Well folks here it is. Since I forgot to make a "Day 0" post, I'll just give you a quick summary of the match ups and how I think they'll turn out:
Eastern Conference:
1. Boston Vs 8. Montreal - Boston in 5
2. Washington Vs 7. NY Rangers - Washington in 6
3. New Jersey Vs 6. Carolina - New Jersey in 7
4. Pittsburgh Vs 5. Philadelphia - Pittsburgh in 6
Western Conference:
1. San Jose Vs. 8. Anaheim: San Jose in 7
2. Detroit Vs. 7. Columbus: Detroit in 6
3. Vancouver Vs. 6. St. Louis: Vancouver in 5
4. Chicago Vs. 5. Calgary: Chicago in 4
And here's a recap of what went down this evening:
Game 1: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0
I gotta be honest, I'm really big on Philadelphia. But I can't deny that Pittsburgh has been the hottest team in the league since getting Dan Bylsma behind their bench. Tonight proved no exception to that as Pittsburgh turned over a dominant performance in all aspects of the word. I gotta be honest, I'm a bigger fan of Dan Bylsma's team more than I was of Michel Therrien's team because it suits the Penguin's style better.
First off, the stars came out for Pittsburgh, as Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby recorded a goal and an assist each. Pittsburgh's defense also got involved in the scoring, as Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, and Mark Eaton recorded points in tonight's effort. Marc-Andre* didn't have to face as many shots as Marty Biron, but he still was effective at shutting the door.
The only thing I can say that was notable about Philadelphia's performance is that their reaction to losing was nothing unexpected. They couldn't stay out of the penalty box and for most of the game and started a bunch of nonsense at the end of the game (including a fight at the end of the night between Bill Guerin and Braydon Coburn.) I love the rough stuff, but they took too many double minors and misconducts tonight, so they gotta start figuring out where they need to draw the line.
Kudos to Pittsburgh for a good effort. Philadelphia need to tone it down a bit if they want to survive.
*Editors Note: Much like either Cher, Bono, or Sting, he is simply Marc-Andre. Surnames are irrelevant to Marc-Andre.
Game 1: NY Rangers 4, Washington 3
New York Rangers lead the series 1-0
Sonuvagun, I thought Washington would have won this one. But while last year's version of the St. Louis Blues turned out an energetic performance, the NY Rangers did what they're paid to do and win.
It all starts with the goaltending and Hendrik Lundqvist is absolutely money. Add that to a balanced attack of youngesters like Brandon Dubinsky, the newcomers like Nik Antropov, and players who're expected to perform at a high level like Scott Gomez and Wade Redden. Hell, even Sean Avery got into his game by being the best shift disturber in the NHL, creating power plays for the Rangers while only taking on minor penalty. Kid's playin' smarter.
Meanwhile, Washington did show up to play and put up an impressive effort. Mike Green and Alexander Ovechkin put up two point nights while featuring a balanced attack from the Washington squad. However, it all ends with goaltending, and at the other end of the ice, Jose Theodore's 4 goals on 21 shots is absolutely abysmal.
(Did ya see what I did there?)
Good for New York on getting the win. I hope Theodore responds; his future as an NHL starter could depend on it.
Game 1: New Jersey 4, Carolina 1
New Jersey leads the series 1-0
I'm picking New Jersey to win this series but don't be fooled here. The Carolina Hurricanes are an exciting, relatively balanced hockey club and they deserve to be in the playoffs. It's just when New Jersey has home ice advantage, it's hard to take that kinda momentum away from them.
New Jersey demonstrated a blend of consistent production and balanced attack. Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise each recorded a goal and an assist while the Patrik Elias-Dainius Zubrus-Brian Gionta line was good for a goal. Defensively speaking, Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya boasted a +2 while Martin Brodeur allowed one goal on 19 shots, impressive considering many goalies complain if they don't face enough shots.
Carolina's loss wasn't lost on Cam Ward, who was remarkable while facing 39 shots from his opposing team. The team got second line production, but was largely unremarkable against the Devils during this contest.
If New Jersey can keep the momentum up it could cause certain doom for Carolina. I stand by my prediction but they need to right the ship now or it's over.
Game 1: Vancouver 2, St. Louis 1;
Vancouver leads the series 1-0
Ah, The NHL's Cinderella team of the year, the St. Louis Blues, face formidable opponents in the Vancouver Canucks, who missed the playoffs last season. Judging by how they did, they don't have reason to doubt themselves yet, but they'll still need to be better.
The Canucks played a simple game and it showed. They scored once in even strength and once on the power play while playing some defensively responsible hockey. Daniel Sedin had two points on the evening while Roberto Luongo only allowed a shorthanded goal on 26 shots.
St. Louis was the lesser of the two this evening, but was still able to do enough of the little things right to make it a close contest. Brad Boyes converted on the power play and was assisted by Alexander Steen and the $4.7M man Andy McDonald. Chris Mason had an admirable effort, allowing two goals (one short handed) on 31 shots.
I still think the Canucks will get the better of the series, but it'll be nice to see St. Louis stick around as long as they can.
Thanks for checking in, stay tuned for more Stanley Cup coverage!
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