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OTTAWA 2 NEW YORK 1 (Senators lead 1-0)
Erik Karlsson continues to be an early Conn Smythe candidate as he scored a crazy one late in the 3rd period to give the Sens a 2-1 victory and a 1-0 series lead over the New York Rangers.
Did he mean to do that? We'll never know, but that was one hell of a shot. Alexandre Burrows continued to be a valuable pickup for the Sens at the deadline as he set up the tying goal on a PP in the 2nd by Ryan Dzingel. Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular in the loss, stopping 21 shots in the first period alone. Craig Anderson was equal to the task, shutting the door after a Ryan McDonagh PPG in the 2nd.
PITTSBURGH 3 WASHINGTON 2 (Penguins lead 1-0)
They were the better team for the majority of the game, but as we often see in playoff time, it's all about the bounces and Pittsburgh got them. After a scoreless first, Sidney Crosby scored twice in 52 seconds for a 2-0 Penguins lead, but his old nemesis Alex Ovechkin countered late in the period to make it 2-1. Evgeny Kuznetsov tied it in the 3rd, but a breakaway goal from Nick Bonino gave the Pens the win. Check out this flurry of action late in the game, where Marc-Andre Fleury saves the game for the Pens.
They're the only team to remain undefeated so far in the playoffs, and despite Pekka Rinne giving up as many goals in Game 1 as he did in the 4 games against Chicago, the Preds are confident they can head to Nashville Sunday with a 2-0 lead. The Blues meanwhile will have to do better than the 1 for 16 on the PP that they've managed so far, as well as keeping Nashville from capitalizing on theirs. The Preds scored on 2 of 3 with the man advantage Wednesday night.
So why have the Oilers done so well so far? Balanced scoring is one big reason. They've gotten game winners from guys who aren't in their top 6, and when your bottom 6 and D can step up like that, it's a pretty good bet you're going to be successful. They're also getting the goaltending they need from Cam Talbot. The Ducks meanwhile need to get guys other than Ryan Getzlaf scoring. They also might have to be without Kevin Bieksa, who suffered a lower-body injury in Game 1. Bieksa has 4 assists so far this postseason. Sami Vatanen may be close to getting back into the lineup though.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
BRAND NEW MUNICIPAL WASTE!!! From their upcoming album 'Slime And Punishment', this is 'Amateur Sketch' and holy crap I cannot wait to hear the rest of this one!