Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 7

A dull series gives us the most exciting game of the year, the Battle of Pennsylvania tilts heavily toward one side, an All-Star team makes short work of amateurs, one series gets complicated, and one series comes to an end...

eventually.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 3, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 1
(Pittsburgh leads series 3-1)
Marc Andre-Fleury rebounded from a subpar outing in Game 3. He was unbeatable up high, and stopped 45 of 46 shots. to be honest, the Penguins don't impress me much, or at least they haven't in this series. Their 3rd goal was an empty-netter, and Crosby's goal in the 2nd was kind of freakish (he was charging toward the net, fell in the crease, and the puck ricocheted off his arm and into the net), and their defense was suspect (46 shots allowed). But Philadelphia sucks.



DETROIT RED WINGS 4, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 1
(Detroit leads series 3-0)
Columbus, Ohio's first ever Stanley Cup game, but the jubilation of the home fans was short-lived. It only took Detroit 67 seconds to score, and they didn't look back. The Wings have scored 4 goals in each of their three victories over Columbus. They've outscored the BJ's 12-2. Sheerly dominant hockey being played by the Wings. Holmstrom had his first goal of the series, Zetterberg had 2, Cleary had a goal and 2 assists. Johan Franzen also added 2 assists.



CAROLINA HURRICANES 4, NEW JERSEY DEVILS 2
(Series tied 2-2)
0.2 seconds. That's how much time was left when Carolina's 4th goal crossed the line behind Brodeur. You expect buzzer beaters in basketball, not hockey. The Canes went up 3-0, and midway through the 2nd, it looked like they had the game secured. But Brian Gionta scored late in the 2nd for the Devils. Then NJ dominated the 3rd period, scoring twice to tie it. But 19:59.8 into the 3rd, Jussi Jokinen deflected a last gasp shot by Brodeur, and this series goes back to Jersey all square.



VANCOUVER CANUCKS 3, ST. LOUIS BLUES 2 (OT)
***Vancouver wins series 4-0***
It took 3 and a half games, but St. Louis finally woke up. But it was much too little, much too late. The Canucks had a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, but St. Louis scored a pair of opportunistic goals off rebounds. St. Louis goalie Chris Mason made some brilliant saves to keep the Blues in it, but Alexandre Burrows scored with 0:19 left in the 1st OT period to win the game.

Vancouver's the first team to clinch a series in the playoffs, and as the 3rd seed, their destiny is still very much in the air. But Luongo looks solid, and the Canucks will be tough for anyone to beat in the next round.



SAN JOSE SHARKS 4, ANAHEIM DUCKS 3
(Anaheim leads series 2-1)
The Sharks debunked the myth of Jonas Hiller, and also figured out how to score on their power play. After 0 goals with a man advantage in the opening games, San Jose went 2 for 3 in Game 3. Instead of trying to pepper Hiller with shots, they showed some patience and precision, generating quality scoring chances, and cashing in 4 times. The Sharks' defensemen combined for 3 goals, and 3 asssits. This series just got much more interesting.

Highlight of the game: George "The Stache" Parros (Princeton) fighting fellow Ivy Leaguer Douglas Murray (Cornell).



Wednesday night's games:
7:00 PM - Bruins @ Canadiens (Bruins lead series 3-0) - NESN
7:00 PM - Capitals @ Rangers (Rangers lead series 2-1) - Vs
10:00 PM - Blackhawks @ Flames (Blackhawks lead series 2-1) - Vs

-The Commodore