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Playoff Observations -- Sunday

Written by

Published on May 3, 2009

Just a few things that caught my eye:

Ryan Getzlaf plays the way Joe Thornton should. Supreme playmaker who actually knows how to play the wall, use his body and crash the net. Joe, are you watching? Review some video, big boy.

Thank the hockey gods now that the Anaheim-Detroit game wasn't on Saturday afternoon. We would have had another NBC-Versus Kentucky Derby debacle. Mind you, the Derby would have been a welcome relief today -- the hockey largely sucked in those extra frames. Time for a switch to four-on-four? Not such a blasphemous idea now, eh?

Conn Smythe was at it again in Boston. The sparkle off Cam Ward's many saves must have blinded those brown bears. And here I thought bears liked shiny things. Oh right. I confused them with crows.

Game one went to Zdeno Chara; game two went to Eric Staal. The latter isn't backing down from the match-up; in fact, he thrived on it Sunday.

Did some other team don the winged wheels and play dump-and-chase today? I kept looking for someone -- anyone -- to carry the puck into the zone. They even dumped it in on the power play. Are they that scared of the quackers?

Markus Naslund is taking his blankie and his soother back to Sweden with him. Couldn't see this one coming? When is someone going to realize Glen Sather can't manage his way out of a partially-degraded compost bin liner? Slats and his trademark smirk got a HOF builder plaque on the back of Wayne Gretzky -- and has done nothing since.

Hisses to the TSN commentators who told viewers that Eric Cole's assist today was his first playoff point since 2001-2002. They failed to remind us of Cole's devastating injury during the team's 2006 Cup run. Now those who are just getting to know the game think the guy is a big putz. He's really struggling but he's no putz.

Steven Stamkos is ripping opponents at the World Championships overseas. The 19-year-old got his sixth goal today and now leads all goal scorers in the tourney. Thank the hockey gods again that the debacle in Tampa Bay hasn't forever scarred this young stud.

Yes, Chris Pronger has seven points in eight playoff games but he's looking really, really old. He hasn't just lost a step, it's a whole stride. Maybe it's that awkward, upright skating style; you know, the one that makes it look like he's got a pole up his...

Chad LaRose. I keep telling you. His middle name is Johan. Second in team scoring...