Almost a week in and my playoff beard is lookin' fierce! Lets see how the guys did tonight...
Game 3: Washington 4, New York Rangers: 0
New York Rangers lead the series 2-1
Does anyone else understand the irony that the hockey team in Washington relies on a lot of Russians to be their stars?
Simeon Varlamov has stolen Jose Theodore's job for next seaosn, as the Washington Capitals take a game in the series to erase their deficit to 4-0. The Rangers did everything they could (including some of Sean Avery's expert nastiness) but that wasn't enough for them to win in their home opener of the series. Apparently, Alexander' Ovechkin's surveillance of the NY Rangers practice turned out to have yielded KGB-level intellegence.
Varlamov was perfect for 33 saves and the team is starting to look really comfortable with him playing in net. Both Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom had three point nights this evening and found a lot of the offense that escaped them through the first few games. The Capitals power play was particularly effective, converting twice.
Hendrik Lundqvist did everything in his power to weather a 40 shot assault to come up with 36 saves. However, the team in front of him couldn't break out past the avalanche of penalties they earned throughout the game and began to lose their composure and things began slipping away. Sean Avery's actions at the end of the game sure sent a message: It read "I'm a poor loser, Ref. Send me home!"
Game 4 should be interesting. Whoever wins then can very well take the series...
Game 3: Boston 4, Montreal 2
Boston leads the series 3-0
I was afraid this would happen to the Canadiens: The young team goes back home and can't manage to find a win back at the Bell Centre. Now Boston is one game away from ending what many unfairly hoped for a young squad to have a glorious year for the Canadiens' centennial season.
Boston got a big lift from defender Dennis Wideman, who got two assists this evening. The scoring was more or less by committee, as Phil Kessel, Michael Ryder, Chuck Kobasew, and toughguy Shawn Thornton lit the lamp in tonight's effort. Tim Thomas didn't have to be miraculous, but he was still good for 23 saves.
The Canadiens came out with a true effort that just wasn't enough. Yannick Weber managed to get a goal and an assist while Christopher Higgins scored the other goal. However, the team's offense couldn't get through the Bruins defense (none of the Montreal goals carried a secondary assist) and Carey Price couldn't contribute to the win, allowing 3 goals on 29 shots.
There will be a riot in Montreal if they lose Game 4. I hope the police are ready just in case.
Game 3: Calgary 4, Chicago 2
Chicago leads the series 2-1
I'm not surprised a bit by this: Calgary goes back home to the Pengrowth Saddledome, one of the toughest places to play, and manages to get a victory and lessen the deficit of their series 2-1.
Miikka Kipprusoff did backflips and somersaults, coming up with 36 saves to lead his team to victory. The team also brought the aggressive style of play they're known for, getting 45 hits with Dion Phaneuf, Todd Bertuzzi, and Olli Jokinen getting 5 or more hits a piece (and those are top level dudes there.) David Moss scored twice while Rene Bourque and agitator Eric Nystrom scored the other two goals. Curtis Glencross added two assists in tonight's effort, too.
Now, I'm not gonna beat up on Chicago here because it's hard to play a playoff game in Calgary and they probably weren't ready for it, no matter how much they said they were. Both Martin Havlat and Patrick Sharp were admirable in getting a goal and an assist each. However, with 4 goals allowed on 28 shots, Nikolai Khabibulin had, for all intents and purposes, a subpar evening. He may wanna right that ship before the team considers inserting Cristobal Huet.
Game 4 may not be so easy for the Flames. The advantage of home ice might have gotten Chicago once, but they're a good enough team to come back and win a game if the Flames get even the least bit lackadaisical.
Thanks for checking in! Stay tuned for more Stanley Cup coverage!!
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