It was a busy Saturday in the NHL, with three games on the schedule and a bunch of news.
We’re getting close to the conference finals, but even the teams leading their series aren’t in the clear yet.
Here are five things we learned Saturday.
THE SAN JOSE SHARKS NEARLY MADE A HUGE MISTAKE
Just two years ago, the San Jose Sharks were famously “reverse swept” by the Los Angeles Kings, blowing a 3-0 series lead. Last year, San Jose didn’t even make the playoffs.
During that time, the front office sure seemed interested in moving at least Joe Thornton, and perhaps Patrick Marleau too. The captaincy was stripped and the team wanted the younger group of Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns to take on more of a leadership role to move the franchise into a new era.
Had they made some of the wild moves that were being rumoured, it’s hard to see the Sharks where they are right now.
They’re still a long way from really getting the monkey off their back. Remember, this team did make back-to-back conference finals in 2010 and 2011, but won just one game there. For them to really get over the hump, they need to make it to the Stanley Cup Final.
After losing two games in a row to Nashville on the road, the Sharks really dominated in Game 5 at home. They look as complete as any Chicago or Los Angeles team that won a Cup in recent years.
When Nashville won those two games in a row, it was the first time the Sharks lost back-to-back road games since December of 2015. What are the chances they lose a third in a row in Game 6?
BRADEN HOLTBY ANSWERS
As the Pittsburgh Penguins jumped out to a 3-1 series lead on the Washington Capitals, the big storyline between these two teams was Matt Murray. The 21-year-old playoff upstart had been standing on his head and keeping Washington’s ferocious offensive attack at bay.
In fact, if the Penguins keep winning and make it to the Stanley Cup Final, Murray could make it into the NHL’s history books.
Of course, Pittsburgh hasn’t gotten past the Capitals yet and Washington has a pretty good goalie on their side as well. Actually, they may have the best goalie in their crease. Braden Holtby is the odds-on favourite for the Vezina Trophy this season and in Game 5, he showed why.
After outshooting the Penguins in Games 3 and 4, the Capitals looked more like a Barry Trotz Predators team than an offensive Capitals team we’ve all come to expect. Pittsburgh outshot Washington 31-19 in Game 5, but Holtby was the clear difference.
In this series alone, Holtby’s save percentage is now .928 on 167 shots against. This, after a first round save percentage of .968.
As much time has been spent talking about how Murray is stealing this series for Pittsburgh, perhaps we need to spend a little more time on Holtby, who looks like he could take this one right back from the Penguins.
Would you really bet against him?
ALEX OVECHKIN IS A PLAYOFF PLAYER
Let’s stop with this nonsense that Alex Ovechkin‘s legacy will take a hit if the Capitals lose this series, or the idea that he’s been a shell of his regular season self and taken a back seat in Washington’s post-season drive.
This is how Joe Thornton became under-appreciated for too long.
Ovechkin has been a force in this series against the Penguins. Maybe it was Don Cherry’s charged message during Game 3, or maybe the reality of another playoff disappointment jump-started his competitive nature, but something has turned on for Ovechkin. He scored a goal and an assist in the third period of Game 3 and has recorded 20 shots on goal in the past three games.
In Game 5, Ovie scored again — a ridiculous video game one-timer that nearly took Murray’s head off — and added an assist (off a shot) on the game-winning goal.
Ovechkin now has 10 points in 11 playoff games this season. Over his entire post-season career, he has 41 goals and 80 points in 83 games. Considering goal-scoring dips in the tight-checking Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s hard to expect much more. So let’s get over it. Ovechkin is a playoff player, and if the Capitals do lose this series, it’s not on him.
If the Caps lose, it’s more about a hot, well-put-together Penguins team. Just appreciate and enjoy Ovechkin’s greatness. That goal was a sight to behold.
LOOK OUT, THE BLUES HAVE ANOTHER OFFENSIVE WEAPON
The St. Louis Blues have basically been a Stanley Cup contender since 2011-12, when they won the Central Division title with a 49-win season. But they have struggled to make it work in the playoffs. And that’s because something was missing: a real, tested, difference-making goal scorer.
Now, of course, they have Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. Before those two arrived, the Blues were a contender that had an offence in the bottom half of the league. But in their first two full seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) the Blues rocketed to a top-six spot. They fell back to 15th this season, but that can be correlated with Schwartz’s injury. Had he stayed healthy and matched his goal total from a year ago, St. Louis’ offence would have been fourth overall.
And while those two have been point-generating machines in these playoffs, another young scorer is making waves.
Rookie Robby Fabbri has been a revelation this post-season with 10 points in 12 games, and in Saturday’s crucial Game 5 against the Dallas Stars, he opened the scoring with a (admittedly lucky bounce) goal and added an assist later on.
This isn’t to say Fabbri is a likely Conn Smythe pick if the Blues win, or that he alone is what makes St. Louis different this year. But he is one element to it.
This Blues team is different, and it’s because they have Tarasenko and Schultz as dangerous and unpredictable offensive weapons to complement a devastating physical and defensive game that wears opponents down.
Add Fabbri to that mix, and there is a wealth of depth of all sorts to this Blues team that wasn’t always there.
THE COLORADO AVALANCHE ARE IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE
OK, so this isn’t related to this year’s playoffs, but perhaps playoffs to come.
The Minnesota Wild may have salary cap issues hanging over them that will impact player personnel decisions in years to come, but they added a huge UFA Saturday night. Bruce Boudreau will be the next coach of the Wild and that will bring about a whole bunch of positive change.
Check out this article from Sportsnet analytics writer Andrew Berkshire, which takes a close look at the impact Boudreau had on the Ducks and Capitals. The immediate uptick the Ducks got upon his arrival, and downtick the Caps suffered through after his dismissal, clearly shows what he gets out of his teams.
So what does this have to do with the Colorado Avalanche, you ask? Well, look at this Central Division. Not only do you have the regular powerhouses (St. Louis, Chicago), you have a rising one (Dallas) and a consistently dangerous team (Nashville). Meanwhile the Winnipeg Jets are about to likely add scoring sensation Patrik Laine with the second overall pick in the draft and they also have dangerous offensive prospect Kyle Connor ready for promotion. Mark Scheifele looked like a No. 1 centre in the last part of the season and their returning core should make them more of a playoff threat than a lottery lock in 2016-17.
So how in the heck do the Colorado Avalanche – a woeful team by any measurable consideration – get back to the playoffs from here?
