Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, ........................
Are the Detroit Redwings about to fill the blank above and become only the 4th team in history to come from 3 games down and win a series? After Tuesday night's game 6 they have left themselves with a hell of a chance of doing so.
They looked down and out only a few days ago as San Jose took a 3-0 advantage in the series yet they have managed to fight off elimination 3 times now to set themselves up with the chance of meetig Vancouver in the Western Conference Final.
In game 6 they outplayed and outshot the Sharks through period 1 and 2. They had taken 32 shots on goal to San Jose's 13 yet the game remained 0-0 as Niemi played extremely well throughout and also had a bit of luck, with Clearly hitting the post with a breakaway after dekeing round the netminder and only needing to stuff it home.
All of a sudden at the start of the 3rd period the Sharks had come to life and looked like the were going to steal the game as Couture sneaked a wrist shot through Howard that just crept over the line only 3.54 into the period. This gave San Jose some confidence and they started to play the better hockey for a few minutes and they had more of the puck.
The Redwings managed to level the game though at 10.38 as Filppula controlled the puck in the circle and passed back to the point to Kronwall and as he skated in and took the slap shot it was Zetterberg in front that tipped it past Niemi to tie the game.
This sent the fans inside the Joe wild and they got what they wanted, a 2-1 lead at 12.32. This time it was Filppula scoring as he first jumped up and stol a chipped pass mid ice, skated into the attacking zone and gave it to Datysuk who then returned it across ice on the back hand to find him wide open with half the net to fire the puck into.
It was 2 goals in just under 2 minutes and it completely swung the play back Detroit's way. Even a 2 minute penalty on Abdelkader didn't give the Shark the equaliser they needed and Darren Helm finished the game off with an empty net goal with 1.05 left on the game.
That has sent us into a game 7 tonight and it promises to be another cracking match back in the Shark Tank.
Ryan Clowe missed game 6 for San Jose as did Franzen for Detroit and both players are likely to be out again in game 7. Mcginn played for San Jose and Modano played for Detroit and it's likely both players will be in the lineup tonight.
Niemi had a huge game 6 and if the Redwings come out and attack like the same tonight he will again need to be big for the Sharks. At the other end, Howard had one of his quieter nights of this series and was only really put under any pressure for a spell in the 3rd period. He still managed 24 saves though and if he can keep the Sharks down to just a single goal again he will be giving his team a great chance of going through.
San Jose somehow need to find a way of getting themselves back to winning ways. There hasn't been much between the 2 teams all series and that is reflected in the scorelines of the matches. Somehow they have to work out how they get back to the team that gets the extra goal. They have given up early 3rd period leads in the last 2 games now so if they are in that position again they need to find a way to close out a game and hold on to what they have got. They have been a much better team this season when chasing teams and being under pressure to get back into games - look at the game against LA coming back from 4 and they have also chased a 3 goal deposit down in this series, only to lose that late on.
Detroit have improved as this series has gone on and now stand on the brink of being that 4th team in history to come back from a 3-0 deposit. Can they do it? We will know after tonight's game. What will be for sure is there won't be a lack of effort from anyone on that ice tonight.
As you would expect, Datsyuk and Zetterberg are leading the scoring for the Wings in this series and along with the help of Lidstrom have combined for 7 of the 16 goals scored and have a combined 21 points. These are the players Detroit will be looking to tonight to get them over the line and into the Conference Final.
Whichever team makes it - they face a trip to Vancouver on Sunday for the start of that Western Conference Final. Teams are then only going to be 8 wins away from landing themselves the ultimate prize - Lord Stanley's Cup.
Thursday 12 May 2011
Tuesday 10 May 2011
San Jose Sharks v Detroit Redwings Game 5 Review and Game 6 Preview
Detroit went into San Jose looking to win their 2nd game in a row and take the series back to the Joe.
They didn't make things easy for themselves as they allowed San Jose to dominate the first 2 periods and gave up a 2 goal lead.
It wasn't until 17.18 of the 1st period until San Jose made their dominance count as Boyle threw a wrist shot in from the point and Setoguchi tipped it in through the legs of Howard.
at 15.32 of the 2nd period Clowe and Pavelski went in 2 on 1 from the blue line and Clowe's pass found the stick of Pavelski who tipped it in over Howard to make it 2-0.
Detroit got straight back into the game though at 16.25 as Datsyuk controlled the puck and skated around to create space for Kronwall who pushed up and was found with a perfect pass. He wristed it in past the stick side of Niemi and the lead was down to 1 goal going into the 3rd.
San Jose couldn't have started the 3rd period any better as Couture was allowed to skate in on Howard unchallenged and he deked to his backhand side and slid the puck into the net.
Detroit seemed down and out but all of a sudden remembered how to play and turned in a performance to match that of the 1st period of game 4.
At 3.43 Datysuk tried to centre a pass from the boards to Zetterberg and he didn't get a one time shot off but the puck bounced out to Ericsson who wristed the puck into the net from close range.
