At the conclusion of Day 18, all of the second round series have played at least one game.
It is a bit weird to only have a couple of games to cover on any given day. But I'm getting used to it.
First up, Montreal vs. Boston.
Nope, the first game wasn't a fluke, from a goaltending standpoint. Through two games, there's really been nothing to talk about in that area, at least if you're wanting to look at the bright side of things.
The hilariously overrated Carey Price has given up the same amount of goals as the previously awesome Tuukka Rask. I'm not sure what's up with Rask. But I'm not surprised that Price continues to hemorrhage goals. He did it against Tampa, he'll likely do it more against Boston. After all, this is the best team in the NHL we're talking about; the Bruins won the President's Trophy when it looked like St. Louis or Anaheim would do it for about 60 games.
Anyway, I must admit to being a bit baffled about Rask's performance thus far. Montreal was not exactly an offensive powerhouse and it took them a while to really gel with new acquisition Thomas Vanek. Vanek got going yesterday, but they're still getting nothing from Pacioretty.
I thought the Bruins would win in five. But seeing how this game went, with the comeback in the third period that required a whopping four goals (including an empty-netter), it's apparently a much closer series than I envisioned going in.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Tuesday.
Lastly, Los Angeles vs. Anaheim.
I have to say that I'm disappointed in the result of Game 1 of this series.
At least we can all get off the ledge about the goaltending situation for the Ducks. Jonas Hiller was about as good as anybody could have hoped for. I haven't seen the OT goal yet, so maybe it's not great. Well, there was also the game-tying goal that came quite late in the third period.
Obviously, there's room for improvement there. And maybe the defense could help him out a little. Who knows?
The disappointing part is that Teemu Selanne basically had the game won after scoring in the third. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf set up both goals that Anaheim scored. Corey Perry had a couple shots but no points; that's most likely a fluke.
Basically, the way this one looks is that Marian Gaborik (who scored in the third and OT) saved Quick's behind.
It's a bummer to see the Ducks go down 1-0. I don't think the series is necessarily tilted to the Kings just yet, though.
Los Angeles leads 1-0. Game 2 is Monday.
Later today, Game 2 in Pittsburgh and Chicago.
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