Fleury Leads the Pens to a Game 1 Victory

Marc Andre-Fleury Saves the Day for Pitt in Game 1

Sometimes no matter how gritty a team is, talent is so hard to overcome. The Penguins won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes were feeling the effects of two 7 game grueling series with the Devils and Bruins. Pittsburgh outshot the Canes 31-25 as well. Carolina got some early pressure on Fleury. Fleury made a wonderful stop on Chad Larose on a short handed chance. Then a bit later with his glove hand on Tuomo Ruutu. The Penguins struck first when Miroslav Satan scored on a clean breakaway on Cam Ward to put Pitt up 1-0. Satan skated on the left wing faked Ward to the left and then tucked a backhander into an empty net to score his first goal on the playoffs. Satan had just come out of the penalty box to get the breakaway. Evgeni Malkin the leading scorer in the NHL with 35 goals and 113 pts had a wonderful game with 6 shots on net. It seemed like every time he had the puck he had a chance to score. Fleury then stopped Eric Staal in the high slot to keep it at 2-0. This was a very entertaining first period.

The second period started with Pitt getting the first real good chance of the period. Sidney Crosby had the puck behind his net fed a nice backhander to Bill Guerin who tried to go upstairs on Ward, but Ward made a wonderful stop on Guerin to heep the game at 2-0. The next real good chance came about 10 minutes in to the second period. Rod Brindamour stole a pass just inside the line and fed Sergei Samsonov down low. Samsonov then feathered a pass to Jussi Joken just near the right face-off circle and Fleury robbed him. With about 5 minutes left in the second Eric Cole set up the gritty Chad Larose and he beat Fleury with a low hard through the 5-hole to get Carolina right back in the game. Larose then thought he tied the game up with a hard shot just inside the post, but Erik Cole was called for goaltender interference to wipe out the goal. Ward kept the game at 2-1 when he stopped Malkin by dropping his left pad on the ice. He then stopped Bill Guerin as well on the power play. Pittsburgh did outshoot the Canes 12-6 in the second and did have the better of the play, but as he does on most nights, Cam Ward gave the Canes a chance to win this game still in the third.

The Canes did have the first good chance of the third period stopping Staal to keep the score at 2-1 Pitt. Fleury did have a very strong game with some really good saves on glorious chances. The Pens then got the next real good scoring opportunity when Samsonov made a horrible play at his own blue line to give Malkin a clean breakway and Ward stopped him with his right pad. Malkin tried to score on his forehand. Ward then stopped Bill Guerin again to keep the game at 2-1. About halfway through the third period, Matt Cullen was called for a costly delay of game penalty when he was pressured in his own zone and flipped the puck into the crowd. Phillipe Boucher, who was set up by Sidney Crosby, scored from just above the right circle to make it 3-1. The Canes as they have shown throughout these playoffs next quit. Brooks Orpik took an elbowing penalty for the Pens and Carolina responded when Joe Corvo set up by Ray Whitney beat Fleury to make it 3-2, with a shot from the point. Carolina had pulled Ward to get extra pressure on Fleury. With about 30 seconds left, I thought the game would be tied but Eric Staal could not corral cleanly a beautiful pass from Brindamour on a back door play. He did get the puck somewhat on net but Fleury stopped him. Then with just 19 seconds left, Joe Corvo decided to flip a shot on Fleury, the puck took a weird bounce and Fleury had to be magnificent with his blocker to heep the game 3-2. This his how the game ended.

All in all I thought Pittsbugh had the better of the chances but Ward kept Carolina alive. The Pens have such a fast team that anyone that tried to play up and down with them are usually going to pay with some odd man rushes against them. I think Pitt had 3 breakaways and did score the opening goal but Satan on one. The Canes must not turn the puck over so much if they want to have any chance in this series. Pitt just has to play the same as they did tonight and they will most likely be victorious. Also Marc Andre-Fleury who gets unjustly criticized was key at the beginning of the game to keep Carolina off the board. He was very strong also at the end of the game as well when needed. All in all a very fun game to watch. A footnote as well, Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu both getting knee injuries was not a good sign for the Canes. Cole got hurt trying to cross the middle when making a play in the Pitt zone. I don't think this was dirty. However Ruutu getting his knee cut out from behind by Mark Eaton was a bit questionable in my opinion. I hope both return for Game 2 on Thursday night in Pitt. The Canes must win this game if they are to have a legitimate chance of beating the Pens. Thank you all for reading this I really appreciate it very much so. Even though the team I wanted to win lost, I still enjoy doing a summation of what happened. I may be a Canes fan first, but I am also an NHL fan and respect how good Pittsburgh is and how much fun they are to watch. Hope you read again after Game 2.

