Don’t call it a comeback!  At least rapper L.L. Cool J wouldn’t.

Who says you can’t comeback from the dead? History tells us that this is THE YEAR for another remarkable 0-3 comeback to win a series. 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. 1975 New York Islanders. 2008???

That’s the growing question because there are two Conference Semifinal series which could be going that route. I honestly thought the Stars had it at 2-0 up with a period left from setting up an old style WCF against Detroit. When Dallas captain Brenden Morrow scored from a bad angle on Evgeni Nabokov with 55.3 left in the second, I ASSumed  that would take the wind out of the Sharks, who never seem to win on home ice against those Stars.

So to my shock when I flipped back, there was Jeremy Roenick being interviewed following a third which saw his team rally to tie it on goals by former MIA duo Milan Michalek and Brian Campbell. Joe Pavelski completed the stunning turnaround when he cashed in on a blatant Dallas turnover and beat Marty Turco top shelf 65 seconds into sudden death.

Just shocking. This was another one of those quick OTs which was already over by the time I flipped back on Versus. Btw…this network really sucks. They didn’t even bother showing replays and their postgame show was what? Five minutes. I understand production talent stay but come on. Could they at least try to have a 10 or 15 minute segment before dumping out?

It’s almost as bad as the New York papers. That Game Four hero Jaromir Jagr actually got a back page on yesterday’s Daily News was one of the most cool things ever. Way to step up! Boo to the New York Post who’d rather fantasize about meaningless April baseball. What would you expect from a tabloid who employs killjoy tandem Kevin Kernan and Phil Mushnick. That the latter is from my neck of the woods is an embarrassment.

Anyway, kudos to the Sharks for picking themselves up off the mat laying it all out there even if they did get quite a bit of luck and help from two video replays which went their way. Both happened to be no goals against Morrow, who should’ve had a hat trick and a five-game series victory for his team.

He really got jobbed on the first one. Even Neil Smith was beside himself at how they could actually conclude that was a “kicking motion.”

Unbelievable. Still, the Stars should’ve finished it. This could comeback to haunt them. Now, they better wrap the series up in Game Six at friendly American Airlines Center back in Big D. Would you chance going back to a crazy Shark Tank (HP Pavilion- just another lousy corporate bs name) for a suddenly deciding Game Seven situation?

If that happens, they’re toast. Just the way I guaranteed a Ranger victory the other day, I’m doing the same here. If it goes seven, the Stars will not win. Book it!

You know. With all the comeback talk and playoff history, etc. (2004 Boston Red Sox) the Sharks’ second straight win can only be used as even more positive reinforcement for the Rangers, who still trail the Penguins 3-1 with the vital Game Five back at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon at 2 ET on NBC.

The only difference is the Sharks know that they’ll have the fans if it gets to Game Seven. So, how am I viewing this as a Ranger fan? This is what I tell my team, who fought so valiantly to stay alive in winning Game Four 3-0 thanks to marquee performances from Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist.

“We took the first step winning on home ice. One win in Pittsburgh tomorrow and we’re going back home the next day where the Garden will be rocking. No way are we losing that!”

This team has played well on the road. They certainly were right with the Pens in the first two games. They know full well they can win there.

The strategy is the same. Play 60 minutes leaving it all out there while channeling the emotions. Discipline will be key. That means like the other night, staying out of the box and taking the play to the Pens. When they attack, they’ve been good. That’s the best defense against an explosive offense. You got to play to win. The Rangers did that on Thursday. Do it once more and we got the Game Six I also promised.

I realllly BELIEVE! Judging from some of the player quotes along with Tom Renney, so do they. They know they can do this. That gives me hope. The inspired dominance of Jagr and a revitalized Lundqvist also give me plenty of ammunition.

Now there’s also another team who needs to start believing later tonight instead of deceiving their fans and a sudden new Flyer fan. I never thought I’d see the day Brian Sanborn would actually be waving orange and black pom poms!

Well, he always did take a liking to the green and white of the Eagles.

The Flyers do have former Sabres Daniel Briere and <gulp> emerging Conn Smythe candidate Martin Biron. Wow. Words I never thought I’d utter about a Flyer netminder.

Truthfully, Brian (grosek18- there’s a long comical story behind that name) nailed most of the points already at why the Habs find themselves in a 3-1 hole with a must win Game Five at Bell Centre tonight.

Biron has stolen three games. The Flyers really shouldn’t be playing right now because Lord Biron if I may call him that stoned the Caps in Game Seven. There never would’ve been a Joffrey Lupul sudden death power play winner on a cruddy call. That’s life. Biron saved his team’s bacon. R.J. Umberger’s also been playing like a beast.

Truthfully, I don’t remember Biron ever being this good. I have to think if the Canadiens continue to dominate play and shots, they’re eventually going to get to him.

