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Playoff hockey
Last Monday night, Tyler Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored three goals in New York City, as the Bolts defeated the Rangers 6-2. That series is now tied at a game apiece, and the teams meet tonight in Florida.
Johnson is a special player. Relatively speaking, he is a tiny guy. He is listed at five feet, eight inches tall, but this statistic is always exaggerated. He makes up for his size with his skill. He is quick, and he knows how to shoot the puck. He is also one of those players who excels in both ends of the rink. In hockey vernacular, the puck seems to find him.
The Rangers have been doing a good job keeping Steven Stamkos under wraps. Stamkos is a scoring machine, and has led the Lightning in scoring for many years. He did put one in the net on Monday night, and he is always a threat. He is a pure goal scorer, always ready for the occasion when a pass slides across to him.
The Ottawa Senators gave up on goaltender Ben Bishop a couple of years ago, and traded him to the Bolts for Cory Conacher and a draft pick. Bishop is one of the new generation of goalkeepers— the giants. He stands at more than six and a half feet, and covers a lot of territory. He comes out to challenge shooters, leaving little to shoot at. He is also very flexible, and will flop around in desperation to make saves. He has been caught out several times behind the net, while playing the puck, but manages to recover in time to keep the puck out of his net.
Another relatively recent change in the game involves the blocking of shots. Every player on every team now blocks shots whenever the occasion arises. I think they are nuts. Defencemen wind up to take a slapshot from the point that can fly at more than 100 miles an hour, and players sprawl in front of them to block the shots. Many serious injuries occur from such bravado, but it does help keep the pucks out of the net. Only a few brave souls were known as great shot blockers in the days of the Original Six. One of them was Marcel Pronovost, a fine defender for the Wings who passed away recently. It was my pleasure to meet him at the old DukeDome.
Tyler Johnson hails from Spokane, Washington. He played his minor hockey in Canada, in British Columbia. His parents would head out at midnight, and make the seven-hour trek to the arena for the early morning practices. Then another seven hours for Tyler to attend classes on Monday morning in Spokane. He played his junior hockey at home for the Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. He spent two years in the American Hockey League with Norfolk and Syracuse. This is his second full campaign in the NHL. Johnson has 11 goals and 5 assists in 15 playoff games this year. Most of the playoff games are low-scoring affairs, making his statistics all the more remarkable.
The Rangers will have their work cut out for them. They are leaving the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden for the next two games in Tampa Bay. The Lightning enjoyed the taste of champagne from the Stanley Cup several years ago, and they would like to repeat that experience. With Jon Cooper behind the bench, and Steve Yzerman watching from above, the team has good hockey minds working on the game.
And yes, there is another series in the works: the Ducks and the Blackhawks are also at war. Playoff hockey—well worth the price of admission.
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