NHL 2013 Finals: Boston Bruins vs Chicago Blackhawks

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After four exciting games, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins will look to continue one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Finals series that we have ever seen tonight in a pivotal Game 5. Entering the game, the series is tied at two games a piece and the winner will have the inside track at taking home Lord Stanley’s Cup.

With Chicago returning home off of an emotional overtime win, will they be able to hold the home ice and get just one win away from reaching their season’s goal or will Boston get the win and head home needing just win? We will find out later this evening.

What time do the Blackhawks and Bruins drop the puck? We’ve got all of the information you will need to know to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action.

Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Venue: United Center
Series Record: Series tied, 2-2
The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins will battle for control of the Stanley Cup Finals when they face off in Game 5 on Saturday evening.
The Boston Bruins had a chance to seize control of the series but fell to the Blackhawks in overtime in a 6-5 loss.
"I thought we gave them a lot of space," Bruins Coach Claude Julien said. "When we talk about neutral zone, we're not talking about closing a game up and seeing a boring game. We're talking about doing something so that we can regain possession of the puck. And when we regain possession of the puck, we want to get that puck moving in the right direction so we can get a good pace to our game. Sometimes it's misconstrued, I guess, that the neutral zone is about slowing everything down. It's about taking options away. I think Chicago did a great job [on Wednesday]."

The Blackhawks managed to break out of a goal scoring drought against the Bruins with a tremendous six goal effort; the team had only managed one goal throughout Games 2 and 3.
"For us personally, you know you don't get this far, you don't win a Stanley Cup without being pushed up against the wall and being in a few tight spots," said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews; Toews scored his first goal of the series in Game 4 and his second of the postseason.  "That's where we were [Wednesday] night, and for us it was a must-win. We put it all out there, and we treated it as a Game 7. We got the result we wanted. I think there's still some things we can do better, but for the guys in that locker room, we all understood how critical that game was last night. We showed up to play for each other. I don't think the importance of the next one is any smaller than Game 4."

Chicago Blackhawks vs Boston Bruins June 19, 2013

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Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is finding out what the Rangers’ Rick Nash and the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin learned earlier in these playoffs: The Bruins don’t give up much.

Toews not only has been smothered through three Stanley Cup Finals games but also has been snake-bitten through the playoffs, with just one goal and nine points in 19 games. Chicago trails Boston, 2-1, in the Stanley Cup Finals entering Game 3 on Wednesday night at TD Garden. The Bruins have won two straight and allowed just one Blackhawk goal in those 126 minutes and 12 seconds,

including Monday’s 2-0 home shutout.
While the whole Chicago offense is struggling, the onus falls on Toews, the 2010 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP, to lead his team out of this hole.

“He’s still contributing in a lot of different areas,” Blackhawks winger Patrick Sharp said of Toews. “I know he wants to score, but he takes a lot of draws, he plays well defensively. He plays heavy minutes for us. I’m not too concerned with Jonny.”
Toews did not speak to the media on Tuesday’s off-day in Boston. In fact, the Blackhawks made the bare minimum four players available, with their presence in front of the cameras reflecting their recent presence on the ice. Between the Blackhawks and Bruins on Tuesday, neither team’s captain spoke, nor did either starting goaltender.

Boston, however, has brought its A-game once the puck has been dropped.
Center Patrice Bergeron, last year’s winner of the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward, was beaten out for the award this season by Toews. But in Game 3, Bergeron turned in a performance that Chicago coach Joel Quenneville called “one of those nights that you like to have in a career.”

Bergeron won of 24 of 28 faceoffs as Boston dominated at the dots (40-for-56, 71%). He scored the Bruins’ second goal, and his work off the puck led teammate Jaromir Jagr to say he’s never seen a “hungrier” player in the defensive zone.
“He won the Selke last year for a reason,” Bruins winger Milan Lucic said.

Chicago hopes to receive a lift from the potential return of winger Marian Hossa, whom Quenneville said is “likely to play” after being a surprise Game 3 scratch due to an upper-body injury.
Toews had some chances, but he didn’t finish, like in the first period of Game 3 when he pushed a Duncan Keith pass wide of an open net at the post with the defense collapsing. Big Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg have shrunk the ice on Toews.

HOME ON THE RANGE
The Rangers are not expected to introduce Alain Vigneault as their head coach before Thursday. A press conference is expected in the upcoming days. Vigneault still is assembling his staff, which could include former Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, who reportedly expressed interest in a job and resigned recently as head coach of Modo in Sweden’s Elite League.
STREIT DEAL

The Flyers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $21 million contract with impending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Mark Streit.

Streit, 35, the former Islanders captain, was traded to Philly last Wednesday for minor-league forward Shane Harper and a fourth-round pick in 2014. The lefthanded blue liner has 65 goals and 288 points in 491 career regular-season games. The Islanders offered Streit a three-year deal worth about $5 million per season, according to Newsday, but the parties were apart on term and money in their negotiations.

Streit’s deal with the Flyers is for an extra year, worth $5.25 million per season, and also reportedly includes a limited no-trade clause.
The Islanders are expected to stitch the captain’s ‘C’ onto the sweater of center John Tavares, 22.

Boston Bruins vs Chicago Blackhawks June 15, 2013

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For the first time in NHL history, the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks will battle for the Stanley Cup. It also marks the first time since 1979 that two Original Six teams will meet in the Final.

Both teams enter their series having easily eliminated worthy opponents in their respective conference finals. The Bruins swept the Pittsburgh Penguins, limiting the offensively loaded top seed in the Eastern Conference to just two goals. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks put an end to the Los Angeles Kings' title defense in five games, snapping L.A.’s 15-game home winning streak in the process.

However, the Bruins and Blackhawks also found themselves on the brink of disaster earlier in the playoffs.

The Bruins dropped two straight games to the Toronto Maple Leafs and trailed, 4-1, in Game 7 with just over 10 minutes remaining in their first-round series. That’s when their dominant run began. The Bruins scored three straight to tie it and Patrice Bergeron scored at 6:05 of overtime to complete an amazing comeback. The Bruins have gone 8-1 since, led by their strong team defense and remarkable goaltending from Tuukka Rask.

The Blackhawks' biggest test came in Round 2, when they found themselves down 3-1 in their series with the Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks, however, had little trouble in beating the Wings in the next two games before winning an epic Game 7 showdown in overtime on a goal by Brent Seabrook. 

With that in mind, here is a complete preview of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.

Boston Bruins vs Chicago Blackhawks June 12, 2013

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There is a lot to love about this year's Stanley Cup Final, much more than just the happy coincidence of it being an Original Six matchup for the first time in 34 years. This really should be some excellent hockey.

Both the Bruins and Blackhawks have had their moments of adversity this postseason; Boston was down three goals in the third period of Game 7 in the first round, Chicago down three games to one in the second. Since those particular moments, both teams have turned on the boosters and are now flying at full speed. The Bruins have won nine of their last 10 while the Blackhawks have taken seven of their last eight. Powers collide.

STANLEY CUP FINAL

Final matchup all NHL could have hoped for
It's no coincidence the two teams left standing are probably the two most balanced teams in the league this season. They both have defense, and loads of it. They both have good-to-great offenses. They can both roll all four lines with confidence -- and will do exactly that in this series. They both have very good goaltenders. Right now, with how they are both playing coming into this Final, the differences between them seem razor thin.

I can make predictions until I'm blue in the face but the only one I feel absolutely certain about is this should be one heck of a series.

Los Angeles Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks June 8, 2013

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On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks battle the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. Chicago is looking to punch its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Blackhawks are up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

The game starts at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC in the U.S. or CBC and RDS in Canada.

