2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 6

Almost a week in and my playoff beard is lookin' fierce! Lets see how the guys did tonight...

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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...

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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.

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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.

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 5

So I'm gonna get this started while the games are going on.

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Game 3: Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 3
Pittsburgh leads the series 2-1

This one was a slobber knocker, Here's footage from the first period:





Now that the teams are at the other side of Pennsylvania, the Flyers have a newfound life being injected in their game. They keep this up and we're gonna have a series on our hands folks.

Jeff Carter and Mike Richards opened the scoring scored for Philadelphia. After all was said and done, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, and Simon Gagne each generated two points in tonight's effort. Philadelphia brought the pain tonight too, as they had 11 more hits than Pittsburgh had, which may have made all the difference.

Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby did what they could by getting two points on the night (two goals and two assists, respectively.) The centers also had a better night in the faceoff dot than the Flyers did too. But when Marc-Andre allows two goals on the first two shots he faces, it's probably going to be an indication as to what kinda night the team's gonna have.

If the Penguins wanna take back the series, they're gonna have to get as rough as the Flyers are. I wonder if they're gonna consider dressing Eric Godard; that would be suh-weet!

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Game 3: Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2
Vancouver leads the series 3-0

St. Louis definitely stepped up their efforts tonight, but it wasn't enough as Steve Bernier scored in the third period to secure a Vancouver victory. St. Louis is now pushed to the brink and are one loss away from elimination.

Vancouver's special teams was the difference today, as they scored all of their goals on the power play. Roberto Luongo and a relatively pedestrian night with 24 saves, but it was still good enough for the victory. Vancouver wasn't overly phyiscal, but they were in better control of the play throughout the night and took advantage of St. Louis's parade to the penalty box during the second period.

St. Louis performed a lot stronger this game despite losing. Andy McDonald and David Backes each got a goal and an assist this game. The Blues were far more physical than the Canucks, generating more hits and often at times getting in the face of the Canucks. Yet their penalty kill couldn't stave off Vancouver's power play, nor could Chris Mason make that one extra save (both goalies faced 26 shots tonight) so St. Louis ends up losing in their first playoff home game in nearly 5 years.

Vancouver could put it away on Tuesday. Methinks that's very, very likely.

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Game 3: New Jersey 3, Carolina 2 In Overtime
New Jersey leads the series 2-1

I think we've seen a pattern so far that indicates this series is going to be a figurative slugfest for these teams. The game went into overtime for the second consecutive game and while that's worked to Carolina's advantage for the past 6 playoff contests, Travis Zajac proved to be the X-Factor for otherwise, scoring the game winner in overtime.

The Devis have Martin Brodeur's 26 saves and their penalty killers to thank for even remaining in the game, as Carolina outworked them in nearly every aspect of the game (save shots, and that's probably what did it for the Devils.) Zajac and Zach Parise each had a goal and an assist while Brian Gionta tallied a goal in the second period.

Tough break for Carolina, who had better results in the faceoff circle and generated nearly twice the amount of hits New Jersey did. Ryan Bayda and Chad LaRose scored for Carolina. Cam Ward was good for 32 saves. Yet their power play couldn't convert on ample chances and that can make a world of difference between winning and losing.

New Jersey has the game advantage, but this series is far from over. Expect Carolina to give them a headache in Game 4.

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Game 2: Anaheim 3, San Jose 2;
Anaheim leads the series 2-0

Drew Miller scored in the third period to give Anaheim the 3-1 advantage. While Jonathan Cheechoo responded to make it 3-2, there wasn't anything that followed to help get the game into overtime. The President's Trophy holders are now down two games and are traveling to their opponents barn. Not good, sirs, not good at all.

Jonas Hiller continues to look very impressive, making an astonishing 42 saves to carry his team to victory. Anaheim's special teams were equally impressive, as they scored once on the power play and managed to kill all of their penalties tonight. Anaheim enjoyed a balanced attack, getting scoring from their top lines and from Drew Miller, who's an energy player for the squad.

San Jose sure as hell tried tonight, launching 44 shots and having 40 hits while limiting the penalties tonight. But their special teams was abysmal. They couldn't score once on the power play, even when they were given six consecutive power plays to work with. The goaltending needs to be better too, as Evgeni Nabokov allowed 3 goals on 26 shots. That's not gonna get you past the first round. It's possible they leaned on him too much in the regular season that now they will suffer as a result of it.