It was 3-3 at 5.29 as Kronwall jumped up into the attack again, firing a shot wide that Cleary picked up behind the net and brought out to the front where he managed to jam it home as Niemi tried to keep his pad tight to the post.
Detroit then got a winner at 13.52 as Datysuk again made an amazing play, fighting off 2 San Jose attempts to knock the puck off his stick and dishing the puck back to Lidstrom who fired in a shot on goal. Holmstrom got the tip infront and shocked the Sharks as Detroit had pulled back from 2 down to lead 4-3.
It was a remarkable come back with Detroit not knowing the meaning of down and out. They had one foot on the golf course but now come back tonight to face a game 6 on home ice.
They will need a much better start to tonight's game than they had in game 5 as i can't see the Sharks giving up another 2 goal lead if they get infront. For all of San Jose's great work in the first 40 minutes of game 5 they just seemed to crumble after a great start to the 3rd period and Detroit took full advantage and turned the heat up on them.
Back at the Joe, Detroit will have the fanatical support of their fans and really have a great shout of taking this series to a game 7. Doubts about Datsyuk before game 5, saying he had a bad wrist were proven wrong with some good strong play on setting up a couple of the goals, even though he didn't take a face off all night.
Franzen was clearly in pain during this game though after taking a knock to his bad ankle and must be a doubt to start tonight. Surely it would be better to get Mike Modano in and have a fully fit player than one that has looked out of sorts all of this series.
San Jose will be hoping for better netminding from Niemi in this game as he didn't look great in game 5. They will also be hoping that the team can keep their head up and go out and produce a killing performance and not have to go back to home ice for a game 7.
All 5 games in this series have now been won by just the 1 goal and i'd be suprised if it was any different in game 6. Both teams have shown nerve and bottle to come through by the 1 goal and whichever one can show it tonight will be the one with the W at the end. Either way, it will either be a deciding game 7 on Thursday or a Canucks v Sharks Western Conference Final to look forward too.
They didn't make things easy for themselves as they allowed San Jose to dominate the first 2 periods and gave up a 2 goal lead.
It wasn't until 17.18 of the 1st period until San Jose made their dominance count as Boyle threw a wrist shot in from the point and Setoguchi tipped it in through the legs of Howard.
at 15.32 of the 2nd period Clowe and Pavelski went in 2 on 1 from the blue line and Clowe's pass found the stick of Pavelski who tipped it in over Howard to make it 2-0.
Detroit got straight back into the game though at 16.25 as Datsyuk controlled the puck and skated around to create space for Kronwall who pushed up and was found with a perfect pass. He wristed it in past the stick side of Niemi and the lead was down to 1 goal going into the 3rd.
San Jose couldn't have started the 3rd period any better as Couture was allowed to skate in on Howard unchallenged and he deked to his backhand side and slid the puck into the net.
Detroit seemed down and out but all of a sudden remembered how to play and turned in a performance to match that of the 1st period of game 4.
At 3.43 Datysuk tried to centre a pass from the boards to Zetterberg and he didn't get a one time shot off but the puck bounced out to Ericsson who wristed the puck into the net from close range.
It was 3-3 at 5.29 as Kronwall jumped up into the attack again, firing a shot wide that Cleary picked up behind the net and brought out to the front where he managed to jam it home as Niemi tried to keep his pad tight to the post.
Detroit then got a winner at 13.52 as Datysuk again made an amazing play, fighting off 2 San Jose attempts to knock the puck off his stick and dishing the puck back to Lidstrom who fired in a shot on goal. Holmstrom got the tip infront and shocked the Sharks as Detroit had pulled back from 2 down to lead 4-3.
It was a remarkable come back with Detroit not knowing the meaning of down and out. They had one foot on the golf course but now come back tonight to face a game 6 on home ice.
They will need a much better start to tonight's game than they had in game 5 as i can't see the Sharks giving up another 2 goal lead if they get infront. For all of San Jose's great work in the first 40 minutes of game 5 they just seemed to crumble after a great start to the 3rd period and Detroit took full advantage and turned the heat up on them.
Back at the Joe, Detroit will have the fanatical support of their fans and really have a great shout of taking this series to a game 7. Doubts about Datsyuk before game 5, saying he had a bad wrist were proven wrong with some good strong play on setting up a couple of the goals, even though he didn't take a face off all night.
Franzen was clearly in pain during this game though after taking a knock to his bad ankle and must be a doubt to start tonight. Surely it would be better to get Mike Modano in and have a fully fit player than one that has looked out of sorts all of this series.
San Jose will be hoping for better netminding from Niemi in this game as he didn't look great in game 5. They will also be hoping that the team can keep their head up and go out and produce a killing performance and not have to go back to home ice for a game 7.
