NHL Playoff Look-in
The NHL has had it's twists and turns, with Montreal winning 3 straight to knock out top-seeded Washington and Philadelphia beating New Jersey in 5 games. But, that was then, and now it's time to step up. Let's check out who is and who isn't.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Game 1
Montreal scored first, but Pittsburgh went 4/4 on power plays and forced Jaroslav Halak to be pulled with 14:42 left. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski scored a goal and had an assist in the 6-3 win.
Game 2
Montreal wasn't ready to fall behind 2-0, so they avenged a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead. The go-ahead goal was by Mike Cammalleri on a power play. Cammalleri scored again on an empty-netter, and the Canadiens took the game 3-1.
Game 3
Marc-Andre Fluery was spectacular, making only 18 saves but he had about 10 fantastic ones. It was the first playoff shutout at home since 1983 (118 games)! Evgeni Malkin scored on a one -timer and Pascal Dupuis scored on an empty-netter with :15 left for the 2-0 win.
Game 4
Montreal had lost Games 3 and 4 to Washington. They lost Game 3 to Pittsburgh. It was time for a different story, wouldn't you say so? Yeah. Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves and Maxime Lapierre and Brian Gionta scored 1:33 apart for what proved to be the tying and game-winning goals.
Game 5
Kris Letang scored on a power play, Sergio Gonchar scored and Pittsburgh took a 3-2 series lead with a 2-1 win in Game 5. Marc-Andre Fluery made 32 saves and was perfect for the first 59:29 of the game, but he allowed a power play goal by Mike Cammalleri with :29. The Penguins lead the series 3-2.
Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1
Marc Savard scored the game-winning goal in his first game back as he scored from the right corner 13:52 into OT as Boston won 5-4. Miroslav Satan and Patrice Bergeron each scored and had an assist, and Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots.
Game 2
Milan Lucic found the corner of the net on a turn-around slap shot with 2:57 left as Boston beat Philadelphia 3-2 in Game 2. Miroslav Satan scored, and Johnny Boychuk also scored. Tuukka Rask and Brian Boucher each had 24 saves.
Game 3
Blake Wheeler and Miroslav Satan scored 1:34 apart in the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead, then Mark Reechi scored on a power play rebound. Patrice Bergeron scored on an empty-netter to give Boston the 4-1 win and the 3-0 series lead.
Game 4
Mark Reechi scored first, but goals by Danny Briere, Chris Pronger, and Claude Giroux scored, but Michael Ryder and Milan Lucic scored to tie it early in the third. Ville Leino scored what looked like the game-winning goal, but Reechi found the net with 31.5 seconds left to send it
into OT. In OT, Matt Carle fed Simon Gagne down low and he poked it in before Tuukka Rask could reach it for the 5-4 OT win. Boston leads 3-1.
San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings
Game 1
Joe Pavelski scored the first of three goals in a 1:19 period and again :50 into the third (both on power plays) as San Jose beat Detroit 4-3. Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi scored for San Jose, while Daniel Cleary, Johan Franzen, and Brian Rafalski scored for Detroit.
Game 2
Joe Pavelski scored 2 more power play goals, Joe Thornton poked in what proved to be the game-winning goal as San Jose sgain beat Detroit 4-3. Dany Heatley had 3 assists, and Ryane Clowe scored too. Heatley's slap shot was saved, but Thornton was able to poke it in with 7:23 left to take the 4-3 lead.
Game 3
Tomas Holstrom and Daniel Cleary scored early for Detroit, but Henrik Zetterberg had a goal taken away from him because his skate was in the crease, and Devin Setoguchi scored with :4 left in the period. Zetterberg scored, but Joe Thornton scored his second goal and Logan Couture scored from the corner to tie the game. Thornton then found Marleau, who poked the puck through the net for the 4-3 win.
Game 4
Johan Franzen scored again, and again, and again, and again. And later. He scored 4 goals in a period of 5:36, and he scored in the third period to help Detroit win 7-1. Franzen scored the most goals ever in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
Game 5
Jimmy Howard had a spectacular first period, and once Detroit heated up Evgeni Nabokov had a hard time stopping them. Brian Rafalski scored for Detroit, but Joe Thornton scored in the right corner off a rebound again. Patrick Marleau beat Jimmy Howard on the right corner in the third, Nabokov made some spectacular saves and the Sharks won 2-1 and took the series 4-1.
Blackhawks vs. Canucks
Game 1
Roberto Luongo made 36 saves, Christian Ehroff, Mason Raymond, Henrik Sedin, Kyle Wellwood, and Michael Grabner gave Vancouver a 5-0 lead at the second intermission, and they went on to win 5-1. The fast-skating Canucks completely dominated.
Game 2
Mason Raymond and Mikael Sammuelsson scored to give Vancouver a 2-0 lead, but Brent Seabrook scored and Patrick Sharp scored (shorthanded for Sharp), and Kris Versteeg got the puck past Roberto Luongo from the left circle, and an empty-netter by Patrick Kane sealed the 4-2 win.
Game 3
Dustin Byfulgen scored off of 2 second period rebounds, and scored in the third to help Chicago beat Vancouver 5-2. Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg also scored. 2 of Byfulgen's goals were on power plays, and they were his first 3 goals of the postseason.
Game 4
Jonathan Toews (pronounced Taves) scored 3 power play goals and had 2 assists as Chicago lit up Roberto Luongo and silenced the usually crazy Vancouver Canucks fans in a 7-4 win. Brent Seabrook scored 18 seconds in, and Toews also scored. The score was 2-2 after 1, but then Chicago took over. Chicago leads the series 3-1.
