Athens 4, Berlin 3 – Athens wins series 4-0
The Athens Greeks completed their sweep of the Smurfs, but not without a score on Friday. Athens was cruising to a 3-0 win and end of the series when all of a sudden, Berlin struck for 3 quick goals. Loui Ericsson, Nikolai Kulemin and Jiri Tlusty scored in a period of less than 4 minutes and the game was into overtime. But alas, Tlusty’s goal would be Berlin’s last one of the season. Berlin had a powerplay and the first 4 shots in overtime, but about 5 minutes into the period, David Backes grabbed a puck that Josh Gorges accidentally left behind him while trying to exit the Berlin zone. Backed took about six strides toward Jimmy Howard and ripped a wrist shot past him to win it. The game featured a lot of hitting. Athens had 42 hits and Berlin had 36 hits with Alex Edler of the Smurfs leading everyone in that category with 9. After winning two 6-1 games in Berlin, the Greeks won two one-goal contests on their home ice to take the series. The series featured the league’s top two playoff scorers. Backed and Berlin’s Ryan Callahan both have 13 points, although Backes has hit that mark in two fewer games.
Paris 4, Zurich 1 – Paris leads series 3-1
Joffrey Lupul scored twice and Ken Kuusk added a shorthanded goal as the Rouges Eiffels took a commanding 3-1 lead in their Southern Conference series. Jacob Trouba scored to get Zurich out to a 1-0 lead early, but Paris made the most of their clear-cut chances in what was an evenly played game. Mikko Koivu had 4 shots in the game for Paris and was the only player with more than 3 shots in a game that saw Paris outshoot the Lions 32-30. Zurich will start a three-game fight for their playoff life tonight in the toughest arena in the league to win a game.
Belfast 6, Minsk 1 – Belfast wins series 4-1
The Giants easily advanced to the conference finals against Copenhagen by stomping all over Minsk on Saturday. Belfast outshot Minsk 45-23 in the end, but the game was close after a scoreless first period. Minsk actually outshot the Giants 7-5 in the period, but 20 minutes of play later, the Giants were in control, up 2-0 after a 21-7 shot blitz with Carey Price facing intense pressure. They built their lead to 6-0 with 4 goals in the third period before Minsk finally got on the board. Andrej Palat and Matt Duchene scored two goals apiece for Belfast and were among 7 players with multi-point games.
