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If you love great hockey, then most of this first round has been riveting. We had one Game Seven tonight between Original Six Northeast rivals Boston and Montreal. Thanks to another Flyer-esque collapse, there will be a couple of more deciding series later tonight!

Had the Bruins completed the comeback from 3-1 down against Les Habitants for the first time in franchise history, it would’ve been a no brainer to lead with that. However, that didn’t transpire as a more focused top seeded Montreal squad had what it took getting splendid netminding from rookie Carey Price and inspired play by the Kostistyn brothers and Alex Kovalev to eliminate Boston 5-0 before an electric Bell Centre towel waving crowd.

More on this later.

For much of the first round, the Flyers had bottled up Alex Ovechkin limiting the league’s leading scorer to just one goal. The 22 year-old Russian responded by ratcheting up his physical game helping the Caps stay alive the other day with a 3-2 Game Five home win. Having been shutout four consecutive games, Ovechkin finally came through when his desperate team needed it most tallying twice in the third period putting an exclamation point on four unanswered goals by his team in a 4-2 Game Six win before a stunned Sea of Orange at Wachovia Center.

The Flyers built a 2-0 lead thanks to power play goals from Mike Richards and series leading scorer Daniel Briere. Down a couple, the third seeded Caps never panicked. They started to carry the play in the second and got rewarded. First, rookie Nicklas Backstrom finished off a nifty passing play from Alexander Semin to slice the deficit in half with 10:26 left. Less than nine minutes later, Semin tied it at 18:03 when he easily put home a John Erskine rebound.

With the Flyer crowd becoming a little more edgy, (wouldn’t you be given their recent history?) their worst fears were realized when Ovechkin beat Martin Biron on a clean breakaway 2:46 into the third. The deciding tally was made possible by some excellent defensive work by <gulp> Viktor Kozlov. The lanky Russian enigma broke up a good Flyer opportunity and then made a perfect stretch pass to spring Ovechkin. He broke in from the Flyer blueline and went to his bread and butter deking Biron going forehand top shelf to give his team their first lead.

“All year I didn’t have a chance to score on a breakaway,” the 65-goal regular season scorer told the AP.

“I probably had one goal on a breakaway, I did what I always do and thank God it worked.”

“It’s Hollywood here and the script said he wins the game,” pointed out pumped Caps owner Ted Leonsis.

Philly tried to get back in it but ex-Hab netminder Cristobal Huet was solid turning aside all eight of their shots to finish as the game’s Second Star with 33 saves. An undisciplined Flyer bench minor for too many men proved costly when Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich combined to setup a laser of a one-timer from Ovechkin which made it 4-2 with 9:19 to go.

From there, the Caps would hold on to force Game Seven which is Tuesday night back in the nation’s capital. Washington will attempt to become the 21st team to rally back from a 3-1 deficit. Oddly enough, the only time in franchise they history they turned the trick was 20 years ago against those Flyers back when each was in the Patrick Division with Dale Hunter netting an OT goal.

That can’t be too comforting for Flyer fans.

“We just got away from our game,” Richards lamented . “Now, tomorrow night’s desperation time.”

“There is still another chance,” a philosophical Briere noted. “We have to forget what happened and leave it all on the ice over there. We know we can win there, we did it earlier in the series. That is all we have to think about.”

The Flyers will try to have short memories later tonight in the first of two Game Sevens which concludes the First Round. The Sharks will play host to the Flames in the second game which decides who moves on and who books tee times.

As for the Bruins, they tried hard but just couldn’t find that first goal on Price which might’ve made all the difference. Despite a decided edge in play (11-8 SOG edge), they trailed after 20 minutes 1-0 on Mike Komisarek’s goal 3:31 in from Kovalev and Saku Koivu which deflected off a Boston player past Tim Thomas.

Price thwarted attacking Bruins including a crucial stop from in close on Phil Kessel which kept his team ahead. He got more support from Mark Streit in the second when the two-way threat made Boston captain Zdeno Chara look like a traffic cone before opening up Thomas five-hole for a two-goal Habs’s lead more than halfway thru.

It only got worse for Chara who took a penalty which led to Andrei Kostistyn’s tally from in close as the big defenseman stepped out of the box. Taking a tough pass from brother Sergei, he was able to get his shot off between two defenders beating Thomas for 3-0 at 15:13.

Game. Set. Match. Sure, Claude Julien’s Bruins had exploded for eight goals (four each) in the third of the past two wins to extend this series and give themselves a 21st shot at finally coming back triumphant from a 3-1 hole.

But any rational person knew that wasn’t happening before rabid Habs fans who I’m told by my good Montreal buddy rioted in the streets. Apparently, one series win did a little too much to their brains.

Goals by both Kostistyns late in a game they dominated put the stamp on Montreal’s 5-0 deciding game victory. The top seeds live for another round getting quality performances from all their best players including Chris Higgins, who despite no points was a beast along the walls on a reconstructed line with Koivu and Kovalev. They had chemistry because they played together last season. The Kostistyns worked with Tomas Plekanec, who notched a primary helper on Sergei Kostistyn’s third with eight seconds left.

The Kostistyns combined for three goals, two assists and a plus-four rating. Kovalev, who also was quiet last game with a minus-three responded with two helpers and a plus-two rating in improving to 6-0 lifetime in Game Sevens.

Price recorded his second shutout of the series stopping all 25 Boston offerings. Now it’s onto Round Two.

With the Caps and Flyers going seven and Montreal winning, the Rangers will play either the Canadiens or Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semis which won’t get underway till Thursday or Friday.

If Washington wins, then all three top East seeds advance which would setup another Original Six battle between the Canadiens and Rangers. The Caps would start on the road at second seeded Pittsburgh.

However, if the sixth seeded Flyers prevail tonight, then they’d visit Montreal leaving an all Atlantic battle between the fifth seeded Blueshirts and No.2 seeded Pens.

Get all that? We’ll see how it plays out later tonight.

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I said the other night that it wouldn’t shock me to see a seventh and deciding game between the Bruins and Canadiens. With a four goal third period explosion in a wild Game Six last night at TD Northbank Garden, Claude Julien’s pesky club did just that by pulling out a 5-4 home win.

Plenty will be riding on the line Monday night at the Bell Centre. Can the top seeded Canadiens recover from blowing a 3-1 series lead to force the first ever Game Seven in their proud history. According to the Associated Press, no Montreal team had ever led a series by that margin and needed a deciding game.

The Habs have played 18 Game Sevens in their history. They better hope No.19 doesn’t comeback to haunt them. The Bruins are looking to make some history of their own. They’ve never comeback to win a series after trailing 3-1, going 0-for-20. Will No.21 be one to remember avenging a devastating First Round loss to the same opponent four years prior? Oddly enough, Julien was the Montreal coach when his club rallied from that deficit to eliminate the B’s.

The Bruins had trailed the Canadiens 2-1 after 40 minutes last night. However, they showed plenty of resolve outscoring Montreal 4-2 to force Game Seven. I wish I had been around to see this but was instead in Brooklyn Heights picking up stuff for Passover cause the stores where we live are lame. Haha.

I still was able to get plenty of texts from my Dad who concluded that these teams had no defenses. Maybe it was just one of those nights. What has to be alarming for Guy Carbonneau’s Habs is that rookie Carey Price has allowed eight goals in the last couple of third periods against their Original Six bitter rival.

Unlike the other night where his gaffe led to the Habs’ demise, Price couldn’t be blamed for the lackluster D his team exhibited. Well, both teams weren’t exactly putting on a defensive clinic. Montreal had led thanks to a Tomas Plekanec breakaway goal at 7:43 of the second. With their rookie netminder turning aside 19 of 20 shots including 12 of 13 in a busy middle stanza, it looked like the East’s top seed were poised to close out Boston.

But then the third came in which the Bruins exploded for four goals on 16 shots. First, Vladimir Sobotka tallied at 3:13 to tie the game at two. Following a Francis Bouillon goal which deflected past Tim Thomas, Boston rookie Milan Lucic answered the bell 2:09 late to make it 3-3.

