By Kat
LA Kings (4) – Vancouver Canucks (2)
There’s nothing like a little trash talk to stoke animosity and light a fire under our collective rear ends; the LA Kings’ Twitter feed just got a lot busier after they took this jab at the Canucks following the Kings’ 4-2 win in Game 1:
All this criticism of the reigning President’s Trophy winners two years running may be baffling to some, but the Canucks’ skaters will have to muster a better effort in Game 2 if they’re to stay in this series. For starters, staying out of the penalty box and away from the diving antics would do wonders. The only big positive for Canucks fans last night came when oft-criticized Roberto Luongo made three big saves in the first minute of the game; all signs point to a good series from him. The Canucks will need it, as it looks like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards have come to play.
Philadelphia Flyers (4) – Pittsburgh Penguins (3) OT
The matchup to watch in the East, Game 1 certainly disappoint for drama as the Penguins built an early 3-0 lead before the Flyers tied it up with three unanswered goals of their own to tie it at the end of regulation. Jacob Vorachek capped the Flyers’ comeback with the overtime winner off a scramble at the side of the Penguins’ net. Goaltending was a question for both teams going into the series, and both goalies were guilty of bad stretches where they gave up three straight tallies when the game was on the line. Both teams will also be hoping that the zebras sharpen up for Game 2, with one blown offside call and a botched icing leading to goals for both teams.
Nashville Predator (3) – Detroit Red Wings (2)
The Nashville Predators continued the Red Wings’ road woes, taking Game 1 on the strength of Gabriel Bourque’s two goals. Talk after the game circled around Shea Weber’s UFC-style whaling on Henrik Zetterberg’s head, which today landed the star defenceman a just $2500 fine from the NHL. The Wings probably won’t be too happy with such a lenient sentence, even if Zetterberg did appear to be injured from the incident. However, the news wasn’t as good for Wings forward Darren Helm, who was lost for the rest of the playoffs following emergency surgery for lacerated tendons in his forearm after being cut by a skate.
Given yesterday’s action, what are your predictions for the rest of the first round? The Rangers–Ottawa, Boston-Washington, St Louis-San Jose, and Phoenix-Chicago series all get underway today.
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