All 5 games in this series have now been won by just the 1 goal and i'd be suprised if it was any different in game 6. Both teams have shown nerve and bottle to come through by the 1 goal and whichever one can show it tonight will be the one with the W at the end. Either way, it will either be a deciding game 7 on Thursday or a Canucks v Sharks Western Conference Final to look forward too.
Vancouver Canucks v Nashville Predators Game 6
Vancouver were looking to be the first team through to the Western Conference Final whilst Nashville hoped to take this series through to a game 7.
Henrik Sedin took a high sticking penalty just 50 seconds into the game to give Nashville an early powerplay and the chance to take the lead. Luongo managed to fight off a couple of Predators shots including a one from Kostitsyn from right infront of him and the game remained scoreless.
Kesler and Weber had an altercation at 4.33 as Kesler drove to the front of the net and took Rinne out into the back of the net. It looked like Weber had actually taken him into the keeper but the call was for goaltender interference on Kesler whilst Weber and Bieksa took roughing penalties. It was another powerplay chance for Nashville but again they failed to get much going and it was another kill for the Canucks.
Mayson Raymond gave the Canucks the lead at 7.45 as Suter made a defensive error, trying to pass to Weber as Kesler pressured him near the net. Kesler read the pass and played it out infront to Raymond who went backhand around Rinne to slide it into the net.
At 8.52 Tootoo took a penalty for embelishment as he tried to win an oscar for a theatrical dive after barely being hit. A bad penalty to take as it took less then 30 seconds for Daniel Sedin to tap the puck into the net as Rinne missed a backhand centre from Henrik Sedin that was deflected by Kesler to get past the netminder.
There was a 3rd powerplay chance at 11.35 for the Predators as Edler went for a cross check but this was wiped out only 29 seconds later as Erat took 2 minutes for tripping.
A slashing call with 3.49 left on Higgins gave Nashville a final powerplay chance of the period but with only 1 shot on net during it they failed again to get a goal.
Nashville had started the game well but didn't get the powerplay going and then shot themselves in the foot twice to give up soft goals that gave the Canucks their 2-0 1st period advantage.
Nashville scored a lucky goal with 3.31 gone in the 2nd as Legwand through the puck from the side of the net at Luongo. The netminder made the save with his paddle and layed back into his net to try and cover the puck. The referee pointed for the goal straight away indicating the puck had crossed the line and after review it was given as good.
Fisher had a great chance to level the game a minute or so later but sent his shot high over the net as he got free in the circle on a partial 2 on 1.
An interference call at 8.09 on Erat gave the Canucks a powerplay chance to get back their 2 goal lead but only managed 2 shots that were comfortable dealt with by Rinne.
Erat had a chance on a partial brekaway but as he bore down on Luongo in the Canucks net a defenceman got back to make a good check and he failed to get a decent shot away.
A late powerplay chance in the period for Nashville saw them produce their best one of the game but they still couldn't tie the game up and it headed into the 3rd with Vancouver still leading by a goal.
The third period started as a very defensive affair with the Canucks limiting the Predators to having to dump and chase the puck, giving them no easy access into the zone to set anything up. Vancouver were happy just to keep chipping the puck out of their zone were focusing on keeping their 1 goal lead.
This continued for most of the period and it headed into the final 5 minutes with no penalties called in the period and no clear cut chances for either team to add to the scoreboard.
With 2.58 remaining Tootoo put the first good shot of the period on net but Luongo got square to it and covered it in his padding.
Nashville pulled Rinne with 1.30 left and struggled to get the puck out of their own zone and were lucky not to concede the 3rd goal. They ended up icing the puck though and with 40 seconds left Rinne was back in the net as they had to face off in the defensive zone.
Weber took a couple of blasts at the net in the dying seconds but couldn't get anything through and Nashville's playoffs ended as the Canucks went through to the Western Conference Final.
Nashville outshot the Canucks 24-19 but for me they just didn't go for it as i would have expected in that 3rd period. They had only 6 shots in the last 20 minutes and im not sure if it was due to good defending by Vancouver to limit them or if they had just run out of ideas come the end. They missed their early powerplay chances and gave up 2 bad, bad goals that ultimately cost them this game and the chance of a game 7.
Being fair though, they did extremely well to get themselves into this postion and have just had their best playoff run in franchise history. Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks though who have now battled through 2 very tough match ups and will face a 3rd in the Conference Final be it against the Sharks or the Redwings.
Henrik Sedin took a high sticking penalty just 50 seconds into the game to give Nashville an early powerplay and the chance to take the lead. Luongo managed to fight off a couple of Predators shots including a one from Kostitsyn from right infront of him and the game remained scoreless.
Kesler and Weber had an altercation at 4.33 as Kesler drove to the front of the net and took Rinne out into the back of the net. It looked like Weber had actually taken him into the keeper but the call was for goaltender interference on Kesler whilst Weber and Bieksa took roughing penalties. It was another powerplay chance for Nashville but again they failed to get much going and it was another kill for the Canucks.
