The Ghost Of Roy

A goaltender in the zone can pick up a hockey team and carry it through the playoffs if the superstitions, the rituals, and the mindset all come together in perfect harmony. Hot mits sink ships and right now Jaroslav Halak's mits are en fuego. He looks like a young Patrick Roy out there. He has single handedly taken out the 2 best hockey players on the planet in consecutive series. Winning a game 7 on the road is unheard of let alone back to back. Halek's performance almost makes Alexander Ovechkin look like less of a choke (almost). As you can see he's still in my dog house. The San Jose goaltender has toasty mits as well. Evgeni Nabokov has been playing outstanding and the Sharks will need that to continue if they want to advance past Chicago's tandem of Jonathan Toews and Patrick "Big Daddy" Kane. Conversely Roberto Luongo dropped the puck big time. He looked absolutely pathetic sprawling around in front of the net like an elephant on skates. He's climbing up the overrated charts at a rapid pace. If the mits don't lie we'll have ourselves a San Jose vs. Montreal Stanley Cup. Interesting.

The Playoffs Will Expose You

The regular season is a time for players to audition for the playoffs. We see their skills and abilities and predict how they will perform when the bright lights come on. It appears this playoff season there are a few stars who are NOT what we thought they were. Here are the 5 biggest surprises and disappointments so far:

5. Tim Duncan. The reports of Timmy D's demise were greatly exaggerated. Tim is producing in the playoffs as if he's got fresh legs from 1999. The 4 time champ is stepping up big time.

4. Dirk Nowitzki. I said a few weeks ago it was now or never for Dirk to win a chip. Looks like he will join the list with Barkley, Malone, Stockton, and Ewing.

3. Carmelo Anthony. Coming off a masterful performance in the Olympics and playing a Jazz team without Andrei Kirilinko and Mehmet Okur was supposed to be a lock and now the Nuggets won't make it out of the first round. Carmelo loses his franchise player tag and I will no longer name my first born son after him.

2. Joe Johnson. Remember what I said about Joe on this blog a few weeks ago? He is NOT a superstar. Superstars don't foul out and lose to a team without their starting center and shooting guard at home. Free agency will not be as lucrative as he thought.

1. Alexander Ovechkin. The biggest disappointment by far. the NHL's best player couldn't get out of the first round and his legacy will certainly suffer. There is no excuse for not advancing in the post season and when Sid the Kid wins his 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup Alex will be out of the conversation for best player entirely. Is Lebron next?