The defending champion, Chicago Blackhawks, beat the Los Angeles Kings in double overtime to force a game six in the Western Conference Finals.
The Blackhawks got on the board just 1:13 into the game after Drew Doughty took a seat in the penalty box for tripping Jonathan Toews. Patrick Kane got the puck over to Toews, who made the pass to Brent Seabrook at the point. Seabrook took a slapshot and it beat Jonathan Quick to give the Blackhawks the early 1-0 lead.
Johnny Oduya made a pass to Andrew Shaw and he for the puck to Kane in the neutral zone. Kane made a nice move at the blue line, took the shot, and the puck went right to Oduya in the slot. Oduya beat Quick for the two-goal lead.
The Kings answered with a goal of their own. They got into the Blackhawks zone and Jarrett Stoll was behind the net. Stoll tried to pass it to one of his teammates out front but the puck got caught up in skates and none of the Blackhawks players could get a stick on it to clear. Stoll came from behind the net, found the puck and wristed a shot that beat Corey Crawford to cut the Blackhawks lead in half.
Brandon Saad scored his fifth of the playoffs to give the Blackhawks the 3-1 lead. Kane got the puck along the boards, and found Saad. Saad passed the puck to a wide open Shaw, who was in the slot, and he took the shot. Quick made the save but left a big rebound that found its way onto Saad's stick and he put it into the net.
Marian Gaborik then came back with a gaol of his own to make it a 3-2 game in favor of the Blackhawks. Quick made a big pad save on Toews, which led to the eventual goal at the other end. Dustin Brown got the puck and skated into the Blackhawks zone, where he made a little drop pass to Anze Kopitar. Kopitar then made the pass over to Gaborik, who scored his 11th goal of the postseason.
The first period was wide open with both teams finishing with nine shots a piece. Crawford didn't seem to be tracking or seeing the puck well during the first period. There were five goals scored on just 18 shots between the two teams in the period.
The second period started off a little tighter than the first, but the Kings still managed to tie the game and then take the lead two minutes later.
Brent Seabrook failed to clear the Blackhawks zone and Brown took a shot, which was blocked. The puck bounced right to Gaborik and he took the shot, but Crawford was there to make the save. The rebound went right to Brown and he put it into the net to tie the game at three.
Mike Richards for the puck out of his own zone and into the neutral zone, where Jeff Carter managed to get the puck ahead to Tanner Pearson. Pearson took the shot from just above the face off circle and it beat Crawford for the 4-3 Kings lead. It was the fourth time in the playoffs that the Blackhawks had blown a two goal lead.
There was only one goal in the third period. It came early but was the game-tying goal for the Blackhawks. Ben Smith got the puck to Saad, who took a shot. The shot was deflected over to Smith, who put the puck in the wide open net, just 1:17 into the period to tie the game.
There were chances for either team to win the game in the final 1:30. Marian Hossa took a shot late but Quick made the save and Niklas Hjalmarsson made a nice defensive play for the Blackhawks to keep Carter from getting a scoring chance.
The first overtime was up-and-down hockey with hardly any whistles. Both teams had scoring chances, but the Blackhawks had the better of them. The period had such a fast pace to it that the teams managed to play it in just 26:45, and it usually takes teams about 45 minutes to play 20 minutes of hockey.
Saad had a goal and two assists and was everywhere for the Blackhawks tonight. He played a solid game along with Kane, who had four assists and was a plus three in 28:34 of ice time. Crawford started out slow and look shaky but redeemed himself with stopping the last 19 shots that he faced from the Kings.
Will the Blackhawks be able to force a game seven or will the Kings be going to the Stanley Cup Finals? Tune in Friday night at 9pm on NBCSN to find out.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Wild Even the Series with Blackhawks
The Minnesota Wild remained perfect on home ice during the playoffs. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 to even the series at two games a piece. The Wild improved to 5-0 this post season at the Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Cooke returned to the Wild lineup after serving a seven game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Tyson Barrie in the first round of the playoffs. He forced turnovers, checked, and even assisted on the first Wild goal. Cooke forced a turnover and got the puck over to Justin Fontaine. Fontaine then waited for Corey Crawford to make a move and beat the goalie upstairs.