Eastern Conference Final Canes vs Penguins

Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Preview

Well in early February, who would have thought the Hurricanes and Penguins would both be in the Eastern Conference Finals? Both of these teams have shown in this playoff season, tremendous heart, character and a will to win to get to where they are currently. The Penguins first beat a very good Flyer team 4 games to 2. Then they spotted the red hot Capitals a 2-0 series lead before waking up. They also had a chance to win on home ice in Game 6, but fell when Chris Letang hit the crossbar. The Penguins then showed tremendous grit in smoking the Caps on their home ice 6-2 in Game 7. This Pittsburgh team has experience from last year making all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 6. The Hurricanes were also struggling in February. They went on a tremendous run to finish the season (17-5-2). They then were in the fight of their lives vs the best goalie in the last 20 years in Martin Brodeur. The Cardiac Canes scored two goals in the last 1:29 to stun NJ in NJ in Game 7. Would they be able to bring the momentum to the Boston Series. Of course they did an even built a 3-1 series lead before struggling Games 5 and 6. They had to go against the Bruins who were 29-6-6 at home this season and were in overtime of Game 7. Of all people, public enemy number 1 to Bruins Fans, Scott Walker was able to deflect a rebound out of mid air of a Whitney Shot from the Right Wing to shock the Bruins faithful at the Garden.

This is the first time these two teams have ever met in the playoffs. Both have experience in recent memory of deep playoff runs and Stanley Cup wins. The Penguins have a tremendous set of forwards led by Sidney Crosby (12 goals and 9 assists), Evgeni Malkin (6 goals and 13 assists), Sergi Gonchar (2 goals and 10 assists) and old pro Bill Guerin who has chipped in with 5 goals and 4 assists. Their goaltending can be suspect at times with Marc-Andre Fleury, 8-5., 2.72 GAA and Save % .901. Fleury is better than people give him credit for however. He does seem to come up big in overtime and does make some spectacular saves as he did on Ovechkin in Game 6. Another player that goes under the radar for the Penguins is Jordan Staal, the younger brother of the Canes Eric Staal. Jordan scored 22 goals this season and so far in the playoffs has 5 pts. He is very capable of getting a big goal when called upon. The rest of the defense for the Pens are the very physical Brooks Orpik and the underrated Mark Eaton (4 goals) and Chris Letang (3 goals and 9 assists).

The Canes are led by Staal (9 goals and 4 assists), the white hot Jussi Jokinen (6 goals and 4 assists). Jokinens goals all seem to mean something as he has scored 3 of his goals that either tied the game late or were the game winners. The rest of the Canes offense has come from Sergei Samsonov (4 goals and 2 assists), scrappy Chad Larose (3 goals and 6 assists), Joni Pitkaken (7 assists) and Joe Corvo (1 goal and 5 assists). The Canes have some other underrated defenseman in Tim Gleason and Dennis Seidenberg. But the best player on the Canes and the main reason why they are still playing is goalie Cam Ward (8-6, 2.22 GAA and .927 save percentage). Cam is playing even better than he did when he won the Conn Smythe in 2006 leading the Canes to their first ever Championship.

Now like I have said a number of times I do not hide the fact that I am a huge Hurricanes fan. I have loved this team since they resided in Hartford in 1986. The win over Boston that I was lucky enough to attend was probably the best sporting event I have ever been to. I have tremendous respect for the Bruins as their fans are amazing and were so loud at that Game 7. The Bruins will be very good next year if they add to their defense I believe. The Penguins to me are going to be just too tough for my Canes to beat. I predict Pittsburgh to win this series in 6 games. My heart says the Canes in 7, another win on the road in Game 7 for the fairy tale playoff run to continue. The Canes will be game but the Pens with their up front talent will be just too much. However, if Cam Ward plays like he is capable and steals a game either Games 1 or 2 in Pitt, then the Canes are very capable of winning this series as well. You don't play series on Paper, you play them on the Ice. If believed all the experts the Canes would have lost to NJ in round 1 and then after than, they certainly would not have beaten Boston either, especially after having to win a Game 7 on the road. We shall see what happens but as long as we as hockey fans are all entertained it will be a fun ride. Thank you all for reading this, I really appreciate it very much.

