Starters: Sylvain Deschatelets (F), Paul Elliott (D), Todd Griffith (F), Mike Looby (D), Pelletier (G), Evan Schwabe (F); Americans - Erik Adams (D), Jordie Benn (D), Jarret Lukin (F), Tobias Whelan (F), Chris Whitley (G), Colton Yellow Horn (F).
First Period: Schwabe draws a penalty right off the bat, with Adams being sent to the box for hooking him up just 36 seconds into the game after Schwabe broke away from the pack after a shot by the Americans and streaked down the ice toward Whitley. Let's see if the Bucks are able to set up on a power play tonight. ... Not so much. Lukin has made it 1-0 on a shorthanded goal. Pelletier stopped the first shot thrown at him on that play, but Lukin was there to flip the puck over his shoulder while he was down trying to cover it up. Americans lead 1-0 at 1:05. ... Seems the Bucks were using four forwards and just one defenseman - Looby - on that power play shift. Wonder if that was the new thing they're trying. ... Two defenseman on the points now that the second unit has come out. ... Bucks finally creating something as the power play expires. ... The Americans were just able to clear it after a close call that saw Whitley flopping around in his crease and struggling to get back into position. They iced the puck, though, so the Bucks will get a faceoff back in front of Whitley. ... Brent Cullaton has gotten his first point back with the bucks on a pretty nifty goal that rang off the post into the net and back out. He and his linemates were entering the zone when Cullaton decided to just shoot the puck instead of passing. Well, technically, he passed the puck to himself off his skate. Nice move. Jeff Bes was open for a drop pass right behind him but seemed pretty content with the end result of him not getting the puck. Game tied 1-1 at 3:19 in the period. ... Looby to the box for elbowing at 4:41 to put the Americans on their first power play. ... Bruce Graham just deflected a pass right out front of Pelletier into the post, and the loose puck seemed to evade the goalie until he turned around entirely and got his glove over it with his back to the rest of the players on the ice. ... Penalty killed. ... Bucks seem to have taken note of what the Americans did to them on Tuesday because they are blocking a lot of shots and breaking up plenty of passes. ... Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel in the box now for a slashing call 1t 6:36. Americans back on the power play. ... Americans helping the Bucks' cause by missing the net on at least half of their shot attempts so far. ... Third time really was the charm for the Bucks as they just scored their second goal with Griffith banging home a third-chance attempt after Whitley stopped the first two shots. No way he was going to miss that, with Whitley down and out in his crease. Bucks have the lead at home for the first time in this series, up 2-1 at 13:27. ... It was pretty non-stop back-and-forth in the minutes leading up to that, with very few stoppages in play. ... Griffith's goal is currently listed as unassisted, but I imagine they'll add a couple of helpers there eventually. Cullaton's goal might stay unassisted, though. We'll see. ... Benn just made a great individual effort to gain the zone, get behind the net, then wrap around and out a bit to take a shot on Pelletier, but Pelletier made the save. ... The top line just entered the zone pretty strongly, but Darryl Smith missed Bes on a pass that ended up behind his back to kill the play. ... Agarunov and Dieude-Fauvel just got a 2-on-1 break against Brandon Straub, and Dieude-Fauvel carried the puck into the zone and shot it only to have Whitley make the stop. ... Matt Radoslavich just took down Paul Elliott from behind, and Elliott is still lying on the ice. The only movement his body has made is Bobby Moore moving him a bit. Okay, now he's sitting up. Deschatelets was the first player to come over and check on him, and a few guys are going back and forth from the corner now. Elliott has stood up and is skating on his own, but you have to wonder if he got knocked out for a second after the way he stayed on the ice like that. He went back to the bench, so I'll monitor his playing time from here on out. ... Radoslavich has been given a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct. The Bucks will use the first 1:41 of that power play now and the other 3:19 on a fresh sheet of ice at the start of the second period. Let's see what they can do with it. ... Nothing so far. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 2-1, Americans up 15-12 on shots. ... As expected, assists are being added for the Bucks' goals. Smith and Bes get them on Cullaton's, and Schwabe and Deschatelets get them on Griffith's.
