Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Bruins Open Series With OT Winner

Boston 4, Pittsburgh 3
1 2 3 OT T Final BOS (1) 1 2 0 1 4 PIT (0) 0 2 1 0 3	, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Shots BOS 28 PIT 25

Pittsburgh (AP)--

In a well excuted game by both sides, overtime would decide a winner in a 4-3 victory for the Boston Bruins tonight at Mellon Arena.

After the Bruins would take a 1-0 lead into the second period on a goal by Niklas Sundstrom, things would get crazy. The Pens would take the lead on a pair of goals by Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby before the Bruins would regain control late in the second, scoring two goals in 49 seconds that would litterally trickle by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

"I don't know what to say for that...its just one of those things you wish you could have back. I just need to forget about those things now...focus on game 2", said Fleury regarding the late 2nd period goals by Patrice Bergeron and Glenn Murray.

Trailing 3-2 for most of the 3rd period, it would be Evgeni Malkin who would tie the game, scoring on a slick breakaway after a nifty feed met him at the blueline via Miroslav Satan.

In overtime, the play would favor the Pens in vein as the Bruins would take game one when P.J. Axelson would score his 3rd goal of the post-season 12:58 into the frame.

"It always is an exilerating feeling to win in OT, even better when its you who scores the goal", said Axelson of his fortunate goal in sudden death.

The two teams will meet again in 48 hours as the Pens look to tie the series before heading back to Boston for game three.

Key Stats

Malkin Goal (4)
Crosby Goal (5), 5 SOG
Kunitz Goal (4)
Bure/Satan Assists
Fleury 24 saves on 28 shots

Sundstrom Goal (1) Assist
Kessel 2 Assists
Bergeron Goal (3)
Axelson Goal (3) OT Game Winner
Murray Goal (2)

-------------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Hunt For Stanley

CHI 3
STL 4
(Blues lead 1-0)

DAL 1
ANA 2
(Ducks lead 1-0)

NJ 2
OTT 3
(Sens lead 1-0)

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Crosby and Malkin Clutch In Series Tying OT Victory

Boston 3, Pittsburgh 4
1 2 3 OT T Final BOS (1) 2 1 0 0 3 PIT (1) 2 0 1 1 4	, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Shots BOS 20 PIT 39

Pittsburgh (AP)--

Despite coming out on fire and determined to tie the series heading back to Boston, the Penguins nearly came away with a sour defeat as Boston goaltender Manny Fernandez was simply amazing this evening in a losing cause, stopping 35 of 39 shots--many of them on his back.

"I really felt good...its tough to lose though...so we're happy to be headed home tied with these guys...they are good and they come in waves", said Fernandez of the Penguins who out shot the Bruins 39-20 on the night.

The Pens would control most of the first period, taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Peter Sykora and Jonathan Cheechoo, only to seemingly choke once again as Chuck Kobasew and Phil Kessel would score at 16:58 and 19:42 of the 1st, deflating the Pens heading into the intermission.

"We've got to cut it out with the melt downs. It possibly cost us game one and nearly cost us again tonight. These lapses can be deadly this time of year", stated head coach Mario Lemieux.

Marco Sturm would give the Bruins a 3-2 lead midway through the 2nd period and that lead would stand until Evgeni Malkin would once again play the hero, scoring with just 1:27 left in regulation, sending the game into sudden death overtime.

The overtime would last just 52 seconds as Pavel Bure would set up Sidney Crosby for the game-winning goal, sending the series back to Boston tied at a game apiece.

"Pavel was really buzzing tonight...well, he has been for the last few games now. He's not getting goals, but 6 assists in 8 games isn't too shabby", said Crosby, whose GW goal in OT was his 6th of the postseason.

The series will now shift to Boston as the Pens look to take the lead in the series after losing consecutive game one's in the first and second rounds.

Key Stats

Crosby Goal (6) Assist GW Goal in OT, 9 SOG
Bure 2 Assists
Malkin Goal (5)
Cheechoo Goal (2)
Fleury 17 saves on 20 shots

Sturm Goal (3)
Kessel Goal (3)
Kobasew Goal (1)
Fernandez 35 saves on 39 shots

--------------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Chase For Stanley

NJ 3
OTT 1
(Series tied at 1)

DAL 4
ANA 2
(series tied at 1)

CHI 1
STL 2
(Blues lead 2-0)

[rdnk]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

At least your Blues are doing good.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

At least your Blues are doing good.

