Neither series in the Western Conference has been what most people expected and the Eastern Conference series are more evenly matched than originally thought as the second round is well underway. As usual, the NHL playoffs are taking a back seat to the NBA playoffs with most fans, but there's still plenty to discuss with the eight teams still playing. So far, there haven't been any on-ice incidents resulting in suspensions, so that's a good thing for the NHL.

However, these series are not without suspension. The Nashville Predators, already down 2-0 in their series with the Phoenix Coyotes, had to suspend forwards Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov for violating team rules. Kostitsyn, whose brother Sergei committed a major mistake that directly affected the outcome of Game 1, is one of the more talented players on the team and a key contributor on the powerplay. Radulov, who came over from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League just before the playoffs, has been lazy and was the subject of this epic, and 100% correct, intermission rant from NBC Sports Network's Keith Jones. Opinions seem to be mixed on the Game 3 fallout of the two suspensions. Some argue that not having selfish, lazy players like Radulov and Kostitsyn will help the Predators while others look at the lack of depth options and think the Preds will have an uphill battle.

Here's a breakdown of what's gone on so far in the Western Conference Semis.

#8 Los Angeles Kings lead #2 St. Louis Blues 2-0

In an outcome that very few people expected, the Kings took both games from the Blues in St. Louis, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first period of Game 2. Some people weren't sure that four goals combined would be scored in some of the games. The Kings star players have come to the forefront and Jonathan Quick continues to impress. With Quick in net and a two-game lead, the Kings look well on their way to moving on to the Western Conference Final.

One hit that turned the tide of the series went without punishment from the league as LA's Dwight King boarded St. Louis's Alex Pietrangelo in Game 1, causing him to miss Game 2 and leaving his status in doubt for the remainder of the series.

It had a direct impact in Game 2 as, without Pietrangelo, the Blues struggled mightily in their own zone.

#3 Phoenix Coyotes lead #4 Nashville Predators 2-0

Phoenix took advantage of a moronic icing play by Nashville's Sergei Kostitsyn, scoring the game-winning goal on the ensuing faceoff and taking a series lead. They continued to move forward by scoring five goals on Pekka Rinne in Game 2 to home serve on home ice. Rinne, who started 72 games during the regular season, could be showing signs of wear and tear as he creeps up over the 80-game mark in Game 3. The series has been far more wide open than anyone anticipated with 15 goals in the first two games.

Now, the Predators head home without the services of two of their more-gifted offensive players. They'll need to return to their defensive style in order to turn this into a series again.

Over in the Eastern Conference...

#1 New York Rangers tied with #7 Washington Capitals 1-1

Braden Holtby has been excellent again for the Washington Capitals as they and the New York Rangers head to the nation's capital in a deadlocked series. The Rangers looked like the better team in Game 1, playing their style and asserting their will on the Capitals. For their part, the Caps showed a lot of heart in Game 2 to even up the series. It will continue to be a series of which goaltender can outshine the other as the Rangers are struggling with the Capitals' speed and the Capitals are working hard to match the intensity of their opponent.

Much has been made of Alexander Ovechkin's dwindling ice time as coach Dale Hunter sends a message that he does not trust Ovechkin protecting late leads. It'll be interesting to see if that becomes a distraction to the team or if Ovechkin is able to set his feelings aside for the good of the common goal.

#5 Philadelphia Flyers tied with #6 New Jersey Devils 1-1

Ilya Bryzgalov has been the story in this series, playing exceptionally well in the first two games but the Flyers have not generated enough offense to have a 2-0 lead. This has been the most well-played series of the four. The Devils are a well-coached team able to match up with the Flyers, despite a talent mismatch. The Devils have gotten a lot of help this postseason from unlikely names like Adam Henrique and Bryce Salvador who have both scored big goals at times. The series heads back to New Jersey now where the Devils and Martin Brodeur have the chance to take control. Brodeur, for his part, has looked better in this series than he did against the Florida Panthers and that should be a good sign going forward for New Jersey.

One of the interesting things to watch the rest of the way is Ilya Bryzgalov. He has a tendency to let in cheap goals and lose focus. The way that this series has gone, losing focus on just one shot could be the determining factor.

The playoff push continues as teams look to get halfway to their goal of 16 wins, the number it takes to win the Stanley Cup.

Whenever I’m in Cleveland, it seems as if I have access to satellite radio. And that can mean only one thing: Sirius 39 Hair Nation.

Wait, weren’t you the one lecturing us last week about shitty music? And you listen to THAT crap?

Guilty as charged. But, please, allow me to explain.

First of all, just because you maintain a healthy diet, it doesn’t mean you don’t ever want to go to McDonalds for a Double Quarter Pounder. Is it good? No. But it’s a little bit of your past (what kid didn’t cherish the rare trip to Mickey D’s?) and it feeds a craving. You simply can’t be healthy all the time, and you need the sin of fast food. When I was a young idiot terrorizing the streets of the greater Cleveland area in my car, hair metal was the music I used to listen to, so when I’m back in town, I enjoy to reminisce, with the full ambiance of the state. Plus, my inner junk food junkie still loves hair metal.

Hair metal goes back to a more innocent time, where pretending to be a tough guy was cool, and therefore naming your band something badass like Dokken or Queensryche, or something deadly like Great White or Poison, made you awesome. And young Lars loved to sing songs about banging groupies, living the dream as a rock and roll icon. So turning the satellite radio to 39 in effect turns the wayback machine to 1986, and allows me to relive my youth.

Read more...

Some consider it parity. Others consider it a changing of the guard. Some just have no idea what to think. The four teams left standing in the Western Conference don’t feature many household names like Kane, Lidstrom, Sedin, or Thornton. The Eastern Conference semifinalists are yet to be determined but you won’t hear Crosby or Malkin. Three teams full of well-known names have left their fates in the hands of a winner-take-all Game Seven.

Both the 2010 and 2011 Western Conference representatives in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Blackhawks and the Canucks, were sent home by teams who hadn’t won a playoff series in over a decade. Furthermore, for the Blackhawks, they were eliminated by a team who had not won a playoff series since relocating from Winnipeg in 1996. The San Jose Sharks continued their long run of playoff disappointments by losing in five games to the St. Louis Blues. Questions surround the future of the aging Detroit Red Wings, specifically, surefire Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom after being bounced in five by the Nashville Predators.

Read more...

It is a rare day where we don’t run into someone, either in person or online, who isn’t complaining about the state of sports media in Cleveland.

The complaints could be about the hoople head on talk radio who hasn’t had an original thought since Dave Garcia was running the Cleveland Indians dugout at the old stadium, or a beat writer who stopped caring about his beat a decade ago, someone is usually disgruntled about the coverage afforded the Indians, Browns and Cavaliers.

It has gotten so bad at times that we have heard people ask why anyone would even read a newspaper.

Which makes us wonder if traditional media – daily newspapers in particular – can meet the needs of today’s sports fans.

It’s no secret that the newspaper industry is facing an ongoing crisis regarding circulation. According to the Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media 2012, print circulation of daily newspapers continued to decline in 2011, especially on weekdays, but circulation stabilized, and at some papers increased, on Sundays.

Read more...