The Wild were clearly the better team in the first period, out shooting and out chancing the Blackhawks. With only 39 seconds left, Michal Roszival passed the puck to Marian Hossa, who made a nice pass over to Patrick Sharp. Sharp made a nice move around a sliding Mikko Koivu, took the shot and beat Ilya Bryzgalov five hole. Bryzgalov should have made the save but instead the game was tied 1-1 after one period. The Blackhawks only managed four shots but one of them found the back of the net.
The second period started off kind of slow, but picked up the pace in a hurry. The Wild scored just 3:51 into the period on a deflection by Jason Pominville. Zach Parise got the puck over to Ryan Suter, who took a shot that went over the net and Crawford appeared to have lost sight of it. Pominville found the loose puck and banked it off Crawford's skate and into the net.
Sharp went in on the forecheck for the Blackhawks and Michal Handzus got to the puck. Handzus passed over to Hossa and then back to Brent Seabrook, who took the shot from the point with traffic in front. Handzus got his stick on the puck to deflect it past Bryzgalov to tie the game at two.
The Wild came right back. Charlie Coyle got the puck in the neutral zone and made a nice touch pass over to Nino Niederreiter, who took the shot from just outside the face off circle and beat Crawford high glove side. The Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game on a breakaway by Sharp, but Bryzgalov did the splits and held the post to make the pad save.
Keith Ballard left in the second period after taking a hit from behind from Brandon Bollig. Bollig was assessed a two minute minor for boarding on the play. Ballard got up from the hit, skated to the Wild bench, and then right back to the locker room. He didn't return for the rest of the game. The Wild out shot the Blackhawks 18-9 in that second period and lead 3-2.
In the third period, the Wild scored a power play goal against the league's best penalty kill in the playoffs. Suter got the puck over to Mikko Koivu, who sent a no look pass over to Jared Spurgeon. The pass was on edge but Spurgeon had time to settle it onto his stick and then roof it high over Crawford for the 4-2 lead.
Bryzgalov made two huge saves, in close, on Jeremy Morin, which would have put the Blackhawks down by only one goal had Bryzgalov not made the saves. The Blackhawks were just outplayed and outworked in every facet of the game. The Wild played with speed but played smart, for the most part, too.
If the Blackhawks don't want to go down 3-2 in the series on home ice then they need their big time players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to step up and start making some plays. The Hawks also need to play with some more effort and urgency. The Wild need to play how they played tonight if they want to take home ice away from the Blackhawks.
Game 5 will be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. (EST) on CNBC.
Matt Cooke returned to the Wild lineup after serving a seven game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Tyson Barrie in the first round of the playoffs. He forced turnovers, checked, and even assisted on the first Wild goal. Cooke forced a turnover and got the puck over to Justin Fontaine. Fontaine then waited for Corey Crawford to make a move and beat the goalie upstairs.
The Wild were clearly the better team in the first period, out shooting and out chancing the Blackhawks. With only 39 seconds left, Michal Roszival passed the puck to Marian Hossa, who made a nice pass over to Patrick Sharp. Sharp made a nice move around a sliding Mikko Koivu, took the shot and beat Ilya Bryzgalov five hole. Bryzgalov should have made the save but instead the game was tied 1-1 after one period. The Blackhawks only managed four shots but one of them found the back of the net.
The second period started off kind of slow, but picked up the pace in a hurry. The Wild scored just 3:51 into the period on a deflection by Jason Pominville. Zach Parise got the puck over to Ryan Suter, who took a shot that went over the net and Crawford appeared to have lost sight of it. Pominville found the loose puck and banked it off Crawford's skate and into the net.
Sharp went in on the forecheck for the Blackhawks and Michal Handzus got to the puck. Handzus passed over to Hossa and then back to Brent Seabrook, who took the shot from the point with traffic in front. Handzus got his stick on the puck to deflect it past Bryzgalov to tie the game at two.