Yeah...they were tremendously under-rated, so I did some editing. Nothing rediculous, but they've really played well all season long.

I hope I dont play them IF I get to the Finals...its hard to kick your favorite teams ***...that is, if they didn't kick mine.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Pens Finesse Past Bruins; Take 2-1 Series Lead

Pittsburgh 4, Boston 3
1 2 3 OT T Final PIT (2) 1 1 2 4 BOS (1) 0 1 2 3	, TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA

Shots PIT 29 BOS 26

Boston (AP)--

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Boston Bruins on some nifty plays by some of their most talented players tonight in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 20,101.

Despite a misleading shot total of 8-7, the 1st period was tilted highly in Pittsburghs favor and was highlighted by a pretty goal by Miroslav Satan as he dangled through a pair of Boston defenders before absolutely deking Manny Fernandez out of his jock strap, giving the Pens a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period.

The Bruins would tie the score just 1:16 into the second period when Marc Savard would beat Marc Andre Fleury for his 6th goal of the playoffs. The tie would last for a bulk of the period until a Jonathan Cheechoo wrister through traffic would sneak past Manny Fernandez, giving the Pens a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd and final period.

The Pens would strike early in the third period when Pavel Bure would amaze all 20,000+ in attendance with some super stick handling through the offensive zone, burning two opposing defenders before driving the net against Fernandez and out-waiting the goaltender before beating him far side just 32 seconds into the period. Bure has tallied 5 goals and 8 assists in his last 8 games for 13 points.

"I'm feeling really well...I just keep skating hard and drive the net...no fear right now", said Bure who had 11 shots on net, including 3 breakaways on the night

With the Pens leading 3-1, Sidney Crosby would score the game-winning goal on a Bure rebound before the Bruins would rally late in the third, getting two goals in 1:11 from Niklas Sundstrom and Glenn Murray.

"It was a solid effort, a few small hick ups, but we are definitely in a good position...we're loose, we're confident, we're talented, and we're tough", said head coach Mario Lemiuex whose Pens will meet the Bruins again, attempting to take a 3-1 lead back to Pittsburgh.

Key Stats

Bure Goal (5) Assist, 11 SOG
Eaton 2 Assists
Satan Goal (1)
Crosby Goal (7)
Cheechoo Goal (3)
Staal Assist
Fleury 23 saves on 26 shots

Sundstrom Goal
Savard Goal
Kessel Goal
Bergeron Assist
Fernandez 25 saves on 29 shots
-------------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Chase For Stanley

STL 1
CHI 3
(Blues lead 2-1)

ANA 3
DAL 4
(Stars lead 2-1)

OTT 3
NJ 5
(Devils lead 2-1)

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Pens Staal Bruins In Game 4

Pittsburgh 6, Boston 3
1 2 3 OT T Final PIT (3) 2 3 1 6 BOS (1) 2 1 0 3	, TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA

Shots PIT 52 BOS 16

Boston (AP)--

It was a horrible night to be a Bruins fan.

In an embarrassing showing tonight at TD Banknorth Garden the Bruins were out-shot 52-16. The Pens would outshoot the Bruins 16-7 in the first, 19-4 in the second, and 16-5 in the final frame en route to a 6-3 victory.

Jordan Staal would continue his amazing post season performance with a pair of goals, incuding the game-winning goal which gives him a running total of 8 goals, 3rd in the NHL behind Danny Heatley's 11 tallies.

The Pens would also get tallies from Pavel Bure, Miroslav Satan, Evgeni Malkin, and Peter Sykora in the demolishion of the Original Six franchise.

"Absolutely embarrassing...these guys are just toying with us right now...we know that they are the better team...and that is not doing us any good, but we'd be in denial otherwise. No Pride right now. None.", stated Martin Lapointe, who was later fined 5,000 by the Bruins for the statement which Bruins management called 'disrespectful, embarrassing, and just plain inappropriate'.

The Penguins will look to close the series out in 5 games as the two teams head back to Pittsburgh.

