Game 1 Summary

Kings forward, Anze Kopitar, celebrates after scoring the OT winner in game 1 against New Jersey

Tonight we saw a glimpse of this series true potential. Like I said in my series preview both of these teams play well when they are in control of the puck. So it was only natural that half of the game tonight was played in the neutral zone with neither team really being able to gain control. This was because both teams strategy is to get the puck out of their zone and into the other one. That went on back and forth for most of the night.

The first five minutes of the game was a case of both teams trying to find their rhythm against an uncommon opponent. The problem for the Devils was that they continued playing like that for the next 10 minutes while the Kings played like they were supposed to. Hard on the forecheck. Good passing....wait a minute. I just described the first goal:

This was a great effort by the LA fourth line who played great tonight for the Kings. They got in the Devils' faces all night and were really effective. Darryl Sutter used them wisely and they were able to cash in about halfway through the first on a bad Devils' turnover.

This kind of play by the Devils ultimately stopped with about 5 to go in the third when they finally started putting on pressure. But multiple missed opportunities throughout the game proved to be their downfall. Clarkson and Fayne both suffered bad open net misses and they came back to haunt Jersey in this one.

The Kings went on to control much of the 2nd period. They weren't really giving up too many quality chances and it took until about 5 minutes left in the 2nd for the Devils to get their first shot on net, that being a soft roller off the stick of Zach Parise shorthanded. But the Devils stuck around and started throwing shots on net and soon enough they caught a break with Volchenkov's first goal of the post season

That goal late in the second really presented a momentum shift in this contest. The Devils all of a sudden were controlling play and putting on pressure. The start of the third was pretty great for them as LA had no answer for their relentless play. Zach Parise had a golden chance right in front and with the net wide open but just shanked it wide. And then the sly little devil (no pun intended) tried to jam it in with his glove (it was waved off).

As a matter of fact, it took the Kings about 13 minutes to get a decent chance against the Devils as they were really pressed back in their own zone for the main part of the third. And somehow, Martin Brodeur made an incredible two-pad stack save on LA defenseman Drew Doughty.

Both teams went on to split their chances the rest of the way (in a cautious way, in my opinion) and that landed this game in overtime.

There's no other way of saying it besides the Devils outplayed the Kings in overtime. We won the battles along the boards. We outhustled the Kings to the puck. Think of a common cliche' in hockey in hockey, and the Devils probably did it.

But then one play got out of hand for them. 

Zach Parise somehow almost got a feed to the stick of Travis Zajac but the puck went over his stick and wrapped around the boards. You can guess what happened next.

Marek Zidlicky pinched, couldn't quite get the puck deep, and got taken out.

A gorgeous bank pass towards centre ice by Doughty.

Another great pass, no look backhand, by Justin Williams, after drawing in a risky pinch by Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador.

Which gave the one player on the Kings who the Devils don't want to be in all alone on the goaltender, Anze Kopitar, a breakaway.

And oh boy, does that man have a nice set of hands.

Anze Kopitar has shown time and time again why he's one of the best players in the NHL. For some reason he's underrated and not as well known, but he's got a wonderful list of sick plays and highlight reel goals to display.

And tonight he has another one.

So just to go over what happened tonight:

-The Kings literally outplayed the Devils in the first period and 2 quarters. They were physical and smart with the puck while the Devils were laid back, passive, and all around unremarkable. Devils' forward Patrick Elias said, "Honestly, we didn't deserve to win tonight...we've got to be a lot better than this". So the team realized their weak efforts. They did pick up their play in the 3rd and in OT but it just was not enough.

-The Devils arena was jumping tonight. A few of my buds made the trip down and they said the atmosphere was incredible.

-The ice at the Prudential Center tonight was disastrous. The building has a history of bad ice conditions and they usually do their best to make the ice as good as possible but tonight it wasn't very good. We constantly saw pucks bouncing, rolling off sticks, and ruining play. It's pretty hot this time of year, both in Jersey and in LA, and it'll be interesting to see how this progresses.

