Puck It: September 3rd; Survive the day (part two)

Once again we saw two teams facing elimination and once again those two teams won to play another day. We saw two different varieties for our games (one overtime thriller and one lopsided affair) and both results that left me and anyone who follows the playoffs scratching their heads. We have become accustomed to the great goaltending and defense of both the Islanders and the Flyers, yet there was a combined nine goals. We started to get used to the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks being able to score at will and pile on the points, yet one of those offenses has fallen flat as of late. This gives us two game sevens that leave us more uncertain of the expected outcome than we did at the start of these bouts, the Stanley Cup playoffs are anyone’s game and game seven can go either way.

Flyers–Islanders

Two days ago, I questioned whether Semyon Varlamov should start game six, after a disappointing game five, I expected Barry Trotz to play Thomas Griess and give Varlamov the day off. This might have been Barry Trotz’s biggest mistake of the night and might have cost them the game. Varlamov started and didn’t start well, as the team went down 2-0 early in the first period. Granted, the goals can’t be completely pinned on Varlamov being tat the goals were skilled and set up by strong execution. The first one was a well-executed goal by Kevin Hayes that displayed quality passing from a give and go on the Flyers attack. The second goal had to credit the Flyers defense setting up their offense as a turnover created a fastbreak for James van Riemsdyk who scored on a traditional slapshot. With Carter Hart in net, it is assumed that a 2-0 lead is safe but in the waning munites of the first, we saw how quickly momentum can flip in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

A broken stick was the demise for the Islanders but early on, it appeared to be a sign of good luck (the hockey equivalent of breaking a fortune cookie). Devon Toews fired a shot from the point on the net and Derick Brassard deflected it in. Brassard’s stick exploded in the process but the goal cut the lead in half and brought the Islanders back into the game as the first period ended.

The definition of something back-firing can be summarized perfectly by the start of the second period and the decision to challenge a goal. Head Coach Alain Vignought believed that Casey Cizikas interfered with Carter Hart as Matt Martin shot the puck past Hart. While Cizikas interfered with Hart, it was only because he was tripped and by default collided with Carter Hart. Since the Flyers challenged the call, the refs were able to review and not only allow the goal but give the Islanders a powerplay with the trip. With the Islanders on the powerplay, Anders Lee was able to nail a one-timer to give the Islanders the 3-2 lead and all the momentum in a matter of minutes. It looked like the game was going to unravel but we were reminded of what kind of game this was poised to be as the Flyers responded.

Michael Raffl got to the net, got the rebound from a point shot, and knotted the game up at 3 apiece. This was a more traditional goal that the game usually provides. The ensuing goal in the game looked to be the kind that puts a game away.

Throughout the game, the Islanders were playing aggressive (as they usually do) and the pressure finally paid off when they created a turnover in the Flyers zone. Mathew Barzal was found with the puck and after hesitating, launched a wrist-shot through the defender’s legs and into the top shelf of the net which is a small window that only the great scorers can find. The location of the shot is also important to note since Barzal fired the puck at the pad side of goalie Carter Hart and not his glove side, the window may have been smaller but was a harder spot for Hart to defend (as we saw). The period ended with that goal being the lasting impression and possibly alluding to the Islanders advancing to the Conference Final.

Halfway through the final period, we saw great team play form the Flyers, and once again how great defense can set up the offense. A quick turnover at the Flyers blueline set up an instant counter for Scott Laughton. On the breakaway, Laughton made Varlamov bite on the first move as he found the back of the net. The game had eight goals between the two teams and for the second game in a row we were given overtime.

In Double Overtime, we saw the luck run out for the Islanders. Scott Mayfield looked ready to fire the game-winner from the point, instead, his stick snapped (it happens) and set up a counter-attack for Philadelphia. Ivan Provorov hit the game-winner from the point but more importantly, into traffic as Varlamov had no chance at making the save. The Flyers were outshot 53-31 in the game and still haven’t been able to capitalize on the powerplay in this series, and they still forced a game 7. The Islanders had their chances to close out this series and they failed, The series is now going to come down to one game and frankly I trust Carter Hart a bit more than whoever the Islanders choose to put in the net.

Vancouver–Vegas

The main headline and possibly only headline from this game was Thatcher Demko. On Thursday night he faced 48 shots and saved all 48. Through his only two games as a starting goalie, Demko has faced 91 shots and only allowed one goal. The Stanley Cup Playoffs traditionally allow for goaltenders to carry teams all the way to the Cup, the hub cities has shown that one goalie can’t carry a team like they used to be able to, this can still be possible with the dominant play of Thatcher Demko. One watching the irrelevancy of the Vegas attack has to wonder if they have fallen flat or met their match, the latter seems like a more realistic answer.

If there was another player to talk about in this game, it would probably have to be Quinn Hughes. Hughes has been one of the rising young defensemen in the NHL and we saw his skill at full display for game six. With the game only 1-0 in the third period, Quinn Hughes was able to wrap around the net and find an open JT Miller who gave the Canucks the commanding two-goal lead. Hughes wasn’t done in terms of offensive production as he fired a slapshot from the point that went through traffic and hit the far end of the top corner of the goal which gave the Canucks a 3-0 lead and the inevitable game seven. An empty-netter was only icing on the cake for a dominant night by Vancouver, 4-0 can’t be taken lightly.

I still can’t understand what happened to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. A few days ago they looked like the best team left in the field, now they don’t even look like they can get past Vancouver. This is a team with all the firepower, and no weakness on the roster. they need to figure out Thatcher Demko fast or they will be eliminated for the second year in a row after building a 3-1 lead.