PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS?! DAY 12

What you might have missed as you bragged about the size of your light saber...

Red Wings 2 Flames 1, double OT (Detroit wins series 4-2): The Red Wings would probably prefer Dallas to San Jose as a second-round opponent, but you knew that already. What do you think, T-minus 48 hours on Jim Playfair's ouster as Calgary's coach?

Devils 3 Lightning 2 (New Jersey wins series 4-2): A modest proposal -- Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella should get to coach whatever team eliminates the Lightning from the playoffs. Think of how much more interesting the post-game press conferences would become, especially since he really wouldn't have to worry about ruffling the players' feathers. If you don't find John Tortorella endearing, you're either Nikolai Khabulin's agent or legally dead.

The absolute Zen moment of the series: Vinny Lecavalier comes down the right wing in the first period against the Devils' Richard Matvichuk, and pulls the puck from forehand to backhand by sliding it between his skates -- the kind of thing Ronaldo might have come up with if he had been born in Beausejour, Manitoba. Of course, as so often happens in soccer, the 1.5 seconds of actual action never developed into anything -- Matvichuk angled Lecavalier off and Martin Brodeur easily smuggled the weak shot.

Naturally, during the intermission, CBC broke down the play, but Kelly Hrudey and Craig Simpson went into a detailed analysis of how Matvichuk played the rush rather than point out what a sick move Lecavalier had just pulled off -- on the soft ice you get in Florida, no less. The kicker: They were totally right to focus on that, since slick as that move was by Lecavalier, it was ultimately futile. That's where hockey is these days. Playing the system, good; creativity, optional.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.