Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Morning Notes in the Playoffs (May 10)



The Dallas Stars were not in the kindest of predicaments, as the St. Louis Blues stole a game from them at home, putting the Stars behind the 8-ball heading back to St. Louis, given the tough task of doing what was done to them a couple nights earlier.

The Stars had that extra jump to start the game, scoring early and often, chasing Brian Elliott from the Blues' net before the 17-minute mark, thanks to three 1st period goals from Mattias Janmark, Vernon Fiddler and Jason Spezza.

After the goalie change, which gave Box 12 entry, Jake Allen, his first action in these playoffs, the Blues tightened up their game and tried to mount the comeback over a couple of periods, trying to knock out the Stars.  Unfortunately for the Blues, the comeback fell a bit short, as only Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund scored in the 2nd and 3rd, falling a goal short for a 3-2 finish.

This means we have a Game 7 ahead of us, as this series will shift back to Dallas for a Best of One series.

Game 6 wasn't a great game for the pool, as the Stars only had 2 points for the win from Kari Lehtonen and then Spezza got credit for the winner, making up his 2 points on the night.  Let's all hope that Game 7 has a 8-7 final to it.

It was a bit of a different story in Nashville, as the home team has won every game between the Sharks and the Predators, but the Sharks tried oh so hard to break that streak.  A couple of goals from Chris Tierney in the 1st got the visitors off to a good start, but early in the 2nd, the Preds had it tied up, thanks to a Roman Josi goal before the end of one and a Ryan Johansen goal, a minute and a half into the 2nd.

In the 3rd, the Sharks took advantage of a power play, with a Logan Couture goal midway through, to take the lead again, 3-2, but it only lasted for a couple of minutes, as Colin Wilson tied it up on a great passing play.  Nothing was solved before the end of the frame, so it went to overtime.

The extra frame only lasted for two minutes, as Viktor Arvidsson won the game on a well-placed backhand, leading a rush into the Sharks' zone and just like that, we've got a Game 7 to play in this series as well.

Pekka Rinne finished the night making 15 saves and earning 1 assist for a 3-point night for the winners, while Brent Burns had a couple of assists in the losing cause.  The only two pool worthy players who were notable last night.

Game 7 between the Blues and Stars will go on Wednesday night, while the Predators and Sharks won't go until Thursday night.  We might even have some pregame previews for those who care enough to stop by beforehand.

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