Vladimir BYCHEK
HERO OF THE WEEK
Prior to joining the Rangers, Sean Avry earned a reputation as a chatterbox and provocateur, a master of the dirty game on the nerves of rivals. In New York, the striker was transformed into a scorer, who can decide the fate of matches without resorting to vile tricks. Now Aivry not only silently blows off injections of opponents, but also stably puts points in the piggy bank of his team! Victory in the second match of the series with Atlanta is largely his work. Sean assisted Brendan Shenahan in the winning goal. He opened the account of the meeting in the most curious way. A shot from the middle zone ricocheting from the side posed an insoluble task for the guard of the “woodpeckers” Johan Hedberg. This goal will seem to some to be Fortune’s random smile. However, firstly, the strongest are lucky. And secondly, how could nine (!) Avry shots on target be left without an award?
RUSSIAN WEEKS
In both guest meetings with Vancouver, Dallas defender Sergei Zubov was among the three stars of the evening. By tradition, the whole game of "stars" was built through it. He generated ideas and ruined the opponent’s plans. The Muscovite with an American passport was especially impressed on Wednesday when he spent 55 minutes 8 seconds of pure time on ice! Now Sergey is a participant in three of the six longest matches in NHL history. At the same time, Zubov’s personal record of patience lasted on Wednesday. In 2003, in the first battle of the series with Anaheim, the defender spent 63 minutes 51 seconds on the ice. Since 1997, when the NHL began to record the time spent on the court by each hockey player, no one has played for so long! However, the Russian himself puts on the top line his other achievement. According to his personal calculations, in 1996, when Pittsburgh beat Washington in the fourth overtime, he spent 82 minutes on ice.
BEGINNER OF THE WEEK
Forward “Nashville” Alexander Radulov scored three goals in the gate, “San Jose”. On Wednesday, he became the first rookie in ten years to score a double in the cup opening. Impression of the game, a native of Nizhny Tagil blurred Friday incident. In the middle of the second meeting with the “San Jose” Radulov so went to the ram of the attacking “sharks” Steve Bernier, that he only after a few minutes with the help of partners was able to leave the site. Alex paid for the deletion before the end of the match and disqualification for the next game.
Outcasts of the week
Among the defenders of “Nashville” Vitaly Vishnevsky has the greatest cup experience - 37 matches in the playoffs. And, nevertheless, the Kharkiv citizen has not been included in the application for two consecutive matches, being in good health. Head coach Barry Trotz assured that Vitaly will still have a chance to prove himself, but did not specify when. Sverdlovchanin Alexei Yashin goes on the ice. Although prohibitively small. On Saturday, for example, Islanders striker occasionally appeared on the court in the second and third periods, ending the evening with seven minutes and seven seconds of playing time ...
TEAM OF THE WEEK
The first in ten years, the victory in the playoff match, fans, “New York Rangers” were waiting. But few of them suggested that between the first and second breaks would be so small. Having won twice in Atlanta, New Yorkers created a good reserve for the future, and at the same time partially rehabilitated for last year's fiasco. Recall that in the 1st round of the playoff 2006, the “Rangers” defeated “New Jersey” to zero.
TOPIC OF THE WEEK
If all the changes were for the better, the world would have lived in paradise for a long time. Hockey players of the strongest league on the planet are tired of reforms and are ready to endure the torments of hell, just not to be in a hotter cauldron. The long night in Vancouver, when local players had to prove superior to Dallas for nearly seven periods, did not change their point of view. 78 minutes 6 seconds of an overtime juicer led to dehydration of organisms, filled the legs with cotton, but all participants in the marathon are convinced that the shoot-outs have no place in the playoffs. “Such matches go straight to history. Why change something?” - believes the goalkeeper, “Canucks” Roberto Luongo. “We don’t need shootouts. And if you want changes, you can play in four-on-four overtime,” suggests Vancouver captain Marcus Neslund. "This is a tradition. Many great goals were scored in the second or third overtime," - agreed Dani Heatley from Ottawa. Head coach of “San Jose” Ron Wilson recommends allowing advertising breaks in extra time, so that hockey players have more time to recover. And only the 40-year-old Pittsburgh veteran Gary Roberts for the shoot-outs. It remains to add that the longest series of overtime is dated March 24, 1936. Then, “Detroit” set 1-0 in the battle with the “Montreal Maroons” in the 117th minute of extra time ...
PAIN OF THE WEEK
“Anaheim” superfluously began a series with “Minnesota”. Ilya Bryzgalov reliably stores the last frontier of the “ducks”. But mentally all the teammates and the fans with the main guard Jean-Sebastian Zhiger . April 4, his wife Kristen gave him the first-born Maxim-Olivier. But, as is often the case in our lives, there was only a step from joy to sadness. The child was born inferior, and now doctors are struggling so that the baby does not remain blind. Doctors are no longer worried about Maxim’s left eye, but the right eye is still in danger. Thanks to the family couple Susan and Henri Samueli, the owners of Anaheim, the best doctors of America are now working with their son Zhiger. I want to believe in the best.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK
Friday the 13th. Anaheim - Minnesota: Chris Kunitz vs. Brent Burns .
FIGURES OF THE WEEK
72 shots were reflected by the goalkeeper of “Vancouver” Roberto Luongo in the first fight of a series with “Dallas”. Just one save was not enough for him to complete the NHL record set in April 1987 by Kelly Hrudi during the Islanders battle with Washington. Then the goalkeeper of the “islanders” beat their counterpart Bob Mason, and Lafontaine scored the winning goal in the 9th minute of the fourth overtime. “Nowadays, much has changed. In the 87th, goalkeepers were not allowed to put a bottle of water on the gate. They did not eat fruit and energy bars during breaks. At that time, it was believed that this was only to the detriment,” recalled Khrudi.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“I do not like to score first. This is a bad omen. After I scored the first Rangers puck in the last championship, I was haunted all season,” - New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr after his debut puck in the Atlanta series "
“Without going into details, I’ll say: we did everything we planned. By studying the video, I was even more convinced of this. Therefore, anticipating numerous questions, I declare that we are not going to improve anything in our game,” Tampa head coach John Tortorella two days after the start of the defeat 3: 5 in the series with the “New Jersey”.
CM. ALSO
Friday the 13th. “Nashville” - “San Jose”: striker “predators” Alexander Radulov knocked out striker “sharks” Steve Bernier.