The Wild came right back. Charlie Coyle got the puck in the neutral zone and made a nice touch pass over to Nino Niederreiter, who took the shot from just outside the face off circle and beat Crawford high glove side. The Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game on a breakaway by Sharp, but Bryzgalov did the splits and held the post to make the pad save.
Keith Ballard left in the second period after taking a hit from behind from Brandon Bollig. Bollig was assessed a two minute minor for boarding on the play. Ballard got up from the hit, skated to the Wild bench, and then right back to the locker room. He didn't return for the rest of the game. The Wild out shot the Blackhawks 18-9 in that second period and lead 3-2.
In the third period, the Wild scored a power play goal against the league's best penalty kill in the playoffs. Suter got the puck over to Mikko Koivu, who sent a no look pass over to Jared Spurgeon. The pass was on edge but Spurgeon had time to settle it onto his stick and then roof it high over Crawford for the 4-2 lead.
Bryzgalov made two huge saves, in close, on Jeremy Morin, which would have put the Blackhawks down by only one goal had Bryzgalov not made the saves. The Blackhawks were just outplayed and outworked in every facet of the game. The Wild played with speed but played smart, for the most part, too.
If the Blackhawks don't want to go down 3-2 in the series on home ice then they need their big time players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to step up and start making some plays. The Hawks also need to play with some more effort and urgency. The Wild need to play how they played tonight if they want to take home ice away from the Blackhawks.
Game 5 will be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. (EST) on CNBC.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Penguins Blank Rangers To Take Series Lead
The Pittsburgh Penguins have bounced back from a game one overtime loss to take a 2-1 series lead.
A big reason for the comeback has been the play of Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn't let in a goal since the overtime winner in the first game of the series. Fleury is the first Penguins goalie to record a shutout in consecutive playoff games, according to Elias. The goalie has stopped 72 of the last 73 shots he's faced in the series.
The Rangers made some lineup changes before the game to add some speed. John Moore, Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett were all out of the lineup, while Raphael Diaz, J.T. Miller and Jasper Fast were all in the lineup.
The Rangers had their chances, especially on the power play, but they couldn't get anything past Fleury. James Neal took a seat in the penalty box for four minutes because he caught Fast with a high stick. Benoit Pouilot and Martin St. Louis both hit posts and the Rangers streak of not scoring on the power play continued.
The Penguins seem to build off the momentum of the penalty kill. Roberto Bortuzzo made a nice stretch pass to Sidney Crosby, who skated in and beat Henrik Lundqvist to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. It was Crosby's first goal of the playoffs. The Rangers next chance was a dandy. Derick Brassard found a rebound, took the shot, beat Fleury, but the puck rolled along the length of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line.
Jussi Jokinen gave the Rangers another chance to tie the game on the power play when he went off for holding the stick. The Rangers had shots and chances but just couldn't seem to get the puck past Fleury, who seemed in control. Mats Zuccarello missed Brad Richards with as pass as Jokinen was coming out of the penalty box. Jokinen found the puck, skated in all alone, hesitated for just a split second and the beat Lundqvist blocker side for the 2-0 lead.
The Rangers kept coming in the third period, out shooting the Penguins nine to one, but Fleury made the saves when his team needed him to. The Rangers were 0-for-5 on the power play but did manage 10 shots on goal. The Rangers also out shot the Penguins for the game by a 35-15 margin.
If the Rangers want to win game four, they need to find a way to put the puck in the net, especially on the power play. If Fleury and the Penguins keep playing the way they are right now, they could win the series in five games.
A big reason for the comeback has been the play of Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn't let in a goal since the overtime winner in the first game of the series. Fleury is the first Penguins goalie to record a shutout in consecutive playoff games, according to Elias. The goalie has stopped 72 of the last 73 shots he's faced in the series.
