NHL Playoffs: Rangers win, Blues lose, and more
The National Hockey League playoffs are well underway, with all eight series now having played a game. We have seen a few minor upsets, headlined by the Minnesota Wild going into St. Louis to steal Game 1 from the favored Blues.
One of the great things about hockey is the unpredictability of the playoffs. In basketball, the top teams almost always win. Rare is the year when a eight seed makes a deep run into the postseason, a la the 1999 New York Knicks who lost in the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. In hockey, this is a common occurrence.
Let’s take a quick glance at each game from Thursday night, and set the scene for the upcoming Game 2’s.
(1) New York Rangers lead (8) Pittsburgh Penguins, 1-0
We always think of Pittsburgh and assume it has the best offense with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but that is not the case in this series. The Rangers were a top-five offense in the regular season and came out with two first-period goals on Thursday, en route to a 2-1 win. New York was dominant in the contest, putting the Penguins on notice.
(6) Detroit Red Wings lead (3) Tampa Bay Lightning, 1-0
This was the best-played game of the evening. The Red Wings came out of the gate flying, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in part because of a beautiful goal by Luke Glendening on a shorthanded chance. Glendening’s marker at 5:50 of the third period gave Detroit a 3-1 advantage, but the Lightning came roaring back. Tampa Bay cut the lead in half with a Nikita Nestorov goal and put ample pressure on the rest of the night, but could not find the equalizer. This series will be a long one.
(7) Minnesota Wild lead (2) St. Louis Blues, 1-0
Minnesota gets lost in the shuffle because of geography and playing in such a loaded Central Division, but the Wild reminded everybody that they remain a force. Against the Blues, Minnesota came out swinging and took an early series lead, winning 4-2. The Wild held a 2-0 lead going into the third period before each team scored twice, trading goals the rest of the night. Minnesota held the powerful Blues to 21 shots and only took two penalties. St. Louis was in the box for 18 minutes.
(1) Anaheim Ducks lead (8) Winnipeg Jets, 1-0
The Ducks looked sluggish at the start of Game 1, falling behind Winnipeg by a 2-1 margin headed into the third period. Corey Perry then stepped to the forefront, scoring two quick markers in the final 20 minutes to lift the Ducks over the scrappy Jets, giving Anaheim a lead in the series. This game was a great watch, with both teams brooding and brawling throughout. Expect this one to last for a little bit, perhaps even the distance.
