Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins (1) versus Montreal Canadiens (8)
- Michael Ryder stuck it to his old team yesterday at the Bell Centre. Boston did miss Milan Lucic, but Byron Bitz did a terrific job filling in. For all intents and purposes, this series is now over.
- The Habs had their chances last night but they just couldn’t capitalize, writes Pat Hickey. Red Fisher says the Canadiens miss Andrei Markov more than anyone thought they would. Last night’s game was played without Alex Tanguay and Mathieu Schneider.
Washington Capitals (2) versus New York Rangers (7)
- Talk about a bounce back performance, the Captials went into MSG and let it be known the series is far from over. Simeon Varlamov is as cool off the ice as he is on it. Nicklas Backstrom was a force for Washington.
- After such a strong start to the series have the Rangers already lost the momentum? Chris Drury’s apparent hand injury is cutting into his productivity and his ice-time. “We stunk; it’s simple,” said Rangers coach John Tortorella after yesterday’s game.
New Jersey Devils (3) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)
- Zach Parise has been carrying the Devils through the team’s first three games against Carolina. We already know Parise is a star, but Travis Zajac is becoming one as well, writes Rich Chere.
- Both David Clarkson and Chad LaRose have worked hard to get to where they are today. If the Hurricanes want to win this series, they are going to have get their offense going. If you watched the Devils/Canes Game 3 on DirecTV you missed the overtime goal.
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Philadelphia Flyers (5)
- Did the Penguins struggle in their own zone last game because they haven’t been in their own zone lately? Sergei Gonchar knows what it is like when teams focus on being physical with a player for an entire series. One person who doesn’t mind the physical play of the series is Chris Kunitz. Give credit to Penguins GM Ray Shero for saving the season, writes Joe Starkey.
- Daniel Briere’s line has been a perfect compliment to the top two lines in Philadelphia. The Flyers want to make sure they play a desperate game tonight. Hockey is put into perspective when you read about Matt Carle’s brother and the heart condition that forced him to retire from hockey at 18 years old.
