Down the Frozen River

Tag: 2015 Stanley Cup Finals

Toews, Blackhawks, 2015 Western Conference Champion

2015 Western Conference Finals Game 7 Recap

By: Nick Lanciani

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Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks proved once again, exactly why they are Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks, defeating the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3, on Saturday night in Game 7 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks are the 2015 Western Conference Champions and will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals.

Toews had a two-goal night and became the first player in NHL history to score two goals in a Game 5 and Game 7 on the road in one series. Corey Crawford made 35 saves on 38 shots against en route to securing the win, while Frederik Andersen made 21 saves on 26 shots on goal in the Ducks loss.

The Chicago Blackhawks got off to a quick start in Game 7 with Toews scoring his first goal of the game at 2:23 of the period. Patrick Kane made a quick pass to Niklas Hjalmarsson, who shot it from the point, generating a rebound opportunity that Toews cashed in on for the 1-0 lead. The team that scored first in each game won every game of this series.

About halfway into the 1^st period, things were still looking pretty good for Anaheim, despite trailing 1-0. Shots on goal were tied 4-4 and both teams had plenty of chances at each end. At 11:08, Jakob Silfverberg was penalized for hooking Brandon Saad- negating an excellent scoring opportunity for Saad, something that would become a theme throughout the night.

Nearly 50 seconds into the power play, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews, was at it again, this time on a great shot from the slot with help from Brad Richards and Duncan Keith. The goal was Toews’s second of the night and 9^th of the playoffs. The Blackhawks suddenly had a staggering 2-0 lead a little over halfway into the 1^st period.

Heading into the 2^nd period, the Ducks knew they had to do better if they wanted to remain relevant in the game. Yet 1:18 into the period, Brandon Saad found a rebound and sent it straight to the twine for a 3-0 Blackhawks lead. Saad’s 6^th of the playoffs was assisted by Patrick Kane and Johnny Oduya.

Kane shortly had a breakaway soon after Saad’s goal, but was denied by Andersen. It was Frederik Andersen’s 7^th save on 10 shots on goal with about 14 minutes remaining in the 2^nd period and was a boost of confidence for the otherwise struggling Anaheim goaltender and his teammates.

But then Marian Hossa deflected the puck with his skate in what appeared to be a kicking motion, but was called a goal on the ice and confirmed by video review, for a 4-0 lead for Chicago. This year’s new interpretation of a “distinct kicking motion” favored Hossa’s redirection as an apparent intentional positioning of his leg, but not a full fledging- follow through inclusive- kick.

At 17:55 of the 2^nd period, Marcus Kruger tripped Tomas Fleischmann (in for the scratched Emerson Etem) and gave Anaheim a short lived power play. Almost a minute later, Sami Vatanen denied Brandon Saad proper entry on a breakaway by tying him up with a hook, resulting in a penalty, and 4 on 4 hockey. Anaheim was outshooting Chicago 26-15 when the call was made, despite still trailing 4-0 on the scoreboard.

On the ensuing 4 on 4 play, Ryan Kesler got the Ducks on the scoreboard with his 7^th of the playoffs, assisted by Jakob Silfverberg and Francois Beauchemin. Duncan Keith was subsequently stoned cold by Andersen on a breakaway for the Blackhawks with 35 seconds left in the period. Kesler would hear his name come up again, before the period ended, when he was called for slashing Saad.

The Ducks killed off a 5 on 3 power play for the Blackhawks early in the 3^rd period. With 9:28 to go in the game, Anaheim was outshooting Chicago 31-22 and desperately trying to get anything and everything on goal. Corey Perry notched his 10^th of the playoffs at 11:36 of the 3^rd period with help from Patrick Maroon and Ryan Getzlaf. Perry’s goal brought the Ducks to within two, but it wasn’t a 4-2 game for long.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Cam Fowler was called for hooking at 12:49 of the period, giving the Blackhawks their fourth power play of the night. Brent Seabrook capitalized on the man advantage with a rocket from the point and made it a 5-2 hockey game at 13:23 of the 3^rd period.

Seabrook’s 6^th of the playoffs was assisted by Kane and Keith and all but put the game officially out of reach for an Anaheim comeback. In fact, for nearly four minutes after Seabrook’s goal, the Ducks couldn’t record a shot on goal.