Why on earth Guy Carbonneau didn’t start rookie Carey Price in Game Four is beyond me. He got you that No.1 seed and home ice. You don’t bench him for a guy who’s hardly played. It was one of the worst coaching decisions ever. Especially in that situation.

Bri, Carbonneau deserves to get trashed for it. It was irrational. We’re talking about their next franchise goalie. It was a mind boggling decision to say the very least. If they still had Cristobal Huet, fine. Jaroslav Halak? Was he kidding? And no. You don’t fire a Jack Adams candidate unless your name is the Buffalo Sabres and it’s Ted Nolan. God. Only Buffalo.

So, what do the Canadiens need to do to stop this Flyer hot streak? Get to Biron. The sooner, the better. They’re going to have overwhelming support with arguably the loudest fans in the game. A couple of early goals and that place will be bedlem.

The best players also have to be the best players. That means Price, who is back in net tonight must be good. A few good saves early could set the tone and let his teammates know he’s going to be there.

Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei and Sergei Kostistyn and Chris Higgins better come to play. They haven’t had great series. I’ve seen an awful lot of heart from their team captain Saku Koivu, who can’t be 100 percent. It’s time for those other big name forwards and also defenseman Andrei Markov to step up. Power play specialist Mark Streit has also been quiet. He needs to pick it up.

When I look at the list of guys I put out here, it tells me that Montreal is very equipped to comeback from this deficit. They have one of the fastest skating teams in the game with tons of skill to go with it. 

One offensive explosion can change the entire mindset of that dressing room.

What’s the formula? Win on home ice tonight. Get one in Philly and then back home for a winner or golf Game Seven in that building. What also shouldn’t get lost is that the Habs were one of the best road teams this season tying with Detroit for the second most wins (25) on the road.

Want to know who was first? The Sharks with 27. Pretty ironic considering what they’ll be aiming for tomorrow night.

Say it with me loud with feeling:

Don’t Stop Believing!!!!! ;-)

It’s a day later. A bit early at that as the latest rainstorm gets ready to hit. It should be pretty heavy today. Maybe I find that a bit ironic considering my team’s plight at this collective moment.

After a nice leisurely drive and walk to the historic Conference House out near the water yesterday, I was able to clear my head. Here are some random thoughts which have been flying around:

-The Rangers attempted 31 shots (five more than a perimeter oriented total) which never hit the net yesterday. Nine were missed and 22 were blocked by hustling Pens who sacrificed their bodies at every turn. By contrast, Pittsburgh only had nine shots blocked while another nine were missed. A huge difference. If they’re to get back in this beginning tomorrow, the Blueshirts need to reverse that trend and play with the same intensity. Pitt showed they wanted it more.

-As usual, Sean Avery made a nuisance of himself with the outcome decided drawing the ire of Hal Gill while engaging Marc-Andre Fleury. By that time, I’d already turned it off. Too little. Too late. He was invisible and notably didn’t have a strong Game One. Isn’t about time the agitator stopped living off strong first rounds?

-Christian Backman was again shaky. He was very weak in the first game responsible for the Pens’ second goal. There was also an instance where he should’ve one-timed the puck but waited and got it blocked which drew criticism from Pierre McGuire. Right on point. Tom Renney needs to think long and hard about scratching him and bringing back Marek Malik. Big Bird might get blamed for plenty but if he’s paired with Paul Mara, that’s an upgrade. Unless Backman’s finding offense, he sticks out like a sore thumb.

-Find me one network studio analyst getting paid top dollar who has the balls to tell it like it is instead of kissing Sidney Crosby’s ass. No backbone. I don’t know what’s worse. The ridiculous lengths Canadian backer McGuire and former coach Ed Olczyk (biASSed much?) went to or Brian Engblom waving the No.87 pom poms on Martin Straka’s soft penalty where the baby face dropped like he was shot.

-Watching Henrik Lundqvist before during a postgame interview wasn’t too reassuring. He might’ve said all the right things but body language told a different story.

-I touched on it briefly but it’s time for Tom Renney to grow a pair and demote Brendan Shanahan to the fourth line. He just is too slow and is really hurting Avery and Scott Gomez. Especially if he’s going to play Petr Prucha because less than five minutes just won’t cut it. If they’re not elevating Prucha, then Fredrik Sjostrom is plenty good enough a skater and solid defensively to be moved up. Why not try Prucha and Shanahan with Blair Betts? This would give the team a different look and much better balance to go head to head against a very deep Pens’ team.

-With another great third period last night totally outclassing the Sharks to go up 2-0 on the road, Dallas has done little to make me think otherwise. That they’re the most complete Western team left and certainly look on a collision course with the Red Wings.

-If deadline pickup Brad Richards continues to perform, that’s going to be one hell of a trade for them especially if the former Conn Smythe winner delivers the hardware.

-How about that no-look reverse setup Sergei Zubov made to Mike Modano for the winner? Not bad for the veteran Russian blueliner’s first game back!

