Looking back at Day 1

Looking back at Day 1

Shifts. It’s often said that everything in the playoffs is magnified. Part of that is simply the increased scrutiny that comes along with the higher stakes in the playoffs, but much of it is true. You can practically feel momentum shifts in games that would barely register a blip if it were a regular season game. That is why the first game of a series can be so crucial, especially to teams that are feeling even more pressure because of recent playoff hiccups. The two teams feeling the most pressure last night were the Canucks and the Capitals. While they both ended up with wins, their journeys were markedly different.

Capitals 2, Rangers 1 (OT)

The Caps came into last night’s game against the Rangers at home with all of DC on pins and needles. Last year’s first-round playoff debacle against the Habs has been the first thing mentioned in just about every preview of this series, and justifiably so. Between that collapse and the Caps having lost to the Rangers by scores of 6-0 and 7-0 during the season, Caps fans had much to be worried about. As the game plodded along with no score, everyone had to be thinking, “here we go again.” Through two periods the Rangers had the Caps exactly where they wanted them. It was a slow, plodding, scoreless affair without many shots on goal. When the Rangers struck first early in the third period, it was impossible not to think this that we had seen this movie before. The Caps did not look dominant, but Ovechkin’s stuff home gave them new life. The enigmatic Alexander Semin (I think Enigma should officially be his middle name at this point) ripped a shot over Lundqvist’s shoulder late in the first OT and all Caps fans exhaled. Momentum shift #1. Had the Rangers managed to steal game 1 in OT, the monkey would have been squarely on the back of the Caps. Instead, the Caps quickly turned the tables. The Rangers have to be looking at the game last night as one they should have had. “It was a stingy game, and I thought we did a pretty good of controlling the game,” said Brian Boyle. You said it, Brian. The Rangers played the kind of game they need to play against the Caps, and they STILL lost. So in looking towards game 2 the Caps have to be riding high. They didn’t fold. The Rangers played their game and the Caps still managed to find a way to win. For a team that in recent playoffs always seemed to find a way to lose, that’s a very welcome shift indeed.

Canucks 2, Blackhawks 0

The Canucks opened their playoffs in front of a crowd at Rogers Arena that looked and sounded more like a crowd at a rock concert than at a hockey game. The Canucks head into this series against the Blackhawks as the team to beat in the West, and deservedly so. If they felt any pressure they sure didn’t show it last night. From the moment they came out of the tunnel, they attacked and attacked and attacked. They established themselves physically, their defense was solid, and their offense was rolling. With rock-steady Luongo in net, the Canucks took control of the game early and never let up as the they beat the Hawks convincingly 2-0. Certainly, it’s not impossible that Chicago can come back to win the series, but if people think they are going to do so because they are “in the Canucks heads,” as some have hinted recently, they should disabuse themselves of that notion right now. The only way the Hawks are going to win this series is by playing much, much better hockey. It’s going to take a lot to beat the Canucks after what they showed last night. The naysayers will point out that the Canucks have won game 1 in each of the last two years, but somehow last night felt different.

Red Wings 4, Coyotes 2

The Coyotes have nobody but themselves to blame for this one. They had an early 1-0 lead and they had numerous opportunities to take a 2-0 lead. However, they squandered a lengthy 5 on 3 power play and a breakaway opportunity by Shane Doan. Shift. After that, Detroit shook off the their early struggles and dominated the second period to take control of the game and the series. Had Phoenix not squandered all those early power play opportunities, they might have put the Wings away early. Instead, they face a crucial game 2 in which they need a much better performance from Bryzgalov to shift the momentum back in their favor.

Predators 4, Ducks 1

Pekka Rinne was brilliant in leading the Preds to a game 1 victory over the Ducks. If any team has that “wow, their goalie can steal this series look,” a la Jaroslav Halak’s Habs last year, it’s the Predators. Rinne is ready to become mentioned among the league’s elite netminders, and he showed why last night.

Penguins 3, Lightning 0

The Penguins just keep on winning. Even without Crosby and Malkin they still managed to pepper the Lightning net with 40 shots. They served notice last night that they have come to play. Write them off at your own peril.