Sheldon Souray's NHL Playoff Blog

second round predictions

All right, you’ve been asking for my predictions in each of the four series, so here you go:

I’m going with Montreal over Philly because they have a great power play and I think they’re very confident. Even though they’re down in the series, I think they’ll pull it out.

I like Pittsburgh over New York. At this point, they’re up 3-0 and they’re just too good. I would have said this before the series began. New York is a good team, but Pittsburgh is just better. The only question is their goalkeeping, but I think it’s just written in the stars for Pittsburgh.

I also like Detroit over Colorado. Detroit is the heavy favorite to win the Cup. I think they’re far and away the best team in the playoffs.

As for the last series, I would have said San Jose before the series started, but now that they’re down 3-0, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. Dallas is looking good and the next game is in Dallas. They have great goaltending, so I’ll have to pick them. However, hindsight is 20-20.



playing through injuries

Of course players are willing to play through injuries — especially in the playoffs. By now, they’re approaching 100 games for the season and no one is 100% healthy. There’s a lot on the line and everybody has bumps and bruises, so you just have to go out there and tough it out.

Ultimately, it’s the player’s choice as to whether or not he plays. You have to listen to your body because you know it more than anybody else does; you’ve had injuries before and you know how your own body reacts. However, if you just absolutely can’t go, that’s when it’s the trainer has to tell you — because as much as you want to try to go out there, you just can’t. It’s never really the coach’s decision.

There are a lot of stories of guys playing through injuries. Usually, when a team goes to the Finals and wins the Cup, those are the stories you hear about. There are also a lot of guys playing through injuries that you don’t really hear about. Take a look at Saku Koivu in Montreal; he’s a guy who’s playing through a broken foot. I’m not sure he’s 100%, but he’s out there.



the sean avery effect

Well, the biggest incentive of all is the fact that if you put yourself ahead of the team, you won’t succeed. It’s all about winning and doing what you can to help the team. If you don’t keep your cool, you’re not helping the team.

Everyone has a job to do. Guys like Sean Avery can really get under your skin; he knows that any wrong decision by an opponent — like Martin Brodeur — is only advantageous to him. You just have to take it within the context of the game and not let it get to you. You have to put your personal feelings aside and play smart.

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