Well, round one of the NHL playoffs are winding down. As I type this, there are 2 games left in round one, and I'll be watching one of them tonight. Burning the midnight oil, or something like that. You see, I'm in the midwest, and the game is out west. It should end around 1:00 AM (assuming no overtime), and I'll be back up by 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.


Anyway, back to hockey. Calgary visits Vancouver, for a deciding game seven. Can Calgary recover from their disappointment Saturday night (of which I saw the first OT, but didn't make it for the second and third)? Remember, they came back from a 4 goal deficit before losing in overtime. That's a hard thing to overcome.


From the Wings perspective, Calgary winning would be the best outcome. First, they would be tired from a hard fought first round series. Second, they would be emotionally drained, which almost guarantees a win in Game One for the Wings - especially if they play on Wednesday, which is a possibility.


The other side of this is if Vancouver wins. Then Detroit plays Colorado. While this is the marquee match up that the NHL wants, it's too early. Despite the higher seeds, I think most feel that Colorado is a better team than Vancouver and San Jose, and Detroit and Colorado are odds on favorites to win the Cup. Having them meet in the Conference Finals makes the Cup Finals a let down (see Playoffs '02). Having them meet earlier only amplifies that.


On the other hand, if they don't meet now, will they ever meet? The Flames are a better version of Nashville - they are young and fast, like Nashville, but much more physical, and they have better players - Iginla and Conroy are top notch players. Colorado would play San Jose, and I won't underestimate them. They dispatched the Blues easily, and are on a roll. It could easily be a San Jose vs. Calgary Conference Final.


The saying goes, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." So for hockey, does that mean Colorado vs. Detroit now is better than the possibility of that same match up later? Probably. As a fan of either team, I think we'd rather push it off a little while.


Well, now that I am done, the first period is over, and it's scoreless. If this goes into OT, I won't stay up, and I'll just find out who the Wings play tomorrow.