THURSDAY COMMENTARY – AVS DON’T NEED THE HELP

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

WELP, IT WAS ANOTHER WILD NIGHT IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS.

WE BEGAN IN WINNIPEG WHERE THE JETS HOSTED MONTREAL IN GAME 1 OF THEIR SECOND ROUND SERIES. THE HYPE WAS IMMENSE, BUT MOST OF THE GAME WAS NOT. (UNLESS YOU’RE A CANADIENS FAN).

MONTREAL POTTED A COUPLE OF QUICK ONES AND WAS IN CONTROL THROUGHOUT. THEY HAD A 4-3 LEAD LATE AND THEN ALL THE FIREWORKS STARTED.

HABS FORWARD JAKE EVANS SCORED A RARE EMPTY-NET WRAPAROUND GOAL, AND THEN GOT ABSOLUTELY BLOWN UP BY JETS STAR MARK SCHEIFELE.

EVANS WAS STRETCHERED OFF THE ICE AND SCHEIFELE WAS GIVEN A 5-MINUTE MAJOR WHICH, REALLY, WAS MEANINGLESS.

MONTREAL WON THE GAME 5-3 BUT ALL THE TALK WAS ABOUT SCHEIFELE’S HIT AND I MADE MY JUDGMENT ON IT AFTER WATCHING IT THE FIRST TIME, IN REAL TIME.

SCHEIFELE WAS HUSTLING BACK AT FULL SPEED AND ARRIVED JUST AFTER THE PUCK WENT IN THE NET. HE’D LET UP AT THE TOP OF THE CIRCLES AND EVEN TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO SLOW DOWN. EVANS ZIGGED WHEN HE SHOULD’VE ZAGGED, AND ENDED UP ABSORBING PERHAPS THE HARDEST HOCKEY HIT I’VE EVER SEEN.

SCHEIFELE WILL INDEED GET SUSPENDED, BUT HE DIDN’T INTEND TO INJURY ANYONE. IF YOU THINK HE SKATED 200 FEET WITH THE INTENTION OF KNOCKING EVANS INTO NEXT WEEK, THEN WE’LL JUST HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE.

MEANWHILE OVER IN DENVER THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS WERE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TEAM FROM GAME 1 AGAINST COLORADO, OUTSHOOTING THE AVS 41-25.

BUT IT WENT TO OVERTIME AND COLORADO GOT A CHINTZY POWERPLAY WHICH LED TO THE WINNER BY MIKKO RANTENEN JUST TWO MINUTES IN.

3-2 AVALANCHE, AND A 2-0 SERIES LEAD.

THAT INNER VOICE I KEEP TELLING YOU ABOUT SAID, “COLORADO’S A GOOD ENOUGH TEAM. THEY DON’T NEED ANY HELP FROM THE OFFICIALS.”

BUT THIS TIME I KEPT IT TO MYSELF.

I’D ALREADY STIRRED UP ENOUGH ON TWITTER FOR THE NIGHT.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY