Angry playoff hockey is back.
It took a few games, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally starting to find a little edge.
After a week or so without controversy or real palpable playoff hockey anger, emotions have begun to boil over as teams feel the specter of elimination closing in on them. Across all four games on Sunday, violent hits and energetic chirping ruled the night as team's captains secured series leads for their teams.
Erik Karlsson was the prime example of this. The Ottawa Senators' captain, more widely known for flair than physicality, led the team with 11 hits that rocked the Montreal Canadiens and delayed their eventual comeback win. When Karlsson is the most intimidating player of the night, you know it's been a rough evening.
That also applies to verbal assaults. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin made a show of yelling at the New York Islanders bench after a game-tying goal in the third, which eventually came back to haunt him. Islanders captain John Tavares scored the game-winner in overtime, leading to these pleasantries thrown at Ovechkin after the game.
"fuckin suck it, Ovi. Fuckin loser" http://ift.tt/1ItSLFd
— dgr0ss (@leeschinstrap) April 19, 2015
Ah, angry playoff hockey. It's good to finally see you again.
Scores
New York Islanders 2, Washington Capitals 1 (OT) (NYI leads series, 2-1)
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Nashville Predators 2 (CHI leads series, 2-1)
Montreal Canadiens 2, Ottawa Senators 1 (OT) (MON leads series, 3-0)
Calgary Flames 4, Vancouver Canucks 2 (CLG leads series, 2-1)
3 things we learned
1. A couple of goalie decisions paid off.
Chicago benching Corey Crawford for Scott Darling was inevitable after two shaky starts, but Darling playing as well as he did was not totally expected. Aside from some rebound troubles here and there, Darling was excellent in the Blackhawks' win. Craig Anderson's start in lieu of Andrew Hammond was even more impressive, as the veteran faced 49 shots and only let two of them by him. Unfortunately for the Sens, those two goals cost them the game.
2. Nassau Coliseum will be tough to play in this spring.
It seems no team will enjoy their home ice advantage more than the Islanders this postseason. Nassau is hosting its final Islanders playoff run, and it began with one of the most rambunctious crowds we've seen in the league this season. It fed into New York's torrid pace throughout the game, ultimately resulting in a dramatic overtime win. The Capitals will be hard-pressed to earn wins on the road in this series.
3. The Predators dearly miss Shea Weber.
Shea Weber is the backbone of Nashville's defense, and that was never more apparent than on Sunday in Chicago. The Blackhawks were able to push the Predators deeper and deeper into their defensive zone, upping pressure all over the ice without having to worry about Weber's presence impeding them. If Weber doesn't come back completely healthy, Nashville could be in a world of hurt.
Impact moment
Obviously, the two most important moments of the night were the overtime goals that secured series leads. John Tavares got the trend started early in the afternoon just 15 seconds into overtime.
But Tavares is a likely name to score an overtime winner. Not Dale Weise. And yet ...
Stat of the night
Thru 5 days and 20 playoff games, we've had exactly 0 shutouts. First time that's happened since 1998 #StanleyCupPlayoffs
— John Kreiser (@jkreiser77nhl) April 20, 2015
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1G00Leg
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