With 3:15 left in the game, the Chicago Blackhawks called a timeout while the Anaheim Ducks pulled their goalie. The resulting 6 on 5 play quickly became a 6 on 4 advantage for Anaheim, as Oduya was sent to the box for sending the puck out of play, resulting in a delay of game penalty at 18:58 of the 3^rd.

On just their 2^nd power play opportunity of the night, Matt Beleskey cashed in for the Ducks. The pending free agent scored his 8^th of the playoffs with help from Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm, making it a 5-3 game.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

But it was too little too late. Despite a late rally and 38 shots on goal in the game, the Anaheim Ducks couldn’t come up with the Game 7 win at home. Just as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Rangers on road ice to advance to this year’s Stanley Cup Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks advanced in enemy territory.

Whereas Anaheim outshot Chicago 38-26 and outhit the Blackhawks 37-15, the Ducks were no match in other aspects of the game. A stronger faceoff presence by Anaheim than in Game 6 kept faceoff wins at 32-32 for both teams, but the Blackhawks led blocked shots for once, 15-14, and took advantage of 2 of their 4 power play’s on the night.

The brash Ducks couldn’t stand against the well versed and experienced Blackhawks. Chicago made the Honda Center their own, as if that wasn’t already apparent enough in the fact that many Blackhawks fans were in attendance and cheering loudly as their team won 5-3 on Saturday night.

Chicago is making their 3^rd Stanley Cup Finals appearance in six years. They won the Cup back in 2010 and in 2013 and are set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and their league leading offense. Tampa is making just their 2^nd Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history, having won the Cup back in 2004.

Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals will be Wednesday, June 3^rd, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 PM EST and coverage in the United States will be on NBC for games 1 and 2. Games 3 and 4 will air on NBCSN. If necessary, Game 5, 6, and/or 7 will be announced at a later time.

May 31, 2015
Bishop, Lightning, 2015 Eastern Conference Champions

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 Recap

By: Colby Kephart

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A Game 7 with emotions running high resulted with the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the New York Rangers 2-0. Alex Killorn scored the first of Tampa’s two 3^rd period goals (his 7^th of the playoffs), while the second came late in the period from Ondrej Palat.

Ben Bishop recorded his second shutout at Madison Square Garden in this series, stopping all 22 shots faced on Friday night. He also became the third goalie in NHL history to post two Game 7 shutouts in the same postseason, joining Patrick Roy (2002) and Tim Thomas (2011).

A high tempo, high energy, first period saw end-to-end action that ended scoreless. Both teams had their adrenaline pumping as the game experienced craziness with the fans screaming their heads off- right in tune with the game. The New York Rangers took a page out of Tampa’s book as they dressed 11 forwards and 7 defenseman (or so everyone thought).

Rangers captain, Ryan McDonagh, was experiencing some issues and had actually gone back to the locker room before the game began. McDonagh returned shortly into the 1st period. It was later revealed that he was playing with a broken foot for the last few games. The captain was usually carrying a heavy load on the blueline for the Rangers, but finished with a measly 3 shifts and 1:47 of ice time in Game 7.

Bishop and Henrik Lundqvist looked prepared for this big game, as they kept shot after shot out of their net. New York had a few quality scoring chances, despite having 5 shots on goal. The Lightning had more chances with 9 shots on goal. One opportunity forced a big save by Lundqvist as the shot deflected off of a New York stick, off Lundqvist’s glove, and over the net.

The goaltender battle continued during the second period as Tampa started with quick chances. Ryan Callahan gathered the puck on a rebound and threw it towards the net, but Lundqvist got his pad on it. The Lightning became undisciplined and unwound for a short period of time when Brenden Morrow took a questionable call for hooking at 3:41 of the 2^nd period.

Ryan McDonagh got some time on the power play and generated a chance for his team off his hard shot, but Bishop was there to make the save and Tampa quickly cleared it towards the corner.

Tampa found themselves shorthanded again about four minutes later with a bench minor for too many men on the ice at 7:46 of the 2^nd period. The Lightning’s penalty kill unit proved their worth and only allowed a few chances, including one from Keith Yandle as he skated down from the point and received a backdoor pass, but shot the puck wide of the net.

