I predicted that this would happen.
I told you at the beginning of the playoffs that I thought that Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens were the team that I thought was best qualified, most well-equipped to eliminate the big, bad, Boston Bruins.
I was right.
Price made 29 saves on 30 shots faced in Game 7 in Boston on Wednesday night. He was a brick wall for his team in all seven games of the Boston series. Price is now 25-7-1 since January, and that doesn't include his gold medal winning heroics for Team Canada at the Sochi Olympics in February.
Price was one the heroes for the Habs in the Boston series, as was PK Subban who has taken his overall game to a new level right before our very eyes. Subban's seven points in seven games against Boston was very imprressive. How about Dales Weise, who scored three huge goals and provided the coarse sandpaper all series long.
Then there's Danny Briere, who stole the spotlight away from Price in the win-or-go-home Game 7. Briere assist on Weise’s opening goal and scored a beauty of an insurance goal.
Thanks, CBC
Briere is now ranked #5 on the NHL's active playoff scoring leaderboard. Danny now has 115 points in 118 career playoff games. Money player, Briere is. Why the Hell did Mike Therrien scratch Briere in Game 5? Whatever. Briere now has accumulated six points in the five career Game 7s that he has participated in, the most of any player in the Habs’ dressing room
The Canadiens aren't heading back to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2010. Philadelphia Flyers beat them in five games in 2010. Its the Canadiens vs. Rangers for the 15th time in the playoffs, the first meeting between the Original Six clubs since 1996.
We will be treated to a goaltending seminar when Price meets Henrik Lundqvist. You'll recall that Price won the Olympic in Sochi. Price and Canada won that game with a 24-save, 3-0 shutout against Sweden's Lundqvist.
Price improved to 2-1 with a 1.62 GAA, .944 save % and 1 shutout in three career Game 7s, all vs. Boston.
Price praised his teammates to Scott Oake on HNIC after his Game 7 victory
Thanks, CBC __________________________________________________________________________
PK Subban told his buddy Pierre after Game 6 in Montreal that he wanted to go into Boston for Game 7 and silence the Bruins' loyal fans. He also said that he wanted to stand tall at center ice after Game 7.
PK got his wishes, then planted a wet on Pierre after the interview had concluded.
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The San Jose Sharks were built to make a deep playoff run this spring. Instead of playing for a Stanley Cup, they are sitting at home watching the games on TV.
The Sharks were harpooned out of the payoffs in round one by LA Kings.
For the past few weeks we've been hearing speculation about the possibility of Wilson and McClellan being fired.
On Wednesday, Sharks ownership gave its vote of confidence to incumbent GM Doug Wilson, and head coach Todd McClellan and his coaching staff. Wilson presented a recommended plan of correction to Sharks ownership and it was accepted.
The GM is safe. The head coach and his staff are safe. The players are not safe.
San Jose Sharks majority owner Hasso Plattner today released the following statement:
“I am very disappointed in the way our team finished the 2013-14 season. Gaining a 3-0 series advantage and being unable to advance is a major blow to our organization and fan base. Our teams have been consistently built to go deep into the playoffs and this goal won't change.Doug Wilson and I have met over the past two weeks. He has shared his support of the coaching staff, as well as his recommended changes to our team’s roster, and he has my complete support moving forward.
I want to thank our extremely loyal fans and partners for their continued support and to let them know that we are not satisfied with the status quo of the last several seasons.
I am confident that with the proposed changes, Doug and his staff will build a team we can all be proud of".
Neither Plattner nor Wilson would name names, but if I'm Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, or Dan Boyle I'm listening intently because it sounds like a radical change is coming to the Sharks and their veteran core. Much like the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sharks have veteran leaders who perform miracles in the regular season then puke in the postseason when it really matters.
Wilson is said to be looking to make a blockbuster, culture-changing trade, or two to get his team into the habit of playing in the third and fourth rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. If and trades involve the Sharks' core players, Wilson will have to contend with no-movement or no-trade contracts.
I'm expecting many big name players to be on the trading block at the NHL draft. With a hard salary cap, its not easy to afford all of your core, star players. Look at Pittsburgh. Sid, Geno, Fleury, Orpik, Neal, Letang and the Penguins choked away a 3-1 series lead and were punted out of the second round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers. At least the Pens git out of the first round. The St. Louis Blues didn't. Hell, the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs didn't even make the playoffs.
Big changes are coming to San Jose. With young guns like Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Tommy Wingels, and Marc Edouard-Vlasic and others coming of age in the past two seasons, now might be the right time to move veterans in exchange for young stars and high draft choices.
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