The matinee had the Red Wings at the Blackhawks, and Chicago, after jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, let in five in the second.
And on a more personal note, the Predators hosted Vancouver this afternoon... going up 2-1 before succumbing 4-2. Roberto Luongo had a fairly solid game, letting in only two on 35 shots.
Why is this noteworthy? Because the top three teams in the Western Conference can't be bothered to find consistent goaltending. Sure, make the arguments that the Blackhawks imploded- but if you watch the highlights, Cristobal Huet (who got torched for four of the five goals) let in at least two shots early in the second that he's got to have at this level.
San Jose has showed that regular season faith in Evgeni Nabokov is warranted... at least until he has his Olympic-style meltdown.
And for Vancouver, the story on Luongo is exactly what we saw in the Olympics- shots make it into his glove but never seem to stay there.
So, the hopes of the Western Conference at some point will seem to be in the hands of Ilya Bryzgalov (PHX), Jonathan Quick (LA), or Craig Anderson (COL). Meanwhile, perfectly solid goaltending has been seen in the East from Martin Brodeur (NJ), Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT), and Ryan Miller (BUF). It will be entertaining to see whether Jose Thedore (WAS) does his usual El Foldo routine in the playoffs to the point where the Caps' scoring can overcome it.