The Los Angeles Kings have their backs up against a wall after losing their first home playoff game of the season in Game 4, 2-1. That loss put the Kings down 3-1 in the series, and it will be up to them to find a way to win on the road.

Can the Kings come back and force a Game 6 with a win, or will the Blackhawks take Game 5 and the series and advance to meet the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final?

Tune in to this live blog tonight for live scoring updates and in-game analysis of Game 5.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins June 7, 2013

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To everybody’s surprise, the high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins are down 3-0 to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. And while most of us didn’t see this coming — we all can’t count the Pens out either. After all, this is the Penguins we’re talking about. Although the ‘Burgh hasn’t lustered any sort of mojo thus far, one has to believe they’ll turn this series around somehow right?

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, Jarome Iginla — ever heard of them?

With the way this series has started, some probably had forgotten about these players because none have really produced enough to talk about.

But that could all change tonight.

Often times when Pittsburgh has fallen off their game it is because they have lost control of their adrenaline. If they learn to harness their emotions in time for tonight’s contest, the Pens should dictate the speed of the game.

When they stay out of the penalty box — that’s also a good indication that the Pens are showing their focus.

Which is a good point — stay out of the box!

The more opportunities you give the Bruins on the man-advantage, the more momentum they gain via scoring chances. When the Pens avoid the sin-bin, they’re usually the ones on the attack — pressuring the opposition.

Which makes second-chance shots crucial. In respect to Pittsburgh, Boston’s goaltender Tuukka Rask hasn’t allowed many of these, but the Pens must continue to press for that rebound goal.

Chicago Blackhawks vs LA Kings June 6, 2013

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The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings remained perfect at home after securing a Game 3 victory at the Staples Center, but can they get the job done in Game 4? The Chicago Blackhawks got a lot of chances in Game 3, but the Kings were able to play their first complete game of the series.

The Kings' power play remained anemic and the Blackhawks' penalty kill was still stellar, but will that change in a pivotal Game 4?

The Kings have a chance to get back in this series because of their dominance at home, but they will ultimately have to steal a game at the United Center in Chicago. Right now, it is uncanny how good they have been at home and how different they look on the road, but it won't matter if they tie the series.

Throughout the playoffs, the Kings have been streaky, and a win could really give them some needed momentum to get back on track.
Viewing Info

Time: Thursday, June 6, 9 p.m. ET

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles

Series: CHI leads LAK 2-1

TV: NBC Sports Network

Game 3: Penguins vs Bruins June 5, 2013

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 The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to take the first step on a long road to a comeback when they hit the ice in Boston for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.

After a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Bruins in Game 2, the Penguins find themselves down 0-2 in the series.

There wasn’t much good to come from Game 2, as the entire team looked frustrated and out of sorts.

Brad Marchand scored on a breakaway just 28 seconds into the game and the Bruins never looked back. The goal seemed to stun the Penguins and they never recovered. Before they knew it, the score was 3-0 in favor of the visitors.

Tomas Vokoun was pulled in favor of Marc-Andre Fleury, but the move failed to wake the team from their stupor.

Brandon Sutter scored with under a minute to play in the first period, which would have been a huge momentum boost heading into the locker room. However, Marchand answered right back with under 10 seconds remaining in the period to take the air out of CONSOL Energy Center and the Penguins.

After the team’s practice on Tuesday, head coach Dan Bylsma said adjustments and roster changes would be made ahead of Game 3. While he wouldn’t elaborate on what changes might be coming for obvious reasons, the Penguins cannot afford another poor effort tonight.

The Penguins must absolutely be better in the defensive zone and manage the puck better. As was exhibited in Game 2, it won’t matter which goaltender is in net if the Penguins play that poorly in front of them.

Chicago Blackhawks vs Los Angeles Kings June 4, 2013

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The Chicago Blackhawks will look to establish stranglehold on the Western Conference finals when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

After a winning 2-1 in a tightly contested Game 1, the Blackhawks ran away with a 4-0 lead early in the second period that chased reigning Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick. However, Chicago must do
something no one else has achieved in these playoffs; they must defeat the Kings at the Staples Center.

 Los Angeles is 7-0 on home ice and Quick has put up three shutouts in the process; Los Angeles has won 14 straight on home ice since the end of the regular season.  More importantly, the Kings have already battled back from a 2-0 lead in this postseason; the team lost the first two games of the series against the St. Louis Blues in the first round but fought back with four straight victories.

"I think you can draw on the fact that we've been in this situation before in the sense that the series is long from over for our mindset," Kings Captain Dustin Brown said. "It's about playing the game. I mean, we try to cut it in half tomorrow night."

In order for the Kings to make the comeback, the team must get more offensive production from its top players. Center Anze Kopitar has struggled tremendously throughout the postseason with only seven points in 15 postseason games; most of his production came in the first round against the Blues.

The Los Angeles Kings will not go down without a fight. Look for the defending Champions to take advantage of home ice and for Quick to bounce back with a strong performance. The Kings win 2-1.
Start Time: 9 PM EST
TV: NBCSN

Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins June 3, 2013

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Game 2 between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins is just a few hours away and the Pens find themselves nearing a "must-win" situation on home ice after dropping Game 1.

The big and bad B's managed to knock the high-octane Penguins off of their offensive game early in the first contest. They will likely aim to do the same thing tonight in Game 2.

The big guns of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal couldn't find a way to beat Bruins' netminder Tuukka Rask, who shut out Pittsburgh for the first time since February 1, 2012. In the backdrop will be a pair of hits-from-behind that occured in Game 1. One from Matt Cooke of the Penguins and another from Brad Marchand of the Bruins.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET and is available on NBCSN in the United States, while RDS and the CBC have Canadian viewers covered.

Los Angeles Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks June 2, 2013

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Marian Hossa winked when the television camera focused on him during the national anthem, a signal to his friends watching the game back home in Slovakia. Then he gave them something to cheer about.
Hossa tipped in the tiebreaking goal in the second period, helping the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Saturday in the opener of the Western Conference finals.

Patrick Sharp also scored and Corey Crawford made 21 saves for the Blackhawks, who generated just enough offense to improve to 7-1 at home in the playoffs. They also have won four in a row heading into Game 2 on Sunday.
"It's always great when you win the first game, especially back to back, give you a little momentum," Hossa said. "I felt like we did lots of good things today. We know we have to be better (Sunday) and keep doing those things."

Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots, and Justin Williams scored for Los Angeles, which has won just one of seven road games in the playoffs. The defending Stanley Cup champions got center Jarret Stoll back from a suspected concussion, but their offensive funk continued.
"I think the two guys that scored for them are going to score goals," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We have guys that have to score goals. That's how close it will be."
Los Angeles has scored 27 times in 14 playoff games. The last three have gone to Williams, who was responsible for the Kings' offense in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of the second-round series on Tuesday.

"Scoring doesn't simply come from the offensive zone," Williams said. "It comes from being good in your own zone, breaking out together and scoring off the rush. We didn't have enough of that."

The Blackhawks and Kings returned to the ice after surviving strenuous second-round tests.
Top-seeded Chicago stormed back to beat Detroit after trailing 3-1 in the series, winning Game 7 on Brent Seabrook's overtime goal Wednesday night. Fifth-seeded Los Angeles was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Sharks in a series in which the home team won every game.
For the first period and much of the second of the conference finals opener, Chicago looked hopeless against Quick and Los Angeles' talented defensemen. Drew Doughty, Robyn Regehr and Co. kept the Blackhawks' fleet forwards in check, and Quick made it look as if there was a white wall moving from side to side in net.
As they did against Detroit, the Blackhawks began to create more quality chances when they put more traffic in front.


