Kolbe's NHL Playoff Recap 5-1-2013
Steve Kolbe is joined by Kevin Thomas & Andy Snakovsky to bring you the lastest on the NHL Playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks, President's Trophy winners, needed overtime to win against Minnesota. The Wild had to play the best team in the NHL without their starting goalie, Niklas Backstrom, who was injured during warmups. Everyone thought this would be a blowout with Josh Harding in net but Minnesota held strong. Blackhawks best the Wild in OT, 2-1.
Saint Louis hosts the defending Stanley Cup winners, the LA Kings. This game goes to overtime as well and a simple mistake costs the Kings the game. The Blues' Streen stole the puck from the unsuspecting goalie, Quick (last years' Stanley Cup MVP) and buries it in the net. This was Steen's first multi-goal game of the season, coming in a clutch time in the playoffs. In overtime, it's Blues over Kings, 2-1.
Anaheim and Detroit is becoming quite the rivalry in the NHL. These teams do not pretend to like one another. Bruce Boudreau, the former Caps coach who is now with the Ducks, shows his coaching style does work and it wins games. The Ducks win 3-1.
Goalies always stand out in playoff games. Mistakes are glaring and shutouts are incredible. Yes Jonathan Quick mad the mistake that lost the game but he had a great game up to that point. With Backstrom out, Harding really stepped up to the plate and kept his team alive and gave them every chance to win the game. Both goalies ended up losing the game but they did take it to extra time.
Other players that stood out in the playoff games were Teemu Selanne of Anaheim, Bryan Bickell of Chicago, Alex Steen of St. Louis.
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