NHL Playoffs Three Stars: Bryz blanks Blackhawks, Subban smash, Finn for the win
No. 1 Star: Ilya Bryzgalov, Minnesota Wild
Didn't think I'd ever write that again, especially in the playoffs. Minnesota came in to Game 3 down 0-2 to the defending champs. Bryz managed to shut the door and stop all 19 of Chicago's shots in front of the home crowd. His teammates backed him up by providing a four goal cushion.
No. 2 Star: P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
Subban has been in the spotlight this entire series, and he factored in once again in Montreal's 4-2 win over Boston. Subban started a little shaky when he laid a hit on Reilly Smith. Thomas Vanek was in the wrong place at the wrong time and took the worst of his teammates hit; leaving the ice until the beginning of the second period. Subban was assessed an unnecessary roughing penalty on the play, and boy was he mad. So mad he got out of the box and scored a breakaway goal.
No. 3 Star: Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild
Finn for the win(n). The kid scored two goals on four shots, dolled out three hits and had two take-aways. His second goal might have been an empty netter, but his first goal on his backhand was drool/star worthy.
Honorable mention: Montreal's Dale Weise is becoming an unlikely playoff hero for the Habs. Weise recorded his first multi-point (1-1--2) playoff game Tuesday night against Boston ... He may have lost the game, but Patrice Bergeron had an awesome deflection goal to put the Bruins on the scoreboard:
... Carey Price made 26 saves in the win ... Minnesota needed their top guys Granlund, Zach Parise and Jason Pominville to wake up and score; they did just that combining for six points total ... Also in the Wild's stockade of promising Finnish talent is Erik Haula. He had a breakaway earlier in the game, but the refs missed a slash/hook to his hands. Instead, Haula started the scoring for the Wild in the third period with this goal:
Did you know? Chicago's Nick Leddy has played in every single regular season and playoff game for the team over the last three seasons. Tonight he was a healthy scratch in favor of Sheldon Brookbank. Brookbank registered one shot and one take-away in 12:16 TOI, none of those minutes were on special teams.
Dishonorable mention: The Habs nearly saw a repeat performance of Game 2 from Boston when Jarome Iginla brought the B's within one goal and 2:16 remaining in the game. Montreal held them off until three-seconds left when Lars Eller iced it with an empty-net goal ... Benoit Pouliot [Note: Jen here. Of course Pouliot would be scratched by the Habs. He doesn't play for them. Correction made and my apologies for destroying hockey as we know it.] Francis Bouillon and Brandon Prust were healthy-scratched in the lineup in favor of Douglas Murray and Travis Moen ... Mike Yeo saw his career flash in front of his eyes when Ryan Suter exited the second period early holding his arm after the incident below. Not to worry, Suter is an android and returned for the third period.
