Down the Frozen River

Author: Jess Belmosto

  • Winnipeg Sweep The Oilers With 3OT Winner

    Winnipeg Sweep The Oilers With 3OT Winner

    After a night of triple overtime, the Winnipeg Jets secured their tickets to the next round defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Kyle Connor sent the Oilers packing with his second goal of the postseason. The Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets saw overtime 3 out of 4 times this series. Two of those games being played back to back. 

    It was a late night regardless of the coast you were on. We were tired just watching from the comfort of our own homes. I can’t imagine actually playing in a 4 hour and nineteen minute hockey game. 

    Darnell Nurse broke Chris Pronger’s TOI record with a whopping 62:07. If you remember last postseason, Seth Jones of the Columbus Blue Jackets played 65:06 in that 5OT game against Tampa Bay. Nurse is now 9th all-time in TOI. Seth Jones remains number one. 

    Josh Morrisey led the Jets in TOI behind Connor Hellbuyck with 41:52 minutes. 

     The Oilers looked to avoid elimination It started with the Oilers announcing Mike Smith would start. It appeared that would wrap up the series and Winnipeg would skate away with their brooms out. Edmonton was not going down without a fight. It appeared we saw a different Oilers team through regulation. While there were plenty of missed calls on Connor McDavid, the team seemed to be playing a more physical game. This might come to a surprise to you, but your superstar cannot be the only one pulling the weight. Secondary scoring appeared to be there but it wasn’t enough to stay alive.

    The first 20 was welcomed by three goals. Unlike the other North Division game, the special teams showed up to play. Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, who missed last year’s postseason due to an unfortunate in-game injury in game 1 against Calgary, got the Jets on the board with a power play goal. Oilers Captain Connor McDavid looked nothing shy of dejected after last night’s loss. A new day and a new game means another chance to stay in it. McDavid found his playoff stride, earning Edmonton’s first goal of the night. The game was not knotted at one for long. Mason Appleton earned his first career playoff goal, giving the Jets the lead as they wrapped up the first period. 

    It was a two goal period for the Oilers as they earned their first lead of the night. 2011 first overall pick Ryan Nugent Hopkins tied it back up, 3 minutes into the second frame. RNH had 16 goals in 52 games. The Jets’ penalty kill could not stop Alex Chiasson from cleaning up a loose puck in front of the net. The Oilers had a one goal lead and a little bit of confidence before they were down to the final buzzer.

    Scheifele tied it up at 3 with an absolute snipe from where his first goal was scored from. The cameras panned to McDavid on the bench and his face said it all. You’ve got to feel bad for him. He’s the greatest hockey player of all time trapped on a team that can’t win. The biggest travesty in hockey history would be not seeing him lift the cup in his playing career. Amidst the frustration of a tied game in the third period, Blake Wheeler got a puck to the groin. He was doubled over in pain as he raced right to the room. He would return to the bench for overtime.

    Triple overtime. That’s what it took to settle the score. 

    You have to give both goaltenders credit. They’d both stood on their head through the series and were now trapped in another overtime game. Mike Smith is no spring chicken at the age of 39. Edmonton’s defense was playing peak a boo at times but he still held down the fort for as long as he could. Connor Hellebuyck was nothing shy of his Veznia Trophy winning self. He had a .950SV% through the series.

    The Jets can sit back and recover while they wait to see who their opponent will be. Will it be the Toronto Maple Leafs who haven’t seen the second round since 2004 or the slow and uncertain about everything Montreal Canadiens?

  • Campbell, Leafs Hold off Canadiens To Take Series Lead

    Campbell, Leafs Hold off Canadiens To Take Series Lead

    Toronto commands the series lead with a 2-1 win over Montreal. The Leafs outshined the Montreal Canadiens in regulation. 

    Cole Caufield made his NHL Playoff debut in Montreal Monday night. We saw vintage Carey Price shine through with some rather impressive and “how does he do it?” type saves. Montreal struggled on the power play, though Toronto did not look much better as neither team could capitalize with a man advantage. 