Canes Stun Bruins in OT and Win Series in 7!

Canes Stun Bruins in Overtime and Win Series

This series had so many twists and turns that as a Hollywood Scriptwriter you could not have written a better ending for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are still alive because tonight they took their game back to what it was in games 3 and 4 in Raleigh. This team has so much character and heart. The Bruins are a more talented team but the Canes were the more determined team tonight. It is so hard to win on the Road in a Game 7 in the playoffs. Now the Canes have eliminated the Devils in New Jersey in miracle fashion and now the Bruins in overtime tonight. Also as a footnote, I was there to experience this. My cool uncle, who is originally from Chicago, was able to score tickets 9 rows up from the Bruins Bench. You don't know how had it is to root for a team quietly when the Garden was rocking at times tonight. In the end the Canes were the more determined team and go the job done.

The game started well for Boston as Byron Bitz scored off of a rebound from the back boards to give Boston a 1-0 lead 7:42 in. So much for team scoring first to win the game huh? Tells you how much I know. A little over a minute later, Ward (34 saves) kept the game at 1-0 with a nice save on Dennis Wideman. Ward is so cool under pressure as he still in his young NHL career never has lost a game 7 (4-0) and never has lost an NHL playoff series (6-0). With about 12 minutes in PJ Axelsson took an ill advised hooking penalty. As time was running down on the penalty Dennis Seidenberg took a shot from the point that was tipped by Rod Brindamour to tie the game at 1. Brindamour finally scored his first goal of the 2009 playoffs in his 14th game. This was a huge goal because it gave the Hurricanes hope that they would win this game. Boston had dominated most of games 5 and 6 and scored the first goal tonight and had all the momentum. Shots were 11-10 for Boston in this evenly played first period. I commented to my uncle that being 1-1 at the end of the first was a very good position for the Canes to be in. Any time you are the underdog, the longer the game stays tied or within striking distance, the dog believes that they can win.

The Canes came out flying in the 2nd period. Tim Thomas who was excellent as well tonight and made 34 saves stopped Ray Whitey (7 shots on goal, gw assist) to keep the game tied. About 6 minutes in Joni Pitkanen (2 assists) skated down the right wing into the Boston zone. He then fed a nice pass across the crease to Sergei Samsonov to redirect in to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. This play is what Carolina does best. They use their speed to their advantage. The Bruins are a bigger team but the Canes are a faster team and they showed that tonight. Cam Ward chipped in with some good saves of his own stopping Byron Bitz on some nice chances in the second. Carolina outshot the Bruins 10-6 in the second period and if not for Thomas, they might have had a bigger lead than 2-1.

The third period Carolina started out on a continuation of a power play from the end of the second period almost got the game to 3-1. Corvo took a shot from the right point and Brindamour tipped it and off of the right post. This was the break that Boston needed to try to tie the game. Boston did just that when Milan Lucic beat Ward to the stick side. Marc Savard who had a very good series fed the pass to Lucic to knot the score. The rest of the third period the goalies made sure that this game was going into overtime. I told my uncle going it that the way Carolina would have a chance to win it would have to be a low scoring game that might even go to overtime. I must have been prophetic to think this. Cam Ward stopped Marc Recchi a couple of times to keep the score knotted. Tim Thomas then stopped Ray Whitney on a nice chance the puck then cleared by Bergeron away from Eric Staal who would have been 15 feet in front. Ward stopped Recchi on a couple of nice chances near the end of the third period. Shots were 11-9 Boston in the third.

