Ann 22008 NHL Playoffs - Round 2: Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers Game 1 REVIEW
April 25th 2008 14:35
Habs steal Game 1 in OT with a 3-2 win over Flyers.
I said it before, I'll say it again. Those Russians – you gotta love 'em.
Last night, both the elder Kostitsyn and the magician Alex Kovalev gave hope to Montreal fans after their team trailed 2-0 in the opening game of the series. Halfway through the second period, Sergei Kostitsyn (the younger brother) entered Philly's zone surrounded by four players in white jerseys. He fed a pass to his brother who didn't hesitate to fire a snap shot at Martin Biron. The resulting goal put the score at 2-1, and the fans came to life. Seven minutes later, the Bell Centre erupted as Kovalev scored the tying goal while his team was shorthanded. The referees had to go to video review since it looked like Kovy's stick was higher than the crossbar when he took a swing at the puck. Fortunately, the goal was awarded and it was all back to square one. However, the balance was short-lived as Mike Komisarek took his second consecutive penalty of the night. This time, Kovy couldn't save his ass and the Flyers scored on the powerplay.
But the man they call the Artist hadn't said his last word yet. With one minute remaining, Kovalev controlled the puck in the neutral zone, feinted a move at the entrance of the O-zone and the opposing player bit. Mike Richards tripped Kovy and was given a two-minute penalty. The refs actually gave him a penalty for 'Kneeing' but, from the replay, it's obvious that it was a trip.
Anyways, at that point, Carbo decided to use his time-out, something that he hasn't done in the previous series. Price was pulled out in favor of a sixth forward, Koivu was assigned to the faceoff circle with Kovy right behind him. As expected, Koivu won the draw, the puck went straight to Kovy who decided to go top-corner. It was a perfect shot and Biron didn't have enough time to react. After that goal, you could tell that the game had slipped away from the Flyers' grasp.
After playing three games in four nights in four different cities, time wasn't going to be the Flyers' ally. The longer the game went on, the more jittery they got. Thankfully, the OT didn't last long. Carbo put his grinders on the ice for the opening faceoff. 48 seconds later, Tom “the Bomb” Kostopoulos scored his third goal of the playoffs and put the Habs ahead for the first time.
Overall, the game was a lot less intense than both teams' previous series. It was a lot more open, no frustrating 'trapping' system that the Bruins had employed to slow down the Canadiens. It was also a very weird match. The puck didn't seem to follow the players' orders. The Habs struck Biron's posts twice in the first period and the Flyers' first goal was actually an own goal by Patrice Brisebois. I think that the Breezer needs some rest - in my opinion, eight playoffs games is stretching it for an old man. And Komisarek needs to keep a tighter grip on his emotions for the next game.
There's not a lot to say about the Flyers. They were disciplined but fatigue simply caught up to them.
One other game was played last night, Red Wings against the Avalanche. The Wings destroyed the Avs 4-3 (the score makes it closer than it actually was). Detroit leads the series 1-0.
I said it before, I'll say it again. Those Russians – you gotta love 'em.
Last night, both the elder Kostitsyn and the magician Alex Kovalev gave hope to Montreal fans after their team trailed 2-0 in the opening game of the series. Halfway through the second period, Sergei Kostitsyn (the younger brother) entered Philly's zone surrounded by four players in white jerseys. He fed a pass to his brother who didn't hesitate to fire a snap shot at Martin Biron. The resulting goal put the score at 2-1, and the fans came to life. Seven minutes later, the Bell Centre erupted as Kovalev scored the tying goal while his team was shorthanded. The referees had to go to video review since it looked like Kovy's stick was higher than the crossbar when he took a swing at the puck. Fortunately, the goal was awarded and it was all back to square one. However, the balance was short-lived as Mike Komisarek took his second consecutive penalty of the night. This time, Kovy couldn't save his ass and the Flyers scored on the powerplay.
But the man they call the Artist hadn't said his last word yet. With one minute remaining, Kovalev controlled the puck in the neutral zone, feinted a move at the entrance of the O-zone and the opposing player bit. Mike Richards tripped Kovy and was given a two-minute penalty. The refs actually gave him a penalty for 'Kneeing' but, from the replay, it's obvious that it was a trip.
Anyways, at that point, Carbo decided to use his time-out, something that he hasn't done in the previous series. Price was pulled out in favor of a sixth forward, Koivu was assigned to the faceoff circle with Kovy right behind him. As expected, Koivu won the draw, the puck went straight to Kovy who decided to go top-corner. It was a perfect shot and Biron didn't have enough time to react. After that goal, you could tell that the game had slipped away from the Flyers' grasp.
After playing three games in four nights in four different cities, time wasn't going to be the Flyers' ally. The longer the game went on, the more jittery they got. Thankfully, the OT didn't last long. Carbo put his grinders on the ice for the opening faceoff. 48 seconds later, Tom “the Bomb” Kostopoulos scored his third goal of the playoffs and put the Habs ahead for the first time.
Overall, the game was a lot less intense than both teams' previous series. It was a lot more open, no frustrating 'trapping' system that the Bruins had employed to slow down the Canadiens. It was also a very weird match. The puck didn't seem to follow the players' orders. The Habs struck Biron's posts twice in the first period and the Flyers' first goal was actually an own goal by Patrice Brisebois. I think that the Breezer needs some rest - in my opinion, eight playoffs games is stretching it for an old man. And Komisarek needs to keep a tighter grip on his emotions for the next game.
There's not a lot to say about the Flyers. They were disciplined but fatigue simply caught up to them.
One other game was played last night, Red Wings against the Avalanche. The Wings destroyed the Avs 4-3 (the score makes it closer than it actually was). Detroit leads the series 1-0.
| 36 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