Key Stats

Staal 2 Goals (8), GWG, 5 SOG
Bure Goal (5), Assist, 3 SOG
Satan Goal (2) Assist
Malkin Goal (6), 6 SOG
Sykora Goal (2)
Fleury 13 saves on 16 shots

Bochenski 2 Assists
Lapointe Goal (1)
Murray Goal (4)
Morozov Goal (1)
Fernandez 45 saves on 50 shots

-------------------------------------------------------

NHL News--The Chase For Stanley

STL 1
CHI 2
(Hawks Tie Series At 2)

ANA 3
DAL 2
(Ducks Tie Series At 2)

OTT 1
NJ 0
(Sens Tie Series At 2)

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

McCarty OT Winner Sends Pens To Eastern Finals

Boston 2, Pittsburgh 3
1 2 3 OT T Final BOS (1) 1 1 0 0 2 PIT (4) 1 1 0 1 3	, Mellon Arena , Pittsburgh, PA

Shots BOS 24 PIT 30

Pittsburgh (AP)--

After an embarrassing loss to the Pens in Boston 48 hours prior, the Bruins played much better in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals tonight in Pittsburgh as it would take overtime to decide the winner in a tightly fought affair.

The Bruins would get on the board first in the contest, as Zdeno Chara would beat Marc Andre Fleury for his 2nd goal of the post-season. The lead would last a little under two minutes before Pavel Bure would tally his 6th playoff goal, tying the score at 1-1 heading into the 2nd frame.

The 2nd period was scoreless till the 19th minute when both Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby and Boston's Patrice Bergeron would tally as the game would go to the third all knotted up at two.

The 3rd period was dominated by the Pens as they would outshoot the Bruins 10-4 while Manny Fernandez would stand tall holding the surging Pens off the board to force the overtime period that would see midseason free agent signing Darren McCarty score the series clinching goal sending the Pens forward to the Eastern Conference Finals. The goal was scored shortly after Marc Andre Fleury had made the save of Pittsburghs season stopping a cross-crease one timer with his skate blade just as the puck was on the goal line.

"That was one of the best saves I've ever seen. It was pure clutch...", said Sidney Crosby of Fleurys game-saving stop.

The Pens are awaiting the outcome of the New Jersey-Ottawa Series that currently is led by the Senators 3-2.

Key Stats

McCarty GWG in OT (1)
Bure Goal (6), 8 SOG
Crosby Goal (8)
Fleury 22 saves on 24 shots

Chara Goal (2)
Bergeron Goal (4)
Sturm/Savard Assists
Fernandez 27 saves on 30 shots

------------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Hunt For Stanley

Chicago vs. STL

CHI 1
STL 4

STL 1
CHI 2

CHI 3
STL 2

(Chicago Wins in 7 games)

DAL vs. ANA

DAL 2
ANA 3

ANA 4
DAL 1
(ANA wins 4-2)

OTT vs NJ

NJ 4
OTT 5

OTT 2
NJ 3

NJ 2
OTT 1

(Devils win in 7)

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Conference Finals Preview

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (4) New Jersey Devils

Key Stats
Pens are 1st in GPG in Playoffs (4.18)
Devils are 1st in GAA in Playoffs (1.73)
Devils won season series 6-2

Pens Leaders
Crosby (8-6) 14 Pts
Bure (6-8) 14 Pts
Staal (8-2) 10 Pts
Malkin (6-4) 10 Pts
Fleury 8-2-1, 2.29 GAA

Devils Leaders
Zubrus (7-6) 13 Pts
Parise (6-6) 12 Pts
Elias (3-7) 10 Pts
Brodeur 8-2-1, 1.66 GAA

Western Conference Finals

(1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Chicago Blackhawks

Key Stats
ANA, 1st in Post Season PK
CHI 4th in Post Season GPG (2.92)

Anaheim Leaders
Weight (4-15) 19 Pts
Getzlaf (5-10) 15 Pts
Schneider (8-5) 13 Pts
Giguere 8-4-1, 2.51 GAA

Chicago Leaders
Havlat (8-8) 16 Pts
Kane (3-12) 15 Pts
Teows (3-10) 13 Pts
Khabibulin 8-3-1, 2.24 GAA

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Got the Devils...man im in trouble now. They beat me 6 of 8 this season...brodeur is god in this game.

