Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round One, Day Thirteen

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Only two games tonight: a Game Six and a Game Seven. Will there be one final Game Seven of the First Round to be played on Wednesday? Will the Blues get the monkey off their back? Read on to find out.

Ducks at Predators

This is the starting lineup for the Nashville. Oh Roman, you are the Josiest!

I wish this guy were in the starting lineup for the Ducks.

Duckie

Peter LaViolette has switched up his top line, taking out the snakebitten and scoreless Calle Jarnkrok and replacing him with Filip Forsberg. The new line combination is Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and James Neal.

First Period:

Good forechecking and defense marks the first. Each team has a Power Play and a Penalty Kill. Some heavy hits, shot blocking, and pushing each other around occurs. Paul Gaustad and Hampus “Really, Are You Sure it Isn’t Krampus” Lindholm wrestle near the Ducks goal, with Gaustad’s helmet going missing. He then delivers a huge hit on Lindholm along the boards as he heads to the bench. This just might be a sign that they’re not friends.

Native Rhode Islander Brian Boucher is behind the glass. This is refreshing because it’s not Pierre. It could only be better if he were just hanging out while enjoying a chillicious Del’s Frozen Lemonade.

Del's

The music guy is playing Phil Collins’ “Sussudio”. I didn’t think that song escaped the 80’s.

Second Period:

Corey Perry had a good chance early in the period but was stopped by Roman Josi physically when Pekka Rinne stuck his stick out to stop the puck.

Anthony Bitetto coughs up the puck to Shawn Horcoff, who takes a slap shot on Rinne, but Pekka makes the save. Whenever Bitetto is forced to defend on his own, I’m like:

Fear

I get it, he’s the younger defenseman who’s allowed to explore the ice while Barret Jackman stays home to tend the nest. His inexperience is frustrating to watch.

At 8:10 Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm scores the first goal of the game.

James Neal makes it 2-0 at 17:45. Perry loses it, Johansen takes it all the way down, Neal jumps in and backhands it in on Frederik Andersen.

Ekholm is called for Interference on Lindholm at 19:17.

Anaheim goes on the Power Play. Apparently Ryan Kesler watched last night’s late game because he tried to steal a page out of John Tavares’ book when he scored a Power Play Goal on Rinne at 19:46.

Third Period:

Plus: the Power Play is not carrying over into this period. Minus: the score to start is 2-1, Preds.

Some good chances on each side. Perry has another great shot which is a fantastic save by Rinne.

Colin Wilson tried a quick backhand on a bouncing puck point-blank on Andersen, no dice. Wilson tried another backhand shot under 2 minutes. Ryan Ellis blocks a Lindholm shot. Shea Weber blocks a Shea Theodore shot. With ten seconds left and hanging on to a small lead, Weber shoots a bouncing puck down the ice into Anaheim’s empty net.

Pekka Rinne stepped up when it counted making 26 saves, some of which were spectacular. Nashville’s defensemen blocked shots and scored when it mattered. The Predators hang on for Game Seven to be played at the Honda Center on Wednesday night. Last game of the First Round!

This is what makes our site special:

Blackhawks at Blues

AAAHHHHHH GAME SEVEN! (Also at a normal time). Only down side is that the broadcast crew is human thesaurus Doc Emerick and junior hockey know-it-all Pierre McGuire. Okay, let’s get down to business.

First Period

After a couple of quick whistles, and three weeks before play resumes on an icing due to broken glass from a David Backes hit on Brent Seabrook, St. Louis opens the scoring on a Jori Lehtera goal at 1:00.

The Blues are just crushing the Hawks so far in the first. At 13:43, University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks alumnus Colton Parayko (thanks Pierre!) buries his second goal of the playoffs with a bomb from the point.

After Jaden Schwartz blows an edge, Marion Hossa rips one by Brian Elliot to cut the lead 2-1 at 18:30.

The period ends with the Hawks getting a couple more chances, but the score stands 2-1 as we head to the Second Period.

Second Period

Andrew Shaw gets the scoring rolling on a cross ice pass that deflects off of Jay Bouwmeester‘s knee for his fourth goal of the series.

It’s always the #DumbJerks that get the lucky bounces.

Neither team scores again in the second, but not from lack of effort. Both Corey Crawford and Elliot make roughly two hundred highlight reel saves each. The period ends at 2-2, making it anyone’s game for the Third Period.

Third Period

Well, here’s what everyone wants to see.

Troy Brouwer scores his first of the playoffs at 8:31 in the Third to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. Brouwer had three days worth of time to score on the play, with his first chance actually hitting the post, then sliding behind his skate before he backhands it in.

It was a 3-2 lead that the Blues wouldn’t give up, or would they?

It is just absolutely insane that puck doesn’t go in. The Blues hang on and win this one by a final of 3-2. The Blackhawks are OUT. I repeat. The Blackhawks are OUT!

Handshake stuff!

Both goalies played one hell of a series, and it’s this type of play that gets you nominated for the Conn Smythe Trophy. It is a shame that this was a first round series with how good it was, but those are the pitfalls of the new playoff system.


Bros

Up next for the Blues is the Dallas Stars. Their second round series start is still to be determined.

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Handshake stuff!

When I first read this, I thought it said “handshake snuff”, which I imagine would look something like this:

http://1pun.ch/handshake.gif

Recch1Bag skate 
April 26, 2016 5:44 pm
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