Heading to Alberta

Reflections on Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final with the series shifting to Edmonton for the next two contests:

Jean-Sebastien Giguere can consider the question answered.

It was Giguere, you may recall, who said "Cam Who?" last fall when he learned he wasn't on Canada's 81-name list of Olympic hopefuls and netminder Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes was included.

Just as Giguere took the '03 post-season by storm, so too has Ward, with a little help from Martin Gerber, bested Cristobal Huet, Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller en route to the final. The difference between Giguere and Ward, however, is that while Giguere and the Ducks lost in seven to the Devils, Ward is on the verge of winning the Cup, having already lapped the motley Oilers goaltending crew.

When the time comes to name the 2010 Olympic roster, it's already a good bet to think that Ward's name will be even more prominent.

Not sure it was such a great idea for Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish to implicitly applaud Georges Laraque for ramming Andrew Ladd head first into the boards late in Game 2.

Instead of questioning his own team's lack of discipline, MacTavish suggested it was natural for his team to give a little extra oomph when it came to hitting Ladd in retribution for "taking out" Oiler goalie Dwayne Roloson in the series opener.

Geez, that's the kind of garbage Pat Quinn used to sell with the Leafs. Ladd certainly didn't take out Roloson - that was Marc-Andre Bergeron's doing.

Here's how fast and wide open the NHL is these days. The first 3:26 of Game 2 flew by without a single whistle.

Here's how loud it was in the RBC Centre for the first two games. NHL officials worried they may have lost seven to eight seconds off the clock in Game 1 because it was so difficult to discern when the referees had stopped play because the whistles couldn't be heard, even on replays.

The Canes used a seventh defenceman in Game 2, Oleg Tverdovsky, and sat checking winger Chad Larose. Wouldn't be surprised for Game 3 if Laraque and Rem Murray took seats in the press box to make room for two of Todd Harvey, Brad Winchester and Dick Tarnstrom.

The supposedly crucial matchup going into the series was Carolina's power play versus the expert penalty killing of the Oilers.

With four power play goals on 15 chances in two games, it's pretty safe to say the Canes are winning that matchup.

After the Oilers scored to go up 3-0 in Game 1, the Hurricanes scored on nine of their next 33 shots.

That's bad goaltending, and Dwayne Roloson, Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen all had a hand in it. If there was a fourth option, you have to believe MacTavish would be happy to turn to it.