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Chicago 3 Philadelphia 4 OT (Wachovia Center) Chicago leads SCF 2-1.
Game Three notes:
“Desperation was the key word, I think. It’s almost do or die.” —Claude Giroux
Until tonight, Giroux has been sleeping through the series. During his pregame nap, Giroux received a message from a buddy telling him he would score the winning goal in overtime. It was a prophetic text.
Philadelphia took advantage of a bad Chicago line change on the winning goal.
Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Simon Gagne struggled all night. Carter and Richards combined for six giveaways. Richards lost the faceoff to John Madden that resulted in the Blackhawks’ second goal.
Scott Hartnell, Ville Leino, and Daniel Briere were the top line for the Flyers, scoring all three goals in regulation. Hartnell delivered six hits. Leino was the best Flyers player.
The turning point of the game, and maybe the Flyers’ season, was Leino’s goal, responding only 20 seconds after Chicago had taken a 3-to-2 lead.
Flyers’ aggressive penalty-killing has been excellent. Chicago doesn’t have a power-play goal in the series.
Michael Leighton allowed another soft goal but assistant coach Craig Berube reports that the Flyers did not consider pulling him.
Chicago’s 11 goals have been scored by 10 different players.
Ian Laperriere removed the full shield and wore only a half visor.
For Philadelphia, it was their first win in a Stanley Cup Final since 1987.
It is puzzling that vicious crosschecks to the back are now fair play but breaking a fragile opponent’s stick is a penalty.
Instant replay was used twice to get the calls right. It’s unfortunate that it couldn’t have been used to overturn the pathetic call by Jim Joyce.
It seems that it has become important to track the game puck. Tonight, Darroll Powe picked it up and handed it to Giroux.
The series continues in Philadelphia for Game Four on Friday.
Rocket’s three stars
1. Ville Leino
2. Duncan Keith
3. Claude Giroux
Special mention: Patrick Kane
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
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Hey everyone, this is the first time I am ever doing a live blog but I have wanted to do one for a while now and this feels like a good time to do it.
I will be frequently checkin in and giving you up-dates as we go along the game.
Game three of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
Chicago Blackhawks @ Philadelphia Flyers
Live On CBC (8:00Pm Eastern Time)
8:01: Lol Don Cherry looks like a rainbow…Or a clown…
8:05: The boys are looking sharp in their suits and the place is packed with a sea of orange!! Did you guys know Mike Richards owns a Silver BMW? Pretty nice.
8:16: Were under way! The puck has been dropped!
8:20: Good break-away chance their for Philly, good save by Niemi
8:26: Hey Toews, how does the ice taste? Nice fast pace and physical game so far!
8:31: Wow Jeff Carter nice chance! What a save by Niemi.
8:36: What a game! Pat Kane can’t buy a goal, Leighton saved by his best friend! First penalty of the game going to the cursed man (Marian Hossa)
8:40: Finally! About a million chances and we got our first goal! Danny Briere on the PP! 1-0 Philadelphia
8:43: Danny Carcillo taking a trip to the box!
8:49: First period over, not much luck for Chicago on the PP there, let’s see what happens in the second period!
9:10: What a start to the second period! Flyers are playing with confidence right now!
9:11: Wow, what a change of momentum just like that! Chicago ties it up
9:16: Chicago can’t take the lead on the Chris Pronger penalty.
9:20: Great chance for Philly there, can’t capitilize though
9:26: LOL the goal horn guy slipped on that one…
9:30: Wow, I guess I slipped haha! Looks like the goal horn guy got it right after all, refs review it, it’s a good goal! Flyers Up 2-1!
9:36: Wow, Flyers fans upset with that NON call there, almost led to a goal!
9:40: LOL Pronger gets away with one also…
9:46: Another penalty killed off by Philly, but Blackhawks strike back shortly after. Brent Sopel firing it from the point, tie game!
9:50: Second period comes to an end, were all tied up at two, should make for an exciting third period!
10:10: Interesting facts there about the Hawks…5-0 in one goal games, un-defeated when tied heading into the third…Uh-Oh…
10:13: I’m speechless right about now…3-2 Hawks!
10:14: WOW did not see that coming! 3-3!!!!!
10:20: How many chances did Jeff Carter just have?
10:25: Icing call against the Blackhawks, good defensive sequences in the last few minutes by both teams.
10:30: The game remains tied with the time ticking down. Will we see over-time?
10:34: The intensity level is picking up now! Nice play by Carter there to get back in time, possibly deny a goal.
10:40: Ville Leino is playing like a champ. Unfortuanetly for the Flyers so is Antti Niemi…
10:42: LOL, I loved how Kane and Richards were just staring at the puck there.
10:45: Ladies and Gentleman, we are going to over-time.
11:01: We are under way in overtime!!!!!
11:05: Four minutes into over-time, I can’t handle this!
11:09: Umm, I don’t think that’s a goal, but can you say controversy???
11:11: After further review, no goal!
11:13: GOAL! PHILADELPHIA WINS GAME THREE, AND THIS ONE WILL COUNT. CLAUDE GIROUX!
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The Chicago Blackhawks were badly outplayed in the third period of game two of the Stanley Cup Finals, but in the end, they escaped with a 2-1 victory and a 2-0 series lead.
For the Flyers, they can take solace in the fact that they have now played two highly contested games against the favored Blackhawks—two games that could have gone in the Flyers favor.
Philadelpia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette gave game one “goat” Michael Leighton a vote of confidence by giving him a chance at redemption, starting the tough-luck goaltender in game two. Laviolette was rewarded with a strong effort from Leighton, one which saw him make 24 saves on 26 Chicago shots.
At the other end of the ice, Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi (who was chosen first star of the game) was just a little bit better than Leighton, making 32 saves on 33 Philadelphia shots, including 15 saves in the third period—a couple of which were game savers.
Once again, Chicago did a great job of containing the Flyers best players, as both Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and the red-hot Danny Briere were all kept off the scoresheet in game two.
Similarly, the Flyers were able to keep the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfuglien off the scoresheet, but once again fell victim to Marian Hossa—who scored the opening goal and was dominant all night long.
The Flyers probably deserved a better fate in game two as they threw everything at the Blackhawks, who looked out of gas, nervous, and confused for most of the third period.
If not for plenty of off-target shots by the Flyers, it could have been a very different result; sadly, for the most part, the Flyers’ forwards were off the mark all night, often missing the net completely from in close.
Physically, the Flyers held their own against the Hawks and, at times, looked to be dominating the younger Hawks.
Make no mistake about it, the Hawks are willing to exchange with the Flyers and the feel of this series is one of anger, hurt, and hate. That said, the Flyers seem to be winning the battles down low, which is often a good measure of how the physical side of the game is going.
Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger continued his dominance of Blackhawks pesky forward Dustin Byfuglien—keeping him off the scoreboard and making the man they call “Buff” a non-factor in front of the Flyers net.
During the CBC broadcast, former NHL goaltender Glenn Healy stated that “if the Chicago Blackhawks can win game two they have a 94% chance of winning this series”. Without the benefit of confirming those figures, I would suggest that the Flyers backs are firmly up against the wall right now; clearly, game three is a must win situation for the Orange and Black.
Given the Flyers 2-0 deficit, it seems game three at the Wachovia Center is a must win. Sure, the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Boston Bruins in round two, but nobody believes this team could come back from 3-0 twice, do they?
The good news is the Flyers have yet to be outplayed by the Hawks and, as mentioned earlier, the Flyers could easily be up 2-0 in this series themselves.
The sad reality is that the Flyers are indeed down two games to none and will have to hope that a change in venue at home in Philadelphia brings them better luck against the Cinderella Hawks.
For more NHL news and notes check out my website at www.thesalpshot.com
Until next time,
Peace!
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The Hat Trick: 2010 Stanley Cup Final Edition
31, May 2010The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is not just a Clint Eastwood movie about an unlikely partnership, it is also a good way to breakdown the Chicago Blackhawks 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in game one of the Stanley Cup Final.
Since the NHL first went to best-of-seven in the Cup Final in 1939, teams winning both games one and two have won the Cup 41 of 45 times (91.1 percent). But not is all lost for the resilient Flyers as they can look to the Penguins last year, who were one of those four teams to come back from a 2-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.
