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Lynx dominate Wild in Game 2

Monday, 06.08.2015

 

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Theo Matsikas had four assists as Ottawa Lynx defeated Saskatoon Wild 5-2 in Game 2 of the VHLM North American Quarterfinals.

 

Ottawa -- Monday night saw Ottawa Lynx extend their lead over Saskatoon Wild to 2-0 in the second game of their North American Quarterfinal match. Lenny Face failed to produce the same heroics that prevented the Lynx from running away with game one, and goals from Thomas Duddy, Kyle Keenan, Jorma Ruutu (2), and Souryuu Kaminogi gave the home side a 5-2 win in Ottawa.

 

Domination

The Lynx dominated game one, but won only by a single goal as Wild goaltender Lenny Face pulled off an impressive 38 saves on 40 shots. Game two was to be an entirely different story, though. The Wild, who had 23 shots in game one, were held to just 16 across three periods, while their hosts managed a domineering 52 attempts on goal, scoring on 5 of those. The result means that Ottawa’s overall record against the Wild this season is 11-2, with the respective sides’ goals per game average coming in at 3.69 to 2.38. The series will move on to Saskatoon for games three and four, where the Wild will look to beat Ottawa on home ice for the first time this season.

 

Fast Start

The opening period saw both sides register nine shots, but it was the Lynx who were the more productive, netting on three of those nine shots. With just 4:42 on the clock, Theo Matsikas fed left winger Thomas Duddy for the opening goal, and twenty seconds later it was two. Again it was Matsikas with the decisive pass, this time for Kyle Keenan to rip one by Face, and give the Lynx a perfect start to the game. The Wild came back at the hosts thereafter, and goaltender Greg Clegane had to make five stops before his opposite number touched the puck again. The pressure finally paid dividends just shy of the twelve minute mark, as top-line centre Hunter Backenbauer found the net on an assist from Erik Hedman and Casper Salomon. The visitors couldn’t maintain their pressure thereafter, though, and under three minutes later Kerkko Hyvärinen set Jorma Ruutu away, and the Finn duly restored his side’s two goal lead.

 

Consolidation

The first period of game one had been a tight affair, but thereafter the Lynx had begun to dominate. Game two saw this become a trend, as Ottawa outshot their opponents 21 to 5, though they only managed to find the net once, through Souryuu Kaminogi. Defenseman Theo Matsikis recorded his third assist on four goals, as the Lynx consolidated their advantage and essentially put the game beyond doubt. It was going to take a heroic effort from the Wild to come back from a 4-1 scoreline at the end of the second, and ultimately they never looked capable of doing so.

 

Four-Star Performance

The third period was all Ottawa. Wild managed only two shots in the entire period, and Greg Clegane must have been disappointed to have let one of those in, as Casper Salomon netted a late consolation for the visitors. Prior to that, Ruutu had netted his second of the game, benefitting from Theo Matsikas’ fourth assist of the game. Unsurprisingly, Matsikas was awarded the first star performance on the night, with teammates Ruutu and Duddy filling the other two spots.

 

All To Do

Heading into game three, Saskatoon have it all to do. They kept the score close in game one, but never really looked like winning, and game two was little short of a blowout. Their offence is struggling to produce against an Ottawa team who has completely dominated them in the opening games of the series, and on the evidence of those two games, only a madman or a genius would bet against the Lynx progressing to the semifinals.

 

 

1st Star: THEO MATSIKAS (D)

G: 0    Shots: 5

A: 4    Hits: 2

P: 4    PIM: 0

=/-: 5  TOI: 28:23

 

2nd Star: JORMA RUUTU (LW)

G: 2   Shots: 12

A: 1    Hits: 0

P: 3    PIM: 2

=/-: 3  TOI: 25:05

 

3rd Star: THOMAS DUDDY (LW)

G: 1   Shots: 16

A: 1    Hits: 0

P: 2    PIM: 0

=/-: 2  TOI: 20:22

 

 

Word count: 650 excluding stats

Edited by Alucard

Content: 3/3 - A great review on game two of the series which has since ended with the expected Ottawa sweep. Now Ottawa has their hands full with Brampton. Good luck against Brampton! I hope you stay around for a long time; Your a great writer.

Grammar: 2/2 - Not much wrong.

scoreline = score line

Wild only managed two shots = The Wild only managed two shots

Appearance: 1/1 - Looks nice

Overall: 6/6

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