Scapegoats

I wanted to write a post on how, with 3 teams up 2 - 0 in their respective series', the upcoming games are, obviously, incredibly important. They are, for the teams that are behind, must-win games.

I just watched the Colorado - Anaheim game and guess what, the Avs just went down 3 - 0 to the Ducks.

This was a great game and the overtime was the most entertaining one I've seen in the 2006 playoffs. It had great scoring (all 4 Ducks goals scored by Joffrey Lupul!) and great goaltending by Theodore. It also had great hitting throughout the games and the referees did a good job in controlling the game without taking away the intensity.

For those who have seen the winning overtime goal by Lupul, you will all know why I want to write about scapegoats. The goal was a direct result of a horrible play by Avs defenseman Patrice Brisebois. I'm sure Theodore thought he got rid of this guy, but he continues to haunt the new Avs goalie.

Brisebois will, and should be, the scapegoat for this loss and, perhaps, the Avs early ousting from the playoffs. Granted, that's a lot of blame to put on one man in a team sport, but these are mistakes professional players really shouldn't make.

In Ottawa, there are many fingers being pointed, mostly at a trio of players. While Ray Emery was being singled out for the loss in game 1, Chara and Phillips are being blamed for the two Buffalo goals in game 2.

In this case, the fingers should point away from the goalie and straight to the Sens defense. It's true that Emery didn't have a good first game, but the "D" have been invisible in the first two games. On the first goal of game 2, Chara played the 2-on-1 like a nine-year-old. I don't think I had hit puberty yet when my dad taught me that, on a 2-on-1, you take the shooter...and you stay with him. You certainly don't let him go after he passes to his teammate!!!

If fingers in Ottawa are pointing to the defense, eyes should then focus squarely on captain Daniel Alfredson. The main purpose of this would be to find out if the player wearing #11 is really him. How can the guy who has been the heart of the Sens and the Olympic champion Swedish team suddenly vanish? What's up with coasting into the neutral zone with 50 seconds left in the game and your team is trailing by a goal? Weak.

Time will tell which players will remain scapegoats and which ones will step up and turn things around.