With that in mind, in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick I will be looking at the Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo of each team as we move forward in this Stanley Cup Final.
Good
Chicago Blackhawks:
They did not get a point from captain Jonathan Toews for the first time in 13 games, so the good in that was they got scoring from pretty much everyone else.
Troy Brouwer (with two goals), Dave Bolland (shorthanded), Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, and Tomas Kopecky all chipped in with goals.
The Blackhawks have been celebrated all season for their depth at forward and have gotten goals from 14 different players in this postseason and six players have five or more goals.
If this continues in this series then it could be another quick series for the deep Blackhawks
The Blackhawks also dominated the face-off circle winning 63 percent of draws.
Philadelphia Flyers:
So they were not as perfect as Roy Halladay was on Saturday, but they do have some positives to build on heading into the pivotal game two.
The biggest positive would be scoring five goals against Anti Niemi.
The line of Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino combined for nine points and all seemed to find a high chink in Niemi’s armor.
The Flyers heard all about the Blackhawks scoring depth in the four days leading to the Cup Final, but they also have had 14 different scorers this postseason and have nine players who have four or more goals, and in game one showed they can score with the big boys.
The highly penalized Flyers also went without a penalty in a game for the first time since 2000.
Bad
Chicago Blackhawks:
As the Flyers had no penalties, the Blackhawks had four penalties.
The strong PK continued as the Hawks only gave up one power play goal, but the bad was the type of penalties that they took.
Chicago saw many borderline dangerous hits from their energy fourth liners, and if this trend continues, Coach Quenneville will be forced to play only his top three lines as the series goes on. This could put more strain on his top line players.
Philadelphia Flyers:
Chris Pronger played 32:21, 22:44 minutes played for Mike Richards, and 21:25 minutes played for the recently activated Jeff Carter.
These numbers should be troubling for the Philadelphia Flyers, for the same obvious reason why not playing the energy fourth line hurts the Hawks.
Even worse numbers for the Flyers’ top line of Richards, Carter, and Simon Gagne: they were a combined -7, and none of those goals came against the Blackhawks’ top line of Toews, Kane, and Byfuglien (who were a combined -9).
The Flyers feed off the emotions and energy of their top players and for them to upset the Blackhawks they will need their leaders to step up their play.
Ugly
Chicago Blackhawks:
Ugly is how to describe the type of win it was for the Blackhawks, but also the kind of play they will need to play in front of their own net to win game two.
The Flyers had most of their scoring chances in front of Niemi as the Blackhawks played a soft game in front of him.
The Blackhawks had 37 credited hits in the game, but 10 of them came from Byfuglien, with most coming in front of the Flyers net with Pronger, and only seven came from the Blackhawks backline.
In game two, the Flyers will continue to crash the nets and the Blackhawks defense, especially the top duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (only five hits and three shots blocked combined), will need to step up their physicality.
Philadelphia Flyers:
For the Flyers to win game two, they will need goalie Michael Leighton to forget his ugly game one performance.
The postseason leader in GAA and save percentage coming into the game showed signs of nervousness as he let five goals in only 20 shots and was pulled in the second period.
Peter Laviolette announced that he will be sticking with Leighton for game two and the 29-year-old will have the respond for the Flyers to have a chance in this series.
Some good news for Flyers fans is during the regular season; Leighton was 3-0-1 in games after being pulled as a Flyer.
Historically, since 2000, the goalies who allowed at least five goals in a Cup Final loss all bounced back to win the next game, except for current injured Flyer Ray Emery, who allowed five goals in the 2007 Cup clincher.
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The “Madhouse on Madison” was shaken to its foundations Saturday night by a crowd of over 22,000. Every seat was full and then some for the 100th straight game as Chicago continues to set the bar for game attendance figures around the league, and the roar of the crowd was deafening at times, and silent at others.
Throughout the 6 – 5 victory, each team had their share of big performers; and that’s not including the goaltenders who get an honorable mention, all 3 of them, for their willingness to stand in against such brutal punishment all night long.
Let’s take a look back then at the 3 stars of Saturday night’s, offensively explosive Game 1.
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Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals I really felt the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks would play a tight-checking brand of hockey that would see both teams score few goals.
Low and behold, the Blackhawks and Flyers scored 10 goals in the first two periods en route to a 6-5 game one victory for the Blackhawks.
A case of nerves and some bad goaltending from both the Flyers Michael Leighton—who was pulled for Brian Boucher with about four minutes to go in the third period—and the Blackhawks Antti Niemi (who let in his fair share of softies Saturday night) were the main causes for the influx of offense.
As bad as the goaltending was, both teams had to be disappointed in their star forwards as well. Flyers forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were kept off the scoreboard and were a combined minus four on the night while Blackhawk forwards Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfuglien were also kept off the scoreboard and were a combined minus-nine.
Simply put, as I predicted prior to the series, it appears as if this series will be decided by the role players, and not the stars as many expected.
Interestingly, the Chicago Blackhawks did not get an opportunity on the power play all night. It was the Flyers that were awarded four power play opportunities on the night, making good on just one of them.
Troy Brouwer had a great game for the Hawks, scoring twice adding an assist and playing a physical game to boot. Marian Hossa—who is making his third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals— had two assists playing alongside Brouwer.
That said, the hero on the night was Tomas Kopecky, a player that was not expected to dress for game one. Kopecky—who did not play a single game against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals—made the most of his 12:36 of playing time, scoring what will likely be the biggest goal of his career at 08:25 of the third period—which was the game one winner.
For the Flyers game one proved a couple of things. First, that they can play with the Hawks. Second, that despite his strong play throughout the playoffs, it may be time to pull the plug on Michael Leighton in favor of veteran goaltender Brian Boucher.
Leighton looked very shaky last night, getting caught of of position on several occasions and looking slow.
Boucher is a big part of the reason that the Flyers are in the position that they are, so there will be no shame in selecting him as the starter for game two.
One of the more anticipated matchups on the night was that of Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger and Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien. Pronger won the battle of the big men, keeping Byfuglien off the scoreboard by initiating contact and out-muscling Byfuglien in front of the net.
Make no mistake about it, this was a very close game that, with a little luck, could have gone the Flyers way. Both teams will have to do a better job defensively next game and a little goaltending wouldn’t hurt either!
Game two will be played Monday night in Chicago, the Flyers would be wise to bring their “A” game.
For more Stanley Cup coverage and NHL news check out my website at
Until next time,
Peace!
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Flyers’ goaltender Michael Leighton had a .948 playoff save percentage and a 1.45 postseason goals against average coming into the Stanley Cup Finals. He was even better in the Eastern Conference Finals, shutting out Montreal three times.
Blackhawks’ goaltender Antti Niemi had been equally impressive, posting a .921 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average in twice as many playoff games.
He had, in the last two rounds, successfully shut down two of the top-five scoring offenses in the NHL.
Both the Flyers and Blackhawks have All Star, Olympian defensemen, headlined by Philadelphia’s Chris Pronger and Chicago’s Norris Trophy Finalist Duncan Keith.
Everyone looked at these two teams and projected the Stanley Cup Finals to be a physical, grinding, defensive series.
And then Saturday night happened.
In what could best be described as hockey resembling a seventh-grader trying to get a bra off for the first time, two of the youngest teams in the NHL piled up stats all over the box score. Big numbers, too.
How about 64 total shots on goal, or 77 hits (10 from Dustin Byfuglien alone)? How about 11 goals, 10 in the first two periods? Five first period goals was the most in Game One of the Finals since 1982.
The only players not racking up big numbers were the two netminders. Niemi allowed five goals on 32 shots (.844 save percentage), while Leighton allowed five goals on just 20 shots (.750 save percentage).
Leighton didn’t make it out of the second period.
Brian Boucher’s numbers were better (one goal on 12 shots – .917 save percentage), but the one he allowed gave the decision to Chicago.
The story of the first game of this year’s Finals is really one of two games, however.
In the first two periods, the pace was at break-neck speed. Both teams were turning the puck over, sprinting up and down the ice, and scoring at will. Neither defense was effective, and the Blackhawks were taking dumb penalties.
The Flyers and Blackhawks exchanged 3-2 periods and the dust settled after two with over 22,300 fans and media looking for a cardiologist and the score tied 5-5.
The third period was a completely different story.
