Sunday October 15

Kraken use strong start to outlast Sabres

(7)Sabres vs Kraken(10)

It didn’t take long for the Kraken to kick start their engine and set the tone for the match. Barely thirteen minutes had gone by, and the Kraken had already built a massive 6-1 lead. The top line produced at a rapid rate led by F.Mastrocola, C.Decotis and C.Pirone as all three players clicked combining for a ton of points. While the contest appeared to be spiralling out of control, the Sabres managed to regroup playing a more determined game. They found their offensive groove and fired back with C.Arnoldo striking on four occasions. The Kraken may have taken their lead for granted as they started to ease up enabling the Sabres to bounce back and narrow the gap. At one point, they came as close as a three goal deficit. By then, the Krakens defence tightened up, and P.Kassaris made some key saves in order to keep some breathing room separating the two teams. F.Mistretta was also a major player in the win collecting six points that included a hat trick.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Frank Mistretta of the Kraken. His offensive prowess was on full display scoring three nice goals along with three helpers.

Wild stage epic comeback but fall short to Bruins

( 8 )Wild vs Bruins(9)

In a roller coaster of a game, the Wild staged a remarkable comeback, only to narrowly lose 9-8 to the Bruins. The game began with the Bruins asserting their dominance, scoring early and often. S.Vitali scored twice, and Z.StMartin was just getting warmed up making plenty happen. The Bruins looked like they could do no wrong leading 6-1 by the mid way point. By then, the Wild were facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit. Something had to give. Two of their next goals came on penalty shots by J.Terrigno and M.Zuccaro. Maybe that was the spark they needed as they continued to rally with a remarkable resurgence that eventually saw this contest levelled at eight goals apiece. The Bruins looked in trouble unable to stop a snow ball affect that kept growing. In hopes of catching a break, the Bruins were awarded a late penalty shot in order to try and regain the lead. That’s when the spotlight of the game hit with A.Passarelli seizing the moment delivering a dramatic game winning goal for the Bruins. His clutch goal snapped a late tie for a team that should have never been put in that situation. Credit to the Wild for never giving up in this contest after a horrendous start to their night.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Zachary StMartin of the Bruins. He keeps showing that he could score and make players around him better. The skilled player doesn’t take a night off as he was able to produce once more scoring three times while setting up three tallies.

Blackhawks overcome slow start, secure thrilling victory over Islanders

(7)Islanders vs Blackhawks(11)

Twenty minutes in, and the Islanders had the Blackhawks exactly where they wanted them. The 4-1 lead lasted for at least six minutes leaving the Blackhawks scrambling to get their act together. Sometimes it takes that one goal in order to start the ignition. That moment came when M.Kardum beat T.Sauk past the mid way point. Then, the furious comeback started with the Blackhawks scoring goal after goal. Their passing precision and relentless pressure wore down the Islanders defense, resulting in a complete turn around. The Islanders just couldn’t withstand the Blackhawks fore-checking attack. E.Allen’s ability to cut plays and generate chances up front contributed significantly in his teams comeback victory. The Blackhawks had many inspired players chip in with G.Martuccio  being part of it with five points and T.Angelis converting three times for the hat trick just to name a few. The Islanders couldn’t figure out a way to slow down the momentum generated by the Blackhawks. Unable to adjust, they suffered a discouraging defeat.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Errol Allen of the Blackhawks. His leadership-from the back end and his ability to kick start his teams offense played a pivotal role in this particular contest.

(6)Canadiens vs Flyers(5)

Canadiens hold on to tight knitted battle with Flyers

The game was a nail biter never slowing down filled with exciting plays and intensity. The Canadiens, led by some key components, put forth a remarkable effort on both ends of the court. They displayed a combination of solid defense and efficient offense to claim the hard fought win. Its always nice to have a player like T.Bergomi in your line up. The steady defenseman played a crucial role in stabilising the defense, trapping lanes, reading plays while disrupting the Flyers defense with some nice accurate passes. M.Paciencia was glad to receive some nice feeds as the forward cashed in three times. Apart-from the early stages the game, the Canadiens always played on a narrow lead. The Flyers were simply not going away and kept battling back making the Canadiens work really hard to maintain control. K.Aruajo pulled the Flyers within one with more than enough time left over. The problem-from there was that the Canadiens made it a point to close the gap and defend tighter. Adding to that, M.Tzouvadakis stayed firm in net making sure that nothing would get by him. It was a spirited fight-from the two sides that saw the Canadiens barely hang on to a very close encounter.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Tony Bergomi of the Canadiens. When you have a player like T.Bergomi on your team, you’ll likely have a very good chance to win a hockey game. What more can be said for a player that knows how to defend, win one on one battles, and make the correct play in order to start off the attack-from the defending end of the court.

Red Wings pull away on a flurry of goals

(7)Panthers vs Red Wings(10)

It was a game that featured plenty of goals and a ton of end to end action, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Many led the charge in the win for the Red Wings. You can make the argument that M.Salerno put some extra mustard to his game as the winger buried three for the hat trick along with an assist. While the Panthers fought valiantly and displayed their own offensive prowess, the Red Wings managed to maintain their lead by capitalising on scoring opportunities and showing their resilience on defense. The Panthers struggled to defend properly enabling their opponent to pretty much get their way. Scoring wasn’t really the issue as they put seven behind the Red Wings net. It was on the flip side of the court that didn’t go accordingly to plan. In the end, the Red Wings offensive surge proved to be the difference maker, allowing them to secure the 10-7 victory.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Max Salerno of the Red Wings. His ability to score three goals came to no ones surprise. M.Salerno has always had the nose for the net and tonight was just another day at the office for the sniper.

J.Melo’s timeout helps Predators overcome daunting 6-1 deficit

(9)Predators vs Kings( 8 )

In a remarkable display of leadership and strategy, Jason Melo’s timeout proved to be the turning point for the Predators in a thrilling comeback. The Predators were facing a daunting 6-1 deficit against the Kings, but Melo’s decision to call a timeout had a profound impact on the game. He was able to recognize that something needed to change if they had any sort of chance. Once his side regrouped by playing it a shift at a time mentality, the Predators looked like a reformed hockey team. They all rallied together getting overall balanced scoring except for maybe B.Freitas-Pereira, who went on a tear producing five points that included a hat trick. What’s actually worth noting about this game is that the Kings scored all eight of their goals in the first half. It’s  almost like a high end sports car rolling top speed ran out of gas in the middle of the highway. The Predators on the other hand fuelled up to the rim and used every ounce of their energy in order to stun the Kings. While its incredibly impressive to overcome a five goal hole, the Kings have only themselves to blame for allowing such a meltdown, especially with a ton of experienced players.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste Dorothee player of the game goes to Jason Melo of the Predators. You have to be a leader to stop the play and calm things down when your team trails by five goals. By simply reassessing the situation on a positive pep talk, the Predators did something remarkable on Sunday night by pulling the rug right under the Kings feet.