NABOKOV THE STAR IN 3-2 WIN OVER PENGUINS
Evgeni Nabokov was the star of the show as his Florida Panthers won game one of thier best of 7 series against the Penguins.
The Penguins came out hard and quieted the crowd with a quick goal at 3:36 of the 1st period. The Panthers then scored two unanswered goals in the remaining 7:00 of the first period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Panthers then took a 3-1 when Craig "The Clutch" Adams scored coming off the bench. he only managed to get 5 minutes of icetime but he performs like a true warrior when called upon.
The Penguins got a late goal from Mike Ribiero but at that time it was too late. nabby shut the door the rest of the way.
Felix Potvin played a great game and kept it close the whole way through. If it wasn't for the great goaltending of Nabokov, the Penguins could have easily won this game. The Panthers PK unit also put together a great game today shutting down the Penguins on 4 opportunities.
The "Monter Mash" line was very quiet tongiht but so was the big line of the Penguins. It will be interesting to see what players decide to step it up next game when they play again on Friday night.
Game Notes:
Michal Handzus returned to action only to see his spot on the 2nd line gone. He played the third line and showed his effectivness by scoring a goal and going +1. He was also a huge factor on the PK.
Goalie Statistics Felix Potvin (PEN), 27 saves out of 30 shots, L, 0-1-0
Evgeni Nabokov (PAN), 32 saves out of 34 shots, W, 1-0-0
Power Play Conversions
PENGUINS 0 for 4
PANTHERS 0 for 2
Game Stars
1 - Evgeni Nabokov (PAN)
2 - Rob Blake (PAN)
3 - Pavel Kubina (PEN)