The Rangers made some lineup changes before the game to add some speed. John Moore, Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett were all out of the lineup, while Raphael Diaz, J.T. Miller and Jasper Fast were all in the lineup.
The Rangers had their chances, especially on the power play, but they couldn't get anything past Fleury. James Neal took a seat in the penalty box for four minutes because he caught Fast with a high stick. Benoit Pouilot and Martin St. Louis both hit posts and the Rangers streak of not scoring on the power play continued.
The Penguins seem to build off the momentum of the penalty kill. Roberto Bortuzzo made a nice stretch pass to Sidney Crosby, who skated in and beat Henrik Lundqvist to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. It was Crosby's first goal of the playoffs. The Rangers next chance was a dandy. Derick Brassard found a rebound, took the shot, beat Fleury, but the puck rolled along the length of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line.
Jussi Jokinen gave the Rangers another chance to tie the game on the power play when he went off for holding the stick. The Rangers had shots and chances but just couldn't seem to get the puck past Fleury, who seemed in control. Mats Zuccarello missed Brad Richards with as pass as Jokinen was coming out of the penalty box. Jokinen found the puck, skated in all alone, hesitated for just a split second and the beat Lundqvist blocker side for the 2-0 lead.
The Rangers kept coming in the third period, out shooting the Penguins nine to one, but Fleury made the saves when his team needed him to. The Rangers were 0-for-5 on the power play but did manage 10 shots on goal. The Rangers also out shot the Penguins for the game by a 35-15 margin.
If the Rangers want to win game four, they need to find a way to put the puck in the net, especially on the power play. If Fleury and the Penguins keep playing the way they are right now, they could win the series in five games.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Blackhawks With The Win Over the Wild
The Chicago Blackhawks lost Andrew Shaw to an injury, but won the game to take a 1-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild.
Shaw was hit by Wild defenseman, Clayton Stoner, in the first period and didn't return due to a lower body injury. After the hit Shaw limped over to the bench and went to the locker room.
The Wild know about injuries, which have seemed to hit their goalies hard this season. Darcy Kuemper was injured during game seven against the Colorado Avalanche and is out day-to-day with an upper body injury.
The Wild had to start Ilya Bryzgalov in net and he looked shaky early in the game. He wasn't square to the shooter and was flopping around but nothing got past him until 14:48 of the first period. Jonas Brodin went to the box for four minutes after catching Marian Hossa with a high stick, which gave the Blackhawks the man advantage. Brent Seabrook got the puck to Hossa, who passed it right back to Seabrook and he took a slap shot from the point. There was plenty of traffic in front of Bryzgalov and Bryan Bickell got his stick on the puck to tip it past the goalie and into the net for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
The Wild had some opportunities short handed but couldn't cash in. On one play, Nick Leddy made a nice defensive play on Zack Parise and he didn't even get the shot off after being in on a breakaway. The Wild had another opportunity short handed but once again the Blackhawks managed to get back into position.
In the second period, the Wild spent a lot of time in the Blackhawks zone. They even had a power play but couldn't convert so the Blackhawks still had the one goal lead. Then Brodin went to the box for his second high sticking minor of the game. This time it was only for two minutes but Hossa made sure that he paid for taking the penalty. Leddy got a quick pass of to Brandon Saad and he skated towards the net and sent a backhand pass over to Hossa. Hossa put the puck up and over Bryzgalov's pad for the 2-0 lead.
The Blackhawks were out shot 17-3 in the second period and Corey Crawford kept them in the game.
The Wild scored twice in the third period to erase the two goal deficit. Stoner picked a good time to get his first goal of the playoffs. Jason Pominville took the shot from the point which went wide. Parise got the puck back to Stoner, who let a shot rip from the point. Blackhawks defeneman, Johnny Oduya, made a nice stick save but the puck then trickled past him as he battled with Pominville in front of the net.
Kyle Brodziak tied the game off of a nice pass from Eric Haula, but the Blackhawks came right back to take the lead again. Patrick Kane got the puck in the neutral zone, skated it into the offensive zone, made some moves, and backhanded the puck over Bryzgalov's shoulder for the 3-2 lead.