Mayson Raymond gave the Canucks the lead at 7.45 as Suter made a defensive error, trying to pass to Weber as Kesler pressured him near the net. Kesler read the pass and played it out infront to Raymond who went backhand around Rinne to slide it into the net.
At 8.52 Tootoo took a penalty for embelishment as he tried to win an oscar for a theatrical dive after barely being hit. A bad penalty to take as it took less then 30 seconds for Daniel Sedin to tap the puck into the net as Rinne missed a backhand centre from Henrik Sedin that was deflected by Kesler to get past the netminder.
There was a 3rd powerplay chance at 11.35 for the Predators as Edler went for a cross check but this was wiped out only 29 seconds later as Erat took 2 minutes for tripping.
A slashing call with 3.49 left on Higgins gave Nashville a final powerplay chance of the period but with only 1 shot on net during it they failed again to get a goal.
Nashville had started the game well but didn't get the powerplay going and then shot themselves in the foot twice to give up soft goals that gave the Canucks their 2-0 1st period advantage.
Nashville scored a lucky goal with 3.31 gone in the 2nd as Legwand through the puck from the side of the net at Luongo. The netminder made the save with his paddle and layed back into his net to try and cover the puck. The referee pointed for the goal straight away indicating the puck had crossed the line and after review it was given as good.
Fisher had a great chance to level the game a minute or so later but sent his shot high over the net as he got free in the circle on a partial 2 on 1.
An interference call at 8.09 on Erat gave the Canucks a powerplay chance to get back their 2 goal lead but only managed 2 shots that were comfortable dealt with by Rinne.
Erat had a chance on a partial brekaway but as he bore down on Luongo in the Canucks net a defenceman got back to make a good check and he failed to get a decent shot away.
A late powerplay chance in the period for Nashville saw them produce their best one of the game but they still couldn't tie the game up and it headed into the 3rd with Vancouver still leading by a goal.
The third period started as a very defensive affair with the Canucks limiting the Predators to having to dump and chase the puck, giving them no easy access into the zone to set anything up. Vancouver were happy just to keep chipping the puck out of their zone were focusing on keeping their 1 goal lead.
This continued for most of the period and it headed into the final 5 minutes with no penalties called in the period and no clear cut chances for either team to add to the scoreboard.
With 2.58 remaining Tootoo put the first good shot of the period on net but Luongo got square to it and covered it in his padding.
Nashville pulled Rinne with 1.30 left and struggled to get the puck out of their own zone and were lucky not to concede the 3rd goal. They ended up icing the puck though and with 40 seconds left Rinne was back in the net as they had to face off in the defensive zone.
Weber took a couple of blasts at the net in the dying seconds but couldn't get anything through and Nashville's playoffs ended as the Canucks went through to the Western Conference Final.
Nashville outshot the Canucks 24-19 but for me they just didn't go for it as i would have expected in that 3rd period. They had only 6 shots in the last 20 minutes and im not sure if it was due to good defending by Vancouver to limit them or if they had just run out of ideas come the end. They missed their early powerplay chances and gave up 2 bad, bad goals that ultimately cost them this game and the chance of a game 7.
Being fair though, they did extremely well to get themselves into this postion and have just had their best playoff run in franchise history. Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks though who have now battled through 2 very tough match ups and will face a 3rd in the Conference Final be it against the Sharks or the Redwings.
Sunday 8 May 2011
San Jose Sharks v Detroit Redwings Game 5 Preview
Another game another 1 goal victory. This time though game 4 went the way of Detroit and they fought off the sweep. Now they need to win on away ice to fight it off again and take the series back to the Joe for game 6. The series has followed the same pattern as last years with the Sharks winning the first 3 then losing game 4. Last year they won game 5 and will be hoping to do the same this year.
Detroit have got better game by game and the 1st period of game 4 was some of the best hockey in this year's playoffs. If they can put together 3 periods of hockey similar to that then this series will see game 6. A good start for the Redwings is a must. If they are chasing the Sharks i can see them struggling and going out tonight. However, Detoit chased down a lot of teams in the regular season after bad starts so have the experience and know how if they are in that position tonight.
San Jose will want to finish the game on home ice and give themselves the advantage of extra days rest over the eventual winner of the other Semi Final. They showed good fighting qualities to come back from a 3-0 deposit in the 1st period of game 4 to tie the game and almost take it into another overtime period and you can never write the Sharks off even if the opponent has a lead over them during the game. They will not want to start as badly though this time round and if the game is close going into the 3rd period don't be suprised if San Jose nick it by 1 goal again to get them into the Conference Final.
Lidstrom has 4 goals already in this series so expect San Jose to be looking to try and stop or block him from getting his shots through on net. They will be hoping Ryan Clowe continues his point scoring as he has been nothing short of outstanding so far with 12 points in 10 games.
My key to the game is whether Detroit can get that 2 or 3 goal lead. If they can i think they will be going to game 6. The closer the game, the more i can see San Jose taking it with a late goal or an OT winner.
