SB Nation

Adam Gretz | April 19, 2014

Stanley Cup playoffs

Scores and highlights from Friday night

Getting Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings in the first round isn't really much of a reward for a No. 1 seed, and the Boston Bruins found out why on Friday.

5 things to know
  • Datsyukian Magic
    Jimmy Howard was outstanding for the Red Wings by stopping all 25 shots he faced from the Boston Bruins, but it was Pavel Datsyuk that stole the show in the third period when he broke a scoreless tie with a highlight-reel goal in the closing minutes. Getting him back in the lineup is a big reason why the Red Wings are going to be a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference, even if they did enter as the bottom seed.
  • Tampa Bay's goaltending problems continue
    Carey Price and Anders Lindback both had their share of problems in Game 1 and the biggest question heading into Friday was which one would be capable of bouncing back. The answer to that was obvious in Montreal's 4-1 win. Price wasn't asked to do a ton thanks to a suffocating performance by the defense in front of him, but he was infinitely better than he was on Wednesday. Lindback, however, seemed to take another step backwards and found himself finishing the game on the bench in favor of rookie Kristers Gudlevskis. With starting goalie Ben Bishop unlikely to return anytime soon in this series that is going to be a major issue for a Tampa Bay team that has to head to already Montreal down two games.
  • The NHL Playoffs are nuts
    On Thursday we had Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville protesting a non-penalty call by grabbing his crotch, a move that earned him a $25,000 fine. On Friday night, we had Milan Lucic giving Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser a cup check late in the second period. There was no penalty called on the play. If nothing else, we will at least get an answer to the age old question of which is a greater offense in hockey: Spearing an opponent in the groin, or grabbing your own as a form of protest
  • Ryan Getzlaf's big day
    What a week for Ryan Getzlaf. First, his face was messed up by a Tyler Seguin slap shot in the Ducks' Game 1 win. Then on Friday his wife gave birth to a baby girl. And then he had to play Game 2 against the Dallas Stars where he went on to score a goal and record an assist on Andrew Cogliano's game-winning shorthanded goal in the third period. Getzlaf did make one big mistake on Friday, taking a potentially costly penalty with just three minutes to play with his teamup by one goal. Fortunately for him his teammates were able to pick him up.
  • A Rene Bourque sighting for Montreal
    Why are the Canadiens up 2-0 heading back to Montreal? Getting some offense from some unexpected sources certainly hasn't hurt. On Wednesday it was Dale Weise scoring the winner in overtime. On Friday it was Rene Bourque, coming off of a brutal regular season, scoring a pair of goals including a beauty in the first period where he split the Tampa Bay defense. He scored just nine goals during the regular season. He had two on Friday.
Saturday's Schedule
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues Blues lead series, 1-0 3 p.m. ET | NBC / CBC Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins lead series, 1-0 7 p.m. ET | NBCSN / CBC / Local CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Avalanche lead series, 1-0 9:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN / TSN / Local Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.

About the Author