The game's going back to Anaheim and the Men in Black (and Orange) aren't going to be taking things lightly. San Jose's going to need to find some chemistry immediately if they're gonna have any hope of taking the series back to the bay area.

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Oh, and in an update from yesterday's Boston-Montreal contest, Milan Lucic was in fact suspended one game for his actions in the third period.

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 4

Oh wow was there some excitement today folks. I'm not gonna waste time, so let's go!

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Game 2: Detroit 4, Columbus 0
Detroit leads the series 2-0

The Detroit Red Wings are continuing their dominance of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who don't seem to know how to solve the Red Wings. The Blue Jackets have allowed eight goals within the past two games while generating one in that same span. If they keep that consistency up, they'll be playing golf after two games.

Chris Osgood continues to tell the haters to suck a pickle by making a perfect 25 saves and improves to a .5 GAA and a .978 save percentage for the series. Unlike the last game where the scoring was done by Detroit's third line, the stars game out to give the team some production. Detroit's Top Six Forwards (Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Hendrick Zetterberg, Dan Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom, and Johan Franzen) and Top Defensive Pairing (Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski) were somehow involved in Detroit first three goals, with the fourth being scored by Jiri Hudler from Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart. Detroit's power play was especially effective; converting three times on numerous chances.

There wasn't much to commend Columbus on for this game. The team once again relied on Steve Mason to bail them out and he did the best he could with 35 saves. But when your team is just marching to the penalty box, there's not much you can do to take an advantage.

Well, the series is going back to Columbus now and the Blue Jackets had better hope some newfound powers come with home ice advantage because they're going to need as much help as they can get.

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Game 2: Boston 5, Montreal 1
Boston lead the series 2-0

Like Detroit, the Boston Bruins continue their dominance of their opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, improving their margin this time; winning by a four goal lead. Things got a bit ugly at the end. Specifically, Patrice Bergeron KO'ed Josh Georges while Milan Lucic received an attempt to injure penalty; which the NHL is probably going to do something about (oh, and the videos for both are at the end of the article.) Nevertheless, the Bruins were able to continue their dominance without giving up any ground.

Usually a depth player becomes clutch in the playoffs but Marc Savard showed that your first line center can do the same thing, as he put up two goals and two assists to help lead his team to victory. Tim Thomas made 30 saves and has a GAA of 1.50 in the series. The Bruins special teams were extra effective, converting three power plays, while their centermen won 65% of the faceoffs to keep control of the game.

As for the Canadiens, they played as tight of a game as they could have against the Bruins, but they took too many penalties to remain competitive. They leaned on Carey Price for the second game in a row and unfortunately, his mental makeup this time just wasn't up for it. Jaroslav Halak was perfect for 5 saves and may receive consideration to start in Game 3.

Well, the series goes back to the Bell Centre and frankly, I think it's entirely possible this team could implode worse in their hometown than they did in Boston. Yeah they have incredible fan support, but what do you do when you play for possibly the most intense hockey market in the league?

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Game 2: Chicago 3, Calgary 2
Chicago leads the series 2-0

One again, the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames played a very tight, competitive game and once again, the Blackhawks were slightly better and able to pull off a 3-2 victory.

Jonathan Toews was the star of the game, notching two goals on his way to victory. Dustin Byfuglien might not be generating as much offense as he did last season, but he still led the game in hits with seven. While Nikolai Khabibulin had the same amount of saves as his Flames counterpart Miikka Kipprusoff with 30, his team got the one extra shot that turned into that one extra goal. The Blackhawks aren't blowing the team out of the water, but they're good enough to walk away victorious.

It really hasn't been fair to the Flames, who've actually been relatively decent despite getting the losing end of the stick twice. Jarome Iginla was good for two points (a goal and an assist, respectively) and the team was able to play a physical game without taking too many trips to the penalty box. However, they were losers in the faceoff dot, winning 42% of their faceoffs, and that can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Well, the series is going to the Pengrowth Saddledome and that is going to be a very hard building for the Blackhawks to play in. Calgary is exactly the kinda team that can take advantage of being on home ice, so Chicago better not get cocky or they could end up back in Chicago with a split series.