Overtime started quickly for the Canes. A funny bounce led to Staal having a great chance about 30 seconds in. Thomas stood his ground with this save and did not give up any rebound. About 5 minutes in Ward stopped David Krejci on a glorious chance in front. The Bruins continued to press when Ward stopped Kobasew about 11 minutes in. Just over minutes later, Thomas stopped Staal again to keep the game tied. On the rebound, Staals stick was lifted by Bergeron. Thomas again stopped Whitney with a little under 4 minutes left in the ot. After this Chuck Kobasew had the puck on a glorious chance in the high slot but instead of shooting he drop passed the puck that was stolen by Jokinen who then fed Scott Walker on a 2 on 1. Thomas was able to stop him and then pounce on the puck behind the net. At 18:46 of overtime, Dennis Seidenberg fed a nice pass to Ray Whitney. Whitney shot from the right wing that Thomas saved but left the rebound out front. Walker then hit the puck out of the air to score the game winning goal. This was his first ever playoff goal and what a time to get it. Walker who is public enemy number 1 in Boston (I do not condone what he did in Game 5 btw) was able to stun the crowd. It was surreal to hear really. To be honest with you, I still can't believe as a fan of this franchise since 1986 that I was able to experience such a great moment live. I have tremendous respect for Boston as they are an excellent team and will be a force to be reckoned with in 2009-2010. As the NHL Network announcers have said it seems like this is a team of destiny. Yes very cliché but to win two Game 7s on the road and one in overtime vs a team that dominated you in Game 5 and Game 6 is unbelievable.

I hope that I did not sound too homerish in this blog. I thoroughly enjoy writing and try to paint an accurate picture of what happened. I will continue this throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs no matter who the teams are. I just wish I had more time as I would love to blog about Chicago vs Det as well if possible. I hope that exciting series goes the distance. They are very high scoring teams and if you are an NHL fan like I am, it should present some exciting hockey. The Canes are now going to face a very good Pitt team, but they have already faced very good Boston and NJ teams. I will never count this team out ever this season. We shall see what happens starting next week. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this, especially since this game was more special to me being there live to witness it in person.

Bruins Show Their Mettle and Force Game 7!

Bruins Show their Mettle and Even Series at 3!

What is the hardest thing to do in sports? The hardest thing is to win the 4th game of a Best of 7 Series.
The Canes looked like a shaken group in the beginning of the first period falling behind 2-0.
The Boston Bruins were just better tonight. They showed why they were the best team in the Eastern Conference all season long. They must love their chances at a Game 7 at home on Thursday Night.
Marc Recchi opened the scoring when Nic Wallin tried pinching in the Bruins Zone early in the first period. Wallin was caught off guard and Patrice Bergeron (2 Assists) fed a nice pass across the crease to Recchi who had basically a tap in to make it 1-0 Boston. Bergeron had a very strong game in my opinion. Just over 3 minutes later, Steve Montador scored on a nice slap shot from just above the right circle. Cam Ward was screened big time by Byron Bitz with his 6 foot 5 frame. After Boston took this lead Carolina tried to respond but Thomas would have none of that. He stopped Eric Staal on a a nice feed from Erik Cole. Carolina outshot the Bruins 11-9 in the first period but the Bruins had the better of the chances.

In the second period, the Canes did cut the lead to 2-1 when Matt Cullen was set up by Scott Walker on a nice feed in front of Thomas. Cullen has had a very solid series for the Canes. About 6 minutes later Milan Lucic made a very strong play at the blue line and had three Hurricanes following him. He then fed a nice cross ice pass to a wide open Marc Savard to make it 3-1 Bruins. Lucic has been one of the best Bruins two way players this entire series. He is never afraid to throw his weight around and has chipped in with 2 goals and 3 assists in this series. I have watched every minute of this series and the Canes always know when he is on the ice due to his 6 foot 4 frame. People have compared him to Bruins great Cam Neely and usually I have thought that was a bit premature. In Lucic's defense, he is only 20 years old and should improve again next year. I would peg him for 25-30 goals and his big physical play will always make him a favorite in Boston, rightly so. Later on in the period Matt Cullen got a partial breakaway when the Bruins were on the power play. Tim Thomas came up bit to keep the game at 3-1. For the rest of the period, the Bruins owned the play. With about 2 minutes left in the period Patrice Bergeron, who also has had a good quiet two way series, fed a beautiful pass to Chuck Kobasew (1 goal, 1 assist) to make it 4-1 Bruins. Carolina did outshoot Boston 8-6 in this period but quality over quantity I say.

