So will it be considered an upset if the Anaheim Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks in their first round series?
By definition yes, because San Jose finished first overall during the regular season and had the best home record, while Anaheim wa a playoff bubble team until the final month and didn't secure the final West seed until the last weekend of the schedule. But looking at where the teams are right now in terms of momentum, make up and maturity, it's not really fair to suggest the Ducks are any less worthy of moving forward than the Sharks.
Especially with Anaheim going home leading the series two games to none and playing the kind of hockey that made the Ducks one of the league's best and most intimidating teams down the stretch.
San Jose wasn't nearly as good at the end after running away with their division, although the games in this series have been as close as might be expected between two bitter rivals who are big, physical and have great goaltending to go along with some high powered offensive talents. But what seems to be separating them now is the intangible edge Anaheim gets from knowing what it takes and finds a way to win at this time of year. Many of the Ducks from the 2007 Stanley Cup team are still around, an experience that the Sharks, who are developing a reputation as chronic post season underachievers, can't match.
And so far that has hurt San Jose, who seem to be once again buckling under the pressure of expectations. The Sharks have yet to hold a lead despite going against a playoff rookie goalie and having all the benefits of home ice advantage, and worse, San Jose has let Anaheim get away with its rough edged style by failing to score on 12 power play attempts.
You can't win at playoff time that way, but then again, the Sharks really can't seem to win at playoff time no matter what. In other words, the only real sense of upset right about now should be in the pits of their stomachs.
In other games today, the New Jersey Devils were missing captain Jamie Langenbrunner, but found out it is still possible to win meaningful games in Carolina and even to beat the Hurricanes in overtime. Carolina had 12 wins in a row at the RBC Center and clinched its playoff spot before dropping the season finale against a non playoff team, and came into this one having taken the last five playoff overtime games between the two teams.
None of that mattered though because Zach Parise picked up his third goal in as many games and added a big assist on Travis Zajac's overtime winner. Parise, who will get some MVP votes after his 45 goal regular season, has been the individual star of this series. And he has outplayed Carolina's best Eric Staal by a wide margin.
Meanwhile in St. Louis, the Vancouver Canucks added insult to injury, beating the home at its own game as they pushed the Blues to the brink of elimination.
St. Louis rode the hot play of goalie Chris Mason to its surprising playoff spot, but the Blues came into this series against the favored Canucks counting on a big effort from their special teams, which were among the league leaders. That was presumably the Blues big edge, but the power play, ranked eighth this season, came up empty six times including twice on two man advantages in Game 3, while the Canucks 17th ranked power play scored all three of Vancouver's goals agaisnt the third ranked St. Louis penalty killing unit.
The Flyers special teams did their job well earlier in Philadelphia, where the home team fed off an energetic crowd and played its most complete game in weeks to get back in the series with Pittsburgh.
The Flyers had the quick start they needed with goals from Jeff Carter and Mike Richards before the game was six minutes old, and it sparked a solid team effort in a must win situation. But ultimately Philadelphia came out on top because it won more puck battles and created better offensive pressure than the Penguins, whose goalie Marc Andre Fleury didn't have his best day.
Still, with contributions from Carter and Richards being offset by Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the big difference turned out to be the Flyers third line, which dominated the same unit of the Penguins and was involved in three Philly goals.
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