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Scott Cullen breaks down the opening night of the NHL playoffs, including Daniel Briere looking good for the Habs, the supporting cast coming through for the Penguins and the Stars comeback coming up short in Anaheim. WEISE THE HABS OT HERO A game that went back-and-forth on the scoreboard, though was controlled territorially by Montreal, ended in overtime when Dale Weise buried a pass from Daniel Briere at 18:08 of overtime, giving the Canadiens a 5-4 overtime win in Game One. The goal was Weises fourth in 18 games for the Canadiens since he was acquired from Vancouver, after scoring 10 goals in 135 career games prior. Lets not go changing expectations for Dale Weise the goal-scorer, however; hes still not generating many shots (0.71 per game with Montreal in the regular season), but when it comes to overtime winners, always take em where you can get em. Perhaps more interesting for Montreal is that Daniel Briere had a strong game for Montreal, playing a season-high 18:48 (in a 78-minute game), recording strong possession stats (65.4% Corsi) and, of course, setting up the winning goal. That assist gave Briere 110 points in 109 career playoff games, and his acquisition was touted for his playoff productivity, but it took a lot of patience as he struggled his way to 25 points in 69 regular-season games. If Briere can be a quality contributor in the playoffs, that will add a new dimension to the Canadiens attack. The game featured shoddy defensive play both ways, with Montreal outshooting Tampa Bay 44-25 (67-47 5-on-5 attempts), an unusual development considering that Tampa Bay had decidedly better possession numbers during the regular season. The line doing the most damage, in terms of controlling play, was the number one unit of Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek and they did it while matched most frequently against Tampa Bays top line of Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson, with Victor Hedman and Sami Salo on defence. Desharnais was 3-for-17 (17.6%) on face-offs. Tampas top line took a hit early in the third period when LW Ondrej Palat left the game with an upper-body injury. Palat was hit hard by Columbus D Jack Johnson Friday, and was forced to leave the game, so hes hurting. If Palat isnt ready for Game Two, Killorn should continue in that spot, while a veteran like Tom Pyatt might make sense as an addition lower on the depth chart. There had been some talk, prior to the playoffs, that Lightning RW Steven Stamkos hadnt been in top form as he had missed nearly four months with a broken tibia, but he played a season-high 27:18 in Game One, scoring a pair of goals. Killorn, the second-year forward out of Harvard, had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Montreals multi-point efforts came from unusual sources. C Lars Eller had a goal and an assist; he finished the regular season with three points in the last two games, but had a horrible run of three points in the 33 games before that, so if the Habs are going to get offence from him now, thats a bonus. D Alexei Emelin recorded a pair of assists, while he and Andrei Markov spent most of their night matched up against Stamkos and Johnson. Emelin previously had three multi-point games in 164 career games. That Montreal put five past Lightning G Anders Lindback isnt a huge surprise, but it was slightly more concerning that Canadiens G Carey Price surrendered four goals on 25 shots. They werent all Prices fault, to be sure, but a goaltender in the midst of a big playoff game might stop at least one that managed to get by Price in Game One. The good news for Montreal is that they earned a series-opening win without needing Price to carry them. PENS GET IT DONE Penguins C Brandon Sutter scored the game-winner in the third period, and Pittsburgh escaped with a 4-3 win over Columbus in Game One. While the game wasnt Pittsburghs best, they could take some positives because on a night that Sidney Crosby was held to one assist, and a minus-2 rating, the Penguins got contributions from the supporting cast. RW Beau Bennett and D Matt Niskanen each had a goal and an assist while C Evgeni Malkin had two assists as did defencemen Paul Martin. The Blue Jackets can also take some positives, in that they were competitive on the road against the Penguins and the game was winnable if G Sergei Bobrovsky (28 saves on 32 shots) had been at his best. In their attempt to neutralize Crosby, the Blue Jackets kept Brandon Dubinsky matched up on No. 87 as often as possible. Dubinsky had a game-high nine hits, a highlight-reel assist and led Blue Jackets forwards with 20:29 time on ice. The Crosby line also shuffled during the game, with Brian Gibbons replacing Bennett on right wing. Given the number of guys that have rolled through that spot since Pascal Dupuis was injured this year, it should come as no surprise that the revolving door continues. Columbus D Jack Johnson contributed a goal and an assist. For all the criticism lobbed at Johnson, and he and partner Fedor Tyutin didnt fare well in the possession game in Game One, Johnson now has 14 points in 13 career playoff games. Whats troubling for Columbus, even if they were competitive with the Penguins, is that they lost a game in which they limited Crosbys contribution and it was the Penguins supporting cast that came through. If a team is going to pull off an upset, it would help matters to win in the games that they manage to be reasonably effective against Crosby. FIRST QUACK After racing out to a 4-0 lead by the midway point of the game, the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game One. The rally for the Stars started with a second-period 5-on-3 power play goal and then Tyler Seguins third-period goal made for an interesting finish, but it wasnt enough, and despite a situation in which score-effects could have easily led to Dallas getting more shots in the third period, the Ducks outshot Dallas 13-8 in the final frame. Anaheim had contributions throughout the lineup, but the line of Teemu Selanne, Mathieu Perreault and Patrick Maroon was ridicuously dominant in terms of puck possession. Perreault was on for 13 shot attempts for and one against in 5-on-5 play. The most effective Ducks line, in terms of scoring, was their No. 1 line of Ryan Getzlaf, Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry. Both Getzlaf and Beleskey had a goal and an assist, and both left the game with injuries. Beleskey suffered a lower-body injury and didnt play after the midpoint of the third period, then Getzlaf took a