Almost immediately in the third, the Blackhawks were able to control the puck in the Flyers’ zone. After 26 shots in the first two periods, it took Philadelphia 12 minutes to get three in the third.
Meanwhile, in his first action since the Boston series, Boucher was desperately trying to keep the Flyers in the game.
At 8:25, the dam broke. Tomas Kopecky snuck the puck past Boucher’s leg into the back of the net, and the United Center exploded (again). The Blackhawks had a third period lead.
The fact that it was Kopecky perfectly capped a night that made almost zero sense.
Kopecky had two points in his first action in weeks. He entered the game averaging barely over 13 minutes per game in the postseason; he skated 16:45 on Saturday. Oh, and the goal was his fourth of the postseason; Marian Hossa has two.
Kopecky was skating in the place of injured Andrew Ladd on what is becoming a famous, or infamous, line for Chicago. Dave Bolland scored another short-handed goal in the first period, while Kris Versteeg matched Kopecky’s goal and assist on the night.
All this while, yet again, shutting down their opponents’ top line; Mike Richards, who was Bolland’s assignment du jour on Saturday night, had zero points and was minus-two in over 22 minutes of action. Bolland led all Blackhawks forwards with 20:25 on the ice in Game One.
After the Game, coach Joel Quenneville spoke favorably about both Kopecky and the Bolland line.
“I thought that line was very dangerous, very effective,” said Quenneville after the game. “I thought that line throughout the playoffs, with [Andrew Ladd] or now with [Kopecky] in there knows how to play defensively, but their production offensively seems to be timely.”
While Kopecky was playing for the first time since the Vancouver series, Troy Brouwer was the man who replaced him.
Brouwer has been dealing with a family issue since late in the regular season, and was held out of most of the Vancouver series after having no points and being minus-four against Nashville.
After bouncing back with a decent series against San Jose (one goal, one assist, plus-one), Brouwer had the best postseason game of his career and was the game’s No. 1 Star.
Playing with Hossa and Patrick Sharp, Brouwer had two goals, one assist and was plus-two for the night.
“I just wanted to be ready,” said Brouwer. “I wanted to have a good game and really get some confidence for the series.”
The turnaround in that third period held off a late push from the Flyers and the Hawks were able to maintain their one-goal advantage through the final horn. For both teams, Saturday night will be a learning experience.
“We weren’t putting the pucks in good areas, and were giving up pucks, and those guys over there are too skilled to do that,” said Versteeg. ”They’ll make you pay.”
While Keith realized winning Game One was a strong first step, he also acknowledges the series is far from over.
“It means a lot to win the first one,” said Keith. “But we realize it’s a long series.”
For Philadelphia, Saturday night probably created more questions than answers.
Leighton was pulled in the second and, despite his teammates claims after the game that it was a motivational move by the coaching staff, most of the Hawks goals were stoppable shots.
And while Boucher’s gross numbers look better, his sprained ankle could have prohibited him from extending to block Kopecky’s game-winner.
Do the Flyers have a goalie controversy brewing? Perhaps.
But a bigger issue for the Flyers is figuring out how to get their to line on the score sheet.
It was big for Philadelphia to get goals from Ville Leino, Arron Asham, Scott Hartnell, and Blair Betts (14 playoff goals now among the four of them), but they will need better play from their stars.
Richards, James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter we all minus-two, while Braydon Coburn and Simon Gagne were minus-three on the night. None of them contributed a point.
Danny Briere had four points to lead the Flyers, but they are now in the tough position of trying to answer the “why” and “how” questions.
On Saturday night, neither team played their best hockey. It was the Blackhawks, though, that skated away with a victory and the lead in the series.
“You lose a game, the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, it’s hard to thumb through the positives right now,” said Flyers coach Peter Laviolette. “We need to be better as a team.”
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2010 Stanley Cup Finals: Impressions From Game One
29, May 2010
The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals opened with a bang on Saturday night as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 6-5.
From the pre-game festivities to the final whistle, here are some of the things that stood out to me as I watched this game.
The Madhouse on Madison
Chicago has come a long way from being one of the laughingstocks of the NHL just five years ago.
Obviously, any team’s fans are going to be excited when their home arena is hosting a Stanley Cup Final. But I feel that Chicago’s fans are some of the most impressive fans I’ve witnessed in my eight years of watching hockey.
From cheering all the way through the national anthem to their taunting of Flyers goalie Michael Leighton, Hawks fans were in this game the whole way through. Even during the (brief) times when the Hawks were behind, they never gave up on their team.
One of my favorite parts was when NBC panned over the crowd and you could see fans jumping up and down and hugging in jubilation of every Blackhawks goal.
Furthermore, the Blackhawks jersey on the Michael Jordan figure outside of United Center and the Blackhawks helmet on a lion statue were quite the sights to behold.
That’s how you know hockey has really taken over Chicago.
If anyone new to hockey was watching this game, I don’t think they could ever tell that the Blackhawks used to have nearly empty buildings back in their dark years.
Defense Wins Championships?
The Flyers and the Blackhawks gave up 32 shots apiece tonight.
Brian Boucher replaced Michael Leighton after Troy Brouwer scored to put the Blackhawks up 5-4 at 15:18 of the second period.
Antti Niemi, who has been nothing short of spectacular in his first Stanley Cup playoffs, was also hung out to dry tonight; saving just 27 out of 32 shots.
For as much as goaltending helped both teams get to this point, it was far from a key to victory tonight.
What’s Next?
One of the things I love about hockey is the unpredictable nature of playoff games.
This game furthered my belief that I would much rather watch a close game than a blow out.
If the Hawks had won 6-1, that still would have been a great game. But for me, it is much more fun when the game is tied or a team has a one goal lead. In a close game, you are often left wondering who still has just enough left in the tank to pull through for their team.
Through the first two periods, the longest time between goals was 6:09. Patrick Sharp tied the game for the Hawks just 1:11 into the second period and Blair Betts responded at 7:20 to give the Flyers a 4-3 lead.
Even when Thomas Kopecky scored at 8:25 of the third period, the Flyers kept coming. There was still the possibility that they could shock the Blackhawks faithful by taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
This game showed that both of these teams have earned their spot in the Finals. No one is going to go away easy.
Letting the Boys Play
Hockey fans love to complain about officiating. No one likes to see the referees decide the outcomes of the games or watch their teams play a special teams extravaganza.
That didn’t happen tonight.
The officials only called four penalties, all on the Blackhawks. And with the exception of a shorthanded goal by Dave Bolland and a power play goal from Scott Hartnell, all of the goals were scored at even strength.
Sometimes it can be frustrating when the referees put their whistles away. But tonight, I can’t complain. The lack of penalties still brought an interesting game that kept everyone watching right until the final horn.
And to be honest, the decreased amount of whistles was the last thing I thought about as the game went on.
Overall
It will be interesting to see what will happen in game two. The Blackhawks are still very much the favorite, but the Flyers are playing very well for a seventh seed that everyone thought would fall to the Devils or the Bruins.
Based on my impressions from tonight, here is what I think it will take for each team to win game two.
Blackhawks
Feed off the crowd at the United Center.
Stay out of the box. Let the officials call four penalties on the Flyers.
Stronger play from Toews and Kane. Neither had points tonight and they were a combined minus-six.
Marian Hossa needs to do well in the Finals to make up for a weak postseason. He is on his way with two assists, but needs to continue such contributions.
Flyers
Hold the lead. The Flyers had three leads at different points, but could not hold one for more than two and a half minutes.
Continue playing disciplined.
Keep capitalizing on power play opportunities; no matter how limited they may be.
Tighter defense around Leighton. Don’t allow him to get pulled again.
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I have to say the result was unexpected, but it was one of the most entertaining games I have ever watched. The intensity, passion and quality of play was astounding. However, the Blackhawks have key areas where they excelled and where they could improve.
Chicago Blackhawks
Excellent
1. Speed of play
The whole game the Blackhawks were quicker then the Flyers. Their attacks were based on quick counters and using superior speed to craft brilliant one-timers. They didn’t even need the big guy in front of the goalie, as they were constantly winning the face-offs and 50/50 balls.
2. Shot Efficiency
When the Blackhawks got a clean shot at the goalie, they made it count. Truly amazing shots were made on Saturday, from basically on the goal line extended to right over the goalie’s shoulder. This fantastic shooting helped overcome the Flyer’s stifling defense, and in the end, gave the Blackhawks the win.
