West/East Finals – Game 2 Recap
In both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, one team is in control: Philadelphia in the East, and Chicago in the West. Chicago made San Jose look like boys amongst men in Game 2 in San Jose on Tuesday night. Jonathan Toews played stellar, Evgeni Nabokov played anything but. Andrew Ladd of Chicago scored at 12:48 in the first period, a goal that Nabby could have, nay, should have, been able to handle. Chicago didn’t necessarily have the momentum at that point, but San Jose did nothing to get it back. The Sharks had trouble converting opportunities in the offensive zone, Nabokov couldn’t get into a zone, and San Jose failed to keep their emotions at bay. Joe Thornton made a stupid penalty in the third period in the faceoff circle against Dave Bolland, slashing at Bolland’s hand before the puck even dropped. I applaud Jumbo for his effort in these playoffs, but Thornton’s frustrations with losing is allowing him to make silly mistakes and play dirty. If you need more proof, check out Game 4 against Detroit. San Jose had no answer against Johan Franzen, and Thornton gets thrown out of the game with a game misconduct. Chicago however, looked absolutely unstoppable, and regardless of how hot Philly is, the Hawks and Jonathan Toews will be hoisting the cup this year – even with Marian Hossa on their roster (if you’re confused, check the last two Stanley Cup Finals).
Game 2 in Philadelphia between the Flyers and Canadiens went about the same as Game 1. Jaroslav Halak was shaky and not as sharp as he had been, the Philadelphia defense and especially Michael Leighton came up big again, and Montreal seems genuinely confused on the ice, and can’t seem to find their game. Philadelphia has been able to focus on and shut down Michael Cammalleri at every turn, and not allow him to get the looks he had against Washington and Pittsburgh. Cammalleri has had five shots on goal in this series, yet he remains scoreless. To put this in perspective, Cammalleri scored three goals in his first four shots against Pittsburgh. Montreal needs him to score, because if he doesn’t, they don’t have anyone else to do so, or so it appears thus far in the series.
Michael Leighton, the 6’ 3” beast between the pipes for Philly has truly proved himself as a stellar goaltender thus far, vastly outplaying the man on the other side of the rink. Leighton has forced two shutouts while facing 58 shots on goal. Jaroslav Halak on the other hand, has allowed seven goals on 37 shots. Philadelphia presents an interesting challenge for the Habs. Montreal knew the right players to focus on against Washington with Ovechkin and Backstrom, they knew the right players to focus on against Pittsburgh with Crosby and Malkin, but there is no single player on the Flyers roster that stands out for Montreal’s defense with which to focus their attention. Philly has been able to count on various players to step up each game, whether it is Van Riemsdyk, Briere, Hartnell, or Gagne. Simon Gagne’s emergence into the playoffs has been huge for the Flyers, Mike Richards has been solid all postseason and now the Flyers might get a return from Jeff Carter soon. I refuse to make any more predictions this postseason, as I have been wrong on nearly every single one of them. Game 3 on Thursday night in Montreal should hold a lot of intensity, as we'll see if the Habs still believe they have what it takes to make it to the Finals.
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