Canucks Outlast Stars In Game 1.....
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by user UNT66
If the first game of the playoff series between Dallas and Vancouver is any indication of how this series will play out, all Stars and Canucks will need to take afternoon naps and have their favorite Caffeinated beverage on standby.
Canucks Henrik Sedin ended the 6th longest playoff game in NHL History, scoring the game winner in quadruple overtime, giving Vancouver a 1-0 lead over Dallas in their best of 7 series.
After regulation expired and each team scored 4 goals, it took nearly 80 more minutes of hockey to declare a winner.
After 131 shots by both clubs and 69 shots in the overtime sessions, Henrik Sedin drove to the front of the goal crease and pounded a puck in front of Stars Goaltender Marty Turco, finally ending a game that saw both teams use momentum swings in order to claim an advantage.
Yet, only the Canucks took advantage of a Stars mistake in defensive coverage., giving the home team a 1-0 advantage in their playoff series.
For the Canucks, they will need to win Game 2 on Friday Night in order to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series.
For the Stars, they will need to win Game 2 to even the series and claim home ice advantage for themselves.
Notes:
Special Teams Were Even:
Both teams scored a power play goal on Wednesday Night, but each team failed to convert on a 5-3 man advantage during Game 1, failing to capitalize on a huge chance to capture momentum in the contest.
For the Canucks, they could have made the contest laughable by scoring with the 2 man advantage in the first period, giving the Stars a deficit that they probably couldn't have overcome.
For the Stars, they could have won the game in OT with a 2 man advantage, but the Canucks killed off the power play and would later score the Game Winning Goal, preventing the Stars to score a 1-0 lead on the road.
-Hopefully, the special teams will improve in Game 2, or else these games could be just a long.....
5-4?
In the regular season series between Dallas and Vancouver, both teams only scored three goals combined in all four regular season games.
In Game 1, both teams combined for 9 goals and both of the franchise goaltenders and defenses looked shaky.
For Dallas, they will need to have better luck with pucks going off of skates and glass. Also, the Stars defenseman will need to do a better job of clearing the puck out of their own zone. At times, Vancouver was able to take advantage of weak attempts to send the puck into the neutral zone and redirect those pucks into the Stars net.
For Vancouver, Roberto Luongo will need to step up his game, as he gave up a couple soft goals. Also, the Stars could have scored a few more goals on Wednesday Night if they were first to rebounds. Only Antti Miettinen scored of a Luongo rebound, but the Stars could generated more offense if they crashed the net more often.
If both teams sure up their defensive game and their goaltender, this series will return to the low scoring that occurred during the regular season.
Turco.....
After making 51 saves, Stars goaltender Marty Turco gave up 5 goals and ended up on a short list of scapegoats for the loss on Wednesday Night.
Yet, his play in the overtime sessions helped the Stars keep the game moving and hopefully to a game winning goal. Unfortunately, the best chance was the Stu Barnes shots that hit the crossbar.
For Turco, his starting job is fine for now, but if he struggles in Game 2, Mike Smith might be forced into action.
Morrow.....
With a goal and an assist, Stars captain Brenden Morrow continued his hot streak into the playoffs, now scoring 13 points in his last 12 games.
If other Stars players including Mike Modano could join Morrow in his red hot scoring ways, the Stars could easily beat the Canucks.
Game 2:
After needing the entire Thursday to recover for the 4 overtime thriller, I am looking forward to the Stars tying the series against the Canucks. I just hope the Stars players will have their bodies and their minds ready to comeback and even the series. If they fail to win on Friday, the task of winning the series will become more difficult.
JG
