Ann 2Game 75 Review: Miller Wins Goaltending Duel As Sabres Edge Canadiens 4-3 In Shootout (Vid Inside)
April 5th 2009 03:20
Lydman beats Price in the shootout
It was the Sabres who opened the score at the end of an eventful first period. 24 minutes of penalties were given in the first twenty minutes including two fighting majors (Maxim Lapierre and Craig Rivet), two unsportsman-like conducts (Lapierre and Kaleta), and a never-before-seen (by me anyways) delay of game penalty at the faceoff circle given to Alex Kovalev for apparently “delaying” a faceoff. Now, I don't know how you can delay a faceoff since it's the refs' job to drop the puck but that's what happened.
Buffalo went up 2-0 thanks to a powerplay goal by Tim Connolly early in the second period and visions of last month's Habs began to resurface. Thankfully, Christopher Higgins made it 2-1 five minutes later and the comeback was underway. Alex Kovalev first tied the game by re-directing Saku Koivu's shot, then three minutes later, the Russian winger scored his second on the powerplay by trapping Schneider's pass/shot like a soccer player would receive a pass and quickly sliding the puck past Ryan Miller.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, their lead didn't stick as they returned to their old habit of falling back when leading a game. The Sabres took advantage of their opponents' lax posture to tie the game early in third period. Since neither team wanted to lose, the rest of the game was basically an exercise in team defense. By overtime, both teams were running out of gas. Alex Kovalev, a player who usually strives in 4-on-4 situations was barely able to skate, since he had been double-shifted during most of the second period as well as the entire third period after Bob Gainey decided to bench a lacklustre D'Agostini. The Sabres themselves were running on fumes, having played the night before.
The game was finally decided in the shootout as both goalkeepers came up with great saves, taking it all the way to six shooters. Toni Lydman gave the winning goal to Buffalo by beating Price five-hole while all six Habs shooters were stopped by Miller.
While a win would have been the best outcome for the Canadiens, the point awarded for losing in the shootout keeps them in front of the Panthers which is all that matters right now.
My 3 Stars:
3. Alex Tanguay
2. Ryan Miller
1. Alex Kovalev
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