With 7 1/2 minutes left in the second, Sharp skated into the zone, left the puck for Johnny Oduya and kept moving forward. When Quick kicked away Oduya's slap shot, the puck went right to Sharp, who scored into the lower right corner to tie it 1-1 with his eighth playoff goal.
"That first shot against him is tough," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "You need traffic. You need a deflection. He finds a way to find pucks. I think the volume and traffic of shots is the only way to get to this guy."
Sharp created another strong opportunity a few minutes later, but Brandon Saad shot wide right on a potential tip-in.


The Blackhawks kept up the pressure and went ahead when Hossa redirected Keith's long slap shot out of the air at 16:22 of the second. The puck landed in the lower right corner again before Quick could find it in the maze of bodies near the net.
It was the sixth goal of this postseason for Hossa and the 42nd of his playoff career. The 34-year-old forward has at least one point in four straight games.
"If Quick's going to see it, he's going to stop it. If we can get a slight tip on it, I think it changes his view," said Bryan Bickell, who earned an assist on the goal. "It was a nice tip by Hoss."
Quick wasn't made available to the media while the locker room was open after the game.

Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins June 1, 2013

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Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins is just a few hours away. This series is loaded with star power—Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang lead the way for the high-flying Pens.

 The Bruins answer with the likes of Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron. The puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday. Fans in the United States will be able to catch the game on NBC, while the CBC and RDS will be covering the game for Canadian viewers.

Los Angeles Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks June 1, 2013

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The Los Angeles Kings visit the Chicago Blackhawks for Game 1 (in progress) of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday. Catch the game on NBCSN in the US, or TSN and RDS in Canada.

Justin Williams scored in the first period to make it 1-0, Kings.

Keep it tuned to this live blog for thoughts, scoring updates and in-game analysis of Game 1.

Los Angeles Kings 1, Chicago Blackhawks 0. Second period.

Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks May 29, 2013

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Game 7. Every kid’s dream.

By the time tonight’s tilt at the United Center is over, the Chicago Blackhawks will have rallied from a 3-1 series deficit and asserted their championship pedigree, or the surprising Detroit Red Wings will have rebounded from consecutive failures to clinch by finally knocking off the predominant favorite to challenge for the Stanley Cup.

Like Tuesday night’s epic battle between Los Angeles and San Jose, Wednesday night’s clash should be a thriller between two deep, talented and well-coached clubs. But what’s it going to take to win?

Muir: Kings top Sharks in Game 7, advance to West Finals

Let’s dispense with the obvious — get pucks and traffic to the net, keep the gaps tight, work the body, stay out of the box, get a big game from the goaltender — and look at each team’s three specific keys to claiming Game 7 and moving on to meet the Kings:

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings May 28, 2013

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The San Jose Sharks played much better than a 6-seed in the first round of the NHL playoffs but that play seemed to elude them early on in their series against Los Angeles. The Kings simply outplayed the Sharks in the first two games of the series but things changed when Games three and four were played in San Jose.

And that’s really been the story of series as neither team has surrendered home ice and it’s naturally forced a deadlock that’s led to this Game 7 showdown between Los Angeles and San Jose. It’s really hard to say who has the upper hand beyond the home ice advantage as these teams have traded blows pretty evenly throughout.

But if it comes down to it, the combination of home ice advantage and netminder Jonathan Quick may be too much for San Jose to overcome as they’d have to be the first team in this series to muster up a road win if they want to advance to yet another Conference Finals appearance.

Blackhawks vs Red Wings May 27, 2013

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The Chicago Blackhawks were Presidents Trophy winners and were supposed to have no problem with the Detroit Red Wings, but things did not go according to plan in the Western Conference semifinals. The Wings rolled off three straight wins to go up 3-1 in the series and the Hawks looked destined for an early exit.

Monday's Game 6 begins at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.

Chicago got back in the series with a Game 5 win, though, and have flipped the pressure onto Detroit. Now the Red Wings have to win at home in Game 6 or slip all momentum to the Blackhawks, who would have one game at home to advance to the conference finals.

The Wings will be comforted by their 4-1 playoff record at Joe Louis Arena, which looks even better because the Blackhawks are just 2-4 on the road. This is Detroit's best chance to win this series because a road Game 7 is looming, where all of the smart money will be on Chicago.

Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks May 26, 2013

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Los Angeles has an opportunity to punch its ticket for the Western Conference finals tonight in San Jose. The Kings and Sharks square off at 8 p.m. ET at HP Pavilion, where San Jose is 4-0 this postseason.

The Sharks trail Los Angeles 3-2 in a series that has seen the home team win every game. The Kings claimed a 3-0 victory in Game 5, riding goalie Jonathan Quick's seventh playoff shutout to a pivotal win.

Can San Jose stave off elimination, or will Los Angeles move one step closer to a Stanley Cup repeat? Stay tuned right here for live updates, analysis and reaction.

SAN JOSE -- Jonathan Quick is a Los Angeles Kings goalie. He is not a doorman behind a velvet rope at a nightclub entrance. But you'd never know it, given the Sharks' difficulty getting pucks past him.
Maybe that's because they are treating him more as a doorman. And treating the Kings' defensive zone coverage as more of a velvet rope.
Excuse me, Mr. Quick. Could we push your defensemen out of the way here a little bit, so that we could score a goal? Puh-leeez? Mr. Quick? What do you mean we can't get in? Don't you know who we are? We're the guys with the great power play! Our names should be on the list! Look again!
The velvet rope strategy must end Sunday night for the Sharks, or their season

will be over. They face Quick and the Kings at HP Pavilion in Game 6 of a series that ends if the Sharks lose. And it will end, unless they solve Quick. He's shut out the Sharks twice in the series. He's allowed seven goals total in the five games.
"When you get your chance, you've got to bear down on him," said Sharks captain Joe Thornton.
Which means what?
"When you get within 10 feet of him, you've got to find the opening, find the hole," Thornton said. "You hope to use his aggressiveness against him, use the back door."
Doesn't sound impossible. It certainly wasn't two years ago. If the Sharks plan to extend this series, they might try getting a little nostalgic for 2011. The beloved Los Tiburones defeated

New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins May 25, 2013

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Game 5 between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers is about an hour away, and the Blueshirts will be looking to stave of elimination for the second game in a row. Game 4 required several gutsy comebacks and overtime, but New York managed to avoid the sweep.

Now, the Rangers will try to take one more step towards history.

Only three teams have returned from a 3-0 hole. Most recently, the Philadelphia Flyers turned the trick on these same Bruins in 2010. That series isn't a factor in this one, however, and the B's will likely come out flying on home ice.

Tuukka Rask will look to rebound from a so-so effort in Game 4 that saw him give up two fluky goals. Games like that rarely come in pairs, though, and the Rangers will likely have to find more conventional ways to score goals.

Puck drop is set for 5:30 p.m. ET, and the game is available on NBCSN in the United States.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators May 19, 2013

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OTTAWA (AP) - Jason Spezza doesn't have much time to return to form if the Ottawa Senators want to extend their season.

The star forward hasn't played since Jan. 27 after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disk. He'll rejoin Ottawa's lineup Sunday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Senators trailing 2-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I'm excited to have a chance to play again," Spezza said. "I feel ready to play."

He will immediately add depth to a struggling offense and power play.

"We're excited about the skill that he brings back to our team and we're looking forward to it," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "We certainly feel that he's going to give us some help on the power play, for sure. He can help us quite a bit there."

The Senators' power play has gone 1 for 7 through the first two games.

Spezza's minutes will be monitored, and MacLean suggested his time on the ice could vary depending on the number of power plays the Senators get.

Spezza is expected to line up with Milan Michalek and possibly Colin Greening.

