PORTLAND — In their recent run of four consecutive conference championships, the Portland Winterhawks have been dominant in first-round playoff series.
But starting a Western Hockey League playoff roll doesn’t figure to be easy this time.
Seattle’s Mathew Barzal scored off the rush very early and very late to lift the Thunderbirds to a 4-3 win in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Game 2 is at 5 p.m. on Sunday in the Moda Center.
“We made a few errors,” Winterhawks captain Nic Petan said. “It’s a good thing we get to play (Sunday) and get back into it.”
The winning goal came with just under three minutes left as Ryan Gropp stormed into the zone after Portland lost possession at the attacking blueline. For the second time on the night, Gropp fed Barzal for the finish.
It was Seattle’s third goal of the game off the rush, something Portland coach Jamie Kompon said before the series his Winterhawks needed to be aware of. Solving that means making better puck decisions according to Petan.
“If we’re being pressured at the blueline or redline we’ve got to get (the puck) in deep right away,” Petan said. “We did for the most part, but those couple things we’ve got to get better at.”
The winning goal was a bit of a tough-luck play according to Winterhawks goalie Adin Hill.
“It just took an odd bounce through (Blake) Heinrich’s legs. Nothing he could have done there. Then Ropp got it back-door to Barzal and I tried to get back and make the save and it happened to go in,” Hill said.
After falling behind 2-0 early, the Winterhawks took a 3-2 lead on rookie Evan Weinger’s goal 6:27 into the third period. That happened 10 seconds after Hill stopped Gropp’s penalty shot. Weinger collected the puck at center ice, sped around a defenseman and tyo score from point-blank range.
In the minutes after the go-ahead goal, Hill, who finished with 29 saves, came up big with Seattle crowding the crease to create three quality scoring chances. The Thunderbirds broke through on another transition opportunity with 8:19 left. Hill made a save on Donovan Nuels but the puck fell to the ice for Easnor to poke home.
Hill said the puck stuck in his armpit area. “I turned and the puck came loose. I didn’t know that it did. I feel like I’ve got to have that but tomorrow’s another day,” Hill said.
The game was tied 2-2 after two periods with goals from Winterhawks defensemen Blake Heinrich and Adam Henry answering a 2-0 Seattle start on goals from Barzal and Cory Millette.
Henry, the former Thunderbird, tied it with a power-play goal 8:37 into the second period. His wrister from the top of the left faceoff circle found its way past Seattle goalie Taran Kuzun after Oliver Bjorkstrand made a nice move to maintain possession at the right point and found Henry in space.
Seattle took a lead only 1:01 in the game with Barzal finishing a counter attack from right in front of Hill. The Thunderbirds went up 2-0 on a power-play goal at 15:43 of the first. Cory Millette scored eight seconds after Portland’s Alex Schoenborn was penalized for interference.
Heinrich dove to knock home a loose puck only 5.5 seconds from the end of the first period to make it 2-1. Petan worked the puck behind the net and the wound up free in the crease and Heinrich was the first to see it.
Ultimately, Saturday’s story was of Seattle’s top players coming through while Portland’s big guns were kept off the score sheet by some strong Seattle defensive work.
“Their top players performed well, and off our turnovers,” Petan said.
All the Winterhawks can do is hope for a Sunday turnaround.
