Playoffs Tonight: Ovechkin’s Caps host Lundqvist’s Rangers

By Joe YerdonMay 2, 2013, 8:19 AM EDT

So much for sweating about goals. Last night saw a couple of blowouts and some excitement out West.

The final two series yet to play kick off tonight with a pair of Game 2s to go with it. Catch all the action on NBC Sports Live Extra.

Game 1: Montreal Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET, CNBC)

The Habs might be looking to copy the Boston Bruins in tonight’s Game 1. Like the Bruins, the Habs stumbled at the end of the season headed to the postseason and like them they’ll hope that with the playoffs starting, all the regular season worries evaporate. Carey Price closed the season not looking all that hot and going up against Daniel Alfredsson and the Senators will give them the kind of battle they need to know where exactly they’re at.

Both teams were surprising in their own ways this season, but if Montreal runs into trouble against Ottawa it’ll likely be thanks to goaltender Craig Anderson. If not for injury, he’d be a legit Vezina candidate this season and if he plays as strong as he has this season in the playoffs, it’ll be up to Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban to get him figured out quickly.

The season series between these two was close with Montreal winning it 2-1-1 with two shootout games in the mix.

Game 1: Washington Capitals host the New York Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

So they meet again. For the fourth time in five years these two square off and by now you have to think they know each other inside and out. This year’s series has a different feel to it though.

Last year’s snoozer of a seven game set gets replaced by the resurgent Alex Ovechkin and a Caps team firing on all cylinders going up against a Rangers team that’s got its swagger back. The depth is there again (even with Ryane Clowe and Brian Boyle hurting) and guys like Derek Stepan and Rick Nash are playing great. Oh yeah, and there’s Henrik Lundqvist still in goal too.

New York took the season series going 2-0-1 against the Caps this season. If they can keep Ovechkin quiet, they’ll have a great shot at the upset.

Game 2: St. Louis Blues host the Los Angeles Kings up 1-0 in series (9:30 p.m. ET, CNBC)

Game 1 saw the Blues come out and hit the defending Stanley Cup champions right in the mouth. While we saw some of that same Kings magic from last season when Justin Williams scored late in the third to tie the game up, the Blues still prevailed thanks to Jon Quick turning the puck over to Alex Steen behind his own net while on the power play.

You have to believe those mistakes won’t happen again and the Kings will be hungry to tie this series up and head back to L.A. You also have to think the Blues aren’t going to play things any differently and will bring that high-intensity forecheck once again.

One thing the Blues could use, however, is some puck luck. The posts went home with bruises thanks to Blues shots clanging off them. If they can get their offense in gear they’ll be that much more dangerous.

Game 2: Anaheim Ducks host the Detroit Red Wings up 1-0 in series (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Anaheim was able to turn things on Detroit thanks to guys like Teemu Selanne and Nick Bonino doing the damage as opposed to Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Jonas Hiller’s strong play in goal had a lot to do with that as well, but the Wings are seemingly not rattled by how things went in Game 1.

Detroit’s youngsters like Gustav Nyqvist and Damien Brunner will need to be more of a factor to give Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg the offensive help they’ll need to even up the series heading back home. One thing Detroit definitely has to do is clean up their penalty killing.

The Wings gave up two power play goals to the Ducks in Game 1 and that’s what made the difference. The Ducks should worry about the same as Detroit’s lone tally also came on the man advantage.

Here’s PHT’s Mike Halford and Jason Brough breaking down the Blues-Kings physicality and taking a look at Rangers-Capitals.

This video is no longer available. Click here to watch more NBC Sports videos!

Five Thoughts: Pavel Datsyuk continues to impress; Roenick sounds off on Patrick Marleau

By Joe YerdonMay 9, 2011, 9:30 AM EDT

6 Comments

Last night’s incredible comeback by the Red Wings to beat the Sharks and send the series to a Game 6 has us really spinning our wheels about just what in the world is going on.

