2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Day 24

A mixed bag of results on Day 24 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Apparently, nobody is winning in Minnesota.  And in the East, inconsistency is met with inconsistency!

First, NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh.

Well, that's over with.  The oft-alluded to struggling power play finally put a couple in the net and now the Rangers...uh, well, who knows?

They've staved off elimination and that's good.  But can they win the series?

I guess if you assume that their offense has woken from its prolonged slumber, sure.  But what happens if Fleury regains his form from the previous two games (both shutouts)?

That said, the Rangers were quite good.  They put up four goals on Fleury and Lundqvist only let in one.  Now if they can keep performing consistently, maybe they'll have a chance to pull the "upset".

Would it really be an upset?  Maybe, since I'm sure people are expecting the Penguins to make the conference finals at worst.

Pittsburgh leads 3-2.  Game 6 is Sunday.

Last, Chicago vs. Minnesota.

It's funny to me that of the five games Minnesota has played at home, they've won all five.  Three against the Avalanche and now two against the Blackhawks.  In all five games, they've stifled faster, better, more capable offenses.

The Blackhawks got two goals last night.  They were also outshot by a fair margin.

Maybe the main culprit is Crawford.  Or maybe the defense just let some guys by them (though that seems unlikely).

Even Matt Cooke got an assist (and was rewarded with third star).

So now that the Blackhawks are headed back to Chicago...well, I'd say that I'm pretty confident that they'll pick up the win and take "control" of the series.  I say that because they haven't beaten the Wild in Minnesota in this series and I'm not sure they will.

Of course, that would mean a Game 7 in Chicago.  That could get crazy.

But hey, how about that Bryzgalov, bouncing back from those first couple of games against Colorado.  Good stuff from him, for sure, even if he only had to make 18 saves.

The series is tied 2-2.  Game 5 is Sunday.

Later today, Game 5 in Boston and Game 4 in Los Angeles.  Oh yeah!