Hockey Night in Canada's Andi Petrillo says Toronto needs to control its emotions against Boston and warns St. Louis of the surging defending Stanley Cup champions from Los Angeles.
Boston 5, Toronto 2
On-Ice: A great rebound game by the Bruins. I know we've heard it time and time again that playoff experience is the key to success, but we're really seeing it in this series. The Leafs are equally talented, if not faster, but they seem to be having a difficult time controlling their emotions and it's causing them to play erratically. Phil Kessel is 6-feet tall, but his shadow is 6-foot-7. It was fascinating watching Zdeno Chara chase him down all game. How annoying is that? Think about it for second, keep thinking. There you go, that's right, it's annoying.
Off-Ice: It was reported around 10,000 people were crammed into Maple Leafs Square, which is cool. What's not cool? All the trash just thrown on the streets. Embarrassing.
N.Y. Rangers 4, Washington Capitals 3
On-Ice: This one time, when I was kid, I ran away from my parents and they went crazy looking for me. When they found me, my mom was hugging and smacking me at the same time. That's how I feel about Marc Staal. I'm so happy he still has his eye, still has his vision and was back in the lineup Monday night for the first time since March 5. But I also want to reprimand him for not having worn a visor! At least he's wearing one now. This was a back-and-forth affair and the Rangers fed off the home crowd to not give up. Had they given up, they'd be down 3-0 in the series.
Off-Ice: Tom Hanks was at the game sporting a moustache. Sweet.
Detroit Red Wings 3, Anaheim Ducks 2 (OT)
On-Ice: The Red Wings are showing a lot more fight in this first-round series than they did last year when they bowed out in five games to the Nashville Predators. Mind you, they were struck by the injury fairy last year. But they still had Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom in the lineup. This year, it's a rookie getting it done. Damien Brunner scored the overtime winner and that now gives him two goals and four points in four games.
Off-Ice: The Red Wings were probably fuelled by anger. Prior to the game, they learned the Ducks will be playing an outdoor match on Jan. 25, 2014, at Dodger Stadium against the Kings. Detroit will be hosting Toronto outdoors on Jan. 1 in the dead cold. Somehow, it just doesn't seem fair, especially since I'll most likely be in Detroit.
Los Angeles Kings 4, St. Louis Blues 3
On-Ice: This game alone featured seven goals, while the previous three games saw a total of seven. I'm not going to lie, I thought the Kings were done. Yet here we are with the series tied 2-2. The Kings even trailed 2-0 in this game. But there's a reason why they're the defending champions. This is a very well-composed team.
Off-Ice: Rumour has it Jonathan Quick plays his best hockey when he's ticked off. Note to David Perron: "Stop running into him! Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Let sleeping dogs lie?'"
Follow Andi Petrillo on Twitter @andipHNIC
Back to accessibility links
0 comments:
Post a Comment