For the third period the Canes did come out with some sustained pressure on Tim Thomas. At 7:20 Sergei Samsonov did cut the lead to 4-2 when shoveling a backhander past Thomas. Eric Staal and Tim Gleason did get the assists. For the rest of the period, Tim Thomas (31 saves) did a wonderful job at keeping this game a 2 goal cushion for the Bruins. Right after Samsonov scored, Dennis Wideman shot the puck over the glass to put Carolina on the power play. Thomas stood his ground and got his glove on an Eric Staal shot right out in front. With about 7 minutes left in the 3rd period, Thomas again made a wonderful save on Matt Cullen when he was set up by Walker. After this save you just knew that it was Boston's night. Carolina did outshoot Boston 14-4 in the 3rd period and 33 to 19 overall.

The Bruins proved that you don't have to play an ascetically perfect game to win. They built a lead and were very good at protecting it with Thomas being the best at protecting the lead for Boston. The Bruins have shown tremendous character, guts and desire in winning the last 2 games. Can they continue this? Most experts would think so. I have to say that they have all the momentum and should be a very confident team, however, hockey is a funny game, sometimes just when you think something is a sure thing, it seems to not be sometimes. A hot goalie can sometimes steal a game. You don't play the games on paper, you play them on the ice. I admit being a Canes fan and was very disheartened with this game. For Carolina to have any chance at all in Boston, they MUST score first and then gain some confidence and try to match Bostons play. I will not predict anything but I just hope to be fully entertained in Game 7, like I was in the last series when the Canes shocked me by upsetting NJ with a miracle finish. Only time will tell, but no matter what the outcome is, I will be honest and tell you what I think I saw. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I enjoy writing about hockey and sports in general and to the few that read this, I hope I painted an accurate picture of what happened.

Bruins Throttle Canes to Stave Off Elimination

Bruins Throttle Canes and Stave off Elimination

You find out a lot about a team when their backs are against the wall. How will they handle it?
Will they come out fighting or will they turtle. Tonight the Boston Bruins showed why they were the best team in the Eastern Conference. They utterly dominated the Canes in every aspect of this game with a 4-0 win. If it were not for Cam Ward (36 saves) this game could have been 8-0 Bruins. Milan Lucic (1 goal and 1 assist) set the tone with about 5 minutes left in the game when he smacked Dennis Seindenberg out near the boards. This led to Seidenberg taking a dumb slashing penalty. On the ensuing power play, Zedeno Chara took a blast from the point and Mark Recchi tipped the puck between Cam Wards Pads for a 1-0 lead. The Canes did respond with some of their only pressure of the night. Rod Brindamour set up Sergei Samsonov for a nice slot shot that Tim Thomas (19 saves, shutout) stopped and the rebound went to Joni Pitkanen for a glorious shot and Thomas denied him with a nice blocker save that looked like it was labeled. This was a huge moment in the game because even though the Bruins dominated this game big time, it could have been 1-1 very easily at this point. Later on in the first period, the slick Marc Savard set up Phil Kessel (2 goals +2) with a beautiful cross ice pass that he beat Cam Ward with about 1:30 minutes left in the period. The Bruins deserved to have the lead in the first. They actually could have been up by more if not for Ward. The Bruins outshot the Canes 16-7.

In the second period the Bruins never let up. After Chara absolutely crushed Staal with a hit the Bruins made it 3-0. Marc Savard set up Kessel again for a shot in the slot who beat Ward to make it 3-0. I give the Bruins tons of credit for getting the lead and wanting to make it a bigger lead and not sitting back. The were in complete control of the second period as well. Carolina had no answers for their forecheck. The Canes could not get out of their own zone and had a very very hard time getting any sustained pressure on Thomas. Chara made his presence known tonight and clearly played his best game since the Montreal series. Claude Julien really had his team ready for play tonight and the Bruins showed what kind of character they have. My one final comment was that Jussi Joikenen could have seriously hurt Chara with his cheap shot at Chara's skates. I am really happy the Chara recovered and played the rest of the game. I hate dirty play by anyone period! I relish the play like Lucic did tonight on Seidenberg and that bascially set the tone for the game. After two the Bruins were so dominant that they outshot the Canes 27-11 and it seemed like more.

