If four games are on, and two of them go beyond one overtime, you know it's going to be a heck of a year.
Roberto Luongo makes 72 saves in an amazing game that is normally saved for the Stanley Cup finals. Being a Stars fan, I was disappointed, but still enjoyed it. There are a lot of little keys in this game that I spot, even having not watched it. If his first game is anything to go by, Antti Mietinen could be the Stars' hero. He was in on both of the final Stars goals to send them to OT. Same goes for the Sedin twins. They combined for 4 points, including a goal each. Marty Turco's performance may not seem amazing, but if it took the Canucks 4 overtimes to score, than he will keep the Stars in as much as he can. Luongo proved his playoff worth, keeping the Stars scoreless for four straight OT's.
Nashville and San Jose renewed last year's playoff rivalry with the Sharks winning 5-4 in double overtime. Again, small keys to be noted that I can see without having watched the game. Each team had their own out-of-nowhere-hero. Patrick Rissmiller, a third-liner who didn't usually score, managed two points including the game-winning goal. Rookie Alexander Radulov was also spectacular for Nashville, scoring two goals. Shea Weber got two assists on the most vital Nashville goals. San Jose received great performances from every line. Tomas Vokoun and Evgeni Nabokov each had their share of amazing saves.
The Penguins-Senators game had it's share of craziness. With a 6-3 finish, you could easily tell how inexperienced this team was. My key's? Well, three players for the Pens scored their first playoff point. Jordan Staal scored a goal, Evgeni Malkin assisted on his landlord's (Sergei Gonchar) goal, and Crosby managed to rack up a tally before the game ended. For the Sens, a lot of defensemen were in on the scoring as Andrej Meszaros, Joe Corvo, Anton Volchenkov and Wade Redden tallied a point or more. Ray Emery had a solid game, while both goaltenders had to play for Pittsburgh.
The Anaheim-Minnesota game was probably the quietest. Not a whole lot of keys to mention, but I do have a few. It appears as though the young guys will be key for Anaheim. Dustin Penner scored the game winner, and Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Francois Beauchemin each got an assist. Teemu Selanne scored the game tying goal after Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik combined for the only Wild goal. Ilya Bryzgalov made a surprise appearance in net, and once again won in the playoffs despite a small regular season. Nicklas Backstrom performed well despite a loss in his playoff debut.
Goal of the day- Let's take one last look at this season's highlights.
That's all today! I'll be back tomorrow with coverage on tonight's games.
Posts
