Panthers suffocated by Swayman, Mittelstadt’ Avs take Game 1
Panthers suffocated by Swayman, Mittelstadt’ Avs take Game 1
The first weekend of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs saw the former members of the Buffalo Sabres having little impact on their clubs, as the Florida Panthers lost 5-1 in Game 1 to Boston, the New York Rangers took a 2-0 lead in their series against Carolina, and Colorado come back from a 3-0 first period deficit to win 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Miles Wood (son of former Sabre Randy Wood).
Colorado’s Casey Mittelstadt had most of his success in the faceoff circle, winning six of 10 draws, but otherwise did not have any impact in the 4-3 win in Game 1. The center had one shot in just under 18 minutes and was -1 in the game.
The largest contingent of ex-Sabres on the Florida Panthers proved in Game 1 that rust won out over rest. Boston coming off a grueling seven-game series with Toronto was sharp in a 5-1 victory on Monday, with Jeremy Swayman making 37 saves. Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, Evan Rodrigues, Dmitri Kulikov, and Kyle Okposo went pointless and a combined -4 in the game.
Jimmy Vesey saw an increased role from his usual fourth line duty (15:32 TOI) in the Rangers 4-3 victory in Game 2 over Carolina on Tuesday, as head coach Peter Laviolette shortened his bench in overtime, but still used the former Hobey Baker winner because of his competent defensive play.
Evander Kane, Tyler Myers, and Nikita Zadorov will finally see action in Vancouver on Wednesday, as Edmonton and Vancouver open their best-of-seven series. The Oilers have been off a week since eliminating Los Angeles in five games and the Canucks have been off since Friday after eliminating Nashville in six games.
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