The conference semi-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs got underway over the weekend. Each series has played two games and each one has had an interesting subplot develop.
In three of the series it is due to what has happened on the ice but one series has taken focus for what has happened off the ice.
Let's start last night in Philadelphia where game two was played between the Flyers and Devils.
New Jersey vs. Philadelphia:
In game one the Devils looked like they carried their momentum from their overtime wins in games six and seven against Florida as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead, out shooting the Flyers at one point 11-0 to start the game.
In the 2nd period Philadelphia responded by scoring two goals in 37 seconds to take a 2-1 lead. The teams would trade goals back and forth before Daniel Briere finally won the game in overtime for the Flyers.
In game two the momentum for Philadelphia carried over as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead. In the first period it looked like New Jersey couldn't match the Flyers speed as they were being out skated all over the ice.
Something changed during the first intermission as the Devils came out in the 2nd period and took total control of the game. New Jersey out shot Philadelphia 12-2 with the Flyers not getting their first shot on goal until there were about two minutes left in the period.
Despite all this Philadelphia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was playing his best game of the playoffs, turning away everything the Devils threw at him.
However it was only a matter of time before New Jersey would get to him and it would come from an unlikely source.
Rookie defenseman Adam Larsson, playing in his first playoff game of the season beat Bryzgalov with a wrist shot three minutes into the 3rd period to get the Devils on the board.
New Jersey would follow with goals by David Clarkson and Travis Zajac to take a 3-1 lead before Bryce Salvador would ice the game with an empty netter for the Devils.
This looks like a series where momentum can change on every shift. The Flyers are hands down the better offensive team but New Jersey looks like they are capable of containing Philadelphia's forwards.
Out of the four playoff series going on this looks like it could be the best one. Game three is Thursday night in Newark.
Washington vs. New York:
Going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs I thought the New York Rangers were a good defensive that was one forward short of being a legit Stanley Cup contender.
They may have found that forward in Chris Kreider.
Kreider spent the season at Boston College where he won an NCAA Championship. He joined the Rangers in game three of their playoff series against Ottawa.
Through seven games Kreider has two goals and an assist with both of his goals being game winners. If you are looking for a potential impact player in this series I suggest you keep your eye on Kreider.
As for Washington the big story is the lack of ice time Alex Ovechkin is getting in the 3rd period.
Coach Dale Hunter only had Ovechkin on the ice for 13:36 in game two against the Rangers. Of course Ovechkin did score the game winning goal on a power play.
Right now instead of being a $9 million dollar player that is the centerpiece of the Capitals offense Ovechkin has become a $9 million dollar specialist.
I don't have a problem with this.
Despite the struggles during the regular season Washington is finding a way to win playoff games. The Capitals are blocking shots, taking away shooting lanes and they have a goaltender that seems like nothing phases him.
Most importantly Ovechkin isn't complaining about his ice time. As long as the Capitals are winning this isn't a big deal.
Los Angeles vs. St. Louis:
Going into this series I felt the Los Angeles Kings were the better team. I didn't think they would win both games in St Louis.
The Kings did win both games on the road to improve their playoff record to 5-0 away from Staples Center.
Game three is Thursday night in Los Angeles and the Blues are in trouble.
One reason St. Louis was so good this year was their record at home. Coming into the playoffs the Blues were 30-6-5 at home but a mediocre 19-16-6 on the road.
Now St. Louis has to find a way to win two games in Los Angeles if they are to win this series. To make matters worse goaltender Jaroslav Halak will miss the entire series against the Kings leaving Brian Elliott to tend the net for the Blues.
While Elliott did play well during the regular season he has looked mortal against Los Angeles. It also doesn't help that one of St. Louis's top defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo got hurt in game one and missed game two of the series. His status is unknown for game three.
The Blues better find a way to win game three otherwise I think this one could be done in four.
Nashville vs. Phoenix:
The big story in this series should be how the Coyotes have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on a heavily favored Predators team.
However the bigger story is Nashville suspending forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for a violation of team rules.
Being down two games in the series this is not a distraction the Predators needed. However I don't think it puts Nashville at as big of a disadvantage as people may think.
The Predators have been a good team all season. Kostitsyn didn't join Nashville until right before the trade deadline while Radulov joined the team shortly after.
Nashville won a lot of hockey games before both players arrived. Yes they are better with both players in the lineup but they are capable of winning without them.
The Predators will be at home for game three and I expect them to play their best game of the series. They'll have to if they want to move on to the next round.
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