[shinderhizzle84]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Got the Devils...man im in trouble now. They beat me 6 of 8 this season...brodeur is god in this game.

he's a god in real life, too, haha.

good luck, though. If only Brodeur was WATCHING from his seat on Mt Olympus, and not playing in your games

[GoldenJet]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Good luck against Brodeur and the Devils man, you'll need it.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Devils Continue Dominance Of Pens; Brodeur Unbeatable In Series Opener

New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 0
1 2 3 OT T Final NJD (1) 0 0 2 2 PIT (0) 0 0 0 0	, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Shots NJ 27 PIT 20

Pittsburgh (AP)--

The puck dropped on the Eastern Conference Finals tonight at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh and the song remained the same: The Pittsburgh Penguins cannot solve Martin Brodeur. The Pens have scored just 3 goals in their last 5 meetings with the Devils after a 20 save shutout by Brodeur in a tightly fought dual of elite goaltenders.

"He was great tonight...he is always great", said Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced.

The game would remain scoreless until 5:08 into the 3rd period when a diving shot on a rebound by Jamie Langenbrunner would give the Devils a 1-0 lead.

"The puck came off of Fleury wide...I was streaking in and left my feet. It was the only way I was gonna get there in time and it paid off", stated Langenbrunner of the highlight reel effort.

Just three minutes after Langenbrunner had scored, Alexander Korolyuk would give the Devils a 2-0 lead which was more than enough against the Pens who have lost 7 of 9 against the Devils this season, counting the regular season.

"We'll continue to throw pucks at the net. We're looking for anything right now...rebounds...deflections...whatever", stated Head Coach Mario Lemieux post game.

The Penguins, with the loss, have now lost every Game One this postseason.

Key Stats

Kunitz, 4 SOG
Bure/Crosby/Satan 3 SOG
Fleury 25 saves on 27 shots

Langenbrunner Goal (1)
Korolyuk Goal (1)
Brylin/Zubrus Assists
Brodeur 20 Saves, Shutout (2)
------------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Hunt For Stanley

Western Conference Finals

CHI 2
ANA 4
(Ducks lead 1-0)

--------------------------------------------------

Jersey Takes Game Two In Double OT

New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 1
1 2 3 OT T Final NJD (2) 0 0 1 2 PIT (0) 1 0 0 1	, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Shots NJ 37 PIT 46

Pittsburgh (AP)--

It would take the Penguins 79 minutes in the series to finally beat Martin Brodeur when when Peter Sykora would beat the red-hot netminder with 0.6 seconds remaining in the 1st period.

The Pens would fight for a second goal in vein as Brodeur was a human highlight reel stopping 45 of 46 shots on the night in a double OT victory which give his Devils a commanding 2-0 series lead heading back to New Jersey for Game 3. Broduer has allowed just one goal in 153 minutes in the series for a GAA of 0.39 and a .985 save percentage.

The Devils would tie the score at 1 with a diving rebound shot by Travis Zajac, his 4th goal of the postseason.

"I saw the puck loose between his (Fleury's) pads and I simply dove...luckily I got enough to push it through", said Zajac of the goal which came at the 4:29 mark of the 3rd period.

The two sides would go to OT tied at one until 13:31 of the 2nd OT when Zac Parise would fire a slapshot past Fleury sending the Devils back home with a commanding 2-0 series lead having now won 8 of the last 10 meetings against Pittsburgh while allowing the Pens just 4 goals in the last 6 meetings.

"We have definitely got our work cut out for us...but we will not quit till its over. Marty's been spectacular...so we're gonna just keep throwing rubber at him and see what happens. Keep it simple, really", said an optimistic Mario Lemieux in regards to his teams strategy against the leagues premier netminder.

Key Stats

Sykora Goal (4)
Bure/Malkin/Crosby 6 SOG
Fleury 35 saves on 37 shots; 0-2-0, 1.56 GAA, .938 SV% in series

Zajac Goal (4)
Parise Goal (7)
Langenbrunner/Zubrus Assists
Brodeur 45 saves on 46 shots; 2-0-0, 0.39 GAA, .985 SV % in series

--------------------------------------------

NHL News Wire--The Hunt For Stanley

CHI 5
ANA 2
(Series Tied at 1-1)

[derrickthomas58]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Oh boy, down 2-0 to Marty and the boys is going to be a tough task. Good luck the rest of the way!

[shinderhizzle84]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Oh boy, down 2-0 to Marty and the boys is going to be a tough task. Good luck the rest of the way!

yeah, obg, good luck!

I hope you beat the devils, because if you don't, it means the Devils "beat out" the Rangers, and then I'd be looking for retribution.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

yeah, obg, good luck!

I hope you beat the devils, because if you don't, it means the Devils "beat out" the Rangers, and then I'd be looking for retribution.

Its not looking good...Broduer has been amazing.