August 2nd A Day In Review

Photo Credit: NHL.COM

August 2nd Review

Coyotes vs Predators

Let the small dog eat.

Three first periods goals propelled the Coyotes to a 4-3 series opening win over the Nashville Predators.

• Captain clutch. Coyotes Captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the game's opening goal. The big Swedish defenseman logged big minutes, 23:49 TOI, in his first playoff appearances since 2012.

• Upsets continue. The additions of Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall have pushed the Coyotes to their first appearance in post regular season games in eight years. They looked poised to make a statement as the underdog.

• Uncertainty between the pipes. Jusse Saros has made 12 previous playoff appearances, but none as the clear cut starter. With the team at his reigns he was outdueled by  Darcy Kuemper in Game 1 and will have to up his game to help his team's chances.

Bruins vs Flyers

Brotherly love.

Chris Wagner would score the lone goal for the President Trophy winning Bruins as the Flyers would come out victorious 4-1 on Sunday afternoon.

• Where's Tuukka. An undisclosed illness kept Bruins main netminder Tukkaa Rask out of the lineup. With the Vezina Candidate watching the game, backup tender Jaroslav Halak struggled as a replacement, allowing four goals on 29 shots.

• Depth to go deep. The Flyers leaned on the secondary scoring with two of their markers coming from their fourth line. Phillipe Myers found the back of the net, a defenseman with only five career goals.

• Pasta for lunch. Sean Couturier's line was able to shut down the Bruins top scorer for the majority of the game. Pastrnak was held to two shots on net playing 21:19 and going -3.

Avalanche vs Blues

Buzzer Beater.

Nazem Kadri would play hero scoring with 0.1 seconds left on the clock as the Avs topped the Blues 2-1 in their first matchups of round robin play.

• Second times a charm. After nearly missing a wide open net in the dying seconds the game, Nazem Kadri would make no mistake of his second chance. The powerplay marker broke the tie and would prove to be the game winner.

• Slow start. After getting shutout 4-0 against Chicago in their warmup match, the Blues struggled to find their footing, getting outshot 16-4 in the first period. However a powerplay goal late in the frame would be the spark they needed as the team took a lead into the break despite the shot differential.

• Goaltending duel. Reigning Cup Champ Jordan Binginton picked up right where he left of from last season's playoffs making 36 stops on 38 attempts. His counterpart, Philip Grubauer of the Avs, would make 31 saves in the winning effort.

Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs

Defense Defeats.

After two scoreless periods, Cam Atkinson would burst down the right side a squeaked a shot farside to break the deadlocked game, Columbus won game 1, 2-0.

• Top Pairing. Zach Werenski and Seth Jones shot down the Leafs prolific offensive attack. The pair played 25:20 and and 26:54 TOI respectively.

• Leafs defenseman Justin Holl played his first career playoff game. He appeared nervous and was a liability in his own end. 

• It was a toss up between the pipes for Columbus with Merzilikins and Korpsalo at their disposal. Torterella went with the latter and his decision paid off as the 26 year old Fin made 28 saves in the shutout.

Canucks vs Wild

Wild West.

Kevin Fiala would score early in the first, his marker would go on to be the eventual game winner in a defensive matchup Sunday night.

• Rising star. Kevin Fiala who ranked fourth in scoring over the 25 final games of the season picked up where he left off, opening the scoring in the first.

• Right Decision. Alex Stalock was given the nod over more experienced Devan Dubnyk. Stalock would secure his first career post season shutout in the win.

• Stripes. Vancouver was given only one powerplay in the game, with under five minutes left in the third nonetheless. The Canucks ranked fourth in powerplay percentage this past season and will need more looks to drive their offense.

~ Brandon Smith BTH Writers