-How good is Mike Ribeiro. You don’t think Montreal wants a do over on that one again?!?!?!?!?!

-One other thing on that series. If the Sharks don’t comeback to make it at least interesting, when does Ron Wilson finally take some heat?

-Peter Budaj better be in net for Colorado tonight. Peter Forsberg would help too.

-He’s gotten plenty of criticism for his wretched play in Game Two. Think there’s just a tad of pressure on 20 year-old rookie Carey Price later tonight?

-If Martin Biron keeps this up, who says he can’t backstop the Flyers to a Stanley Cup? He’s been brilliant. They shouldn’t even be playing. That’s how good he was against the Caps with it all on the line in Game Seven last week.

-It’s Evgeni Malkin and not Crosby who’s been the best player for the Pens so far. He just has dominated in all facets. So while everyone’s getting on their knees for Sid the Kid, it’s his better overall teammate who continues to get overlooked.

-I get that he was sticking up for his star player but Michel Therrien was completely out of line ripping Renney before Game Two. At no point did the affable Ranger coach ever complain about Crosby offering essentially no comment. Instead, you heard plenty of teammates defend Straka. The same thing the hypocritical Therrien was doing.

-Color me impressed with Tyler Kennedy. This grinder has been very strong on the boards. Ditto Pascal Dupuis which comes as no surprise that the “other player” in the Marian Hossa deal has performed well as he has had better success (2003 Wild).

-I had it in my preview and so far it’s held true. Rob Scuderi is undervalued.

-Are Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler secondary scorers anymore? Both Franzen (Calgary Game Six OT anybody?) and Filppula were good last year. Hudler finally developed and is playing well. Ditto for defensive stalwart Niklas Kronwall. Amazing how the Winged Wheel continues to find hidden gems in the draft. Their scouting staff is as good as anyone in the league. It’s high time they got more recognition!

-Finally, I love Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg but they shouldn’t be up for the Selke. John Madden was a deserving pick but there are plenty of other worthy candidates. Mike Fisher, Tomas Plekanec and Mike Richards all come to mind.

Seven was a lucky number to open a pair of Conference Semis last night. Both first games between the Flyers-Canadiens and Avalanche-Red Wings totaled that exact amount of goals with each winding up 4-3 for the home team.

Montreal used some late dramatics getting an Alex Kovalev power play goal with under 29.3 seconds to play in regulation and a Tom Kostopoulos winner 48 seconds into overtime to comeback and stun Philadelphia 4-3 at an electric Bell Centre to steal Game One.

The Flyers led the game 2-0 and 3-2 but had a break go against them when Mike Richards was sent to the box for tripping Kovalev with a little over 60 seconds to play. His knee collided with the smooth skating Russian as he made a move falling to the ice. AK27 struck off a faceoff win, sneaking a wrister past Martin Biron short side to force sudden death.

It wouldn’t take long to decide as Andrei Markov kept a puck in and forced Biron to kick out a rebound right to Kostopoulos who put home a second attempt for his third of the postseason sending the Habs to a huge win in a game they didn’t deserve. That’s the playoffs in a nutshell where if you get a break, sometimes it’s all you need.

The Flyers will try to bounceback in Game Two tomorrow night.

In Game One of a Western Conference semi between old rivals Colorado and Detroit, the Wings answered a Paul Stastny goal with four straight getting two from unsung hero Johan Franzen in chasing a flu-ridden Jose Theodore. Speaking of bounces, they got a couple including a seeing eye Dan Cleary shot which deflected off a maze of players past Theodore for a 2-1 lead.

Franzen neatly deflected home a power play goal and also came through by finishing off a three-on-two cross ice feed to put the home team up three. But the Avs didn’t go away as John-Michael Liles beat Chris Osgood short side and Milan Hejduk finished off a beautiful passing play from Stastny to cut it to 4-3 with a period left.

In the third with five minutes left, Hejduk nearly tied it but his shot which had Osgood beat rang off the left post. The Detroit netminder didn’t see a lot of rubber but made his biggest save with 8.3 seconds left robbing Liles on the doorstep to preserve the win.

Tonight, the other two Conference Semis get going as the Rangers visit the Penguins and the Sharks play host to the Stars. Both can be seen on Versus with coverage at 7 ET.

As mentioned in a previous entry last night, I was informed by a Montreal buddy who covers the team that some Canadien fans went a little overboard after their team’s 5-0 Game Seven First Round victory over the Boston Bruins.

Apparently, just advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals was enough for a wild few to lose their minds rioting in the streets of downtown Montreal. According to the report, they torched at least six Montreal police cars and looted two stores including a Foot Locker.

The police took away several men in handcuffs but it’s uncertain how many were arrested. Fortunately, as NBC sports anchor Len Berman would say, “Nobody was hurt.”  

This was only the first round. What happens if they reach the Stanley Cup Final? What if they lose? Maybe we’re better off not knowing the answer to that.

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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.

Photo Copyright Getty Images

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.