2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 12

Hey everyone. Family was in town and I got busy. Now I'm sick and don't feel like writing much. That said, I'm going to subsitute the typical commentary with an AP sports feed.

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Game 6: Chicago 4, Calgary 1
Calgary wins the series 4-2

The Chicago Blackhawks won their first playoff series in 13 years, eliminating Calgary by beating the Flames 4-1 in Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference matchup Monday night.

Chicago’s previous playoff series win was a four-game sweep of Calgary in 1996.

Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for Chicago, with Adam Burish and Brian Campbell also scoring. Dustin Byfuglien added an empty-net goal and had two assists. Rookie Kris Versteeg, a Calder Trophy nominee, also contributed two assists.

Todd Bertuzzi scored the lone goal for the Flames, who managed just two goals in the final two games of the series. They were ousted in the first round for a fourth straight season.

Nikolai Khabibulin played a stellar game in net for the Blackhawks with 43 saves. He robbed Calgary’s Olli Jokinen on scoring chances in the first and second periods.

The Blackhawks will play Vancouver in the next round.

With 14 players under the age of 25, the Blackhawks are the youngest team in the NHL. Their lack of playoff experience was thought to be a disadvantage heading into the series, but the Hawks were poised and tenacious against the more-experienced Flames.

They were quicker out of their end, faster on the forecheck and weren’t afraid to engage Calgary physically. Chicago was also the healthier team through the series, too.

The Flames pressed for goals in the third period and pulled Kiprusoff with more than 2 minutes remaining. But the injury-riddled club didn’t have the depth to push past the youthful Blackhawks and send the series back to Chicago for a Game 7.

Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf was scratched because of a hard check and helmet-to-helmet contact from Chicago’s Troy Brouwer in Game 5. Without Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr, who missed this series because of a knee injury, the Flames’ defense couldn’t contain Byfuglien, who assisted on Chicago’s two goals in the first period.

The Flames ended the regular season scoreless on their last 45 power-play chances. They were only marginally better during the postseason with two goals on 18 opportunities while a man up.

With Bertuzzi in the penalty box, Kane made it 1-0 just 2:20 in. From the bottom of the circle, Versteeg tried to connect with Byfuglien in front of the net for a tip-in, but the puck deflected out front for Kane.

Byfuglien lugged the puck and circled behind the net to the half-boards before passing to Burish, who beat Kiprusoff midway in the opening period.

Defenseman Campbell’s slap shot from the point through traffic was deflected and beat Kiprusoff to the glove side for a 3-0 edge in the second period.

Bertuzzi skated deep down the wing and beat Khabibulin with a sharp-angled shot over the Russian’s shoulder 54 seconds into the third session.

Notes: Chicago outscored Calgary 10-5 in the second periods in the series . . . With the exception of their run to the Stanley Cup final in 2004, the Flames haven’t made it out of the first round of playoffs since winning the Cup in 1989.

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Game 6: Anaheim 4, San Jose 1
Anaheim wins the series 4-2

(Okay, this one's gonna be a quick article from us.)
Ryan Getzlaf got the "Gordie Howe" hat trick in a very nasty game between San Jose and Anaheim that saw President's Trophy Champion San Jose Sharks eliminated by 8th seeded Anaheim. Anaheim will now face the Red Wings in the next round.

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 9 - Cliffs Notes Edition

Sorry folks, life happened today, so here's the cliffs notes version of what you may have missed:

Game 5: Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 0
Pittsburgh leads the series 3-2

Marty Biron was perfect, while Arron Asham, Claude Giroux, and Mike Knuble scored on Montreal's behalf. The series could very well go to seven games at this point.

Game 4: Detroit 6, Columbus 5
Detroit wins the series 4-0

Johan Franzen scores with less than a minute left for Detroit to sweep the series.

Game 5: New Jersey 1, Carolina 0
New Jersey leads the series 3-2

David Clarkson scores the only goal of the game while Martin Brodeur was perfect for 44 saves.

Game 4: Anaheim 4, San Jose 0
Anaheim leads the series 3-1

Bobby Ryan scored twice while Jonas Hiller was perfect for 31 saves. Now it looks like San Jose could be out in as soon as a game. Wow, and after such a promising season...

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 8

Well folks, another series ended tonight, but not without some nastiness. All that and more coming up.

