Saturday’s four games include two opportunities for road teams to take threatening 2-0 leads and two home teams with a chance to hold serve by doing the same. Which teams will dig deep and which ones might look back in regret? Let’s take a look. All start times are according to Eastern Standard Time (ET).
Phoenix @ Detroit - 1 p.m. (NBC) Red Wings lead series 1-0
Our weekend playoff coverage begins with a rematch of the 2010 playoff series. While last year’s match was surprisingly competitive for casual fans, Game 1 began the way most would expect, with the Red Wings’ top-end talent overwhelming the star-starved Coyotes. It’s not panic time for Phoenix by any means, but if they want to win, they’re going to need some all-world performances from their stud goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
The Red Wings’ time as a true dynasty might be winding down considering the advanced age of its defense and limited amount of young players, while the Coyotes’ time in Arizona might be winding down as well. We’ll see which team could put distractions aside and alter the landscape of this series.
Buffalo @ Philadelphia - 5 p.m. Sabres lead series 1-0
Many people worried about the Flyers defense in Chris Pronger’s absence and their goaltending considering Sergei Bobrovsky’s rookie presence, yet their Game 1 issue was offense instead. Philly will be forced to go without Pronger in Game 2 as well, but will their firepower show up this time around?
Of course, it’s easy to get hysterical about the team’s lack of offense, but don’t forget that the 1-0 loss came against Ryan Miller. When he’s at his best, he can short-circuit some explosive attacking schemes. We’ll see if he can back up that opening performance or if he’ll struggle to produce an encore in Game 2.
Montreal @ Boston - 7 p.m. (Versus) Canadiens lead series 1-0
Carey Price and the Habs managed to shut down the Bruins in Game 1, effectively beating them at their own game. Perhaps a thirsty Zdeno Chara was part of the problem for Boston, as the huge defenseman needed to be hospitalized with dehydration last night. Chara’s status for this game is unclear, but since this is the playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suits up.
One underrated storyline is the shaky - or at least not very timely - play of vaunted goalie Tim Thomas. If he keeps losing playoff games, people might start to overreact about the disparity between his regular season and postseason success.
Los Angeles @ San Jose - 10 p.m. (Versus) Sharks lead series 1-0
The Sharks won Game 1, but a lot of people were surprised that the Kings were able to hang in there and even control much of the play. Joe Pavelski continued his big-game success, though, scoring a top shelf beauty to give San Jose the win in overtime.
The Kings are playing with house money while the Sharks seem to be in eternal favorite mode, but San Jose could take a 2-0 series lead with a win tonight. An impressive win wouldn’t hurt matters for them, either.