Joe Pavelski, who has been a brilliant performer in these playoffs, scored two goals, the tying and go ahead game winner, as the San Jose Sharks moved to the precipice of their first Stanley Cup Final’s appearance, doubling the St. Louis Blues (6-30 in game 5 at St. Louis last night.
After exchanging (6-3) road victories, the Sharks (0-3) in previous semi-finals are one win away from the NHL finals for the first time. They hope to advance to the finals with a home win Wednesday night in front of what should be a rollicking crowd in San Jose.
The Sharks are (5-2) at home in these ‘offs, while the Blues are (6-3) on the road.
Each team has been frustrated in not ever making a post expansion division final series but the Sharks’ core players, all fine ones, such as Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture (he and Pavelski lead all playoff scorers with 21 points each, Pavelski leads with 12 goals) and Joe Thornton have actually suffered semis defeats, while no current Blues’ player has done so with the Blues.
That intangible, the fact I feel the Sharks have the only tough loss in the series and a big opportunity at home, makes my prediction that the 3 to 2 favorite, Sharks will win game 6.
A younger Logan Couture, pictured above.
Two great players, Kevin Durant (33) and Russell Westbrook (30) combined for 63 points last night as the 56 win Oklahoma City Thunder routed the 73 win, record breaking Golden State Warriors in game 3 at Oklahoma City and now have a 2 games to 1 semi-final series lead.
None of the three season record breaking teams I recall and I doubt any in NBA history were ever down 2 games to 1 in any playoffs series in the year they broke the NBA record for wins in a season which the Warriors did this season.
The team whose record the Warriors surpassed the Chicago Bulls 20 years ago in 1995-1996, swept its best of three prelim, led (2-1) en route to a 5 game “quarterfinal series triumph and built (3-0) series leads en route to semi-finals and final series victories.
Both Wilt Chamberlain record breaking teams, the 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers and the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers lost opening games in that season’s playoffs as the Warriors also did in this current struggle vs surging “OKC”
However, neither trailed (2-1) or at any point after game 1. Being totally accurate, the Sixers as with these Warriors, needed to win at least 3 of the 4 possible remaining games after losing their best of 5 quarterfinal series opener vs the Cincinnati Royals.
Game 4 of the Warriors/Thunder “semi” is in Oklahoma City tomorrow night. Last year the Warriors trailed 2 games to 1 in both their quarterfinal and finals series before winning the next three games both times. Maybe they can still get away with it in this series, even win three straight but I would not count on it.
Russell Westbrook pictured above.
For the second straight game, the Tampa Bay Lightning posted a (4-3) win vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, this one at Pittsburgh, and now have a 3 games to 2 semi-final series lead in a bid for their second straight NHL finals appearance.
In Friday night’s game 4, series squaring win the Lightning built a (4-0) lead and held on for that (4-3) victory. Last night Tampa Bay had to fight back from (2-0) and (3-2) deficits before winning the game on a goal credited to Tyler Johnson.
Twice the great player, Nikita Kucherov tied the game for “T.B. ,” the second time with less than 4 minutes to play in regulation.
In their quarterfinal series victory vs the New York Islanders, Kucherov tied games 3 and 4 on the road with third period goals, before the Lightning won the game in overtime.
In game 4 of that series, Jason Garrison’s “blast” won the game in overtime, while last night he took the shot and gets the primary assist, as the puck went off Johnson’s back and into the net giving Tampa Bay a (3-2) semi-final series lead, earned with a Sunday night road win for the second straight season.
Last year, the Lightning lost game 6 at home before winning game 7 on the road at Madison Square Garden vs the New York Rangers. The three previous Lightning semi-final series went 7 games, with the team ahead (3-2) in games, winning each time. Game 6 is Tuesday night in Tampa.
It was such an emotional day yesterday with it being the 100th anniversary of my mother’s birth and all that entails, that I did not heed the great Mildred Dunnock’s, (another mother, at least as a character in “Salesman” so it was “death” of a chance) advice, in the classic Arthur Miller play “Death of a Salesman.”
She admonished “attention must be paid.” She did so in both the film and on stage. I failed to do so in both the NHL and NBA, as it was “Thunder/Lightning” last night, two nice underdogs, that now have leads in their semi-final series.
Details will follow in another post, “Thunder and Lightning,” but for now the lament of not paying attention is running through me.
The horrible fear, the ANTI and other ANTIS, are on their way and now I must PAY (attention)?
The great actress, Mildred Dunnock pictured above.
