The Masked Fan

Stanley Cup tourney forges ahead

And a future Wild star arrives in St. Paul…

HERMANTOWN – The Stanley Cup hammer down and spanked the Leafs seven-gamer. far, break them down and then ask tourney is well into the first round and 3-0 in the consequential tilt. CAR had So, it’s been interesting, and beyourself if this player has the ability to thus far it would suffice to say that it’s little trouble dispatching the NYR in coming even more so. The tourney has drive the Wild to a Cup. been interesting. a 3 game sweep. The layoff broke any been good, the NHL has done a stellar Don’t get me wrong. I’d love it if he

The stars of the Qualifying round in momentum the Rangers may have job of protecting players and staff, and did. my opinion were MON, CBJ, CAR, and the NYI in the East and MASKED FAN built within the regular season prior to it’s suspension. Over in the West, VAN, after a G1 loss to the Wild, had their way with them in the next three tilts, and the it has been excellent to see some live hockey action again. * * * DID THE FUTURE OF the Minnesota Wild just arrive in St. Paul last MonBut put your hockey emotions aside, get out your thinking cap and mull over your answer. Is he for real? Or just another product of the Minnesota sports hype VAN, CHI, Wild went bye-bye. day? machine? ARI, and CAL in the West. MARC The Jets, playing without two of their best forwards went down in four games On Monday the 11th, Russian star PEACE Of course they were ELLIOT to CAL. They get some respect though; they battled all the way through but and Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov all Q round were severely undermanned. was met at MSP winners, however, the “best” teams The Desert Dogs ousted the PredInternational don’t always win. In this case, my picks ators, and this series outcome wasn’t airport by Head going in didn’t ring true, I went 2-6 in a surprise to me. When former Wild Coach Dean the Q round. netminder Darcy Kuemper is on his Evason. He is

Can we be surprised by the Q round game and ARI has their five-man unit inked for the next results? Probably not. This is a season “D” game going, they are a tough out. two seasons and, like no other and to actually try to The Pred’s netminding struggled and personally, I’m handicap any round of this tourney the outcome is history now. eager to see him would be an epic challenge this year. In the East, Montreal ousted the CHI sent EDM packing 3 games to 1, and all this loss by the Oilers did was play and see how he does against Kirill Kaprizov Since 1991 Pens. It wasn’t a surprise. The Habs to dig up all the old questions about NHL talent. have Carey Price in goal and the Pens where this franchise is going. Talent I have been locked in a wait-anddid not appear to have their “A” game and youth aside, the Hawks veteran see mode for the last couple of years with them. They are in full handstars know how to win at this time of while there are others ready to anoint wringing mode out in PIT right now year, and the Oilers stars don’t. Simple. him as the next coming of Federov or regarding what happened. There was no seismic news for the Ovechkin.

Well, I’ll tell you what happened Round Robin portion of the tourney. I say slow down. This is the Rubik’s – your club wasn’t Cup-worthy this The order of finish in the East was; PHI, Cube of all hockey leagues in the year, and then your GM thought he TB, WAS and BOS. In the West it was; world. It’s a tough nut to crack. But could get them over by obtaining Jason VGK, COL, DAL and STL. there are some who do not desire to Zucker and Patrick Marleau. Of course, I was off on these picks as think things through all the way.

Holy hockey pucks, Batman! well. I thought Philly and Vegas were I’d tell them look, I have seen clips

Zucker has never performed in the the two best clubs in this portion of of his KHL play, I saw him live in all of playoffs and Marleau is weeks away play with TB and COL close behind. I his PyeongChang Olympic games, and from his first Social Security check. didn’t feel that WAS, BOS or STL were so on. So what did the Pens do? Canned all of their assistant coaches. Your GM impressive at all. Are there any Cup challengers from But here is the deal; lets not forget that the young man was a 5th round • ICF Basements should have got the first pink slip, and the Q round? pick, 135th overall. That’s NOT an then go from there. I like the NYI game right now and overall number one pick. • Patios & Walks

You can figure it out, I have. I I like the Canuck level of play at this He had a very good performance could’ve told Jimmy Rutherford that time. Right at this moment they are at the Oly’s, without question. But I • Stamped Concrete Zucks wasn’t going to get them over. preparing to go into a G3 OT versus remind you that the NHL didn’t allow And you should have rolled with Jarry in goal, not Matt Murray. STL. They hold a 2-0 series lead and if they notch a W here the Blues will be it’s players to go that year. It was NOT a best-on-best tournament. • Heated Slabs The NYI knocked FLA out of contention with a 3-1 series win. The toast for this series. (STL won 3-2/15:06 OT1) His draft year was 2015 and he is now 23. That’s fine. You could say he • Closed Cell Spray Foam Isles never allowed Florida’s stars to Prior to the tourney and in the early has been developing and working on get loose and got solid goaltending to advance. going I had contemplated a COL-TB SC Final. I’m not so sure at the moment. It his game all of this time, and he has. Was he better off back in Russia or FREE ESTIMATES

Columbus, in what was probably could be that Vegas has the best goalie would the AHL have helped him refine References the best Q round series got taken to 5 tandem in the West and the most his game a bit more? That’s a great games to eliminate the Maple Leafs, balance. question. Louis Bonneville when they could have done so in G4, but give the Leafs a bit of credit, they stretched it to a 5th and deciding And in the East, TB has not had star forward Steve Stamkos throughout the tourney. On top of that I’m not certain I’d urge all of the people that I waged battle with over this player for the past two to three seasons to look at his 218-391-0856 game before the Blue Jackets put the that Philly couldn’t beat them in a numbers, his whole body of work thus BonnevilleCFS@Gmail.com