"He's such a skilled playmaker that if you're on the ice with him you know to keep your stick on the ice because he finds a way to get the puck to you," Zack Smith said. "When you're playing with guys like that, you're just more prone to go to the net and go to those areas and be more confident."

Spezza hopes his timing comes back quickly.

"Basically I'm just going to go out and work hard and be smart," he said. "I expect to play well.

"I wouldn't play unless I felt I could help the team and contribute."

Spezza had two goals and three assists in just five games during the regular season.

"It's going to be important to be in his face right away and make sure he doesn't have time and space," Pittsburgh's Kris Letang said. "He's got good hands, so he can make you look really bad. So if you're in his face and have a good gap, you have a better chance of having success against him."

The Senators are undefeated at Scotiabank Place in the playoffs this year.

"We need to play to our identity," MacLean said. "We have to try and establish our game first. What hurt us in the first two games is not getting off to a (good) start, and we're down in the first three minutes of both games and catch-up hockey is losing hockey."

Despite being pulled after allowing three goals in Friday's game, Craig Anderson will get the start Sunday.

"They're going to be desperate and we know this is going to be the toughest test yet," Sidney Crosby said. "We need to start well, but just a play a complete game and give ourselves a chance."

History suggests the Senators might not have one when it comes to winning this series, as Ottawa has never done so after dropping the first two games.

Rallying against the Penguins certainly means tighter defense on Crosby. Ottawa played tentatively in its own end against the superstar in Game 2, and Crosby took advantage by needing just over one period to complete his second playoff hat trick in the 4-3 victory.

Penguins vs Islanders May 11, 2013

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or five games, Sidney Crosby and John Tavares have been on opposite sides in the quest to lead their teams to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

On Friday, the stars of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders found themselves going head-to-head again: this time to be the NHL MVP.

One day before the teams were set to face off in Game 6 of the first-round, Eastern Conference series, Crosby and Tavares were announced as finalists - along with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin - for the Hart Trophy.

The voting is already in, so these stars can't campaign on or off the ice to gain support. All three are also in the mix for the Stanley Cup, but either Crosby or Tavares will be eliminated from that chase by the end of the weekend.
" It's a tremendous honor to be recognized, especially with those two guys and what great players they are, and so many other great players that had great seasons,'' Tavares said. " They've proved to be the best players in the game for a long time. They are still at really young ages, and they keep getting better, as well." They are not easy guys to play against each and every night. You see their consistency and what makes them great players. That helps push me to want to become better, knowing I have to compete against those guys. I have to raise the level of my game."

Tavares (2009), Ovechkin (2004) and Crosby (2005) were all chosen No. 1 in the NHL draft. Crosby is the only one to capture the Stanley Cup, and he was the Hart winner in 2007. Ovechkin won the award in 2008 and 2009.
" He's done a lot, came into the league with a lot of pressure,'' Crosby said of Tavares. " I can relate to what that feels like, knowing there's pressure coming onto his own team. There are similarities but he's his own player. He had a great season and led the way for them and he's definitely gotten better and better each year."

The 22-year-old Tavares, in his fourth NHL season, increased his goal and point totals in each of his first three years. He was on his way to a career year, scoring 28 goals - the third most in the NHL and just three shy of his best output - and 47 points in this 48-game campaign.

The only Islanders player to win the Hart was Bryan Trottier in 1979. Trottier had two other second-place finishes, and Denis Potvin was runner-up once. The team's best recent result was 1993 when Pierre Turgeon was fifth.

Tavares was the key figure in getting the Islanders into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
" He just keeps getting smarter and more mature, learning what he is capable of in this league,'' linemate Matt Moulson said. " He just works extremely hard to get better at each area. That's what makes him such a special player." He is very deserving. I am sure he probably could've done it with a lot of people on his wing."

Crosby has the upper hand right now, following the Penguins' dominating 4-0 home victory on Thursday that gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 series lead and put the club within one win of the second round. The teams will meet again Saturday night on Long Island. If the Islanders stave off elimination on home ice they will set up a winner-take-all showdown in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Penguins and Islanders have alternated wins each game of this series. But the Islanders have absorbed 5-0 and 4-0 losses among their three defeats against Pittsburgh, and they know they will have to be at their best to stay alive.
" If you lose 9-0 or 3-2, for us it's game by game. It's a loss,'' Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. " We have to reload, we have to refocus, re-energize ourselves - minds and bodies - to get ready." We've been in these must-win situations before, and our guys have responded pretty well. We're at home, and hopefully we'll have that barn rocking here again like we had the previous two games to feed off of."

What they haven't shown is an ability to solve Penguins veteran backup goalie Tomas Vokoun, who took over for struggling starter Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 5 and posted a shutout.

That was just par for the course for Vokoun this year against the Islanders. Counting the regular season and his performance Thursday, Vokoun is 4-0 with an 0.69 goals-against average and .977 save percentage in five games.

The shutouts came in his last two games, and Vokoun hasn't allowed a goal to the Islanders in 122 minutes, 28 seconds, dating to Josh Bailey's score in the second period on March 22 in New York. He has stopped 129 of 132 shots.
" We didn't have too much success against him in the regular season, but we're playing much better in this series than we did in the regular season," Tavares said.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma declined to pick a Game 6 starter, but Vokoun is the odds-on favorite to get the nod.

None of the Islanders could explain why they haven't managed to do damage against Vokoun, choosing instead to put the blame on themselves.

Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks May 8, 2013

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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- - Ryan Getzlaf knows the Anaheim Ducks could be getting frustrated.
Instead, he thinks they're just getting started.
The Ducks have controlled long stretches of their matchup with Detroit, outscoring the Red Wings over the first four games while getting superior goaltending from Jonas Hiller. Yet the series is even heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night at Honda Center.

Second-seeded Anaheim's stellar regular-season record and formidable talent haven't mattered to the Red Wings, who sneaked out two overtime victories despite playing with a lead in just one of the series' four games.

It's a recipe for tension in the Ducks' dressing room heading into a pivotal point of the first-round series. But to Getzlaf and his teammates, every element of the playoff march is a privilege, particularly after the Ducks missed the postseason in two of the past three years.
" We're far from frustrated,'' the Anaheim captain said Tuesday after the Ducks' long flight from Detroit to Orange County. " This is playoff hockey. This is the best time of the year, and we're in a best-of-three series now. We always knew it was going to be a long series. ... It's been a grind throughout the year. We've always been able to rise up to the occasion, and we're hoping for that tomorrow (in Game 5)."


The Ducks expect to have little trouble regrouping after they barely missed a chance to take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Monday night. After Anaheim blew a third-period lead, Damien Brunner's overtime goal evened the series for the Red Wings, who appeared to be on the ropes after getting shut out by Hiller in the first 100 minutes of the teams' two games at Joe Louis Arena.


" One goal the other way (in Game 4), and everybody is happy around here," Getzlaf said.
Instead, the Ducks must find additional determination to get past their playoff-tested opponents. Anaheim will have the advantage of its favored matchups on home ice in Game 5 and a potential Game 7, yet neither team believes matchups or friendly crowds have made much impact on this series.

" Quite frankly, the matchups only work if your team is playing well and you get a lead,'' Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. " If you don't get a lead, you may have some great defensive matchups, but you're going to have to change because you need to score goals. We'll get the last change (in Game 5), which will help, because I thought the last game they were definitely trying to get (Pavel) Datsyuk's line against one specific line, and we tried to change it a few times. It's a difficult thing to do."

Datsyuk scored the tying goal with 6:33 left in regulation in Game 4 for the Red Wings, who finally flexed their offensive skills at home after five-plus periods without a score.