1. In a playoffs where we’re seeing unknown guys get a lot of the headlines while some superstars get ripped for not showing up enough, there’s one guy that continues to amaze and solidify his legacy as one of the best in the NHL. Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk continues to do things with the puck and play the sort of game that just brings you out of your seat when he rushes up the ice with the puck.

During last night’s 4-3 Game 5 win over San Jose, Datsyuk was supposedly playing with a hurt wrist. He wasn’t doing his normal part in taking the bulk of faceoffs but instead was dazzling Sharks defenders with his ability to wheel out of a cluster of players and help set up the game-winning goal in the third period. His assist on Tomas Holmstrom’s game winner was his third assist of the game.

While Detroit is still down 3-2 in the series, should they find a way to get past the Sharks and deeper into the playoffs, his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy should write itself. For now, he’ll need to keep doing his superhuman things to try and force a Game 7 at the least.

2. Jeremy Roenick caused a stir with those watching the post game coverage on Versus last night. Roenick voiced his displeasure with the play of Sharks forward Patrick Marleau saying he played a “gutless” game and lacked the heart to help his team out. Roenick even went as far as to say that 19 of the 20 guys that suited up for the Sharks last night came to play. Never mind that he’s counting backup goalie Antero Niittymaki there as well (and perhaps that was intended)his takedown of Marleau is something we’ve heard from others before. While his words were harsh and Roenick being a former teammate of Marleau’s certainly adds to the drama, in this series he’s got a point.

Against Detroit through five games, Marleau has zero points and is a -2. Marleau did rack up five points (2 goals, 3 assists) against the Kings in the first round, but against Detroit he’s withered away and played very small. Marleau goes through fits like this in the postseason. Last year against Colorado he had a goal and two assists in six games but rebounded great against both Detroit and Chicago. In seasons previous to that, however, his track record shows that when the going gets tough, Marleau tends not to score.

Roenick took to Twitter to say that he wants to see Marleau play angrier and with a purpose because it makes him a better player. Perhaps JR’s words will give Marleau the spark he needs to prove Roenick wrong.

3. Detroit needed Jimmy Howard to play huge in Game 5. They didn’t necessarily need him to steal them a game, but they needed him to play huge. They got just that from him as he again faced over 40 shots (42 this time) and made 39 saves, many of them spectacular to get the win. The Sharks have been throwing tons of shots at the net in these playoffs and while Jon Quick suffered from that in the first round, Howard has thrived. Now that he’s getting the offensive support, the Wings are winning. With each of the games in the series being decided by one goal, it’s performances like last night that make all the difference.

4. The psychological mettle of the Sharks is something that many bring into question over time thanks to their episodes of playoff failure. They showed last year that they could get over such things when they struggled with Colorado in the opening round but ultimately won out before beating up on Detroit in the second round. Getting swept by Chicago in the West finals wasn’t a shock considering how good they were.

This year, the script started the same struggling a bit with the Kings. Now they’re fighting with the Wings and while still one win away from moving to the West finals again, dealing with the Wings is never a simple matter. These Wings, unlike last year’s, aren’t gassed from just making the postseason. The Sharks have a handful of players who show no mental blocks. Guys like Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture are too new to be affected by anything in the past. Still, the rest of the team tightens up a bit when things start getting tough. How they handle things going ahead is worth paying attention to closely because if Detroit keeps hitting them where it counts, history leads us to believe that’s really bad for the Sharks.

5. How the series between San Jose and Detroit might pan out could hinge on how some of the depth defensive pairs work out for both teams. We saw some bad play from Brad Stuart and Jonathan Ericsson for the Wings and from Ian White and Niclas Wallin for San Jose. Teams have taken advantage of those matchups and you’d better believe that Mike Babcock and Todd McLellan will be juggling things around to get their top guys out against them. It’s worth paying attention to in Game 6.

What went wrong: Los Angeles Kings

By Joe YerdonApr 26, 2011, 2:40 PM EDT

Last night the Kings went down in six game and while the end result wasn’t too shocking, the series was a lot closer than scanning the scores would indicate. Getting beaten badly in just one game while hanging in there or folding up the tents in historical fashion in the others the Kings proved they were a more than formidable opponent. Still, things didn’t go their way. So what went wrong? Let us count the ways.