The last 5 minutes of the period saw both teams generating multiple chances as the action went all over the rink. The Lightning established the zone, giving Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov chances that Lundqvist could only shoulder away. Jason Garrison also had a great chance at 16:04, when he received a backdoor pass, only to be denied, once more, by Lundqvist.

McDonagh continued to get more minutes as he battled through playing with a broken foot. He had a little over ten minutes of ice time by the end of forty minutes of play, adding almost 9 full minutes in the period. At the end of two, the Lightning outshot the Rangers 19-11. Both teams were throwing their weight around pretty equally with New York slightly outhitting Tampa 22-21. Faceoff wins were one sided in favor of the Rangers 26-14.

The third period saw a fast start for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who scored 1:54 into the 3^rd period. Alex Killorn snuck his backhand, five hole, between the pads of Lundqvist as the puck trickled across the line. The Rangers tried to answer by throwing pucks towards the net and hoping for rebounds, yet Ben Bishop remained strong with great rebound control and denied second and third chances. He finally gave up a few chances at the halfway point when a mad scramble ensued, but managed to freeze the puck.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Tampa managed to double their lead at 11:17 of the period when a wrist shot from Ondrej Palat beat Lundqvist top shelf. Palat’s goal was assisted by Tyler Johnson and Ben Bishop. Momentum began swinging out of New York’s favor as the reality of being down 2-0 in Game 7 with not much time remaining- potentially in their season- set in.

Ben Bishop made numerous saves, stopping everything thrown at him. New York was forced to pull Lundqvist with 3:44 remaining in the game for an extra attacker. Bishop, once again, remained strong and withheld the Rangers from a goal on the scoreboard.

Henrik Lundqvist in what became his final game of the season, brushed aside 23 of the 25 total shots on goal by the Lightning. Both teams shook hands with ease and tradition, as is long established in sportsmanship, after the long seven game battle for the Eastern Conference championship. Former Rangers captain, Ryan Callahan, shook hands with the man who he was traded for, Martin St. Louis, with Callahan moving on and St. Louis, for the second year in a row with the Rangers, failing to capture one more Cup.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals for their second time in franchise history. The last time Tampa made the Stanley Cup Finals, in 2004, they won the Cup. The Stanley Cup Finals start June 3^rd at 8 PM with national broadcast information to be released soon. The Lightning will face the winner of Saturday night’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks.

May 30, 2015
Blackhawks Win 5-2, Force Game 7 in Anaheim

2015 Western Conference Finals Game 6 Recap

By: Nick Lanciani

In front of 22,089 fans at the United Center on Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks were able to stave off elimination and force a Game 7 on Saturday night in Anaheim with a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Patrick Kane’s 10^th goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs was the game winning goal in the Blackhawks winning effort as Corey Crawford made 30 saves on 32 shots against to pick up the win.

Anaheim’s, Frederik Andersen, made 18 saves on 22 shots faced in the loss. Chicago’s Andrew Shaw and Duncan Keith had impressive efforts as well, with Shaw scoring two goals and Keith earning three assists on the night.

A scoreless first period ended with 10 shots on goal for Anaheim and 6 shots on goal for Chicago. The Blackhawks also dominated faceoff wins 15-4, while the Ducks led hits 18-15 and blocked shots 13-5. Both teams went 0/1 on the power play as Anaheim couldn’t capitalize on a too many men bench minor against the Blackhawks, 1:59 into the period, and Chicago couldn’t score on their power play opportunity as a result of Corey Perry’s hooking penalty at 7:06 of the 1^st period.

At 8:23 of the 2^nd period Brandon Saad raced down the ice on a breakaway and landed a shot past Andersen and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead. The goal was Saad’s 5^th of the playoffs and was assisted by Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. A little over two minutes later, Chicago went ahead 2-0 on a goal from Marian Hossa with help from Keith and Brad Richards. Finally, at 12:08 of the 2^nd period, Kane picked up his 10^th goal of the postseason with Keith earning his 3^rd assist of the night, cementing a 3-0 Blackhawks lead a little past halfway into the period.

