The great men's basketball coach at UCLA, John Wooden once said that, "Sports don't build character, they reveal it."
NHL playoffs this year? No exception!
Character is what is on trial in the NHL playoffs, not talent. The mentally strong survive, while the weak fade into oblivion.
Believe it or not, I have also seen some character being build this postseason, already.
The Washington Capitals have always looked good on paper, during the regular season, at the All Star Game Skills competition.
But somehow, not quite in the playoffs. All that could soon change.
With their 4-3 win this afternoon, right there in Boston, the Capitals are one win away from pulling off an upset of the defending Stanley Cup champions.
I guess the newest character is the most unlikeliest of them all, Branden Holtby.
All of 7 regular season games this year, to go along with 14 last year.
Now, granted, his career record is now 21, 14W / 4L / 3OTSOL / 2.02GAA / .929S% / 3 SO, but did anyone expect him to perform this well.
See, this is why the Capitals have struggled in the postseason, they've never had the goaltender who can steal series, or even one game for them in situations like this.
Holtby stats in this year's postseason, his first, are: 5, 3 / 2 / 1.86 / .946 / 0, shades of Jaraslav Halak two years ago. And he has everyone in the Caps locker room believing in themselves.
Goaltending is like that. You get into situations where you should have been scored on, but instead, because you weren't you feel like you've been given another chance. Like another chance at the other end.
And it's all over the playoffs.
Detroit has been the first team to lose. And they lost because of Pekke Rinne. How about Rinne's stats: (5, 4 / 1 / 1.81 / .944 / 0). Similar to Holtby, and the kind of stuff you need from your net man if you are going to beat a team like Detroit. And yes, I know Detroit had a worse record then Nashville, but lets face it, the pressure was on Rinne. He had to prove his league leading 43 wins and 1, 987 saves weren't and fluke. Just like getting the Preds to round two last year wasn't just by accident.
Clearly it wasn't.
Los Angeles has a chance to knock out Vancouver, having taken a 3-0 series lead (now down to 3-1) thanks to Jonathan Quick, who already posted a career high 3 playoff wins, almost as many as he won the last two playoffs combined.
Gotta start somewhere!
In addition to three wins, his GAA is 1.76 and his S% is .952. I suppose that's all just a matter of luck, right?
The series might not be over yet, as Corey Schneider, taking over for Roberto Luongo, leads all goaltenders with a GAA of 1.02 and .969 S% in two games.
Elliot and Halak (Hey, I though he was just a fluke after 2010) have San Jose down 3-1 and grasping for air. When is the last time you saw two goaltenders on the same team, bot with a GAA under 2 (1.51, 1.73) and S% around .950 (.944, .935)?
Craig Anderson has the Ottawa Senators (the 8th in the East) thinking upset. How about this: The Senators have never lead in any of the 4 games so far, yet have come out on time twice in overtime. The reason is, the Rangers, sans game 1, haven't ever been ahead by more than two goals at any point in this series. Anderson has been keeping the Senators in every game, game 2 onwards.
Phoenix has come out on top 3 times so far in overtime against Chicago, and amazingly, their only loss so far was at the same stanza. Here's honestly, how their three wins have gone, if we throw away game 3:
One goal lead, late in the game, Chicago ties it, Coyotes win it in overtime.
And their one loss, so far?
One goal lead, late in the game, Chicago ties it, wins it in overtime.
So as you can see, every single game has gone to overtime, which is also where you need goaltending. Mike Smith has faced more shots (164) and made more saves (154) than every other goaltender except Holtby, who has stopped 175 of 185 shots.
Scott Clemmensen's only previous postseason experience came back in the 2006 playoffs, all of 7 minutes for the Devils.
But this year, he has come back to haunt them.
Taking over for Jose Theodore (momentarily) he helped Florida to a 2-2 vice-like-deadlock with the Devils, picking up a key win in game 3.
And as for the Pens and Flyers, the first 4 games had no goaltending, but game 5, a 3-2 Penguins win, both Marc Andre Fleury and Ilya Brzygalov shined. Looks like that series is coming down to goaltening, after all!
