Darren Dupont’s Moose Droppings
Each week I look back on the previous week, look ahead to the next seven days or just talk about what’s on my mind at the moment. This week I’m deep into the NHL playoffs but there’s a few quick-hitters in here too:
1. CUP CRAZY 🏆 – What a start for the NHL playoffs! Max Domi’s overtime winner pulled the Leafs wiener from the campfire after Ottawa clawed back from down 2-0. It was the same on Monday for Phillip Danault and the LA Kings. Both Toronto and LA have looked impressive so far. More on game 2 Wednesday night in LA in a little bit.
2. PLAYOFFS IN THE VALLEY 🌵- Tuesday was the opening night of the AHL playoffs and we decided to take in game 1 between the Coachella Valley Firebirds and the Calgary Wranglers. Our $27 tickets were a great deal as the game hit triple overtime before the home team finally ended it.
All game it was Max Lajoie (Swift Current Broncos) and Carlyle SK’s Cale Fleury (Kootenay Ice) anchoring the Firebirds’ blue line while former Moose Jaw Warrior Jagger Firkus was very noticeable and picked up an assist. Former Regina Pat/Moose Jaw Warrior/Medicine Hat Tiger Dryden Hunt lead a Calgary comeback from down 3-0 to help force overtime.
Two takeaways from the game? Few fans but they made a ton of noise and it was +25 outside and felt like -25 inside. The air conditioning works in the desert!🥶
3. BYLSMA OUT 🐙 – After just one season behind the bench in Seattle, head coach Dan Bylsma has been fired. He joins the list of coaches now looking for work and it’s growing. GM Lou Lamoriello (82 years old) is also not returning to the Islanders. It has me wondering who the best available coach is. Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette, John Tortorella, Bruce Boudreau, Joel Quenneville come to mind. Who else?
4. CAPTAIN RETURNS?🏔️ – Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog has been activated from injured reserve and now the question becomes if or when will he return to the lineup after a three year absence? He took warmups ahead of game 2 wearing the ‘C’ on his chest but did not play. This is one of the better storylines and should he play could end up being one of the best stories this spring.
5. PRESSURE ⭐️ – Was there a bigger or more important win than the Dallas Stars game two overtime win over Colorado? No chance. The Stars have been hanging by a thread for weeks and had already dropped the opening game in the series at home. Ever since the trade deadline Dallas has been the Stanley Cup betting favourite but limped into the playoffs having lost their last seven games and been outshot in 13-straight. A ninth-straight loss and a second home to go down 2-0 in the series would have been curtains. Now they have life. Huge.
Update: Carolina (+500) has taken over as betting favourite to win the cup followed by Colorado (+700), Winnipeg (+700), Toronto (+750), and Florida (+750). Dallas has dropped to 10th.
6. NFL DRAFT 🏈 – Networks here in the US have had wall-to-wall NFL draft coverage this week ahead of Thursday’s opening round. I think it’s pretty clear Cam Ward is going first overall to Tennessee and that makes me happy as a Titans fan. The real intrigue comes from picks two and three onward. Travis Hunter second? Abdul Carter? Shedeur Sanders? I’ve heard it all. I’ve even heard Sanders could fall out of the first round all together. I don’t believe it and think he goes in the first few picks. Exciting stuff!
7. TICKETS 🎟️- For a second we entertained taking in game one between the LA Kings and Edmonton Oilers just a couple hours down the road and in hindsight we maybe should have. Turns out we had other plans but what a game it ended up being. Plus, it’s always good to go when the home team pulls out a wild one like that. The cheapest ticket to get in the door was just $86 CAD. If we wanted to sit at centre ice about 11 rows up it would have been $275 CAD. What a deal! To compare, in Toronto for game 2 the cheapest ticket was going for $385 while that same centre ice seat in row 11 was around $3,400. Yikes!
8. GAME ✌️- Game two goes Wednesday night in LA between the Kings and Oilers. Los Angeles dominated the first 40-minutes in game one by completely suffocating the Oilers. It was extremely impressive. It wasn’t until we saw McDavid and Draisaitl together that things changed for Edmonton. The Oilers are good enough to figure this out and likely will but that’s not a recipe for success. LA was ready and will be ready Wednesday night.
9. GOLF ON A HEATER 🔥 – We spent Sunday afternoon watching the conclusion of the RBC Heritage from Harbour Town as Justin Thomas won in a playoff over Andrew Novak. After Rory McIlroy’s dramatic win at the Masters and his two previous wins already this season, now Thomas’ win, the game and the PGA Tour are on a roll. The game is better when the stars are performing and winning. The current top-3 in the FedEx Cup standings are McIlroy, Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler. Canadian Corey Conners is 7th.
This is all really good heading towards the Canadian Open at the end of May.
10. RANDOMS ⛳️ – We fly back to the GTA today and so I won’t be on the RP Show. What fun Tuesday was as RP was getting set to head to Tampa Bay and I was outside in Palm Desert. Just felt good and felt right to talk hockey in that environment… I really like happy hour these days. What’s not to like? Plus, in the Pacific time zone the games start at 4pm too!… Haven’t talked about Montreal and Winnipeg today but I’m watching. The Habs are scrappy and will push Washington to the brink. Winnipeg is simply a good hockey team and finally the betting public has woken up to it… 7:30am is the best tee time IMO. Also, no matter how well I’m playing golf I simply can’t finish a round with the same ball I start with… and usually not the 2nd or 3rd either!… I want to write about Gavin McKenna next week plus get more into the junior hockey playoffs.
Until then…
DD
6 am is the my favorite time to golf.
I use one ball per round yet still have about 50 in the bag.
Bring a grocery bag and with nobody on the course. Take the time to load it up with all the pinnacles nobody will risk Lyme disease looking for.
….the GTA. With any hope Donald Trump will make that place look like Flint Michigan.
Send us a report on what Brampton looks like. I heard that’s quite the place
I hear it’s jessica Campbell’s job to lose.