-The fourth line of the LA Kings really had a great game tonight. They were really able to move their legs and establish a forecheck and physical game. Their one goal tonight definitely showed their great play and coach Darryl Sutter rewarded them with at least 3 more minutes of ice time than they normally got. They deserved it and played a great game and will certainly play a factor later in the series.

-I alluded to it in my preview. In order for the Devils to succeed this round, they were going to need big play out of their big men. And sure enough, Dainius Zubrus stepped up with perhaps one of his best efforts this post season. He was skating hard and throwing his body around, something the smaller-sized Devils had to do. He didn't cash in on a goal but came pretty damn close. I said it before, but Zubrus and Alexei Ponikarovsky are both important pieces in this matchup.

-Although the Kings first line cashed in last night to make it 3 goals and 6 assists even strength for first lines against the Devils D in 19 games so far, I still don't think they played their best game. Dustin Brown wasn't really a factor and, for the most part, the Kings top unit was quiet last night. But then they stepped up and scored the one that mattered.

-The Devils shook up their lines a little again tonight. Ilya Kovalchuk was an MIA as, like I've said numerous times already, appears to be injured. Their fourth line, again, was very good.

-This game was unpredictably pretty physical. Both teams were really throwing big hits left and right and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shortage of ice packs in either locker room. Each team was going for the big hit and many of them connected. The Devils won the hitting contest 44-35, a surprising victory given the height disadvantage. The hitting will certainly keep up through game 2 and will hopefully spice up this series even more.

-Brodeur was really strong tonight stopping 23 of 25 shots and didn't really have a prayer on either goal (people were saying that he shoulda had the first one but I don't put the blame on him for the turnover and the one timer shot). He made several big saves and for the most part looked steady out there. Jonathan Quick also had a steady game for LA. He stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced and although he gave up several sloppy rebounds and appeared to be fighting off the puck at times, he was one of the reasons LA had a chance to win it in OT after the Devils' third period surge.

-As a Devils fan I've seen it a lot. It usually happens against frustrating games against the Rangers. We play a tough game and get several great chances but fail to capitalize. And then we can't quite get the next goal and look up to the scoreboard and see a disappointing loss. This was pretty much the case tonight. Clarkson, Parise, and Fayne all missed wide open nets and failed to put the game away. This happens pretty frequently to the Devils, but they're a good bounce-back kind of team so let's see how they respond in game 2.

-Just to talk about game 2 for a moment. The Devils are indeed a good bounce-back team and respond well to losses by putting it in their rear view mirror. This will be crucial for them in game 2 because if the Kings take the series back to Los Angeles up 2-0, there's no telling how high their confidence would be. The Devils are well aware of their lack of energy early on and will make it a point to start game 2. It's unfortunate for them that they're going to have to wait an extra day but I can see them starting out strong. They're going to have to if they want to make this things a series.

Dustin Brown Delivers Hit of the Playoffs

Unfortunately, in today's NHL, we don't see too many clean booming hits anymore. Players today all too often go for the big hit and end up letting their elbows flair and they occasionally leave their feat and/or target the head. That's what makes this hit all the more special/awesome.

In last night's game 3 between the Canucks and the Kings, LA captain Dustin Brown lined up Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin from a mile away. Sedin had to wait JUST outside the LA zone to stay onside and has he was beginning to circle around (to avoid Anze Kopitar), Brown came out of nowhere and knocked him down hard.

The hit was monstrous and Sedin had to take several seconds to regain balance/to remember what area code he was in. 

Brown is known for his physical presence and shows it here. But Vancouver fans actually wanted Brown suspended, something that I find even more ridiculous than Ranger fans upset with the Hagelin ruling!

So I wanted to look at this hit in every possible way and dispute the request for suspension.

First off, Henrik Sedin AND head coach Alain Vigneault both said it was a clean hit.

