Boston Bounced, Avalanche Out, Dach Scores, Rockford Down 2-0, and Other Blackhawks Bullets
I’ll dig in on the two amazing games last night in a bit, but tonight there’s one exciting matchup for us. There’s only one Game 7 on the schedule for Monday night, and it should be just as good as the others we’ve enjoyed this offseason. It’s an important one for the Blackhawks’ draft future; if the Rangers lose, the pick Chicago received for Patrick Kane stays in the second round this year. As a reminder: the Rangers need to get to the Eastern Conference Final to make it a future first.
- There were two Game 7s on the schedule last night. The early game lived up to every ounce of what you want a Game 7 to be. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead, only to watch the Bruins (with some help from the officials) take a 3-2 lead in the third period. But a game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation opened the door for a historic upset and the Panthers finished the job in OT.
- Just a reminder:
- Was last night the last time we’ll see Bruins captain and certain Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron on the ice? He considered retiring last summer but came back for what was supposed to be one more run for a championship. And it certainly looked like the Bruins were set up to do just that after the best regular season in league history. But a stunning Game 7 loss in overtime changes everything.
- In the late game, the Kraken — in their second year of existence and first postseason appearance — sent the defending champion Colorado Avalanche to the golf courses for the summer. Oliver Bjorkstrand hadn’t scored yet in the series, but he deposited both of Seattle’s goals and could have scored three more if the posts were more generous.
- Former Avs netminder Philipp Grubauer was fabulous, especially in the final 90 seconds. If you haven’t watched TNT’s studio shows before, during and after games, they’ve been really good in the postseason. I loved this breakdown Henrik Lundqvist did of Grubauer’s style between the pipes.
- In the WHL playoffs, the Seattle Thunderbirds came back to win in overtime as well. Colton Dach was named the game’s No. 1 star with a goal and an assist. It’s great to see him playing to well and confidently right now after a long season with so many health issues.
- In the AHL playoffs, the Rockford IceHogs lost a second straight game on home ice to Texas (4-1 last night) and now face three games on the road in a best-of-five series. Joey Anderson scored for the second straight game, but the rest of the offense didn’t show up with him unfortunately.
- In the OHL playoffs, Ethan Del Mastro and the Sarnia Sting lost the second game of their series as well.
- And, unfortunately, Samuel Savoie and the Gatineau Olympiques also lost the second game of their series in the QMJHL.
- We are now just one short week away from the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery. So keep those fingers and toes crossed, Blackhawks fans.
- Finally, I completely agree with the pick below for a favorite Bears moment of the NFL draft weekend. It was great.
