Game 1

[ksmith]

The Hawks spent altogether too much time defending their own net. Niemi had something like 40 saves, and some of them were whoa. But, they won 2-1, and for some strange reason play better on the road this playoff season than they do at home. They're 6-1 on the road. At home, they sometimes go all loopy.

It's going to be a long week.

Comments

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I watched that show, and wondered why you had been complaining about Niemi earlier in the season.


Of course, if you were dealing with a New England team, you'd be saying, "Well, now they can't be swept . . ."

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Niemi was exceptional today. Truly. His local nickname is "The Finnish Fortress," and he has had good stretches throughout the year. But he was inconsistent. Maybe it didn't help that Coach Q alternated him with Huet for so long. Neither man could settle in--not that Huet deserved to because he stunk--and Niemi is iirc a rookie to boot. There was a learning curve. He seems to be ON now. I am hoping he remains ON for the duration. And that no more pucks bounce off his teammates and into the net.

[windrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there really hasn't been any such thing as home ice advantage this year. The Sharks are one of the few teams that consistently do well at home, which is why the Tank is considered one of, if not the toughest rinks in the NHL for visiting teams.

Of course, the intensity of the fans is a large part of what makes the Tank such a tough building. You wanna put a big dent in the Sharks' armor? Take the crowd out of the equation. Chicago did that tonight, and while I won't say it was the deciding factor, it played a bigger part in the loss than most people would think.