Need Improvement
1. Penalties
Fact: The Blackhawks gave up four power plays while the Flyers gave up none. Regardless of the equity of officiating, it is still not an advantage you want to give the other team. Most of these penalties came from the lazy defense.
2. Lazy defense
There were so many lazy plays. Time and time again, the Blackhawks failed to clear the puck. It not only resulted in penalties, but also shots that were nearly impossible to save, and ultimately, goals. Although the intensity is good and the confidence to outscore anyone is present, the Blackhawks need to step up the coverage and clearances to guarantee the cup.
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Montreal Canadiens blogger post-mortem
28, May 2010Paul J. Bereswill – AP
“I will make *this* much money next year!” (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)
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2010 Stanley Cup Finals Breakdown
25, May 2010So we have our 2010 Stanley Cup Finals matchup as the second seed of the Western Conference Chicago Blackhawks face off against the surprising seventh seed of the Eastern Conference Philadelphia Flyers. Regardless of the winner, a long Cup draught will end as Philadelphia has not won since the Broad Street Bullies days of 1975 and Chicago has not won since 1961 with Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall. Let’s first break down how these teams got here and take a look at the offense, defense and goaltending of the two teams that will fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Chicago Blackhawks
How They Got Here
The second seeded Blackhawks shook off an early scare by the seventh seeded Predators, who actually held a 2-1 series lead, to defeat Nashville in six games. The crowning moment of that series for the Hawks was in the pivotal Game 5 when Patrick Kane tied the game with 13.6 seconds left with Marian Hossa in the box for a 5:00 major. The Blackhawks would kill of the rest of the penalty in OT, and Hossa scored the overtime-game winner, killing the Predators spirit and taking over the series. Toews led the team in points (8) and Kane led the team in goals (4) in the opening series.
In the Conference Semifinals, the Blackhawks faced a familiar opponent as they matched up against the third seeded Vancouver Canucks for the second consecutive season, and this one had similar results.
Again the Blackhawks started the series slowly losing Game 1 and were down 2-0 in Game 2, but stormed back with three third period goals to win that game. The Hawks went on to win the next two games on the road, which became a theme for this team, by a combined score of 12-6. Game 5 resulted in a home loss but again they took the series in 6 games by winning their third road game of the series. Once again Toews led the team in points in the series (12) and was tied in goals in the series by Dustin Byfuglien (4).
The Western Conference Finals was not as big of a challenge as expected for the Hawks as they played the top seeded San Jose Sharks. They outscored the Sharks 13-7 in a four game sweep that saw the emergence of rookie goalie Antti Niemi, who faced 136 shots in the four games, with a .949 save percentage. Byfuglien also had a coming out party as he scored three go-ahead-goals in the series including an OT game winner in Game 3. Once again Toews led the team in points (6) and Byfuglien led in goals (4) this series.
Offense
What can you say about Jonathan Toews this postseason? The 22-year-old already has half of his name etched on the Conn Smyth trophy as he leads the league in points through three rounds with 26 in 16 games played. The Blackhawks captain has come up huge in big spots with three game winning goals and has been a special team’s wiz as he leads the league in both power play points (13) and goals (5). Top linemate Patrick Kane is second on the team with 20 points and rounding out the top unit is the budding superstar Byfuglien, who has a team high 8 goals.
The wildcard on offense is the player that has been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams. Marian Hossa was brought in this offseason as the missing piece to this talented team, secondary scoring to go with the top-notch scorers Kane and Toews. So far this postseason the 31-year-old winger has only two goals and 11 points. He had a disappointing three points in the seven game finals series last season, and will look to make that and his current playoff performance a memory. Hossa did have three goals and seven points in six games in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals with the Penguins.
Lastly, on forward you have to make mention of the play of Dave Bolland. The guy they call the “Rat” has played a great two way game as he was in charge of shutting down the Sedin’s and the big three of the Sharks. The 6’0’’ center has also chipped in offensively five goals and five assists including the great pass to set up Byfuglien GW goal in Game 3.
Defense
The top unit of 26-year-old Norris Trophy finalist Duncan Keith and 25-year-old Brent Seabrook have been nothing but spectacular for this team. They have been playing big time minutes as their 827:03 minutes combined have allowed Coach Quenneville to run mostly five defenseman most of the playoffs. Combined the duo has 19 points, +8 and have 71 shots.
Those two combined with veteran Brent Sopel and surprising Niklas Hjalmarsson have created a penalty kill juggernaut that has killed off 86.6% of the penalties, good for 2nd in the league. The 22-year-old Hjalmarsson is third on the defensive unit in time on ice per game (21:12) and is an impressive +6 this postseason. His emergence as a steady defenseman has allowed Coach Quenneville to rotate the Swedish defenseman with both Sopel and former all-star Brian Campbell.
Speaking of the 30-year-old high paid defensemen, Campbell returned from a broken collarbone after a 17 game absence in Game 4 of the Predators series, and has not made an impact on the scoreboard with only three points in those 13 games. “Soup” has played smart defense shown in his +6 rating, but that mostly has to do more with the offense than his defense. For the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup they will need their 3-time NHL All-Star to stabilize this young but talented defensive core.
Goalie
Antti Niemi did not play the majority of games in the regular season but this first year player has played admirable as the top postseason net minder. The 26-year-old, too old to be considered a rookie, has a 2.33 GAA, .921 and 2 shutouts in 16 playoff games. The Finnish goalie earned his postseason strips in the Western Conference Finals that saw him save 129 of the 136 shots faced in that series. Including two 40 save performances, he has not faced more than 38 in the regular season proving he could steal a game. The $5 million backup is Cristobal Huet who played 48 regular season games but most likely will continue his role of door holder for the finals.
Philadelphia Flyers
How They Got Here
The seventh seeded Flyers faced off against their division rivals the New Jersey Devils, a team they won five of six against in the regular season, and took an early split on the road in the series. Tough guy Daniel Carcillo gave the Flyers the series lead with an OT game-winning goal that gave the Flyers an edge they never gave back.
The Flyers outscored the Devils 7-1 in the last two games of the series as Brian Boucher had a minuscule 1.59 GAA and .940 save percentage total in the series. Mike Richards led the team in points (8) and playoff performer Claude Giroux led the team in goals (4). The biggest news was the injuries to Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere as the team closed out the series.
The next round against the fifth seeded Boston Bruins will be a series that will be talked about forever. The banged up Flyers playing without three regulars quickly went down 3-0, and their playoff lives seemed all but over considering only 1.2% of the 161 clubs have come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Game 4 would go into OT when Mark Recchi scored with 28 seconds left and Simon Gagne, in his first game back from injury, would be the OT hero extending the series back to Boston. Brian Boucher would leave in Game 5 with an injury in a 1-0 game. Michael Leighton, activated right before the game after being off for 3 months, came in to combine for a shutout. The Flyers played a perfect Game 6 at home as they would send this series to an improbable Game 7.
The Bruins at home were determined not to become the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead, and came out strong with the games first three goals. Peter Laviolette would call a timeout to fire up his team and they responded getting a James Van Riemsdyk goal before the end of the period to make it 3-1 at the end of one.
The second period, which has belonged to the Flyers all postseason, saw goals from Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere to tie the game at three. The Bruins would be called for the trendy penalty of the postseason, too many men on the ice, and the series hero Simon Gagne put home the game winning goal capping the historic comeback. Briere led the team in points in this series (10) and goals (5).
The Eastern Conference Finals was another historic matchup as it was the lowest possible matchup you could have as the seventh seeded Flyers had home ice against the eighth seeded Cinderella Montreal Canadiens. Flying high off their comeback the Flyers stormed out of the series scoring the first nine goals in two straight shutout victories by Michael Leighton. The Canadiens woke up and had a dominant Game 3 5-1 victory. The Flyers then played a perfect road game limiting the Canadiens to only one second period shot in another 3-0 shutout victory for Michael Leighton.
The Flyers clinched their berth in the Stanley Cup Finals by winning on home ice as captain Mike Richards had an amazing shorthanded goal and Jeff Carter, who returned from a broken leg in Game 4, scored the game winning goal and added an empty netter. Claude Giroux led the team in points (6) and was tied in goals with Simon Gagne (3).
