Both goalies made some incredible saves. The top lines for both teams were unstoppable. Such great defense! And the ice at the UC - top notch!
Wait, what?
OK, back to reality. What a clusterfuck of a game. This was probably the worst game the Hawks have played all post season. And they *won.* If I was Philly, I'd be nervous because a) the Hawks top line did nada (unless you include Toews' obscene faceoff win percentage) b) the Flyers had no penalties called against them (WTF? AGAIN?!) and the Hawks tied them 1-1 on scoring on those PPs c) both goalies played less than stellar. Part of me feels that this was the best punch Philly could throw at us and we still survived.
Thankfully the Hawks' secondary players came up big for - Brouwer had 2 (welcome back!), Sharpie, Versteeg, Bolland had a shortie and the previously healthy scratched Kopecky (in for the injured Ladd), had the GWG. And for as terrible as Nemo was in the first two periods, he came up big for us in the third. Though honestly, one maybe two of those goals he let in are his fault what with the puck deflecting in off his D-men and everyone standing around watching the Flyers charge the net. Niemi will definitely need to limit rebounds going forward and the D needs to clear the net out much like they've done throughout the playoffs.
As for the Flyers, nothing like having a goalie controversy in the midst of the Stanley Cup Finals. I had a feeling Leighton might be over his head - they had a shot of him pregame and it looked like he needed to change his pants. Postgame, Leighton downplayed his crappy play while Niemi came right out and said he didn't play well. Hmm. I would think Leighton's on a short leash tonight - unless Boucher is more hurt than they've let on. It did look like he couldn't get his leg fully extended on the goal by Kopecky, Let's hope that Niemi has a patented great game after a mediocre one as is his history.
I will shave my head if the Hawks don't get several power plays in this game. Especially since Carcillo's in the lineup tonight. After one game the Flyers have already shuffled their lines while the Hawks stay steady. You'd think there wouldn't be this much panic after just one game - but perhaps the Flyers realize it's a tough road going back to Philly down 2-0. One can only hope.
Speaking of which - sorry Flyers, Yahoo! Sports have already deemed it so:
Ha, FAIL! Actually I believe Yahoo did this before in the Vancouver series, so I'll take this as a good omen. I also found a caption-FAIL on their site:
Um, that's Bryan Bickell, not Kopecky. You'd think they might know the difference between the man who scored the winning goal in Game One (and now has his own "History Will Be Made" commercial) and a guy with no teeth who's mostly played in the AHL this year. Narf.
I will be watching this game at home. I went to a bar on Friday and had a great time with other folks from the SCH blog. We must have been a sight - one minute jumping and screaming, the next a loud chorus of "SHIT!" and long sips on our adult beverages. Since I have to work tomorrow (BOO) I figured I'd try to be presentable in the morning. This week's going to be tough - perhaps I should put a disclaimer on my cube.
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