Posted by Joy Russo
The second round begins Wednesday night and we're as pumped as you are to see how these new matchups play out. Here are a few things that will be on our radar as the playoffs wage on:
Sean Avery
We all found out in the first round that Ilya Kovalchuk is a big fan of the Rangers' gritty forward. And Avery had already started the smash talk before New York's second-round series against Buffalo got off the ground. "I'm going to hurt them. I'm going to hit them. I'm going to be in their face as much as I can," Avery told The New York Post in Tuesday's editions. "Each check is going to be a little bit harder." Oh my. Avery has been the team's spark plug since arriving from L.A. shortly before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. He's changed the Rangers' dynamic; he's drawing penalties; he's throwing opponents off their game and he's also scoring. Avery has been able to skate that fine line without crossing over it, and that'll need to continue versus the Sabres.
Octopi, meat … what's next?
We all know the long-standing tradition at The Joe -- fans toss the pregame octopus from the stands and someone is left to pick the slimy blob off the ice before the opening faceoff. In the past, we've seen rats; last season, we saw Albertan beef. So, what does this postseason hold? Outside of the literal garbage toss on Long Island, we're thinking fans should get a little creative. Buffalo wings at HSBC? Salmon at GM Place? Bring it, people!
Joe Thornton
Yes, the Sharks' star has yet to score a goal in the postseason, but does that automatically mean he's not effective? He still has six assists in five games and his size and strength can help wear down opponents. Case in point: the Nashville Predators, who fell victim to overpowering San Jose for the second straight postseason. We don't know how long it's going to take some fans to accept that Thornton is not going to be the rah-rah-Messier-type leader. He leads with his play and he will be an important part of the Sharks' attack versus the Detroit Red Wings.
Dominik Hasek
The Wings' goalie is still in one piece. Will that continue throughout the playoffs? Well, he's likely going to face a lot more shots against San Jose than he did versus Calgary in the conference quarterfinals. The Flames had 129 shots over six games; the Sharks compiled 163 shots over five games against the Preds. One might make the argument that Nashville's young defense is more porous than Detroit's, but San Jose has a plethora of firepower. It's something to keep an eye on. P.S. -- Let's hope we don't see any more "flops" in the crease. Coach Mike Babcock has our back on that one!
The bright lights of the playoffs
While Lord Stanley makes the rounds (the Holy Grail has been seen in many publicity shots on the sets of popular TV shows like "Heroes" and "CSI"), we're seeing the stars come out to the games. Snoop Dogg and part-hockey couple Jarret Stoll and model Rachel Hunter at Ducks tilts; Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins at The Garden; cardboard cutouts of Borat at Stars games (guess fans thought actor Sacha Baron Cohen resembled Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo? We think he looks like the dude from "Lost"). Who will show up during the second round?
Markus Naslund
Some critics have said Canucks captain Markus Naslund is playing a more defensive-style game this season, and that he's been effective. Still, when the Stars are posting three shutouts in one series, someone else has to put the puck in the net besides the Sedin twins. Naslund had a goal and an assist in Game 1 versus Dallas and was then held pointless for the rest of the series (seven games in all). We're big fans of Naslund, but his overall points total has been on a steady decline since his career-high 104-point season in 2002-03 (he's followed it with 84-, 79- and 60-point seasons without missing significant time over any of those campaigns). C'mon Markus, Vancouver needs you!
Jerseys
We always love a good jersey debate, but, really, was there a better sight than seeing the Canucks skate out in the blue retro stick jerseys in Monday's Game 7? There will be no comparison in the New York State series, unless the Sabres break out the ol' 1970s blue-and-yellow shirt. We can't really get into those new Nike-swoosh-like jerseys, unless, of course, you mix in a little Melrose with your emblem:
We couldn't resist bringing that fan photo back. On that note, enjoy the games, puckheads!
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