Man, the modem went down so I'm delayed in getting this out. Darn darn darn!
Game 2: Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 2, In Overtime
Pittsburgh leads the series 2-0
Well, I dunno if the Flyers sent the message they wanted to send during the last game (Pittsburgh was overwhelmingly more physical than they were tonight) but one thing is for certain; the team definitely responded with a more uptempo effort than what they demonstrated in the first game. However, the Penguins still put Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, and Marc-Andre on the ice and have Dan Bylsma behind the bench, so they were able to march back from a 2-1 deficit to get the victory. Until someone proves to be kryptonite to the Penguins, it's going to be a long series for the Flyers.
Everyone else tonight has made a big deal about Bill Guerin so in case you missed it, he scored the first and overtime game winner this evening. Malkin was involved in all of the Penguins goals one way or another, generating a goal and two assists in tonight's effort. Pittsburgh's defense was equally impressive, as Gonchar got two assists while Brooks Orpik hit anything that moved with a game high 14 hits! Marc-Andre made 38 saves, which included a beauty of a pad save with the team down by a goal against Philadelphia's Jeff Carter.
This loss was a hard one on Philadelphia and you can't fault Marty Biron, who was bombarded by shots and made an astonishing 46 saves to keep his team in the game. Braydon Coburn got involved from the back end and got two assists. But the team couldn't win in the faceoff circle, nor could they manage to excel in the more physical aspects of the game. The Penguins generated hits while the Flyers generated penalties despite a less than physical game. All things considered, they were fortunate to have stayed as close as they did tonight.
Philadelphia now heads back to their own barn down two games. If there's ever a time for them to have to take advantage of home ice advantage, now is it.
Game 2: Carolina 2, New Jersey 1, In Overtime
Series tied 1-1
I expect this series to go to seven games and if the past two games have been indicative of anything, that could be a very possible reality. Two former Stanley Cup champions collide and played a very stingy, defensive-minded game that needed to be decided in overtime.
Speaking of defense, the game winning goal and the assist with it were from Carolina defensemen Tim Gleason and Joe Corvo, respectively. While there wasn't much in terms of offense, Eric Staal converted on a power play to get Carolina back in the game while trailing 1-0. Cam Ward was able to turn things around in his end and made 33 saves with the only a power play goal being scored against him.
New Jersey wasn't bad at all tonight; Carolina was just slightly better. Zach Parise was a bright spot for the team and opened up the scoring for them. John Madden was very impressive in the faceoff circle, winning 12 of 17 faceoffs. Martin Brodeur was good for a respectable 30 saves.
They're going back to Raleigh but don't think for a second that's going to deter the Devils. Here's to hoping the next two games really make it a series!
Game 2: Vancouver 3, St. Louis 0
Vancouver leads the series 2-0
Oh boy, that feel-good story that St. Louis provided during the regular season looks like it's going to burn out within a few games. Vancouver's starting to act like the Northwest Division Champions and really had an impressive game this evening.
I'll state the obvious in that Roberto Luongo was perfect with 30 saves. The Sedin brothers had two points a piece, with Hendrik getting a goal and an assist while Daniel got two assists. The team wasn't as industrious as St. Louis was but because they have more skill, they were able to walk away with the victory.
What really sucks about the St. Louis loss is that they did "all of the little things" better than Vancouver did: They had 30 hits to Vancouver's 25, they had three less giveaways, they blocked two more shots, and they were the better in the faceoff dot. Yet when you see Chris Mason's 24 saves to Luongo's 30, you start to see why solid goaltending is quintessential in the playoffs.
The Blues are headed home, but will that be enough to keep their season alive? We'll find out soon enough.
Thanks for checking in, stay tuned for more Stanley Cup coverage!
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