NHL playoff talking points: Red Wings, Predators, Penguins and Flyers

Going in to Friday, two teams who looked so strong only a two months ago faced elimination at the hands of divisional rivals – ones that have in the past been frustratingly incapable of bringing home the hardware or even getting past the first round. Pittsburgh and Detroit, who traded cups in two consecutive Stanley Cup final meetings in 2008 and 2009 – two teams that, as the season ended, looked likely to meet again – were in trouble, down, but not yet out. Here's what happened: Red Wings vs. Predators Probably, the Detroit Red Wings are about as close as the NHL has come in the last decade to building a dynasty team. Even that might be a stretch, but their overall dominance in both regular and postseason play has become somewhat of a given for a reason. For some time now, the Central division has been their plaything, like a practice ground for the real battles they'd fight with some of the bigger Western conference teams. Some years that was San Jose, another it was Calgary. Vancouver, here and there, sure. Nashville has, in the past, put up some decent seasons, but were the perennial also-ran. That changed this year, as the franchise hit a stride, locking down a game focused on tight defensive play and backed by an all star goalie, Pekka Rinne. It was all the Red Wings could do to stay ahead of the Predators down the stretch. Even with 23 straight home game wins, Detroit still didn't quite manage it, coming fifth overall in the West, one behind Nashville and thus losing home ice advantage in the first round. Whether it was because of that, or that in combination with a of a bunch of other things, Detroit never quite looked like the Detroit we're used to. They were held off their game and made to look sluggish. They had a tough time scoring. They got scored on. It was all very weird, except of course, until you remembered that – oh, yeah – Nashville is like, good now. Friday night, back in Nashville and down 3-1 in the series, Detroit tried to overcome the team that was so used to being the underdog, but ultimately couldn't summon enough. KHL import Alexander Radulov lit the lamp for Nashville at the 16-minute mark of the first, and though Jiri Hudler tied it up for Detroit in the second, very early in the third Nashville scored again – this time David Legwand put one away for the Preds. It would prove to be the winner. As the game wound down, Detroit buzzed around the Nashville net, extra man on, but to no avail. It was a familiar scene. This clip from the last 25 seconds of the game shows how much of the preceding 60 minutes went for the Red Wings: . So, with that, the Predators become the first team to advance to the second round of the 2012 playoffs. But clearly something else has happened along the way. Nashville is on the rise, having acquired the right players to build a team with few superstars but talent in the right places. Their trade deadline moves hinted that these guys had a plan in mind for who would best fit their system, and that system looks like it's working. Though this was a closer series than the final result might suggest (the games were tight-scoring, and really came down to a difference of Nashville simply capitalizing on key opportunities more often), knocking out the Red Wings 4-1 is nothing to shrug at. There's a shift happening, a re-alignment in the power balance in the Central division. This win showed it to be well underway. And we still have St. Louis to think about. Perhaps just as bad for Detroit, though is that their captain – veteran defenceman, winner of multiple Norris trophies – Niklas Lindstrom, might have just played his last game in the NHL. There are probably few around the league who will be cheering that exit. Penguins vs. Flyers Seriously, anything could have happened Friday night in Pittsburgh and it would not have come as any surprise to anybody anywhere who's been paying any attention to this series. What kind of teams would show up Friday? Better yet, what kind of goalies? Or, like much of the rest of this series , would there even be goalies at all? I'm not sure how to explain what happened Friday except to say it looked... normal. And by that I mean regular season normal. This was the game we should have seen at the start of the playoffs, not that craziness we had. Watching Friday's game was basically like being transported to an alternate universe where everything is exactly the same as this one, only about a week behind. The pressure was on everyone to step it up, but really most of all, it was on Penguins goalie, Marc-André Fleury. And guess what? He came through. Big. He made it seem as though the guy who'd shown up for the past few games was actually some kind of failed prototype of a new product that suffered from some fatal flaw that only became apparent after launch. Friday, the Penguins apparently replaced him with the old version – a sort of New Coke moment, if you will. In short, Fleury was great, especially late in the game, when the Penguins, coasting on the 3-2 lead they'd established in the second period, simply decided to keep dumping the puck into the Flyers' end, even when it was clear Philadelphia was gaining some momentum. Take this save, for example: . I mean seriously, now. Come on. How in the world did that stay out? Fleury was helped, for the record, by the Penguins out front. They were a much tighter team Friday; more composed and measured. And though they didn't score 10 goals, they still managed some good ones. Here's Tyler Kennedy's winner, a laser-guided blast from the circle: . What was most striking about this game, however, was the fact that there were no fights. Even the penalties were for infractions that weren't overly egregious or, given the tenor of the first week of the playoffs , totally bat-shit insane. This fact ultimately contributed to the game being more like a true playoff experience, and less like a random Tuesday's midnight beer league game in the suburbs when everyone is tired and has to work early but, y'know, it's the only free ice time. It's worth speculating on whether the league laid down the law when it came to the physical stuff (speculation: probably), but whatever happened (and it could have just been everyone smartening up a bit), it worked. As a result, the series is now 3-2, going back to Philadelphia, and it suddenly feels like hockey. Another note on this series: In light of all the physical play that's gone on, it's worth remembering the one Flyer absent from all of it. Chris Pronger has been out for ages, but certainly would have been a factor had he been around. And why is it that he's not here? Oh yes, that concussion he suffered, which Bruce Arthur at the National Post notes was particularly terrible. Here's an excerpt from his piece. The whole thing is worth a read : He has not come to the games, because it would be too much in all kinds of ways. Pronger made his lone post-concussion appearance at Philadelphia's playoff-clinching game March 25 in owner Ed Snider's box, wearing glasses and a beard. He was given a powerful ovation, and his teammates, led by Jaromir Jagr, waved from the bench. But the visit did not go well. "It bothered him," Holmgren says. "With the lights, with the noise, but also, it's emotional. And I know watching the playoff games, it's really emotional. There's nowhere else he'd rather be. He hasn't been able to do a whole lot — maybe he's got a padded room at home." Ugh. Looking ahead Saturday is a huge day for hockey, with five games on the bill, two of which could potentially decide their respective series. St. Louis can polish off San Jose and Phoenix (Phoenix!) can pull of an amazing first round by eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks and affirming once and for all that I have no business making predictions . Ah well. Elsewhere, the afternoon game will have Boston and Washington breaking a 2-2 series stalemate back in Beantown. New Jersey will hope to build off their 4-0 win against the Panthers the other night and go ahead in the series. And, Ottawa will travel to Manhattan to try to steal one again from New York on their home ice to take the lead in that one. Oddly, the schedule doesn't have Vancouver and LA playing until Sunday, where the Kings will get another chance to wipe out the Canucks. Maybe batten down the hatches if you're in Lotusland. Or at least don't park too close to the Rogers Centre, lest you'd like to find your car upside-down afterward. I'm kidding of course. It will be right-side up. But engulfed in flames. Sunday will also have Boston and Washington playing again, and also the next meeting between the Penguins and Flyers – again, another potential elimination game for Pittsburgh.