Down the Frozen River

Author: Jess Belmosto

  • How Sweep It Is, Montreal Moves On To Semi-Finals After Defeating The Jets in OT

    How Sweep It Is, Montreal Moves On To Semi-Finals After Defeating The Jets in OT

    The Montreal Canadiens complete the sweep against the Winnipeg Jets. Cole Caulfield comes up big in overtime with an assist for Tyler Toffoli’s series winner. They are the first team to advance to the final four. This is the first time a Canadian team has advanced to the semi-finals since 2017. The Habs will play the winner of the Vegas and Colorado series. 

    Montreal outshot Winnipeg 42-16. Winnipeg would receive a consolation prize of two goals. The Jets’ offense stalled at the start of the series but gained some ground in the final two games. Unfortunately for them that would not be enough. 

    Similar to the last elimination game the Canadiens played, they opened the game with 2 goals. Erik Gustafson would put the team on the scoreboard with a powerplay goal. Artturi Lehkonen had a beautiful deflection from behind to put his team up by the end of the first period. 

    Logan Stanely scored both of Winnipeg’s goals in the second period. The Jets should get him a nice bottle of wine since it was his kind effort that sent them to overtime. 

    While the Jets are no strangers to playoff overtime, you have to wonder about momentum. A goalless third period and the brink of elimination. It’s all on the line. Can they capitalize? No. You know that because you either watched the game or you read the headline here. No one is burying a lead about playoff hockey. 

    Something about the Canadiens taking Toronto to 7 games and turning around to sweep the Jets makes you wonder. Are they really some juggernauts? We saw how 9 days off impacted the Jets and now we will see what happens to the Canadiens as they wait for their next opponent. 

    As we wait for the cards to fall into place, we can look forward to another exciting goaltending matchup. Carey Price will be matched up against either the legendary Marc-Andre Fleury ( 87-67-0, .912SV% ) or Jordan Binnington’s worst nightmare, Phillipp Grubauer. ( 19-8-1, .917SV%) As for injuries, Jeff Petry was out tonight for Montreal. A bit of a break in between the series could be beneficial for the blueliner who is dealing with an upper-body injury. It appears that his hand could be the issue after getting his hand stuck in a camera hole during game three. Jake Evans remains out indefinitely.  Mark Schiefele will serve the remaining one game of his suspension at the start of next season.
    The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche are currently tied at 2. Watch game 5 on Tuesday to see takes the series lead.

  • Montreal Canadiens Ground The Jets Again

    Montreal Canadiens Ground The Jets Again

    The Montreal Canadiens are one win away from advancing to the semi-finals. They beat the Jets 5-1. You know the drill. Offense, solid goaltending from Price, and of course trips to the penalty box for both teams. How was tonight different for the Canadiens? 

    Corey Perry opened up the scoring tonight. Yes, you’re reading that right. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you and I promise this isn’t 2007. The forward continues to find success on Montreal’s fourth line. Artturi Llehkonen earned his first of the postseason followed by another goal from Joel Armia. Armia’s last multi point game came on May 27 against the Leafs. The Jets couldn’t get a hold of themselves or get one past Carey Price. That was until Adam Lowry snapped the drought. Winnipeg hadn’t scored a goal since Game one. 

    Cole Caufield had a beauty of a pass that Nick Suzuki buried to give the Canadiens a 4-1 over the Jets. There was a shift in the game come the third period. The Jets appeared to be frustrated and tempers began to flare. Paul Stastny took two penalties this evening. He was given a roughing penalty earlier in the game and earned his second trip to the box for high sticking. Pierre – Luc Dubios made his presence known by getting a little too up close and personal with a cross check to Brett Kulak. Andrew Copp punched his ticket to the sin bin with a cross check against Paul Byron. Montreal wouldn’t get away without getting caught though. Josh Anderson earned himself two minutes for slashing Connor Hellbuyck. Winnipeg couldn’t capitalize on the power play and would lose 5-1 after Armia scored an empty netter to close out the night. 

    We have to take a look at Connor Hellebuyck. Who would have thought that the Canadiens would be the team to break and expose the Vezina winner? The goaltender had an .875 SV% tonight. This would be the second time this series the goaltender dipped below .900%. On the other hand, you have Carey Price putting on a show. Price made 26 saves clocking in at a .963SV%. The major difference this series is that the offense is showing up for Price. It feels as if they are on the same page through sixty minutes might after night. 

    Jeff Petry left tonight’s game with an upper-body injury. As of now, there is no update on Petry. 