Patrick Sharp kept the puck in the Wild's zone after a save by Brzygalov. He took the shot from the point and Ben Smith had the deflection, which went right to Kane. Kane knew exactly what to do with the puck and gave the Blackhawks the 4-2 lead.
The Wild pulled Bryzgalov with just about three minutes left in the game since they were down by two goals, but Bickell scored the empty net goal. The Blackhawks skated away with the 5-2 lead even though the Wild played a pretty decent game.
If the Wild are looking to even the series, then they need to hit the net with their shots more. It seemed like they missed the net either high or wide quite a few times tonight. The Wild also need to have a better penalty kill since they allowed two goals in four opportunities tonight.
The second game of the series is on Sunday at 3pm on NBC.
Shaw was hit by Wild defenseman, Clayton Stoner, in the first period and didn't return due to a lower body injury. After the hit Shaw limped over to the bench and went to the locker room.
The Wild know about injuries, which have seemed to hit their goalies hard this season. Darcy Kuemper was injured during game seven against the Colorado Avalanche and is out day-to-day with an upper body injury.
The Wild had to start Ilya Bryzgalov in net and he looked shaky early in the game. He wasn't square to the shooter and was flopping around but nothing got past him until 14:48 of the first period. Jonas Brodin went to the box for four minutes after catching Marian Hossa with a high stick, which gave the Blackhawks the man advantage. Brent Seabrook got the puck to Hossa, who passed it right back to Seabrook and he took a slap shot from the point. There was plenty of traffic in front of Bryzgalov and Bryan Bickell got his stick on the puck to tip it past the goalie and into the net for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
The Wild had some opportunities short handed but couldn't cash in. On one play, Nick Leddy made a nice defensive play on Zack Parise and he didn't even get the shot off after being in on a breakaway. The Wild had another opportunity short handed but once again the Blackhawks managed to get back into position.
In the second period, the Wild spent a lot of time in the Blackhawks zone. They even had a power play but couldn't convert so the Blackhawks still had the one goal lead. Then Brodin went to the box for his second high sticking minor of the game. This time it was only for two minutes but Hossa made sure that he paid for taking the penalty. Leddy got a quick pass of to Brandon Saad and he skated towards the net and sent a backhand pass over to Hossa. Hossa put the puck up and over Bryzgalov's pad for the 2-0 lead.
The Blackhawks were out shot 17-3 in the second period and Corey Crawford kept them in the game.
The Wild scored twice in the third period to erase the two goal deficit. Stoner picked a good time to get his first goal of the playoffs. Jason Pominville took the shot from the point which went wide. Parise got the puck back to Stoner, who let a shot rip from the point. Blackhawks defeneman, Johnny Oduya, made a nice stick save but the puck then trickled past him as he battled with Pominville in front of the net.
Kyle Brodziak tied the game off of a nice pass from Eric Haula, but the Blackhawks came right back to take the lead again. Patrick Kane got the puck in the neutral zone, skated it into the offensive zone, made some moves, and backhanded the puck over Bryzgalov's shoulder for the 3-2 lead.
Patrick Sharp kept the puck in the Wild's zone after a save by Brzygalov. He took the shot from the point and Ben Smith had the deflection, which went right to Kane. Kane knew exactly what to do with the puck and gave the Blackhawks the 4-2 lead.
The Wild pulled Bryzgalov with just about three minutes left in the game since they were down by two goals, but Bickell scored the empty net goal. The Blackhawks skated away with the 5-2 lead even though the Wild played a pretty decent game.
If the Wild are looking to even the series, then they need to hit the net with their shots more. It seemed like they missed the net either high or wide quite a few times tonight. The Wild also need to have a better penalty kill since they allowed two goals in four opportunities tonight.
The second game of the series is on Sunday at 3pm on NBC.
Rangers Take Game One in Overtime
It's no surprise that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers needed overtime to decide a game one winner. This was the 16th time in the Stanley Cup playoffs that a game has gone to overtime this year.