Offense
The Flyers are getting healthy at the right time as the addition of both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere give Peter Laviolette four lines he can roll with in any situation. The newly created top line of Mike Richards (team high 21 points), Simon Gagne, and regularly a center Jeff Carter on the wing, has shown some instant chemistry.
The second line of Danny Briere, team high nine goals, at his natural position of center with hard nose winger Scott Hartnell and surprising first year player Ville Leino carried the Flyers for a big stretch shown in Briere’s team high four game winning goals. The 26-year-old Finnish winger was inserted in the lineup when Carter and Gagne were injured and has not given up his roster spot as he has 12 points in 11 games, more than his 11 points in 55 regular season games with the Flyers and Red Wings.
But it has been the play of third line center Claude Giroux that has the Flyers where they are today. The 22-year-old former first round pick is second in the team in goals (8) and third in points (17) but it is his two way play that has been even more impressive as he is second in the league with a +10. The second year player has to continue his dominant playoff performances (22 career playoff points in 23 games) for the Flyers to have success in the Cup Finals.
Defense
The Flyers acquired Chris Pronger for this time of year, and he has done nothing but live up to expectations. The 35-year-old is tied for the league in points for a defenseman (14), second in goals (4) and power play goals (3), third in the league in block shots (51) and has played a league high 28:48 per game.
Right behind Pronger in minutes played is underrated defensemen Kimmo Timonen, who has averaged 26:35 per game. The 35-year-old Finnish defender has one of the most active sticks in the league with 42 blocked shots and is a +6. Having the option of having either Pronger or Timonen out there has given the Flyers an added edge this postseason against top scorers and will have to continue that way when matched up against the high scoring Blackhawks.
What has also helped the Flyers is the emergence of young defenders Matt Carle and Bryadon Coburn. The duel 25-year-old defensemen both had inconsistent regular seasons but both have had tremendous playoffs giving the Flyers arguably the best top four defenders in the playoffs. The 6’0” Carle is fifth in the league in plus minus (+8), has 10 assists and has blocked 42 shots. While the 6’5’’ Coburn has been playing a physical game with 36 hits, 27 blocked shots and is ninth in the league for defensemen with a plus minus (+7)
Goalie
The Flyers had a revolving door in net this season, we saw seven different goalies dress in the orange and black, and five different players mind the crease. All that shuffling put the Flyers 15th in the league in GAA (2.71) as it went from Ray Emery to Brian Boucher to Michael Leighton back to Emery back to Leighton and then finally back to Boucher for the end of the regular season. Boucher had a spectacular start to the postseason as mentioned before but it wouldn’t be the Flyers goalie situation unless an injury occurred but Michael Leighton has answered the call.
The waiver wire pick up from the Carolina Hurricanes is 6-1 this postseason and leads the league in GAA (1.45), save percentage (.948) and shutouts (3). Those numbers are not bad for a 29-year-old journeyman who has played for nine different teams between the NHL and AHL, and whose season high of games was back in 2003-04 for the Chicago Blackhawks (34). Yes, Leighton is a former sixth round pick of the Blackhawks, so you know he will have extra motivation in this series.
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The youngest captain in the league, Jonathan Toews, showed the San Jose Sharks leadership their team lacked by performing at his best in virtually every game this postseason. He has scored a point in 13 straight games after getting an assist Sunday afternoon.
It did not have to be like this. The Sharks out-performed the Blackhawks in most statistics, but were out-scored 13-7.
There is a pattern of the Sharks being out-played in net, but only a simpleton blames Evgeni Nabokov. They never had more than two goals in a game against Chicago, something that happened in nine of their 15 playoff games in which they scored an average of just 2.73 goals.
The fact that they won two of those nine games and won every time they scored three or more says everything that needs to be said about what this team lacked. Why they cannot score is another matter .
It looked like they were going to overcome that problem early in Game Four. Just past the mid-point of the first period, Douglas Murray kept the puck in, and Devin Setoguchi fired it toward the net. It bounced off Duncan Keith to Logan Couture, who put a quick shot past Niemi.
They were not done. On a penalty kill less than eight minutes into the second, Joe Pavelski advanced the puck and dropped it off to Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who was pinching up on the play. Vlasic slid the puck over to Patrick Marleau who put it home.
And there it was: Two goals in 28 minutes on 10 shots. The Antti Niemi equation was finally solved, and the Sharks had their first two-goal lead of the series.
Less than six minutes later, a Nabokov save of a Brent Seabrook shot was overturned on video review, and it all started to unravel. With less than two minutes to go in the epriod, Keith chipped the puck deep, Ben Eager kept it alive, and Dave Bolland shot it off Kent Huskins (the sixth of 41 goals in this playoffs to go off a Sharks defenceman) to tie the score.
Finally in the third period, with seconds to go on the Sharks’ fifth penalty, Dustin Byfuglien put home a Patrick Kane centering feed for his third game-winning goal in the four-game series. Kris Versteeg added an empty-netter in the final minute to give them a 4-2 win.
Now Sharks fans are once again left to wonder what will come in this offseason, when 14 Sharks players with NHL experience will have their contracts expire. But that is a discussion for another day.
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Montreal 2 Philadelphia 4 (Wachovia Centre) Flyers win the series 4-1.
“Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still I can’t let you go, it’s unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you.”
There are many different types of reactions to what happened tonight. There were tears, a good deal of anger, and disbelief.
Some fans quickly moved into problem-solving mode, speculating about possible offseason changes. Others preferred to savor a successful season.
I’m not ready to go there yet. I feel empty.
My good friend Veronica said it best. “I’m old enough (and deluded enough?) to still think that only the Cup is acceptable, every year. Still, I am proud of the Habs.”
Within a few days, we will start looking back at the season, and the just-completed playoff run. You know that All Habs will be here as we discuss potential personnel moves, the amateur draft, and free agency.
What about the players?
“I think in a few days’ time, when this all soaks in, we’ll be able to realize some of the steps that we made and the progress that we made as an organization,” said Josh Gorges. “Right now, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All we’re thinking about is the loss.”
I agree with Josh. My mind is on tonight’s result. So, for now, as we have done, for the preseason, 82 regular season games, and 19 playoff games, we’ll review the happenings on the ice. There’s plenty of time for the rest in the days to come.
The prescription for Game Five for the Habs was to score first and score early. A soft goal only 59 seconds by Brian Gionta filled the bill. It quieted the crowd, put another hole in the Leighton-for-MVP campaign, and restored confidence for the Canadiens. The team scoring first had won every game in this series.
Two minutes later, Scott Gomez delivered a solid hit to Kimmo Timonen knocking him to the ice. Timonen was not amused and took a roughing penalty when he retaliated.
The Canadiens power-play had been their Achilles heel in the Eastern conference final, and provided the turning point of the game. Not only did the Habs fail to score with the man advantage, they gave up a demoralizing short-handed goal.
Let’s take a closer look at the power-play.
Tomas Plekanec won the face-off, but Marc-Andre Bergeron failed to keep the puck in. The Canadiens retrieved the puck and dumped it into the Flyers zone. Braydon Coburn cleared it past Bergeron and out of his end.
Bergeron retrieved and slapped the puck back into the zone. Hamrlik set up Bergeron for a one-timer but it was blocked by Coburn. Chris Pronger ringed it around the boards.
Bergeron tried to keep it in but was knocked to the ice by Mike Richards.
Claude Giroux picked up the puck and set up Richards for a scoring chance. After a Jaroslav Halak save, Bergeron carried the puck and dumped it in. Glen Metropolit lost a puck battle to Giroux who cleared it down the ice with Bergeron caught at the blueline.
Richards and Roman Hamrlik raced for the puck. They were met at the circle by Halak, who collided with Hamrlik. Halak lost his stick and the puck. Richards backhanded it in the empty goal.
The Flyers short-handed goal resulted from an an obvious puckhandling blunder by Halak. But, the descriptive analysis reveals that there were a handful of errors leading up to it. It was Flyers’ men versus a boy. Bergeron is simply not an NHL-caliber defensemen, offensively or defensively.
Late in the third period, the Canadiens had a chance to tie the game with a four minute, man advantage, but couldn’t mount any attack with only one shot on goal. Glen Metropolit ended the advantage early by taking a tripping penalty.