    William Nylander leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring. The forward earned his third goal in three games during the second period. Nylander had 42 points through 51 games this season. The 25-year-old now has 103 career playoff goals. Nick Suzuki answered with his first of the series. Scoring would not slow down there. Morgan Riley buried one behind Carey Price. 

    Carey Price has 91 saves on 98 shots faced. There’s something mystifying about the man. You could argue that he is one of the most inconsistent consistent goalies in recent years. He’s one of the best players to watch. Through three, he has a .929SV% He might garner a bit more respect if his team wanted to show up and score.  Jack Campbell has made 78 saves on 82 shots faced, earning a .951 SV%. The days of failed playoff goaltending may be a thing of the past as Campbell has taken over Fredrik Andersen’s spot. 

    Physicality was not absent in game 3. Shea Weber took down Auston Matthews but the Leafs star was nothing but smiles. Both teams racked up 10 minutes in penalties. The power plays struggled and fans were begging the teams to decline the extra man. Special teams couldn’t get it done tonight the way they had previously. 

    The teams are back at it in Montreal for game 4 at 7:30 tomorrow night. It’s early in the playoffs and I’m unsure why we’re seeing back to backs. Will the Habs tie it back up or will Toronto string together three consecutive wins?

  • The Jets Touch Down in Overtime to Secure a 3-0 Lead Over Oilers

    The Jets Touch Down in Overtime to Secure a 3-0 Lead Over Oilers

    The Winnipeg Jets are one step close to moving on as they beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in overtime. Nikolaj Ehlers’ made his return to the Jets’ lineup in the best way possible. The game-winner belonged to him. The Oilers’ goaltending crumbled in true Oilers fashion, letting go of a 4-1 lead.

    McDavid had a 3 point game with just assists. The Captain was goalless once again. Leon Draisaitl was responsible for the first 2 Oilers’ goals as he earned his first goal of the postseason six and a half minutes into it. Less than three minutes later, he earned the second of his night. The Jets were woken up in the second period with Ehlers’ first goal of the night.  Ehlers’ made his return to the Winnipeg lineup and let it be known. This would not be enough for the Jets to take off as Zack Kassian scored about a minute later. It wasn’t until the third period where the Jets fired up their engines. After Jujuhar Kharia scored Edmonton’s fourth and final of the night, the Jets were ready for take off. Mathieu Perrault, Blake Wheeler, and Josh Morrisey responded and stopped Edmonton right in their tracks.

    Nothing will ever go down smoothly for Connor McDavid. I can only imagine the phone calls made after the game went to overtime and then after Ehlers scored his second goal of the night, giving the Jets a 3-0 series lead. The Jets have a chance to advance tomorrow night. Will Mike Smith start between the pipes or will Mikko Koskinen make an appearance in an attempt to keep the Oilers a float? 

    The Oilers outshot the Jets 48-37 but failed to succeed in faceoffs, getting demolished 63- 37% at the dot. Special teams rose to the occasion with 2 goals on the Jets’ powerplay and 1 goal for the Oilers. 

    There is a lot at stake for the Oilers and I don’t think it’s just the series. Tomorrow night the team makes a last ditch effort to save themselves from this healthy Jets team.

  • Luke Kunin Curtain Call: Nashville Ties the Series after 2OT

    Luke Kunin Curtain Call: Nashville Ties the Series after 2OT

    You thought these two would settle things in sixty? You thought wrong. Tied after 20. Tied after 40. Of course, they would be tied after 60!  Luke Kunin open and closed the curtain in Nashville. It took nearly 100 minutes but the Predators tied up the series before they head back to Raleigh. Things were off to a hot start in Nashville. Dougie Hamilton turned over the puck in the neutral zone and led to Luke Kunin scoring fifty seven seconds into the game. Emotions were high and bleeding over from Friday as both teams got chippy in front of Nashville’s net. Ben Harpur mopped up the ice with Nino Niederreiter. Niederreiter crosschecked Nick Cousins. Neither team was able to score on the 4 on 4. Carolina kept the shots flying through 20, outshooting Nashville 17-5. They were able to land one between the pipes with 1:57 left. After review, a double minor against Andrei Svechnikov was overturned. Eeli Tolvanen received a high stick from teammate Mattias Ekholm and then from Svechnikov. The penalty was overturned entirely. It could not be downgraded to a minor because of a rule change back in 2019. 

