SB Nation

Adam Gretz | May 3, 2014

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014

Highlights and reaction from Friday

The New York Rangers took advantage of a crazy sequence in overtime while Patrick Kane took over for the Chicago Blackhawks.

5 things to know
  • Pittsburgh has some defensive zone problems
    The Pittsburgh Penguins did some good things on Friday night and they did some bad things on Friday night. The bad things, as they usually are with the Penguins, came in their own end of the ice. Matt Niskanen and Olli Maatta had a brutal first period, including a mess of a shift after a blown hand pass call, that put them in a 2-0 hole. Then in overtime they made so many mistakes -- specifically Rob Scuderi -- that the Rangers actually scored two goals in the period (the first one counted and cancelled out the second one). Going to have to be better than that.
  • Rick Nash is still playing well
    Rick Nash didn't score for the Rangers on Friday, continuing his postseason goal drought, but he was once again one of their best forwards and making plays happen away from the puck and creating chances. Sometimes the puck doesn't bounce your way (and this game had a lot of crazy bounces and breaks, for both teams) but as long as you keep contributing in other areas and creating your chances the goals will eventually come. It's just a matter of time for Nash.
  • Patrick Kane can fly
    After Chicago let a two-goal lead slip away in the third period Patrick Kane decided that he was going to take over, scoring a pair of goals including this ridiculous display of skill that saw him blow past the entire Minnesota defense and beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a backhand shot that only he and maybe three or four other players in the league can successfully pull off. Good luck stopping that. 

  • A frustrating night for Minnesota
    Here is the problem if you're the Minnesota Wild. You played about as well as you could possibly play at even-strength, outplaying Chicago for much of the night and dictating the pace of the game, and you still ended up losing by three goals. That is a tough one. Minnesota's penalty kill didn't have an answer for Chicago's power play, surrendering three goals including a beauty of a goal that Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa teamed up for, or Patrick Kane.
  • Two-goal leads disappear again
    Two more games, two more two-goal leads that ended up disappearing. It happened throughout the entire first round and it continued in the second round with Montreal letting one go on Thursday, and then New York and Chicago on Friday. So far, though, it hasn't ended up costing a team a game in the second round. Yet. Montreal was able to win in overtime thanks to a P.K. Subban goal on Thursday, while the Rangers (with the help of the missed goaltender interference call shown here) and Blackhawks were able to salvage their games on Friday. Maybe one of these days teams will stop sitting on big leads. Friday was not that day.
Saturday Schedule
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins Canadiens lead series, 1-012:30 p.m. ET | NBC / CBC TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks Game 18 p.m. ET | NBCSN / TSN Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.

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