Phil Kessel’s second of the night in which he buried a Marco Sturm pass gave the Bruins their first lead with 4:15 left. However, Montreal replied only 11 seconds later when Long Island native Chris Higgins was left all alone to tap-in a Saku Koivu feed for his second of the topsy turvy contest.

When I received that text as I headed into the Key Food in Park Slope, I figured the game was destined for overtime. Maybe I’d luck out and get home in time to see part of it. Instead, here came another text telling me Sturm had put the Bruins back in front with 2:37 remaining. At that point, I guessed that would be enough to get Game Six and force an always riveting Game Seven.

A couple of minutes later, there was a message which read, “7th Game.”

Maybe it’s not so great if you’re a Habs supporter. Let’s face it. You have to be extremely nervous about this. So much is working against them. They’ve never even had to go seven after leading a series 3-1 which is stunning in itself. But then again, speaks volumes about how amazing Montreal’s playoff history is. The thing with Boston having never comeback with an 0-20 record also is probably not a good sign.

One of these times, they’re going to come through. So, will this be it? Can a team which dropped all eight regular season meetings including the first two in Montreal suddenly comeback and pull the upset in front of rabid Canadien fans?

Let’s not forget that in 2004 during the same round, the Bruins were the heavy favorite who had a great regular season only to fold up like a cheap deck of cards after building a 3-1 lead. Alex Kovalev and Glen Murray sure remember it quite well. That’s for sure. Hey. They’re still both around for their respective clubs. A rarity. If I’m correct, only the much overlooked P.J. Axelsson is also left from that Boston team which choked.

On the Montreal side, you got Kovalev, Koivu, Bouillon, Andrei Markov, Patrice Brisebois, Steve Begin and maybe Mike Komisarek.

So, how can a team which has that many players still around blow a 3-1 lead with two games in their own building? Just ask the 2004 Bruins or the 2000 Flyers. Or how about the Todd Bertuzzi 2003 Canucks? The symbol of choking.

Usually, when these comebacks take place, it’s all about momentum. If a team suddenly rises up, they have nothing to lose as most usually are busy writing their obituaries. Pressure mounts on the opponent who had a strangle hold on the series and failed to close it out.

Anything can happen in a seventh game. The good news for Montreal is that they have arguably the best fan support around. That place will be rocking. However, all it takes is an early Bruin lead to make a few of their players start having doubts. Most crowds can be taken out of it if their team falls behind. If you were fortunate enough to catch the Habs’ four-goal comeback in a 5-4 win over the Rangers, then you know that shouldn’t happen tomorrow night. Those fans BELIEVE in their team and will support them to the very end.

The Canadiens need more inspired play from Kovalev, who finished Saturday night a dismal minus-three with no points. AK27 must deliver or there won’t be much to celebrate for Canada this postseason.

There will be immense pressure on Price. It should be intriguing to see how such a poised kid handles the adversity. All in all, it should be fun.

In the other two playoff games yesterday, the Avs eliminated the Wild 2-1 with Ryan Smyth’s second period tally holding up as the difference. Ex-Hab goalie Jose Theodore made 34 saves to backstop Colorado to the Second Round. 

Meanwhile, the Capitals fended off elimination by hanging on to edge the Flyers 3-2. Cristobal Huet was strong in the third making 20 of his 30 saves. Sergei Fedorov notched a goal and assist while Alexander Semin’s power play goal held up as the winner.

It is kind of odd how former Montreal netminders are having an impact on other playoff series. If the Caps do comeback against Philly, it will be because of Huet, who’s elevated his play the past couple of games.

Later today, the Red Wings attempt to close out the Predators in Music City. The Sharks will also look to advance when they visit Calgary. Dallas also needs a win on home ice to eliminate the defending champion Ducks. So, there shall be plenty of action today out West.

Enjoy the games!

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Normally, one wouldn’t think an eight seed has a shot at coming back. Especially from the 3-1 hole ex-Montreal coach Claude Julien’s Bruins entered last night in before outscoring the home Habs 4-0 in the deciding period to post a 5-1 Game Five road win.

Given how well Boston played while facing elimination along with how shaky 20 year-old rookie netminder Carey Price was, it’s hard not to like the Bruins’ chances of forcing a seventh and deciding game over the weekend. Have you ever seen a goalie come apart quite like that? Oh. It’s happened before. Just usually by more experienced ones than the kid who earlier in the third had supporters chanting, “Car—ey, Car—ey, Car—ey” before his unreal gaffe led to Montreal’s demise.

As Price made a fine glove stop to foil a Boston chance in a 1-1 game, for some reason he decided to play the puck with two attacking Bruins close by. By the time he realized his folly, it was too late as an opportunistic Glen Metropolit got just enough of the disc to put it by the scrambling goalie for a 2-1 Boston lead before a stunned Bell Centre.

Metropolit’s big goal opened the floodgates. There would be no signature, “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants on this night. More like ole ole for how unglued the Canadiens became. An undisciplined Sergei Kostistyn penalty in the offensive zone led directly to Boston captain Zdeno Chara’s first of the series coming 2:18 later which gave the B’s a 3-1 lead.

The Habs would also squander a couple of power play chances to get back in it. Once again, the Bruins had the right recipe in killing off all four Montreal power plays. In fact, the league’s highest ranked PP during the regular season gave up a crushing shorthanded goal to Marco Sturm, who beat Price from 40 feet out with a perfect wrister off the far post.

A Vladimir Sobotka tally from an awful angle in which he just threw a softie on net showed just how fractured Price was. Why did Guy Carbonneau even leave him in? There was just 2:12 on the clock. May as well have let the kid get the rest of the night off and regroup.

Instead, plenty of questions will arise during the off day by the crazy Montreal and Canadian media. How will Price respond Saturday night in Beantown?

Don’t be surprised if there’s a Game Seven. These B’s have fared well and are playing with confidence. Tim Thomas also finished a stellar night in net making 31 saves earning the game’s Second Star.  

In the other Eastern Conference series, Mike Knuble’s double overtime winner put the Capitals on the brink. Despite some highlight reel stops including a strong denial of Knuble’s wide open one-timer from in front, Cristobal Huet couldn’t save his rebound which made the Flyers 4-3 comeback winners in Game Four before a screaming sea of orange.

Washington played better than in Game Three but ultimately were done in by a mistimed bench minor for too many men on the ice which red hot Flyer Daniel Briere cashed to tie the game with 9:59 left in regulation.

Both teams had golden opportunities to take the lead but didn’t have what it took to beat either goalie as both Huet (diving glove stops) and Martin Biron (big glove save from in tight) were up to the task.

Neither team budged in the first OT forcing it to a second leading to Knuble’s heroics. Setup by linemates Jeff Carter (two goals, helper) and Scottie Upshall (2 A), the ex-Ranger got two whacks at it before burying his second past a helpless Huet with Alex Ovechkin standing around.

Not quite what the league’s leading scorer had in mind for his first playoff series unless the suddenly ice cold Russian’s planning a miraculous comeback. Sure. AO assisted on two of the Caps’ goals but one shot in 28:00 isn’t cutting it. He better start hitting the net by Saturday or his team is likely going home for good.

There were three games out West. I only caught the majority of Flames-Sharks. San Jose got two Jonathan Cheechoo goals 3:30 apart early in the third to hold off Calgary 4-3 in Game Five moving them within a win of the second round.

Calgary did rally for two goals including David Moss’ first on a stuff in which sliced the deficit down to one with 77 seconds left from Jarome Iginla with Miikka Kiprusoff pulled. However, they were unable to get another quality chance on Evgeni Nabokov, who finished with 33 saves.

Very questionable was Mike Keenan’s decision to only play Kristian Huselius sparingly including just a few shifts in the third while giving veteran Owen Nolan nearly eight more total minutes of ice-time. I like Nolan but come on. There’s not much margin for error in the playoffs.

Huselius needs more ice-time and Alex Tanguay must score if the Flames are to extend the series a seventh game.

Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny’s goals in a 79 second span lifted the Avalanche to a 3-2 Game Five road victory over the Wild, who now must win in Denver to force Game Seven.

The difference was Jose Theodore, who turned back the clock making 38 saves to stone the host Wild in a game which saw them limit Colorado to just 17 shots. The Avs are a skilled team and went two-for-three on the man-advantage. With Minny sniper Marian Gaborik again shutout, his teammates couldn’t overcome it. Brian Rolston’s goal and helper weren’t enough.

Unless Gaborik finds his offense, this series is likely over.

Also moving within a win of Round Two were the Stars, who got a superb effort from Marty Turco (27 saves, 1st Star) to shutdown the Ducks 3-1 in Game Four. Joel Lundqvist, Stu Barnes and Steve Ott tallied for Dallas before Mathieu Schneider broke Turco’s shutout bid with eight seconds to go.

The defending champions have their backs to the wall. They did get leading finisher Corey Perry back. They’ll need more offense to stave off a disappointing first round elimination on home ice.

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Evgeni Nabokov’s challenge after Game Three stood for quite a while. Finally, his teammates stepped to the forefront and transformed from boys to men (no not the cheesy do op R & B group which once was alright back in the day) coming back to take the all important Game Four over Calgary 3-2, squaring their best-of-seven first round series.

Jonathan Cheechoo’s tying goal with 4:54 left and Joe Thornton’s deciding marker with under 10 seconds to go was exactly what the doctor ordered, saving the No.2 seeded Sharks from falling behind 3-1 in the series a game away from elimination. Instead, they were rescued by their best players gaining home ice back.

In a game they somehow trailed by a goal late in the third despite a decided edge in play and shots, San Jose finally turned it up enough to get to Calgary No.1 goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. A couple of nights removed from being pulled after permitting three quick goals before his team made a stirring comeback with Curtis Joseph in net, the two-time Vezina winner was back to his stingy self denying Sharks at every turn.

Kipper’s stellar netminding looked like it would be enough to hold off a furious San Jose attack which saw them outshoot the Flames 32-10 including a combined 26-8 the final 40 minutes. However, the Sharks’ persistence finally paid off when Cheechoo saw a small opening and fired a quick wrister past Kiprusoff’s glove to tie the contest at 15:06. The hard work down low by linemates Joe Pavelski and rookie Devin Setoguchi allowed the San Jose finisher to get to a loose puck and tally his first of the postseason.

I could tell that the guys in the white and teal weren’t done. Instead of being satisfied, they kept coming after Calgary in wave after wave. The aggressive strategy resulted in Thornton’s winner before a stunned and dead silent Saddle Dome. Thanks to an outstanding shift in which they kept the Flames pinned in their end, energetic winger Ryane Clowe worked the puck to an open Doug Murray at the point, who shot without hesitation. The screening Thornton got just enough of it to tip it home for his first of the series.

A hooking minor on Calgary’s Kristian Huselius with five ticks left wrapped it up for the Sharks, who now will head back home to host the pivotal Game Five tomorrow night.

Just a gigantic win for a team which was once again being seriously doubted including by myself for taking them to the Cup Final. This was a nice character builder as they were able to overcome Jarome Iginla (goal, assist) and Dion Phaneuf (goal) along with deadline pickup Brian Campbell’s continued substandard play in his end. God. Did the Sabres know or what? With every shift he doesn’t compete hard defensively, that’s more money going by the wayside.

At least his more determined teammates were able to pick him up. The Sharks aren’t out of the woods by any stretch. But again, it’s hard to see Calgary prevailing when they continue to be severely outplayed by a wide margin. You have to figure they’re going to run out of gas.

We’ll see.

It was a busy Tuesday night with four other series going on. In one they had to have, the defending champion Ducks finally showed some life by getting the first four on Marty Turco before hanging on for a 4-2 Game Three victory to get back in their series. Chris Pronger scored twice including on a five-on-three for his first career two-goal playoff game. The defenseman also helped assist on Todd Marchant’s first which opened the scoring, restoring Anaheim’s confidence as they outscored Dallas 3-0 in sharp contrast to the first two back home.

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and assist and Jean-Sebastien Giguere rebounded from a poor showing in Game Two with 31 saves including 12 big ones in a final stanza which saw Dallas make a late charge thanks to a pair of Brenden Morrow power play goals. Giguere wouldn’t allow them to draw closer even though they had a couple of more chances on the man-advantage.

Game Four is tomorrow night with the home team 0-for-3 in the series.

Also out West, the Avalanche used a three-goal first period barrage of their own to storm past the Wild 5-1 in Game Four to even their series at two apiece. The first three games of this very competitive series all wound up 3-2 with each needing sudden death. Since Joe Sakic’s Game One winner, the Wild had taken the last two off the sticks of Keith Carney and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

Last night though as Islander goalie Rick DiPietro predicted during a Versus segment, back-to-back games in the thin air was advantage Colorado who was more used to it. They completely outplayed the Wild scoring the first five on Niklas Backstrom who was relieved by Josh Harding in the third.

Deadline pickup Ruslan Salei had a goal and assist as did third line pivot Tyler Arnason. Jordan Leopold added a pair of helpers in a game which saw the Avs get 14 power plays converting twice. Not surprisingly, it got ugly with the frustrated Wild going to the box plenty as they lost their cool.

Figure Game Five tomorrow back at St. Paul to be a real barn burner.

In one of two Eastern Conference playoff games, the Flyers had a little too much for the Capitals, getting a late penalty shot goal from Mike Richards in a 6-3 home win before a crowd of orange who enjoyed seeing their team go up 2-1 in the series. Richards also made a great pass to setup Daniel Briere’s second of the night at 19:50 of the second on the power play. Briere tallied twice and has four goals in the series.

Though the Caps got a Brooks Laich goal with 4:34 left in regulation to cut the deficit to 4-3, they couldn’t get closer due to a poor read by one of their D which led to Richards beating Cristobal Huet on the penalty shot going five-hole with 2:59 to go. It looked like a pretty good call as he had a step on the defender.

Mike Knuble added an empty netter in a game the Flyers controlled with a 32-19 SOG edge. For the Caps, Alex Ovechkin tallied just a helper and Alexander Semin (assist, -2 rating) plus rookie pivot Nicklas Backstrom (no points, 1 SOG) struggled. They’ll need a stronger effort to level the series Thursday.

As for the other game, the Canadiens did what they needed to gaining a split in Boston with a 1-0 blanking of the Bruins. Only veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois’ power play goal with 42 seconds left in the second made the scoresheet in what was a tightly contested game between the Original Six rivals.

His quick one-timer off a broken play beat Tim Thomas to give the top seeded Habs the edge they needed. The third saw the Habs buckle down allowing just six Boston shots as rookie Carey Price stopped all 27 for his first career NHL postseason shutout. The 20 year-old’s best save came with the game still scoreless when Game Three hero Marc Savard nicely setup Glen Murray in front but Price quickly slid across to make a tough stop look relatively easy.

The Habs can wrap up the 31st series between the close rivals tomorrow night in Montreal.

Later tonight, it’s Game Four between the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. See ya later!

It’s Day Six of these NHL playoffs and already we’ve had some very exciting games featuring unpredictable finishes. Last night saw three such contests take place with a couple requiring sudden death before the more desperate team which trailed 2-0 in their respective series found ways to prevail and get back in it.

The John Madden bizarre winner off Ranger defenseman Marc Staal has been covered plenty. However, Marc Savard’s heroics last night up in Beantown has not. In case you missed it, one of the game’s best playmaking pivots finally notched his first career playoff goal doing so in dramatic fashion to lift Boston to a 2-1 OT win over Les Habitants in Game Three. 

On a delayed call, the former Ranger came off the bench and took Dennis Wideman’s no-look backhand feed and beat rookie Carey Price to give the Bruins a measure of revenge before an energized Boston crowd which saw their team finally get a ‘W’ against the Habs. Montreal had taken the first 10 including all eight regular season meetings. But that no longer matters cause with one victory, the Bruins are alive and know one more win tomorrow can knot their series against a bitter Original Six rival.

