The Morning After:
My 3 stars from last night:
1. Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves, 1 GA)
King Henrik put the Rangers on his back tonight and carried them to victory.
2. Eric Nystrom (1 goal, 2 assists)
Nystrom had a great all-around game, including his game-winner in the 3rd.
3. Olli Jokinen (2 goals, 1 assist)
Jokinen finally broke through, and sparked the Flames with 2 goals in the 2nd. Iginla was an honorable mention…
Best atmosphere: New York
The Garden was electric as the Rangers staved off the Caps’ late-game fury.
‘RLD Game-Changing Performance’ of the night:
Rangers’ PK… Sean Avery took 2 penalties in the 3rd, but New York’s penalty kill came up HUGE! Washington went all-in on that last man advantage, and the Rangers denied Ovechkin & company. Great effort by the PK in the 3rd, and that effort won them the game.
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Tonight’s Slate:
Flyers @ Penguins, Game 5, 7:00 ET
Red Wings @ Blue Jackets, Game 4, 7:00
Hurricanes @ Devils, Game 5, 7:30
Sharks @ Ducks, Game 4, 10:30
Games of the Night:
5) Philadelphia Flyers @ 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
Game 5, 7:00 ET… TV: VERSUS, CBC, Local Networks
Penguins lead series, 3-1
Players to watch:
PHI- Jeff Carter
The Flyers seem to play much better when Carter has a good game.
PIT- Chris Kunitz
I have a feeling his hard work in this series will finally pay off tonight.
Starting Goaltenders:
PHI- Martin Biron (Playoff stats: 1-3, 2.81 GAA)
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (Playoff stats: 3-1, 2.09 GAA)
Injury Report:
PHI- Riley Cote (finger, out)
PIT- None
Game Thoughts:
The Igloo will be energized tonight as their boys come home with a 3-1 series lead… and it’s going to be a white-out!! Last year, the Pens beat Philly 6-0 in Game 5 of the conference finals to knock ‘em out. I’m expecting a similar outcome.
Prediction: Penguins 5, Flyers 2
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2) Detroit Red Wings @ 7) Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 4, 7:00 ET… TV: TSN, Local Networks
Red Wings lead series, 3-0
Players to watch:
DET- Pavel Datsyuk
He only one has 1 point in this series, but has dominated Columbus in his career.
CBJ- R.J. Umberger
The Jackets may need an Um-burger with extra cheese to have a chance tonight.
Starting Goaltenders:
DET- Chris Osgood (Playoff stats: 3-0, 0.67 GAA)
CBJ- Steve Mason (Playoff stats: 0-3, 3.67 GAA)
Injury Report:
DET- Kris Draper (upper body, doubtful), Andreas Lilja (head, out)
CBJ- Andrew Murray (groin, out), O-K Tollefsen (knee, out)
Game Thoughts:
Detroit has been 10-times the Jackets in every facet of this series. Columbus will not go down without a fight, but I still expect the Wings to complete the sweep in this one.
Prediction: Red Wings 2, Blue Jackets 0
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6) Carolina Hurricanes @ 3) New Jersey Devils
Game 5, 7:30 ET… TV: TSN, Local Networks
Series tied, 2-2
Players to watch:
CAR- Erik Cole
Cole has been silent in this series so far… he needs to pick it up!
NJ- Brian Gionta
Gionta has 4 points tonight, and will be an x-factor tonight.
Starting Goaltenders:
CAR- Cam Ward (Playoff stats: 2-2, 2.67 GAA)
NJ- Martin Brodeur (Playoff stats: 2-2, 2.18 GAA)
Injury Report:
CAR- None
NJ- Jamie Langenbrunner (lower body, questionable), Bryce Salvador (knee, questionable)
Game Thoughts:
Goals will be hard to come by tonight, and I expect it to be similar to Game 2. You heard it here first; 1. The first team to 2 goals will win this one… 2. The winner of this game will win in Game 6. I have a gut feeling New Jersey will win tonight, but I have to stay with my pick (Carolina in 6).
Prediction: Hurricanes 2, Devils 1
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1) San Jose Sharks @ 8) Anaheim Ducks
Game 4, 10:00 ET… TV: VERSUS, CBC, Local Networks
Ducks lead series, 2-1
Players to watch:
SJ- Patrick Marleau
San Jose needs another good game from their captain to win tonight.
ANA- Corey Perry
As good as the Ducks’ top line has been, Perry has zero points.
Starting Goaltenders:
SJ- Evgeni Nabokov (Playoff stats: 1-2, 2.70 GAA)
ANA- Jonas Hiller (Playoff stats: 2-1, 2.02 GAA)
Injury Report:
SJ- Kent Huskins (foot, questionable)
ANA- Bret Hedican (back, out)
Game Thoughts:
What a pivotal game in this series! Game 3 was a back-and-forth affair, with the Sharks coming out on top. And they must win again to avoid being put on the brink. Anaheim is a veteran group that has won together, and I think they’ll pull out a Game 4 ‘W’.
Prediction: Ducks 3, Sharks 1
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