I know I briefly touched on playoff ratings being down, but I'm not convinced hockey is done with.
I had class last night, with my phone set to get scores from the end of each period of Rangers-Thrashers (thanks 4info.net!), but I wanted the score before I left campus, so I jumped on a hallway terminal. And of course, it was frozen. So I wait for the guy next to me to finish up and when he's done, I see he has ESPN's NHL page up with the scores.
So the NHL still matters to some people.
Also, is there anything better in all of sports than the after-series handshake?
Obviously, I'm asking because the Rangers are now in the second round of the playoffs.
Also, like Eric, I'm really shocked by the behavior of Islander fans. It's not like hockey is new to the market. Those fans know how to act at a big game. They know throwing stuff on the ice isn't acceptable. They know fans are an extension of a team and by showing a lack of respect for the game, they're making their team look bad. I'm not 100% convinced the bad bounces and tough calls the Islanders have (and haven't) been getting aren't a result of fan karma. I guess it's a chicken-egg thing, though.

Not to be too obsessed with Atlanta and their constant goalie-swapping, but John Dellapina had a great tidbit in his blog — one that I hadn't heard before:

While Hartley's first goalie switch -- from a shaky Lehtonen to a more-experienced Hedberg -- hinted of panic, I found out that there were reasons beyond Lehtonen's jittery Game 1 performance. Several Atlanta veterans were not pleased that Lehtonen showed up for practice the day before the series with his hair dyed blue and white and cut in a mohawk. When they were looking for resolve from their young netminder, they saw a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

I hadn't heard or read anything about the hair or the mohawk, but it was actually in an AP dispatch from April 11:

Holik didn't want to talk about goaltender Kari Lehtonen's hair after Lehtonen's grand entrance into the team's locker room following Wednesday's practice.

"You have to ignore the situation," Holik said, shaking his head sadly and looking away so he wouldn't have to see Lehtonen's new playoff look: a bright blue spiked mohawk streak down the middle of his hair, flanked on both sides by platinum blonde.
...
Lehtonen had company. Defenseman Andy Sutton joined Lehtonen and came back with an all-blue look.

"They went to get a paint job," joked Thrashers coach Bob Hartley. "They put a big smile on the players' faces when they came in this morning. It's all about fun."

I'm not sure if anyone on the Thrashers is still having fun. Last night's loss to the Rangers was brutal.
Maybe the Thrashers need more dye.
* * *
Greg Logan is a well-respected New York sportswriter, having covered the Knicks before taking over the Isles beat for Newsday. He's not a big opinion guy. He covers the Isles the same way you would cover the cops beat, or the courts. He doesn't use his work to coach or to even comment much. He's known as a fair, impartial guy. That's why I was so shocked to read his latest piece on the impact of Ryan Smyth in the Islanders' locker room. He takes some hard shots at Alexei Yashin. And if Logan is taking shots, you know it must be a horrible situation:

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff, who was captain of the Sabres for several years, said he got so upset when coach Ted Sator took away his "C" in the 1988-89 season that he forced an immediate trade to the Rangers. "If I look back on it now and I review the way I was playing, maybe they should have benched me a couple weeks sooner," Ruff said. "You always think 'I'm playing good.' But my time was up.

"That's a hard decision for a coach. I was done as a player. Now I realize it, but then, I would have fought anybody about it."

If Yashin had that much passion about his leadership role, maybe it wouldn't be in question.

If Yashin doesn't respond to that, he's never going to respond to anything. Luckily, he still has like 22 years left on his contract.
Speaking of Smyth, Stan Fischler says the Islanders, Rangers, Avs, and Leafs are the teams expected to push hard for him.
* * *
National playoff ratings are down so far. The big reason they're down on NBC is that they really don't seem to advertise the games. At least not in any way that I've seen. Maybe they do a quick tease, but you have to sell the rivalry. Show Jarome Iginla going hard to the net. Show Dominik Hasek scrambling in the crease. Show Chris Chelios checking Sid Abel. Sell the game a little bit.

Thrashers coach Bob Hartley has tapped game one goalie Kari Lehtonen for game three against the Rangers, which is pretty crazy. I can't even imagine what Lehtonen's confidence is like after the quick hook after his playoff debut. And I can't imagine game two goalie Johan Hedberg feels good about the move. The only thing I can think of is that Hartley is trying to make the Rangers overconfident. Maybe he'll even scratch Marian Hossa.
Also, congratulations to Valerie Bertinelli on her return to the mainstream. She's doing an ad for Jenny Craig, and she still looks great. Eddie Van Halen is a moron.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm shopping a one-man show based on the life of Pat "Schneider" Harrington, Jr.
Also, if you have time, vote for Little Splurge for Best Shopping Blog in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. Choose or lose, baby. Choose or lose.

Goalie Rick DiPietro sure looked sharp leading the Islanders over Buffalo in game two this weekend, but Greg Logan, who covers the Isles for Newsday, noticed some small things that could indicate DiPietro isn't at 100%:

Two small moments caught the eye today as DiPietro went through his first practice and the interviews that followed. Toward the end, after taking a series of shots, DiPietro was unsteady for just a split-second and then hunched over looking as if he were trying to catch his breath. That’s when his workout ended, and he skated off bent over in a resting position. The other noticeable reaction came during the interview session when a TV cameraman suddenly turned on a bright light on DiPietro’s face, and he seemed to reel slightly, shading his eyes.

The Post's Marc Berman was impressed by DiPietro's leadership, but you have to hope DiPietro isn't sacrificing his health longterm, just to make a series of it.
* * *
Speaking of goalies, Atlanta's Bob Hartley sure has his on a very short leash, pulling Kari Lehtonen after a game one performance that really wasn't horrible.
I'm really not sure what Hartley's end game is with the move. Lehtonen is the franchise goalie. Eventually, he's going to have to win a playoff game. He can't win, and he sure can't learn to win, sitting on the bench, watching Johan Hedberg. And Hedberg, who played stupendously, and is carving out an interesting niche as a solid number two goalie who can step-up as needed, has a bit of a reputation for being neurotic. Who knows how the playoff pressure will affect him? And then who can Hartley turn to? I know Atlanta wants to win now, and I know all of their trade deadline moves indicate they're not horribly concerned about the future, but I still think Hartley is playing with fire.
Look at Pittsburgh. Do you think anyone there feels good with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal? But everyone in the Pittsburgh organization seems to know you can't develop a goalie without playing a goalie.
On a semi-related note, kudos to David Vecsey for being the voice of reason in telling the Thrashers to stop paying so much attention to Sean Avery. He's not Jaromir Jagr. He's not a huge scoring threat. You don't have to take yourself out of the play to check him. I say this as someone rooting for the Rangers. It's just distracting.
* * *
The 2001 Cup-winning Avalanche are well represented in the playoffs:

Greg de Vries (Atlanta)
Chris Drury (Buffalo)
Peter Forsberg (Nashville)
Nolan Pratt (Tampa)
Martin Skoula (Minnesota)
Alex Tanguay (Calgary)
Stephane Yelle (Calgary)

Jon Klemm hasn't seen any action in Dallas yet, but there's always the possibility he will (login info.).
Also, Peter Forsberg is open to a return to Colorado.