Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

     If there is one thing I have learned about the NHL over the years when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs, it is to expect the unexpected. Just when you think you have the outcomes of all the matchups figured out, an underdog rises from the ashes to pull off a miracle. That is what makes the NHL great! Pull up your breezers folks; it’s time for another trip down memory lane…    

     At the risk of publically exposing myself for the Devils homer that I am, I want to revisit the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, featuring NJ and Detroit. It was widely speculated that the juggernaut Red Wings would sweep the Devils. However, the exact opposite happened. Detroit ultimately had no answer for New Jersey’s trap game, and as a result, NJ took Detroit out behind the wood shed, destroying the Wings and sweeping the series.

     In yet another shameless homer example, I would also like to remind Flyers fans of their team’s monumental collapse in the 2000 NHL playoffs against New Jersey. The Devils were down 3 games to 1 in the series, that is, until Scott Stevens delivered a devastating open-ice check which left Eric Lindros unconscious and slobbering on the ice. That hit changed the series. New Jersey dominated from that point on and went on the win the series, and ultimately the Stanley Cup. However, things have not always worked to the Devils’ favor in the playoffs…

     In the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, New Jersey was leading the Carolina Hurricanes in game 7, by a score of 3 to 2, and then the seemingly impossible happened. With just 1:20 remaining in period 3, Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal each scored goals in a span of just 48 seconds to stun the Devils and win the game in regulation. Even the Canes were shocked by Marty “The Sieve” Brodeur’s collapse, allowing back-to-back SOFT goals that handed them the series on a silver platter.    

     There are many examples in which the NHL playoffs have yielded big surprises year after year. The 2006 NHL post season had the Edmonton Oilers, an 8 seed, make it all of the way to the finals. The L.A. Kings were also an 8 seed last year, and ended up winning the cup over the 6 seed Devils. And lastly, in one of the biggest shockers of recent memory, the 2010 NHL playoffs had the Flyers leading the Bruins 3 games to 0, and by a score of 3-0 in game 4, only to choke and lose the series. The moral of the story here is, a team is NEVR out of it until the series is over! Just because your team may be at elimination’s door, do not give up on them! There is always hope! If the fat lady starts warning up her pipes, tell her to sit down and shut up!