Although I was unable to watch game 1 of tonight's Oilers / Hurricanes game, I have to say the highlights make me happy I missed it.The Oilers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, followed up by the first successful penalty shot in Stanley Cup finals history with Chris Pronger potting one to go up 2-0. After another quick goal to make the score 3-0, the Oilers fell apart. It went to 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, and then 4-3 with the Hurricanes scoring shorthanded of all things.
Although the Oilers battled back to a 4-4 tie, their star goalie, Dwayne Roloson, went out with a knee injury. This was extremely unfortunate for the Oilers, but even more so for back-up goalie Ty Conklin. Jumping in to his first game since April 17th, with the hockey world watching late in the 3rd period of the Stanley Cup final, poor Ty muffed a pass allowing Rod Brind'Amour to score the winning goal for the Canes. I feel horrible for Conklin, especially as he'll have to head back between the pipes in game #2 given Roloson's wonky knee.
Rookie Hurricane goalie Cam Ward was stellar on the other hand, making 18 saves in the 3rd period, including a miraculous save with seconds remaining.
So the Oilers slipped on their own slick, and in a game of momentum like playoff hockey, I don't know if they can recover.
Prediction: Hurricanes in five games.
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