But is that sustainable for a seven-game series? Sure, it gives them an advantage but they must play a complete game to win the Western Conference Final and advance to the Calder Cup Final.
If Game 1 of the Calder Cup’s Western Conference Final were played five-on-five, there’s a good chance the game would still be going on. The Chicago Wolves defeated the Colorado Eagles 3-2 in a game where every goal was scored on the power play.
The Wolves scored on three of their five opportunities while the Eagles had seven chances on the man advantage and only scored twice. That was the difference in the game and so far, the difference in the series. The question is whether this is sustainable.
A Successful Power Play Gives The Wolves An Edge
The Wolves' scoring three goals on the power play is impressive but not surprising. They’ve scored 10 power play goals in the playoffs and have a 26.3 success rate. It’s a unit that makes teams pay for making mistakes.
Watching the unit go to work, it’s easy to see why it’s clicked in the playoffs. Bradley Nadeau can make plays as the winger and puck-handler while Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas make the smart plays to find the open shot. With Felix Unger Sorum rounding out the top unit, the Wolves have too much skill to stop.
Teams don’t receive a lot of power-play opportunities in the playoffs. The cynic points to the refs swallowing the whistles while the analyst points to disciplined teams who don’t take the costly penalties in the first place. It's a common theme in the playoffs in any league and a good example of two things being true at the same time. That said, when the Wolves are given a power play, they take advantage. They were given five in Game 1 and made the most of them.
But Is This Sustainable?
Game 1 was an oddity, and it’s unlikely there will be another like it in the series. To the point of teams taking penalties in the playoffs, both the Eagles and Wolves are disciplined teams that don’t make many mistakes. Both teams combined for 28 penalties in minutes in the first game of the series.
The Eagles will be a more disciplined team in the upcoming game. More importantly, they will tighten things up, and the Wolves won’t have the same success. This team has stepped up defensively and rebounded all season. It’s why the Wolves must pivot if they want to keep up the momentum.
The strong power play gives the Wolves an edge. It won’t win them this series. Their play across the board, however, will, and in Game 1, they showed that they match up well with the Eagles.
Where The Wolves Have An Edge
A burning question ahead of the Western Conference Final was whether Cayden Primeau could outduel Trent Miner. Miner entered this series as the best goaltender in the playoffs, certainly the one with the momentum. Primeau was the better goaltender in Game 1.
The Wolves starter stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced. Primeau picked up where he left off from the previous round as the Eagles pressured him, yet he shut them down. Miner, meanwhile, allowed three goals on 19 shots.
The other question ahead of the series was whether the Wolves had the star power to take over the series. While they did it on the power play, the top-six skaters proved they can do that against the Eagles.
This series is only beginning, and based on Game 1, it’s sure to be a long one. That said, the Wolves proved that they can handle the Eagles and win this series. A Game 2 win will have them heading back to Chicago with a 2-0 series lead and the Calder Cup Final within their grasp.