Goalkeepers win playoff series. Yes, you need to play defence in front of them and yes, you need to score. But without a solid effert in net, advancing in the NHL playoffs doesn't happen often. The Ducks credit their keeper in the series over Detroit and I bet the Lightning feel the same way. Nikolai Khabibulin out dueled Olie the goalie and minnie mite Martan St. Louis scored his third game winning goal in the third OT giving the Bolts their first ever playoff series win.
I am reading about some of the penalties called in that series.....I saw some bad calls with my own eyes so I don't doubt what the Cap players are saying. However, once a call is made you have to kill it off. By all rights, St. Loius should have been awarded a penalty shot in the first OT. Lets take a quick look at the papers from FLA and Washington......
Tampa Bay Online - ``It was our game to win because of Habby,'' defenseman Dan Boyle said. ``It just felt like nothing was going to get by him.''
St. Pete Times - Khabibulin was blinding, brilliant, breathtaking and, because of it, the Lighting finally beat the Caps 2-1 in triple overtime. Yeah, yeah. Washington has a history of gagging in the playoffs, but if the Caps choked this time, let it be noted it was because Khabibulin had his hands around their throats.
Washington Post - "Things just happen, I don't know why," Kolzig said. "Why haven't the Red Sox won the World Series in how many years? For some reason every series there is something that we can't control that happens and seems to turn the series around for the opposition. Things just happen."
More Washington Post - "It's incredibly disappointing to have 14,000 people in the building for the final playoff game," Leonsis said. "So I think the market has spoken and I have some real re-evaluating to do on the kind of investments we're going to make in the team, because the city didn't respond. You cannot have a playoff game with 14,000 people with the kind of marketing and consumer focus that we've had."
Washington Times - And the Caps go on vacation. Washington's season ended on Easter Sunday with an overtime loss, the same way it ended in 1987 when it lost to the New York Islanders 3-2 in the fourth overtime at 1:58 Easter Sunday morning.
TSN gives us the wrap up on the 'Nucks win over the Blues to extend that series to seven games. I'll be tuning in for that one fer sure. I'd imagine that the crowd in Vancouver will be up for this game on Tuesday night.
You can get all the playoff news right here at TSN.
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Posted by Bird at April 21, 2003 11:05 AMeMail this entry!
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