Brad Richards took a hooking penalty at 14:08 of the 2^nd period, resulting in a Ducks power play. Anaheim stopped some of the bleeding with a power play goal from Patrick Maroon via crafty work by Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen. For now, at least, the score was 3-1 and the Ducks successfully displayed a sign of life. Ryan Kesler gave Chicago their third and final power play opportunity of the night after tripping goaltender, Corey Crawford, setting the standard for a little more contact with both goalies in the 3^rd period.

Shots on goal were deadlocked at 19-19 and hits were tied, 30-30, by the second intermission. Anaheim led blocked shots 18-8 and were 1 for 2 on the power play, while Chicago continued to dominate faceoff wins, 29-11, and were 0 for 3 on the man advantage.

Andrew Shaw celebrates one of his third period goals in Game 6 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals in Chicago. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The 3^rd period got off to a quick start for the Ducks, showing signs of a potentially thrilling comeback, as Clayton Stoner notched his 1^st goal of the playoffs at 1:57 of the period. Nate Thompson and Jakob Silfverberg were credited assists on Stoner’s goal. Silfverberg, in fact, clipped Crawford’s glove as he was skating in front of the net, causing some to argue for goaltender interference, but the fact of the matter was that 1) Silfverberg was well out of the crease 2) knew where Crawford was in relation to where he was heading and 3) Crawford might have stuck his glove hand out to bat Silfverberg away, thus hampering his own chances at being fully able to make a save.

At least, those might have been a few things that crossed the referee’s mind in not making a call and reversing the goal on the ice.

Kesler and Silfverberg’s bumps into the goalie weren’t the only ones in the game. Nearly a minute and a half after Stoner’s goal, Chicago’s Andrew Desjardins was sent to the box for goaltender interference in a clear disregard for the established “don’t touch the goalie” rule after knocking down Frederik Andersen in the crease, perhaps in retaliation for the Ducks called and uncalled run ins with Crawford.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The pace of the game settled in until there was about three and a half minutes to go, when the intensity really picked up as Anaheim desperately tried for a tying goal. Instead, Desjardins had a quick breakout with Andrew Shaw, who began to put away the hopes of a Ducks comeback in Game 6 with his 3^rd goal of the playoffs at 16:28 of the period.

The Blackhawks had amassed 22 shots on goal, seven fewer than the Ducks, and yet had a 4-2 lead and were closer to a Game 7 than the Ducks were to a comeback. It wasn’t long before Anaheim was outshooting Chicago 31-22 and had an offensive zone faceoff with Andersen already pulled and 1:05 remaining in the game.

At 19:11, Shaw put away an empty netter for his 2nd goal of the night, assisted by Desjardins, and gave the Blackhawks a 5-2 lead. The Ducks ended the night with 32 shots on goal and Chicago wrapped up the game with 23 shots on net. Anaheim continued to display a much more physical game, leading in hits, 43-38- although that usually means that the more physical team spent less time with the puck.

Chicago amassed 33 faceoff wins in the game, compared to Anaheim’s 17 faceoff wins, and reduced the differential in blocked shots to 4, with Anaheim leading 23-19. Anaheim finished the night 1 for 3 on the power play, while the Blackhawks were 0 for 3 on the night.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

With the 5-2 win at home, the Chicago Blackhawks tied the series 3-3, sending the Western Conference Finals to a Game 7 on Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 PM on NBC.

The winner will not only be the Western Conference champion, but will have the advantage of knowing who they will face in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, as the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning battle in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

This year marks the first time since 2000, that both conference finals have gone all the way to Game 7’s to determine the Stanley Cup Finalists. Fifteen years ago, the New Jersey Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers to represent the Eastern Conference, while the Dallas Stars topped the Colorado Avalanche to represent the Western Conference.

May 28, 2015
Beleskey Ends it Early in OT (for once) and the Ducks are 1 Win Away from the Finals

2015 Western Conference Finals Game 5 Recap

By: Nick Lanciani

45 seconds into overtime was all it took for Matt Beleskey and the Anaheim Ducks to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 on Monday night in Game 5 at the Honda Center. For the third time in the 2015 Western Conference Finals, overtime was necessary, but unlike the last two times in overtime, the Ducks won. Frederik Andersen, despite a shaky effort, made 24 saves on 28 shots against en route to the win, while Corey Crawford made 23 saves on 28 shots against in the loss.