The Red Wings made an obvious effort to get more shots at Hiller in Game 4, sending pucks at the Anaheim net at every opportunity. Hiller was solid all night, but the Red Wings' mentality eventually led to Brunner's winning goal.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2013/05/08/32562_preview.html#ixzz2Skb2ijXz

Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues May 8, 2013

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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The defending Stanley Cup champions certainly looked the part while evening their series against the St. Louis Blues, whose best move is turning the page.

The Los Angeles Kings dominated the second half of Game 4, powering past a pair of deficits behind forechecking that put the Blues on their heels, and have all the momentum in a series that's tied at 2-2.

The Kings' plan is simple for Game 5 Wednesday night in St. Louis: Keep the pedal down and play physical but smart.

"There hasn't been much difference in the games whether it's home or road," coach Darryl Sutter said. "It's all one-goal games and they're all third-period games and you just by shift by shift."

The Blues have a day to re-boot the system and still have home-ice advantage, by virtue of finishing a single point ahead of the Kings for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. The home team has won all four games, each by a goal.

"Who's got control of anything right now?" coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They dialed it up, so there's another level out there and it's our job now to answer the level. We've got home ice, we've earned it, and it's best of three now and we'll see where it goes."

St. Louis has won eight in a row at home, allowing one goal each time, and are facing a team that's been vulnerable away from the Staples Center. The Kings have a nine-game winning streak at home and have dropped eight in a row on the road, including a pair of shootouts in April.

The Blues appeared primed for a knockout punch in Game 4 with two early goals, setting the tone for an uncharacteristic wide-open 4-3 final that matched the scoring total the entire series for both sides. The Kings shrugged off that deficit, scored twice in 1:16 in the third to seize their first lead, and never looked back.

"I think we've been getting better every night," forward Jeff Carter said. "We've been in that position before and these guys don't get too down on themselves. We just chipped away."

The Kings became the first No. 8 seed to win the Cup last year, knocking off the first, second and third seeds. They trailed in the third period just once, in the opening round. They had to dig deep in Game 4, erasing a two-goal deficit for the first time since 2001. The last two periods, the Kings outshot St. Louis 23-10.

"There's a lot of resilience in this room," forward Dustin Penner said. "Obviously, we draw on experiences from last year."

The Blues couldn't sustain their opening jump and perhaps stunned after falling behind never mounted much of a counter-attack.

Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs May 8, 2013

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The fans at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto were buzzing prior to Game 3 on Monday evening. It was the Maple Leafs' first playoff home game since 2004 and they hoped to be elated once the night was over. The ecstasy never came as the Leafs were run out of the building by the Boston Bruins in a 5-2 victory. Toronto will look to even the series on Wednesday in Game 4.

"If we want to be blatantly honest, we made some mistakes that ended up in our net," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said after the game. "When you do that, usually you end up on the wrong side of the score. In the playoffs, you can't give the opposition (chances). I'm not taking it away from the Bruins, that they didn't earn it, but when you make mistakes with the puck that lead to Grade-A scoring chances and they score, those are tough ones for our group."

He did note that the work ethic was there from his squad. "I thought our work ethic was really strong," Carlyle noted. "We worked hard and did a lot of good things, but our execution level and the mistakes we made aren't going to allow us to win a hockey game playing like that. [Boston Bruins goalie Tuuka] Rask played well ... he made the stops he needed to make and I don't think we had enough traffic at the net and enough concentration of offensive zone time."

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers May 8, 2013

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The New York Rangers had such a simple plan when they got home from Washington in an 0-2 hole against the Capitals: find a way to get one win.
It worked so well in a hard-fought 4-3 victory on Monday night that they are heading into Wednesday's Game 4 at Madison Square Garden with the very same objective.

" All we were focused on is doing whatever we could to try to win a game,'' Rangers coach John Tortorella said. " We did that, and now we need to try to win one more game, and we'll see what happens from there." While the Capitals stayed off the ice on Tuesday to recover, the Rangers held a full practice. They were without forward Rick Nash, who was given a " maintenance day," and Darroll Powe, who was injured on Monday and is unlikely to play in Game 4.
If the Rangers can win again Wednesday, they will assure themselves of hosting Game 6 after a game in between in Washington on Friday.


After netting only one goal in the two road losses - including a 1-0 overtime defeat in Game 2 - the Rangers' offense broke out. New York even scored a power-play goal and added another tally just as another advantage ended.
" We didn't break,'' said Rangers forward Derick Brassard, who had a goal and two assists on Monday. " I think our bunch was really positive. Guys were really confident that we tried to find a way to win the game. At the end of the game our top line came out strong for us. They were competing hard all game. They came out huge for us to get that goal.
That winner was scored by Derek Stepan, who deflected a pass from Nash in behind goalie Braden Holtby with 6:25 left in regulation. It was the Rangers' second tiebreaking goal of the third period.
It never would've happened if defenseman Ryan McDonagh hadn't deftly kept the puck in the Washington end just before it was about to leave the zone at the left point. McDonagh moved the puck to Mats Zuccarello, who got it to Nash for the winning play.


The moment was sweet redemption for the 23-year-old McDonagh, whose delay-of-game penalty when he inadvertently shot the puck out of play led directly to Mike Green's overtime goal in Game 2 on Saturday.
" He makes a mistake, and to me that's not a mistake, it's just happenstance,'' Tortorella said of the Game 2 penalty. " It never bothers him. It killed him after the game, but that's what, at such a young age, that he has. He is able to recover and go out and play. It doesn't surprise me at all how he handled himself."
McDonagh also has the daunting task of trying to keep top Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin in check. Ovechkin had no points while logging over 22 minutes of ice time in Game 3.


Ovechkin wasn't one of the few players the Capitals made available to reporters at the team hotel on Tuesday, but coach Adam Oates addressed comments from McDonagh that Ovechkin seemed tired before the Rangers scored the winning goal.
" I don't think he was tired,'' Oates said. " I think that I didn't do a good enough job getting him in his rhythm, probably because of penalties."


The Capitals were short-handed six times and received only three power plays of their own. The last came with 1:54 remaining after Ovechkin was high-sticked by Brad Richards.
Washington pulled Holtby for an extra skater, giving the Capitals a 6-on-4 skating advantage, and put on lots of pressure in the Rangers' end. While the Capitals controlled the puck as time ran down, they never got a shot in on goalie Henrik Lundqvist.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2013/05/08/32596_preview.html#ixzz2SkGB0tM2

New York Islanders vs Philadelphia Flyers April 25, 2013

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Having clinched a playoff spot, the New York Islanders are making a few lineup changes, but this clinch-hangover game is far from meaningless: Depending on how this and other games go tonight, the sixth-place Islanders could end the evening in anywhere from fifth to eighth place.

Ottawa and New York are each two points behind the Isles, and regulation wins would give them tie-breaker advantages if the Islanders fail to fetch a point in Philadelphia. On the other hand, an Isles win and a Toronto regulation loss puts the Isles in fifth.

The lineup changes? Well Kevin Poulin gets a start to give Evgeni Nabokov a rare chance at a spa and rest.

But the jarring move is removing Thomas Hickey in favor of Matt Carkner, which breaks up the fantastic partnership Hickey has developed with Lubomir Visnovsky over the second half of this season. Given the opponent and the possibility for garbage-time tomfoolery, the Isles arguably have incentive to put some policemen in the lineup.

But more than that, we'll get a look at how different defensemen work together as we head into the playoffs. Ever since Brian Strait's ankle injury, Carkner's rotating appearances (alternating with Radek Martinek) have come next to Mark Streit. With Strait back, the alphabetically tricky Strait-Streit partnership was reformed. So either way Vis gets a new partner tonight.

Ottawa Senators vs Washington Capitals April 25, 2013

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The Ottawa Senators will get a major boost in their final push for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the return of Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Karlsson told reporters after Ottawa's morning skate at Verizon Center he will play Thursday night against the Washington Capitals. Karlsson was expected to miss 4-6 months after surgery Feb. 14 to repair a 70-percent laceration to the Achilles tendon in his left foot.

If he does play Thursday against Washington (7 p.m. ET), it will be 10 weeks to the day of the injury.

Karlsson skated a regular shift alongside defense partner Marc Methot at practice Wednesday.

"I have no concerns," Senators coach Paul MacLean said Wednesday when asked if Karlsson was coming back too soon. "If he says he's ready to play, then he's ready to play. He's done the work.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins April 25, 2013

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As is pretty much standard operating procedure after the Boston Bruins take a big loss, they took yesterday off altogether (now, whether that’s the best course of action or not is debatable) and are back in action today for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lighting. This is the game, by the way, that was rescheduled from the beginning of February, when a huge blizzard necessitated a redo because the city was pretty much paralyzed. It’s also one of three upcoming games for Boston as they close out the regular season, including another reschedule.


Tampa Bay may be out of the playoffs once again this year, but they’re still shaking things up and making headlines. Steven Stamkos is not far at all from the lead in the Rocket Richard goal-scoring race. Last night, Marty St. Louis just took over the lead in NHL scoring and is now at 58 points, proving that short folks can do big things.


The Bruins may be in some strange headspace right now, thinking about all the things that went wrong in their most recent 5-2 loss while also trying to move past it and focus on tonight’s game. But really, the way they performed in that game was just so bad in so many ways that they kind of deserve to be in a tough place mentally.


Of the Bruins at today’s notably longer morning skate, Nathan Horton did skate, but remains day-to-day and won’t play tonight. It’s also hard to predict what might be done for defensive pairings since now there are just so many defensemen and that ongoing mission to let some of them rest before the playoffs. A popular sentiment in the midst of that terrible game was to let Zdeno Chara take a night off because, to use a sports cliche, his head was not in the game. Plus, it’s so close to playoffs and this game means little beyond the potential acquisition of two points–it won’t, say, decide whether or not Boston gets into the dance at all–but the project d-pairs have Chara right in the lineup, so who even knows.
The huge show of support from all over the league for Boston’s relief efforts continues. The blue and yellow awareness ribbon stickers will adorn the helmets of Lightning players tonight. Then, in an interesting turn from how jerseys are usually the ones auctioned off, the helmets themselves will go up on the block with all proceeds off to One Fund. That’s a neat twist.

Nashville Predators vs Detroit Red Wings April 25, 2013

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After their latest victory moved them back into playoff position, the Red Wings look for a third straight win Thursday night when they face the visiting Nashville Predators, whom they've shut out in the last two meetings.

Detroit (22-16-8) has earned at least one point in six of seven games and with a second straight victory Wednesday, 3-1 over Los Angeles, moved one point ahead of Columbus into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Red Wings are one point behind seventh-place Minnesota.

"We're trying to crawl our way back into the playoffs," Detroit's Jimmy Howard said after he made 23 saves Wednesday.

With two games remaining, the Red Wings have only themselves to blame if they don't reach the playoffs for a 22nd straight season -- and last before heading to the Eastern Conference.

"We still have it in our own hands," said captain Henrik Zetterberg, who has five assists in two games. "We've been playing pretty good and if we play like that, we'll be fine.

"There's been ups and downs, but mostly we've been able to keep working hard."

Johan Franzen wasn't able to finish Wednesday's game because of an undisclosed injury, but coach Mike Babcock hoped he would be healthy enough to play Thursday.

After its home finale, Detroit travels to Dallas on Saturday for what it hopes will not be the final game of the year. The Blue Jackets, who visit the Stars on Thursday, host Nashville (16-21-9) on Saturday.

"They've all felt like a playoff game here for a while," Howard said. "So, it's just two more here, and hopefully get the job done."

Howard has been a big reason behind Detroit's last two victories, stopping 57 of 58 shots. He's made 55 saves while the Red Wings have outscored the Predators 7-0 in the last two meetings.

Detroit last recorded three straight shutouts of the same opponent against Colorado from Jan. 8-Feb. 8, 2008. Nashville, meanwhile, has never been blanked by the same foe in three consecutive contests.

Pavel Datsyuk, who had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings on Wednesday, has one score with five assists in three games versus Nashville this season.

Looking to avoid their first nine-game road slide since one of the same duration spanned the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, the Predators have dropped 14 of 15 (1-10-4) away from home.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers April 25, 2013

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to regain their momentum and potentially improve their seeding before heading into the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

They'll try to sweep a season series from the Florida Panthers for the first time in seven years Thursday night.

Toronto (25-16-5) has already clinched a postseason berth, and is trying to gain ground in the race for home-ice advantage in a first-round playoff series.

The Maple Leafs are fifth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind fourth-place Montreal with two games left. They're also one point ahead of the sixth-place New York Islanders with Ottawa and the New York Rangers lurking three points back.

Toronto may have a chance to gain ground on the Canadiens, who visit a Winnipeg team on Thursday playing its season finale in the hopes of keeping its playoff hopes alive.

The Leafs and Canadiens conclude the regular season in Toronto on Saturday.

Before that, the Maple Leafs will try to shake out of a 1-3-0 funk after going 7-1-1 over the previous nine games.

Their recent struggles continued with Wednesday's 5-2 defeat at Tampa Bay.

"Our execution with the puck has to get better," coach Randy Carlyle said. "We can't make these same mistakes in the postseason."

Joffrey Lupul has a goal in each of the past three games, giving him 11 with six assists over his past 11 contests. That includes a pair of third-period goals in a 3-2 win over Florida (14-26-6) on March 26.

Phil Kessel, who has seven goals and eight assists in nine games, assisted on both of Lupul's tallies in that meeting after scoring one of his own in a 3-0 win at Florida on Feb. 8.

The Maple Leafs last swept a season series from the Panthers in 2005-06, winning all four meetings.

The Panthers are trying to conclude their home schedule with back-to-back wins for just the second time this season.

They played the role of spoiler Tuesday, beating the New York Rangers 3-2 to keep them from clinching a playoff spot.

Coach Kevin Dineen, though, doesn't care what opponents are playing for while Florida misses the postseason for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

"Our goal is to concentrate on our game," he said.

Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist against the Rangers, giving him seven points over the past seven home games.

The left wing scored in the most recent meeting with Toronto, while Jonathan Huberdeau managed an assist.

With two games left in the regular season, Huberdeau is making a final push to become the first member of the Panthers to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.

He's the rookie scoring leader with 14 goals while his 28 points are tied for first with Ottawa's Cory Conacher. Huberdeau, though, has one goal and is a minus-7 over his last 11 games.

Dallas Stars vs Los Angeles Kings March 21, 2013

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The Los Angeles Kings have won five straight at home since losing to the Dallas Stars.

The defending Stanley Cup champions have that defeat fresh in their minds as they host the Stars on Thursday night.

Los Angeles (17-10-2) has taken the first three of this five-game homestand, and will now look to exact revenge on the last visiting team to win at Staples Center. Dallas (13-13-3) won 5-2 on March 7 in the only 2013 meeting between these Pacific Division rivals.

"Dallas kicked our (butt) in here last time," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

Sutter voiced his displeasure with Jonathan Quick after that contest. Quick made 17 saves on 21 shots, as the Stars scored three times in the third period to snap a tie.

Quick has a 3.13 goals-against average in his last five starts and has been splitting time with Jonathan Bernier, who is 1-2-1 with a 2.22 GAA in four career starts versus Dallas.

Bernier improved to 7-2-0 with a 1.94 GAA this season with a career-high 40 saves Tuesday in a 3-2 home victory over Phoenix.

Sutter continues to play it by ear as to who his goaltender will be on a nightly basis.

Vancouver Canucks vs Phoenix Coyotes March 21, 2013

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A return home might be what the Phoenix Coyotes need to consistently generate some offense and end their longest skid of the season.

The Coyotes look to avoid a fifth straight loss while trying for a fourth consecutive victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Phoenix (13-13-4) ended its franchise-record three-game stretch without a goal, but concluded an 0-3-1 trip with a 3-2 loss at Los Angeles on Tuesday. Shane Doan scored the first of his two in the third period to snap the Coyotes' drought of 245 minutes, 32 seconds without a goal.

Doan's goals were Phoenix's first during an 0-4-1 road slide.

"When you haven't scored in three games, you're going to get pretty desperate," Doan said. "We were desperate enough, but we didn't find a way to do it."

The Coyotes hope they're able to get it done during a two-game stop at home, where they have averaged 3.5 non-shootout goals while winning six of eight. Phoenix went 0 for 12 on the power play during the recent trip but has scored with the man advantage in three of the last four at home.

Florida Panthers vs New York Rangers March 21, 2013

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After stumbling a bit, the New York Rangers are starting to regain momentum.

A visit from the NHL-worst Florida Panthers isn't likely to slow them down.

The Rangers aim for a third consecutive win and fourth in a row over the Panthers as these teams meet for the first time this season Thursday night.

New York (15-12-2) had been outscored 9-2 in losing a season-worst three straight in regulation, but got back on track with Monday's 2-1 shootout win over Carolina. The Rangers earned another two points the following night with a 3-2 victory at New Jersey, moving into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Michael Del Zotto had a goal and an assist and Rick Nash's team-leading 10th score put the Rangers up for good 7:25 into the second period. New York improved to 13-3-1 when Nash has least one point.

Montreal Canadiens vs New York Islanders March 21, 2013

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The Montreal Canadiens weren't entirely discouraged after their failed comeback bid, which would have extended their winning streak to their longest of the season. But they'll still have plenty to clean up after a crucial mistake proved costly.

To get back on track, Montreal will need a road victory Thursday night against the New York Islanders, a team they've had difficulties with recently.

Montreal (19-5-5), which trails only Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference standings, is 13-1-4 in its last 18 games, with that lone regulation loss coming on Long Island, 6-3, on March 5. The Canadiens had won five in a row since that defeat, but that run came to an end with Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Buffalo.

It was the second straight game that Montreal was held to two goals after scoring four or more in seven of the previous eight contests.

But coach Michel Therrien saw a positive in finding a way to come away with a point after the club trailed 2-0 entering the third.

"We never quit," he said "I thought the guys worked really hard to make a comeback. As long as the effort is there, I'm going to be satisfied."

Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators March 11, 2013

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The Boston Bruins look to continue their dominant play when they take on the struggling Ottawa Senators on Monday evening.
The Bruins are coming off a tremendous 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers that saw the team score in three goals in the span of over two minutes.
"I think we only had one shot in the first 10 minutes, but I didn't think that we were playing poorly," Forward Chris Kelly said. "The shots aren't always there. We seemed to get rolling after that and I thought we played a pretty consistent game."

Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators March 11, 2013

"I think it was better for our team to play a solid 60-minute defensive game but still get the offense," said goalie Tuuka Rask who made 23 saves for his 13th career shutout. "Not so for me to get the shutout cause we're a team here and win as a team and lose as a team but it's always good to get a shutout, it tells a lot about team defense."
"Our guys stuck to the game plan," Coach Claude Julien said. "We looked more like the team that had those leads in the past. We had a little glitch there for a couple of games. We're hoping to turn the page on that."

Vancouver Canucks vs Minnesota Wild March 10, 2013

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Welcome to the halfway mark of the season, ladies and gentlemen. It is fitting that the Wild not only play the Canucks tonight, but also have the chance to take over the Northwest Division with a win in regulation. While the faux rivalry with the Canucks has grown tired after missing the playoffs for the better part of the last century, this game will no doubt carry a playoff atmosphere, which should ratchet up the bitterness.

The Wild are going to need to do their best to not buy into the stupidity that normally comes with a Canucks game. If Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikael Granlund are scratched again, and Zenon Konopka skates tonight, Konopka will need to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. That is, unless he is taking a Canuck with him for an equal amount of time. Putting the Canucks on the power play is just begging for a loss.

For the Canucks, the struggles are palpable. Just 3-3-4 in their last ten, they have to be salivating coming into tonight. The Canucks love them some Wild games, and have to be thinking easy two. However, the Wild play the Canucks much better at the X than at in Vancouver, and the Nucks know it. The Sedins will be flying and Burrows will be hungry (watch your fingers, boys).

Struggles or not, the Canucks are still one of the best in the league. If the Wild let the Nucks get rolling, this game is going to turn into a repeat of the Hawks game, and no one is going to want any part of it. On the flip side, if the Wild play a full 60 minutes, this is a winnable game, and the Northwest can be theirs.

Should be a good one tonight, folks. This one should have a great vibe to it. That will be up to the Wild to provide.

Game time is 7:00 PM. Hopefully you all changed your clocks.

St.Louis Blues vs Anaheim Ducks March 10, 2013

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The San Jose Sharks look to rebound from their defeat on Saturday when they travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche. It wasn't easy for the Sharks against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon and in the end they just didn't have enough to pull out the win. Logan Couture's ninth goal of the season tied the game at 1-1 in the opening period and the Sharks then seemingly took control in the second. Scott Gomez added his second goal of the year and Matt Irwin added a power play goal as San Jose led 3-1 going into the final 20 minutes. They watched the Blues tie it during a stretch of a little over a minute and ultimately take the game to overtime. In the extra frame the Blues snuck another one past Antti Niemi as St. Louis handed the Sharks a 4-3 defeat. Niemi was pulled after allowing St. Louis to tie the game and he watched Alex Stalock come in and stop his first six shots before surrendering the game winner in overtime. They'll look to get back on track in this one as they'll travel to Colorado to take on an Avalanche club that they've already defeated twice this season. Colorado comes into this one after Friday night's impressive performance that saw them hand the Chicago Blackhawks their first regulation loss of the season. Matt Duchene had a goal and three assists, P.A. Parenteau added a goal and two assists, and the Avalanche used a four goal second period to rout the Blackhawks by a final of 6-2. Semyon Varlamov was strong in goal again for Colorado and he made 31 saves to pick up his seventh win of the season. The home team is 17-5 the last 22 meetings in this series. San Jose is 20-7 the last 27 overall. The Over is 4-1 the last five meetings.

St Louis Blues vs Anaheim Ducks March 10, 2013

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Jonas Hiller hasn't played a whole bunch this season, but when he has played, he has played very well. He's won four of his last five, his last start was a shutout, and has a 7-2-2 record. It's interesting that his record is so good, because his stats have seen better days. He has a 2.93 GAA and a .896 save percentage. His team's overcome the occasional clunker of a game from their goaltender, which is why they're leading the Pacific and the Blues are just trying to keep pace in the playoff hunt.

A clunker of a game from whatever goaltender is in the Blues' net usually starts a trickle-down effect of a defensive breakdown followed by a lack of scoring. The last game the Blues played against the Ducks broke that trend, at least as far as the offense goes. They lit up newcomer Viktor Fasth for five goals, but still managed to lose 6-5 in the shootout because the defense was unobservant and Brian Elliott couldn't stop a Mack truck if he wanted to.

Jaroslav Halak is back in net tonight, and despite a clunker in Los Angeles against the Kings, he gives the Blues a chance to win every night. The Blues just need to continue focusing their offense and they can break the Ducks' winning streak at home.