In the third period, the Canes had some good chances but Thomas made the stops look easy. Eventually Milan Lucic set up by Ryder and Bergeron scored on Ward to make it 4-0 with about 8 minutes left in the game. This blast from the right circle was a rocket into the top corner. Ward had no chance on that laser shot. Then last on in the period the game got chippy as what usually happens when a playoff game is a blowout like this one was. Tim Conboy and Mark Stuart fought but the real ugliness happened when Scott Walker was in a scrum with Aaron Ward. It appeared they were going to fight but Ward did not drop his gloves and Walker nailed him. As a Canes fan I wish this did not happen as I have a lot of respect for Ward from his time in Carolina. Walker got a fighting major and a game misconduct while Ward only received a roughing minor. Boston outshot the Canes 11-8 and 40-19 overall.

To sum up game 5. The Bruins were desperate and played like it. They showed tremendous character in winning this game. What will happen in Game 6, no one knows. All I know is that whomever scores first usually wins as what has happened in 5 of the first 6 games. The Bruins showed grit and did not want their season to end tonight. They live on for another game and will have a huge chance in game 6 to get back to Boston for Game 7 if they play with the same intensity as tonights game. For the Canes they must do like they did in the 2006 Stanley Cup final when losing game 6, 4-0 at Edmonton. They bounced back and played great and won Game 7. Anything is possible. We shall see what unfolds on May 12th. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Even though I admit I am a Canes fan. I enjoy writing about each and every game no matter what the outcome is.

Jokinen Does it Again, Canes Lead Series 3-1

Jokinen Does it Again as Canes Win 4-1

This game just struck me as who wanted it more. The Bruins may have had a great regular season and played very well in game 1, but since then besides one good third period in game 2 and a good 2nd period tonight, they have been outworked by the faster Hurricanes. And please stop telling me about talent. Hockey in the playoffs is about heart, determination and who wants it more and so far in this series the Canes want it more than Boston, plain and simple.

The Bruins did come out well very early in the first period when on a power play, Kessel hit the post and seemed to pressure Ward early. When Carolina was on a power play, PJ Axelson stole a pass from Joni Pitkanen and broke in alone on Ward. Ward waited him out and stopped him with his left pad. From that point on, Carolina dominated the rest of the period, outshooting the Bruins 12-4. Eric Staal (2 goals tonight, 9 total for the playoffs) was set up by Ray Whitney and Cole by beating Thomas with a wrist shot from the left circle to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. Tim Thomas had a strong first stopping, Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen and Chad Larose and some very good chances. Zedeno Chara did hit the post about 9 minutes in as well for Boston.

In the second period, Tuomo Ruutu took a bad penalty in my opinion. That set up Boston with a power play where they sustained some good pressure on Ward. After a scramble in front, Marc Savard banged in a shot off of the left post to tie the game at 1. Boston had some chances after that where they hemmed Carolina in, but Ward was up to the task. Boston's best chance came when Ryder tipped a shot from the point but Ward corralled it with his glove to keep the game tied at 1. Late in the period when the Canes had the power play, Thomas made a nice stop on Joe Corvo when he was completely screened by Eric Cole. Boston outshot the Canes 10-6 in the second period and seemed to have the better of the chances.

The third period the Canes came out with a purpose knowing they could take a strangle hold on the series with a victory tonight. On a power play, the “Finnisher” as Jussi Jokinen has been known as, took a nice pass in front from Rod Brindamour to score his 6th goal of the playoffs. It is amazing because in the regular season he only scored 7 in 71 games. This proved to be the game winning goal. After this goal the Canes kept the pressure on and Ray Whitney set up Eric Cole for a glorious chance to basically ice the game but he shot it wide from about 25 feet out in front. Tim Thomas later on made a nice outlet pass all the way up to Marc Savard on the left wing, Savard was gassed though and took a nice slap shot that Ward handled off of his right shoulder. With about 6 minutes left in the game, Jussi Jokinen feathered a nice pass to Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov then faked Dennis Wideman out and walked in on Thomas to beat him clean with a high backhander to the blocker side to make it 3-1. Eric Staal then off of the left wing beat Thomas for his second goal of the night, also set up by Jokinen. In the third period the Canes outshot the Bruins 13-7 but after they made it 4-1 it was something like 12-2.