After an impressive Game 4 effort by both teams, Game 5 began with complete domination by the Anaheim Ducks. It seemed as though Chicago Blackhawks goaltender, Corey Crawford, and the rest of the team had forgotten about the start time of Game 5, as the Ducks quickly amassed a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period.

Two goals in a span of 32 seconds from Cam Fowler and Ryan Kesler quickly gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead before Sami Vatanen tacked on his 3^rd of the playoffs at 14:37 of the first period to make it 3-0 Anaheim. The Blackhawks had not even recorded a shot on goal and were down in a 3-0 hole as the Ducks were outshooting them 10-0. At 16:21 Chicago got their first shot on net.

Shots on goal were both a rarity and in abundance. They were a rarity for Chicago during the first period and in abundance for Anaheim in the opening twenty minutes, but then the roles were reversed for the second frame. The Blackhawks quickly rallied back into the thick of it, only 1:11 into the period, making it a 3-1 game on a goal from Teuvo Teravainen, assisted by Antoine Vermette and Patrick Sharp.

Chicago then fired 6 consecutive shots on goal before the Ducks had another shot on goal in the second period, sometime after the halfway mark. Both teams went 0 for 2 on power play opportunities in Game 5 and with 24.8 seconds left in the 2^nd period, Brent Seabrook fired a blast past Frederik Andersen, giving Teravainen and Sharp assists on what began a run of soft goals given up by Andersen.

The 3^rd period began with a power play for the Chicago Blackhawks at 1:43 of the 3^rd, as Clayton Stoner was sent to the box for hooking. Despite numerous chances, the power play unit was unsuccessful as the Ducks killed the penalty and held their ground. Things looked as though the Ducks would escape the third period unscathed for the large part as they began to possess the puck well and controlled the flow of the game.

However, the Blackhawks had begun to outshoot the Ducks, something that had not happened for the entire game until there was roughly fourteen minutes left in the 3^rd period. Despite trailing 3-2, it looked like things might revert back to the first period for Chicago and thus out of reach. Ryan Getzlaf sent a pass up ice to Sami Vatanen, who rushed in with Patrick Maroon crashing the net, setting Maroon up with a perfect pass that was deflected behind Crawford for a 4-2 Ducks lead. The goal was Maroon’s 6^th of the playoffs.

Ryan Getzlaf had thus set a new franchise record for the Ducks with his assist on Maroon’s goal for most points in a single postseason run in (19). And with a two goal lead a little more than halfway in the third period, things were looking good for Anaheim. In fact, of the final four teams remaining in the playoffs (ANA, CHI, NYR, and TB) the team leading after two periods was 24-1, so the odds were going pretty well for them, before the Ducks pulled off the win (thereby making that stat 25-1 now).

With under 2:30 to go in regulation, Chicago pulled Crawford for an extra skater. At 18:10 of the 3^rd period, Jonathan Toews rocketed a wrist shot past Andersen after Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith worked hard to keep the puck in the zone and set up Toews for the goal. A little over a minute later, Toews scored his 2^nd of the game and 7^th of the playoffs on an impossible angle from behind the goal line. Andersen had given up a rather soft goal earlier in the game, and gave up perhaps the softest goal of the game on Toews’s second goal.

The game was tied, 4-4, and heading for overtime.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

In just 45 seconds of overtime, Anaheim put 4 shots on goal, including the game winner. Matt Beleskey scored his 7^th of the playoffs on a juicy rebound given up by a diving Crawford from one side of the net to the other, to no avail. Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg were credited with assists on the game-winning goal.

At the end of the day, the Anaheim Ducks outplayed the Chicago Blackhawks. While goaltending was certainly an issue for both teams, the Ducks were able to overcome given their control of the smaller, but equally important elements, of the game such as faceoff wins (39-26 in favor of ANA) and blocked shots, 21-11. While they’ll need superb goaltending from Frederik Andersen moving forward, especially if they look to move on, they’ll still head to Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6 is on Wednesday night in Chicago at the United Center and can be seen at 8 PM EST on NBCSN.

May 26, 2015