TALKING POINTS
The big showdown for supremacy in the U.S. Division never really materialized. Portland was the far better team tonight, and now the Winterhawks are in control of the race for the U.S. Division title. Everett still holds a two point lead over the Winterhawks, but given the schedules — Portland has two games in hand and an easier slate of opponents — it’s tough to see a scenario where the Winterhawks don’t claim their third straight division championship and fourth in five years.
Portland’s big guns, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nicolas Petan, really came to play tonight. Those two were exceptional, and Everett had no answer. Interestingly, it didn’t seem like the Tips did much line matching against those two, as I saw a lot of different Everett players on the ice against Bjorkstrand and Petan. I guess during the pregame radio broadcast Tips coach Kevin Constantine said it’s difficult for Everett to match against Portland because the Tips’ system is predicated on 45-second shifts, while Bjorkstrand and Petan tend to stay on the ice for considerably longer than that. So my prediction that those two would get a heavy dose of the Saskatoon Platoon and the Betker-Juulsen defensive pairing didn’t really pan out.
Things got a bit ugly at the end as for the first time this season I saw the Tips lose their composure. After Portland scored its sixth goal the Tips started getting feisty, which is uncharacteristic. Then we had the bozo in the stands who hurled a fizzing can at the players at the final horn. That’s just unacceptable. Portland was the opponent in the infamous riot game in 2006-07, and thankfully this time it didn’t escalate to anything resembling that night.
We had another instance of the curse of the net in the east end zone, as Bjorkstrand put a shot clean through the net in the third period. That is the fourth time a player has shot the puck through the net at Xfinity Arena over the years, and all four times it’s happened at the east end. Kudos to the goal judge, as this was the first time the judge actually got it right and turned the goal light on. Bjorkstrand joins a club that includes Ryan Johansen, Jared Cowen and Nick Walters as having shots too strong for the east net.
Finally, an acknowledgment of Everett winger Graham Millar. Millar was a scratch tonight, and he was rocking a look that made him the most hipster-looking hockey player I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the dude would have looked right at home at a Vampire Weekend concert.
TURNING POINT
After Everett opened the scoring 3:18 into the game, Portland put it into another gear. It was pretty much all Winterhawks after that.
THREE STARS
First star: Adam Henry, Portland. Two goals, had chances at the rare defenseman hat trick during a late-game power play.
Second star: Bjorkstrand. Two goals, giving him a league-leading 54 and 23 in his past 14 games. This guy really is too good to be playing in this league.
Third star: Petan. One goal and two assists, he was infinitely better than the last time Portland was in Everett (a 4-3 Tips overtime victory on Feb. 8), much more his real self.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Adin Hill, Portland. 27 saves, he was very solid in net.
BOX SCORE
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