For more on Savard’s big goal in only his third career postseason game, I highly recommend the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dumont’s piece on how truly special that tally was and why it took on extra meaning for Marc dating back to childhood.

That wasn’t the only other game quite a few of us might not have paid close attention to. If I weren’t so preoccupied posting my thoughts on last night’s tough OT loss once I got home, I might’ve checked out what was a stirring comeback win for the Flames at The SaddleDome.

When the WFAN update person said the Sharks led by three, I figured I’d just write instead. Little did I know that San Jose got the game’s opening three in just 3:33, the fastest such start nearly eight years to the day since Detroit did it in 3:32 on Apr.15, 2000.

Inspired by a lethal dirty clean hit by defenseman Cory Sarich on San Jose captain Patrick Marleau in the offensive zone, the Flames fought valiantly back after seeing franchise netminder Miikka Kiprusoff pulled in favor of veteran Curtis Joseph. A Jarome Iginla redirection of a Dion Phaneuf shot got the Flames within two before the first period concluded. Daymond Langkow’s second period power play tally got them within one. Phaneuf tied it when his shot went off San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic early in the third. It was just a matter of time before ex-Shark Owen Nolan scored with 3:45 left in regulation to complete the dramatic turnaround.

For more on this stirring comeback, Calgary Herald’s Jean Lefebvre had an excellent recap on Sarich’s inspiring hit which woke up his team in time to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Western quarterfinal.

While the other three series Game Three’s were on tap, the second game between the Flyers and Caps took place yesterday afternoon. Philly had blown a 4-2 lead to lose Game One 5-4 on Alexander Ovechkin’s third period winner. This time however, they got the first two on Cristobal Huet off the sticks of R.J. Umberger and Jeff Carter. Martin Biron was much better in denying strong Cap opportunities stopping all 24 shots his way for a Game Two 2-0 blanking to level the series as it shifts back to Philadelphia. 

Biron’s big day postponed his wife’s procedure where his third baby was expected to be born earlier this morning. For more on the ex-Sabre’s happy time, Phil Sheridan of the Inquirer had a nice story on the proceedings.

The Devils knew they needed to take Game Three if they were to stand any realistic chance of winning the Battle of Hudson series. For Madden, just sitting in the hotel and watching playoff hockey coverage on the tube helped his team’s cause last night.

For more on that and what was an eventful night at MSG, Rich Chere of the Star Ledger had a good piece summing up the Devs’ hard fought 4-3 OT win well.

Here’s some more info courtesy of The NHL Today thanks to the very friendly nhlmedia site:

 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF MEDIA WEBSITE NOW LIVE
To assist media members covering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the National Hockey League’s Communications Department has introduced www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com, a ‘one-stop shopping’ website that provides story lines for each series, statistical previews and other features, including a fully searchable version of Total Stanley Cup, the 2008 NHL Playoff Media Guide. In addition to providing new information at the start of each round, www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com will be updated on a regular basis.com/

WHATS NEW ON THE STANLEY CUP MEDIA WEBSITE
The Stanley Cup media website is a good resource for regularly updated interesting facts, milestones and NHL statements on game events. Below are two examples from last night that were posted in the “Latest News” section:

– April 13, 2008 11:05 PM ET
The San Jose Sharks’ three goals in 3:33 is the fastest three goals by one team at the beginning of a playoff game since April 15, 2000, when Detroit did it in 3:32 (Shanahan, Lapointe, Draper). The record is 1:48 held by the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Islanders on May 10, 1993.

– April 13, 2008 07:19 PM ET
Video Review (New Jersey at NY Rangers, 3:01, 1st period) – Good goal. New Jersey goal. Goal counts as puck went off NY Rangers (#15 - Blair Betts) stick into net. Goal was reviewed under Rule 39.4 for a kick.

ALL IN THE NUMBERS FOR WILD’S LEMAIRE
Michael Russo writes in the MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, “When the Wild visited Calgary three weeks ago, Jacques Lemaire hitched a ride to the game on the media bus. ‘Want to see my lines for tonight?’ the Wild coach asked. Lemaire pulled out a legal-sized piece of paper, folded in half. He then flashed what looked to be 30 line combinations: 17-38-10; 12-9-96; 24-67-10; 17-38-96; 11-15-24; 19-9-92; 12-15-10 — to name a few! There were so many numbers, the sheet could have doubled as Lemaire’s Powerball picks.”

STARS’ MODANO FEELING A DIFFERENCE
Mike Heika writes in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, “Mike Modano has noticed something different about the Dallas Stars recently. They’re loose, they’re happy, they’re confident. It’s a twist on a team that has a history of playing nervous in the postseason, of trying too hard to live up to expectations, of not enjoying itself.”

ON THIS DATE IN PLAYOFF HISTORY
April 14, 1928 - In only their second season as an NHL franchise, the New York Rangers captured the 1928 Stanley Cup with a 2-1 triumph over the Montreal Maroons in the final game of the best-of-five title series. The Rangers became only the second American team in history to win the Stanley Cup, joining the 1917 champion Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

April 14, 1931 - Goaltender George Hainsworth blanked the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 as the Montreal Canadiens became the second NHL team to win Stanley Cup championships in two consecutive seasons. The Ottawa Senators first accomplished the feat in 1920 and 1921.

April 14, 1942 - Brothers Don Metz (3-2-5) and Nick Metz (1-2-3) led the Toronto Maple Leafs to a record-tying 9-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Final. The Leafs’ nine-goal outburst matched the Final scoring mark for an NHL team set by Detroit on April 7, 1936, in a 9-4 win against Toronto.

April 14, 1948 - The Toronto Maple Leafs repeated as Stanley Cup champions with a 7-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings, thus completing a four-game sweep of the 1948 Final. The game marked the end of a career for Toronto captain Syl Apps, who punctuated his stint in the NHL with a goal in this series-ending victory.

April 14, 1953 - Maurice “Rocket” Richard became the second NHL player to register two hat tricks in Final history, joining Howie Morenz in achieving the feat. Richard, who led Montreal to a 7-3 win against Boston, later added a four-goal performance to his record on April 6, 1957.

April 14, 1955 - Right winger Gordie Howe scored the winning goal in Game Seven of the 1955 Stanley Cup Final to lead the Detroit Red Wings past the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. The goal gave Howe a 5-7-12 scoring mark in the series, setting a new individual mark for Final competition.

April 14, 1960 - Goaltender Jacques Plante blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 as the Montreal Canadiens captured their record-setting fifth straight Stanley Cup championship. The victory marked the end of a career for Maurice “Rocket” Richard, the NHL’s all-time leader with 34 goals in the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES PARTNER ON MIKE MYERS FILM ‘LOVE GURU’
The National Hockey League and Paramount Pictures have entered into a strategic marketing alliance supporting the new Mike Myers comedy film “The Love Guru,” due out June 20, which features the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of the Stanley Cup under the guidance of the Guru Pitka, a self-help spiritualist played by Myers. The marketing alliance includes co-branded and co-produced spots featuring Myers and content from the film to air during NHL game broadcasts on NBC, VERSUS, CBC and TSN, online and in NHL arenas, exclusive NHL.com content and retail activations, all designed to promote the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the June 20, 2008 nationwide theatrical release of the comedy.

– View the ‘Love Guru’ commercial spot.

STANLEY CUP FINAL PLAYOFF ACCREDITATION APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The NHL Public Relations department has launched an online media accreditation application to help streamline the credentialing process. Please click here to submit your credential request for the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.

– Credential applications sent via e-mail and fax are still being accepted. The application may be downloaded by clicking here. The deadline for the Stanley Cup Final media accreditation application is FRIDAY, MAY 16.

For story ideas, suggestions or comments, please e-mail the NHL TODAY

THE SCHEDULE
– Game 3: Penguins at Senators, 7 p.m. (CBC, RDS) (Penguins lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Red Wings at Predators, 7:30 p.m. (VERSUS, TSN, RIS (Red Wings lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Wild at Avalanche, 10 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC, RDS) (Series tied 1-1)

Four years later against a familiar first round opponent, Alex Kovalev nearly tempted fate again. Only this time a loss of discipline wound up with a much different result thanks to an assist from the refs.

The popular substitute Montreal Canadiens’ captain for the injured Saku Koivu atoned for a slashing penalty which allowed the Boston Bruins to force sudden death. It had been rookie David Krejci who notched his first NHL playoff goal with 10:26 left to help the Boston Bruins rally from a two-goal deficit.

Even to reach the overtime, they had to kill off a brief Montreal two-man advantage and then the first half of a high sticking double minor assessed to Shawn Thornton. On the verge of making it six-for-six on the vaunted NHL leaguse best Habs’ PP, the B’s then saw what had to be one of the most blatant late calls in playoff history with a BHL special phantom trip handed out to Jeremy Reich. Former Montreal bench boss Claude Julien couldn’t believe the call. Who could blame him?

Essentially, it handed the Canadiens Game Two when Kovalev bombed a slapper at the top of the left circle past a helpless Tim Thomas ending matters at 2:30 of OT. It came off a clean faceoff win by Tomas Plekanec in which AK27 switched sides and then used towering Bruins’ captain Zdeno Chara as a perfect screen to blast home his 39th career postseason goal sending a frantic sellout Habs’ crowd home happy. Their team now leads Boston in the 31st playoff series meeting 2-0 with Game Three slated for tomorrow night in Beantown.

For Kovalev, it was especially sweet after slashing Boston’s Aaron Ward during a reaction to the ex-Ranger’s extra rough with play continuing. It was a few years ago during sudden death when No.27 overreacted to a Glen Murray slash looking to draw a penalty with instead the Boston sniper winning that game to put Montreal in a 3-1 hole. He took plenty of criticism but made up for it by dominating the final three games along with teammates to comeback and win that series.

Fortunately for the talented Russian tonight, his loss of common sense didn’t cost his team a win. Kudos to my brother Justin for accurately predicting that Kovalev would indeed win it. He must’ve stated it at least four times.

He knew. The good news for the Habs is they’re now 10-0 against the B’s in command. For the Bruins, this was a very tough loss. Especially after fighting so hard in the third to claw back with goals from Peter Schaefer and Krejci to get to OT. Then to have the stripes decide it that way was even worse.

Boston outshot Montreal 11-4. Rookie Carey Price finished with 37 saves in winning his first NHL playoff OT game. Meanwhile, Thomas was excellent stopping 28 of 31 in a losing effort.

Can the Bruins bounceback from this? It’ll be a quick turnaround. We’ll see what they’re made of.

All Photos Copyright Getty Images

The home Original Six top seeds in each conference drew first blood in their respective best-of-seven quarterfinal series tonight.

Montreal jumped on rival Boston with two goals in the first 2:02 from Sergei and Andrei Kostistyn en route to a 4-1 home triumph to take a 1-0 series lead- improving to a perfect 9-0 this season against the Bruins.

Shane Hnidy got the B’s on the board but goals by depth players Bryan Smolinski and Tom Kostopoulos gave the Habs a final comfortable margin of victory in a game they controlled outshooting the Bruins 32-18.

As expected, Montreal captain Saku Koivu wasn’t back with instead leading scorer Alex Kovalev donning the ‘C.’ AK27 was dangerous all night in a high tempo game setting up teammates for quality chances and missing a lay-up off a great setup.

The thing which impressed me the most was the physical nature of the Canadiens as they continually pounded Boston booing target Zdeno Chara, who definitely looked to be feeling the effects of a late season injury. Mike Komisarek was pretty good in this one and the rookie Carey Price stopped 17 of 18 shots for his first NHL postseason victory.

Boston was outshot 22-12 the final 40 minutes. They’ll need to mount a better attack for Game Two Saturday night. Especially with a back-to-back the following day back in Beantown.

As for the other game, the Red Wings got a pair of third period Henrik Zetterberg goals to hold off the Predators 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena.

Johan Franzen gave the Wings the lead in the first but some solid netminding by Nashville’s Dan Ellis in a busy second in which he stopped all 17 shots gave his team a chance. Enforcer Jordin Tootoo got the Preds even at 17:47 when he neatly deflected home a Greg Zanon point shot past Dominik Hasek.

Undiscouraged, the Wings responded with a splendid final stanza outscoring Nashville by two and outshooting them 13-3.

Their leading finisher came through with the money goal off a nifty Pavel Datsyuk setup one-timing one past Ellis to convert a two-on-one to put Detroit ahead for good 2-1 with 13:06 left.

The Preds would pull Ellis for an extra attacker but couldn’t get anything close to a quality opportunity as the Red Wings played solid D. With the Nashville starter who kept his club in the contest with 37 saves on the bench during a draw outside the Detroit zone, Kris Draper won it right to Zetterberg, who didn’t miss to salt Game One away with 19 ticks left.

Game Two between the Central rivals is Saturday afternoon at 2 ET on NBC.

Dallas and Anaheim are facing off now for Game One on Versus while San Jose looks to even their series up against Calgary on Center Ice.

All photos Copyright Getty Images

It’s finally the best time of year if you’re a diehard puck fan. That is unless you’re a Canucks’ fan still pondering if their choke was worse than the Memphis Tigers.

Only 16 of the 30 teams make the Stanley Cup Tournament. And that’s a good thing because there will be no more three-point games and shootouts impacting what happens. Now, it just comes down to who’s the most prepared and brings their A game.

Blink and your team could be gone faster than a BHL referee’s arm comes up when Sidney Crosby moves his chin. At least certain Hart winner Alexander Ovechkin plays the game like a real man.

There are many questions surrounding the 2008 playoffs which get underway later tonight. Will an NHL dream second round match-up between Crosby/Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin happen? Which goalie donning a No.30 jersey will shine most in the latest edition of the Battle of Hudson? Marty Brodeur or Henrik Lundqvist. Will the President’s Trophy winning Red Wings go in the tank again? Can the Stars finally win a round?

Is Martin Biron ready for primetime or the latest goalie in a long undistinguished list to go belly up faster than you do after a cheesesteak? Is Carey Price really the heir apparent to Patrick Roy? Will Boston’s risky move bringing back Patrice Bergeron be a spark against an Original Six opponent who owns them?

Should the banged up Senators just head straight for the golf course? Can a Joe Thornton-led San Jose team finally win in the postseason or does ex-coach Mike Keenan have the right recipe for guiding the Flames into May? Are the Predators going to lose in the first round again? Will Peter Forsberg’s comeback lift the Avalanche past Jacques Lemaire, Marian Gaborik, and the Wild? Can the Ducks repeat?

All these questions and a whole lot more will be answered this Spring. Let’s take a look at our magic crystal ball. Shall we?

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (8) Boston Bruins- The Habs surprised many by rising to the top of the East after trading away Cristobal Huet to the Caps and relying on the talented Price. Now comes the true test. Can a rookie win 16 games to deliver Stanley Cup No.25 back to Montreal ending a 15-year drought for Canada? Why not? Cam Ward did it already. Alex Kovalev’s playing his best hockey. A supporting cast of Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins, the Kostistyns and Mark Streit is plenty good enough if captain Saku Koivu misses the first round. Andrei Markov should be up for the Norris and Mike Komisarek hits everyone and blocks seemingly every shot. Depth isn’t a problem for the fast skating Canadiens, who should make quick work of the Bruins much like a regular season which saw them win all eight meetings outscoring their Original Six bitter foe 39-14.

Bergeron’s back for Boston. Marco Sturm and Marc Savard are the offensive leaders for Claude Julien’s club. Glen Murray will need to have a big series and Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman must contribute from the blueline. Tim Thomas had a great season and is capable of keeping his team in games. But the Bruins should have trouble scoring.

Pick: Canadiens in 5

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (7) Ottawa Senators- Let’s see. A healthy Crosby heating up at the right time. Malkin dominating in all facets with Petr Sykora reborn and Ryan Malone a constant threat. Marian Hossa and the overlooked Pascal Dupuis. Jordan Staal coming around. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. Plus Marc-Andre Fleury razor sharp. All this plus antagonist Jarkko Ruutu against a banged up team who shouldn’t even be in the playoffs. They can thank the Buffalo Sabres.

A year ago in the same round, the Pens lost in five to a much healthier Senator club who had captain Daniel Alfredsson playing like a playoff MVP and two-way threat Mike Fisher. They also had a No.1 goalie as Ray Emery played extremely well. This time, that’s a huge question with probably Martin Gerber getting the nod. They still have dynamic duo Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, who can score on any shift. Cory Stillman is a proven playoff performer. Antoine Vermette is playing his best hockey and a constant shorthanded threat who can change games. Unless the blueline plays better with the capable Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Andrej Meszaros and shot blocking machine Anton Volchenkov, the Sens will get scored on early and often in this series. Mike Commodore also is a warrior and could be important if they’re to have any chance at an upset.

I just can’t see it.

Pick: Pens in 6

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers- Everyone knows just how hot the Caps are entering their first postseason in five years with the best player in the game. This stacks up to be a very good series and a stiff test for Ovechkin and talented teammates Alexander Semin, Calder candidate Nicklas Backstrom and Cup-proven Sergei Fedorov. They’ll need the same contributions from Viktor Kozlov, overlooked Brooks Laich and even ex-Flyer bruiser Donald Brashear to play big. Mike Green is the most dangerous scorer for either D and Huet should give the Caps an edge in net.

The question is can they hold off a formidable Flyer team which boasts seven 20-plus goal scorers in team MVP Mike Richards, Daniel Briere, power forward Mike Knuble, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and key acquisition Vaclav Prospal. Scottie Upshall is healthy and playing well too. As usual, it largely depends on how the latest Flyer netminder Biron fares in his first playoff series. His D isn’t the fastest but does boast veteran leader Jason Smith, Kimmo Timonen and the emerging Braydon Coburn (for Alexei Zhitnik-nice trade Don Waddell).

Will that Flyer D be able to keep up with Jack Adams choice Bruce Boudreau’s speedy Caps? They have the scoring to stay with them. This series is awfully hard to call.

Pick: Flyers in 7

(4) New Jersey Devils vs (5) New York Rangers- Perhaps this is the best opening round match-up pitting the two bitter Hudson rivals against each other. Both are mirror images depending largely on their goalies to win in airtight defensive systems which could put fans to sleep. Yes. I’m calling my own team boring. Especially if the scores are right on par with last year’s Stars-Canucks seven-game first round. That actually was a tolerable series.

Much has already been covered on the two locals hoping to break the other fans’ hearts. Logic says a Ranger team with the very clutch Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan, resurgent captain Jaromir Jagr along with spunky rookies Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan could prove to be too much for a Devil team reliant mostly on Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner. However, never underestimate John Madden or buddy Jay Pandolfo as both know what it takes to win in the second season. Brian Gionta also is a pest. Believe it or not, the Devils’ chances could hinge on how Mike Rupp performs along with Dainius Zubrus and rookie banger David Clarkson.

The bluelines are about even with Paul Martin getting the nod over Dan Girardi as the best in the series. There probably won’t be a whole lot of scoring from either D.

Brodeur versus Lundqvist is about as good as advertised. One proven winner at this time of year while the other with lots of recent success looking for a measure of revenge.

Pick: As stated before, I’m not picking a winner. It will go 6.

Beast Of The East

Conf. Semis: (1) Canadiens over (6) Flyers in 5

(2) Penguins over (4) Rangers/(5) Devils winner in 6

Conf. Final: (1) Canadiens over (2) Penguins in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs (8) Nashville Predators- Once again, the Red Wings finished with the most points. Will it matter? Well, they should have enough to get by a Barry Trotz’ club without a No.1 goalie. Figure super duo Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to have a field day in this series. Key cogs Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary are healthy coming in. Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, Valteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson fly under the radar. Both Mr. Norris Nick Lidstrom and ex-Devil Brian Rafalski are better than anyone Nashville has on the blueline. Chris Chelios should be in an old age home but yet logs big minutes and somehow gets it done. Keep an eye on Niklas Kronwall, who’s emerged into a solid player.

How far Detroit goes depends on Dominik Hasek’s health. Though Chris Osgood had his best season in quite some time.

The Preds do boast some dangerous offensive threats in Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont and emerging star Alex Radulov. Martin Erat is overlooked and enforcer Jordin Tootoo can do more than beat up opponents. Odd stat on a team which was only minus-6. Veteran Radek Bonk managed to go minus-31. Believe it or not, Jan Hlavac played well for Nashville down the stretch. With David Legwand nicked up, they’ll need Hlavac to continue his renaissance.

Shea Weber’s been a disappointment this season on the backline. Marek Zidlicky is the Preds’ most potent weapon while Dan Hamhuis is a solid skating defender who won’t get much credit. How can you give them a chance with Chris Mason or probable Game One starter Dan Ellis in net? I can’t.

Pick: Wings in 5

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (7) Calgary Flames- Now this promises to be a good series featuring a pair of superstar forwards in Thornton and Hart candidate Jarome Iginla plus elite netminders such as Vezina hopeful Evgeni Nabokov and former Vezina winner Miikka Kiprusoff. Toss in future Norris winner Dion Phaneuf and Brian Campbell and you got an entertaining series. Plus the two coaches Keenan and Ron Wilson are always good for a few quotes.

This should be great. The Sharks have been on fire and much is expected. Revitalized leader Patrick Marleau is playing extremely well as is Thornton. They’ll need plenty of help from Jonathan Cheechoo, underrated Milan Michalek, Joe Pavelski along with the battle tested Jeremy Roenick and Mike Grier. Patrick Rismiller and rookie Torrey Mitchell can play a little too.

A D led by Campbell along with vets Craig Rivet, Christian Ehrhoff and Kyle McLaren should be strong. Maybe nobody was more valuable to his club than Nabokov, who started a career high 77 games winning 46 while posting a 2.14 GAA, .910 save percentage and six shutouts on a team which doesn’t score much. You can make a strong argument for Nabokov winning his first Vezina.

If Iginla is the Flames, then he’s got help from Daymond Langkow, Kristian Huselius, Alex Tanguay and Matt Lombardi. Key cogs Craig Conroy and ex-Shark Owen Nolan could come in handy in what shapes up to be a physical series. If the Flames do have an edge, it’s on the blueline with the very formidable Phaneuf who can do a bit of everything. Whether it’s a big hit or an end to end rush, he’s dangerous. Adrian Aucoin also has rebounded under Keenan. But after Robyn Regehr, who should see plenty of Thornton, it gets very thin.

Due maybe to all the work and a D which can wear down, Kiprusoff wasn’t as effective this season. While it’s tempting to take the Flames as fellow blogger Hasan did, I think they might run out of gas.

Pick: Sharks in 6

(3) Minnesota Wild vs (6) Colorado Avalanche- Five years ago in the old NHL, Lemaire’s Wild stunned the Avs coming back from 3-1 to win in the opening round. Though both rosters have changed, a few key players still remain including Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Adam Foote on the Colorado side. They’ll be out for redemption against a Wild team led by Gaborik.

The game’s most overlooked superstar scored 42 goals including eight winners, which tied for the team lead with Brian Rolston. They’ll need strong support from Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Pavol Demitra, Mikko Koivu and Eric Belanger. Demitra’s been known to take the second season off. Bank on Koivu to show up.

Brent Burns might be the most underappreciated D in the tournament. He logs big minutes and can impact games getting plenty of power play time. He’ll need to step up along with vet Kim Johnsson with Nick Schultz and Kurtis Foster likely both out. That also means that No.1 goalie Niklas Backstrom better be ready for the onslaught against a potent Avs’ team which also includes Paul Stastny, gritty forward Ryan Smyth, Andrew Brunette and Wojtek Wolski.

Colorado will get offense from John-Michael Liles, Jeff Finger and key pickup Ruslan Salei. Their best defender is Scott Hannan, who brings experience. Foote is old and slow but knows how to play at this time of year.

Jose Theodore has rediscovered the form which won him a Hart but would you trust him in any series? Bet the over in the goal department as this promises to be a goal fest. Now watch every game morph into a Ranger-Devil struggle. Blame me if it does!

Pick: Avs in 6

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs (5) Dallas Stars- This shapes up to be a good match-up. Can the Stars finally win a round with Marty Turco in net? It probably won’t be his fault if they fall short. Believe it or not, it’s the Ducks that have a hard time scoring goals getting just 197 during the regular season.

They rely heavily on emerging star Ryan Getzlaf, who paced the club with 82 points and a plus-32 rating. He’s such a force down low but can’t do it alone. They better get Corey Perry (29 goals led club) back or they could be in trouble. Teemu Selanne has played well since returning and Chris Kunitz is such a solid player. After that, it gets sketchy with playoff choker Todd Bertuzzi, rookie Bobby Ryan and top checkers Sami Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer.

Good thing the Ducks boast the most lethal blueline featuring Hall-bound Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and the ageless Matt Schneider. Along with Francois Beauchemin and less scrutinized Kent Huskins, they’ll provide Anaheim with a decided edge against anybody.

That guy in net Jean-Sebastien Giguere ain’t bad either despite what he’s been called in Devil parts.

So, do the Stars have a shot here or am I crazy? Probably the latter. Mike Ribeiro (27-56-83) has been awesome and even deserves a few MVP votes. Captain Brenden Morrow is a winner who netted career bests in goals (32), points (74), PPG (12) and game-winners (7). This is his team. It’s time for him to step up.

Vets Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Stu Barnes always show for the playoffs. Deadline pickup Brad Richards must perform like he did in his Conn Smythe year in order for the Stars to advance. Don’t sleep on Niklas Hagman, who scored a career high 27 goals including four shorthanded and eight deciding markers. He’s been money all season.

So much of what Dallas does depends on the blueline where they’re hoping Sergei Zubov can return from Germany miraculously healed from sports hernia surgery. Philippe Boucher missed more than half the season but is healthy and must contribute. Stephane Robidas and rookie Matt Niskanen had nice seasons.

Turco had a very good season and might even get nominated for the Vezina. He usually comes up with key saves which keep his team in games. He sure would love to knock off the defending champs and get that monkey off his back.

This is a difficult series to call but it’s very difficult to go against that Duck D.

Pick: Ducks in 7

The Wild Wild West

Conf. Semis: (1) Wings over (6) Avs in 6

(2) Sharks over (4) Ducks in 6

Conf. Final: (2) Sharks over (1) Wings in 6

Stanley Cup Final: (1) Canadiens over (2) Sharks in 7

Conn Smythe: Carey Price, Mtl

With the postseason set to begin tomorrow, the Eastern Conference Statistical Previews are up courtesy of the nhlmedia site. Probably the most media friendly site you’ll find. They also have storylines available and is where you can find interviews with players, coaches and even broadcasters. 

2007-08 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS STATISTICAL PREVIEW
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES A - #1 MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. #8 BOSTON BRUINS
REGULAR SEASON RECAP
- MONTREAL - - BOSTON -
Overall Record 47-25-10 — 104    41-29-12 — 94
Games 1-20 11- 6- 3 — 25 11- 7- 2 — 24
Games 21-40 9- 7- 4 — 22 9- 9- 2 — 20
Games 41-60 12- 6- 2 — 26 11- 7- 2 — 24
Games 61-82 15- 6- 1 — 31 10- 6- 6 — 26
Home Record 22-13- 6 — 50 21-16- 4 — 46
Road Record 25-12- 4 — 54 20-13- 8 — 48
Overtime Record 10- 0-10 — 30 9- 0-12 — 30
Goals For/Against (+/-) 262/222 (+40) 212/222 (-10)
Power Play % 24.2% ( 90/372) 17.6% ( 56/319)
Penalty Killing % 82.5% ( 60/342) 78.6% ( 71/332)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Goals ALEX KOVALEV…….. 35 MARCO STURM……… 27
Assists ALEX KOVALEV…….. 49 MARC SAVARD……… 63
MARK STREIT……… 49
Points ALEX KOVALEV…….. 84 MARC SAVARD……… 78
Game-Winning Goals TOMAS PLEKANEC…… 6 GLEN METROPOLIT….. 5
MARCO STURM……… 5
Power-Play Goals ALEX KOVALEV…….. 17 MARCO STURM……… 10
Short-Handed Goals TOM KOSTOPOULOS….. 3 CHUCK KOBASEW……. 3
Plus/Minus ALEX KOVALEV……..+18 ZDENO CHARA………+14

RESULTS OF 2007-2008 REGULAR SEASON MEETINGS
DATE SCORE GOALTENDERS
OCT. 22 BOSTON 1 AT MONTREAL 6 FERNANDEZ(L)-HUET(W)
NOV. 8 MONTREAL 2 AT BOSTON 1 PRICE(W)-THOMAS(L)
NOV. 17 BOSTON 4 AT MONTREAL 7 THOMAS(L)-PRICE(W)
DEC. 6 MONTREAL 4 AT BOSTON 2 PRICE(W)-RASK(L)
JAN. 10 MONTREAL 5 AT BOSTON 2 HUET(W)-THOMAS(L)
JAN. 22 BOSTON 2 AT MONTREAL 8 THOMAS,AULD(L)-HUET(W)
MAR. 20 MONTREAL 4 AT BOSTON 2 PRICE(W)-THOMAS(L)
MAR. 22 BOSTON 2 AT MONTREAL 3 THOMAS(O)-PRICE(W)

-POWER PLAY- —SHORT HANDED—
GP W L OTL GF GA PTS PP GF PP% TS GA PK% GF GA
MONTREAL 8 8 0 0 39 16 16 34 10 29.4% 31 3 90.3% 1 0
BOSTON 8 0 7 1 16 39 1 31 3 9.7% 34 10 70.6% 0 1

2007-08 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS STATISTICAL PREVIEW
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES A - #1 MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. #8 BOSTON BRUINS

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
MONTREAL CANADIENS BOSTON BRUINS
GP G A TP PM +/- GP G A TP PM +/-
A KOSTITSYN 7 5 6 11 7 +8 M SAVARD 8 1 8 9 12 -1
A KOVALEV 8 7 4 11 14 +9 D WIDEMAN 8 2 4 6 2 -1
M STREIT 8 0 11 11 2 +8 G MURRAY 6 2 2 4 6 +2
T PLEKANEC 8 3 7 10 2 +8 P KESSEL 8 1 3 4 2 -11
S KOIVU 8 1 5 6 14 +2 Z CHARA 8 1 3 4 31 -6
M RYDER 7 2 3 5 0 +3 P NOKELAINEN 7 2 1 3 4 +1
A MARKOV 8 2 3 5 0 +5 P AXELSSON 7 1 2 3 5 -2
C HIGGINS 8 2 3 5 0 +2 M STURM 8 3 0 3 10 E
M DANDENAULT 5 3 1 4 2 +2 P SCHAEFER 6 0 2 2 4 -7
M KOMISAREK 7 2 2 4 4 +4 M STUART 8 1 1 2 14 -2
T KOSTOPOULOS 7 2 2 4 50 +4 M LUCIC 8 1 1 2 4 -4
B SMOLINSKI 7 1 3 4 2 +3 C KOBASEW 8 0 2 2 11 -7
R HAMRLIK 8 1 3 4 4 +6 S HNIDY 4 0 1 1 10 -5
K CHIPCHURA 4 1 2 3 0 +3 D KREJCI 5 0 1 1 0 -1
S BEGIN 6 1 2 3 16 +2 A WARD 7 1 0 1 2 -6
R O’BYRNE 3 0 2 2 0 E A AULD 1 0 0 0 0 E
S KOSTITSYN 4 0 2 2 13 -1 M FERNANDEZ 1 0 0 0 0 E
M LAPIERRE 5 2 0 2 5 +2 P PELLETIER 1 0 0 0 0 -1
J GORGES 5 0 2 2 2 +1 P BERGERON 1 0 0 0 0 E
G LATENDRESS 6 1 1 2 6 E T RASK 1 0 0 0 0 E
P BRISEBOIS 3 1 0 1 0 +2 V SOBOTKA 1 0 0 0 0 -2
M GRABOVSKI 4 1 0 1 0 -3 B ALLEN 2 0 0 0 0 +1
C PRICE 5 0 0 0 0 E M HUNWICK 2 0 0 0 0 -3
F BOUILLON 8 0 0 0 15 +5 A ALBERTS 4 0 0 0 7 -4
S THORNTON 4 0 0 0 4 +1
A FERENCE 5 0 0 0 6 -4
T THOMAS 6 0 0 0 0 E
J REICH 7 0 0 0 29 -2
G METROPOLIT 8 0 0 0 0 -8

GOALTENDERS GP W L MINS GA GAA GOALTENDERS GP W L MINS GA GAA
C PRICE 5 5 0 305 11 2.16 A AULD 1 0 1 20 4 2.00
M FERNANDEZ 1 0 1 59 6 6.10
T THOMAS 6 0 4 343 24 4.19
T RASK 1 0 1 60 4 4.00

2007-08 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS STATISTICAL PREVIEW
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES A - #1 MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. #8 BOSTON BRUINS
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF MEETINGS RECAP
Series W L GP W L GF GA
Boston 30 7 23 152 57 95 371 469
Montreal 30 23 7 152 95 57 469 371
Year Series Result
1929 SF Boston won best-of-five series 3-0, outscoring Montreal 5-2.
1930 F Montreal won best-of-three series 2-0, outscoring Boston 7-3.
1931 SF Montreal won best-of-five series 3-2, teams tied in scoring 13-13.
1943 SF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Montreal 18-17.
1946 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 19-13.
1947 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 16-10.
1952 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Boston 18-12.
1953 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 16-9.
1954 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-0, outscoring Boston 16-4.
1955 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 16-9.
1957 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 15-6.
1958 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2, outscoring Boston 16-14.
1968 QF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-0, outscoring Boston 15-8.
1969 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2, outscored by Boston 16-15.
1971 QF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Boston 28-26.
1977 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-0, outscoring Boston 16-6.
1978 F Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2, outscoring Boston 18-13.
1979 SF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Boston 25-20.
1984 DSF Montreal won best-of-five series 3-0, outscoring Boston 10-2.
1985 DSF Montreal won best-of-five series 3-2, outscoring Boston 19-17.
1986 DSF Montreal won best-of-five series 3-0, outscoring Boston 10-6.
1987 DSF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-0, outscoring Boston 19-11.
1988 DF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Montreal 15-10.
1989 DF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Boston 16-13.
1990 DF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Montreal 16-12.
1991 DF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3, teams tied in scoring 18-18.
1992 DF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-0, outscoring Montreal 14-8.
1994 CQF Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Montreal 22-20.
2002 CQF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2, outscoring Boston 20-18.
2004 CQF Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Boston 19-14.

2008 CQF will be 31st meeting between the Original Six franchises.

MONTREAL CANADIENS CAREER PLAYOFF STATISTICS
OVERALL AGAINST BOSTON
SCORERS GP G A PTS GP G A PTS
Alexei Kovalev 100 37 47 84 7 5 3 8
Bryan Smolinski 111 22 27 49 - - - -
Saku Koivu 43 13 23 36 13 4 13 17
Patrice Brisebois 87 8 18 26 24 2 6 8
Roman Hamrlik 55 1 20 21 - - - -
Mathieu Dandenault 70 3 8 11 - - - -
Andrei Markov 29 2 8 10 13 1 4 5
Michael Ryder 17 3 5 8 7 0 2 2
Chris Higgins 6 1 3 4 - - - -
Tomas Plekanec 6 0 4 4 - - - -
Francis Bouillon 17 1 2 3 7 0 0 0
Steve Begin 11 0 1 1 5 0 1 1
Josh Gorges 11 0 1 1 - - - -
Mark Streit 1 0 0 0 - - - -
Mike Komisarek 13 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Kyle Chipchura - - - - - - - -
Matt D’Agostini - - - - - - - -
Mikhail Grabovski - - - - - - - -
Andrei Kostitsyn - - - - - - - -
Sergei Kostitsyn - - - - - - - -
Tom Kostopoulos - - - - - - - -
Maxim Lapierre - - - - - - - -
Guillaume Latendresse - - - - - - - -
Corey Locke - - - - - - - -
Ryan O’Byrne - - - - - - - -
Gregory Stewart - - - - - - - -
GP Mins W L GAA SO GP Mins W L GA GAA
Carey Price - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jaroslav Halak - - - - - - - - - - - -

BOSTON BRUINS CAREER PLAYOFF STATISTICS
OVERALL AGAINST MONTREAL
SCORERS GP G A PTS GP G A PTS
Glen Murray 87 20 22 42 24 7 7 14
Peter Schaefer 56 5 15 20 - - - -
Andrew Ference 51 3 14 17 - - - -
Marco Sturm 38 6 9 15 - - - -
Zdeno Chara 45 3 11 14 - - - -
Aaron Ward 78 3 5 8 12 1 0 1
P.J. Axelsson 36 4 2 6 13 2 1 3
Patrice Bergeron 7 1 3 4 7 1 3 4
Shane Hnidy 23 2 1 3 - - - -
Chuck Kobasew 33 1 1 2 - - - -
Glen Metropolit 3 0 0 0 - - - -
Shawn Thornton 15 0 0 0 - - - -
Andrew Alberts - - - - - - - -
Bobby Allen - - - - - - - -
Jeff Hoggan - - - - - - - -
Matt Hunwick - - - - - - - -
Phil Kessel - - - - - - - -
David Krejci - - - - - - - -
Matt Lashoff - - - - - - - -
Milan Lucic - - - - - - - -
Petteri Nokelainen - - - - - - - -
Pascal Pelletier - - - - - - - -
Jeremy Reich - - - - - - - -
Marc Savard - - - - - - - -
Vladimir Sobotka - - - - - - - -
Mark Stuart - - - - - - - -
Dennis Wideman - - - - - - - -

GP Mins W L GAA SO GP Mins W L GA GAA
Manny Fernandez 11 571 3 4 2.00 0 - - - - - -
Alex Auld 4 242 1 2 2.48 0 - - - - - -
Tuukka Rask - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tim Thomas - - - - - - - - - - - -

2007-08 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS STATISTICAL PREVIEW
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES B - #2 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. #7 OTTAWA SENATORS
- PITTSBURGH - - OTTAWA -
Overall Record 47-27- 8 — 102 43-31- 8 — 94
Games 1-20 8-10- 2 — 18 16- 4- 0 — 32
Games 21-40 14- 6- 0 — 28 10- 6- 4 — 24
Games 41-60 12- 5- 3 — 27 9-10- 1 — 19
Games 61-82 13- 6- 3 — 29 8-11- 3 — 19
Home Record 26-10- 5 — 57 22-15- 4 — 48
Road Record 21-17- 3 — 45 21-16- 4 — 46
Overtime Record 8- 0- 8 — 24 6- 0- 8 — 20
Goals For/Against (+/-) 247/216 (+31) 261/247 (+14)
Power Play % 20.4% ( 77/378) 18.3% ( 60/328)
Penalty Killing % 81.0% ( 68/357) 81.1% ( 72/380)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Goals EVGENI MALKIN……. 47 DANY HEATLEY…….. 41
Assists EVGENI MALKIN……. 59 JASON SPEZZA…….. 58
Points EVGENI MALKIN…….106 JASON SPEZZA…….. 92
Game-Winning Goals RYAN MALONE……… 6 DANY HEATLEY…….. 8
Power-Play Goals EVGENI MALKIN…&#