Niemi shined like the Stanley Cup; Halak was shellacked

Today is a glorious day for a Red Wings fan who just saw the Sharks lose game 1 to the Blackhawks.  Yes, I understand I should hate Chicago with all my heart, but this year I hate the Sharks.  Call it being a bad sport or being a sore loser…call it whatever you want, but I don’t want to see the Sharks win…ever!

Antti Niemi was a super star yesterday!  He had a career high 44 saves and shutdown the likes of Thornton, Marleau, and Pavelski.  The Sharks did manage to get a lot of shots through the defense which is an unsettling thought because the law of numbers states that eventually some of those shots will get through.  Note to the Blackhawks: start playing defense!

The Sharks were unable to capitalize on 5 power play opportunities which you can’t do in the WCF if you want to win.  The Sharks also had a lot of trouble keeping up with the speed of Chicago through the neutral zone.  Toews and Kane are like marsupials…they’re fast!

I would rather see Montreal win than Philly.  I really have nothing against Philly except one word…Pronger.  It is true, hockey players (and fans) hold grudges!

Philly kept the locomotive going scoring 6 goals chasing Halak to the locker room after 4.  After the timeout in game 7, the Flyers have 10 goals for and 0 against.  The Flyers controlled the game from start to finish and the Habs couldn’t get any sustained pressure.  The Habs would get 1 good scoring opportunity, but not a second or third.  I was thinking as I was watching the game that it’s not often a 7 seed has home ice advantage.

I hope the Blackhawks can keep the pedal down and the Canadiens can shake the loss.

PS. An “Original 6″ cup final would be pretty cool