Saturday's Three Stars: Sharks play on; Pens end Flyers' season
No. 1 Star: Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Somewhere in this mass of teal sweaters is Marleau, whose aggressive play at the net poked the puck behind Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller before Hiller knocked it over the goal line at 6:02 of overtime. The Sharks pushed the series back to Anaheim for Game 6 with a 3-2 win, despite blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. Joe Thornton (!) had a goal and two assists, and Devin Setoguchi had a goal and as assist; both players assisted on Marleau's game-winner, his second of the series.
No. 2 Star: Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh Penguins
The veteran defenseman's goal at 2:19 of the third period completed an impressive comeback for the Penguins, who closed out the Philadelphia Flyers inside a raucous Wachovia Center, 5-3. Gonchar's slap shot beat Marty Biron (30 saves), and Sidney Crosby's empty net goal was the last laugh on Flyers fans who taunted him throughout the series.
No. 3 Star: Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks
Playing a game-high 25 minutes, Seabrook opened Chicago's Game 5 win with a power-play goal and then assisted on goals by Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd. The Blackhawks defenseman was the backbone for its 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames, taking a 3-2 series lead back to Calgary.
Major penalty: The Flames laid an egg in Chicago on Saturday, playing uninspired and undisciplined hockey in their Game 5 loss. Miikka Kiprusoff (four goals on 18 shots) was abandoned by his defense before getting the hook. Is this a case of Mike Keenan trying to rally his team around a humiliated goalie, as Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune opines?
Minor penalty: It was a beat-down, for sure. But Daniel Carcillo's fight with Max Talbot while the Flyers were leading 3-0 is being widely credited for sparking the Penguins' rally. He was slammed for it on NBC, and rightfully so:
Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; 2. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins; 3. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings; 4. Daniel Sedin, Canucks; 5. Phil Kessel, Boston Bruins; 6. Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks; 7. Jonas Hiller, Ducks; 8. Patrick Marleau, Sharks; 9. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; 10. Sidney Crosby, Penguins