Tyler Seguin slapshot in the mouth in the final minute. Early indications on Getzlaf are that he should be okay to play, but if Beleskey happens to be out, there will be an opportunity for someone -- perhaps Kyle Palmieri, who scored the first goal in Game One -- to move up the depth chart. The Stars top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Valeri Nichushkin was effective in the possession game and spent the night matched against Getzlafs line in a head-to-head situation. At the other end of the spectrum, Stars veterans Ray Whitney, Shawn Horcoff and Erik Cole struggled, as did defencemen Sergei Gonchar, who took a couple of penalties in limited (11:28) ice time, and Aaron Rome. If the Stars can get D Brenden Dillon back from a lower body injury soon, Rome or Gonchar could easily be bumped from the lineup. Up front, Nichushkin was replaced, for a few shifts, by RW Colton Sceviour, who finished the game with a goal and an assist to lead the Stars. While coming up short on a comeback attempt doesnt do the Stars all that much good, they were more competitive than the score showed early, and a close finish has to be preferable to getting blown out in Game One -- that was looking entirely possible at the midway point. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Adam Thielen Jersey . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. Kirk Cousins Jersey . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three. http://www.vikingssale.com/Vikings-Mike-Hughes-Draft-Jersey/. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves to backstop the Penguins to a 2-1 victory over the Flames, handing Calgary its team record sixth consecutive home regulation loss. Paul Krause Jersey . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins. Chuck Foreman Jersey . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night. CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians were rewarded nicely for making it out of a harrowing ninth inning: They gained ground in the AL wild-card chase. Chris Perez retired Alex Gordon on a fly ball with the bases loaded to end the game and preserve Clevelands 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. The Indians, who won despite having only five hits, moved a half-game closer to idle Tampa Bay, 1 1/2 games back for the second wild-card spot. The Royals dropped to four games behind the Rays. Ubaldo Jimenez struck out 10 in seven innings and Asdrubal Cabrera, Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana each hit solo homers, as Cleveland built a 4-1 lead. It appeared as if the Indians were safe but Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Cody Allen and Perez needed 27 pitches to get through the ninth. Even Indians manager Terry Francona, who led Boston to two World Series titles, admitted he was on edge. "I had a stomachache," he said. "Thats about as nail baiting as you can get." Jimenez (11-9) wasnt sure he wanted to watch. "I was praying a little," he said. Francona has stressed to his players to take their season one game at a time and not worry about the previous day or the following one. With 19 games remaining and the Indians in the middle of the chase for the post-season, they have obviously listened. "You try to be one run better," he said. "Tonight, I feel like we were a tenth of a run better." A crowd of only 9,794 attended the game, despite the matchup of two contenders. Several hundred dogs were also in attendance with a "Puppypalooza" promotion. The Indians were 14th in the league in attendance entering Monday, but Francona was diplomatic when asked about the small crowds. "Everybody would love to play in front of a packed house, but my view of it is we have a responsibility to play as well as we can and hope that the people that come enjoy it and are proud of us," he said. "I think thats the best we can do. Thats how I feel." Salvador Perez led off the ninth with a single and Mike Moustakas walked on four pitches. Pinch-hitter David Loughs sacrifice moved the runners to second and third. Carlos Pena, another pinch hitter, struck out looking on a full-count pitch. George Kottaras, the third straight pinch hitter, battled back from an 0-2 count and walked to load the bases.dddddddddddd Gordon flied out to centre fielder Michael Bourn and Chris Perez recorded his 23rd save. "I liked the matchups with Pena, Kottaras and Alex (Gordon)," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We just couldnt get it done." Royals starter Ervin Santana (8-9) made three mistakes, but they cost him the game. Cabrera homered in the second and Gomes hit his in the fifth. Santana led off the seventh with a line drive down the right field line that landed in the seats. First base umpire Dana DeMuth ruled the ball foul, bringing Francona out of the dugout. The umpires huddled briefly and left the field to view a replay, which clearly showed the ball hit the foul pole. The umps returned to the field, DeMuth gave the home run signal and Santana rounded the bases. The Indians also got a boost from rookie infielder Jose Ramirez, who got his first major league hit and used his speed to score a run in his first start since being called up from Double-A Akron on Sept. 1. Francona said before the game he started Ramirez because he thought the rookie could do something to help the team score. Ramirez made his manager look good in the third when he started the inning with a single, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Hosmers throwing error. Ramirezs throwing error led to Kansas Citys run in the sixth and he was picked off first in the eighth. "He was all over the ballpark tonight," Francona said. NOTES: Gordons home run was the 100th of his career. ... Indians RHP Justin Masterson (strained left oblique) is confident hell return before the season ends. He has begun limited activities, such as stretching, and hopes to start playing catch this weekend. ... Yost plans on continuing to alternate OFs Dyson, Lorenzo Cain and Lough. Cain and Dyson were in the lineup for their series opener in Cleveland, along with Gordon in left. ... Jason Giambi, the Indians 42-year-old DH, says hed like to play next season and would consider returning to Cleveland. "I love it here," he said. "I like the direction were going." Giambi joked about recording his 2,000th hit Sunday, saying, "Its a good accomplishment considering I cant run. Its more like 4,000." ... Royals RHP Jeremy Guthrie (13-10) faces Indians RHP Zach McAllister (7-8) in the second game of the three-game series Tuesday. 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