    There is not a world where any expert predicted this. The Jets swept Edmonton after a battle of overtime hockey while the Habs forced a game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rule number one is to never underestimate your opponent.

  • Lightning Strike With 4 Unanswered Goals

    Lightning Strike With 4 Unanswered Goals

    The Tampa Bay Lightning are one win away from advancing after they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-4 Saturday afternoon.

    Tempers were flaring before the puck even dropped. Warren Foegle and Blake Coleman were given unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Both knew better and should have said no to avoid 4v4 hockey. You could see the disappointment in Carolina’s head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s face. Tampa Bay went 0 for 2 on the power play through the first frame. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise as Carolina’s penalty kill was among the most successful. However, we’d see that PK expose themselves come the second period.

       Tampa Bay led after 20 with a goal from Brayden Point. There wasn’t much to write home about after the first frame. Though it would not stay that way for long. 

    Period two was nothing shy of a battle. The teams went back and forth for the entire twenty minutes. Truro Teravainen was the first Hurricane on the score sheet. Jesper Fast would follow suit, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead. Game 2 was the first time the Canes had a lead in five games. The inability to take the lead proved to be detrimental. The lead would not last long as Stamkos tied it up at 2 a piece. Dougie Hamilton turned one of his seven shots on goal into a go ahead goal for the Canes. The Hurricanes were able to keep the Lightning off their radar for a little while longer with Jaccob Slavin scoring their fourth goal of the evening. Tampa Bay were in their Reputation Era if you will, when they fell behind 4-2. It was time for them to be methodical and strike back. They would do just that with three unanswered goals to secure a 5-4 lead at the end of the period. Steven Stamkos fought through the eye of the storm’s penalty kill with two power play goals. Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson had a helping hand in the 8 goal period. 

    Tampa would hold off the storm while Nikita Kucherov scored his fifth postseason goal, securing a 6-4 win over the Canes. The Lightning now hold a 3-1 series lead. With the Canes on the brink of elimination from the second round, there is one thing they must do and that is play a more disciplined game. 

    Andrei Svechnikov made.the penalty box his home this afternoon, racking up a total of six minutes. The discourse surrounding Svech is a bit troubling. He is 21 years old and while he plays a somewhat undisciplined game, there is room to grow and learn. I know trouble when I see it but I don’t think you have to worry about this being a long term problem. He is 21 years old. He will grow out of his undisciplined penalty phase. Wanting to trade a guy who has 59 regular season goals in his first three years is laughable. This isn’t Zac Rinaldo we’re talking about here. He isn’t this big liability that will weigh the team down every time he enters the line up. It would make sense for him to tighten up his game as he grows into the league. Sorry but I think there is a bit of an overreaction coming from people. Just play a better game as a team and worry about the rest later.

  • Carey Price Earns 8th Postseason Shutout in Victory Over Winnipeg Jets.

    Carey Price Earns 8th Postseason Shutout in Victory Over Winnipeg Jets.

    The Montreal Canadiens are on a five game win streak for the first time since 2017. They have not trailed a single time in those five games. These are the same Montreal Canadiens who were struggling to hold on to the fourth seed toward the end of the regular season. From juggernauts to underdogs, the Canadiens are here to prove people wrong. 

    Tyler Toffoli did what Toffoli did best and that’s scoring the only goal of the evening. The 29 year old signed with Montreal last offseason, after he and Vancouver decided to part ways. It appears to have been a wise move on Toffoli’s part as he scored 28 goals, just shy of his career high 31 with the Los Angeles Kings.

    Having Carey Price and Connor Hellebuyck at either end of the ice is scary enough. Going up against playoff Price is another challenge in itself. His postseason save percentage is a .919% with a goals against average of 2.39. While seen as an inconsistent goalie through the regular season, postseason Price is locked in and makes it all look easy. He has saved 275 of 294 shots. The MVP of the Canadiens’ postseason thus far. 

    Mark Schiefele is suspended for another three games due to the hit on Josh Evans in game one. Schiefele’s absence was noticeable in last year’s postseason but will it be the same story this year? Schiefele has come out and shown a bit of remorse but people are saying it’s too little too late. If he does return to the lineup this series, will we see a spark for the Jets or will they keep themselves from another success? 

    Heading into the series, many people assumed it would be a four game sweep for the Winnipeg Jets. They ran through the Edmonton Oilers and had a mini vacation before moving on to the second round. Game three is set for Sunday night at 6:00pm.