It was not "charging". Charging can be called when a player leaves his feet in a hit or travels a distance directly at a player for the hit. It was neither. True, Brown had the hit set up from just beyond Centre Ice but Sedin was just standing there with the puck so it was not a penalty.

It was not "boarding" for obvious reasons.

It was not "elbowing". Sure, Brown's elbow flared up at the end of the hit but that was just on his follow through. His actual hit was shoulder-to-shoulder and his elbow popped up when Henrik went down. People often confuse that with elbowing and it is one reason why people view Scott Stevens' hits as dirty (clean hit by Stevens). They see the elbow flare up after the hit and automatically consider it elbowing. But it's a natural occurrence especially on big hits like these.

It was not a head shot. Like I said before, it was shoulder-to-shoulder.

It was not interference. The hit was immediately following a pass by Sedin and it was in less than the half a second (.5 seconds) that the NHL gives to make a hit after a pass.

People did question the hit as a "blindside" hit or that Sedin was in a "vulnerable" position. However, the blindside terminology was removed from Rule 48 definition a year ago. Blindside is not a factor anymore. The important distinction now is between "unsuspecting" and "defenseless" players. An unsuspecting player puts himself in that situation while a defenseless player is one who has no reasonable expectation of being hit (i.e. a defenseman who is hit from behind along the boards). Henrik was not at all defenseless and was more of an unsuspecting player with his back turned to the play. When he made the play along the boards, he had to suspect that a hit was coming. He figured that he was all clear of everyone besides for Kopitar who was coming in on him which was why he turned. That last second turn made the hit not from behind. 

So to sum up, it was not targetting the head, late (interference), elbowing, charging, or boarding. It was just one fine hell of a hit.

Quick Facts

Just a few quick facts before tonights game 6 in Boston.

The NHL and the NHLPA talked today and they decided that work will be done to change Rule 48 . This is the rule right now:

Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.

48.2 Minor Penalty - There is no provision for a minor penaltyfor this rule.

48.3 Major Penalty - For a violation of this rule, a major penalty shall be assessed (see 48.4).

48.4 Game Misconduct – An automatic game misconduct penalty shall be assessed whenever a major penalty is assessed under this rule.

48.5 Match Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.

48.6 Fines and Suspensions – Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion  (refer to Rule28).

So the 2 groups decided that they'll come up with a better way to word the details of these confusing and vague rules. Noone is really clear when a player should be suspended or not nowadays after a big hit. For instance, people feel that the Rome hit was punished too severely. So hopefully they will come up with a solution to this problem and make the game safer while keeping it as enjoyable.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that for the first time since 2002, the NHL finals will finish after the NBA finals. After last nights snooze-fest in Miami, the NHL finals stand alone in the playoff world. I don't know whether this is a good thing or not or whether it's just sheer coincidence when this stuff happens (I'd say the latter) but some people like weird stats like this so why not eh?

6 Reasons Boston is coming back in the series

1: Nathan Horton Inspiration
When Nathan Horton hit the ice early in game 3, Boston almost changed their play and intensity immediately. They were more puck hungry and attacked the Canucks defense relentlessly with an impressive forecheck. This resulted in them scoring 12 goals in 2 games. Their attack hasn't let up one bit since the hit and if they can continue this play into Vancouver, this series will be over in 2 games. This was an emotional moment before game 4 the other night. The very beginning of this next video, legendary Bobby Orr was swinging a flag with Horton and his number on it for the fans.

And that brings me to number 2...

2: Home sweet home

Home ice advantage is a unique advantage in sports. The benefits aren't necessarily physically present but it does play a role in the teams' performance. People counted Boston out after their 2 emotionally draining losses in Vancouver. But all it took was a trip home and now they seem unstoppable. Their loud fans are always cheering for them and it adds to the excitement of the game to the players and to the fans watching at home. As a goalie, I know the benefits of playing on home ice. It's an added feeling of strength and determination. Don't believe me? Just ask this guy...

