A Day in the NHL: Chase for the Cup, Day 1
By Editorial Staff
The Night that Was:
What was thought to be the most exciting playoff series coming into the first round certainly didn’t disappoint. The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in Game One of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last night and gave the fans plenty to cheer about early. Sidney Crosby scored 3:43 into the game, and Tyler Kennedy and Pascal Dupuis all added goals before the first was up. The second was mostly quiet on the scoresheet, as the Flyers were outshot for the second-straight frame, but perennial playoff performer Daniel Briere cut the lead to 3-1. In the third, Briere added his second 9:17 in, and then three minutes later on the power play, Brayden Schenn’s first career playoff goal tied it up at three. After the rest of the period passed by scoreless, overtime saw Jakub Voracek play the hero, scoring his first career playoff goal 2:23 into overtime, beating Marc-Andre Fleury from the doorstep off of the Matt Carle rebound. Pascal Dupuis, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby all had two points for the Penguins, while Brayden Schenn had three points in his playoff debut to go along with Briere’s two goals. Ilya Bryzgalov ended up making 25 saves for the 4-3 victory, while Fleury stopped 22 of 26 shots. Philadelphia 4 vs Pittsburgh 3 F/OT – Flyers Lead Series 1-0
Central Division rivals Nashville and Detroit got their first round series underway last night in the Music City, with Carrie Underwood tweeting her support for the Preds and her #12 (Mike Fisher) before puckdrop. The Preds were first to the scoresheet, but Fisher wasn’t in on it as Paul Gaustad’s first career playoff goal in his 38th playoff game opened the scoring up. In the second, the veteran presence of the Wings showed itself as Henrik Zetterberg scored on a power play 2:29 into the second to tie the game, before Gabriel Bourque’s eighth NHL goal ever (first in the playoffs) gave Nashville the lead again ten minutes after that. Bourque would make it a two-goal lead in the third, scoring his second at 11:35. Detroit would cut it to a one-goal lead thanks to Thomas Holmstrom on the power play six minutes later, but there just wasn’t enough time for Detroit to pull out the victory. Bourque’s second would stand as the winner, as he would be the only player to finish with multiple points. Pekka Rinne was sharp all night, making 35 saves for his ninth career playoff victory as Jimmy Howard made 23 saves in the loss. **There was an incident at the end of the game where Shea Weber tried to punch Henrik Zetterberg’s head into the glass, and followed that up with grabbing it and slamming it into the glass. He received a roughing minor on the play and maybe more from Brendan Shanahan**
Detroit 2 vs Nashville 3 F – Predators Lead Series 1-0
The Vancouver Canucks are hoping to return to the Stanley Cup Finals, and if they do their first victim will have to be the Los Angeles Kings. Alex Burrows made an early impact for the Canucks when last year’s playoff pest notched his first 4:17 into the game. It didn’t take long for LA to tie it though, as Mike Richards’ 1st career playoff goal as a King at 13:31 tied things back up. The teams traded goals again in the second, but this time the Kings opened the scoring as Willie Mitchell’s third career playoff goal came at 16:33, but with just eight seconds left in the period Alex Edler tied it up. Despite two Vancouver power plays things stayed tied until there was just 3:12 left in regulation, where it was Dustin Penner’s first goal since March 20th that gave Los Angeles a 3-2 lead. The Canucks would try for the equalizer, but Dustin Brown would bury one into an empty net, putting the finishing touches on a 4-2 win. Mike Richards chipped in with a goal and two assists in his playoff debut with the Kings, while Jeff Carter added two assists to go along with 24 saves from Jonathan Quick. Roberto Luongo stopped 35 shots in the loss, as Ryan Kesler assisted on both Vancouver goals.
Los Angeles 4 vs Vancouver 2 F – Kings Lead Series 1-0
What’s on Tonight?
Plenty of early action in the playoffs tonight: The Ottawa Senators open their series against the New York Rangers on broadway, hoping to upend the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Captials enter the playoffs as an underdog this season, and their first test is the defending Stanley Cup Champs, starting their series up in Boston against the Bruins. San Jose is another team not necessarily used to being an underdog standings-wise, and they visit the surprise of the season, the second-seeded St. Louis Blues. In late-night action, the Chicago Blackhawks open up their series with the Coyotes in Phoenix, one of two series where the lower-seeded team had more points than the higher-seeded team (both 3 vs 6 matchups).
The Injury Bug:
-After skating two days prior but not the day before Game One, Daniel Sedin was inactive for the Canucks’ playoff opener.
-Jonathan Toews will be a game-time decision for the Chicago Blackhawks tonight when they open up their series with the Phoenix Coyotes.
-If some thought that Nathan Horton would come back to help the Bruins in their Stanley Cup push, that speculation was put to rest. Boston announced that they will shut the forward down for the entire playoffs to allow him to recover from concussion-related symptoms.
News and Notes
-The Colorado Avalanche rewarded Joe Sacco yesterday, giving him a two-year contract extension.
-Reports indicate that Philadelphia forward Jaromir Jagr expects to play next season. Jagr had 54 points in 73 games this season.
-Two names were added to the Montreal Canadiens search for a new General Manager yesterday, and both are current Kings’ employees and former NHLers. The Habs apparently have interest in Assistant GM Ron Hextal and President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille.
Playoff 3-Stars
1. Brayden Schenn, PHI: 1 G, 2A, +2
2. Mike Richards, LAK: 1 G, 2 A, +2
3. Gabriel Bourque, NAS: 2 G, 1 GWG, +2