  • Mangiapane’s Success at Worlds Solidifies Future Top Six Role

    Mangiapane’s Success at Worlds Solidifies Future Top Six Role

    The Flames finished the season in fifth place of the North Division. While expectations were high, the reality is that the team did not have what it takes to make it in the playoffs. One issue being the team’s health and the offensive struggles and inconsistency. The Flames are playing middle of the road hockey but with a few tweaks and tune ups, they could be a playoff team. 

    Andrew Mangiapane is emerging as one of the Flames best players. He bounced between the middle six and earned himself a new career high 18 goals. His regular season performance was a launching pad into his success with Team Canada. Number 88 has 7 goals in 6 games. He is making quite the case for a top six spot in the Calgary Flames lineup and it’s time to utilize that talent. 

    There’s no denying that the middle six of the Flames lineup needs some tweaking. We’re going to assume that Sean Monahan stays and Johnny Gaudreau bounces between the top line. Although, a case has been made for why he needs to be separated from Monahan but alas, that’s a conversation for another day. So, Mangiapane is one of your most effective forwards. He was fourth in points with 32 and second in goals with 18. Had it been a regular 82 game season, Mangiapane was on pace for 26 goals. 

    That second line needs some sort of elevation. Considering Monahan’s injury history, it appears that he hasn’t fully healed from hip and groin surgery. Just as a reminder, being cleared to play does not mean you are fully healed. The problem with the second line is that the right wing slot is a revolving door. It could be Dillion Dube, Brett Ritchie, or if they want to win, it will be Mangiapane.  There needs to be some sort of consistency on the right wing. The Brett Ritchie experiment is more than likely done. With that, I would like to call all attempts to rejuvenate forth liners or washed up AHLers. It’s time to use your talent in an effective manner. That means shuffling the lines and making sure your lines are set up for success. As we saw in the last push of the season, moving Gadreau to a line with a consistent center and strong winger created a situation where scoring with a regular occurrence. Matthew Tkachuk, who had 11 goals heading into the last 5 games, ended the season with 16 after seeing an increase in production in the last five games with five goals. 

    Making Mangiapane a permanent member of the second line would ensure offensive success. You would be giving Sean Monahan another talented and capable winger to work with. Johnny Gaudreau wouldn’t be held back by someone who is older and a bit slower. You have youth on your side when you add Mangiapane to the line. I do believe it would be worthwhile to look into. It doesn’t make sense to have a revolving door or right wingers when the talent is right there.

    The twenty four year old has made strides in the last year and people are already fully worried he will be given a Milan Lucic like contract. There is a stark difference between the two but we will start at the age difference and one is on the rise while the other is at the tailend of their career. The concerns shouldn’t be about paying Mangiapane. It should be making sure the team utilizes him in a way that is successful and beneficial. 

    There is a lot of theorizing one could do this offseason about the 2021-22 Flames line up, but one thing should be for certain and that is putting Andrew Mangiapane on a line where he can succeed and assist the Flames to more wins. Out of all the youth on the team, looking to take that next step in their career, he has earned a right to make the second line his home. The team could benefit from a 20+ goal scorer and you’re not going to get that if he is buried as a bottom six player. Blowing up the team doesn’t have to be the route management takes as long as they are willing to acknowledge and build around the talent shining through.

  • Don’t Count Carolina Hurricanes Out, Staal Wins it in Overtime

    Don’t Count Carolina Hurricanes Out, Staal Wins it in Overtime

    The tides have turned as the Carolina Hurricanes win their first of the series over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Nedeljkovic had the night off and Petr Mrazek held down the fort for Carolina. Tampa kept the formula the same, hoping for some more success. The game was like a sandwich. There was really nothing exciting on the outside but in the middle, it was exciting and bursting with goodness. Yes, I just compared a hockey game to a sandwich. The overtime is a side of your choice. If you’re a Canes fan it’s  more than likely chips but for Tampa fans it may be coleslaw. 

    Before the game, the Carolina Hurricanes hadn’t had a lead in a game since game 4 against Nashville. Jackie Redmond reported that they had gone a total of 296:04 TOI without a lead. That would end in game three. Brett Pesce opened it up in the second period giving the Canes a much needed lead to build off of. Sebastian Aho would follow suit, extending their lead to two. Tampa Bay wasn’t going to take the easy way out. Brayden Point and Alex Killorn each earned this sixth goal of the postseason on power plays, tying it up as they headed into the final twenty. 

    Tampa Bay out shot the Canes 37-27. Neither team’s penalty kill could quite get it done tonight. Carolina scored on 1 of 2 power plays and Tampa capitalized 2 out of 3 times with the man advantage. While the reigning Stanley Cup champions are a powerhouse of a team, the Carolina Hurricanes have them beat when it comes to special teams. During the regular season, the Canes had a 25.61% on the power play. Their penalty kill was at a whopping 85.23% The Bolts had a 22.35% on the power play when the league average was just under 20% at 19.79%. Their PK was 84.15%. It is fair to say that Carolina had a better special teams unit assembled. 