    Sebastian Aho’s backcheck. That’s it. That’s the sentence. Ryan Johansen scored the go-ahead goal about five minutes into the period. Nashville’s puck management and patience earned them that goal. Nashville has always been a team with an offensively talented defense. I mean, just look at SheaWeber’s freshly broken record by 2020 Norris Trophy winner, Roman Josi.. Alex Nedeljkovic had glorious saves that saved Nashville from taking a bigger lead. Matt Duchene went down the tunnel after throwing a big hit and cutting his face. Brock McGinn scored the tying goal with 1:55 to go. 

    Duchene returned to the bench for the final twenty. Ten seconds into the period, McGinn scored his second of the afternoon and Carolina’s third of the game. The Canes would go on their first penalty kill of the game after Dougie Hamilton tripped Josi. Nashville capitalized on the power play with a goal from Nick Cousins. Nashville had 3 goals on 18 shots. Svechnikov earned himself a two minute minor after crosschecking, sending the Preds back to the power play. Nedeljkovic was outstanding on the penalty kill and through the remainder of the third. Nashville looked beat by the time the second half of the third period rolled around. That’s not how you want to look against the speedy and skillful Canes. The Canes picked up on every one of the Preds’ mistakes and attempted to make the most of it. 

    It was a hard fought overtime. Two overtimes actually.  Both ends of the ice were getting some serious wear. The Predators killed a delay of game penalty, keeping themselves alive. Duchene was nearly the hero for the second night in a row. Hamilton had a strong offensive presence as well. Bridgestone was rocking through regulation and they certainly did not disappoint come over time. We may have used the “I thought it was full capacity” line a few too many times in the last week but I stand by it. Luke Kunin opened and closed the show in Nashville this afternoon. Juuse Saros set a franchise record with 58 saves on the day.  The Predators were outshot 61 to 43.

    The teams square off on Tuesday in Raleigh. Tune in to see who takes the series lead.

  • Vegas Golden Knights Edge Closer To Advancing After Game 4 Shutout

    Vegas Golden Knights Edge Closer To Advancing After Game 4 Shutout

    Minnesota is on the verge of elimination after they fall 4-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights. They outshot Vegas 35-18 but were unable to get one by Marc-Andrea Fluery. Fleury now has 142 postseason wins and 16 postseason shutouts.

    Vegas looks to close out the series Monday night but what can Minnesota do to avoid that? Cam Talbot has stood on his head this entire series while his offense has fallen sour thanks to Vegas’ brick wall defense and goaltending.

    Calder Trophy candidate, Kirill Kaprizov had 27 goals on the season but has yet to notch one through 4 games. His offensive abilities could absolutely help Minnesota close the gap but it’s down to the wire now. Vegas’ offense was lights out last night. Nicholas Roy earned two goals. Along with him, Mark Stone and Alex Tuch added to the scoreboard. 

    Both teams have the ability to play shutout hockey. They showed off the first two games. The Wild are obvious underdogs here and have the cards stacked against them. However, if they can squeeze another win out this series, they could build on that momentum and give Vegas a bit of a run for their money. 

    In the last two games, Vegas has scored 9 goals. The Golden Knights look to close things out back in Vegas on Monday at 10:30 ET.

  • Toronto Ties the Series at 1 after 5-1 Win

    Toronto Ties the Series at 1 after 5-1 Win

    The Toronto Maple Leafs tie the series at one apiece after a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs took advantage of the penalty-heavy Habs, scoring two goals on the power play. Toronto outshot the Canadiens 34-23 through sixty. 

    The Canadiens’ only goal came from Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the first period. Unable to build off the momentum, the Leafs scored 5 unanswered goals.

