Whale Of A Game!

Just finished watching "the game" (Leafs vs Habs, game 82 for each) and it was exciting from start to finish! I had half-expected the game to be tied in the dying minutes such that the Leafs, who needed a regulation win to have any chance of a playoff berth, would have to pull their goalie in a tied game! That would've been something to see, but as it turned out, the Leafs managed to defend their 6-5 lead all the way to the final buzzer! The game featured a four goal burst by the Canadiens, changing a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead, and then a three goal onslaught by the Leafs to grab the lead for good, at 6-5. I couldn't help but enjoy the looks on the Habs faces as their hopes of a post-season vanished during the final seconds of a game they'd looked like they had under control in the 2nd period. The Leafs now have to sit and watch tomorrow afternoon's Devils/Isles game, and pray for an Islanders loss of any variety (regulation, overtime or shootout). And Buffalo, like Toronto, will have to wait for that game to finish before they'll know who they'll be playing in Round 1 next week. (And did anyone else have a black screen on the CBC-HD channel tonight? I was all set to watch the game in High Definition but the channel was black all evening! Talk about bad timing!)

Meanwhile, in the battle for 6th place in the East, the Rangers came up a goal short against the Pens, as they have three other times this year. Since it was a regulation loss (2-1), they couldn't clinch the 6th position on their own (a single point would've done it). However, around the same time the bell rang on that game, Atlanta beat Tampa Bay in a shootout, and thereby kept the Lightning from catching the Broadway Blueshirts. That means it's the Rangers (6th) against the Thrashers (3rd), which is probably no better than having to face the Devils, but at least it won't be back-to-back first round embarrassments at the hands of New Jersey. It's also kind of interesting that, by winning that shootout, Atlanta determined their own first round adversaries. Had they "thrown" the shootout, in fact, they'd have been setting themselves up to play that self-same Lightning squad! Instead, Tampa Bay will face New Jersey, and Ottawa, with the home ice advantage, will play those nasty Penguins.

In the West, everything's set except for the 8th team, which is currently Calgary, but Colorado can still catch them. Calgary's needed a single win to clinch for a few games now, but haven't been able to get it, while Colorado's done nothing but win. Tonight, the Flames host the hapless Oilers - one win in their last 19 games, I think I heard? - while the Avalanche face the high-powered Predators. But if the recent pattern (Calgary loss, Colorado win) continues for one more night, then the two contending teams finish out their seasons tomorrow, head-to-head! Could be another huge game, if it comes to that. Whoever grabs the # 8 slot draws the Red Wings next week (gulp!) Already set up for 1st Round series are Anaheim/Minnesota (yawn), Vancouver/Dallas (should be excellent), and Nashville/San Jose (hard to say, although SJ was fun to watch last playoffs).

[Update: Colorado finally ran out of gas against Nashville, losing 4-2. So we've got a confirmed 3rd Canadian team in the 2007 playoffs in Calgary, with Toronto's fate still undecided.]

All in all, it's been - and continues to be - a fascinating and exciting finish to the 2006/07 NHL season, for fans across North America.