Barry Melrose

  (3:01 PM)

Pretty shocking first night. I'm sure all the favorites playing tonight will be a little bit worried.

Alex (dc)

Can my caps win the title without seeing Pitt in the playoffs

Barry Melrose

  (3:02 PM)

Sure, all that has to happen is Ottawa beating Pittsburgh. I do think the Caps will face Pittsburgh in the next round and New Jersey after that.

Bill (Washington, DC)

Barry, concern level is now the highest in the Detroit, San Jose, or Pittsburgh locker room after yesterday?

Barry Melrose

  (3:03 PM)

I would say Pittsburgh. Out of all the teams that played last night, the Pens got out played the most.

Kyle (Boston)

How do the Coyotes keep up the pressure on Detroit now that they series' lead?

Barry Melrose

  (3:03 PM)

They have to do what they did last night. Their power play was great and they just need to keep it up.

Leo (CT)

Do the upsets continue tonight? Can the Bruins take game one on the road?

Barry Melrose

  (3:04 PM)

Well sure, if you look at Colorado who people gave no chance to win, they walked into Ottawa and won.

Corey Ranes (Carbondale, IL)

Hey Barry, how much confidence do you have in Chicago Blackhawks' netminder Antti Niemi?

Barry Melrose

  (3:05 PM)

All you can do is go by the way he played in the regular season and he played as well as any other rookie goaltender during that time.

Charlie (Hickory, NC)

Hey Barry, Any chance of you rethinking your Sens/Pens prediction? I still believe even with the loss of Michalek this can be overcome. Love the beard by the way!

Barry Melrose

  (3:06 PM)

I still think Pittsburgh is going to win. They only had 21 shots and with the firepower they have on the team, that's not very good but I think they will overcome that to win this series.

RJ (Boston)

Hey Barry, A lot of people are now picking the Bruins as the best upset chance in the dirst round. Do you agree?

Barry Melrose

  (3:07 PM)

No I don't. I just don't know where their offense will come from. I don't see them scoring enough to beat Buffalo.

Bobby (South Carolina)

Am I the only Caps fan worried about the series with the Canadiens?

Barry Melrose

  (3:08 PM)

Probably, I think everyone is looking forward to Pittsburgh in the next round. If Washington plays to the level that everyone knows they can, then this should be a quick series.

Joe (Vallejo, CA)

Should I be worried of another 1st round letdown by the Sharks because of last night's game?

Barry Melrose

  (3:10 PM)

Yeah, I would be worried. I would be very worried. The worst thing the Sharks could have done is allowing the Avs to win a game. Now the Avs think they have a chance and we've seen this scenario many times.

Leo (CT)

Is this playoff run the determining factor in whether Kovy stays in the NHL or goes to the KHL?

Barry Melrose

  (3:10 PM)

No, I think money would be the determining factor.

DJ (Cuse)

Will Joe Sacco get coach of the year and can the Avs knock off the chock artists the Sharks?

Barry Melrose

  (3:12 PM)

I think Dave Tippett will get Coach of the Year. I do think Sacco did a great job but I see Tippett winning COY.

Ryan (Reynoldsburg,Ohio)

Would Kevin Dineen make a good coach for the columbus blue jackets

Barry Melrose

  (3:13 PM)

Yes he would. He had a lot of success in the American league. He's a good coach and a good choice.

Mark (West Covina, CA)

Are you a little worried like i am being a big kings fan that Quick not bieng very sharp right now may make it a tough playoffs for him? I am hoping of course he gets going.

Barry Melrose

  (3:14 PM)

He's just a young goaltender in his first post season. Just like all the other goaltenders, we've seen them falter and play at their best. We'll learn a lot about Quick in the next two weeks.

Jon Silver (Cleveland)

What do the Habs have to do to neutralize OVIe and the bunch enough to pull off at least a couple of wins in this series

Barry Melrose

  (3:16 PM)

Stay out of the penalty box, get their power play going, and Halak or Price (whoever starts the game) has to be great.

Joe (Buffalo)

Barry, who do you see as Buffalo's unsung hero in the postseason this year?

Barry Melrose

  (3:17 PM)

Jochen Hecht. he scored 21 goals this year along with 21 assists. He's a great underrated player who excels come playoff time.

Joe (Vallejo, CA)

Hey Barry, do you see the Kings stealing Game 1 in Vancover tonight?

Barry Melrose

  (3:18 PM)

Anything is possible, we just saw three teams win on the road last night. If a team doesn't come ready to play then they will be beat and that was proven last night.

dennis (Denver)

Will Craig Anderson have to play as well as he did last night every game of this series for the Avs to have a chance?

Barry Melrose

  (3:19 PM)

I would say he has to play better. The Sharks are a better team then what they showed last night and they will come ready to play their A game so Anderson will have to show up and play better than he did before.

Matt (AZ)

ok game 1 hawks/preds, whats the outcome and score...

Barry Melrose

  (3:20 PM)

I think that's going to be a tough series but I see the Hawks winning the first game 4-3.

Barry (Phoenix)

What will it take for people to give the Coyotes the respect they deserve?

Barry Melrose

  (3:21 PM)

I think they got the respect they deserve from hockey people. They had more points than Detroit. They are well thought of in the hockey circles.

Derek (Dorchester, ON)

Is Ottawa for real? Can they really knock out the defending cup champions in the 1st round?

Barry Melrose

  (3:23 PM)

Well if Pittsburgh plays the rest of the series like they did last night then sure. I don't think Ottawa can win this series but if the Pens don't come to play, the Sens can really take this series.

Jim (West Palm Beach)

BarryWhen will ESPN start to cover and televise the NHL again????

Barry Melrose

  (3:24 PM)

I hope soon. Right now we don't have the package, Versus and NBC does and they have it for the next couple of years.

Mustard (Toronto)

Was that a sellout last night in Glendale? I cant believe how many white shirts I saw.

Barry Melrose

  (3:25 PM)

Yes it was. It was their whiteout. It looks like ownership will be settled and things are going very well for Phoenix right now.

B-Diddy (Munstoeville, WYO)

Thoughts on Duchene schooling Thornton last night (in pretty much every aspect except faceoffs)? I mean i knew he was slow, but geez....

Barry Melrose

  (3:26 PM)

Well the Avs are one of the fastest teams in the league. Thornton plays a slow game and speed is not a strong point of his.

jon (chicago)

Hey Barry, whats your opinion and the NHL's opinion on the National Anthem tradition in Chicago. I think its the coolest tradition in sports.

Barry Melrose

  (3:27 PM)

Everybody loves it. Everybody in hockey and the NHL love it. It's a great tradition that everyone should see at some point.

Ryan (Salem, OR)

Barry, as a former player and coach, can you comment on the factors that make a team "care" about each other? Does a captain set the tone? A coach? Won-loss record? What are the key ingredients to a tight locker room?

Barry Melrose

  (3:29 PM)

Leadership. You have to have the right leaders. The coach isn't in the dressing room at lot so he let's the leader know what he's looking for and they take care of everything. Teams that play hard night in and night out and win, it's because of the leadership.

Barry Melrose

  (3:33 PM)

I just saw Jochen Hecht had a setback with the injury to his finger and won't start tonight for Buffalo. He's very important to the Sabers and we'll have to see how this effects the team. Tyler Ennis will start in his place.

Barry Melrose

  (3:33 PM)

Enjoy the games tonight. I hope they are as good as last night's.