All the talk coming into game two of the Eastern Conference finals was about the Hurricanes. In each of the past two rounds, the Cardiac Canes lost game one before taking game two en route to a seven game series win. Did Carolina have enough to even the series before heading home or did Pittsburgh make a Stanley Cup Finals rematch all but inevitable?

Carolina 4 @ Pittsburgh 7 – If you’re a goaltender or defenseman, this wasn’t a very pretty game. If you’re a forward or are a fan of fast-paced, wide-open offense, then you were in heaven. It was back and forth all game but the home side prevailed and took a two game lead in the series.

Pittsburgh looked like they would have this game on a silver platter from the get go. Sidney Crosby scored 111 seconds into the game to give Pittsburgh the lead. It didn’t last long, though. Chad Larose tied the game a scant 76 seconds later to silence the Pittsburgh white-out. The Pens got out front again five minutes later when Evgeni Malkin jumped off the bench and banged home a loose puck less than 10 seconds after starting his shift. That lead lasted all of 25 seconds when that pesky Jussi Jokinen shovelled home the tying goal. The Canes finally pulled out to their first lead of the night when Dennis Seidenberg notched his first career playoff marker on a seeing-eye slap shot from the point. And that was all in the first period.

The second period started with Max Talbot ripping a slap shot past Cam Ward to bring Pittsburgh back from their first (and only) deficit of the game. It would take until the end of the period for the next goal to be scored. With eight seconds to go on the clock, Chris Kunitz battled along the boards for the puck, walked into the slot and snapped on by Ward to give Pittsburgh the lead.

However, they don’t call them the Cardiac Canes for nothing. Two minutes into the frame, Patrick Eaves went up high like a blue collar roofer to tie the game up for the fourth time. And that would be it for Carolina. The game became the Evgeni Malkin show. Geno scored two goals 3:35 apart near the midpoint of the period to give Pittsburgh a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. With two minutes to go, Tyler Kennedy put home an empty netter to put the game on ice.

It wasn’t a night that either goalie will want to remember. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves to earn the win. Meanwhile, Ward stopped 35 of 41 shots in a losing effort.

The loss marks a pair of firsts for Carolina. This is the first time in this post season that the Cardiac Canes have gone down 2-0 in a series. It is also the first time that Cam Ward lost a game when his team was trailing in the series in his career, if I understand TSN correctly. Speaking of The Sports Network, this was their last broadcast of the season. Kudos to Gord Miller for encouraging viewers to tune into the remainder of the playoffs on the CBC. Meanwhile, shame on James Duthie for essentially implying that viewers should turn off their TVs because TSN was ending its run of NHL broadcasts.
Pittsburgh leads the series 2-0

Three Stars of the Night:
1. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh)
2. Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh)
3. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)

Friday’s Schedule:
Detroit at Chicago – Detroit leads the series 2-0 (TV: CBC, Versus)