2019 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINAL #2

Guenzel on to game two and looking to tie it at one. After an upsetting loss in OT they look to rebound.

Guenzel struggles to hold on the end with 30 seconds into OT a shot on net ends up being the game 2-0 Toledo in the Series. Can Toledo Finish it off with the Home ground.

Toledo opens the scoring only 14 seconds into the game on a zone entry, using the confusion to get Backstrom in close for his first goal. 1-0 Toledo. The celebration is short lived as Guentzel responds quickly with Dumba popping one in before 2 more minutes elapse. 1-1. Near the midway point of the 1st period, Green draws a penalty for delay of game, and Haula takes advantage on the powerplay to make it 2-1 Guentzel. Their advantage is short lived as Krejci responds 30 seconds after the face off to tie it at 2. Still 10 minutes left in the first period. Guentzel retakes the lead only minutes later when Zuccarello finds a hole in the defense for a goal to make it 3-2 Guentzel. Both defenses stiffen and the 1st period ends 3-2 visitors.

Toledo comes out smoking in the 2nd period and scores 2 goals in the first 3 minutes to flip the game back on goals by Krejci and Green. 4-3 Toledo. Play muddles along for 6 minutes and then Guentzel ties it up on a Kunitz goal making it 4-4. After a Vanek penalty, Guentzel takes the lead for the third time on a powerplay goal by Hudon, making it 5-4 Guentzel.

After that, Guentzel seems to lose their directions to the offensive zone, and Toledo controls the final 30 minutes of the game, with 6 unanswered goals, 3 in the 2nd period (Green, Spooner, Vanek) and 3 more in the 3rd period (Anisimov, Rodrigues, Krejci ) to make the final an amazing 10-5 Toledo.

1st star – Krejci hat trick
2nd – Backstrom 1g, 3a – 4 pts
3rd – Vanek 1g, 3a – 4 pts

Heading to game 4 with Toledo up 3 games to 0.

Both teams avoid the early scoring binge and settle in after the initial offensive threats are stymied. Guentzel breaks the ice at the 6 minute mark when Dumba lights the lamp. 1-0 Guentzel. After Hudon takes his 2nd penalty of the game, the Walleye take advantage and Mantha scores the tying goal making it 1-1. The goalies control the rest of the 1st period and it ends in a tie.

2nd period sees Guentzel throw up a brick wall on their end, while shredding the Toledo defense for 3 goals (Bergeron, Guentzel, Dumba again) before Toledo finds another scoring combination that gets Goodrow a goal just before the period ends 4-2 in favor of the visitors.

Smith is flawless for Guentzel in the 3rd, killing any hope of a sweep for the Walleye. Meanwhilel Kunitz and Haula add insurance tallys for the Gunners and the game mercifully ends with the score 6-2 Gunners.

1st star – Dumba 2 goals
2nd – Smith 50 saves
3rd – Kunitz 1g & 1a

Guentzel gets a life-saving win in game 4 to take the series back home hoping to continue the winning and keep their cup hopes alive.

Game five is here elimination game for Guenzel. Guenzel has a very successful 2 period with 4 goals and win 5-1.

Guenzel’s season will continue against Toledo. They play game 6 at Toledo. They fear that could be their last game of the 2018-19.

It will be Roberto Luongo in goal for the Gunners against Devan Dubnyk for the Walleye.

Much to the delight of the home team fans, the Walleye get on the board early with a faceoff play, drawback to Green, who fires a rocket through the crowd past Luongo to put the Walleye up 1-0 just under 2 minutes into the game. A few mintues later, Mantha gets called for holding, which sets up the powerplay for the Gunners. The Walleye successfully hold off the visitors until, with only 10 seconds left in the penalty, Hudon finds Faksa open on the wing for a quick wrister past Dubnyk to tie the game at 1, just past 5 minutes into the game. The teams battle evenly past the midway point of the first period until Koivu gets whistled for holding. The Walleye play a bit sloppy on the powerplay, with Bergeron getting a breakaway that is arrested by Daley, but another steal and breakaway by Zuccarello goes clean and the Gunners get a shortie past Dubnyk to make it 2-1 Guentzel. Soon after a hooking penalty by DeKeyser opens the door for the Walleye, but the penalty kill units for the Gunners slams the door, preserving the lead. As the first period bleeds down to completion, the Gunners use a nifty zone entry play to find an opening for Dumba in front of Dubnyk, and he pokes one in high into the corner to make the score 3-1 Gunners just as the period ends.

The checking line of the Gunners gets a rush early into the 2nd period that is thwarted by the Walleye. And just a minute later comes a play that seems to change the course of the game, Scherbak boards MacDonald leading to a 5 minute penalty, with a bonus 10 minutes for misconduct. The Walleye jump on the long powerplay opportunity, just 30 seconds into the powerplay when Rodriguez feeds Spooner for a slapper that gets by Luongo to cut the lead to 1. About 3 minutes later on the same powerplay, Green fires one that is tipped by van Riemsdyk past Luongo to tie the game at 3. The Walleye continue to blast shots at Luongo but he is up to the task and no more damage is done. Mantha gets called for tripping, but the Walleye kill that one off. Both teams play pretty even into the later portion of the 2nd period until the Walleye gets a play going, Rodrigues to Spooner to Goodrow with a wrister into the net to get the Walleye back on top 4-3. Things appear to be headed to the intermission with the one goal differential, when Hjalmarsson is called for roughing, and shortly after, during a scrum in front of the net, Anisimov finds the loose puck and pokes it in to make the lead 2 for the home team, and the period ends 5-3 in favor of the Walleye.

Looking for a strong response from the Gunners, the Huntington Arena is on pins and needles. But its the Walleye to make the first strong move, with Chara committing a hooking penalty that the Walleye convert to a goal with Mantha moving into the slot and taking a pass and netting another for the home team, making it 6-3 Walleye with 18 minutes to go. After that its all Dudnyk and Walleye defense, as they continue to keep the Gunners out of the net and the clock bleeds down to 0:00, leaving the Walleye on top in a 6-3 comeback win.

For the Walleye this series, Vanek (4g 6a 10 pts), Backstrom (1g 8a 9 pts) and Green (5g 3a 8 pts) stand tall.

For Guentzel, Hudon, Bergeron, Haula Scherbak and Gourde, 6 points each, lead a balanced attack.

Great season for Jeremiah Mondi and Guentzel leading the Western Conference in points.