NHL Friday: Canucks even series against Flames, ending game with a brawl

It appears the two teams are going to reignite those memories over the next two weeks.

It took long enough, but the wait for playoff passion in Vancouver on Friday was worthwhile. It was a fitting end to a highly entertaining night around the league.

It’s nice to see some things don’t change. Near the end of the Flames and Canucks’ Game 2 of the first round on Friday, a few shoves around the net resulted in an all-out line brawl that sent multiple players to the locker room early and could result in a suspension.

That is certainly illegal, and you can expect some sort of suspension or fine later in this series. The aftermath of the whole scene was like an NHL yard sale.

The series now shifts back to Calgary, all tied up at 1-1.

1. Vancouver looks right at home again.

Topping the double-overtime thriller that was Game 1 would have been a hard task to accomplish. Game 2 of Predators-Blackhawks seemed destined to be come another classic through two periods, but the Preds poured on goals late for a 6-2 win.

The series now shifts to Chicago with the series tied at 1-1.

Ottawa would not go quietly. As they’ve done for the better part of a month, the Senators found a way to stay alive. Patrick Wiercioch’s first career playoff goal late in the third period forced Game 2 to go to overtime. But Montreal’s dominance reemerged when Alex Galchenyuk fired the game-winning goal home past Sens goalie Andrew Hammond just a few minutes into the extra frame.

The series now shifts to Ottawa with the Canadiens holding a 2-0 lead.

New York led for most of the first half of the game despite not dominating affairs at all. The Isles broke the scoring open with a 2-on-1 breakaway goal by Cal Clutterbuck. Ryan Strome added another to pad the lead as the second period began, and it looked like the Islanders would run away with the game.

The series now shifts to Long Island with the series tied 1-1.

Seriously, it was a howitzer.

If you’re like me, you probably watched that angle and thought how lucky you were not to be the goalie. Good news! Here’s an angle from the goalie’s perspective. It’s like watching a pitch from Nolan Ryan come at you, only instead of a baseball it’s a rubber disc aimed at your face.

Price’s best trait is how effortlessly he moves around his crease. That was on full display on that save, when he made an amazing save look routine. The Senators eventually scored before the period ended, however.