Backlund Big In Game One Win

• Mikael Backlund knows little about the Vancouver Giants. What Backlund does know is the Giants were the best team in the Western Conference this season, and they stand in his way of playoff success. Backlund was a force, scoring once and adding two assists, leading the Rockets to a 4-2 win over the Giants Saturday night, helping his team to a 1-0 lead in the best of seven Western Conference championship series.
• Backlund's goal to open the scoring in the second period on the power play was impressive, but his ability to create a turnover in the Giants' zone before finding Ian Duval at the right side of the net for a picture perfect goal was downright impressive. When you see plays like that, there's no doubting Backlund is a world class player.
• Colour analyst Gord McGarva pointed it out on our pre-game show that it was a sign of things to come after 'Take A Chance On Me' by Abba was played on the extremely loud PA system at Pacific Coliseum prior to the two teams taking to the ice for the pre-game warmup. He was right!
• Ian Duval scored two goals, the latter being an empty net backhand, making it a 4-2 final. Duval was a threat offensively courtesy of his ability to outwork the Giants to loose pucks. Duval's ability to score appears to only come naturally when he is working his tail off. If he's dogging it, he does little damage. He was a work horse in game one.
• Jamie Benn's 10 game point streak came to an end Saturday night. The same can be said for Cody Almond. While Benn, Almond and Long were quiet offensively, the Giants had to focus on them, benefiting Backlund and Duval. Now if the Giants focus on Backlund and Duval, look for Almond and Benn to have success. Having depth offensively is a beautiful thing.
• Rockets goaltender Mark Guggenberger will want to have the Giants second goal back, yet Tyson Sexsmith could say the same thing about Mitchell Callahan's goal, which squeezed between his legs to make it 2-0. I am staying firm in my belief that Guggenberger needs to play on par with Sexsmith for the Rockets to have success in this series. He did that in game one.
• Guggenberger earned an assist on the Backlund goal, his second assist of the playoffs.
• Can I rant? Yes the Rockets won the game, but what's with the Giants getting four consecutive power plays in a game that saw several pushing and shoving matches after the play, yet often times, a Rockets player was fingered to the box. I don't mind if the officials take both players off the ice in a post whistle scrum, but finding one offender when gloves are being shoved in each others faces is just wrong in a series of this magnitude.
• I have never seen the Giants turnover the puck as much as I did in game one. Several miscues resulted in good scoring chances for the visitors, including some pin point shots off the stick of Lucas Bloodoff.
• The Rockets defensive core was solid. The three T's were on top of their game. Tyler Myers and Tyson Barrie were their usually selves, but Tysen Dowzak was especially strong. Using his big body, Dowzak played with a burr under his saddle. I asked the question on an early blog entry on which Rockets d-man would stand up to the challenge in this series. Dowzak answered the bell in game one.
• The Rockets out-shot the Giants for the first time this season. That is no small feat. The Giants were out-shot just 5 times during the regular season.
• Mitchell Callahan earned his first WHL playoff goal, a slap shot through the legs of Tyson Sexsmith, which gave the Rockets a 2-0 lead.