If looking for a single culprit for the loss, it is the power-play that was 0-for-6 tonight, and 1-for-22, in the series. (The single goal was meaningless and scored at the end of Game Three with a 5-on-3 advantage.)
The Canadiens have struggled all season to score 5-on-5 and relied on one of the best power-plays in the league. With it floundering against Philadelphia, the Habs could not compete. Credit should also be given to Fortress Flyers (borrowing a page from Montreal) who prevented the Canadiens from exploiting Philly’s goaltending deficiencies.
Montreal spent far too much of their time in the defensive zone and had trouble generating scoring chances on transition.
Some will be quick to knock Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Scott Gomez. Plekanec has shut down opposition top forwards and is the key to Canadiens’ penalty killing. Kostitsyn has a hard time getting in a groove when the coach is playing yo-yo with his line assignment and ice-time.
Gomez played well tonight making the game close with a goal in the third period. Gomez and Gionta each had a goal and an assist. Gionta led the team with seven shots on goal. Hal Gill was the star on defense with eight blocked shots.
While Halak could only be faulted on Philadelphia’s first goal, his save percentage in the game was .880 which is close to his series’ statistic. That’s not close to his performance earlier in the playoffs or what was required for the Canadiens to advance.
It should also be mentioned that the Habs just didn’t have the proper personnel in the line-up or in the right spots. Mathieu Darche wasn’t up to the pace or the challenge of playing on the first line.
The loss brought an abrupt end to a playoff run that was tantalizingly close to the Habs competing for the Stanley Cup. The only disappointment is that it has taken 17 years to get back here. In a 30 team league, with salary cap constraints, one wonders when the Canadiens will get their next chance.
“This hurts,” defenceman Josh Gorges said as he fought back tears. “To work this hard to get to where we are and then to come up short is tough to swallow because we know how close we were to where we were going.
Again, Josh is right. This hurts.
But Canadiens fans can be proud of their team who did not give up right to the end.
“We played hard for each other, we played hard for the organization, we played hard for the fans back in Montreal. There was no quit in us,” Gorges said.
Rocket’s three stars
1. Mike Richards
2. Arron Asham
3. Jeff Carter
Special mention: Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Hal Gill
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
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Only a minute into the game, it looked like the Habs were ready to fight for their lives as they scored their first goal. But it didn’t take them long to fight a little too hard.
The Canadiens’ Jaroslav Halak was a bit too aggressive when trying to keep the Flyers from scoring soon after the Habs’ goal. Mike Richards broke away from Halak’s defense and put himself in a one on one situation with Halak. As Halak came out from the net to meet the Flyers captain, one of his defensemen flew in to help.
It was obvious that both Habs players were focused on the puck as they collided and Richards flew past them. The open net opportunity was too good a chance for the Flyers and they tied the game less than five minutes in.
The whole first period had a desperate overtone to it from both teams and there were multiple penalties.
It was nearly a tennis match on ice with both ends of the rink being used extensively and the puck not staying on one side for more than a minute or two.
When the puck was on the Flyers side, it looked like there were five goalies in the net. The players surrounded Leighton and worked overly hard to make sure the puck did not get through to where the goalie could touch it. The Canadiens found a few openings in the man made wall, but no shot ever hit its mark.
The beginning of the second period was physical and started with a goal by Asham to take the lead for the Flyers. The Flyers scored again only 4:30 into the second with a nice pass from behind the net. The Canadiens seemed to lose a little fire with two goals against them so close together and the Flyers took command.
Their dominance of the second was intensified when they gained a two-man advantage with 3:30 left in the period. The Flyers made shot after shot on goal until the two-man advantage was over (but a power play was still in effect) but they never scored. Once the Canadiens gained another player, the Flyers weren’t as dominate but still played like they owned the puck.
The Canadiens came out with a vengeance in the third period. It looked like their spirit had come back after a pep talk in the locker room during intermission. They played more physical and tried to steal the puck whenever they had a chance. The Flyers counteracted every move the Habs attempted to make and protected their net with multiple men.
The Canadiens’ Scott Gomez snuck through and scored a goal with 13:07 left in the period much to the chagrin of the Flyer fans. Both teams seemed to be fired up by the goal with the Flyers playing more defensively and the Canadiens keeping the puck down on the orange side of the ice.
The Flyers’ Pronger accidentally hit P.K. Subban eleven minutes into the period and earned a four-minute penalty when it was found Subban was bleeding. The Flyers penalty killers did their job by keeping the four-minute power play goalless while also sending a Canadien player to the penalty box for tripping.
The game ended with a score of 4-2 in favor of the Flyers with a last minute empty net goal. But Canadien players and fans have to be wondering what would have happened if the Flyers wouldn’t have scored during the accidental open net early in the first.
The Flyers are making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals since 1997 and will be meeting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday away from home. And for all you wondering, Flyers captain Mike Richards did pick up the trophy. The question now is, did he just jinx his team or did Crosby break the jinx forever when he picked it up last year?
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Tons of people in the hockey world thought they could do it.
Vince Vaughn believed in them.
Hell, even the EA Sports game NHL 10 predicted it.
The Chicago Blackhawks are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals, and boy, did they earn it.
With Sunday’s stunning four-game sweep the San Jose Sharks, the Hawks move one step closer to bringing the Cup back to Chicago. It’s been a long time, and the fans deserve it.
Heading into the Western Conference best-of-seven series final, many believed that this was the year of the Shark. Chicago was great so far, sure, but the Sharks would just be too tough for them. The Hawks definitely quieted their critics on Sunday.
Determination.
That was what fueled the come-from-behind 4-2 victory in Chicago, as the Hawks were down 2-0 in Game Four, and fought back to win. They fought off penalties, they blocked shots, and protected their man in the crease, only allowing San Jose to get 18 shots on net.
Led by captain Jonathan Toews, who extended his point streak to 13 games, the Blackhawks played a calm game, only taking two penalties. Eight guys added at least a point to their stats and the Hawks played a solid game.
Late in the third with the game tied at two, the ever-so-clutch forward Dustin Byfuglien swooped in to score the game- and series-winner. Bringing his total of game winning goals to four, Byfuglien has emerged as the late-game savior of this team, and he’s loving every minute of it.
The Hawks team has certainly earned their spot in the Cup Finals, and are without a doubt the favorites against either team from the Eastern Conference (Philadelphia or Montreal). They have played well throughout all of the playoffs, and pulling off the sweep against the No. 1 team in the West will give the Blackhawks huge momentum going into the final round.
They’re young, they’re talented, and they have depth.
San Jose couldn’t keep up with Chicago’s full lines of talent, and guys who were pretty much nobodies a little while ago are now scoring huge goals in the playoffs—t hese guys have what it takes.
When the Cup Finals start, look for the scorers to keep scoring, the stopper to keep stopping, and the best in the west to keep winning.
The the Blackhawks are going all the way, and not just in the video game world.
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Wow, was that the Habs from the playoffs or from the regular season?
While I know that yesterday’s Game Four 3-0 loss by the Habs was a playoff game, it sure looked like the Jekyll and Hyde team that I remember from the regular season.
As has been the case all series long, the Habs came out of the gate determined to win. Their speed was engaged, they were forechecking and taking the play to the Flyers. The problem, for the Habs, is that they didn’t score during the first ten minutes.
Marc-Andre Bergeron took a holding penalty at around the mid-point of the first. While the Flyers didn’t score during the power play, they grabbed the momentum.
From that point out, it was Philly’s game as they outshot the Habs 13-1 in the second period and 25-17 overall.
As the Flyers took the lead, the Canadiens became a panicked bunch: rushing passes, going to low percentage shots, and struggling to get the puck into the Flyers’ zone.
While Michael Leighton earned another shutout, he was not tested very much except for early in the first period.
The Flyers got two goals from Claude Giroux—one into an empty net—and one from Ville Leino.
Final score: Flyers 3-Habs 0. The Flyers lead the series 3-1 going into Game Five.
Game Notes
1. A tale of two goalies
Once again, Michael Leighton earned a shutout—his third of this series—and Jaroslav Halak got no offensive support from his team.
While Leighton made some good saves early in the first period, he wasn’t really tested. As much as the Habs drove hard to the net in Game Three, they completely avoided the dirty areas yesterday and were rewarded with no goals.