    Veteran Jason Spezza scored the Leafs’ first goal of the evening. Zach Bogosian earned the assist. Auston Matthews started off the second period with the second goal of the night, assisted by Justin Holl and Mitch Marner. Matthews won the Rocket Richard this season with 41 goals, just six shy of his career-high. Toronto went up 3-1 with a power play goal brought to you by Rasmus Sadin. Marner and Matthews earned themselves a multi-point game with that one. William Nylander now leads the team in goals after scoring his second of the series. Nylander had 17 goals during the regular season. He was the subject of trade rumors throughout the season but showed the Toronto media he meant business. Alexander Kerfoot scored the final goal of the evening, giving the Leafs a four goal lead to close out the night. 

    Toronto won 63% of faceoffs and led with 19 blocks. Jack Campbell had a very solid evening between the pipes. Can’t exactly say the same for Carey Price who struggled with a .879SV%. 

    Morgan Riley led Toronto defenseman in ice time with 23:37. 

    Tyler Toffoli, an offensive juggernaut for the Canadiens in the regular season with 44 points, has been silent through two games. Montreal can’t afford to slack off against the Leafs. They need their offense to be strong and consistent. Unfortunately, the team has been lacking and showing a lack of discipline as well. The team took six penalties on Saturday only killing four of them. 

    Based on NaturalStatTrick, Toronto had 11 high danger scoring chances compared to Montreal’s 2. Maple Leafs captain John Tavares released a statement early Saturday day stating he was thankful for the outpouring of support. Tests were negative for any structural damage to the head. However, he did suffer a knee injury on top of the upper body injury. Time table for the knee is two weeks.

  • McDavid Silenced for a Second Game in a Row as Winnipeg Jets Take 2 Game Lead

    McDavid Silenced for a Second Game in a Row as Winnipeg Jets Take 2 Game Lead

    Paul Stastny gave the Winnipeg Jets a 2-0 series lead with an overtime goal against the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid was silenced again as the Oilers could not get anything by Connor Hellebuyck who earned his third career postseason shutout.
    Pierre-Luc Dubious returned to the lineup in game 2. The forward played a total of 13:05 minutes in his first postseason game with the Jets.  The teams were hanging together through sixty. Mike Smith was in rare form for the Oilers making 35 saves. Hellebuyck stopped 38 shots faced. The Oilers won 57% of the faceoffs. Both teams were successful in killing their respective penalties. 

    McDavid has 0 points through two games. That’s not something you would expect from someone who had 105 points through 56 games. Is Winnipeg his Kryptonite? He had 22 points against the Jets during the regular season. The healthy Jets team is actually a threat to the North Division. Last season the team was all banged up and without their star players, losing to the Calgary Flames in the play-in series. Paul Maurice said that Nikolaj Ehlers could play on Sunday. Ehlers missed the end of the season with a lower-body injury.

  • Nashville Halts Carolina in 2OT

    Nashville Halts Carolina in 2OT

    Nashville Predators avoid a potential sweep after putting on a show on home ice. Both teams had young goalies between the pipes while the offense as a whole came alive. That’s what makes great playoff hockey. 

    Ryan Ellis scored first, marking his first of the postseason. Nashville looked to capitalize on the early lead but would have to work twice as hard once Sebastian Aho tied it up. Aho now has 5 points in 3 games. Filip Forsberg did what he does best and notched the second of the night with a gorgeous goal. Mattias Ekholm had the primary assist but Juuse Saros is credited as well. 

    We hear players say things like, “we need to play a full game.” and that’s what both teams did. The goals kept coming until the very end. The Hurricanes outshot Nashville 56-54. Granted, it did go to double overtime but they understand the importance of not holding onto the puck for too long and letting the puck die on their stick. Four of Nashville’s goals were made from right in front of the net. 

    There is something really exciting about watching two young goaltenders battle it out during the playoffs. Alex Nedeljkovic has a .936SV% this series. He’s risen to the occasion for the Canes multiple times this season and we’ve seen that bleed over into the postseason. Pekka Rinne has just about fully passed the torch to Juuse Sarros. The 25 year old has a .919SV% through 3 games. He has stood on his head and the team has fallen short. Both net minders have plenty of potential which adds to the excitement of this series.

