image: TSN

They are the highest remaining seed in the playoffs at this point and, like the San Jose Sharks (the #1 seed was eliminated in the first round), the Bruins have been showing some weakness.  They rebounded in a big way tonight and staved off elimination.

Barely five minutes into the game the Bruins were up 2-0 and managed to keep a two-goal lead in the end.  Now they will get to play Game 7 at home in Boston.

“From the time we fell behind 3-1 in the series, our goal was to create a Game 7,” coach Claude Julien said. “We’re there now. … Getting to Game 7 is one thing. Now we’ve got to decide what we’re going to do with it.”

I don’t know what is going to happen in that final game.  The Bruins are a great team and have had a great season but the Hurricanes continue to surprise so I really won’t discount them, home advantage or not.

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I know that a lot of critics and commentators had discounted the Caps but I knew better – I may not be a fan of the team but I do knew that Alexander Ovechkin was going to fight to stay in the playoffs and, regardless of what he says, that drive is intensified by his rivalry with Sidney Crosby.

This is it, folks.  These two teams (and star players) are going to Game 7.  It’s do-or-die time and I can’t wait to see what these clubs are really made of.  “I think it’s going to be great game,” Ovechkin said. “I think the league wants us to play Game 7 (on Wednesday).”

I couldn’t agree more.  A matchup between Alex the Great and Sid the Kid is just what the league wants and, as I’ve said since the beginning, I’m sure NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, is literally drooling over this turn of events.

I can’t predict what’s going to happen because this series has been filled with all kinds of twists and turns (plus, I’m not a psychic) but I do hope the Penguins get to continue on to the next round.  I can’t lie, though.  The Capitals are slowly winning me over and Ovechkin is a heck of a player but I gotta go with Crosby.

Game 7 takes place on Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm ET.  I can barely stand the wait…

image: TSN

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Incredibly, though, the Pens will have to admit that they are ahead due, in part, to some “assistance” they’ve received from the Capitals themselves.  Tonight’s overtime win was courtesy of a goal that was deflected into the back of the net by Capitals defenceman, Tom Poti.  I’m sure Evgeni Malkin couldn’t predict that Poti would be the one to help him score the goal but no one was complaining.  “These games come down to mistakes and bounces,” Crosby said. “And we got a good bounce there on the last goal.”

Of course, if you’ve been watching the series, you will remember that, back in Game 3, a shot by Kris Letang was deflected in by defenceman Shaone Morrisonn.  “It’s always hard when you play in overtime and you allow a silly goal like this,” said goaltender, Simeon Varlamov. “That’s twice now. … But winners make their own luck.”

Yeah… if I was him, I’d be pretty pissed off.

Meanwhile, over in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks are facing a fate similar to that of the Capitals.

The Chicago Blackhawks struck first but then the Canucks quickly tied the game in the first period.  They came on strong in the second with the Sedin twins and Mats Sundin teaming up on Chicago goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin, and scoring a really nice goal.  In the end it just wasn’t enough.

The teams were tied at 2-2 late in the third period when the Hawks scored on a power play.  They put another one into the empty net and secured a 4-2 victory.

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Franzen led the Wings to an early lead by scoring two goals in the first period while Hossa scored twice in just over three minutes to break the 2-2 tie and put Detroit up by one.  Franzen added an assist on Hossa’s first goal.

The game marked the first time that we saw a crack in Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller’s pristine veneer.  The kid has come up huge for his team throughout the postseason, making 59 saves in the Ducks’ 4-3 triple-overtime win in Game 2 and 45 saves in a 2-1 victory in Game 3.  That’s absolutely remarkable!  Unfortunately, he was pulled and replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere (who, I’m sure, is bitter as hell at being benched this whole time) after allowing five goals in 33 shots on net.  His Red Wings counterpart, Chris Osgood, made 25 saves.

Game 5 is Sunday in Detroit, and Game 6 is Tuesday night in Anaheim.  I’ll be on the couch, holding my breath.  I still think Anaheim can pull off another upset.  I just hope Hiller isn’t too rattled by being pulled and can bring back the focus after getting some much-needed rest.

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As you would expect in a series with some serious talent, there were some great goals scored last night.  Alexander Ovechkin scored a crazy goal after he grabbed a bad bounce off the glass, clunked along toward the net (I can’t even described how weirdly he was skating) and then launched the puck into the net (and it looked like he was airborne at the time).  Poor Pens goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, didn’t stand a chance since he was out of the net thinking he was going to collect the puck but, as I said, it bounced off the glass and right into Ovie’s hands.