Detroit have got better game by game and the 1st period of game 4 was some of the best hockey in this year's playoffs. If they can put together 3 periods of hockey similar to that then this series will see game 6. A good start for the Redwings is a must. If they are chasing the Sharks i can see them struggling and going out tonight. However, Detoit chased down a lot of teams in the regular season after bad starts so have the experience and know how if they are in that position tonight.
San Jose will want to finish the game on home ice and give themselves the advantage of extra days rest over the eventual winner of the other Semi Final. They showed good fighting qualities to come back from a 3-0 deposit in the 1st period of game 4 to tie the game and almost take it into another overtime period and you can never write the Sharks off even if the opponent has a lead over them during the game. They will not want to start as badly though this time round and if the game is close going into the 3rd period don't be suprised if San Jose nick it by 1 goal again to get them into the Conference Final.
Lidstrom has 4 goals already in this series so expect San Jose to be looking to try and stop or block him from getting his shots through on net. They will be hoping Ryan Clowe continues his point scoring as he has been nothing short of outstanding so far with 12 points in 10 games.
My key to the game is whether Detroit can get that 2 or 3 goal lead. If they can i think they will be going to game 6. The closer the game, the more i can see San Jose taking it with a late goal or an OT winner.
Vancouver Canucks v Nashville Predators Game 5
Nashville were looking to win this one in Vancouver to keep their fading Playoff hopes alive and take the series back to home ice for a game 6. The Canucks needed a win to be the first team into the Western Conference Final.
Nashville took the lead at 3.42 as Ward stole the puck shorthanded and put Legwand clean in on net and he fired under the blocker arm of Luongo and in.
Vancouver were level at 5.59 as Hansen stole a puck in the offensive end and got the puck across for Raffi Torres to slide into an open net as Rinne tried to dive across to save it.
Kesler had the Canucks in the lead at 15.10 as he and Raymond went on a 2-1 breakaway and Kesler beat Weber in a foot race to get to the front of the net and Raymond slid across a perfect pass for him to tip the puck into the net.
Kostitsyn should have levelled near the end of the period but LaPierre made a diving play to get his stick on the puck and block the chance as it looked like the puck was going to be tapped into the net by the Nashville forward.
Nashville levelled less than a minute into the 2nd with a freak goal. A simple battle for the puck behind the net saw it chip up and over the net and it hit Edler on the arm infront and go into the net.
Joel Ward gave Nashville a 3-2 lead 1.4 in the 3d period as Fisher gt a take away and fired the puck fromoneside of the ice to the other to find Ward who one timed the shot blocker side on Luongo as the netminder slid across.
Ward gave Nashville their first 2 goal lead of the series as the Vancouver defence failed to clear a puck and allowed the Preds to jump on it infront, Ward firing a quick wrist shot past Luongo.
Kesler pulled one back with 3.46 left on the 3rd,firing a wrist shot through a screen from the top of the circle.
The Canucks put pressure on the Predator net in the remaining minutes but couldn't find a way through and Nashville took the game 4-3 and back to Nasvhille on Monday night they head.
Best game of the series so far and Nashville up their game to stave off elimination. Rinne kept them in it at times but they managed to find a few more goals with Joel Ward coming up big and they have the chance to tie the series 3-3 on home ice.
Nashville took the lead at 3.42 as Ward stole the puck shorthanded and put Legwand clean in on net and he fired under the blocker arm of Luongo and in.
Vancouver were level at 5.59 as Hansen stole a puck in the offensive end and got the puck across for Raffi Torres to slide into an open net as Rinne tried to dive across to save it.
Kesler had the Canucks in the lead at 15.10 as he and Raymond went on a 2-1 breakaway and Kesler beat Weber in a foot race to get to the front of the net and Raymond slid across a perfect pass for him to tip the puck into the net.
Kostitsyn should have levelled near the end of the period but LaPierre made a diving play to get his stick on the puck and block the chance as it looked like the puck was going to be tapped into the net by the Nashville forward.
Nashville levelled less than a minute into the 2nd with a freak goal. A simple battle for the puck behind the net saw it chip up and over the net and it hit Edler on the arm infront and go into the net.
Joel Ward gave Nashville a 3-2 lead 1.4 in the 3d period as Fisher gt a take away and fired the puck fromoneside of the ice to the other to find Ward who one timed the shot blocker side on Luongo as the netminder slid across.
Ward gave Nashville their first 2 goal lead of the series as the Vancouver defence failed to clear a puck and allowed the Preds to jump on it infront, Ward firing a quick wrist shot past Luongo.
Kesler pulled one back with 3.46 left on the 3rd,firing a wrist shot through a screen from the top of the circle.
The Canucks put pressure on the Predator net in the remaining minutes but couldn't find a way through and Nashville took the game 4-3 and back to Nasvhille on Monday night they head.
