This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
It truly is the year of goaltenders.
In Tampa, rookie Petr Mrazek was brilliant, turning aside 44 shots and making Mike Babcock look like a genius. The Lightning controlled most of the game and Jon Cooper said he "couldn't have drawn the game plan up any better," but they just couldn't get the bounces. Mrazek's strong performance essentially staples Jimmy Howard to the bench barring some kind of meltdown, and puts the Wings in a good position. The pressure's on the Lightning to win the next game to take a 1-1 split into Detroit, which can be a really tough city to play for road teams. If the Lightning continue to play like this, it'll still be a quick series.
Ken Hitchcock's gamble, on the other hand, didn't pay off so well with Jake Allen allowing four goals in a loss to the underrated Wild. Minneosta's depth paid off with Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba getting goals and Justin Fontaine and trade deadline acquisition Chris Stewart netting assists. Allen was quite good, although not particularly outstanding, and was outdueled Devan Dubnyk, who wasn't really tested with just 21 shots, although some of them were from close range. Hitchcock all but said that he would commit to Allen in Game 2, refusing to push the panic button despite suffering what seems like the most consecutive playoff disappointments by an elite coach. No question this one has the most potential to go the distance.
In New York, Henrik Lundqvist was his usual self as the Rangers shut out Sidney Crosby and defeated the Pens, 2-1. The result really comes to no surprise and if the Rangers can keep Crosby off the score sheet, it'll be a short series indeed. The Pens ran into penalty trouble with four straight penalty kills in the first period and never recovered. Discipline has always been a problem with the Pens, both stemming from Crosby's reputation as a whiner and the players the team employs, from past (Matt Cooke) to present (Steve Downie, David Perron). Ian Cole led all Pens defensemen in ice time with over 26 minutes, and with all due respect to Cole, he's a second pairing defenseman, at best.
The Jets looked like they had the edge in Game 1 in Anaheim, but couldn't match the Ducks' star power. A popular pick for a first-round upset, the Jets controlled the play for most of the first half, physically dominating the play on the boards, finishing checks, causing turnovers and using their speed and mobile defense to create a dangerous offensive attack. But it was ultimately the Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry show, with the dynamic duo combining for seven points. Frederik Andersen was sharp and Ondrej Pavelec played well, but the momentum just swung the Ducks' way at the right moment. Momentum will be a huge factor in the series, especially when the Jets have their home crowd behind them, but must find a way to neutralize the Ducks' top duo. The Jets' play down the stretch was disconcerting because the Ducks seemed so dominant, especially in faceoffs, but it's too early in the series to say anything definitively.
Friday notes:
- Is hunting for P.K. Subban's head going to be a reality or yet another unfulfilled media narrative? Dave Cameron had strong words but Michel Therrien's preaching discipline, and it's not like the Sens have any heavyweights to clean Subban's clock. Going back to the season, Price has now won his past four starts.
- It looks like Tom Wilson will draw in for the Caps, who looked absolutely lethargic against the Isles. Here's hoping Mr. Knuckle Sandwich can help spark Barry Trotz's squad.
- Corey Crawford's already got the nod for Game 2, as he should, and with a win the Hawks can take a commanding 2-0 lead back to Chicago. That's huge. Traditionally speaking, offensive teams like Peter Laviolette's that rely too heavily on one defensive pair don't go far in the playoffs, and even more concerting is the Preds blowing a lead on home ice despite having the conference's best home record. The Hawks are looking like they could make this a quick series. Oh, and Patrick Kane shows no rust, but says he's not 100 percent yet. That sound you hear is Pekka Rinne's groan of pain.
- The Canucks have to win Game 2. Going back to Calgary down 2-0 in the series will make it tough, and splitting Games 3 and 4 will put the Canucks one game away from elimination. Sure, the Flames don't have as much depth as the Canucks, but they're much faster. Another loss, even if it may not be Eddie Lack's fault, may pave the way for Ryan Miller to return, who didn't look quite right in the season finale against Edmonton. If the four trailing teams find themselves in a 2-0 hole after Friday, the Canucks are the most doomed.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Ottawa Senators (Andrew Hammond) at Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price), 7:00 PM
New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00 PM
Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford*) at Nashville Predators (Pekka Rinne), 9:30 PM
Calgary Flames (Jonas Hiller) at Vancouver Canucks (Eddie Lack), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips, D (undisclosed) – no return date set.