Picks: Chicago in 5, Boston in 5, Pittsburgh in 7, San Jose in 5. San Jose over Chicago in 7, Pittsburgh over Boston in 6. San Jose over Pittsburgh in 7.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Game 1
Montreal scored first, but Pittsburgh went 4/4 on power plays and forced Jaroslav Halak to be pulled with 14:42 left. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski scored a goal and had an assist in the 6-3 win.
Game 2
Montreal wasn't ready to fall behind 2-0, so they avenged a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead. The go-ahead goal was by Mike Cammalleri on a power play. Cammalleri scored again on an empty-netter, and the Canadiens took the game 3-1.
Game 3
Marc-Andre Fluery was spectacular, making only 18 saves but he had about 10 fantastic ones. It was the first playoff shutout at home since 1983 (118 games)! Evgeni Malkin scored on a one -timer and Pascal Dupuis scored on an empty-netter with :15 left for the 2-0 win.
Game 4
Montreal had lost Games 3 and 4 to Washington. They lost Game 3 to Pittsburgh. It was time for a different story, wouldn't you say so? Yeah. Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves and Maxime Lapierre and Brian Gionta scored 1:33 apart for what proved to be the tying and game-winning goals.
Game 5
Kris Letang scored on a power play, Sergio Gonchar scored and Pittsburgh took a 3-2 series lead with a 2-1 win in Game 5. Marc-Andre Fluery made 32 saves and was perfect for the first 59:29 of the game, but he allowed a power play goal by Mike Cammalleri with :29. The Penguins lead the series 3-2.
Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1
Marc Savard scored the game-winning goal in his first game back as he scored from the right corner 13:52 into OT as Boston won 5-4. Miroslav Satan and Patrice Bergeron each scored and had an assist, and Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots.
Game 2
Milan Lucic found the corner of the net on a turn-around slap shot with 2:57 left as Boston beat Philadelphia 3-2 in Game 2. Miroslav Satan scored, and Johnny Boychuk also scored. Tuukka Rask and Brian Boucher each had 24 saves.
Game 3
Blake Wheeler and Miroslav Satan scored 1:34 apart in the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead, then Mark Reechi scored on a power play rebound. Patrice Bergeron scored on an empty-netter to give Boston the 4-1 win and the 3-0 series lead.
Game 4
Mark Reechi scored first, but goals by Danny Briere, Chris Pronger, and Claude Giroux scored, but Michael Ryder and Milan Lucic scored to tie it early in the third. Ville Leino scored what looked like the game-winning goal, but Reechi found the net with 31.5 seconds left to send it
into OT. In OT, Matt Carle fed Simon Gagne down low and he poked it in before Tuukka Rask could reach it for the 5-4 OT win. Boston leads 3-1.
San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings
Game 1
Joe Pavelski scored the first of three goals in a 1:19 period and again :50 into the third (both on power plays) as San Jose beat Detroit 4-3. Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi scored for San Jose, while Daniel Cleary, Johan Franzen, and Brian Rafalski scored for Detroit.
Game 2
Joe Pavelski scored 2 more power play goals, Joe Thornton poked in what proved to be the game-winning goal as San Jose sgain beat Detroit 4-3. Dany Heatley had 3 assists, and Ryane Clowe scored too. Heatley's slap shot was saved, but Thornton was able to poke it in with 7:23 left to take the 4-3 lead.
Game 3
Tomas Holstrom and Daniel Cleary scored early for Detroit, but Henrik Zetterberg had a goal taken away from him because his skate was in the crease, and Devin Setoguchi scored with :4 left in the period. Zetterberg scored, but Joe Thornton scored his second goal and Logan Couture scored from the corner to tie the game. Thornton then found Marleau, who poked the puck through the net for the 4-3 win.
Game 4
Johan Franzen scored again, and again, and again, and again. And later. He scored 4 goals in a period of 5:36, and he scored in the third period to help Detroit win 7-1. Franzen scored the most goals ever in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
Game 5
Jimmy Howard had a spectacular first period, and once Detroit heated up Evgeni Nabokov had a hard time stopping them. Brian Rafalski scored for Detroit, but Joe Thornton scored in the right corner off a rebound again. Patrick Marleau beat Jimmy Howard on the right corner in the third, Nabokov made some spectacular saves and the Sharks won 2-1 and took the series 4-1.
Blackhawks vs. Canucks
Game 1
Roberto Luongo made 36 saves, Christian Ehroff, Mason Raymond, Henrik Sedin, Kyle Wellwood, and Michael Grabner gave Vancouver a 5-0 lead at the second intermission, and they went on to win 5-1. The fast-skating Canucks completely dominated.
Game 2
Mason Raymond and Mikael Sammuelsson scored to give Vancouver a 2-0 lead, but Brent Seabrook scored and Patrick Sharp scored (shorthanded for Sharp), and Kris Versteeg got the puck past Roberto Luongo from the left circle, and an empty-netter by Patrick Kane sealed the 4-2 win.
Game 3
Dustin Byfulgen scored off of 2 second period rebounds, and scored in the third to help Chicago beat Vancouver 5-2. Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg also scored. 2 of Byfulgen's goals were on power plays, and they were his first 3 goals of the postseason.
Game 4
Jonathan Toews (pronounced Taves) scored 3 power play goals and had 2 assists as Chicago lit up Roberto Luongo and silenced the usually crazy Vancouver Canucks fans in a 7-4 win. Brent Seabrook scored 18 seconds in, and Toews also scored. The score was 2-2 after 1, but then Chicago took over. Chicago leads the series 3-1.
Picks: Chicago in 5, Boston in 5, Pittsburgh in 7, San Jose in 5. San Jose over Chicago in 7, Pittsburgh over Boston in 6. San Jose over Pittsburgh in 7.
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