Best game of the series so far and Nashville up their game to stave off elimination. Rinne kept them in it at times but they managed to find a few more goals with Joel Ward coming up big and they have the chance to tie the series 3-3 on home ice.
Friday Night Game Reviews
A little bit late in putting this one up but there were 2 big games on Friday night as both Detroit and Philadelphia needed to win to keep their Playoff challenges alive.
Boston had home ice advantage against the Flyers and made full use of it, winning the game 5-1 and sweeping the Flyers 4-0. Their were no mistakes this time around and they have had slayed their demons after last years collapse at this stage.
Lucic gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 12.02 in the 1st with a powerplay goal. Good work from Krejci got the puck to Horton at the side of the net and he tapped it quickly for Lucic to fire the wrist shot into the net.
The Flyers levelled the game in the 2nd period with Richards blocking a puck and racing out of his zone, 2 on 1 with Versteeg and feeding the latter a pass that allowed him a clear path in on Thomas. A quick deke and backhand shot got the puck into the net and the game level. The extra space on the ice coming as it was a 4 on 4 goal.
It was a Bruins blitz in the 3rd period though as they scored 4 unanswered goals, 2 of them being empty netters at the end.
Boychuk fired a rolling puck high gloveside on Bobrovsky with only 2.42 of the period gone and then Lucic got his 2nd of the game at 15.03 as the Flyers lost the puck on their own blue line and he skated in unchallenged and wristed the puck through the netminder.
Marchand wristed the puck into the empty net at 18.05 from outside the offensive zone after his 1st attempt hit a defenceman's skates infront of him and then Paille with 25 seconds left was stood near the crease and stole Campbell's goal as he put it on net and Paile touched it in with his stick.
A comprehensive win and a comprehensive white wash in the series. Scores of 7-3, 3-2, 5-1 and 5-1 saw the Bruins through, out scoring their opponents 20-6 in total. If Tampa Bay were impressive the way they managed to beat the Conference winning Caps in 4 games then this was just as impressive as Boston didn't just win games by the odd goal, in 3 of them they battered the Flyers.
Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning is the Eastern Conference Final then and boy, that is going to be a hell of a series.
Detroit also needed a win to keep their hopes alive after losing 3 games to the Sharks by 1 goal and 2 of them in overtime. However, this time it was the Redwings who got the win by 1 goal even though at one point it looked like they were going to repeat last years game 4 and blow out the Sharks by more.
A blistering start saw the take a 3-0 lead inside 18.01 of the 1st period. First Bertuzzi made a fantastic move as he skated from the red and into the offensive zone, pulled a spin-o-rama and backhanded the puck from the circle that went right up into the top corner past Niemi's glove.
Lidstrom then blasted in a slap shot as Niemi kicked a long rebound from a Cleary play right onto the Detroit captain's stick. Boyle got tangled up with Niemi and stopped his own netminder getting across quick enough to the shot.
Lidstrom then added a 3rd on the powerplay as he controlled a chipped pass from Zetterberg on his pads and batted the puck out of the air and into the net.
A perfect period was slightly ruined 15 seconds later as Couture got one back for San Jose as he fired a shot from behind the goal line, the puck squeezing under the blocker arm of Howard and in.
This was the start of a steady come back by the Sharks as they came out in the 2nd a different team and played much better than they had in the 1st. Boyle got the score to 3-2 at 13.44 as Wellwood made a good play behind the net, skating the puck out and waiting for the defenceman to skate in unmarked at the back door. A simple feed across as Detroit's defence left Boyle unmarked and he fired it in past Howard.
It was 3-3 on ly 1.14 into the 3rd period as Heatley was just left free infront of the Redwings net and Clowe found him with a pass from the boards behind the net. With all the time in the world, Heatley put it quickly past Howard on his stick side.
It looked as if we were heading to another overtime period when Detroit upped their game again in the last 5 minutes and found the game winning goal with just 1.27 left on the clock.
Brian Rafalski took a shot that was blocked infront of the net and Eaves picked up the puck and made a pass across to Darren Helm who one timed the puck past a sprawling Niemi to send the fans at the Joe wild. (And sent me jumping off the sofa and around the room).
Another good game that saw the Redwings play outstanding for 20 minutes before San Jose picked their game up and gradually get themselves back into the game. In coming from 3 down it gave the Sharks all the momentum until that last 5 minutes where Detroit got back to playing like they did at the start of the game and got the all important goal.
Sunday night for game 6 back in San Jose then. It will be interesting to see if Detroit can get another back or if they will bow out at the same stage as they did last season.
Boston had home ice advantage against the Flyers and made full use of it, winning the game 5-1 and sweeping the Flyers 4-0. Their were no mistakes this time around and they have had slayed their demons after last years collapse at this stage.
Lucic gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 12.02 in the 1st with a powerplay goal. Good work from Krejci got the puck to Horton at the side of the net and he tapped it quickly for Lucic to fire the wrist shot into the net.
