 5 Canadian teams in the playoffs. Five of seven is pretty remarkable...but more than that, the four teams new teams are all truly great stories.
On the Sens... This is a team who has been taken for dead so many times, and last night, trailing 3-0 after 1, the obits were already being written. And then they took over, and had it not been for Mark Andre Fleury last night the Sens would have won in regulation. And today it is anyone's game...Mark Stone deserves SERIOUS Calder consideration. He gets my vote.
On the Flames... The Flames are 6-2-2 in their last ten and a +27 in goal differential and more than that have found ways to win games all year they had no right winning. Anyone who would have said they would have seen the Flames season coming down to a chance to clinch the playoffs tomorrow night in a one off game against the LA Kings would have been thought insane. But that is the reality and you have to like the Flames chances.
On the Jets... Given the injuries, the suspensions and more the Jets might be the most unlikely team to be in their position of all...and despite their remarkable season not many believed they would be able to beat the Blues last night...and yet they did. The biggest question mark going into the season was goaltending and the Jets have had unbelievable goaltending...No one wants to play them in the playoffs.
On the Canucks... Maybe the most under-rated coaching job in the NHL has taken place in Vancouver. Desjardins has turned this team completely around from where they were a year ago. And despite the injury to Miller the Canucks are in the playoffs already.
We will discuss all this and more today on the HockeyBuzzCast at 1pm