A busy night in sports, so back at it again with The Night Before. NHL and NBA action on tap, Avs and Panthers force game 7, the Lakers advance and the Kings force game 7. Away we go on the night before.
NHL
The Avalanche do what the Avalanche do, win elimination games. Are there issues? Absolutely, when MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar aren’t on the ice the team is pretty much stagnant. However, Evan Rodriguez really stepped up in game six and that lead to a nice spark from the Avalanche.
The defense core is truly what makes the Avalanche special these days. Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Sam Girard make up the best back end in the NHL. They will continue to need that great defensive effort and offensive spark if the Avs are to take game seven.
Also, not even a hearing for the Jordan Eberle hit on Andrew Cogliano? Are you kidding me? That hit was twice as dangerous as the one that landed Cale Makar a one-game suspension, for him to not even get a talking-to is ludicrous by the NHL.
Alexander Georgiev did not have to do a lot in game six, but he played well, he will need to be able to survive an onslaught in game seven.
Awaiting the Avalanche or Kraken will be the Dallas Stars, a team that is ready to make a run and make a run now. Max Domi has been the added depth they needed to stay competitive in these playoffs.
Are they a cup contender? No, likely not, but they are certainly a team that could make it to the finals if things break right for them. Roope Hintz has dominated this series with 5 goals in the six games played. The Stars just have great, young talent. This is the team the Avs will have to compete with in the central this off-season, because these two teams will have an arms race.
Bruins In Trouble
Uh oh, you can’t call Linus Ullmark bad, he was Vezina candidate this year, that said he has been really sub par in this series and as such the Panthers score 7 goals in game 6 and force a game 7.
Wild that this has happened, the Panthers have gotten back into this series largely because of Ullmark and several failures he has made along the way.
If Boston is to win game seven they will need elite goaltending, to be the number one regular season team of all time and to lose in the first round would be a failure of tremendous proportions.
A brief mention to the Canes, winning without top players in the playoffs is never easy, I do not see how much farther this run goes though if I am being completely honest with you.
NBA Bullet Points
- The Grizzlies are gone. They talked a lot of smack going into this postseason, they did not back it up in any way shape or form. This team needs a veteran leader this off-season or it will be the same song and dance next year.
- Color me concerned that we are getting a deep Lakers playoff run. The supporting talent looks like the best LeBron has had in the Laker era.
- Malik Monk has shown himself to be a star this postseason. The type of player that can get you 25-30 night in and night out, and those players are important cogs in championship teams.
- Sign me up for Warriors Kings game 7. I’ll take Golden State.