The Flyers levelled the game in the 2nd period with Richards blocking a puck and racing out of his zone, 2 on 1 with Versteeg and feeding the latter a pass that allowed him a clear path in on Thomas. A quick deke and backhand shot got the puck into the net and the game level. The extra space on the ice coming as it was a 4 on 4 goal.
It was a Bruins blitz in the 3rd period though as they scored 4 unanswered goals, 2 of them being empty netters at the end.
Boychuk fired a rolling puck high gloveside on Bobrovsky with only 2.42 of the period gone and then Lucic got his 2nd of the game at 15.03 as the Flyers lost the puck on their own blue line and he skated in unchallenged and wristed the puck through the netminder.
Marchand wristed the puck into the empty net at 18.05 from outside the offensive zone after his 1st attempt hit a defenceman's skates infront of him and then Paille with 25 seconds left was stood near the crease and stole Campbell's goal as he put it on net and Paile touched it in with his stick.
A comprehensive win and a comprehensive white wash in the series. Scores of 7-3, 3-2, 5-1 and 5-1 saw the Bruins through, out scoring their opponents 20-6 in total. If Tampa Bay were impressive the way they managed to beat the Conference winning Caps in 4 games then this was just as impressive as Boston didn't just win games by the odd goal, in 3 of them they battered the Flyers.
Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning is the Eastern Conference Final then and boy, that is going to be a hell of a series.
Detroit also needed a win to keep their hopes alive after losing 3 games to the Sharks by 1 goal and 2 of them in overtime. However, this time it was the Redwings who got the win by 1 goal even though at one point it looked like they were going to repeat last years game 4 and blow out the Sharks by more.
A blistering start saw the take a 3-0 lead inside 18.01 of the 1st period. First Bertuzzi made a fantastic move as he skated from the red and into the offensive zone, pulled a spin-o-rama and backhanded the puck from the circle that went right up into the top corner past Niemi's glove.
Lidstrom then blasted in a slap shot as Niemi kicked a long rebound from a Cleary play right onto the Detroit captain's stick. Boyle got tangled up with Niemi and stopped his own netminder getting across quick enough to the shot.
Lidstrom then added a 3rd on the powerplay as he controlled a chipped pass from Zetterberg on his pads and batted the puck out of the air and into the net.
A perfect period was slightly ruined 15 seconds later as Couture got one back for San Jose as he fired a shot from behind the goal line, the puck squeezing under the blocker arm of Howard and in.
This was the start of a steady come back by the Sharks as they came out in the 2nd a different team and played much better than they had in the 1st. Boyle got the score to 3-2 at 13.44 as Wellwood made a good play behind the net, skating the puck out and waiting for the defenceman to skate in unmarked at the back door. A simple feed across as Detroit's defence left Boyle unmarked and he fired it in past Howard.
It was 3-3 on ly 1.14 into the 3rd period as Heatley was just left free infront of the Redwings net and Clowe found him with a pass from the boards behind the net. With all the time in the world, Heatley put it quickly past Howard on his stick side.
It looked as if we were heading to another overtime period when Detroit upped their game again in the last 5 minutes and found the game winning goal with just 1.27 left on the clock.
Brian Rafalski took a shot that was blocked infront of the net and Eaves picked up the puck and made a pass across to Darren Helm who one timed the puck past a sprawling Niemi to send the fans at the Joe wild. (And sent me jumping off the sofa and around the room).
Another good game that saw the Redwings play outstanding for 20 minutes before San Jose picked their game up and gradually get themselves back into the game. In coming from 3 down it gave the Sharks all the momentum until that last 5 minutes where Detroit got back to playing like they did at the start of the game and got the all important goal.
Sunday night for game 6 back in San Jose then. It will be interesting to see if Detroit can get another back or if they will bow out at the same stage as they did last season.
Friday 6 May 2011
Friday Night Game Previews
San Jose Sharks v Detroit Redwings
For Detroit now is the time to start getting results. They need to win 4 straight against the Sharks to advance and that is going to be a tough feat against a team that now has the better of the 11 out of the last 13.
The Redwings improved in game 3 but still managed to go down to another overtime winner from San Jose who have become the masters of winning in the extra period this playoffs. What can Detroit do to get themselves back into this series? Well, they need to get scoring from the likes of Bertuzzi, Franzen and Cleary who all played big parts in seeing off the Coyotes yet have failed to register so far against the Sharks. Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lidstrom are carrying the Redwings scoring so far with most of it coming on the powerplay. They need to get a good start in this game and get their 5 on 5 play going. If they can get into a 2 goal lead they should take this series back to San Jose.
The Sharks will be looking to end the series quickly and are always going to be dangerous going forward. Niemi has been a lot better this series than he was against L.A and is looking more like the Stanley Cup winning netminder he was last year. This is good news for the Sharks and they will want him to keep up the form he has had in the series.
