T-Birds bounce back, beat Winterhawks 5-2 in Game 3

KENT – The Thunderbirds are proving how tough of a playoff team they can be.

Seattle beat the Portland Winterhawks 5-2 in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series Tuesday night in front of 6,119 fans in the ShoWare Center. Jerret Smith scored twice and Ryan Gropp added two assists to help Seattle take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The T-Birds jumped out to a lead early and goalie Taran Kozun made it stick by making 35 saves. Tuesday night the T-Birds were the more physical team and seemed to frustrate the Winterhawks as the night wore on.

Once again the T-Birds managed to hold the league’s leading scorer in Oliver Bjorkstrand without a goal. He scored 63 in the regular season, 13 of them against the T-Birds. Through three games in the playoffs he has one empty-net tally to show for his efforts.

With last change at home, Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk was able to get Scott Eansor’s line out against the Bjorkstrand line all night. They continued to harass the Winterhawks, slowing them down and limiting their looks at the net.

“Everybody that’s out there is trying to play a 200-foot game right now,” Konowalchuk said after. “Whether it’s the five-man unit against their top line, or whoever is out against it.

“They’re doing a pretty good job keeping them to the outside, taking away their speed.”

As well as Eansor, Donovan Neuls and Nolan Volcan played against Portland’s best, Shea Theodore and Jerret Smith were just as key on the back end.

“A lot of people talk about the forward lines that go against them,” Konowalchuk said. “But Smith and Theo, they’re out there quite a bit against them as well. They’ve done a good job. It’s not going to be just a couple guys, it’s a team effort.”

When the Winterhawks did manage to get shots through, Kozun was there to stop them. Portland is one of the top scoring teams in the league and as he has been all year, Kozun was calm under pressure.

“I don’t know, I just try and play and stop the puck whenever it comes,” Kozun said about how he stays calm. “I just try to play the game as best I can.”

Eansor contributed on the offensive side as well. He opened the scoring when he picked up the puck up after Neuls chipped in the zone. Eansor had beaten the Portland defense and would do the same to goalie Adin Hill for his second goal of the series.

“Playoffs are a fun time,” Eansor said. “Fun time for all of us and I think a lot of guys are stepping up, not just me, but Smitty, Neuls and Volcan. Our whole roster is playing good hockey now … teams win games.”

The T-Birds made it a 2-0 lead on a nice passing play from Mathew Barzal to Gropp to Roberts Lipsbergs in the slot. Lipsbergs beat Hill with a smooth backhand to send the crowd into delirium.

It was the third goal Seattle’s top line has scored in the playoffs as that group continued to thrive since being put together during the last couple weeks of the regular season.

“Those last couple of games were big for us, the chemistry and feeling each other out,” Gropp said. “We wanted to carry that into the playoffs and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

It was the second time in the series that the T-Birds have scored the game’s first two goals. And just like Portland did during Game 1, the Winterhawks cut that lead in half. Early in the second period Domonic Turgeon fired a wrist shot through traffic that Kozun didn’t see. It was Turgeon’s second goal in as many games and gave the Winterhawks life.

The momentum was short-lived, however, as the T-Birds re-established their two-goal lead less than 2 minutes later when Alexander True tipped an Ethan Bear shot past Hill. It was True’s first goal since returning from injury just before the end of the regular season.

Smith extended that lead in the third period when he scored from the point to make it 4-1. Portland’s Nic Petan fired a wrist shot past Kozun late in the game to cut the lead back to two goals and cause a few anxious moments.

With the Portland net empty, however, Smith scored again to secure the win.

Seattle has the momentum back after Sunday’s 3-0 shutout but the T-Birds know there is still a long way to go.

“I don’t think we can feel good at this point,” Konowalchuk said. “It’s a tough game out there and they’re going to keep trying. They’re a good hockey team, we’re just going to have to make sure we have our urgency and desperation and see what happens.”

After the game, the players were echoing the sentiments of their head coach.

“They’ll be desperate,” Eansor said of Portland. “They have been since Game 1, they’re strong every single game … stick to the game plan, stick to what we’re doing.”

Game 4 will be Thursday night in the ShoWare Center. Face off is at 7 p.m.

Notes

• The T-Birds’ penalty kill was big on Tuesday night. The Winterhawks had two power-play chances in the first period and could have gained some early momentum. “Strong PK, I thought huge early,” Konowalchuk said. “They had a couple power plays and I thought a big part of the game was getting those kills.”

• Tuesday night was the third straight year that Seattle has hosted a Tuesday night Game 3. The T-Birds have won all three and all three were played in front of a huge crowd. “It’s awesome, they’re loud,” Kozun said of the crowd. “They’re giving us plenty of energy throughout the night. They’re always loud and it’s great playing in front of them.”

• The job Seattle’s shut-down line is doing is even more remarkable when you consider the age of the line. Eansor is 18, Neuls is 17 and Volcan is only 16.

• Not only is Smith part of the crew tasked with trying to slow down Bjorkstrand, he’s contributing on scoring. Through three games he’s tied with Gropp for the team lead in scoring with four points. He’s also plus-three on the series.

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