Thursday's Playoff Action

AP Photo

(2) DETROIT 6 – (7) COLUMBUS 5

Red Wings win series, 4-0

The Blue Jackets’ first trip to the playoffs ended without a victory as the Red Wings completed their sweep in Columbus. The deciding goal was a power play tally from Johan Franzen with 46.6 seconds left in the game. Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock is still steaming over the too many men on the ice penalty that gave Detroit the man-advantage: “By the rulebook, it’s probably the right call. By the circumstances of the game, I didn’t like the call. Unless it’s obvious, let’s play,” Hitchcock said.

His team played its best game of the series offensively after scoring just twice over the first three contests. Columbus overcame 3-1 and 5-3 deficits with four second period markers, but Steve Mason could not keep Detroit out of his net.

Marian Hossa scored twice for the Red Wings, while Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom added a goal and an assist. Oddly enough, Detroit has closed out its last eight playoff series on the road.

(8) ANAHEIM 4 – (1) SAN JOSE 1

Ducks lead the series, 3-1

Let the panic officially begin in San Jose. The President Trophy-winning Sharks are one game from elimination after being shutout for a second time in this series by playoff neophyte Jonas Hiller. He made 28 saves and Bobby Ryan scored goals four minutes apart in the second period to lead the Anaheim attack. Corey Perry and Drew Miller also scored for the Ducks, and Ryan Getzlaf had two assists.

The shutout extended Joe Thornton’s playoff goal drought to 10 games. San Jose is one loss away from being the eighth top-seed to lose in the opening round since 1994. Game 5 is back in northern California Saturday night.

(5) PHILADELPHIA 3 – (4) PITTSBURGH 0

Penguins lead series, 3-2

The battle for Pennsylvania is far from over as the Flyers and Penguins must now return to Philadelphia for Game 6 Saturday afternoon. Philly outplayed Pittsburgh in Game 4, but lost 2-1 because Marc-Andre Fleury made 45 saves. In Game 5 Thursday, Martin Biron was the better goaltender, making 28 saves for his second career postseason shutout, and Arron Asham, Claude Giroux and Mike Knuble beat Fleury. Asham and Giroux’s goals came directly off Penguin turnovers. Biron was particularly sharp in the opening period when the Pens outshot Philly, 15-5.

The victory snapped the Flyers’s five-game playoff losing streak at Mellon Arena. Pittsburgh has not blown a 3-games-to-1 lead in 34 years.

(3) DEVILS 1 – (6) HURRICANES 0

Devils lead series, 3-2

There was no last-second goal for the Hurricanes on this night in Newark. Martin Brodeur made 44 saves for his record-tying 23^rd postseason shutout – after suffering a four-inch cut on his right ankle in a first period collision with Carolina winger Chad LaRose.

David Clarkson provided the night’s only offense with a power play tally in the second period, his second goal of the series. Game 4’s hero, Jussi Jokinen, came closest to scoring for the Canes when his second period deflection hit a post then Brodeur’s backside before the Devil goalie covered it on the goal line.

Cam Ward made 42 saves to help produce the fourth consecutive one-goal affair in this series. New Jersey gets its first chance to eliminate Carolina Sunday at a time to be determined.

IN OTHER NEWS…

Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Washington’s Mike Green are the finalists for this year’s Norris Trophy. Lidstrom is after his fourth straight and seventh Norris overall. Chara headlined a Bruin blueline that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL. Green led all backliners in points with 31 goals and 42 assists. All trophy winners will be announced June 18^th in Las Vegas.

Calgary winger Andre Roy has been suspended for Saturday’s Game 5 for initiating a confrontation with Chicago’s Aaron Johnson before Game 4.

The Wild say defenseman Brent Burns underwent successful shoulder surgery Thursday morning. The joint will be immobilized for a month, but the team expects Burns at 100% for the start of next season.

The Commissioner’s office has issued a statement to say it has no interest in putting a second team in Toronto – through expansion or relocation. The League does acknowledge, though, that deputy commish Bill Daly met recently with Toronto business officials.

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 5: Rangers @ Capitals 7:00pm ET, Versus

NYR leads series, 3-1

4/23/08: "Dropping the Gloves" w/ Andrew Bogusch

There are currently too many hot topics around the NHL to focus on just one this week, so we unleash a string of random playoff-themed thoughts for your reading pleasure.

The referees working these games are in the playoffs because of a points system...that may need some tweaking. Too many harmless hooks and holds get called, while blatant slashes and interference (goalie or otherwise) go unnoticed. And Colin Campbell & Co. have not been much better at handing out postgame discipline. If Dan Carcillo gets suspended for butt-ending Maxime Talbot late in a game, Mike Komisarek should sit out after eye-gouging Matt Hunwick.

Which brings us to Game 4 of the Devils-Hurricanes series and Jussi Jokinen’s bump of Martin Brodeur before Carolina’s buzzer-beating, series-tying goal, series-tying goal. It was an unfortunate ending for New Jersey, but it was a valid ending. Had the point shot come as Jokinen and Brodeur collided, it would have been an easy goal to wave off. But Brodeur had time, albeit two seconds, to recover and make the save.

Alex Ovechkin is our choice for the best player on NHL ice right now (we might even put Pavel Datsyuk ahead of Sidney Crosby, but that’s an offseason conversation). The Capitals left wing is showing off some leadership skills this postseason as well, which only increases our respect for/man crush on. However, he may want to pick his motivational tricks a little bit better. Sitting on the bench during the Rangers’ Game 3 morning skate was cool. His postgame, on-ice chest bump with Nicklas Backstrom was not. You had just won back some of the momentum in the series. Why gives the Blueshirts something to rally around?

Jose Theodore will make $4.5 million next season to be the Capitals’ backup goalie. We thought the quick move to Simeon Varlamov was a mistake at first, but the young Russian has already earned the 2009-10 starting job.

Let’s call this the Rangers-Ducks theorem. If you are a road team and win the first two games of a series, Game 3 is a must-win. Losing the third game on your home ice puts you on the defensive for the rest of the series. Initially, you find yourself in Game 4 fighting to keep your advantage. You could then be back on the road even at two games apiece, with the likelihood of a third victory away from home very unlikely. The luxury of a Game 6 at home still exists, but you are either fighting to avoid a road finale or to keep yourself alive. Simply put, as an underdog, you cannot take your paw off your foe’s throat once it’s there.

We’ve defended Sean Avery more than once in this space, but he is making it harder and harder to support him these days. His slash/high-stick of Washington’s Brian Pothier in the final minutes of Game 3 Wednesday is inexcusable. Avery is at his best straddling the line between aggressive and reckless, but he is skewing too far to the reckless side now. He simply cannot put his team down a man against Ovechkin and the Capital power-play in a must-win game.

San Jose may win Thursday night to even it series with Anaheim, but it will not advance to round two. We’ve been waiting since October to see how these new Sharks will handle the playoff pressure-cooker. And what do they do? Loose consecutive home games to the Ducks, making Jonas Hiller look like Ken Dryden in the process. Why should we believe in this team?

Our current Shark stance is a departure from our Western Conference playoff preview – as is the next nugget. The Canucks are capable of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. We already knew how good Roberto Luongo is, but the Sedin twins are locked in right now. And Alex Burrows should be one of your favorite players in the League. If Mats Sundin can fight through his hip and stay on the ice, Vancouver will be a tough out for someone in the conference finals.

The Canucks swept the Blues in the opening round, which proves our second theory of the week: it’s not worth making a major late-season run to reach the playoffs. You expend too much energy just to make the tournament, leaving little for your first opponent.

It’s only three games, but the Chris Osgood doubters can quiet down for now. The regular season was a roller coaster, but round one has been a steamroller for the veteran Red Wing netminder. So far against Columbus, Osgood has stopped 76 of 78 shots.

And the Flames may not advance to round two, but will succeed in leaving the Blackhawks with little physically for their next opponent. Historically, recent Calgary playoff opponents have not fared well after moving on, and Chicago might not be any different. This young team is getting a major crash course in playoff hockey.

As always, please send any thoughts, comments, criticisms to boguschhockey@gmail.com

FTS - 4/23/09

TOP STORY

The King's Defends His Castle @ MSG

Henrik Lundqvist Steals Game 4 to Give the Rangers a 3-1 Series Lead

(Photo Credit - AP)

(7) New York Rangers (3-1) over the (2) Washington Capitals (1-3) 2-1

Henrik Lundqvist had his teammates digging deep to describe his performance that put the New York Rangers on the verge of advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third straight year. "He's like Tina Turner," forward Brandon Dubinsky said, "He's 'Simply the Best.'" Lundqvist tied a career playoff high with 38 saves (half of them in the second period) and the seventh-seeded Rangers put the Washington Capitals on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night.
Lundqvist, who posted a 1-0 shutout win in Game 2, was on top of his game as the Capitals controlled play from the second period to the end, outshooting New York 39-21. "He's amazing, he's our heartbeat, and he gives everyone confidence that is playing in front of him," said defenseman Paul Mara, who staked the Rangers to a 1-0 lead in the first period. "He's awesome. We love him. He's the king."

Mara snapped the Rangers' scoring drought at 126 minutes, 11 seconds with 6:05 left in the opening period, scoring just the second goal against Simeon Varlamov, the 20-year-old rookie who has stopped 75 of 78 shots since taking over for Jose Theodore after New York's 4-3 win in Game 1. Chris Drury shook off an injury enough to add his first goal of the series. It turned out to be his 17th postseason winner.

"It's so important to bounce back with a good game when we struggled a little bit the last game," Lundqvist said. "The way we responded is perfect." "It's not done yet," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "We were in this situation last year and we came back. We got that experience and it was good experience. We know how to come back."

The Capitals' potent power play went 0-for-6 and is 4-for-22 in the series. Alexander Ovechkin finally lit the lamp in this series on his 32nd shot of the series. Ovechkin turned the mood inside Madison Square Garden from celebratory to panic when he rifled a slap shot off the crossbar and into the net at 2:13 of the third period. It was the first goal of the series on the 32nd shot by Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 56 regular-season goals.

Washington erased a 3-1 hole against Philadelphia in the first round last year, before falling in overtime of Game 7. The Capitals overcame a 3-1 series deficit once in their history, against Philadelphia in the 1988 Patrick Division semifinals. They have never won a series after trailing 2-0. The Rangers have never lost a series after leading 3-1.

Game 5 is Friday night at the Verizon Center/


One day when I was talking hockey with a friend of mine, he said that to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, your goalie has to steal a game when you're playing a better team. Well, Henrik Lundqivst has now stolen two games in this series. I've heard a few people refer to this as one of the greatest Ranger goaltending performances in the history of the franchise. While I can't really speak for anything before the Mike Richter era, I find it tough to argue the point. King Henrik is in the zone right now. Everyone keeps saying that the Rangers aren't going to go far if they can't score, and I agree with that point. HOWEVER, if Lundqvist can turn in performances like that twice a series (and he hasn't given any reason to show he can't), the Rangers could play the role of playoff spoiler.

OTHER PLAYOFF ACTION...

(1) Boston Bruins (4-0) over the (8) Montreal Canadiens (0-4) 4-1

The Boston Bruins swept aside their longtime rivals and a decade's worth of playoff frustration. Andrei Kostitsyn gave Montreal a 1-0 lead 39 seconds in and the Canadiens dominated the scoring chances in the opening period, outshooting Boston 16-7. The Bruins, though, went to the dressing room with a 2-1 lead after Ryder and Krejci scored 1:58 apart late in the period. Former Montreal forward Michael Ryder scored twice and assisted on David Krejci's goal to help Boston complete a four-game sweep of the Canadiens with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night. Tim Thomas made 26 saves, and Phil Kessel also scored for the Bruins, who won the Eastern Conference quarterfinal for their first playoff series win in 10 years.

"Yeah, it's definitely a good feeling to beat your old team here in Montreal and make it the last one," said Ryder, who signed as a free agent after he was a healthy scratch for all but four of the Canadiens' 12 playoff games last season. "I kind of actually forgot about what happened last year. I'm a Bruin now and it's a lot of fun."

Top-seeded Boston had lost five straight series -- falling to Montreal in 2002, '04 and '08 -- since beating Carolina in the first round in 1999. It was the Bruins' first series sweep since they beat Montreal four straight in the 1992 Adams Division final. On the flip side, Montreal completed its 100th season with eight straight losses, including its last four regular-season games.

If the Rangers take the series against the Capitals, the Bruins get the Rangers (what a series that would be). If the Capitals rally to win the series, then Boston would get Carolina if they beat the Devils. If the Devils win, then Boston gets the winner of Pittsburgh-Philly.


This is a textbook example of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Bruins are playing the best hockey of any team in the East and arguably the NHL (Detroit would be the other), while the Canadiens completely underachieved this year and were lucky to make the playoffs. I know there are no hand outs in the NHL, but the Panthers deserved the 8th seed if this was the effort that was going to be turned in by Les Habitents. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has a loooong off-season ahead of him.

(5) Calgary Flames (2-2) over the (4) Chicago Blackhawks (2-2) 6-4

Olli Jokinen scored two goals and had an assist in Calgary's 6-4 victory over Chicago that sent the Western Conference series back to Chicago even at two wins apiece. Jokinen ended a 16-game goal drought -- his longest since 2002 -- with his first career playoff goals. They also were his first goals at the Pengrowth Saddledome since the Flames acquired him from Phoenix at the March 3 trade deadline. "It's nice to score, but it's much nicer to win games," said the 30-year-old Jokinen, playing in the postseason for the first time in his career. "It felt a lot better when we scored that fifth goal than when I scored my own goals."

Eric Nystrom broke a tie with that fifth goal, scoring off a rebound with 6:56 left in the third period. Flames captain Jarome Iginla also had a pair for Calgary, including an empty-netter, to go along with an assist. Calgary pulled away in the third after blowing a 4-1 lead in the second.

"Holy cow, protecting leads," Nystrom said. "It's amazing how it's easier to play coming from behind. Sometimes when you have a lead you sit on it a little bit, but tonight we persevered and battled hard to win this game. Now the series is 0-0 again." Defenseman Adrian Aucoin also scored for the Flames, 4-2 winners Monday night at home after dropping the first two games in Chicago.

Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker and Samuel Pahlsson scored for Chicago. "It's going to be a long flight home tomorrow," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "It's far from over. It's frustrating and yes, we were up two games and you can cry about that all day about having those first two games and then letting them have the last two and letting them get back in the series. "But we knew they weren't going anywhere so we're just going to have to battle and get momentum swinging back in our favor a little bit.

Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves for his second straight victory, while Nikolai Khabibulin turned away 22 shots for Chicago. Flames winger Rene Bourque, listed as day-to-day after Chicago's Adam Burish broke his stick over his shoulder at the end of Game 3, participated in the pregame skate, but was scratched from the lineup.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Chicago.


I really thought the Blackhawks would win this series, but now I'm not sure. The way Calgary has played the past two games, they've looked like the Flames team they are supposed to be. When Calgary went up 4-1, my thought was "Okay we've got a series again". When Chicago rallied to tie the game, I figured that could be the series. But the fact that Calgary pulled out the win after blowing the lead makes Saturday night's game VERY interesting.


OTHER NEWS

-Anaheim Ducks forward Bobby Ryan, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason and Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg are the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. Versteeg, a fifth-round choice (134th overall) of the Boston Bruins in 2004, led all rookies with 31 assists while finishing second to Ryan with 53 points. The 22-year-old from Lethbridge, Alta., added a rookie-best four short-handed goals. "Bobby Ryan and Mason, those are two pretty special players and to be loaded into a class with those guys, it's a huge compliment for myself," Versteeg said Wednesday from Calgary, where the Blackhawks were facing the Flames in a Western Conference quarter-final series. "I was a bit surprised. It caught me off guard. This year, I've always known I could help offensively and I was put in some situations to succeed and just tried to do my best with that." Ryan, the second pick in the 2005 draft, recorded 31 goals and 57 points -- both tops among first-year players -- in just 64 games with the Ducks. The 22-year-old from Cherry Hill, N.J., earned rookie-of-the-month honors in January with 11 goals and five assists in 14 games. Ryan played junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League's Owen Sound Attack. Mason, taken in the third round (69th overall) by the Blue Jackets in 2006, led the NHL with 10 shutouts and ranked second with a 2.29 goals-against average. The 20-year-old from Oakville, Ont., lifted the Blue Jackets to the first playoff appearance in franchise history. The trophy will be handed out June 18 during the NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
^Gm 5 - (5) Philadelphia Flyers @ (4) Pittsburgh Penguins (Pittsburgh leads 3-1) - Versus
^Gm 4 - (2) Detroit Red Wings @ (7) Columbus Blue Jackets - 7PM - (Detroit leads 3-0)
Gm 5 - (6) Carolina Hurricanes @ (3) New Jersey Devils - 7:30PM - (Series tied 2-2)
Gm 4 - (8) Anaheim Ducks @ (1) San Jose Sharks - 10:30PM (Anaheim leads 2-1) - Versus
^ = elimination alert

Email From The Slot at fromtheslot@gmail.com

(information from the AP was used in this post)

FTS - 4/22/09

TOP STORY

SINGING THE SAINT LOUIS BLUES

Alex Burrows ends the Blues season in overtime of Game 4

(Photo Credit - AP)

(3) Vancouver Canucks (4-0) over the (6) St. Louis Blues (0-4) 3-2 (OT)

Roberto Luongo was so drained he required IV fluids. It was OK, though as Alex Burrows bailed him out of having to go through a 2nd overtime, scoring his second goal of the game with 18.9 seconds to go in overtime. Luongo finished with 47 saves, helping the Canucks complete a first-round sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 3-2 last night. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy," Luongo said. "It was a gritty one."

Kyle Wellwood also scored for the Canucks, who swept a four-game series for the first time in franchise history. Vancouver won a series before the seventh game for the first time in 12 tries since 1994. "We have a few guys banged up," Luongo said. "It's good that we're going to get the rest now and heal up and make sure we're ready to go when the next round starts."

Brad Boyes and David Perron scored for the Blues, who rallied from a two-goal, second-period deficit thanks to increased traffic around Luongo. But more power-play woes doomed St. Louis, which was 0-for-7 with the man advantage and 1-for-24 in the series including a four-minute double-minor midway through overtime. "The one thing that killed us in the series is our power play," Blues forward Keith Tkachuk said. "We had opportunities throughout the series and we didn't capitalize. "You've got to bring it up a notch and we didn't do that."

The Blues' first playoff appearance in five years was a short one. They had the best second half in the NHL to qualify with one game to go, doing it without injured stars Paul Kariya, Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer. Then they were swept for the first time since Dallas did it to them in 1994.

The Canucks improved to 3-0 all-time in postseason series vs. the Blues. If the Ducks beat San Jose, Vancouver gets the winner of Chicago-Calgary. If San Jose comes back to win their series, Detroit and Vancouver will meet in the Western Conference semifinals.


One difference maker in this series was Roberto Luongo, but it was more about the lack of success for the Blues on the power play. Just like guard play wins NCAA Basketball championships, a good power play can give an underdog a legitimate chance in a best of seven series. Even though they were swept, this season was still a success for St. Louis and they have a lot to build on heading in to next season. Would Paul Kariya have made a difference? Maybe the Blues wouldn't have been swept, but Luongo was just too good to have been beaten for four games. I'm looking forward to see how what Vancouver does in the 2nd round.

OTHER PLAYOFF ACTION...

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1) over the (5) Philadelphia Flyers (1-3) 3-1

A sliding Sidney Crosby scored a goal that ricocheted off his stick, his midsection, and into the back of the net to spark Pittsburgh to a 3-1 win over Philadelphia last night. "That's how he scores goals and that one right there is a typical goal," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. Crosby's second goal of the series snapped a scoreless tie and helped the Penguins grab a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

That might sound familiar -- the Flyers were knocked out by the Penguins in five games in last year's conference finals. "We're not dead," Flyers center Daniel Briere said. Marc-Andre Fleury made 45 saves to push the Flyers to the brink (only six shy of the most he's faced in any game). He was only two saves away from a career best. "It didn't matter how many shots they had, I just tried to make the saves and I knew we would be in good shape to win the game," Fleury said. Tyler Kennedy and Maxime Talbot also scored for the Penguins to back Fleury's effort. Daniel Carcillo scored the lone goal for Philly, his first as a Flyer.

The Flyers haven't rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win a playoff series since 2003. Game 5 is in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.


That was the last Flyers hockey game in the Wachovia center until the pre-season begins in the fall. The Penguins know that a Flyers win in Pittsburgh in Game 5 would open a can of worms that they don't want to deal with. With the Rangers-Caps and Devils-Hurricanes series both looking like they'll go at least 6, the Penguins will have a chance to rest up for the 2nd round with a win on Thursday night.

(2) Detroit Red Wings (3-0) over the (7) Columbus Blue Jackets (0-3) 4-1

Henrik Zetterberg scored two goals as the reigning Stanley Cup champions dominated from beginning to end last night to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 and grab a 3-0 lead. "Everyone talks about a best-of-seven. Really, it's a race to four" coach Mike Babcock said. "You want to get to four as fast as you can." The first NHL playoff game at Nationwide Arena -- in the Blue Jackets' 659th game -- was a mammoth letdown for a franchise-record crowd of 19,219. "It was an exciting game for the first playoff game in this building," said Zetterberg, whose empty-netter gave him 30 goals and 25 assists in his 64 playoff appearances. "The fans were excited. We tried to defeat that, too."

Daniel Cleary had a goal and two assists, Tomas Holmstrom scored 1:07 in for an early lift and Johan Franzen added two assists. The Red Wings can advance to the conference semifinals with a win Thursday night. Almost no one is surprised. The Red Wings are an experienced, confident bunch who have barely allowed a younger team stocked with playoff rookies to breathe. "There's something about experience," Babcock said. "In life, when you don't have it, you think it's overrated. When you have it, it's obviously very, very important."

Chris Osgood's shutout streak of 144 minutes, 27 seconds ended with 3:53 left when R.J. Umberger scored on a backhander off a rebound of Rick Nash's drive. The goal was almost identical to the only other score the Blue Jackets have in the series, when Umberger scored late in the second period of Game 1. "We've been there, we know how difficult it is. Each game is a separate moment," Osgood said of the playoffs. "We played real well the first 10 minutes. We pressed them and got the early goal, which helped us a ton." Osgood, who finished with 31 saves, stopped Kristian Huselius on two prime scoring chances within a minute in the first period, each of which would have tied it.

Since an embarrassing 8-2 home loss -- with Osgood in goal -- on March 7, the Red Wings have won the last four meetings with the Blue Jackets by a combined score of 16-2.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Columbus.


Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Columbus Blue Jackets. That St. Louis Blues win really screwed Columbus because they would have faired better against Vancouver. Ken Hitchock is a great coach, but the Red Wings are a hockey machine that even the defensive-minded Hitchcock has a tough time figuring out. This will be the second 1st round sweep in the Western Conference. If San Jose can come back and win the series, having a well rested Vancouver and Detroit match-up would be epic.

(6) Carolina Hurricanes (2-2) over the (3) New Jersey Devils (2-2) 4-3

Jussi Jokinen deflected in Dennis Seidenberg's slap shot off his skate with 0.2 of a second remaining and the Hurricanes evened their series with New Jersey at two games apiece. Eric Staal, Ryan Bayda and Chad LaRose also scored and Seidenberg finished with two assists for the Hurricanes, who blew a 3-0 lead but regrouped just in time to avoid a third straight overtime game. Jokinen started the dramatic sequence when he tried to stuff a backhander past Brodeur with about 7 seconds remaining. The puck circled around to Joni Pitkanen near the blue line and he passed off to Seidenberg, who unloaded a hard blast from the point. "I knew it was close, so I just tried to get the puck to the net," Seidenberg said. It got there -- right after it clicked off the Finn's left skate and past Brodeur's low left side as time expired. "I felt right away [the puck hit] my skate, and then I saw it just in the net. I didn't hear the buzzer, so I was pretty sure, I was comfortable it was a goal," Jokinen said. "I tried to look at everybody -- our coaches, our players -- asking if it was a good goal or no. Everybody says, 'I don't know,' so I was really nervous." After a review of about 2 minutes, officials determined that the puck crossed the goal line with 0.2 of a second left.

An incensed Brodeur, who had been bumped outside the crease by Jokinen seconds before the goal, smashed his stick into the boards. "'I had time to reset myself.' That's always the same answer. It doesn't matter which referee," Brodeur said. "It's the easy way out for them to say that. It's hard. You want to play your game. You want to do what's right and be in the best position you can. "With these guys [Carolina], they go to the net. They play hard," he added. "I am not complaining about how Carolina is playing. They don't take liberty. They're pretty fair about it. They got to the net. The referee has to do their job. Today was pretty awful." David Clarkson scored the tying goal with 11:14 left for New Jersey. Brian Gionta added a goal and an assist, Brendan Shanahan scored his 60th career playoff goal and Brodeur stopped 42 shots for the Devils.

"We want to be careful with that, because it seems the team who's taken one on the chin has responded very well," Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. "We're going to have to come back with the same sense of determination that I thought we felt coming into this game." "It's a disappointing loss, but we didn't lose anything today," Brodeur said. "We've still got home-ice advantage. We lost a game. That's it."

Game 5 is Thursday night in Newark.


This is probably the least publicized of the eight first round series, but is probably the best of the bunch. Usually you can get a gauge on a series and make a statement like "whoever wins Game 5 wins this series". This series has been such a rollercoaster that I have no idea who is going to come out of this one. I still lean towards the Devils, but only barely.


(1) San Jose Sharks (1-2) over the (8) Anaheim Ducks (2-1) 4-3

Patrick Marleau scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 9:27 left, and the Sharks evaded a daunting playoff deficit with a 4-3 victory over Anaheim, trimming the Ducks' series lead to 2-1.

Dan Boyle had two goals and an assist, and fellow defenseman Blake had a goal and an exceptional assist on Marleau's winner for the top-seeded Sharks, who had scored just twice while losing the first two games of their series against the eighth-seeded Ducks at home, quickly falling into a playoff hole that might have been their grave. "It was desperation out there, and it turned up a level even late in this game," Blake said. "You saw the desperation in the way we worked and executed. Everyone chipped in, and we got the result."

Evgeni Nabokov made 27 saves for the Sharks, who realized any logical hope of winning the series hung on Game 3. San Jose took three one-goal leads in the first two periods, but Anaheim tied it each time.

Bobby Ryan, James Wisniewski and Chris Pronger scored for the Ducks, who kept pace with the Sharks' improved efforts, but never could take the lead in a lively, penalty-filled game. Hiller stopped 31 shots, but didn't have the indomitable form of the Ducks' first two victories.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Anaheim.


This series all comes down to Game 4. A Sharks win and I think they righted the ship just in time to have some motivation heading back to San Jose for Game 5. An Anaheim win should give the Ducks enough of a confidence boost to finish off the Sharks. It's a shame that the start times for these games are 10PM or later because this is the best series in the Western Conference and is right behind the Devils-Hurricanes for best series in the first round.

OTHER NEWS

-Minnesota Wild all-star goalie Niklas Backstrom will have surgery to remove two cysts in his left hip that caused problems with his groin muscles and affected his mechanics in the net this season. The procedure will keep Backstrom out for three to six months. Acting general manager Tom Lynn said he expects Backstrom to be recovered in time for training camp in mid-September, provided Dr. Marc Philippon doesn't find any red flags. Backstrom's age and condition, Lynn said, make it more likely he'll need closer to the minimum recovery time. Backstrom sought several sources of advice, but agreed to have the surgery now rather than risk a greater need for it at a less convenient time. "We decided the best course was to get this fixed and have him ready for next season," Lynn said in a conference call with reporters from Houston, where he's with Minnesota's minor league team. Backstrom started 71 of 82 games and went 37-24-8. His .923 save percentage ranked fifth in the NHL during the regular season. His 2.33 goals-against average was third in the league, but he played through pain down the stretch and frequently skipped practices to preserve his strength while the Wild unsuccessfully chased a playoff spot. Backstrom began feeling the most discomfort in late January. The injury was from wear and tear, not from a collision.

-Former Wild GM Doug Risebrough was "shocked" by his firing (courtesy of TSN):
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=275910

-Minnesota Wild left wing Derek Boogaard has undergone surgery on his right shoulder. The team said Tuesday the six-foot-eight enforcer is on the road to recovery and will begin rehabilitation Wednesday. Boogaard's ability to keep fighters and scrappers in line was minimized this season by injuries and a lack of discipline that led to costly penalties. The Saskatoon native was suspended for five games without pay by the league for elbowing an opponent in the head. Boogaard appeared in 51 games and had three assists. Boogaard has two goals and eight assists in 198 NHL games, and his 439 career penalty minutes are the second most in franchise history. His last goal was on Jan. 7, 2006.

-Dominik Hasek is coming out of retirement to play for his former club in the top Czech league. The 44-year-old goaltender will play next season for HC Moeller Pardubice in the town where he was born and started his career. While Hasek will be the oldest player in the league, Pardubice has an option to extend the contract by one more year. "I'm really glad I could sign a deal with this club," Hasek told a news conference Tuesday. "It's a club where I spent the most years. I've never even thought I could play for any other club in the Czech Republic. I'm looking forward to the next season." The announcement comes less than a year after Hasek's retirement following winning won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings for the second time in June. "A year ago I said goodbye to the NHL but not to hockey," Hasek said. "After a year when I was engaged in other activities I felt like returning." Hasek helped Pardubice win the Czech title in 1987 and '89. "My return won't be easy," Hasek said. "We have big goals with Pardubice. I don't talk about my age but a return to top hockey will not be easy. I want to keep winning, I'm looking forward to it."

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Gm 4 - (1) Boston Bruins @ (8) Montreal Canadiens (Boston leads 3-0)
Gm 4 - (2) Washington Capitals @ (7) New York Rangers - 7PM - (NYR leads 2-1) - Versus
Gm 4 - (4) Chicago Blackhawks @ (5) Calgary Flames - 10PM - (Chicago leads 2-1)

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FTS - 4/21/09

TOP STORY

CRUMBLING CANADIENS

Carey Price lets in a 1st period goal to Phil Kessel en route to a 4-2 loss

(Photo Credit - AP)

(1) Boston Bruins (3-0) over the (8) Montreal Canadiens (0-3) 4-2

Former Canadien and current Bruin winger Michael Ryder scored late in the second period against his former team and Tim Thomas made 23 saves to lead Boston to a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Phil Kessel, Shawn Thornton and Chuck Kobasew also scored for Boston, which increased its lead in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal to 3-0 despite the absence of left wing Milan Lucic, who sat out a one-game league suspension.

Ryder, a healthy scratch for all but four of Montreal's 12 playoff games last season, put Boston ahead 17:21 into the second period. Kobasew scored into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining. Chris Higgins and Yannick Weber scored for Montreal, which has lost seven in a row, including its last four games of the regular season.
"At this point, there's not too much positive there," Canadiens Saku Koivu said. "Every game, there are things you try to build on but what we're doing right now is not enough. We have to find a way to get the goals. It doesn't matter how you do it, to get the win."

Canadiens goalie Carey Price, pulled Saturday after allowing five goals through the first two periods, made 26 saves in his third straight start. The Bruins, who haven't won a playoff series since 1999, are poised to beat the Canadiens for only the eighth time in 32 playoff matchups between the longtime rivals. Left wing Alex Tanguay and defenseman Mathieu Schneider were both injured and unable to play for Montreal. The Canadiens, already without injured top defenseman Andrei Markov, announced moments after the opening faceoff that both key players were sidelined by upper-body injuries.

Montreal has lost seven consecutive playoff games. Game 4 is Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.


What has happened to Les Habitents? It seems like the Flyers series inthe Conference Semifinals last year had an Albert Pujols-Brad Lidge effect on this team. This is certainly not the way the Canadiens wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their franchise. If nothing else, it seems like Montreal will manage to steal the off-season headlines in Canada from Brian Burke's first free agent season in Toronto. On the flipside, the Bruins look really, really good right now. Whether Boston draws the Rangers, Hurricanes, Flyers or Penguins in the next round, they are all in for a tough series.

OTHER PLAYOFF ACTION...

(2) Washington Capitals (1-2) over the (7) New York Rangers (2-1) 4-0

Alexander Ovechkin didn't score for the 3rd straight game in the playoffs, but did everything else to help in the 4-0 win. "It was an important game, but it's over," said Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 56 regular-season goals. "It's done. It's history. And we have to battle next game." Ovechkin earned two assists for the second-seeded Capitals, who dominated the No. 7 Rangers from the beginning to end. "We had some lucky goals," said Nicklas Backstrom, Ovechkin's linemate who had three assists. "It's just one game. We have to regroup and come back Wednesday. "We worked harder and we had to fight for our lives." Ovechkin recorded five shots and was everywhere, even chasing down Lauri Korpikoski on a short-handed breakaway. At the end of a shift, Ovechkin dived from behind and deftly knocked the puck off Korpikoski's stick. "You see the effort that he's putting in," Boudreau said. "It was a tremendous leadership play, and that's why he is who he is."

The star of the game was 20 year old goalie Simeon Varlemov. Playing in just his 2nd NHL Playoff game and 8th ever NHL Game, he made 33 saves to keep the Rangers at bay. "He's played in the finals of the Russian elite league, which to him is probably like our Stanley Cup," Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He's played in the world championship, and the fact that he doesn't understand a word we're saying probably really helps him."

Alexander Semin scored twice in the first period and was on the ice when Brooks Laich added a power-play tally in the second. Former Rangers defenseman Tom Poti also scored a power-play goal with 1:25 left.

New York coach John Tortorella cautioned that the Rangers won the first two games despite not having the puck enough. That trend continued in the opening period, and they paid for it. "They played very well defensively and I thought we stunk defensively," Tortorella said. "That was the key to the game. They defended very well in front of their net and we were chasing our tail all night long -- spinning and watching the puck."

Lundqvist made 36 saves and did all he could to keep the Caps at bay, kicking out his legs, sprawling on his stomach and back and diving post to post. "It felt like they had a little more power out there," Lundqvist said. "We had two great games on the road, but we knew it would be tougher to win this one."

Game 4 is Wednesday night at MSG.


I saw this loss coming from the second Game 2 ended. Washington had their backs against the wall and they are too good of a team to not pull out the victory. The ONLY highlight for the Rangers was that Henrik Lundqvist made some acrobatic saves to keep it from being a 7-0 game. A Capitals win in Game 4 would be the equivalent of the Ultimate Warrior shaking the ropes after being beaten through the first half of the match.

(5) Calgary Flames (1-2) over the (4) Chicago Blackhawks (2-1) 4-2

The Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time this season, and got back into their playoff series in the process. David Moss had two goals, and Rene Bourque and Eric Nystrom also scored to lead the Flames to a 4-2 victory Monday night. Calgary trails 2-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series. "It will hopefully give us a little bit of momentum," said Moss, who has three goals in three playoff games. "We certainly weren't dwelling on the fact we were 0-6 versus them. We just had to win tonight. Going into Wednesday, we'll have the same attitude," Moss said. "We just have to win one and get the series back." Curtis Glencross had a pair of assists for Calgary, which had lost its four regular-season meeting with Chicago and first two games in the playoffs. The Flames have never won a playoff series they've opened 0-2.

Chicago's Martin Havlat scored late in the third for his third goal in as many games. The team that has scored first in each game of this series has lost. After failing to protect leads in Chicago, the Flames came from behind with four unanswered goals after Patrick Sharp scored on a power play just over two minutes into the game.

"Now we know what to expect," Chicago's Jonathan Toews said. "It was a tough night playing in this building, a lot of adversity. We just have to learn how to overcome that a little bit better. Every guy on the bench, everyone's got to be yelling a little bit more and be ready to go. We just have to use this as fuel for the next night."

Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 36 shots, while Nikolai Khabibulin made 24 saves. "Even after those couple of losses in Chicago, we thought we could beat them if we played our best game," Kiprusoff said. The last time the Flames scored four goals against Khabibulin was Game 1 of the 2004 Stanley Cup final against Tampa Bay. "He's been pretty good versus us," Moss said, "and for us to be successful, we've got to keep putting pucks there in traffic and that's where we can solve him a little bit."

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Calgary.


This is an interesting series. On paper, the Flames are the better team, but Chicago beat them in every opportunity. Sometimes, all a team needs is to finally get that victory against a team they've had trouble against to get going. I still think the Blackhawks win the series, but Calgary may push this one to the brink now.

OTHER NEWS

-The Dallas Stars have signed defenseman Philip Larsen to a three-year entry-level deal. Terms were not released Monday. The 19-year-old Denmark native was the fifth-round selection by Dallas in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He spent the past season with Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League. Larsen had 17 points and 18 penalty minutes in 53 games with Frolunda.

-The Minnesota Wild have re-signed defenseman John Scott to a one-year contract for US$550,000. Scott was eligible for unrestricted free agency, so this leaves the Wild with one less player to address this summer while their front office is in flux. President and general manager Doug Risebrough was fired last week, and assistant Tom Lynn is acting as GM. Owner Craig Leipold is interviewing candidates for the vacancy, and his hire must then find a new coach to replace Jacques Lemaire. The six-foot-eight, 260-pound Scott had one assist and 21 penalty minutes in 20 games this season, his first in the NHL. He added a physical presence to the blue-line that had been missing.

-There was someone doing some "scouting" at the New York Rangers' practice on Monday, but the team wasn't very keen on the idea. And who can blame them? Capitals' winger Alex Ovechkin decided to observe his opposition from the visitor's bench at Madison Square Garden, just hours before Game 3 of the Caps/Rangers playoff series. One of the Rangers' trainers complained to the Capitals, who had a public relations staff member ask Ovechkin to exit the rink. According to the PR man, Ovechkin was just looking for a place to relax. That wasn't the story from Ovechkin himself, though, who joked that he sat in on Rangers practice to "tick off" head coach John Tortorella. According to espn.com, Tortorella said afterwards he didn't even know Ovechkin was at the practice, saying, "Ask me a question about the game, not that [expletive]." Ovechkin was asked why the Rangers wanted his removal, joking, "Because they're afraid of me." Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau playfully dismissed the idea that there was anything mischievous behind the sit-in. "I don't think he had a pen and paper and was writing down line combinations," Boudreau kidded. "I can understand (the Rangers asking him to leave). I've gotten into the same arguments with people when I've wanted privacy in my practice, so I can understand what John was going through."

This isn't a big deal. He couldn't have been on the bench for more than five minutes and other than maybe learning a new practice drill, he probably didn't gather much information before Caps PR man Nate Ewell got him off the bench. AO is also officially the Shaq of the NHL when it comes to being able to say what he wants. He gets away with it because he's a loose, fun, likeable guy. If Sidney Crosby had made the comments that he did that to piss off Tortorella and that the Rangers were "scared" of him, hockey might have made the back pages in NYC for once.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Gm 4 - (4) Pittsburgh Penguins @ (5) Philadelphia Flyers (Pittsburgh leads 2-1) - Versus
Gm 3 - (2) Detroit Red Wings @ (7) Columbus Blue Jackets- 7PM - (Detroit leads 2-0)
Gm 4 - (3) New Jersey Devils @ (6) Carolina Hurricanes - 7:30PM - (New Jersey leads 2-1)
Gm 4 - (3) Vancouver Canucks @ (6) St. Louis Blues - 8PM - (Vancouver leads 3-0)
Gm 3 - (1) San Jose Sharks @ (8) Anaheim Ducks - 10:30PM - (Anaheim leads 2-0)

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FTS - 4/20/09

TOP STORY

SHARK OUT OF WATER

Bobby Ryan gets the Ducks first goal in Game 2 as Anaheim heads home with a 2-0 lead

(Photo Credit - AP)

(8) Anaheim Ducks (2-0) over the (1) San Jose Sharks (0-2) 3-2

The Anaheim Ducks just went 2 for 2 in NHL's toughest road arena to open the playoffs. Has the curse of the President's Trophy struck again?

Andrew Ebbett broke a tie with a goal from an awkward angle with 10:16 left, and the Ducks stunned the San Jose Sharks with another defensive gem in a 3-2 victory in Game 2, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Jonas Hiller made 42 saves in his second outstanding effort, while Bobby Ryan and Drew Miller also scored their first playoff goals. Just as their 2-0 Game 1 victory, the eighth-seeded Ducks were defensively tough and offensively fortunate against San Jose, which lost just five home games in regulation during the entire regular season.
"We knew we could play well," Hiller said. "But to come into the rink of the best team in the league and win the first two games, we don't expect that, although we have to think it's possible. ... I'm sure this is not what people expected from us. We have the two wins, but the Sharks are still the best team this year."

Ryane Clowe's goal early in the second period ended more than 174 minutes of scoreless playoff hockey for the Sharks dating to last season, but San Jose couldn't rally despite another monstrous edge in shots. An eighth seed has beaten a top seed seven times in the NHL playoffs since 1994, and playoff-tested Anaheim is ripe to add its name to the list. San Jose must win four of the next five games, including two in Anaheim, to avoid what would be a disastrous end to a 117-point season capped by the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy.

"I'm not too sure that the guys in there, after the two games, I think if you went through and asked each of the guys, they'd think they're the better team," said Todd McLellan, the Sharks' rookie coach. "They're not getting the puck luck, and you have to give Anaheim credit. They found a way to win."

Jonathan Cheechoo also scored, and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for the Sharks, who outshot Anaheim 44-26 after a 35-17 edge in the Ducks' 2-0 Game 1 victory -- but San Jose dropped to 0-for-12 on the power play in the series after going scoreless in six chances in Game 2. McLellan broke up his top-line pairing of Joe Thornton and captain Patrick Marleau for Game 2, moving around his top two scorers but rarely icing them together. It didn't generate much new offense, but Clowe came through after a turnover by Ebbett, slipping the puck past three defenders to snap the Sharks' playoff scoreless streak at 174 minutes, 2 seconds, dating to their four-overtime elimination loss to Dallas last spring. Joe Thornton was held without a goal for the eighth straight postseason game.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Anaheim.


I don't want to say San Jose is done just yet, because they are the Sharks and maybe the trip down the California coast will wake them up. But they are in critical condition. Jonas Hiller is playing like a goalie with nothing to lose, and that's because they don't have anything to lose. If San Jose had swept Anaheim, yeah, it stinks for the Ducks, but the Sharks made chum of teams all year long. Nothing is more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what changes rookie bench boss Todd McLellan makes for the first game at the Honda Center.

If St. Louis hadn't won on the last day of the season, how much of the Western Conference landscape would have changed?

-San Jose vs. St. Louis (I can't imagine San Jose not winning this series)

-Detroit vs. Anaheim (a much tougher match-up for Detroit and Anaheim...Red Wings probably would have prevailed in 6)

-Vancouver vs. Columbus (I still give the Canucks the series win, but Columbus would have been a much tougher match up for Vancouver)

Just think about that for a second...

OTHER PLAYOFF ACTION...

(5) Philadelphia Flyers (1-2) over the (4) Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1) 6-3

Jeff Carter and Mike Richards scored their first goals of the series to get the Flyers going early and Claude Giroux and Simon Gagne put the Flyers ahead for good in a 6-3 victory over the Penguins on Sunday. Carter, the NHL's scored-leading goal scorer, scored his first of the postseason 3 minutes into the game, and Richards made it two goals on two shots for the Flyers 2:15 later. "It was a huge game. We didn't want to go down 3-0 because that's a tough task," Flyers center Daniel Briere said. "We have to enjoy it for a few minutes here." Evgeni Malkin scored two goals for the Penguins, who are still waiting for Sidney Crosby to catch fire. Crosby had two assists in Game 3, but has only one goal in three games(Crosby stretched his postseason scoring streak to seven straight games). Martin Biron stopped 26 shots and played like the goalie who led the Flyers to the conference finals last year. Jared Ross scored his first NHL goal in the third to make it 5-2 and Gagne added his second on an empty-netter with 1:36 left to secure the win. The game started with four fighting penalties and two roughing penalties in the opening period. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Philadelphia.


While this was a very nice win for Philly, I still give the Penguins the edge in this series. Sidney Crosby will start finding the net soon. When he does, that's the beginning of the end for Philly. It was good to see Philly passing the puck well and playing their brand of hockey.

(3) New Jersey Devils (2-1) over the (6) Carolina Hurricanes (1-2) 3-2 (OT)

Travis Zajac scored off his own rebound at 4:58 of overtime, and New Jersey beat Carolina 3-2 on Sunday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference playoff series. Zach Parise scored for the third straight game and assisted on Zajac's winner for the Devils, who took a 2-1 lead in the series and earned home ice advantage back. "We know how we need to play and how we want to play. When we play that way, it's a lot more fun for the players," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "They won a game in our building -- obviously, we were going to have to come here and get that one back. It's nice to get it back with your first game. Now, we can get focused for Game 4 and see what happens." Their reconfigured No. 1 line (Brian Rolston is now playing alongside Zajac and Parise for the injured Jaime Langenbrunner) generated two goals, including the game winner and one from new linemate, Brian Gionta. Martin Brodeur stopped 28 shots for the Devils. They improved to 1-5 against the Hurricanes in overtime playoff games and have yet to trail in regulation in the series. Referring to his team taking a lead in regulation, Carolina coach Paul Maurice deadpanned: "We'd love to try that." Ryan Bayda and Chad LaRose scored their first career playoff goals, and Ward finished with 32 saves for Carolina. Game 4 is Tuesday night at the RBC Center.


This series boils down to Game 4. Carolina has managed to alter thier game enough to battle with New Jersey, but are still lacking. If they can figure it out by tomorrow night, they can still win the series. If not, the winner of the past three Devils-Hurricanes match-ups in the playoffs has gone on to win the East (there's some food for thought)

(3) Vancouver Canucks (3-0) over the (6) St. Louis Blues (0-3) 3-2

The Canucks scored three power-play goals, including Steve Bernier's go-ahead score early in the third period, while again stifling the Blues' chances with the man advantage in a 3-2 victory Sunday night. "It was a huge difference," Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo said. "We got some big goals and we killed some big ones off." Vancouver, the third seed in the Western Conference, silenced a standing-room crowd of 19,500 for the Blues' first home playoff game in five seasons. "It's 3-0 and I think we still have to get to four," Luongo said. "So we've got a big one left to win and by no means are we going to think it's over. "Those guys are not going to quit and we've got to make sure we bear down." Coach Alain Vigneault said the Canucks got to this point by turning the other cheek instead of retaliating. "Our guys have been taking a lot of cheap shots so far during this series," Vigneault said. "To respond with three goals on the power play is pretty satisfying." On the flip side, St. Louis was shut out on six power plays, especially squandering early chances to seize control, and is 1-for-17 in the series. "We look tight and nervous on the power play," coach Andy Murray said. "We've had over 5 minutes of 5-on-3 in this series and really have not been the threat that we want to be. We probably had four or five good chances on the 5-on-3, but that's not good enough against this goaltender." Mattias Ohlund and Daniel Sedin also scored power-play goals for the Canucks, who were strong the last two periods after mustering five shots and trailing 1-0 after the first. And Luongo, who allowed one goal on 56 shots the first two games, made 24 saves and was good enough even if he wasn't the star that prompted a fans' "LuonGO Home" sign. The Canucks can finish off the sixth-seeded Blues in Game 4 tomorrow night in St. Louis.

It's a real shame the Blues 15th to 6th run ended up taking them right in to the Wall of Luongo. Being without Paul Kariya certainly hurt St. Louis, but I don't know how much of a difference he would have made. It's not like the Blues aren't getting chances and creating opportunites. St. Louis is doing everything they can, but Luongo is thwarting all of their attempts. The Blues can get this series back to Vancouver, but I don't anticipate another game being played in St. Louis until the fall.

OTHER NEWS

-The Boston Bruins will have to do without Milan Lucic for Game 3 of their series with the Canadiens after the NHL handed the bruising forward a one-game suspension Sunday. Lucic received a minor and match penalty for crosschecking Montreal's Maxim Lapierre in the neck and head late in the third period of Boston's 5-1 win over the Canadiens. In an attempt to avoid losing one of their emotional sparkplugs the submitted a video clip to NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell that they believed showed Lucic's gloved hand striking Lapierre's neck and head before his stick. "While it is unclear whether Lucic's glove or stick makes contact with Lapierre, what is clear is that he delivered a reckless and forceful blow to the head of his opponent," said Campbell in a statement. A Vancouver native, Lucic has been a physical force in the series thus far. He has been credited with eight hits, including a couple of momentum changers in Game 1, and has racked up a playoff high 24 minutes in penalties. He has also collected a pair of assists and a +2 rating. He will be eligible to return for Game 4 on Wednesday in Montreal.

-New Jersey captain Jamie Langenbrunner will miss at least two games of the Devils' playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes because of a lower body injury. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Saturday that Langenbrunner would miss Games 3 and 4 of the first-round series and that it was too early to tell whether the right winger would return for Game 5 back at home on Thursday, calling it "a day-by-day situation." The teams split the first two games in New Jersey, and the series will continue on Sunday night. Game 4 is Tuesday. Lamoriello called Langenbrunner's injury a "freak event." The captain was hurt Friday night in the second period of the Devils' 2-1 overtime loss. "We don't know exactly where it transpired, but he felt it at a certain point," Lamoriello said.

-The Boston Bruins were dealt an emotional blow Saturday when defenceman Matt Hunwick was rushed by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital for an emergency splenectomy. "He's comfortable and he's resting in his room," said Bruins physician Dr. Peter Asnis just before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final against the Montreal Canadiens. "His spirits are high and he'll be there for a couple of days." Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Hunwick was never supposed to play in Saturday night's game after suffering the injury in the second period of Game 1. Veteran Shane Hnidy took Hunwick's place on the Boston roster for Saturday's game, and Chiarelli said it is unknown whether the Bruins will call someone up from the minors as of yet. Hunwick was injured on a check Thursday night, but he didn't complain of any abdominal pain after the game, Asnis said. Hunwick practiced with his teammates Friday, and it was only afterwards that he noticed some "vague abdominal pain" and was taken to hospital for a CAT scan and blood tests, Asnis said. "He was stable based on his blood work and exam" and was released from hospital Friday but kept under surveillance, Asnis said. At about 10:45 a.m. ET Saturday morning, Hunwick noticed a sudden increase in pain in his abdomen and he was rushed from the Bruins practice facility in Wilmington, Mass., by ambulance to the hospital. His spleen was removed at around 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon by Dr. David Berger. "His playing career should not be affected, he should have a 100 per cent full recovery," Asnis said. "The only thing for his health is that he'll get additional immunizations. But there are players in contact sports at the professional level playing without a spleen." Asnis could not give a timeline for a potential return by Hunwick, but said it is possible he could return to play in these playoffs, depending on his recovery. Bruins head coach Claude Julien said immediately after Hunwick left for the hospital Saturday that his loss will be a blow to the team. "We're a close-knit team and everybody feels for each other," he said. "There's no doubt our players feel for him and we'll certainly worry like everybody else until we get some results. But he's in good hands." Hunwick, 23, had six goals and 21 assists in 53 games this season, averaging just under 17 minutes of ice time per game. Boston selected Hunwick in the seventh round, 224th overall, in the 2004 NHL entry draft.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Gm 3 - (1) Boston Bruins @ (8) Montreal Canadiens - 7PM (Boston leads 2-0
Gm 3 - (2) Washington Capitals @ (7) New York Rangers - 7PM - Versus (Rangers lead 2-0)
Gm 1 - (4) Chicago Blackhawks @ (5) Calgary Flames - 9:30PM - (Chicago leads 2-0)

Email From The Slot: fromtheslot@gmail.com