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Game 4: Boston 4, Montreal 1
Boston wins the series 4-0

Like St. Louis, Montreal was eliminated in a four game sweep. Unlike St. Louis, those @$$hole Montreal fans deserved to wallow in losing at home. More on that later.

I'll get to what Boston did first, and that was play a hell of a game. Claude Julien got the most out of his squad which somehow motivated Michael Ryder to get three points (two goals and an assist) against a team that didn't want him back. David Krejci got a goal and an assist while Phil Kessel got a goal breaking out of the penalty box. Tim Thomas made 26 stops and now they get to see the first semi-finals in years

You know, Bob Gainey did this to himself. He had a sophomore team with a sophomore goaltender and continued to ride him even though Price was becoming inefficient and that there was another capable goaltender on the bench. I can understand the fans being frustrated over being eliminated in the quarterfinals, but considering that only relatively recently have you had a team that can sniff the post-season, much less make it in there, be grateful for what you have. The Bronx and mock cheers against Carey Price is utterly ridiculous. It was classless and if you don't wanna grow with your franchise goaltender, then let him go to a team where he can win a Cup and you can have another 6 seasons of missing the playoffs. Cool?

By the way, Mike Komisarek and Milan Lucic really don't like each other...

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Game 4: NY Rangers 2, Washington 1
NY Rangers lead the series 3-1

This series is gonna come down to goaltending and with that said, Hendrik Lundqvist is demonstrating nothing short of sheer dominance in leading his team to the next round the of playoffs.

Lundqvist made 38 saves in a situation where a lesser goaltender would have folded by now. Paul Mara and Chris Drury scored for the Rangers. There weren't any minus players on the squad tonight and aside from a dumb penalty Sean Avery took at the end of the game, the team was very cohesive and sound.

Now, you can't blame Varlamov for this; this is his seventh or eighth NHL game ever and the dude can't speak English. Great for Alexander Ovechkin for finally scoring in the series too. I think these guys are still a little green and while they're great players and winners, they still need to figure out how to win.

Game 5 goes back to Washington and I think they'll win that one, but then it'll go back to MSG and unless Lundqvist contracts the Ebola virus, I could easily see Washington's season end there.

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Game 4: Calgary 6, Chicago 4
Series is tied 2-2

Like the New Jersey-Carolina series, this one's been pretty evenly matched. While the Blackhawks were dominate at the United Center, they certainly couldn't manage to do the same over at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Now the series is going to at least six games and I won't be surprised if it goes to seven.

On a lineup decimated by injuries, Jerome Iginla got two goals and an assist in tonight's game while leading his team to victory. Olli Jokinen got the same production tonight and shows that he can be a really good player on a team that doesn't require him to lead. Eric Nystrom's becoming a playoff hero and picked up both a goal and an assist this evening. Miikka Kipprusoff didn't have a too impressive game with 4 goals on 32 shots, but it worked enough for them to win.

Chicago wasn't without bright spots. Rookie Kris Versteeg got a goal and two assists while Sammy Pahlsson and Cam Barker got a goal and an assist each. Patrick Kane tallied a goal as well. But Nikolai Khabibulin's five goals allowed on 26 shots? It might be time to tell Cristobal Huet to get ready.

Game 5 is back at the United Center on Saturday. I can't wait hockey fans!

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 7

Man alive, five games on tap including one where a team's facing elimination. Let's get 'er on!

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Game 4: Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2, In Overtime
Vancouver wins the series 4-0

Take one team off the playoff charts, folks. St. Louis is officially out of the playoffs after losing 3-2 to Vancouver in Overtime.

Roberto Luongo lead his team to victory with an astonishing 47 saves. Alexander Burrows got two goals, including the game winner in overtime, while Willie Mitchell got two assists. Mattias Ohlund and Kevin Bieska played some sound, defensive hockey and lead the team in hits with 4 and 5 respectively.

Give credit to St. Louis for getting as far as they did. They were able to push the game to overtime thanks to goals from Brad Boyes and David Perron. In the end though, it wasn't enough, and their magical run to the playoffs ends here.

Vancouver is the first team to finish a playoff series. Their future opponents are still to be determined, and it isn't fair to speculate on that yet...