The Rangers hadn't played in any of those overtime games until tonight, while the Penguins had played in two during their first round series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
At 3:06 of the overtime period, Derick Brassard decided to end the game with his first goal of the playoffs. Beniot Pouliot forced the Penguins defenseman, Rob Scuderi, to turn the puck over behind his own net. Pouliot managed to get a pass through a maze of sticks and over to Brassard, who wristed the puck high over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder. The puck went in and out of the net so fast that the refs didn't even notice that a goal was scored. The teams kept playing with Fleury flopping around his net and his teammates blowing defensive coverage, the puck found its way back to Pouliot and he put it in the net again. A replay showed that Brassard's shot actually went in the net.
The Penguins came out flat in the first period and seemed like the team playing their fourth game in six days. The Rangers came out and took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Dan Girardi blocked a shot, Pouliot picked up the puck and skated it right into the Penguins zone and fired one right past Fleury for the goal. At 17:03 of the period, Girardi dumped the puck into the Penguins zone and this time Carl Hagelin won the puck battle along the boards. Hagelin got the puck to Brad Richards and he tucked it past the Penguins goalie for the 2-0 lead.
The Penguins looked like a completely different team in the second period. They were battling hard and getting the puck towards Henrik Lundqvist. Lee Stempniak finally got the Penguins on the board on a backhand shot. Marcel Goc passed the puck to Beau Bennett and Bennett crossed over and made the nice drop pass to Stempniak, who made a move and put the puck in the net.
The Penguins tied the game at two after a goal by James Neal. Evgeni Malkin picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and dished it off to Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen then made the drop pass to Neal, who took the shot and Lundqvist made the save, but the puck went up into the air and then came back down and into the net. The goal was reviewed to make sure that Malkin hadn't played the puck with a high stick while it was in the air, but the goal stood because Malkin never touched the puck at all.
The Penguins out shot the Rangers 15-4 in the second so Lundqvist was the busier of the two goalies that period.
The third period was evenly played with both teams getting their chances. Lundqvist had to make a save with only 11 seconds left in regulation to force the game into overtime. The Penguins out shot the Rangers again but this time it was only by a 12 to eight margin.
The next game is Sunday at 7:30 on NBCSN. If the Penguins want to even the series, then they're going to have to have a better start to the game. The Rangers need to be a little tighter defensively than they were in the second period of game one. If either team can manage to get its power play going, then that could be a key to winning the series.
The Rangers hadn't played in any of those overtime games until tonight, while the Penguins had played in two during their first round series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
At 3:06 of the overtime period, Derick Brassard decided to end the game with his first goal of the playoffs. Beniot Pouliot forced the Penguins defenseman, Rob Scuderi, to turn the puck over behind his own net. Pouliot managed to get a pass through a maze of sticks and over to Brassard, who wristed the puck high over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder. The puck went in and out of the net so fast that the refs didn't even notice that a goal was scored. The teams kept playing with Fleury flopping around his net and his teammates blowing defensive coverage, the puck found its way back to Pouliot and he put it in the net again. A replay showed that Brassard's shot actually went in the net.
The Penguins came out flat in the first period and seemed like the team playing their fourth game in six days. The Rangers came out and took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Dan Girardi blocked a shot, Pouliot picked up the puck and skated it right into the Penguins zone and fired one right past Fleury for the goal. At 17:03 of the period, Girardi dumped the puck into the Penguins zone and this time Carl Hagelin won the puck battle along the boards. Hagelin got the puck to Brad Richards and he tucked it past the Penguins goalie for the 2-0 lead.
The Penguins looked like a completely different team in the second period. They were battling hard and getting the puck towards Henrik Lundqvist. Lee Stempniak finally got the Penguins on the board on a backhand shot. Marcel Goc passed the puck to Beau Bennett and Bennett crossed over and made the nice drop pass to Stempniak, who made a move and put the puck in the net.
