Anderson Violette decided to give the visitors one last moment to stew over on their way home.
The Nelson Leafs had already thoroughly outplayed the Spokane Braves and were leading by five goals when in the final minute Violette stuck a leg up behind him to make a stunning scorpion save.
Violette, a Calgary native, evoked a Flames legend when asked about the unique save.
“I watched Mikka Kiprusoff growing up,” said Violette. “So I learned a couple things from him.”
The save put an emphatic end on a dominant performance by the Leafs, who beat Spokane 6-1 on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the Neil Murdoch Division semifinal.
Violette stopped 25 shots while teammates Alek Erichuk, Ryan Janowski, Reid Wilson, Brady Miller, David Sanchez and Tyler Pisiak each scored for Nelson in a romp.
Logan Steven had a goal for Spokane, while goaltender Marcello De Antunano allowed all six goals on 38 shots.
“I think [Spokane] battled back hard in the second half, but I think we’re just a better hockey team and we’re going to beat them in four or five games,” said Violette, before giving his prediction a second thought.
“I think four.”
It will take a gargantuan effort for Spokane to get back into the series after the opening two games.
Nelson used speed and puck control to beat the Braves in Game 1, then on Saturday added every other element. Crisp passing, pretty plays, solid defence and a forecheck that didn’t quit. It was all there, and made for a very, very one-sided game.
“We changed a couple things around as to how we were creating offence,” said Leafs head coach Mario DiBella.
“Some things that our coaching staff picked up on. I thought we took advantage of that. … I know with their backs against the wall they’re going to come out real hard in Spokane and we have to be prepare for that.”
Game 3 is Monday in Spokane, followed by Game 4 on Tuesday. If necessary, the series returns to Nelson for Game 5 on Thursday.
Violette made up for an early mistake in Game 1 with a sterling save less than a minute into Game 2. Whereas he gave up a goal on the first shot he faced Friday, the Leafs goaltender stared down two Spokane forwards on a breakaway and made a stretch save to start his night Saturday.
Nelson took the lead just over five minutes into the game. In what’s become a familiar sight from the Leafs’ blue line, Erichuk ripped a shot that roared through a crowd of players past De Antunano for the early lead.
The Leafs didn’t let up, and used tick-tack-toe passes to frustrate Spokane. The visitors got into penalty trouble as the period wound down, but somehow managed to avoid a second goal.
The closest Nelson came was a sequence that ended with Wilson looking at an open net, but Nelson’s top scorer shot high and looked to the rafters for answers. Instead, despite holding a 14-3 shot advantage, the Leafs went to the locker-room up by only one goal.
There was no need to worry, though. What was coming in the second was a hockey clinic.
The first of Nelson’s five goals in the middle frame came just 1:30 after the puck drop when Janowski’s soft wristshot fooled De Antunano.
Five minutes later Aiden Jenner’s slapshot trickled through De Antunano’s pads and was tapped in by Wilson for the 3-0 lead. Then, only 28 seconds after that, Miller finished off a breakaway with a top-corner goal that had the beleaguered Spokane goalie looking to his bench for relief.
Sanchez made the blow out official with a goal off a rebound for a 5-0 Leafs lead.
Steven finally, mercifully, put Spokane on the board by chipping a shot past Violette, but that was answered by Nelson just 23 seconds later when Pisiak wired a shot while falling to complete the Leafs’ five-goal period.
A feeling of inevitability fell over the ice as the third period began. Violette slid across the crease to stop a Spokane shooter, but Nelson’s lead was so great that the visitors appeared resigned to a loss throughout the final frame.
Now the Leafs travel south of the border where they’ll play for a sweep.
“I think everyone in the room realizes the job isn’t done,” said Violette. “It’s only two games, so no one’s actually happy. We’ve got to win four and then 16 to win the league. We’ve got a lot more wins to go.”
Leaflets: Nelson played without F Cole Wyatt (upper), D Logan Macdonald (upper) and F Tyler Badger.
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