    Sebastian Aho set up the beautiful overtime winner from Jordan Staal.  The Canes now trail 2-1 in the series.

  • The Canadiens Can’t Stop Winning, lead series 1-0 over Winnipeg

    The Canadiens Can’t Stop Winning, lead series 1-0 over Winnipeg

    The Winnipeg Jets grounded after their first game in 9 days. Montreal took game one with a final score of 5-3. 

    Canadiens forward Jake Evans left the ice on a stretcher after a hit from Mark Scheifele. Scheifele was given a charging penalty along with a game misconduct. He will have a hearing on the hit at some point on Thursday. 

    Montreal took a two goal lead within the first 5:30 with goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Staal. Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry would cut the deficit in half. Nick Suzuki would dash that hope when he scored the third goal for Montreal in the first frame. 

    The second period was goalless. Were the nine days off detrimental to the Jets? While I’m sure the rest was much needed after all that overtime hockey, was there too much downtime? Even Connor Hellebuyck didn’t look like himself. That’s when you know there’s something going on. 

    The final 20 was met with 2 goals a piece. It was the final Montreal goal that shifted the energy of the series. Evans scored an empty net goal and was met with Scheifele’s hit. There has been plenty of discourse surrounding the hit. Was it dirty? Did he intend to play the puck? Evans should’ve had his head up! Way to blame the injured. And then of course there are those analyzing photos of the Jets’ forward and making egregious claims that could be met with a defamation case. Not a lawyer, and I don’t play one on t.v. We have to draw the line somewhere. Not everyone has faith in DoPS and that’s okay, it’s justified but remember that these are real people. Scheifele’s playoffs ended last season after a collision with Matthew Tkachuk. The difference there is that Tkachuk was remorseful after the unintentional collision. We’ve yet to see or hear that from the Jets star. 

    You have two fantastic goaltenders in net and high expectations for both of them. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28-33 shots. You don’t see him missing that many pucks on any given night. There’s a reason why hockey fans are intimidated by the Jets and he is the main proponent. We saw Carey Price come alive against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He stopped the top goal scorer in the league and held him to just one goal in seven games. Price had 27 saves in game one. While the offense is fun to watch, make sure you keep an eye on these net minders through the series.

  • Weathering the Storm in Game 2: Lightning Strike Down The Hurricane, Extending Their Series Lead 2-0

    Weathering the Storm in Game 2: Lightning Strike Down The Hurricane, Extending Their Series Lead 2-0

    The Tampa Bay Lightning take a 2 game lead, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. The Hurricanes were without Nino Niederreiter and are likely to be without him for the remainder of the series. Both teams were quiet and this was not the night for the Canes to dip off the radar. 

    The storm was brewing in the first period but nothing touched down. With just six shots on goal, neither team was able to score. According to Natural Stat Trick, Tampa Bay led with 4 high danger scoring chances compared to Carolina’s one. 

    Canes successfully killed Sebastian Aho’s slashing penalty. Things were beginning to heat up as the Lightning were spending more time in the offensive zone. One major takeaway I have is the amount of incomplete passes. The team couldn’t get the puck tape to tape for a while. That would become a problem of the past. Lightning struck when Alex Killorn got Tampa on the board first 7 minutes and 9 seconds into the second period. The Canes could not tie it up in the second frame. Through 100 minutes, the Canes could not sneak a single goal by Vezina nominee Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Hurricanes found themselves on the penalty kill again and  Martin Necas whiffed one just wide of the net. I have to believe he will be seeing that every time he closes his eyes. Vincent Trocheck left the ice sixteen seconds into his shift. He was seen hopping off the ice and down the tunnel at the end of the second period. Sara Civian reported it was friendly fire that sent him down. We need to talk about Nikita Kucherov. No, this isn’t about cap space but his old habits dying hard. Kucherov stuck his leg out and kneed Brett Pesce. A referee was right there yet there was no call. Shots were 21-11 in favor of Carolina at the end of 40. Tip of the cap to the Canes for only allowing Tampa to add 5 shots. 

    As I mentioned before, the Hurricanes couldn’t score a goal through 100 minutes. The Canes are a heavy scoring team and unfortunately those Hurricanes vanished off the radar.  Aho led the team in scoring with 24 goals and Niederreiter behind him with 20. Nothing. Are we seeing a similar situation to the one in Toronto where stars fall flat or was it just an off night?

