GWG Rewind: Lightning vs. Panthers (GM 2), Capitals vs. Rangers (GM 2), Avalanche vs. Jets (GM 2) & Predators vs. Canucks (GM 2)
Big names take care of business
Lightning-Panthers Game 2
If you’ve been following the Paul Maurice-led Panthers, you know they like to keep their time to attack to a minimum. The puck travels from the perimeter to the heart of the ice in the blink of an eye.
That dynamic was front and center in OT on Tuesday night:
After a dump-in, Matthew Tkachuk (FLA 19) clocks that Emil Lilleberg (TB 78) is committed to a puck he can’t reach and too tight to the wall. A great opportunity to pivot into better ice on his forehand. Since he loses control for a second, he opts to link up with Anton Lundell (FLA 15) in between a pair of Lightning defenders.
The Finn does well to negotiate the DZ congestion and slips a pass to Carter Verhaeghe (FLA 23), who taps into his clutch gene once more:
Notice how he waits to get his hips around him in order to gain the leverage he needs on his backhand. This is the patience of a scorer who’s been there and done that in the spring.
All in all, the Panthers convert a dump-in into a GWG in nine seconds.
Capitals-Rangers Game 2
Mika Zibanejad’s (NYR 93) special teams brilliance rescued the Rangers from a lousy performance in Game 2. In addition to his rocket on the PP, he orchestrated a second-period SHG that would prove the difference in the end.
The sequence begins with a takeaway near the OZ blue line. Alex Ovechkin (WSH 8) attempts to corral a bouncing puck but exposes far too much of it under pressure (above vs. below the puck), which turns this into an awfully sketchy stick battle. Zibanejad prevails and rumbles downhill alongside Chris Kreider (NYR 20):
Although Washington’s PP does well to bring bodies back, they’re scrambling toward Kreider rather than sorting out their coverage responsibilities. This leaves a streaking K’Andre Miller (NYR 79) by his lonesome in the slot:
A quick give-and-go with Kreider locks in the Caps’ attention, then Zibanejad whips a pass onto Miller’s stick. The blueliner fires back against the grain for a back-breaking shortie.
Avalanche-Jets Game 2
Colorado acquired Yakov Trenin (COL 73) for his size and strength, but in open ice, he’s able to complement that range with deceptive burst.
Those wheels enabled him to slip through Winnipeg’s defenders and reach Connor Hellebuyck (WPG 37) sooner than expected in Game 2. He disrupts the goaltender’s pass attempt and spooks Neal Pionk (WPG 4) into poking the puck directly to Andrew Cogliano (COL 11) behind the net:
Cogliano doesn’t believe he can outrace the Jets on a wraparound, so he peers into the slot and detects Zach Parise drifting down Main Street. The six-time 30-goal scorer displays his trademark relentlessness around the cage, tickling the twine on his third whack at it:
Grunt work pushed the high-flying Avs over the top on Tuesday night.
Predators-Canucks Game 2
Nashville’s chances of giving Vancouver a real challenge rely on its details. The top line of Ryan O’Reilly (NSH 90), Filip Forsberg (NSH 9) and Gustav Nyquist (NSH 14), in particular, must wear the Canucks out by simply playing the right way.
They have through two games, and a stellar forechecking shift paid off on Tuesday’s GWG:
ROR seals the wall to flush the action toward his help. Forsberg steps in as support and follows the puck up the boards, where Nyquist sends a deft flip to his countryman. This is when a fatal Canucks mix-up occurs. Both Noah Juulsen (VAN 47) and Elias Lindholm (VAN 23) press Nyquist, which leaves a void behind them and Forsberg free to swoop into the slot.
That’s…not ideal:
You’ve got one of the craftiest one-on-one forwards in the league bearing down on your goaltender—and there’s a viable passing option at the back door (ROR). As a result, Casey DeSmith (VAN 29) bites on everything, and Forsberg roofs his forehand in tight.
The Predators’ textbook puck pursuit took Vancouver to school in Game 2.