    The faceoffs were split right down the middle but the Canes were on the penalty kill seven times, successfully killing 6. Nashville killed two of three penalties. Nashville and Carolina both threw 30+ hits. The physicality has not been missing from this series. However, Carolina would benefit from playing a slightly more disciplined game. 

    Matt Duchene will have something new to talk about in his Uber. Scoring a game-winning goal in double overtime seems a bit more exciting than drama within the organization. Duchene had 6 goals and 7 assists this season. 

  • Pittsburgh’s Elite Offense Shuts Down Islanders

    Pittsburgh’s Elite Offense Shuts Down Islanders

    Yet another overtime game unraveled, this time on Long Island. Heavy in hits and penalty minutes, these teams would not let up until the clock hit 0:00. Jeff Carter has returned to his early LA Kings days while Mat Barzal has been relatively silent with just two points through three. 

    Evgeni  Malkin returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh and had himself a two point night. The Penguins and Islanders couldn’t keep their hands off each other or pucks out of the net. The Penguins now lead the series 2-1. 

    The series has been inconsistent in terms of who looks like the better team. There were periods where the Islanders looked like the better team but the tables would turn. The Islanders outshot the Penguins 30-27 and threw 47 hits compared to their 29. 

    The Penguins dominated offensively, having 4 goals through 40 compared to New York’s 1. Chaos unfolded in the third period where the starting lineup for Pittsburgh was in the penalty box. New York also had a full penalty box. There was a moment or three where neither team could keep their hands off each other and would end up paying for it. New York tied the game up with two goals from Cal Clutterbuck and one from Anthony Beauvillier. I’m not sure how Jeff Carter does it but he earned himself a hat trick. Why would any team trade Jeff Carter? 

    In true 2021 playoff fashion, the teams took it to overtime. This time it’d be Brandon Tanev scoring the game-winner, looking ghostly in his celebration. 

    Game 4 is a Saturday matinee on Long Island. It’s crunch time for New York as Pittsburgh could capitalize on the momentum of two straight wins. Goaltending and defense need to be tighter on both ends. High scoring games are bound to happen when you have elite forwards but there is certainly a way to limit their success.

  • Winnipeg Jets Dominate Edmonton Oilers in Series Opener

    Winnipeg Jets Dominate Edmonton Oilers in Series Opener

    The Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers kicked off the Scotia NHL North Division’s postseason Wednesday night. No overtime was needed here as the Jets crushed the Oilers, 4-1 after sixty.

    The Jets were without Pierre-Luc Dubois ( 8 goals, 12 assists ) and Nikolaj Ehlers ( 21 goals, 25 assists ) for game one. PLD missed the final game of the season with an undisclosed injury. Ehlers has been sidelined since mid April due to an upper body injury.

    The offense would not skip a beat without the pair, scoring 4 goals on the Oilers in sixty minutes.

    Jesse Puljujarvi opened up the the battle, scoring the only Oilers goal of the evening. Puljujarvi had 15 goals and 10 assists through 55 games.

    Tucker Poolman tied it in the first period and the offense was grounded until the final 20. Dominic Toninato had the go ahead goal and from there, the Jets took off. Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler both had empty net goals, cementing the first win of the series.

    2021 Art Ross Trophy Winner, Connor McDavid did not have a single point. This isn’t a cause for concern because he could turn around and have a five point game. This Oilers team is different from the ones we’ve seen in years past. McDavid isn’t carrying this team by himself. If he does have a quiet night, you can count on players like Tyson Barrie to push the puck toward the net.

    Comparing the Oilers’ goaltending to Winnipeg’s seems a bit like comparing apples and oranges. While Mike Smith is not the same Mike Smith from the past, he is certainly not Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck.

    The pair face off again on Friday where Edmonton looks to even the series. Will PLD and Ehlers return to the lineup or will Paul Maurice keep the winning lineup the way it is?