    Good News: Trocheck returned to the bench for the third period. Bad News: He would end up back in the room shortly there after. Pat Maroon high sticked Brady Skjei and Carolina looked to capitalize on that man advantage. Tampa’s penalty kill never waivered. Similar to the Hurricanes, the Lightning’s star players were rather quiet through most of the game. Victor Hedman of course changed that, scoring the second goal of the night with just under 12 minutes remaining. Limiting Tampa to 15 shots is something but the Bolts being able to score two goals off of that is quite impressive. Things began to heat up as the period progressed. Nothing ever escalated past a huddle and loads of yelling but tensions were rising. The Hurricanes would not go quietly. Andrei Svechnikov cut the lead in half with a minute and a half left. 

    Unfortunately, the 32 shots on goal were not enough for the Canes to tie up the series.They’re without Nino and possibly Trocheck. Is there room for them to turn the series around?

    The storm heads to Tampa for game three on Thursday.

  • Islanders Advance as Pittsburgh Sees Another Early Exit

    Islanders Advance as Pittsburgh Sees Another Early Exit

    The New York Islanders will be shipping up to Boston as they advance to the second round, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. It was another early exit for the Penguins who were Stanley Cup Champions favorites heading into the playoffs. The team were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in 2020 and the New York Islanders in a four game sweep the previous year. 

    The Penguins outshot the Isles 37-24 but still lost, 5-3. The Islanders ran away with the night scoring three unanswered goals after Jason Zucker scored the go ahead goal for Pittsburgh. . Anthony Beauvillier, Kyle Palmieri, and Ryan Pulock scored one apiece. Brock Nelson had himself a night with 2 goals and 3 on the series. 

    Trade deadline acquisition Jeff Carter had himself a wild series with 4 goals in 6 games. The forward was traded from Los Angeles and earned 9 goals in 14 regular season games. One would not assume that a 36 year old would see a rejuvenation but I guess that’s not the case for Carter. Jake Guentzel scored in the first period as well right before Palmieri answered to tie it up. Unfortunately for the Pens, they couldn’t keep it going. Jason Zucker scored to open up the third period but that was it. That was all she wrote. 

    The Islanders were 6-2-1 against the Boston Bruins. A good portion of the games were prior to the trade deadline. Both teams respectively acquired power forwards in Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri had 3 goals against Pittsburgh while Hall tied his career postseason total with 2. The teams are expected to kick off their series this weekend in Boston.

  • First Postseason Shutout for Campbell, Where Is Montreal’s Offense?

    First Postseason Shutout for Campbell, Where Is Montreal’s Offense?

    Jack Campbell earned his first career postseason shutout with 32 saves in Toronto’s 4-0 win over Montreal. 

    The first frame was quiet but clearly the Toronto Maple Leafs were waiting to show off during the second. 

    Alex Galchenyuk had assists on goals from William Nylander and Jason Spezza. Nylander still leads his team in scoring and points through the series. Auston Matthews main appearances have only come when being taken down by a Canadiens player. It was a missed tripping call on Alex Kerfoot that led to a Jumbo Joe goal. Yes, Spezza and Thorton scored tonight. No, you have not entered a new dimension. Frustrations only built for the Habs are they could not get one behind Jack Campbell. The Leafs were outshooting Montreal 24-18 after 40. Insert your favorite quote about shooting the puck if you must. The final frame was a little less entertaining. However, there was an empty net goal provided by Alex Galchenyuk. Big night for Gally. 

    Carey Price was left out to dry once again. His team couldn’t show up and put in the slightest effort to score goals.Tyler Toffoli has not had any luck in this series. The 29 year old had 28 goals this season in Montreal. Of all the players you would expect to see more out of him.  Brendan Gallagher’s frustration boiled over after the third goal, slamming his stick on the boards. Someone mentioned Price going on to be Seattle’s Marc-Andre Fleury. That’s probably a long shot but we can always dream of a fairytale ending. 

    What is the point of making the Montreal Canadiens go out there for a game five? I’m just happy that there aren’t any Habs fans wasting money to be in the stands for this. I don’t know how you can look at this series and say they still have a chance. Nylander has more goals than the entire Canadiens team has scored. The Leafs are about to advance out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. 2004. The Red Sox hadn’t even won their first World Series in 86 years. Some of you might not have even been born. All it took was avoiding the Boston Bruins in the beloved first round.

    Toronto looks to close out the series on Thursday. If they advance, they’ll move on to Winnipeg who could give them a real run for their money with goaltending and offense.