Sabres force Game 7!
If not for Cam Ward in the first period the game would have been 18-0 in favor of the Sabres. Just kidding, but not really. The Sabres played with desperation, and the Hurricanes didn't. The Hurricanes didn't really play at all in the first, other than the aforementioned Ward. JP Dumont scored the only goal of the period.
In all fairness, both goaltenders put on a clinic. Ryan Miller, kept the game from being 1-1 late in the first period. Miller made 25 saves and Cam Ward saved 29 of 31 shots he faced.
After surviving a late attack by the Hurricanes, which saw them tie the game with less than 4 minutes in the game, the Sabres were lucky to make it to OT. Down to only 5 defenseman, which were obviously exhausted, after losing Teppo Numminen again (who tried to play but ended up re-injuring himself early in the game) looked as though they were just hanging on at the end of the game.
Daniel Briere to the rescue! Just 4 minutes into the extra period, Briere scored on a blooper that went over Ward's shoulder and bounced behind him into the net. The goal which was scored on the powerplay gave him his 19th point of the playoffs and an opportunity for Buffalo to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals with a game 7 matchup on Thursday in Raleigh. For more on the game, visit TSN.ca.
So finally after two rounds of playoffs we get another game 7! I think this extra game is going to really hurt the Oilers who are sitting in a holding pattern waiting to find out who their opponent will be. The curse of the early playoff finish is now on the Oilers. Will they break it?
Last night's score:
Carolina 1 Buffalo 2 F (OT)
Comments
A celebration of superstition from buffalo. Visit my store for the God Bless Playoff Beards T-Shirts, featuring the wonderfully bearded Jesus Christ.
Posted by: Offensive Beards | May 31, 2006 11:54 AM
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Drunken-Buffalo-T-Shirt-Company
Posted by: Anonymous | May 31, 2006 11:54 AM
Hmm...nice shirt, but I don't know if Jesus's beard really counts as a playoff beard. It's no Neidermayer, to say the least. And I'm not crazy about his stickhandling skills. All he wants to do is break his stick and turn it into two sticks for other people. That's not going to get you far in the playoffs, dude.
Anyway, am I the only one who thinks Carolina probably should've won that game? Yeah, they got blasted in the first but Buffalo didn't finish them off until overtime and in between it seemed like the Hurricanes mostly outplayed them. Maybe it's my NC bias talking, I'm not sure. Regardless, I'm not biased enough to think Doug Weight made a boneheaded play with that check in overtime. He was literally right beside the ref. Of course they're going to call it. He's had a really strong playoff in my opinion, it's a shame if he lives to regret one bad check.
Game 7 should rock. There have been far too few game 7s this season and what has happened to the long-ass overtime? Has any game gone past 2 extra periods? I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like it. Next year, I'm implementing a mandatory game 7 per series rule and triple overtime per round rule. Let me get on the phone to Gary B.
Posted by: Playoff Moustache | May 31, 2006 01:13 PM
Stache I'm with you! I thought Staal was going to end that game with 3 seconds left again....they were swarming at the end of the third....to be honest I think the Sabres are lucky to have survived the 3rd. Laviolett must have thrashed them after the first!
Posted by: Captbosh | May 31, 2006 01:21 PM