I’m A Believer

This year’s playoffs has been so much fun for me to watch. I always love watching this time of year, but this one definitely is shaping up to be one of the more exciting Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s seems every team has their moments of looking like a real contender. Game 7’s coming out the wazoo, shutouts one day and 9-7 games the next… it’s been crazy. So much fun.

Everyone is talking about McJesus and his godlike play over in Oil-land, and it’s true, we are witnessing something special, something you don’t see very often. But for me, the one thing that has got me jazzed and befuddled, is the play of Andrei Vasilevskiy.

I’ve known for a long time that he is an elite goaltender, his cups and his play speak for themselves. But I’ll be honest, I hadn’t thought of him in the way I do now. He came into this playoffs a reigning two time champion, but in the first round he had definitely not hit his stride in the first five games. I could go as far as to say he wasn’t as much of a factor in the series as Soupy (Campbell) had been up to that point.

Fast forward to game seven….

This is where my eyes open wide. This is a man that clearly has another level, a switch that he is able to turn on. From this point on, he has become so dialed in, that each game seems to become more and more effortless to him.

Fast forward to game four of the Florida series….

OK, so now it’s time to clinch another series, and this is where I become a true believer:) This performance put a huge exclamation mark on him having another level.

I’m not a big follower of stats and the importance of them, but his stats in his last 7 series clinching games is mind bending! Correct me if I’m wrong, but in these last 7 series clinching games he has had 200 shots, and allowed 1 frickin’ goal! 6 out of the 7 games were shutouts….. WTF:) That is truly unbelievable.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every once in a blue moon, if you’re lucky, you will get to witness something special in the sport you love. This is one of those times for me.

The Monkees sang it best…. “I’m a believer”. :)

Peace to you all,

Dusty Imoo