This has been one hell of a season so far in the NHL. The Oilers are ripping it up and knocking down giants and the Maple Leafs are giving fans in the Queen City something to cheer about. Power house teams like the Red Wings and Capitals have seesawed between brilliant games and prolific collapses. The uncertain and surprising play is spread all over the league and Montreal and Boston are glowing examples of expect the unexpected.
Everything can turn on a dime; on any given night. Just last night; the Leafs imploded in front of a Bruins team which had been mired in a slump all year. The current Stanley Cup champs beat up on Toronto by a score of 7-0. Boston which had been asleep all year demolished Toronto in an orderly and systematic manner. I would like to say that this was a turning point for Boston but I suspect this was a flash in the pan. These guys need more hustle and Tyler Seguin should not have that burden thrust upon him at this juncture in his career. Seguin has proven to be an unlikely role model for the veterans on the squad. We think Boston misses Recchi and Ryder more than they thought. This win against Toronto is good news for the Bruins but they are far from being out of the woods. If we don't see follow through by the B's for at least the next few games; fans in Beantown could be in for a very long winter.
The Habs succumbed to the Rangers on Saturday in another poor offensive showing. In the first period they only got three shots on the opposition. No one is a serious threat in the NHL when you only manage three shots in a period. Carey Price was off but then again he is streaky in his play. The Habs need a win streak that last more than a week to be considered a serious threat in their division. Just like the Bruins; the Habs suffer from one step forward, two steps back. Montreal has all sorts of holes so we are not too optimistic about the chances for this year's edition of the Habs.
It is too bad that great hockey markets like Boston and Montreal have seen such bad hockey this year. The bandwagon for the these franchises will have few followers until playoff time. That is of course; assuming the Bruins and Habs make the playoffs. The one step forward two steps back scenario will only get worse as the other teams get sharper. It is going to be a long year so stay tune and buckle under.
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