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They don't ask how. They ask how many.
The Montreal Canadiens made short work of the Tampa Lightining by blowing them out of the first round of the playoffs four games to none.
Max Pacioretty scored his first career NHL playoff goal, a PPG in the final minutes of regulation in a 3-3 tied game. It was Pacioretty's first of the 2014 post season. Former Buffalo Sabres sniper Thomas Vanek camped out in the high slot and threw a pass to his line mate Pacioretty who beat Kirsters Gudlevskis for the series winning goal.
The Lightning sorely missed their starting goalie Ben Bishop for the entire series. Anders Lindback was yanked in the second period of Game 4, and was replaced by Latvian Olympic legend Kristers Gudlevskis, who made big saves to keep his team in the game. The Lightning erased a two-goal deficit to tie the game at 3s late in regulation time.
The Lightning collected 101 points during the regular season. Getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Canadiens is certainly not something that they were looking forward to.
The Canadiens now wait for the winner of the Boston-Detroit series.
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Matt Cooke is in a heap of trouble. As he awaits his face to face meeting with Stephane Quintal, newly-minted NHL Czar of Discipline, at NHL offices in Manhattan, we debate the length of Cooke’s suspension. This will be Quintal's first official disciplinary hearing in his new job. Last week, former disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan left the NHL to be the new President of Hockey Operations in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Quintal has the opportunity to throw the book at Cooke and get the attention of all of the players in the NHL.
Cooke’s a repeat offender. He’s been down this road before. He knew what he was doing when he crushed Tyson Barrie’s knee. It wasn’t an accident. Now, the Avs’ best offensive D is laid up for the next 4-6 weeks with and major knee injury. Years ago, Cooke was warned about his reckless ways. He can’t say that he wasn’t warned time and time again. If I’m Quintal, I’m handing Cooke a 15 game suspension for abusing the privilege of playing in the NHL.
Don Cherry said vehemently on “Coach’s Corner… after the first period of Monday’s Montreal-Tampa game that wants to see Cooke suspended for 20 games. Grapes cited the Dale Hunter ban from days gone by when the Caps’ tough guy freight-trained NY Islanders center Sneaky Pete Turgeon in the 1993 NHL Playoffs.
We can all agree that Cooke deserves a long term suspension. Twenty games seems a bit much to me. How about you?