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Game 3: Detroit 4, Columbus 1
Detroit leads the series 3-0

The series went back to Columbus tonight but it ultimately didn't matter, as Detroit came into their house and dominated in every possible way. Ultimately, Columbus got one goal for their efforts, but the fact that there were no minus Detroit players should tell you something.

Dan Cleary and an exceptional night, generating a goal and two assists. Brad Stuart acted as the human missile, generating 4 hits including a hipcheck on R.J. Umberger that literally left him breathless. Here's footage:

Chris Osgood had another spectacular evening, making 31 saves and achieving a .67 GAA and a .974 save percentage through the three games of the series.

Again, Columbus relied on Steve Mason and a garbage goal by R.J. Umberger to get them by and again, it was not enough to elevate their play against the Red Wings. This team will be far better next season when Derek Brassard is healthy, but until then, I'm literally just waiting for the Wings to finish the series, and at this point, I say that not as a Red Wings fan but as a fan of hockey in general. Two goals in three games doesn't cut it in the playoffs.

The Wings can finish this on Thursday barring Columbus gets some magical plays and experience together.

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Game 4: Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh leads the series 3-1

No it wasn't their elimination game, but Philadelphia needed to win this game to avoid the exact position they're in now. But Marc-Andre outplayed them in their own building and now they have to go to the Mellon Arena to play what could be their elimination game. Not good.

Now unfortunately, this was the first game of the series where Evgeni Malkin was shut down. However, that only opened the door for Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, and Max Talbot to run in and get goals, while Matt Cooke was able to grab two assists. Marc-Andre was spectacular again, making 45 saves to keep his team in action. Special kudos to Pittsburgh's penalty kill, who were able to kill off the onslaught of penalties the refs called against them.

So who scored for the Flyers? Former Coyote toughguy Dan Carcillo gets his first playoff point. However, Marty Biron's flimsy 23 saves and an ineffective power play resulted in them losing a crucial game. I will give them credit though for playing a physical game and getting twice the amount of hits that Pittsburgh did.

Game 5 goes back to Pittsburgh, and if Dan Bylsma can have his team firing on 8 cylinders, then put a fork in Philadelphia because they're done.

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Game 4: Carolina 4, New Jersey 3
Series is tied 2-2

Whoever reads this regularly knows I haven't lied to you about this series. I still say it will go to seven games, and at this point, it's at least going to six. The goal that decided the game was scored with literally .2 seconds left on the clock and sent Martin Brodeur into a tirade against the referees.

Jussi Jokinen got the goal at 19:59 in the third period that sent Brodeur into orbit. I know that Joni Pitkanen's and Dennis Seidenberg's (who, by the way, is an injury replacement) two assists each tonight didn't help, as neither did goals from Eric Staal, Ryan Bayda, and Chad LaRose. Oh, and their 40 hits is something fierce.

I understand why Brodeur lost it though, he did make 42 saves in an effort to help his team get to victory. Brian Gionta. Brendan Shanahan, and David Clarkson put up goals for New Jersey's effort to win or at least get to overtime. Just like everything else in this series, it's come down to an action at a specific time and this game was .2 seconds away from being their third consecutive game in overtime. This is true hockey folks. I encourage everyone to check this out!

Game 5 of what will be an exciting series is Thursday. Check it out!

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Game 3: San Jose 4, Anaheim 3
Anaheim leads the series 2-1

Well, Hiller demonstrate he's only human after all, but he still had a respectable effort in tonight's game. Still, the Sharks managed to take a game in the series and hope to at least get the next game to even out the series. They didn't win without a fight from Anaheim thought...

Dan Boyle had a hell of a night, getting two goals and an assist. Oh and he earned two of those goals on the power play. Evgeni Nabokov was good for 27 saves which is one of his better efforts of the series. The team overall limited their mistakes and with the help from Boyle's goals in addition to goals by Rob Blake and Patrick Marleau, the team overcame Anaheim and won their first game of the series.

Hiller made a respectable 31 saves while Bobby Ryan, James Wisniewski, and Chris Pronger managed to score goals for Anaheim. The team also did well in the hitting department with 35 (7 of those coming from Wisniewski!). In the end, San Jose was hungrier, and that was the difference.

Game 4 should be exciting. If Anaheim wins, it's going to be a long, long fight back for San Jose.

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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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