NHL playoffs reaching hype of the Olympics

I am surprised to say this but watching the NHL playoffs has been the most exciting hockey that I have watched in many years. For such a long time, the NHL since the lockout has been really boring. A lot of players seemed to not like the new rules or restrictions the NHL and played like it. There was no fighting or big time physical hits or not showing a lot of emotion. Half of the reason that I feel this way is because my friend, Mallory is a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan to the point where I hate hockey, but how can I hate hockey? I watch mostly the Sabres/Bruins games, but from the bits and pieces of the games that I have watched, the games have all been very competitive. I am loving playoff hockey because there have actually been some surprising results.
The Flyers, who clinched a playoff berth in the last game of the season by a shootout win did not just beat the Devils, they peed and laughed at them and then beat them again, with winning the series 4 games to 1. I personally thought the Devils were going to crush the Flyers, but it was literally the other way around. That's what makes the regular season meaningless, because it bites you in the ass in the playoffs. Even Brian Boucher played a hell of a series for the Flyers. The old Boucher, who used to be actually good is back!
The Red Wings-Coyotes series has been as good as advertised with the series tied at 3 games apiece. I personally thought they were very even teams coming into the playoffs. The Coyotes had the edge in goaltending and the Red Wings had the edge in offense. Sure enough, that is how it has been going. The Red Wings have won their games in offense, scoring seven goals in a win in Game 2, three in Game 4 and four in Game 5 and the Coyotes have won by defense only allowing two goals in each of Game 1, Game 3 and Game 6. Ilya Bryzgalov got lit up in a couple of games, but overall he has been excellent like usual. You can't expect anyone to shut down the Red Wings. Game 7 should be a great game in Phoenix. I think whoever wins this round will be Stanley Cup finalists.
The Bruins actually have a 3 games to 2 lead. I expected Ryan Miller to completely shut down the Bruins every game, but he has not done that. Miller has played well, but not as well as the Ryan Miller we saw in the Olympics when he was the tournament MVP. The double overtime game in Game 4 was one of the best games that I have seen in a long time. The game kept me off the edge of my seat the whole time. There was hitting, great scoring chances and flawless goaltending by Miller and Tuuka Rask. Whoever was going to win that game, they needed a lucky play. Sure enough, the Bruins got a power play in the 2nd overtime and it led to Maroslav Satan to deke to the right and chip in the puck under two Sabre defenders for the game-winner. Hopefully they can win Game 6 and advance to the next round.
I expected the Sharks to win against the Avalanche, but it was well played. Other than the Boyle scoring a goal to lose the game gaff, the Sharks played like they were hungry. They have the most pressure than any other team in the playoffs and they know it. It's Stanley Cup finals or bust for this team or changes will be made.
Of course the Penguins beat the Senators 4 games to 2 to win the series. They should have killed this team, but they failed to do that. They were losing 3-1 in the second period in Game 6 and they had to make a furious comeback to win the game and the series. I really don't think the Penguins are going to win the Stanley Cup this year. If they do, then the hockey gods probably hate me. That would mean that Mallory would call herself a big hockey fan because she has been rooting for the winners instead of rooting for the rest of the game.
The Capitals and Canadiens have played a good series with the Caps up 3 games to 2. I had a feeling that this would be a good series because as powerful as the Capitals are, the Canadiens are a plucky team. The Canadiens Game 1 overtime victory really did set the bar of this being a good series. Even though the Capitals have destroyed the Canadiens in their two games at the Bell Centre and winning Game 2 on top of it, the Canada boys are still in it by winning Game 5 in Washington, which the Caps have only lost five regulation games during the regular season. As much as I hate the Canadiens, I hope they win Game 6 so they can make the Capitals crap their pants for Game 7. We shall see.
The Blackhawks and Predators have been an even series as I expected with Chicago leading 3 games to 2. It has been a heavily defensive series other than Game 5 when 11 goals were scored in an overtime win by the Blackhawks, and I like that. Defensive hockey is good hockey. These teams are actually very similar to the Red Wings/Coyotes series. The Blackhawks are a powerful offensive, like the Red Wings and the Predators are a shutdown defensive team like the Coyotes. The Blackhawks have won their games because of offense and the Predators have won their game strictly because of defense. I think if the Blackhawks and Predators are on a offensive battle, the Blackhawks will every time because their have more accomplished offensive players than the Predators do. Let's hope this goes seven games, if it doesn't, well played for the Predators.
The Canucks edged the Kings 4-2 yesterday to win the series 4 games to 2. I have to admit, the Kings played really tough. They showed it in the first two games when each team won in overtime and even the two games after, but they ran out of gas in Games 5 and 6. The Kings are going to be a Stanley Cup contender for the next few years if they can keep their core players. They gave the Canucks all they could handle. Once again, Roberto Luongo got lucky and won a crucial playoff game. He makes great saves but then lets in cookies for goals. The Sedin twins had to save the day for Vancouver once again. I still think the Canucks are an excellent team, but if they think they can make the Western Conference Finals, they are going to need Luongo to play steady and not allow easy goals.