Anyone surprised?
NHL playoffs this year? No exception!
Character is what is on trial in the NHL playoffs, not talent. The mentally strong survive, while the weak fade into oblivion.
Believe it or not, I have also seen some character being build this postseason, already.
The Washington Capitals have always looked good on paper, during the regular season, at the All Star Game Skills competition.
But somehow, not quite in the playoffs. All that could soon change.
With their 4-3 win this afternoon, right there in Boston, the Capitals are one win away from pulling off an upset of the defending Stanley Cup champions.
I guess the newest character is the most unlikeliest of them all, Branden Holtby.
All of 7 regular season games this year, to go along with 14 last year.
Now, granted, his career record is now 21, 14W / 4L / 3OTSOL / 2.02GAA / .929S% / 3 SO, but did anyone expect him to perform this well.
See, this is why the Capitals have struggled in the postseason, they've never had the goaltender who can steal series, or even one game for them in situations like this.
Holtby stats in this year's postseason, his first, are: 5, 3 / 2 / 1.86 / .946 / 0, shades of Jaraslav Halak two years ago. And he has everyone in the Caps locker room believing in themselves.
Goaltending is like that. You get into situations where you should have been scored on, but instead, because you weren't you feel like you've been given another chance. Like another chance at the other end.
And it's all over the playoffs.
Detroit has been the first team to lose. And they lost because of Pekke Rinne. How about Rinne's stats: (5, 4 / 1 / 1.81 / .944 / 0). Similar to Holtby, and the kind of stuff you need from your net man if you are going to beat a team like Detroit. And yes, I know Detroit had a worse record then Nashville, but lets face it, the pressure was on Rinne. He had to prove his league leading 43 wins and 1, 987 saves weren't and fluke. Just like getting the Preds to round two last year wasn't just by accident.
Clearly it wasn't.
Los Angeles has a chance to knock out Vancouver, having taken a 3-0 series lead (now down to 3-1) thanks to Jonathan Quick, who already posted a career high 3 playoff wins, almost as many as he won the last two playoffs combined.
Gotta start somewhere!
In addition to three wins, his GAA is 1.76 and his S% is .952. I suppose that's all just a matter of luck, right?
The series might not be over yet, as Corey Schneider, taking over for Roberto Luongo, leads all goaltenders with a GAA of 1.02 and .969 S% in two games.
Elliot and Halak (Hey, I though he was just a fluke after 2010) have San Jose down 3-1 and grasping for air. When is the last time you saw two goaltenders on the same team, bot with a GAA under 2 (1.51, 1.73) and S% around .950 (.944, .935)?
Craig Anderson has the Ottawa Senators (the 8th in the East) thinking upset. How about this: The Senators have never lead in any of the 4 games so far, yet have come out on time twice in overtime. The reason is, the Rangers, sans game 1, haven't ever been ahead by more than two goals at any point in this series. Anderson has been keeping the Senators in every game, game 2 onwards.
Phoenix has come out on top 3 times so far in overtime against Chicago, and amazingly, their only loss so far was at the same stanza. Here's honestly, how their three wins have gone, if we throw away game 3:
One goal lead, late in the game, Chicago ties it, Coyotes win it in overtime.
And their one loss, so far?
One goal lead, late in the game, Chicago ties it, wins it in overtime.
So as you can see, every single game has gone to overtime, which is also where you need goaltending. Mike Smith has faced more shots (164) and made more saves (154) than every other goaltender except Holtby, who has stopped 175 of 185 shots.
Scott Clemmensen's only previous postseason experience came back in the 2006 playoffs, all of 7 minutes for the Devils.
But this year, he has come back to haunt them.
Taking over for Jose Theodore (momentarily) he helped Florida to a 2-2 vice-like-deadlock with the Devils, picking up a key win in game 3.
And as for the Pens and Flyers, the first 4 games had no goaltending, but game 5, a 3-2 Penguins win, both Marc Andre Fleury and Ilya Brzygalov shined. Looks like that series is coming down to goaltening, after all!
Anyone surprised?
