NHL Playoffs: Giddyup!

One of the most exciting times of year is here: the NHL playoffs.

Many of the lower-seeded teams surprised their opponents with wins in game one, but the tables have been turned in the second game of each series, as all of the losers in the first game of the series came back for game-two wins.

In the Eastern Conference, the Devils, the Bruins, the Capitals, and the Stanley Cup-defending Champion Pittsburgh Penguins all lost their first game, only to come back to tie their series in the second game.

In the West, the San Jose Sharks, who come into the playoffs as the No. 1-ranked team in the conference and have a history of playoff woes, lost their first game against the Colorado Avalanche, bringing back all of the doubts, but came back in the second game to tie the series at one apiece.

The Detroit Red Wings lost game 1 against the Phoenix Coyotes, but in a game that saw four goals scored in a four-minute span, won the second game to tie that series at 1-1.

Perhaps the most exciting series so far has been the L.A. Kings against the Vancouver Canucks. Both of the first two games have gone into overtime, with the Canucks winning the first game and the Kings taking the second game on a power-play goal less than five minutes into the OT.

The Chicago Black Hawks and the Nashville Predators are the final series in the west, and Nashville surprised the Hawks in the first game, with game two slated for later today.

As an Islanders fan, I'm used to my team not making the playoffs, which leads me to root either against the Rangers or for the New Jersey Devils, or both.

The Rangers have embarassed themselves yet again by having one of the league's highest payrolls and not making the playoffs.

This is astonishing to me. As an Islanders fan, I'm trying to cope with the idea that my owner doesn't want to spend money and is happy being in the middle of the pack and not making the post season year-in, year-out. What baffles me is how the Rangers, with their high payroll, their ability to attract the league's highest-paid players, and a goalie like Hendrik Lundqvist, can miss the playoffs as often as they do.

I'm frustrated enough because my owner refuses to keep good players (e.g., Jason Blake, Zdeno Chara, Miro Satan, Michael Peca, Ryan Smyth, Tim Connolly, just to name a few), but I can't imagine how Ranger fans feel when their team DOES spend the money but still ends up watching the playoffs on TV.

I've gone off on a tangent here, but the bottom line is the playoffs are here, and even marginal NHL fans are perched in front of their TV's to watch the excitement.

It's going to be going on for a while, so grab a beer and kick back and enjoy the thrill.

And go Devils!