For the first time in 3 years, when the Belmont Stakes is run 3 weeks from yesterday, no horse will be bidding for the Triple Crown for 3 year old horses.
2 good horses Exaggerator and Nyquist have exchanged victories, the former yesterday and the latter in the Kentucky Derby.
2 horses that ran yesterday on a big day at Pimlico, before the Preakness Stakes, died.
Horses, unnecessary death reminds me my mother was born 100 years ago today. As a child she had or at least rode a horse. The Great Depression took that from her.
Relatives and others the former, who owned a horse took my mother, 100 years ago my mother’s birth as with her death, tragic, cost her mother’s life.
Horses, unnecessary death, 100 years and tell your mother you love her as I am doing now, perhaps late.
It was just before midnight and then after that changing the television channel yielded a couple of coincidences, involving beautiful classy actresses.
The great and deeper than you think television show “Bewitched” was on, I believe Antenna T.V. and was nearing the end of an episode. I switched to Turner Classic Movies and “Pitfall” was showing.
When the sultry, fine actress Lizabeth Scott said tell him “Mona STEVENS” called I thought of Elizabeth Montgomery as “Samantha STEPHENS” on “Bewitched.”
It took a while but thinking about it, I realized the Elizabeth and Lizabeth connection. If nothing else, I thought about these fine performers, Lizabeth Scott and Elizabeth Montgomery.
Troy Brouwer and Kyle Brodziak scored two goals apiece and a change to goaltender Jake Allen helped, as the St. Louis Blues squared their NHL semi-final series with the Sharks, by “doubling” them (6-3) in game 4 at San Jose.
Each franchise is as much as even in an NHL semi-final series for just the second time, in this the 45th season since the six expansion teams played in an entity (the NHL West), whose winner got to play the sacrificial lamb to an established team in the NHL finals from (1968-1970).
On all three occasions that team was the Blues, whose finals game record is/was (0-12). Only in 1986 since that time, were the Blues as much as (2-2) in a semi. They lost that series in 7 games, to the Calgary Flames.
Only in 2004, after the road team won the first four games were the Sharks as good as (2-2), after 4 games of an NHL semi-final series.
Their opponent and the eventual series winner was also the Calgary Flames. Then the Sharks had the pivotal 5th game at home, now it is in St. Louis on Monday night.
Both years, the aforementioned 1986 and 2004, the Flames were beaten in the NHL finals.
In 1986 they lost to the Montreal Canadiens, whom the Flames beat in 1989 for their only title. Then in 2004 they were beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning, a current NHL semi-finalist also in a (2-2) “semi,” in their case for the fourth time in as many “semis.”
The Sharks, who lost their first 5 NHL semi-final series home games, are (2-7) in such games.
“Shear Madness” playing at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street), is a sheer delight from before the beginning, as Chris is outside entertaining in a lovely, friendly way to the “who done it” end which can easily vary each night.
One thing will not vary and that is the incredible humor tied in to their improvisational skill that the performers are able to manifest in this delightful show.
There are timely, topical jokes that somehow get woven into the beautiful fabric of this comic masterpiece, in which I know the actors have stunned their fellow actors with brilliant improvisation.
As members of the audience you will participate in the “case” and surely laugh and be involved.
Click below for ticket information.
Shear Madness New York – Buy Shear Madness Play Tickets.
Despite a home loss last night to the (29-11) Chicago Cubs and now (8-0) pitcher, Jake Arrieta, that snapped an 8 game win skein, the San Francisco Giants, the kings of “even years,” with World Series titles in the last three (2010, 2012 and 2014), have built a little bit of a lead in the slow pace N.L. West.
Their (25-19) record is good enough for a three and a half game lead in a division where no other team is even at the break even .500 mark.
Of course there is a long way to go, but S.F. figures to play a bit better and if the others especially the disappointing Dodgers do not get going, perhaps the Giants will easily find their way into the baseball tournament they made theirs in each of the last three “even year” seasons.
The Tampa Bay Lightning built a (4-0) lead after two periods, and held on for a (4-3) home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 4 of their NHL semi-final series.
That series, as I predicted is now tied at two games apiece, (Whatever Bettman Wants Bettman Gets and all that), with game 5 in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
I am not ready to predict a 7 game series here but not only the Bettman wants factor but history, at least Lightning semi-finals history, favors it.
The previous 3 Lightning semis went the full 7 games, however, only one of the previous 8 Penguins’ semi-finals have gone that long.
The Lightning snapped a 3 game home semi-final losing streak with last night’s victory.
Andy B Sports 