Neither team has an injury doubts for this game and i expect to see the same lineups as last time out, meaning no place still for Mike Modano in Detroit's line up.
If the game goes into the last 5 minutes tied or goes into another extra period then don't be suprised if San Jose finish this series tonight. They have a knack of getting late winners and have become masters of it. They seem to be able to find something out of nothing and win the tight games so Detroit need to be aware and try to get a good advantage before leaving it too late.
Philadelphia Flyers v Boston Bruins
Yet again on Wednesday night Boucher was chased from the Flyers goal in the 2nd period as Boston took a 4-0 lead in the game. They went on to win it 5-1 and now find themselves with a 3-0 series lead against Philadelphia. Sound Familiar? Surely Boston can't blow it for the 2nd year running and allow the Flyers back into this one? They have been comprehensive in 2 of the 3 games so far with 7-3 and 5-1 blowouts and snook a 3-2 win in game 2. If Boston can get a lead in this game i can't see them losing it. It hurt to much last year and this is the redemption they were seeking. They haven't lost a game in the playoffs when getting a lead and the Flyers have only managed to win 1 when conceeding first.
For the Flyers it will be another tough decision of who to start with in net. Surely Boucher being chased twice in the series so far means Bobrovsky will get his chance to start? I really don' t think it matters as both have been as bad as each other and the Flyers must rely on their defence improving and either denying Boston shots or blocking them and making sure rebounds are cleared. They must start making smart plays to clear the zone and cut out any errors that might give Boston good scoring opportunities. If they can do this then they will give themselves a chance. Philadelphia have taken plenty of shots going forward, they will be hoping Thomas has a couple of off nights himself so they can get back into the series but with the form he is on i just can't see that happening.
Both teams could be missing a players as McQuaid for Boston and Pronger for Philadelphia are likely to be missing again, impacting the Flyers more as Pronger is a top defenceman when fit.
We could have the Eastern Conference Final match up come the end of this one, or we could be at the start of another miracolous come back.
For Detroit now is the time to start getting results. They need to win 4 straight against the Sharks to advance and that is going to be a tough feat against a team that now has the better of the 11 out of the last 13.
The Redwings improved in game 3 but still managed to go down to another overtime winner from San Jose who have become the masters of winning in the extra period this playoffs. What can Detroit do to get themselves back into this series? Well, they need to get scoring from the likes of Bertuzzi, Franzen and Cleary who all played big parts in seeing off the Coyotes yet have failed to register so far against the Sharks. Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lidstrom are carrying the Redwings scoring so far with most of it coming on the powerplay. They need to get a good start in this game and get their 5 on 5 play going. If they can get into a 2 goal lead they should take this series back to San Jose.
The Sharks will be looking to end the series quickly and are always going to be dangerous going forward. Niemi has been a lot better this series than he was against L.A and is looking more like the Stanley Cup winning netminder he was last year. This is good news for the Sharks and they will want him to keep up the form he has had in the series.
Neither team has an injury doubts for this game and i expect to see the same lineups as last time out, meaning no place still for Mike Modano in Detroit's line up.
If the game goes into the last 5 minutes tied or goes into another extra period then don't be suprised if San Jose finish this series tonight. They have a knack of getting late winners and have become masters of it. They seem to be able to find something out of nothing and win the tight games so Detroit need to be aware and try to get a good advantage before leaving it too late.
Philadelphia Flyers v Boston Bruins
Yet again on Wednesday night Boucher was chased from the Flyers goal in the 2nd period as Boston took a 4-0 lead in the game. They went on to win it 5-1 and now find themselves with a 3-0 series lead against Philadelphia. Sound Familiar? Surely Boston can't blow it for the 2nd year running and allow the Flyers back into this one? They have been comprehensive in 2 of the 3 games so far with 7-3 and 5-1 blowouts and snook a 3-2 win in game 2. If Boston can get a lead in this game i can't see them losing it. It hurt to much last year and this is the redemption they were seeking. They haven't lost a game in the playoffs when getting a lead and the Flyers have only managed to win 1 when conceeding first.
For the Flyers it will be another tough decision of who to start with in net. Surely Boucher being chased twice in the series so far means Bobrovsky will get his chance to start? I really don' t think it matters as both have been as bad as each other and the Flyers must rely on their defence improving and either denying Boston shots or blocking them and making sure rebounds are cleared. They must start making smart plays to clear the zone and cut out any errors that might give Boston good scoring opportunities. If they can do this then they will give themselves a chance. Philadelphia have taken plenty of shots going forward, they will be hoping Thomas has a couple of off nights himself so they can get back into the series but with the form he is on i just can't see that happening.
Both teams could be missing a players as McQuaid for Boston and Pronger for Philadelphia are likely to be missing again, impacting the Flyers more as Pronger is a top defenceman when fit.
We could have the Eastern Conference Final match up come the end of this one, or we could be at the start of another miracolous come back.
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