The Penguins tied the game at two after a goal by James Neal. Evgeni Malkin picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and dished it off to Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen then made the drop pass to Neal, who took the shot and Lundqvist made the save, but the puck went up into the air and then came back down and into the net. The goal was reviewed to make sure that Malkin hadn't played the puck with a high stick while it was in the air, but the goal stood because Malkin never touched the puck at all.
The Penguins out shot the Rangers 15-4 in the second so Lundqvist was the busier of the two goalies that period.
The third period was evenly played with both teams getting their chances. Lundqvist had to make a save with only 11 seconds left in regulation to force the game into overtime. The Penguins out shot the Rangers again but this time it was only by a 12 to eight margin.
The next game is Sunday at 7:30 on NBCSN. If the Penguins want to even the series, then they're going to have to have a better start to the game. The Rangers need to be a little tighter defensively than they were in the second period of game one. If either team can manage to get its power play going, then that could be a key to winning the series.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Canadiens Beat Bruins in Double OT
The 34th Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins started off with a bang.
Carey Price had 48 saves and PK Subban won the game just 4:17 into the second overtime.
At 4:10 of the second overtime, Bruins defenseman, Matt Bartkowski, was called for holding and that gave the Canadiens the man advantage. The Canadiens wasted little time making the Bruins pay for taking the penalty. Danny Briere got the puck to Andrej Markov off the face off. Markov fed it to Subban, who was at the other point, and he rifled it past Tuukka Rask for the game winner.
It was the second power play goal of the night for Subban. In the first period, Bartkowski went off for tripping Dale Weise. Tomas Plekanec pick up a loose puck along the boards and got it back to Subban. Subban got the puck over to Markov, who then passed it back to Subban. Subban took the shot and beat Rask, who had to deal with some traffic in front of him.
The Canadiens built on the 1-0 lead in the second period. The Bruins turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Lars Eller jumped on the puck. Eller got it over to Rene Bourque, who snapped the puck past Rask for the 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The third period featured another two goal lead blown and four goals total. Three of the four goals were scored by the Bruins.
The first Bruins goal came just 2:44 into the period and was scored by Reilly Smith. It was Smith's second of the playoffs from Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Then at 6:30 of the period, the Bruins struck again to tie the game. This time it was Torey Krug from Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron. Lucic picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in the offensive zone, and passed it over to Krug, who beat Price.
Michel Therrien used the Canadiens time out and his team responded with a goal by Francis Bouillon to take the 3-2 lead. Brian Gionta got the puck to Bouillon and he scored. Rask may have been screened by his own teammate, Johnny Boychuk on the play.
The Bruins kept coming at the Canadiens even though there were down a goal. Carl Soderberg got the puck to Loui Eriksson, who managed to play the puck to the corner while falling down. Marchand picked up the loose puck and got it back to the point. Johnny Boychuk took the slap shot and beat Price to tie the game at three with just 1:58 left in regulation.
There were no goals in the first overtime period but plenty of chances especially for the Bruins. They just couldn't bury the opportunities they had because they were either stopped by Price or the Canadiens players cleared the puck out of harm's way before a Bruin could get to it.
If the Bruins want to tie the series at one then they'll have to be better on Saturday. Rask stopped 29 of the 33 saves he faced but he'll need to be better than that if the Bruins want to win the series.
Carey Price had 48 saves and PK Subban won the game just 4:17 into the second overtime.
At 4:10 of the second overtime, Bruins defenseman, Matt Bartkowski, was called for holding and that gave the Canadiens the man advantage. The Canadiens wasted little time making the Bruins pay for taking the penalty. Danny Briere got the puck to Andrej Markov off the face off. Markov fed it to Subban, who was at the other point, and he rifled it past Tuukka Rask for the game winner.
It was the second power play goal of the night for Subban. In the first period, Bartkowski went off for tripping Dale Weise. Tomas Plekanec pick up a loose puck along the boards and got it back to Subban. Subban got the puck over to Markov, who then passed it back to Subban. Subban took the shot and beat Rask, who had to deal with some traffic in front of him.
