Big OT wins from Ottawa and Toronto last night, the Preds and Pekka Rinne looking to set up one of the biggest upsets in years and Calgary losing their cool on ice and off made for one heck of an entertaining day of hockey.
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A great day yesterday and another one ahead today, as the series' shift locales. We'll set up today's action but first, let's look back at what went down yesterday, shall we?
OTTAWA 4 BOSTON 3 OT (Series tied 1-1)
It wasn't looking good for the Senators yesterday. Down 3-1 in the 3rd period, and in danger of heading to Boston down 2-0, the Sens Captain took matters into his own hands. Dion Phaneuf set up two 3rd period goals, including this amazing play by Erik Karlsson to find Derick Brassard for the tying goal.
That was a major league line walk. But Phaneuf wasn't done, as he fired home a point shot late in the first OT to give Ottawa the win and tie the series.
And yes, that was Alexandre Burrows in front of Tuukka Rask with the perfect screen.
TORONTO 4 WASHINGTON 3 2OT (Series tied 1-1)
Kasperi Kapanen scored twice including the double OT winner as the Maple Leafs got the split in Washington they were looking for as the series heads to Toronto for Game 3. Despite losing Roman Polak to a pretty gruesome looking leg injury, the Leafs battled through with 5 D, storming back in the 2nd to tie and then take the lead after 2 PPG goals for the Caps from Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson.
Kapanen's 1st tied it, and then Morgan Reilly on the PP gave the Leafs the lead heading into the 3rd. Washington's Nicklas Backstrom got his first of the postseason to tie the game, and the two teams battled for another period and a half of OT before Brian Boyle sets up Kapanen for the dagger.
NASHVILLE 5 CHICAGO 0 (Predators lead 2-0)
Following the 1-0 shutout in Game 1, the Preds lit Corey Crawford up on Saturday night, led not just by another shutout performance by Pekka Rinne, but his 2 assists as well. Ryan Ellis got what would be the game winner in the 1st period, as the Preds notched two more in the 2nd and a pair in the 3rd to go up 2-0 heading to Nashville Monday. The Hawks stars are under the spotlight now, like Jonathan Toews, who hasn't scored a postseason goal since Game 4 of the 2015 Final. Corey Crawford has lost 3 straight playoff games, and Patrick Kane? 2 goals since the last time Toews scored.
Let's not kid ourselves, though. We've seen this team come back from adversity like this before. Let's not forget 2011. But as I said at the start of the series, this is a team ripe for the picking, and Nashville has done an outstanding job of shutting the Hawks down.
ANAHEIM 3 CALGARY 2 (Ducks lead 2-0)
Ryan Getzlaf is having himself one heck of a series against the Flames, and his late PP goal gave the Ducks a 3-2 win at the Honda Center last night. The Ducks had gotten off to a great start, with Jakob Silfverberg and Richard Rakell gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead less than 7 minutes into the game. The Flames got one back late in the 1st, as Mikael Backlund notched a shorthanded goal. Sean Monahan got his 2nd of the series on the PP in the 2nd to tie it, before Getzlaf's PPG, and the reaction in Calgary's box was, let's say a tad over the top...
Flames GM,Brad Treliving, just smashed a chair not 5 feet from me
— jonathan davis (@westcoasthky) April 16, 2017
Coach Glen Gulutzan didn't mince words when it came to the officials either...
Glen Gulutzan gives his take on the 3-2 setback in Anaheim. pic.twitter.com/5fWRHsU45D
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 16, 2017
After stealing home ice advantage from the Wild, the Blues will look to put a stranglehold on the series this afternoon in St Louis. Neither team is changing much about how they're approaching this game, the Blues relying on former Wild coach Mike Yeo's knowledge of the team and their strengths and weaknesses, and Bruce Beaudreau's Wild knowing that though they're down 2-0, they've outplayed the Blues in a good chunk of the series, and both were 1 goal games. Don't be too surprised if we see an offensive outburst from Minnesota today.
The Blue Jackets hope that home ice will help them get back into this series, and also hope the loss of Matt Calvert for a paltry one game suspension doesn't hurt that chance too much. The Penguins have been full value for their wins, and have done it without Matt Murray, as Marc-Andre Fleury will again get the start.
The Blue Jackets will need to find a way to get into the scoring areas, as the Penguins have done a great job of keeping Columbus on the perimeter. They've also blocked 45 shots so far over the 2 games, making things easier for Fleury.
Coming off Friday's big OT win, the Habs will be hoping to keep the momentum swinging their way. The Rangers know they let Game 2 slip away, giving up the tying goal with mere seconds left before Alexander Radulov's game winner in extra time left the Series Tied.
One thing the Canadiens will want to do is keep firing the puck at Henrik Lundqvist. They had 58 shots in Game 2, and combined with guys like Brendan Gallagher creating chaos in front of the net, might have found the key to taking over the series.
The Sharks will be looking to rebound after a Game 2 that saw them give up two shorthanded goals and get smacked around by an Oilers team that took advantage of an officiating crew that wasn't willing to call things like charging and head shots. You can bet that the Sharks were talking to the league about this post game, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see Zack Kassian in the penalty box tonight.
The Sharks desperately need Joe Thornton back, and while he was on the ice this morning, there's been no word on whether he's going to be returning to the lineup tonight. The Sharks PP looks lost without him, and if he can't come back, the Sharks veterans are going to have to step up and take advantage of an Edmonton team still struggling with discipline.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Off to Finland today for some serious thrash/hardcore from Helsinki. FORESEEN have just released their 2nd album on 20 Buck Spin Records, and it's absolutely vicious.
This post first appeared on Vancouver Canucks Schedule, Roster, News, And Rumo, please read the originial post: here