Also helpful would be some tightening at defense, but one thing at a time, people.

Buffalo Sabres vs Philadelphia Flyers March 10, 2013

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The Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres are both in last place in their respective divisions and on three-game losing streaks.

One of these teams will end its slide Sunday night when they meet in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia (11-14-1) never recovered from a bad start in Saturday's 3-0 loss at Boston. The game was scoreless midway through the first period before the Flyers yielded all three goals in a span of 2 minutes, 18 seconds.

"You look down the bench and everyone's heads were down and it just seemed like we were real deflated right from that bad, and that's not what good teams do," winger Scott Hartnell said. "It's on us to pick each other up and to support each other and just be positive and it just seemed like it was down 1-0 and it seemed like we just packed it in."

Philadelphia held a team meeting after the loss as it tries to avoid its first four-game slide in two seasons.

"It's always good when you have a meeting," captain Claude Giroux told the league's official website. "You want to make sure everybody's on the same page, and that's what we did."

While the Flyers' defeats in their streak have all come in regulation, Buffalo (9-13-3) is 0-1-2 in its last three. The Sabres have played six straight one-goal contests, and are 3-3-2 under interim coach Ron Rolston.

"You throw the first two games out, Toronto and the Islanders, in the last six, we've gotten eight points," Rolston said. "And when you look at those games, potentially we should have had 10 points of 12."

One area that remains a concern for Buffalo is a power play converting a league-worst 12.2 percent of its chances, and an Eastern Conference-low 8.7 percent on the road. That unit has scored in consecutive games for the first time under Rolston, whose team has not played since Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss at New Jersey.

"Certainly we're seeing some better things there, better puck movement, more options for the power play now and I think that's going to continue to grow," Rolston said.

Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers March 10, 2013

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Montreal Canadiens 16-5-4 (36 pts) at Florida Panthers 7-12-6 (20 pts)

A tough test awaits the Florida Panthers tonight at 6 pm when they face the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens in the second game of a three game home stand. Florida dropped the first game against the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime. Florida went down 2-0 early on Friday night against the Jets.


Goalie Jacob Markstrom allowed a goal on the Jets first shot one night after allowing two goals on the Washington Capitals‘ first two shots in Florida’s 7-1 loss Thursday in Washington.  While Markstrom was pulled from the game Thursday, head coach Kevin Dineen kept him in the game Friday and Markstrom shut the door the rest of regulation allowing Florida to comeback and send the game to overtime. Jonathan Huberdeau (12) and Shawn Matthias (6) scored for the Panthers. Huberdeau has now scored in all four match ups against the Jets this year. Dustin Byfuglien scored the overtime winner for the Jets on a play where he split the Panther Tomas duo as Fleischmann and Kopecky seemed unable to do anything other than wave their sticks at the big defender.

Portland Trail blazers vs San Antonio Spurs March 8 2013

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The San Antonio Spurs have won all three of their games since losing starting point guard Tony Parker to an ankle injury, which is important to consider when making your NBA picks on Friday night, when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center.

The San Antonio Spurs look to improve on their dominant record at home when they play host to the Portland Trailblazers tonight.

Coming off blowout victories over the Kings and the Pistons, the Spurs started slow against the Bulls and fell behind by 14 but were able to turn it around with a dominant second half to win by 101-83 on Wednesday. Tim Duncan looked a spry as ever and had himself 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, while Manu Ginobili added 18 points and nine assists off the bench. Cory Joseph continues to fill in for Parker, but with the game blown wide open, Patty Mills was able to play some rare minutes in which he contributed 13 points. With the win, San Antonio improved to 48-14 on the season and 25-3 at home.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat March 8 2013

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It's going to take one heck of a game from the Philadelphia 76ers to stop the Miami Heat's win streak at 16 games.

With the 76ers dropping 10 of their past 11 games, it's clear that their season is heading in the completely opposite direction.

Chris Bosh starts things off with a nearly air-balled layup. That sounds about right.

76ers 1, Heat 0—11:34 remaining in the 1st quarter


The Miami Heat's winning streak continues to grow. While the team insists they're focused on the bigger picture, a home matchup with the struggling Philadelphia 76ers seems to pose little threat to the team's red-hot run.

Miami can win its 17th straight game, matching the 12th-longest streak in NBA history and the league's best this season, with a victory over the Sixers on Friday night.

The Heat (45-14) already defeated Philadelphia once during the streak, 114-90 on Feb. 23, and now look for their 13th consecutive win in this regular-season series.

Eleven of the Heat's 16 straight victories - one shy of the Clippers' run to close 2012 - have come by double digits. However, three of four this month have been by seven points or fewer.

They needed some late-game heroics from LeBron James in a 97-96 win over Orlando on Wednesday. James provided the game-winning layup with 3.2 seconds left to extend the franchise-record streak, though the team doesn't sound preoccupied with the number.

"It really doesn't affect us," said Dwyane Wade, averaging 27.7 points and shooting 61.9 percent over the last seven games. That stretch includes 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting against Philadelphia.

"In a sense, we want to win, and we want to win every game we play. The day it comes where our streak gets broken we move on to the next game. Obviously, it is great, when you look back at it one day and say, 'Oh, we won that many games in a row.' But right now, we are just playing."

Instead, Miami still has its focus set on winning a second straight championship. A win Friday is the next step on that road, as the Heat would become the first team to clinch a playoff spot - with 22 games to play.

"We don't even talk about it," James said of the streak, during which he's averaging 28.2 points and shooting 61.0 percent. "We don't really get caught up into the streak at all. What we are trying to do is bigger than a streak."

Winnipeg Jets vs Florida Panthers March 8 2013

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Winnipeg Jets vs Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers must be glad to be out of Washington. After last night’s 7-1 loss, the Panthers have been outscored 12-1 in their two games in Washington. Luckily for Florida, they only have to face the Capitals one more time and the game will be in Florida. The Panthers have little time to regroup after last night’s drubbing as they return home tonight to face the Winnipeg Jets.

 Florida has fared well against the Jets this season having gone 2-0-1 against them. It was only three nights ago that the Panthers convincingly beat the Jets at home 4-1. Both teams are coming off a game the previous night. We know all about what happened to the Panthers in Washington, the Jets had a much better night, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. Al Montoya got the start for the Jets, his first since Feb. 12th, and picked up the win, stopping 27 of 28. We can expect to see Ondrej Pavelec in net for the Jets tonight.


 The Panthers goaltender tonight is a mystery. Neither keeper did anything last night to demonstrate they deserve the start tonight. Jacob Markstrom was pulled 3:10 into the first period after allowing two goals on two shots. Scott Clemmensen came on in relief and allowed five goals on 24 shots. I would guess that Markstrom will be given a chance to redeem himself tonight especially since he played well in the Panthers win over the Jets on Tuesday

Winnipeg Jets vs Florida Panthers March 8 2013

Start Time : 7:30 PM

Ottawa Senators vs New York Rangers March 8 2013

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Ottawa Senators vs New York Rangers Ottawa Senators vs New York Rangers will play at home after winning this fight. This Friday evening match, the first match played between Senators vs Rangers.

7:00 am Match starts at.


Rangers center Brad Richards is back in the New York lineup Friday night against the Ottawa Senators after missing two games following a hard hit into the boards five days earlier.

Richards, who sat out a pair of Rangers wins, skated on his own Friday as his teammates had the morning off, and felt well enough to return. No specific injury was announced, but New York coach John Tortorella had said that Richards was "banged up."

Richards was shoved from behind into the boards by Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta on Sunday in the third period of New York's 3-2 victory, but returned to the ice that night. Neck and back soreness are believed to be what kept him out since then.
Kaleta was ejected from the game and then received a five-game suspension from the NHL.