The Canadiens built on the 1-0 lead in the second period. The Bruins turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Lars Eller jumped on the puck. Eller got it over to Rene Bourque, who snapped the puck past Rask for the 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The third period featured another two goal lead blown and four goals total. Three of the four goals were scored by the Bruins.
The first Bruins goal came just 2:44 into the period and was scored by Reilly Smith. It was Smith's second of the playoffs from Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Then at 6:30 of the period, the Bruins struck again to tie the game. This time it was Torey Krug from Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron. Lucic picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in the offensive zone, and passed it over to Krug, who beat Price.
Michel Therrien used the Canadiens time out and his team responded with a goal by Francis Bouillon to take the 3-2 lead. Brian Gionta got the puck to Bouillon and he scored. Rask may have been screened by his own teammate, Johnny Boychuk on the play.
The Bruins kept coming at the Canadiens even though there were down a goal. Carl Soderberg got the puck to Loui Eriksson, who managed to play the puck to the corner while falling down. Marchand picked up the loose puck and got it back to the point. Johnny Boychuk took the slap shot and beat Price to tie the game at three with just 1:58 left in regulation.
There were no goals in the first overtime period but plenty of chances especially for the Bruins. They just couldn't bury the opportunities they had because they were either stopped by Price or the Canadiens players cleared the puck out of harm's way before a Bruin could get to it.
If the Bruins want to tie the series at one then they'll have to be better on Saturday. Rask stopped 29 of the 33 saves he faced but he'll need to be better than that if the Bruins want to win the series.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Islanders Acquire Jaroslav Halak
The New York Islanders acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Washington Capitals for a fourth round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The Islanders have until July 1st to try and sign him to a contract. If they can't come to terms with Halak then he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Halak spent time with three different teams last season. He started the season with the St. Louis Blues, but was part of a trade that brought Ryan Miller to the Blues, and Halak was sent to the Buffalo Sabres. The goalie didn't even play in a game for the Sabres, but was traded to the Capitals at the trade deadline. The Sabres got Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla for Halak and a fourth round draft pick in 2015.
Halak posted a 29-9-4 record with the Blues in 40 games played. He had a 2.23 GAA, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. In 12 games for the Capitals, he was 5-4-3 while posting a 2.31 GAA, a .930 save percentage and one shutout. Halak has played in 272 career games and is 144-85-29 in those games. He has a career 2.25 GAA, .921 save oercentage and five shutouts.
In 23 playoff games, Halak is 10-11 with a 2.42 GAA, .923 save percentage, and has zero shutouts. He was drafted in 2003 by the Montreal Canadiens and later traded to the Blues for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
Halak and Brian Elliott won the William J. Jennings Trophy, which is given out to the goalie tandem that allows the fewest goals in the regular season.
The Islanders have until July 1st to try and sign him to a contract. If they can't come to terms with Halak then he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Halak spent time with three different teams last season. He started the season with the St. Louis Blues, but was part of a trade that brought Ryan Miller to the Blues, and Halak was sent to the Buffalo Sabres. The goalie didn't even play in a game for the Sabres, but was traded to the Capitals at the trade deadline. The Sabres got Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla for Halak and a fourth round draft pick in 2015.
Halak posted a 29-9-4 record with the Blues in 40 games played. He had a 2.23 GAA, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. In 12 games for the Capitals, he was 5-4-3 while posting a 2.31 GAA, a .930 save percentage and one shutout. Halak has played in 272 career games and is 144-85-29 in those games. He has a career 2.25 GAA, .921 save oercentage and five shutouts.
In 23 playoff games, Halak is 10-11 with a 2.42 GAA, .923 save percentage, and has zero shutouts. He was drafted in 2003 by the Montreal Canadiens and later traded to the Blues for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
Halak and Brian Elliott won the William J. Jennings Trophy, which is given out to the goalie tandem that allows the fewest goals in the regular season.
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