Spring Break
NHL Playoffs Heat Up
Tim Ehrens
Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Sports
Friday - Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers - 7 p.m. - OLN
Buffalo jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the series thanks to big performances from J.P. Dumont and Jason Pominville in Game 2, each recording a hat trick in the 8-2 rout. The Sabres' opportunistic play has been a constant in this series, as the Flyers committed 17 penalties in Game 2 that led to 11 power plays for Buffalo to take advantage of, prompting Philadelphia head coach Lindy Ruff to proclaim that his team played like "idiots." The Flyers have gotten good play out of goalie Robert Esche as he put in a 55-save effort in the Flyers 3-2, double overtime loss in Game 1 but had it go to waste thanks to poor offense. The Flyers stole one from the Sabres Wednesday when they came from behind to beat Buffalo, 4-2, to put the series at 2-1 in favor of Buffalo. The Sabres have made up for their lack of a power lineup with solid players like Chris Drury and Maxim Afinogenov that work well together. Philadelphia is a solid team in their own right, but their mistakes have been exploited too often by the opportunistic Sabres. The Flyers' penalty minutes are twofold of what Buffalo's are. The Sabres' biggest challenge will again be Esche, as he seems to be the only consistent Flyer on the roster, as Buffalo has outscored their counterparts 11-4 in this series so far.
Winner: Buffalo
Friday - Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards - 8 p.m. - ESPN
Cavaliers star LeBron James was humbled in Game 2, scoring only 26 points on 7-for-25 shooting while committing a career-high 10 turnovers. Compared to his triple-double in his first playoff game in Game 1, his presence was severely limited by the Wizards' defense. Gilbert Arenas is carrying over his consistent play from the regular season and is using it to make things happen for his team in the playoffs, putting up 30 points and six assists in Game 2. With the series tied, 1-1, it is clearly anyone's series especially after Washington's dominance of James in Game 2. With both teams turning in quality performances against the other in this series, it will come down to who will stay the hottest and finish down the stretch. One glaring problem Cleveland has is depth at the point guard position, as Eric Snow is the only registered point guard on their depth chart. Both teams have questionable benches but have gotten a lot out of their respective starters. It seems as if the Wizards have figured out how to defend James and take away his explosiveness at times, and if they utilize this at key times, look for the Wizards to take the early lead in the series.
Buffalo jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the series thanks to big performances from J.P. Dumont and Jason Pominville in Game 2, each recording a hat trick in the 8-2 rout. The Sabres' opportunistic play has been a constant in this series, as the Flyers committed 17 penalties in Game 2 that led to 11 power plays for Buffalo to take advantage of, prompting Philadelphia head coach Lindy Ruff to proclaim that his team played like "idiots." The Flyers have gotten good play out of goalie Robert Esche as he put in a 55-save effort in the Flyers 3-2, double overtime loss in Game 1 but had it go to waste thanks to poor offense. The Flyers stole one from the Sabres Wednesday when they came from behind to beat Buffalo, 4-2, to put the series at 2-1 in favor of Buffalo. The Sabres have made up for their lack of a power lineup with solid players like Chris Drury and Maxim Afinogenov that work well together. Philadelphia is a solid team in their own right, but their mistakes have been exploited too often by the opportunistic Sabres. The Flyers' penalty minutes are twofold of what Buffalo's are. The Sabres' biggest challenge will again be Esche, as he seems to be the only consistent Flyer on the roster, as Buffalo has outscored their counterparts 11-4 in this series so far.
Winner: Buffalo
Friday - Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards - 8 p.m. - ESPN
Cavaliers star LeBron James was humbled in Game 2, scoring only 26 points on 7-for-25 shooting while committing a career-high 10 turnovers. Compared to his triple-double in his first playoff game in Game 1, his presence was severely limited by the Wizards' defense. Gilbert Arenas is carrying over his consistent play from the regular season and is using it to make things happen for his team in the playoffs, putting up 30 points and six assists in Game 2. With the series tied, 1-1, it is clearly anyone's series especially after Washington's dominance of James in Game 2. With both teams turning in quality performances against the other in this series, it will come down to who will stay the hottest and finish down the stretch. One glaring problem Cleveland has is depth at the point guard position, as Eric Snow is the only registered point guard on their depth chart. Both teams have questionable benches but have gotten a lot out of their respective starters. It seems as if the Wizards have figured out how to defend James and take away his explosiveness at times, and if they utilize this at key times, look for the Wizards to take the early lead in the series.
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