Day 3 Round 1 NHL Playoffs 2009

3 different Game 2's were played and here's what has come up from them:

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers: Pittsburgh wins 3-2 (2-0 series lead)

The Flyers finally started playing disciplined hockey, and it almost worked for them. A missed Scott Hartnell call was cancelled out by a late third period power play goal, and two really really bad penalties by Philadelphia had them going from a power play to a shorthanded 5 on 3 in overtime, which resulted in Guerin stuffing a puck past Biron on the short side to win the game.
The Flyers could've taken over the series by tying it 1-1 and winning in overtime before sending it to their home ice, but they shot themselves in the foot with two penalties that should have never been taken, and a shot that should have never gotten past Biron. But credit Marc-Andre Fleury, who made about 5 highlight reel saves in the third period and overtime to set up the opportunity for his team. Philadelphia has a lot of positives to take away from the game however, so if they can channel that into games 3 and 4, we could be looking at a new series midway through next week.

New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Carolina wins 2-1 (1-1 series tie)

Carolina finally realized that it was the postseason, and a stronger work ethic in all three zones and some timely saves by Cam Ward led to a thrilling overtime winner for the Canes. Martin Brodeur has showed up to play, which is good news for New Jersey, who didn't really allow Carolina to test him in game 1. But New Jersey, who used to rely on Brodeur and their defense, have a new predicament: they can only go as far as their offense. The past couple of months has seen inconsistancies in the offense of the Devils, and the Hurricanes are at the receiving end of it now. With the series tied and Carolina taking it back home, the Devils have their work cut out for them. The good news for New Jersey is that they probably only need to win 1 of the next 2 games in Carolina to have the advantage in game 6.

Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues: Vancouver wins 3-0 (2-0 series lead)

Luongo is unstoppable, and he is exploiting the fact that the Blues have no offensive depth. But what is making Vancouver seem like a very scary team in the Western Conference is the fact that their offense is finally clicking in the postseason, something that has not happened in the past. Coming into this postseason, Luongo had a losing record after one career postseason appearance, despite putting up a better than .940 save percentage. But Mats Sundin scored the game winner, and the Sedin twins put up two points each: Daniel with 2 assists and Henrik with a goal and an assist (granted the goal was an empty netter). Vancouver looks like they should wrap this series up in 5, but there's a catch: B.J. Crombeen sent a message at the end of the game with a roughing double minor, which was the centerpiece of an end-game brawl. Can St. Louis take that energy (and avoid suspension) to their home ice? Or will Vancouver continue to stifle their offense?

Penalty kills are dominating the postseason so far, but game-changers have been on the uncommon power play goals. The 2-0 series lead in Pittsburgh/Philadelphia is misleading: Philadelphia played a near-perfect game until the final two minutes. The intensity is picking up in the New Jersey/Carolina series, and this might become a series where both teams beat each other up so much in a low-scoring grind match that it won't matter who advances. If Vancouver can get past Detroit/San Jose (or if they never have to face them), look for them to be favorites in the Stanley Cup finals regardless of who comes out of the East.