Second Period: Elliott is not on the ice or the bench to start the second as far as I can tell. ... Bucks still on the power play. ... And 80 seconds into the period, they have taken advantage of that advantage. Neil Trimm just scored after re-directing a shot by Adam Rivet past Whitley into the net. I guess that could technically have been a pass, but whatever the case, the puck got to the net, and Trimm put it in there. They're announcing assists as Schwabe-Rivet, but Schwabe definitely passed the puck to Rivet, who then got the puck to Trimm. Whitley is losing it with all the corn being thrown in his direction. Bucks lead 3-1 at 1:20. ... The Bucks will get a huge 1:50 5-on-3 advantage now with Straub heading to the box for tripping in the neutral zone at 1:29. ... Jarred Mohr and Rivet made a couple nice touch passes, and Rivet hit a post, but no goals so far with the first 58 seconds of that expired and a puck now out of play. The Americans have yet to clear, and a new unit is coming out for the Bucks now. ... Both penalties killed. The Bucks didn't score, but they did keep the puck in the Americans' zone, get set up and take some shots, so that's an improvement. ... Americans hit a post on their ensuing rush. ... Adams just sent a nice slapper from the top of the circle into the net to cut the Bucks' lead to one goal. They aren't giving out assists now, but they will. Bucks lead 3-2 at 4:57. ... Cullaton just took an elbow to the face, and as a result, Fairbarn is headed to the box to serve two for elbowing at 8:18. ... Penalty killed. ... Tyler Wooddisse just took a stick to the face in a scramble around the Americans' net and tried his best to get a call but did not. ... Cullaton to the box for slashing at 12:56 to put the Americans on a power play. ... And now the Americans get their 5-on-3 for the game, with Mohr joining Cullaton in the sin bin to serve two for hooking at 13:19. The 5-on-3 for them will last 1:23 or until they score. ... Radoslovich just trudged up the steps to take a seat with his teammates who have been in the stands since the start of the second, and his face looked familiar, so I checked his Hockey DB page, and sure enough, he was on the Boston University hockey team my first two years there. Random. ... Bucks get a bit of a break now with Nathan O'Nabigan headed to the box to serve a too-many-men bench minor at 14:32 and make this 4-on-3, then 4-9n-4, then a power play for the Bucks for 1:13. ... Somehow, the Americans managed to stay the aggressor on the ice for the first half of the Bucks' advantage, but now the Bucks get a faceoff in the Americans' zone and a chance to set up. ... I wouldn't say they really set up, but they definitely scored. A wicked wrister from Griffith between the circles ripped past Whitley into the net to make it 4-2 Bucks at 16:21 in the game. He won the (minimal) battle along the wall to get the puck out to where he shot it from, but I'm sure someone will ask for an assist on that eventually. When Griffith told me yesterday he didn't see the Bucks losing tonight, I was wondering if he was a bit over-confident, but I guess he decided to do as much as he can to make sure they don't. ... Griffith now has two goals tonight and four in the series. Game 1 was the only one he didn't score in, but he did have an assist. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 4-2, Americans up 26-23 on shots. The Bucks are getting a standing ovation from mostly everyone in the crowd other than Eric Giosa's brother (his family was at practice yesterday, and I can see them sitting over in 118) as they leave the ice. ... The assist on Griffith's second goal is going to Schwabe. Both goals for the Americans remain unassisted. ... Okay, the refs finally insisted that the off-ice officials give the Americans a couple assists. Mike Salekin and O'Nabigan get them for the goal by Adams.
Third Period: Elliott still not out there. Guess I'll be asking about his status after the game. ... Wooddisse is in the box for hooking at 3:35 to give the Bucks a chance to add to their lead on the power play. ... The Bucks' goal horn has been blown for no reason once again, as a shot by Looby thought to be inside the net was actually on the outside of it, which no one seemed to realize until Deschatelets started jabbing away at it in attempt to give his team a chance to score an actual goal. ... Penalty killed. ... Schwabe just tried to give Griffith a chance for the hat trick, but Griffith couldn't quite get his shot off, and the puck was deflected out of play. ... Whelan just got a couple chances on a loose puck but couldn't elevate it above Pelleterier's pad. ... Smith and Cullaton just had a good chance, but an attempted centering pass was broken up by a diving Whelan. ... Mohr going to the box for slashing at 11:51 to give the Americans a crucial power play chance. ... Very short shifts were apparently the way to go on that penalty kill, because the Bucks have taken care of it with ease. ... And right after I type that, Yellow Horn buried a great pass from a teammate whose number I did not catch. He beat Pelletier top shelf from the left corner of his crease. Just to make things interesting, we have a 4-3 game with 6:02 to play. ... Of course, they are listing that goal as unassisted. It was not, I promise. ... Okay, they had to ask the Americans broadcaster who had the assists, but at least they got them. Lukin and Whelan. ... Griffith and Straub just got tangled up in the neutral zone, and Griffith wanted a call but got nothing. ... Americans taking their time out with 1:39 left on the clock. Whitley will be on the bench when they take the next faceoff, which will be in the Bucks' zone. ... Oh man, the puck just cleared the length of the ice with Griffith all alone chasing it but he couldn't get his stick on it in time to score the empty-netter. So close. ... Those of us in the press box have been forced to stand due to the fact that several of the fans in attendance just had to be placed in the row right in front of us. ... Another faceoff coming with 45.7 seconds to go. ... Bucks using their time out now. ... The Americans players in the stands are on their feet, as well. ... Despite not clearing the puck past the neutral zone a single time, the Bucks held on to that one-goal lead.
Game Over: Bucks win 4-3 despite being outshot 40-30 and have tied the series 2-2. This is their first home playoff win since April 26, 2008.
2 comments:
What happen to Paul? Is the team gonna practice tomorrow?
I could not get an answer about Elliott's status tonight, but yes, the team does practice tomorrow, so I'll ask then.
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