A Closer Game, Same Result

It's pretty safe to say that Game Two was a far more tighter game than Game One and I would also say that it was equally enjoyable as well. The Blackhawks and the Flyers really buckled down their defenses a lot more and their goaltenders were ready for the task at hand, as it was a lot more difficult to score goals, which turned up the dial on the angst and desperation at a number of points in the game.

In the end, it was the Blackhawks who were on the right side of the scoresheet, as they held onto a 2nd intermission 2-0 lead in the 3rd period, only giving up one goal in the final frame for a final score of 2-1 and now the Chicago Blackhawks will leave home for Philadelphia with a 2-0 series lead.

The 1st period had to be the best period for those who really like defense, since there were no goals scored and only a combined 12 shots on goal in the period, so the goalies were not even tested all that much. The 2nd period was a lot of the same, except for a 28-second segment, where the Blackhawks managed to go up 2-0 in the game. Marian Hossa scored his first goal of the series to open the scoring and it was Ben Eager who scored the eventual winning goal of the game.  In the 3rd period, the Blackhawks had to hold on for dear life, as the Flyers outshot them 15-4 in the final frame, but the shutout was broken only five minutes in, as Simon Gagne scored a powerplay goal to make the game all that much closer.  Eventually, the Blackhawks heard the final horn and the game was over.

The Flyers might be heading home down 2-0 in this series, but I don't think there is any reason for them to be down on themselves in this situation.  Despite Game One having 11 goals in it, it was a 1-goal decision and even when the scoring was low, the Flyers only lost by one, so the Flyers are prepared to play with the Blackhawks, it was just a matter of not having quite enough to lift them over top.  That being said, I don't think this series is quite as close to being over as some of the panicky people are suggesting, because the Flyers could just as easily take how close they were in the first two games, turn it around in Game Three and only be a game down.  Of course, the result could just as easily go the other way and the Blackhawks could steal Game Three with another close result, then we can talk about how close the Flyers are to caving in.

In the pool, the low-scoring result was exactly what Scott G. needed to cement his possibility finishing at the top, in fact he actually was able to extend his lead by a single point, thanks to a Dustin Byfuglien assist on the winning goal being the difference.  Russ D. had a good game, capitalizing on the Marian Hossa goal, with a Duncan Keith assist, to take the pool lead in scoring for the Cup Finals, now sitting with 11 points.  Russ has now moved into a tie for 4th and taking the position due to tiebreakers.

It really is turning into that 3-horse race I was talking about in the preview and if the series remains tight like Game Two was, it should be a cake walk for Scott to hold off Myles D. for the win.