As for Halak, he did what he had to do, stopping all but two shots by the Flyers. The problem, once again, was that his team did not score in front of him.
This is something we have seen far too often this season and the Habs have to try and correct it going into Game Five.
2. In a game of inches, two mistakes was all it took.
Yesterday’s Game Four was the most tightly contested match between these two teams so far.
Every inch of the ice was under dispute and, until the Flyers opened the scoring, it was an outstanding chess match.
Ultimately, two mistakes did the Habs in and changed the complexion of the game.
The first was a terrible neutral ice giveaway by Maxim Lapierre that led to the first Claude Giroux goal. There was some bad luck on the play too, as Josh Gorges skate strap had come undone and he was unable to skate properly as a result.
The second was an offensive blueline turnover by P.K. Subban leading to a Leino breakaway and a 2-0 score.
From there, the Flyers hermetic defense kept the Habs to the outside and shut the door to earn the win.
3. Speaking of P.K.—that was his worst game yet.
He’s a kid—young and exuberant but with a lot to learn. While Subban has shown periods of sheer brilliance, we all know that he will make mistakes given that he is a rookie.
Well, last night, was unfortunately one of his worst games in the NHL so far. P.K. made mistake after mistake including poor decisions with the puck, and ultimately caused a turnover leading to the second Flyers’ goal.
As Subban skated to the Flyers’ blueline he failed to dump the puck in and opted to try for a deke instead. The result was a turnover that Chris Pronger fired down to Leino for the breakaway.
That second goal really was the final nail in the Habs’ coffin, as the whole team seemed to slump after it.
4. Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta are great, but…
The Habs can’t score.
It’s been their problem all year long and their success so far this playoff season has been on the backs of Cammalleri and Gionta’s scoring prowess.
Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Scott Gomez have now gone a combine 42 games without a goal between them.
That is simply not good enough.
While they do other good things on the ice, three out of their top-six players aren’t scoring. Throw Benoit Pouliot’s scoring droughts into the mix, and you only have two out of your top-six forwards who are scoring.
With stats like that, it is a wonder that the Habs have gotten as far as they have.
5. Philly ain’t no Caps or Pens
You’ve got to give credit to the Flyers. They simply have a crushing amount of depth up front and the most solid top-four defensemen the Habs have faced so far in the playoffs.
Couple that with a coach—Peter Laviolette—who is outstanding at making in-game and post-game adjustments, and you have what looks like a team that is destined for the cup finals.
Not to mention that with the additions of Ian Laperriere and Jeff Carter last night, they are getting healthy at exactly the right time.
Their own potential problem is the problem they have had for a decade, and that is suspect goaltending.
The Habs exposed Leighton in Game Three by going to the net, putting traffic in front of him, and generally making his life difficult. While the Habs have only done so in one out of four games, the Chicago Blackhawks—if they meet the Flyers in the final—will not return that favor.
Look Out Ahead!
How can you predict what we will see in Game Five on Monday from a team that is largely unpredictable?
You can’t.
The way the Canadiens have played, I would not be surprised to see them put in their best effort of the season and pull out the win, forcing a Game Six in Montreal.
If the Habs can do that, anything can happen.
With the veteran leadership on this team, I can’t see them throwing in the towel and I think, like all of the game so far, that whoever scores the first goal will win the game.
Next Game
The teams now fly back to Philadelphia for Game Five on Monday night. The Flyers hope to close out the series and, not wanting to come back to Montreal for a Game Six, are sure to bring their best effort yet.
What kind of game will the Canadiens bring? Can they force a Game Six? Do they have anything left in the tank?
In a little more than a day, we will find out.
NOTE : The Habs are currently 5-0 in elimination games. Let’s see if they can keep the streak going on Monday!
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With their backs against the wall one more time, the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals and now lead the series 3-1. The Flyers are one game away from punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
It is the third time in the playoffs the Canadiens are on the edge of elimination. In round one against the Washington Capitals the Habs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. In the second round, they won two games in a row to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins after being down 3-2.
Claude Giroux scored the first goal for the visiting team 5:04 into the second period after a great individual play. Ville Leino stretched the lead almost ten minutes later in a breakaway after a perfect feed from Chris Pronger.
Giroux got his second of the game in the final minute of regulation with an empty net.
Game five of the series will be played Monday night at the Wachovia Center, in Philadelphia.
Now, here is the game’s script:
The Main Characters:
The Hero: Claude Giroux
He was there in the perfect moment, always in position to create a scoring chance, always pushing the Flyers offense toward Jaroslav Halak’s net.
He finished the night with two goals, including an empty netter, and a faceoff win percentage of 69.
Almost six minutes into the second period Giroux sped up toward Halak and beat him top shelf after a great deke. Later, with almost a minute left in regulation, the Quebec native outskated Jaroslav Spacek to score into an open net. The coup de grace by the Flyers.
The Villain: The Montreal Canadiens
You could look through the stats sheet or watch the game again searching for a moment or a player to point out for the loss, and probably won’t find it. Truth is the Canadiens lost as a team.
Subban had a rough night, Halak wasn’t superhuman, Cammalleri only had one shot on goal and Plekanec, Kostitsyn, and Gomez are still missing in action. Nobody stepped up to the challenge and suddenly the frustration flooded the Bell Centre.
The Habs were outshot 25-17, not that there’s anything wrong with that. In the past they have managed to pull a win by attacking less than their opponent—but to shoot only once in the second period, that’s a whole different story.
The Sidekick: Kimmo Timonen
The defenseman had a great game on both sides of the rink. He blocked four shots and dismantled numerous attacks by the Canadiens.
Timonen played smart, taking the first step in many occasions to break Montreal’s game and showing physical presence in front of his own net. He also collected an assist in Philly’s first goal by quickly setting Giroux’s play for the 1-0.
The Extra: Tomas Plekanec
Montreal’s best player in the regular season hasn’t scored since game six of the first round against the Capitals. That’s 12 games shooting blanks.
Plekanec needs to step up in order for the Canadiens to fight back in the series. He doesn’t take advantage of having Michael Cammalleri on his side. Everybody seems to be working on their own in the first line and that is having and impact in Andrei Kostitsyn, who is also in a slump.
Key moment in the plot: Giroux’s first goal
It has been the story so far in the series. The team that scores first wins the game.
In game four it was Philadelphia who hit first. Claude Giroux flew toward the net and fooled Halak with a perfect deke. The winger took advantage of a problem Josh Gorges had with his skates.
The Flyers broke the zero in the scoreboard and the spirit of the Canadiens for the rest of the game.
Game Notes:
As reported on Twitter by Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette , the Canadiens had never been shut out three times in a playoffs series.
Montreal’s powerplay is 1-16 so far in this series.
The Canadiens played their 100th game of the season.
Michael Leighton is the first goalie to earn three shutouts in a playoffs series for the Flyers.
The Quotes:
Peter Laviolette: “We didn’t allow a lot of opportunities. The neutral zone was really tight, which eliminates rush opportunities.”
Jacques Martin: “I think we’ll have to regroup. We know how we have to play and I think we have certain areas of our game that needs to be better.”
Ville Leino: “We were making smart plays and it gave us some good chances.”
Brian Gionta: “We just got impatient. Since the second period, we were trying to make too many plays at the blue line and against this team, they are going to step up.”
All quotations from NHL.com game recap.
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Montreal 0 Philadelphia 3 (Bell Centre) Flyers lead the series 3-1.
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald
Peter Laviolette is a smart coach. On the off day on Friday, Laviolette tasked his players to pass along organizational messages to the media. Philadelphia complained about being shortchanged by the officiating in Game Three, particularly Josh Gorges’s elbow to the mouth of Claude Giroux.
Whether or not the coach’s strategy was effective is open to conjecture, but the Canadiens did not receive a power-play opportunity until the third period.
Canadiens were also on the defensive for so-called poor sportsmanship as Mike Richards whined about the Habs’ first power-play unit being on the ice at the end of the game.
But in addition to the communication offensive, Laviolette broke down film identifying several areas for improvement.
Your Montreal Canadiens had a good start to this game and even had the upper hand on the Flyers, for about 10 minutes this afternoon. Shots were 5-to-2, with the Habs attacking with speed. The Bell Centre crowd was loud but seemed on edge.