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Game 2: New York Rangers 1, Washington 0;
New York Rangers lead the series 2-0

Sometimes, it all comes down to one goal.

Hendrik Lundqvist was brilliant, withstanding a Washington Capitals assault by making a perfect 35 saves. Ryan Callahan did his part in scoring the only goal of the game and from there, the team just competed for the next two-and-a-half periods to stave off a Capitals attack.

Simeon Varlamov made 23 saves in his first NHL playoff start and proved to be relatively effective. Alexander Ovechkin led the game with five hits, but had a disproportionately higher amount of shots and attempted shots than the rest of his teammates. Either the Capitals need to have a more balanced attack or Ovie needs to be a little less selfish with the puck if he wants to lead his team to victory.

The series is going to Broadway for now but whether or not the MSG can be effective at cracking the Capitals psychology remains to be seen. I still think Washington can make this a competitive series, but they're going to have to work on it.

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As promised, the Bruins-Habs madness:
Bergeron KO'es Georges:


Lucic gets nasty:

Enjoy!

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 3

Man, the modem went down so I'm delayed in getting this out. Darn darn darn!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 2

Oh wow was there some excitement today folks. I'm not gonna waste time, so let's go!

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Game 1: Detroit 4, Columbus 1
Detroit leads the series 1-0

I gotta give it to Columbus; all things considered this was their first playoff game ever and the first for Rick Nash and Steve Mason, so kudos to them for showing up. The difference is something I gotta get off my chest:

When many in the media are rolling in the pleasure of bashing Chris Osgood, they never mention his Three Stanley Cup Championship Rings, two of which he earned as a starter (and out of all active goaltenders, only Martin Brodeur has as many rings with the distinction of having all of his as a starter.) Something in Chris Osgood's brain switches on come mid-April that turns him from Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk. Tonight wasn't an exception and if anyone wants to try the "Chris Osgood plays for the Red Wings" arguement, are you gonna try and infer that Mike Dominik Hasek (two rings with one as a starter), Manny Legace (one ring as a backup), Mike Vernon (one ring with the Wings as a starter) and Curtis Joseph (no rings) aren't good goaltenders?

We now return to your regularly scheduled recap:

Detroit got a balanced attack tonight and out of the four Red Wings with two point nights, only one, Johan Franzen, is one of the "marquee" Detroit players. Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, and Mikael Samuelsson, the guys who are considered Detroit's third line, were good for two points. Detroit's defense got into the act too, with Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson each scoring a goal; with Ericsson's goal being his first NHL playoff point in his first NHL playoff game. The one goal Chris Osgood surrendered on 21 shots was hardly his fault and did everything short of standing on his head to keep his team in the game. The Detroit fans commended him with plenty of "Ozzy" chants.

At the other end of the ice, Steve Mason was admirable during his first NHL playoff start and made 30 saves on 34 shots. Also, RJ Umberger's goal was one of pure grit and work ethic so I felt it deserved to be noted. But while the Blue Jackets were up to task for the first 30 minutes of the game; they were completely dominated by Detroit's two-way play and special teams. You're gonna need a little more gas if you're gonna best the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

All and all, if Detroit continues to play like this, then they're gonna go to the Conference Finals at least. I still think Columbus is good for a game but they're gonna have to work much harder if they're to overcome the obstacle in front of them.

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Game 1: Boston 4, Montreal 2
Boston lead the series 1-0

Montreal's got an impressive youth movement brewing and they're going to be an insanely dangerous team once they put it all together. But you gotta love Boston. A few years back, a journeyman goaltender with limited NHL experience put the team on his back regardless if they were contenders or not. Now they're contenders, and with Tim Thomas between the pipes (and not to forget Zdeno Chara on defense), this team has everything necessary to go very, very deep into the post-season.

Lets start with Phil Kessel's night. A few years back people were going as far as to label him a "bust" because he didn't step in an make an immediate impact. He walked away with two goals and an assist tonight; which only shows why he can be a premiere NHL player. David Krejci and Milan Lucic also put out a two points while continuing to just add to their already impressive seasons. Tim Thomas was good for 26 saves, with one of the goals against coming right after a Montreal power play expired. The Bruins were defensively sound and it resulted in a win.

