The Montreal Canadiens finally figured out how to deal with their goalie situation following the injury to Carey Price. And yes, apparently the players and coaches were all on board with the decision to start Dustin Tokarski. But really, the way to solve any goalie controversy is simply to score 7 goals on the opposition, and render the point moot.
Granted, the Habs scored the first four, and then allowed the New York Rangers to level the score with 3 goals in 4 minutes and 24 seconds. Not ideal. But scoring an additional 3 after that sure helped. Blow by blow, from the perspective of a Habs fan here. [Eyes on the Prize] And of course, we must mention here that Henrik Lundqvist, he of the heretofore stellar postseason play, was a mere mortal last night. Perhaps less than that, seeing as he got pulled in the second period. Rangers had better hope he’s feeling more up to it on Thursday. [Blueshirt Banter]
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Know how the Toronto Maple Leafs are the poster boys for a refusal to believe in the power of #fancystats?Apparently the phenomenon carries on down the organization to the AHL level. After the Texas Stars outshot the Toronto Marlies 50-19 in Game 1 of their Western Conference Final series, they then proceeded to outshoot them 52-30 in Monday night’s game. Yes, that’s right. In two games, the Stars put 102 shots on the Toronto net, and faced fewer than half that.
Of course, they lost the first, and then in the second, after taking the first 6 shots of the game, they suddenly found themselves down a goal when Toronto scored on their first shot. Happily the game wasn’t a repeat of Friday night, and the Stars made Marlies’ goaltender Drew MacIntyre look much more human. Although he did still make 46 saves…
Full recap provided by our friends at 100 Degree Hockey.
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The Chicago Blackhawks officially have their backs to the wall. After the Los Angeles Kings won the second game in LA on Monday night the Hawks are down 3-1 in the series. Let’s not forget though that last year they were also down 3-1 in a series, and we all know how that turned out. [Cheer the Anthem]
So the Hawks are down 3-1, which means the Kings are up 3-1 (it’s all about universal balance, see). On a side note though, can one really be on the brink of positive things? I always associated that phrase with the potential for failure. You know, on the edge, close to falling… But whatever. Jewels from the Crown see it differently. They also saw Game 4 differently from Hawks fans, funny enough. [Jewels from the Crown]
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A good look at the top European prospects in the Dallas Stars’ system. Highlights include the impending North American invasion of John Klingberg, and a segment entitled ‘Where in the World is Austin Smith?’ [Hockeys Future]
What We Learned around the NHL. The West is better than the East? Tell us something we don’t know! [Puck Daddy]
Remember J.S. Giguerre sharing a lap around the rink with Teemu Selanne after the final regular season game between the Avalanche and Ducks? Well in hindsight, that might have been his farewell lap. [CBS Sports]
I want a local donut shop like this one. Obviously with a different team name on the donut, but still. [Puck Daddy]
And lastly, this is what we love about hockey. Dustin Tokarski makes a save on a Brian Boyle shot with the game tied in the second period, 9 seconds later the Canadiens score at the other end of the ice to take the lead for good. Love it.