HabsWorld.net --
Despite a horrific start, the Habs rebounded on Sunday afternoon to beat the
Penguins 3-1, stealing away home ice in the process. It was a game that
ultimately resembled the end of Round 1, lots of rubber for Jaroslav Halak while
the opposing goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) gets lulled to sleep. Matt Cooke
opened the scoring in the 1st for the Pens, but Brian Gionta scored late to tie
it up. From there, Mike Cammalleri scored in each of the 2nd and 3rd
periods to seal the deal.
Injury wise, Jordan Leopold and Tyler Kennedy returned for the Pens,
replacing Jay McKee and Jordan Staal respectively. Andrei Markov and
Jaroslav Spacek both did not play, and another d-man may have been lost as
Marc-Andre Bergeron went down late in the 3rd.
HW 3 Stars of the Night:
1) Jaroslav Halak: Apparently, 15 minutes of rest can do a world of
difference for a goalie as this was a lot closer to the Halak we saw late in
Round 1. He was still fighting some rebounds early, but settled in as the
game went on.
Statline: 60:00 TOI, 1 GA, 38 SVS, .974 SV%
2) Mike Cammalleri: The streak from the 1st round is over with a bang
(all of his Round 1 goals were scored in the first period). The PPG in the
second was huge while the breakaway marker in the 3rd sealed the deal.
Statline: 2 goals, +1 rating, 2 PIMS, 2 shots, 1 block, 21:13 TOI
3) Scott Gomez: Wasn’t firing the puck as much as last game but still
wound up with a pair of assists, giving him 4 in the series already. He
missed a glorious chance in the slot, proving why he was the reputation of being
a playmaker.
Statline: 2 assists, +1 rating, 1 shot, 11/20 faceoffs (55% – team
high in wins), 22:32 TOI
HM) P.K. Subban: As hard as it is to put pressure on a rookie with a
total of 5 games experience, he needed to step up to help fill the void left by
Markov. To say he did so would be understating his effort in this one.
He kept it simple which for him is critical and really helped the transition
game as the game went on.
Statline: 1 assist, even rating, 1 shot, 2 blocks, 23:17 TOI (career
high)
Stat of the Night: 3:40 – normally, you’d think that this was the
lowest ice time for a single player. Think again. The 4th line of
Andrei Kostitsyn, Ben Maxwell, and Mathieu Darche combined to play that
amount.
The Baby Habs were also successful in knotting up their 2nd round series,
defeating the Abbotsford Heat by a 3-1 score. The series now shifts to BC
for the next 3 games.