3: Tim Thomas

Thomas is an unorthodox goalie. In his style AND in his mindset. Because of his style he gave up this goal in game 2. He faced a ton of criticism for it but I backed him up. That's the way he plays and it often works out well for him. But then what he's done the next 2 games has impressed me the most. He has given up on 1 goal in the last 2 games on 79 shots. He came out and performed on an extremely impressive level while being publicly criticized for his style of play. Not only that, but his aggressive style of play has continued during these 2 games. Don't believe me? Just ask Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows...

But Thomas has to be careful about his continuous checking spree. Because we all know what might happen..

4: Roberto Luongo

After his weak first round, Luongo turned things around with two solid series against Nashville and San Jose' respectively and opened up to a good start this series as well. But then the Bruins started to score. And score. And score. During the 8-1 loss though, while it was 5-1 in the third with about 7 minutes left, Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault asked Luongo if he wanted to leave the game but Luongo refused. Then he gave up 3 goals in the last 3 minutes. He played most of the game again in game 4 but was pulled with 15 minutes to go in the third in favor of Corey Schneider after Luongo gave up 4 goals on 20 shots. But Vigneault said he was going to start Luongo again tonight in game 5. This shows that the coach has faith in his goalie which is a good sign. But Luongo has to prove he's worthy of the faith now. 12 goals in 2 games won't cut it.

5: Vancouver's magic trick

And all of a sudden, Vancouver's offense disappears! Both Sedins, Kesler, and pretty much everyone else hasn't done anything in the Stanley Cup Finals round and that's not a good sign for a team that is this good. In the last 2 games, captain Henrik Sedin only has 2 shots on net. His brother Daniel only has 4 shots in the last 2 games. And Kesler only has 7. These are guys who have to step up for Vancouver this round. Your stars have to set the tempo but it appears their third and fourth line have been doing that for them. Burrows has played well as has Raffi Torres. 

6: Missing Defense

Vancouver completes the tri-fecta. All three positions have slumped for them the past 2 games. After Rome was suspended because of his hit, Keith Ballard moved up into his position. This wouldn't have been a problem if Ballard, who hasn't played since May 24th, played well. But he didn't play well. Therefore, it was a problem. Furthermore, guys like Sami Salo also performed under par and therefore, the defense also deserves some criticism for their 12 goals given up in 2 games.

One last video from my good friends OttawaGh0st4.

Dirty Hit by Aaron Rome in game 3

courtesy to hockeyfights.com

Was it a dirty hit? Yes. He targeted the head. No question about it. He didn't really leave his feat for the hit. Leaving his feat was the aftermath of the contact. It was also late. Almost as late as this Stevens' hit on Kariya in 2003's Stanley Cup Final (not even a penalty on the play that year)

So now it's time for me to be critical. I'm going to compare these two videos. First off the fans. The Bruin fans cried all series against Montreal that the Habs players were diving. Ever since then, the Bruins have been doing the same exact thing. Now the game has changed since 2003 until now. The refs have gotten stricter with the rules. But the fans in the Anaheim game were not instantly booing/crying to the refs for the call which is exactly what the Boston fans were doing. (once again. I'm not denying it wasn't a penalty. It was.) Another thing, players dive more nowadays. They try anything to draw a penalty. Horton was down on the ice but looked fine after several minutes. He was taken to the hospital. They said he was fine essentially. Kariya? He eventually came back THAT GAME and scored a goal. Just saying.

Another thing. I don't play ice hockey but I still know the number 1 rule: DON'T SKATE WITH YOUR HEAD DOWN. In today's NHL, you will be dominated if you don't skate with your head up the whole time. This was why players like Eric Lindros kept getting injured. Horton, after passing it, took too long admiring his own pass instead of looking ahead. All of this could have been avoided if he did this. Well he paid the consequence.

So was it a penalty? yes. but this better not be a suspension.

Top Plays (hits, goals, saves) of the Year

goals of the year: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=17&id=109484
hits of the year: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=17&id=109483
saves of the year: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=17&id=109482