Robin Lehner, G (concussion) – no return date set.
Matt Puempel, LW (high ankle sprain) – out 4-6 weeks.
Mark Stone, RW (right wrist microfracture) – game-time decision; questionable.
Montreal Canadiens
P.A. Parenteau, RW (upper body) – game-time decision; questionable.
Max Pacioretty, LW (upper body) – skated Thursday; questionable.
New York Islanders
Mikhail Grabovski, C (concussion) – no return date set.
Travis Hamonic, D (undisclosed) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Washington Capitals
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – no return date set.
John Erskine, D (neck) – no return date set.
Tom Wilson, RW (head) – game-time decision; probable.
Chicago Blackhawks
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D (wrist) – no return date set.
Daniel Carcillo, LW (upper body) – no return date set.
Nashville Predators
Cody Franson, D (upper body) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Eric Nystrom, LW (lower body) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Mike Fisher, C (lower body) – left Wednesday's game; questionable.
Calgary Flames
Ladislav Smid, D (neck) – out for the season.
Mark Giordano, D (torn biceps) – no return date set.
Raphael Diaz, D (undisclosed) – no return date set.
Lance Bouma, LW (upper body) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Paul Byron, LW (lower body) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Vancouver Canucks
Zack Kassian, RW (back) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Kevin Bieksa, D (undisclosed) – did not practice Thursday; questionable.
Hot
Petr Mrazek, G, Red Wings – The Magician may have pulled the heavy lifting on offense but it was Mrazek who allowed the Wings to escape with a big win in Game 1. With Jimmy Howard struggling, Mike Babcock took a chance and put his foot on the accelerator, knowing full well that Mrazek is the franchise's goalie of the future and could start his reign as soon as this postseason. Babcock's gamble paid off; Mrazek turned aside 44 shots and cast a little doubt in the heavily favored and offensively dangerous Lightning. If Mrazek keeps this up, Howard will never see the ice again, and if Mrazek can steal another game, the Wings become the heavy favorites with two dates at the Joe, which can be a nightmare to play in.
Jason Pominville, RW, Wild – The 32-year-old didn't have a great season, seeing his goal total drop to 18 from 30, tying his the worst output of his career since his rookie year, partly because he shot a career-worst 7.1 percent. The good news is that Pominville's actually not that bad (yet), and he's been firing more shots with the Wild than ever before. It paid off in Game 1 with a goal and an assist. He's not as quick as he used to be, but he's a savvy veteran with enough playoff experience to have a few tricks up his sleeve.
Cold
Ben Bishop, G, Lightning –Bishop had a rough night, stopping just 11 shots in the 3-2 loss. You can chalk that up to the Lightning having the puck much of the time, which prevented Bishop from getting in a groove, but it's still no excuse. The good news is that Tampa doesn't have to do anything differently in Game 2 other than spiking Mrazek's water bottle to get a different result. Jon Cooper even said after the game that the team couldn't be faulted for the way they played. The bad news is that the Bolts actually have a very good backup in Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins – Crosby had one poor game, which isn't a big deal, but it's rare to see the world's best player held off the score sheet with just one shot on goal. The Rangers are deep enough to afford playing their top players less than 20 minutes a night, but the depleted Pens can't do that. Granted, the Pens didn't do themselves any favors with four straight penalties in the first period, which forced Johnston to play Dan Winnik and Max Lapierre more than he'd like, but going against Henrik Lundqvist it's just curious Johnson would play Crosby just 19:11 and Evgeni Malkin 17:31.
Recommended Value Play
Sam Bennett, LW, Flames – Bennett is now 2-for-2 in his NHL appearances, notching an assist in the final game of the regular season and then another in a dominant performance against Vancouver in Game 1. The former fourth overall pick fired four shots on goal and clearly used speed to his advantage against a slower Canucks defense. He's majorly undervalued in daily games and presents a lot of upside. The resilient Canucks are very unlikely to lose two in a row at home but Bennett should have another strong outing in Game 2. Bennett played 15 minutes on the team's second line and seemed to work well with Mikael Backlund, an underrated center.