1. Overtime failure
While it could be a sign of pride and proof that the Kings gave the Sharks all they could handle, the cold hard facts were that when the game went to overtime, L.A. was going to lose. Three times in this series the game went to overtime and three times the Kings lost. After being outshot in virtually every game and forcing Jon Quick to have to stand on his head, playing with fire like that will get you burned.

Sadly enough for Kings fans, this wasn’t the first time they’ve lost three overtimes in a playoff series. The last time it happened? 1993 during the Stanley Cup final against Montreal. Ouch.

2. Faceoff problems
Not winning faceoffs means not winning games Winning faceoffs is an underrated aspect of the game. In Los Angeles it was a completely unknown part of the game. The Kings as a team won just 44.5% of their faceoffs against San Jose, by far the worst in the playoffs. Their lone bright spot in the circle was Jarret Stoll who won 54.8% of his draws. The other three main guys that took them? Awful.

Michal Handzus took the most faceoffs in the series and won just 41.8% of them. Brad Richardson was 42.9% from the circle and Trevor Lewis was the worst of them all at 40%. If you’re not winning faceoffs, you’re not controlling the game or getting the puck back in the offensive zone. If you’re wondering if Anze Kopitar would’ve helped out here… Not so much. He won 49.9% of his faceoffs during the regular season, third best on the team.

3. Jon Quick had to do way too much
Making your starting goalie have to work too much and stop too many shots is a recipe for disaster. The Kings made Jon Quick earn his paycheck and thensome in the playoffs. While Quick was able to get a shutout in Game 2 and stop 51 shots in Game 5 to help the Kings win there, every game was like being in a shooting gallery for him. On average Quick faced 38.2 shots per game in the series with San Jose. His shots faced in each game? 45, 34, 36, 27, 52, 35.

The scary part of all this? The Kings blocked 117 shots, the most in the playoffs. When you’re getting beaten like this it makes life hard on everyone to stand tall, especially when you’re laying out to block shots. It’s tough to win games when you’re being outshot on average by ten shots a game (L.A. averaged 28.2 shots per game). It’s crazy to think Quick could’ve been a lot busier through those six games.

4. Carelessness
Care to guess which team in the playoffs gave up the puck like it was covered in Ebola? Yup, it was the Kings. The Kings had 79 giveaways through six games. Not keeping a hold on the puck is obviously a major issue especially when the other team is spending the majority of the game in your zone peppering your defense and goalie with shots. While both teams were good about giving up the puck (Sharks had 71 giveaways) with the Kings being in the position they were in throughout most of the series, giving away the puck did them no favors.

***

The Kings show a lot of promise. They’ll have to find ways to hang with the better teams (San Jose was certainly one of those) and Dean Lombardi is in a great position heading into next season. The Kings are loaded with talent and they’ve got a goalie tandem that can keep themselves fresh heading into the postseason next year.

With Kopitar coming back, Brayden Schenn getting a real chance to shine, and the Kings delving into the free agency waters to find a legitimate second center to be a playmaker for them (imagine a Kopitar and Brad Richards one-two punch up the middle) they’ll be just fine.

Penguins and Sharks look to wrap their series up on the road tonight

By Joe YerdonApr 25, 2011, 12:27 PM EDT

A pair of Game 6s hit the ice tonight with the road teams in positions to end the series. As we’ve seen throughout the playoffs, the road teams are doing obscenely well and making that whole “home ice advantage” thing seem like a cruel joke. With tonight’s games, particular attention will be paid to the goaltenders. We’ll be curious to see how Pittsburgh bounces back after an 8-2 thrashing and how Antti Niemi responds after giving up three goals in four shots in Game 5 is worth paying attention to. All times listed are Eastern.

Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay – 7 p.m. (Versus) – Pittsburgh leads series 3-2

If Steven Stamkos and Simon Gagne did indeed find their offensive touch after Game 5’s 8-2 whooping, things get instantly scary for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have been able to keep those guys off the sheet most of the series while still having their hands full with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. Pittsburgh’s been defensively strong but trying to wrangle all four of those guys while they’re hot could really stretch their defense too far. One thing that could get Pittsburgh to not have to worry about anything would be to get their power play clicking. The Penguins have scored on 4% of their power plays in this series. We know they miss Sidney Crosby, but this is when guys like Jordan Staal, James Neal, and Alex Kovalev have to be better.

San Jose @ Los Angeles – 10 p.m. (Versus) – San Jose leads series 3-2

If there’s a team that perhaps no one is really giving a chance of winning their first round series it’s L.A. Aside from Jon Quick’s shutout in Game 2 and his 51 save effort in Game 5, he’s been below average in net. For all the shouting going on around San Jose’s Antti Niemi, there’s been no such talk around Quick. Without that cloud of doubt, does Quick have it in him again to stand on his head? We’ll find out. Los Angeles could certainly stand to defend their home ice as it’s been nothing but a horror show for them at Staples Center. With that kind of recent history, you have to think San Jose’s feeling awfully comfortable playing there. It’ll be up to L.A. to make them uncomfortable. Jumping out early might be all it takes.

Five Thoughts: Why the Penguins should be nervous; Washington’s hockey renaissance

By Joe YerdonApr 24, 2011, 9:00 AM EDT

3 Comments

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates that today. Here’s to hoping that today provides us some baskets of hockey joy through all of today’s playoff games.

1. The Penguins find themselves in a precarious position. Yes, they’re a win away from the second round of the playoffs still, but in their 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 5 something happened that we hadn’t seen yet in the playoffs. Big offensive guns Steven Stamkos and Simon Gagne got on the score sheet in big ways. While a one-off game that turned into a blowout shouldn’t be a big reason for Pittsburgh to worry, seeing those guys find the net for the first time in the playoffs should be.

While the Penguins are without their major offensive weapons in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the Lightning’s major players are on the ice and after they’ve finally broken through, it gives Dan Bylsma something else to be concerned about heading into Game 6. If those guys have arrived, Pittsburgh’s hands are even more full than they thought they were heading to Florida.

2. Washington’s march into the second round is most impressive. The Rangers threw everything they had at the Caps and still got bounced in five games. While a lot of people might be upset or sad at seeing the Caps be less of an offensive dervish than in previous years, their handling of the Rangers was a clinical exercise in how to shut down an opponent’s offense and power play.

It may have seemed like a lot of the talk about the Caps’ new commitment to offense was just bluster but it’s very real and very apparent that it works well. The Caps are both high powered offensively and defensively stifiling. With Alex Ovechkin playing like a man possessed and Michal Neuvirth playing especially solid in goal, the Capitals are looking quite formidable. Look out world.

3. If you’re not enjoying the thrills and up and down play that Boston and Montreal are providing in their series I don’t know where to begin with you. Tremendous hockey and last night’s Game 5 double overtime win from Boston hammered that all home again. We’re rooting hard for Montreal in Game 6 just so we can have a Game 7 insane asylum special with these two. It’s only natural after all.

4. After back-to-back rough performances from Jon Quick and the Kings getting down 3-1 in the series, it was tough to believe that the Kings had another win in them. Then Quick goes out of his way to stop 51 out of 52 shots to lead the Kings to victory. That kind of win can be inspiring. Now if only the Kings could win on home ice…

5. It’s Sunday morning, do you know who your Flyers starting goalie is? If I had to take a guess I’d say that Brian Boucher gets the chance to prove himself in Game 6 but the leash will be short. Any signs of looking off and he’ll be out. Michael Leighton looked OK in relief in Game 5, meanwhile we’re wondering if perhaps Sergei Bobrovsky is totally out of gas after a big rookie season. Either way all around, the Flyers have some questions in goal to answer in the offseason whenever that begins.