Stay-Puft
03-29-2006, 10:07 AM
This series is not over.
The Tri-City Americans may have lost 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night at Toyota Center, giving the Everett Silvertips a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 playoff series.
But given a different bounce here or there, the Americans could be the ones up 2-1.
Tri-Cities outshot Everett 24-19, but the Ams did squander some golden opportunities to score on the Silvertips.
"We had some point-blank chances," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. And if you don't take advantage of those chances, you'll pay for it.
"They're a good hockey team," said Nachbaur. "That's why they won the U.S. Division."
The Silvertips found a way to win when captain Torrie Wheat redirected a shot on goal past Americans goalie Carey Price 3:15 into overtime. It was anybody's game up to that point.
"I think it was a pretty evenly played game," said Everett coach Kevin Constantine. "The last two games (Price) has played pretty well. We were lucky tonight to get a couple of goals. And the last two games the Tri-City penalty kill has been better than our power play."
Of the three potential first-round matchups for the Americans, this was not their favorite.
Tri-Cities against either Seattle or Portland looked better on paper for the Ams. Against Everett, however, the Ams were 3-6-1 during the regular season.
Still, playoff games are not played on paper.
The Amercians were very physical Tuesday against the smaller, cat-quick Silvertips. Guys like Aaron Boogaard, Matt Swaby and Alex Aldred delivered devastating hits all night, sending Everett players sprawling. It helped negate the speedy Silvertips' attack much of the night.
"That," said Nachbauer, "is not gonna stop. That's part of the way we play. If we get into a skating game with them, is that what we want? Part of our assets is our size. It's a strength and we have to use it."
Plus, it's always a part of playoff hockey -- 2-1 games are more the norm than 7-3 at this time of year.
Constantine knows what's coming.
"Tri-Cities, as all playoff teams, would be and should be physical," said Constantine. "We expect that in playoff hockey. Teams increase their physical play, and scoring becomes challenging."
Which is why the Ams feel confident about coming back.
"Obviously we're disappointed about the way we lost," Nachbauer said. "We still feel good. They're being taught something in that locker room. This is playoff hockey. And it's all about regaining our focus and coming back tomorrow."
How quickly the Ams can forget about this one, how they must remain the aggressors with hard hits, how Price must maintain his strong play in the net, and how they still need to attack Everett goalie Leland Irving on the offensive end -- these will all be keys for
Game 4 tonight.
It all happens at 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center.
The Tri-City Americans may have lost 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night at Toyota Center, giving the Everett Silvertips a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 playoff series.
But given a different bounce here or there, the Americans could be the ones up 2-1.
Tri-Cities outshot Everett 24-19, but the Ams did squander some golden opportunities to score on the Silvertips.
"We had some point-blank chances," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. And if you don't take advantage of those chances, you'll pay for it.
"They're a good hockey team," said Nachbaur. "That's why they won the U.S. Division."
The Silvertips found a way to win when captain Torrie Wheat redirected a shot on goal past Americans goalie Carey Price 3:15 into overtime. It was anybody's game up to that point.
"I think it was a pretty evenly played game," said Everett coach Kevin Constantine. "The last two games (Price) has played pretty well. We were lucky tonight to get a couple of goals. And the last two games the Tri-City penalty kill has been better than our power play."
Of the three potential first-round matchups for the Americans, this was not their favorite.
Tri-Cities against either Seattle or Portland looked better on paper for the Ams. Against Everett, however, the Ams were 3-6-1 during the regular season.
Still, playoff games are not played on paper.
The Amercians were very physical Tuesday against the smaller, cat-quick Silvertips. Guys like Aaron Boogaard, Matt Swaby and Alex Aldred delivered devastating hits all night, sending Everett players sprawling. It helped negate the speedy Silvertips' attack much of the night.
"That," said Nachbauer, "is not gonna stop. That's part of the way we play. If we get into a skating game with them, is that what we want? Part of our assets is our size. It's a strength and we have to use it."
Plus, it's always a part of playoff hockey -- 2-1 games are more the norm than 7-3 at this time of year.
Constantine knows what's coming.
"Tri-Cities, as all playoff teams, would be and should be physical," said Constantine. "We expect that in playoff hockey. Teams increase their physical play, and scoring becomes challenging."
Which is why the Ams feel confident about coming back.
"Obviously we're disappointed about the way we lost," Nachbauer said. "We still feel good. They're being taught something in that locker room. This is playoff hockey. And it's all about regaining our focus and coming back tomorrow."
How quickly the Ams can forget about this one, how they must remain the aggressors with hard hits, how Price must maintain his strong play in the net, and how they still need to attack Everett goalie Leland Irving on the offensive end -- these will all be keys for
Game 4 tonight.
It all happens at 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center.