Much like Columbus's situation, Carey "Jesus" Price cannot be faulted for tonight's loss, making 35 saves on 38 shots. The team also got a boost from some primary and secondary scoring with Alexei Kovalev and Christopher Higgins getting goals tonight. But Montreal got into penalty trouble early and when you're in the playoffs, that can be the difference as to when you can finally turn your game on.

Boston finished first in the conference and second overall during the regular season, so a Boston victory shouldn't be a surprise. Despite how well Montreal is balanced as a team, they're gonna need an unexpected hero to help turn things around.

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Game 1: Chicago 3, Calgary 2, In Overtime
Chicago leads the series 1-0

This game was exciting because it featured two evenly-matched teams battling it out. While I like the Blackhawks (hey, they were in the Norris Division, I can't help it), Calgary has a very impressive team as well. Sometimes games like this are decided by one guy who makes a difference...

... in Chicago's case, that difference was Martin Havlat. With less than seven minutes remaining in regulation and with his team down by one, Havlat scored a decisive goal that ultimately sent the game into overtime. He then went and got the game winning goal in a mere 12 seconds during the overtime period. That overshadows the night Cam Barker had on defense, noticing both a goal and an assist while ending the night with a +1 rating. Nikolai Khabibulin made a respectable 23 saves and was more or less on par with his counterpart at the other end of the ice.

Calgary was very strong throughout the game and gave the Blackhawks a run for their money. While there wasn't any points from their premiere forwards, they got plenty of support from their secondary scoring with Michael Cammalleri and David Moss tallying the goals in the game. Miikka Kiprusoff was close to his opponent's production, making 25 saves in his efforts. But the NHL is not a place where you can have a lethal giveaway in your own zone during a playoff game in overtime, and once Dave Bolland got the puck from a Calgary turnover, the game was finished as soon as he fed it to Havlat.

Good for Chicago for getting the victory, but don't be surprised if Calgary comes out of the gate hungry for blood in Game 2...

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Game 1: Anaheim 2, San Jose 0;
Anaheim leads the series 1-0

At one point in this game, Ryan Clowe took an elbowing penalty against Chris Pronger. Take a minute to ponder that; I hope you laugh as hard as I did.

Tonight's game was an absolute paradox as far as logic should be concerned. Going into the trade deadline, the San Jose Sharks were fighting for the President's Trophy while the Ducks were not holding a playoff spot and were actually selling pieces off for the future. But thanks to the elevated play of Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and Corey Perry; they got to the show. Tonight, with home advantage against them, they certainly weren't looking like favorites, much less have it in them to earn a shutout against one of the best teams in the league. Yet they did just that.

Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle made an unconventional move and put Jonas Hiller in the pipes. He rewarded him and his team by making 35 saves; earning the distinction of being the third goaltender in NHL history to earn a shutout during his first NHL playoff start while appearing in an opening playoff game. Ryan Getzlaf battled to earn two points for his squad. Yet it was the defense that was instrumental in this victory: Veteran playoff warrior Scott Niedermayer started the scoring late in the third period for Anaheim, Ryan Whitney got an assist and blocked three shots, Chris Pronger was defensively sound with a +1 rating, and Francois Beauchemin logged 22:30 of ice time despite spending most of the season out with injury.

Considering San Jose's regular season performance, I have nothing positive to say about their play tonight because it was flat and uninspired. Joe Thornton only managed one shot on goal despite logging over 20 minutes of ice time. Their special teams couldn't get the job done despite the power play opportunities they received. Evgeni Nabokov could only muster 15 saves to keep his team in the game. That is definitely not the way to start off the playoffs.

While I still think San Jose has it in them to turn the ship around, they better do so immediately. Otherwise, Cinderella has crashed the ball and she's looking to kick some step-sister ass!

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 1.

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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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More fan rowdyness... now in Anaheim

Ha. Well, the San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks in regulation and things got very ugly when the game ended. Well, an Anaheim fan wanted to let everyone know how he felt about watching his team lose...



Take THAT, San Jose!

(Sorry for the lack of meaningful updates, I'm reemployed again and Dave's busy. Hopefully we'll get in the groove of things for the "Second Season.")