The Ovechkin/Sidney Crosby pairing continued to heat up with Ovechkin pushing Crosby in the back (and right into the Capitals net) and incurred a two-minute interference penalty.  It was pretty lame and I’m surprised he did it.

As if to silence his doubters, Evgeni Malkin appeared to come to life last night and scored the second goal of the night for Pittsburgh (Ruslan Fedetenko scored the first) and I believe that this goal gave his team the chance to win.  His parents were in the stands and I just have to say that he looks EXACTLY like his mother.  It gave me the creeps…

Game 4 is bound to be very interesting.  It takes place on Friday in Pittsburgh.

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The whole game was hard-fought but I honestly thought that the Ducks would either fall to the Red Wings or things would be decided in overtime again when I saw the intensity Detroit brought to the third period.

It was close, actually, since a goal that I believe should have counted was taken from Detroit.  Scott Niedermayer (ANA) misplayed and Hiller actually lost control of the puck in the crease.  Marion Hossa (DET) quickly saw the opportunity and slammed the puck into the back of the net.  Unfortunately, referee Brad Watson claimed he had lost track of the puck and whistled the play dead, which negated the goal.  It was shocking because I thought the puck was in plain sight but I guess he didn’t see it.  If that goal had counted, Detroit would have tied the game with 1:04 remaining and it almost certainly would have gone to overtime.

Game 4 will, again, be in Anaheim on Thursday.  I can barely wait.  People are talking so much about the Pittsburgh/Washington series but I think this matchup is just as exciting.

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Neither goaltender was tested too much with Roberto Luongo (Vancouver) turning away 23 of the 24 shots on goal while Nikolai Khabibulin managed to only save 18 of the 21 shots he faced. 

Mason Raymond opened the scoring for Vancouver in the first, which was a period filled with penalties on both sides.  Patrick Kane (Chicago) drew a hooking call with less than a minute left and the Canucks took full advantage of it when the second period began, with Steve Bernier scoring just 60 seconds into play.  Henrik Sedin scored the third goal for Vancouver while Brian Campbell was the lone Blackhawks to get on the board.  There was no scoring in the third period.

The teams will meet again for Game 4 in Chicago on Thursday night.

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I was expecting the New Jersey Devils to eliminate the Hurricanes and was thoroughly shocked by the results of Game 6.  After they came back and won that game with less than 90 seconds left in the third, I felt a deep sense of respect for them.  They won the cup back in 2006 and then things just went downhill from there, including the play of formerly acclaimed goaltender, Cam Ward. 

Now, the boys (including Ward) have a chance to redeem themselves but will their efforts be enough to stave off the Bruins?  I’m really doubtful.  The Bruins have played incredibly well this season (best in the Eastern Conference) and they just have everything going for them – Marc Savard has been excellent offensively, Zdeno Chara is an incredible defenceman and then there’s goaltender Tim Thomas who has been spectacular between the pipes for the club. 

Here’s a schedule of the games for this series:

• Friday, May 1 at Boston, 7:30 p.m. VERSUS (JIP), TSN
• Sunday, May 3 at Boston, 7:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN
• Wednesday, May 6 at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. VERSUS (JIP), TSN
• Friday, May 8 at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. VERSUS (JIP), TSN
• *Sunday, May 10 at Boston, 7:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN
• *Tuesday, May 12 at Carolina, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS, TSN
• *Thursday, May 14 at Boston, TBD TSN

image: TSN

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I can’t even make a prediction about how this is going to go down but I do have a feeling that, like so many other series, this one could be determined by goaltending.  Both teams have their strengths (Detroit is a playoff machine and Anaheim seems to have drive and the element of surprise) but I want to see how Chris Osgood fares against Jonas Hiller, the goalie-who-has-emerged-from-obscurity-to-become-one-of-the-most-talked-about-players-in-the-postseason.

The action starts tonight.  Here’s the schedule:

• Friday, May 1 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS, TSN2
• Sunday, May 3 at Detroit, 2:00 p.m. NBC, TSN
• Tuesday, May 5 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN
• Thursday, May 7 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN
• *Sunday, May 10 at Detroit, 5:00 p.m. TSN
• *Tuesday, May 12 at Anaheim, TBD VERSUS, TSN
• *Thursday, May 14 at Detroit, TBD VERSUS, TSN

image: TSN

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