Boston vs. Montreal – Mike Cammalleri got things going for the Canadians with a power-play goal, his third of the series, midway through the first period. The wicked one timer came off a great pass from P.K. Subban. Early in the second, it was Dennis Seidenberg who tied things up for the Bruins on a great wrap-around effort. Five minutes later, it was Montreal who answered right back. This time, on the two-man advantage again, Brian Gionta slammed home a rebound to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead. Carey Price held strong through the second and third periods, allowing only one goal on 32 shots in the victory.
Montreal ties the series at three games a piece, and are now headed for a game seven of their own. Tim Thomas played strong in this one, and there wasn’t much he could do about the two five-on-three goals that Montreal scored. Look for goaltender battle in game seven, but for Tim Thomas and the Bruins to come out on top with home ice advantage.
Buffalo vs. Philadelphia – The other day I was calling for Ryan Miller to have a huge game and lead his team to round two. Unfortunately, game seven wasn’t really going in Miller’s favor as he was pulled early in the third.
Things looked good for Miller in the first, however. Despite Philadelphia controlling play and out-shooting the Sabres, things were all tied up. Well, they were all tied up, until Braydon Coburn scored on a weak wrist shot from the point. Buffalo finished with only two shots on goal in the first period.
While the Sabres rebounded in the second, and began applying some pressure, the scoreboard fell in favor of the Flyers even more. Less than five minutes in, it was Danny Briere on the power-play who scored his sixth of the series. The Flyers power-play hurt Buffalo once again as James van Riemsdyk scored midway through the second to give his squad a 3-0 lead.
Less than two minutes into the third, the damage would continue to build. As Ville Leino skated in along the left wing, he blasted a slapshot over the shoulder of Ryan Miller to give Philly a 4-0 lead. Miller would be pulled after, and hope was lost for the Sabres. They would tally a couple in the third period, but could never cut the deficit to less than three goals. Philly closed out the win, 5-2, and will now head to round two.
Vancouver vs. Chicago – This would be the series to watch, and the game to watch of the evening. Game seven, Chicago and Vancouver. The Canucks stole the first three games, only to allow the defending champs to climb back in with three straight of their own. In a close matchup, we saw ridiculously good goaltending from Corey Crawford. He absolutely proved himself as a number one ‘tender in this series. Despite all he had, the Blackhawks turned the puck over one too many times, and it finally cost them. Let’s take a look at the video highlights for this game seven.
