One could forgive a hockey fan for a deja vu feeling between Game 5 starts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Tuesday’s Game 5, the Montreal Canadiens drew a penalty close to 30 seconds into the first period with their season on the line at home. They managed an early 1-0 lead against the New York Rangers when one of their best defenseman fired a shot from the point:
In Wednesday’s Game 5, the Chicago Blackhawks drew a penalty close to 30 seconds into the first period with their season on the line at home. They managed an early 1-0 lead against the Los Angeles Kings when one of their best defenseman fired a shot from the point:
In that case, it was Brent Seabrook scoring instead of P.K. Subban, but it was difficult to shake the resemblance.
That’s only continued early on, although not note-for-note like that first tally. Yes, the Kings scored a potential momentum-swinging goal, but it only made Chicago’s lead smaller (as opposed to tying the game like Derek Stepan did for the Rangers). Still, the plot seems similar so far; the Blackhawks answered what could have been a crushing goal with yet another tally to make it 3-1, which is where it stands at this very early point.
In the process of putting this post together, Marian Gaborik made it 3-2. Is it possible that this Game 5 could end up even wilder?
Ignoring the odd parallels, the best sign is that Patrick Kane seems to be getting things going. He collected an assist on all three of Chicago’s goals so far in Game 5.