As I have said on numerous occasions, hockey is a game of character, luck and skill. This Canes team that is so resilient, seemingly eliminated by New Jersey, is now in command of this series. Jussi Jokinen and Sergei Samsonov have stepped up their game big time in this series to help support the scoring of the Staal, Whitney and Cole line. They still have to win another game, but if they show the heart, desire and effort that they have shown in the last two games, their chances of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2006 is good. Also not to be overlooked, this Canes team has a lot of players that have Stanley Cup Championship experience including Ward, Staal, Brindamour, Cullen, Wallin, Whitney, Cole and LaRose. I feel that their poise from being there before has helped them immensely in this series.

Cardiac Canes Prevail in Overtime 3-2

The Cardiac Kids Strike Again. Jokinen Wins Game in OT, 3-2



Home ice, home ice. The Carolina Hurricanes are certainly a different team when playing in front of their wonderful crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Canes are surprising a lot of hockey fans
who know very little about them. Tonight even though they fell behind 1-0 and were outplayed most of the first period, they showed their true character and grit. They were slick in 06 winning a cup and sometimes too cute in 07 and 08, but now this team has shown a new mettle since that they acquired after Erik Cole on trade deadline day March 4th.

The Bruins controlled the first period and Milan Lucic scored the game opening goal when he stopped a shot from the point by Dennis Wideman with his pad and then shot is over Ward in the top left corner. The Bruins, even though they were outshot 12-8 in the period, to me had control of the game at this point. Eric Staal was leveled by his adversary Zeneno Chara with a nice clean hit into the boards. Tim Thomas (38 saves) did make one outstanding save on Matt Cullen when after a shot from the point.
Ward was good as well keeping the game a 1-0 deficit for the Canes making 7 saves in the period.

The second period started out with the Bruins looking good. After Jokinen overpassed on a 3 on 1 break with Joni Piktanen, Phil Kessel took the puck back up ice and eventually fed Chara with a pass that he directed on to Ward (21 Saves), then the puck squired out to Aaron Ward sneaking in from the point, Ward was brilliant with his left pad and stoned Ward with about 10 min left in the period. Boston scores there and its 2-0 against the best team in the league defensively and a goalie who is a Vezina trophy finalist. Later on when Micheal Ryder took an undisciplined penalty that allowed Carolina to tie the game at 1. Staal (7 goals), when behind the net, picked the pocket of Steve Montador and then beat Thomas with a high snapshot blocker side. From this point on for the most part, Thomas and the Bruins were under siege. 69 seconds later, Samsonov (1 goal and 1 assist) scored on a nice feed from Scot Walker to beat Thomas with a low shot inside the left post to give the Canes a 2-1 lead at the end of the 2nd period. Carolina outshot the Bruins 15-7 in the 2nd period and felt really good about their chances of winning this game.

Once the 3rd period started, the Canes tried to pad their lead but after a nice play by Chad Larose to get a shot on net, Matt Cullen was staring almost an empty net. He shot it over the net and that was the break the Bruins needed to keep the game at 2-1. Even though the canes did outshoot Boston 11-4 in the 3rd, Mark Recci, against his former team, tied the game at 2 with a deflection of a Chuck Kobasew pass. He beati Ward five-hole. After the goal the only other good chance that Boston had the rest of the period was a nice snap shot in the high slot by Milan Lucic. The Canes did press to get the lead but Thomas had other ideas. Scot Walker (1 assist and plus 2) fed Matt Cullen out front but Thomas stopped Cullen again to keep it tied at 2. Later on in the period the Canes pressed, but Thomas said no with some nice saves to both Whitney and Cole.

In overtime it appeared that Lucic, who had a wonderful two way game to me, was denied by Ward. He beat Dennis Seidenberg with a nice inside-outside move. Cam Ward once again gave his team a chance to win. Chara and Kobasew tried to clear the Boston zone and were unable to do so. Samsonov stole the puck and cut down on the ride side near the circle. He beat Chara and got an backhand on goal which was saved by Thomas, but he left a rebound and Jussi Jokinen (5 playoff goals) pounced and beat Thomas cleanly for the overtime game winner. Jokinen only had 7 goals in the regular season but has really elevated his game big time in this postseason.

To sum it up, games are not played on paper. If they were, there would never be an upset in any sport. This is why we watch sports, to see the unexpected sometimes. This has been a good series so far and it far from over. On to game 4 on Friday, May 8th. I look forward to recapping that game once it is over.