Marc-Andre Bergeron took a penalty for holding and the tide seemed to turn. It wasn’t because the Flyers scored, because they didn’t. It was just one of those penalties where the Habs looked outmatched.
Slowly, Philadelphia started to take over the period like an angler reeling in his catch. Specifically, the Flyers began to choke off the neutral zone.
The first period ended with scoring chances at 2-2. In the intermission, Laviolette tweaked his gameplan and his team tightened the noose further. By controlling the space between the blue lines, Laviolette knew it would eliminate Canadiens’ transition scoring chances.
Jacques Martin had no response. The Habs were unable to mount any attack and ended the second period with one shot, a weak one by Max Lapierre.
“We were pretty tight defensively,” Laviolette said. “We didn’t allow a lot of opportunities. The neutral zone was really tight, which eliminates rush opportunities.”
For their part the Flyers scored two opportunistic goals taking advantage of mistakes by the Canadiens, namely giveaways by Lapierre and P.K. Subban. Straps on the Kevlar skate guards were also partly to blame as a loose one impeded Gorges’ inability to make a play.
Scoring first in the playoffs has been crucial for Montreal throughout the playoffs, giving them a 8-2 record. When trailing first they have only managed one victory in eight games.
Following this pattern, the Canadiens managed only nine shots in the third period but none dangerous. While Michael Leighton was credited with the shutout, there was little for him to do. For most of the game he could have lounged in a hammock texting with his parents, who were on hand as part of the 21,273 Bell Centre crowd.
While the Habs had three power-plays in the final frame they could only manage one shot on goal for the first two opportunities. They are now 1-for-16 with the man advantage in the past four games.
For the most part, referees Stephen Walkom and Kelly Sutherland were inclined to let the teams play. It was a disadvantage for the Canadiens, who were slowed by Flyers’ interference. More serious infractions also went uncalled, such as James Van Riemsdyk with a stick to the face of Brian Gionta, Chris Pronger boarding Scott Gomez, and Mike Richards’s blind side head shot to Hal Gill.
Philadelphia played the left-wing lock to perfection. As a result, the Flyers were able to dictate play for the majority of the game.
As Gomez said, “You gotta give them credit. We couldn’t get the flow going.”
About 53 minutes into the game, the Canadiens had not reached 10 shots on goal. When Lapierre leads the team in shots, the Habs aren’t going to win many games. Mike Cammalleri was the worst of the top six forwards. Despite playing 24 minutes, he only managed one shot and had a minus-2 rating.
Canadiens’ centers were abysmal at the faceoff dot. Gomez, Plekanec and Moore ended the day at 27, 26, and 25 percent, respectively.
Philadelphia blogs and discussion boards have already moved on to discuss a Stanley Cup final against Chicago. The Canadiens must focus on winning a single game.
The Habs have not scored in 9-of-12 periods in the series. On Monday, they must score first, preferably before the game is ten minutes old. They must use speed to beat the Flyers’ defense and dictate play. The Canadiens are 5-0 in elimination games this playoff season.
Game Five will take place on Monday night at the Wachovia Center.
Rocket’s three stars
1. Claude Giroux
2. Chris Pronger
3. Ville Leino
Special mention:
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
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As the clock wound down in the third period, the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec was dead silent, just the way the Philadelphia Flyers envisioned.
There was a complete turnaround from the third game, to the fourth since the Flyers found a way to become even healthier with the return of both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere. The change in personnel made all the difference.
Now, the Canadiens will face elimination scenarios from here on out. However, Montreal is no stranger to these circumstances. They are now even more desperate for a win, and on the other side of the coin, the “Bully Boys” look to have a strangle hold on the Eastern Conference Finals.
The emotion inside the Bell Centre was sky high from the start. The Philadelphia Flyers brought their usual intimidating attitude, but the “Habs” did not back down. Initially the Canadiens came out alive just like in game three of this series, peppering Flyers net minder Michael Leighton early and often, but that all changed after the first intermission.
Not only was Leighton dominant in the crease on Saturday, but also the Flyers turned up the heat in the second period with an opportunistic performance and being efficient when chances were presented on a silver platter.
A perfect example was when Flyer winger Claude Giroux raced passed Montreal defender Josh Gorges, who was slowed by an equipment issue relating to his skates. Giroux received a pass from Kimmo Timonen after a botched dump by the Montreal defense.
The second period was all orange and black. Montreal looked like they were running on fumes for the remainder of the game. The Canadiens in the middle frame mustered only one shot on the Flyers net. Michael Leighton was stellar in the first period, but from that point on, he had an easy day on the job and ended the game with his third shutout of the series—the first time a goalie achieved that feat since 2004.
The return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere were a huge boost for the “Fly Guys.” Carter showed no signs of a lingering injury, as he split two Canadiens’ defenders at the blue line and had the first true scoring chance of the game. Laperriere did not have a hand in any of the scoring, although his physicality was evident from his first shift on the ice and continued until the final siren.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring chances usually come from mistakes or blunders by the opposing squad, and that was the case when the Flyers increased their lead to 2-0 late in the second period.
P.K. Subban was skating up the ice as his linemate Roman Hamrlik was heading to the bench for a line change. Flyers winger Villie Leino sat back and watched the play develop. The “ageless one,” Chris Pronger, stole the puck from Subban, spotted Leino racing down the ice for a breakaway, and before you knew it, the Flyers were celebrating their second goal of the period, and the air began to seep out of the Bell Centre.
Maybe it is a compliment to Pronger, but every chance the Bell Centre crowd had to “boo” Pronger, they did. Possibly, it is a sign of respect and homage for a player still working hard deep into his career and striving to lift up the Stanley Cup at seasons end for the second time in his career.
Late in the game, Claude Giroux, who already scored earlier in the contest, added a last minute empty net goal to close the book on game four and make the final score 3-0.
There is no doubt that the Flyers have the fight of a bulldog, from the coaching staff, all the way down the bench, including the city of Philadelphia.
The heart and soul of the Flyers is embodied in their playing style, and even when the Broad Street “Bully Boys” were against the ropes last series versus the Bruins, they fought their way out of the corner, and now the Flyers find themselves one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Although their backs are against the wall, the Montreal Canadiens are once again faced with a 3-1 series deficit, just like their first round series with the number one seeded Washington Capitals, and everyone knows how that series turned out. Montreal also roared back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to inch past the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So, if any Philadelphia Flyers fans think this series is over, think again! The Eastern Conference Finals has plenty of hockey left and lots of end-to-end excitement as it heads back to Philadelphia’s “rockin’ sea of orange” Wachovia Center Monday night for Game 5.
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Sharks-Blackhawks: Broom Sales Up in Chicago
22, May 2010The San Jose Sharks were supposed to be every bit the team the Chicago Blackhawks were. They came into the series as the top seed remaining, and with the best post-season record.
It has not looked that way thus far. Not that I am surprised: I picked Chicago to beat the Sharks in this series, and before the trade deadline I suggested a trade because I asserted that San Jose would not be able to beat them.
But never would I have thought the team would be swept, and that is exactly what will happen if the Sharks do not make the changes necessary to win a game.
One area of deficiency the Sharks did clear up was giveaways. In the previous two games, the Sharks had 40 to just 22 takeaways; this time they had just six with 11 takeaways. (Chicago had nine and 15, respectively.)
All that did was stretch the game to overtime, where Dustin Byfuglien continued his duet with Patrick Marleau of “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better!”
Marleau has four of the Sharks’ five goals this series, and scored his second with about five minutes left to send this one into overtime, only to see Buff one-up him with a shot Evgeni Nabokov never had a chance to see. Buff has three goals in the series, and two are game-winners.
Yet the Sharks should have won this game and at least one other. They have a decided edge in many statistical categories: power plays (eight more), shots (+18), hits (+8), takeaways (+1), and faceoffs won (+6).
The problem is that the areas they have a disadvantage in have had much more impact. It is obvious the Sharks are working harder for their scoring chances, missing six more shots and having 16 more blocked; this means the Sharks have averaged over 13 more shot attempts per game!
And thanks to having 22 more giveaways in this series, they have had a lower percentage of quality chances. That is why so far the only goals the Sharks have scored have come from their best goal-scorer or off the leg of a Chicago defenceman.
That does not speak well of the team’s chances moving forward.
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