Last night we saw two game threes go into overtime, with each game ending 3-2.
In Raleigh, the Bruins looked completely out of steam, yet still made it to OT before losing.
In Pittsburgh, the Caps seemed to spend the whole game on the penalty kill. And while the penalty kill was strong, it prevented Washington from [...]

I love when people say hockey is a team sport and one person really never has the ability to dominate a game, unlike the NBA. If anyone says that, show them last night’s Caps-Pens game, where Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin each had a hat trick.
It’s funny to watch Washington play Pittsburgh so well considering [...]

Wow. Two crazy game sevens last night.
Down in DC, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made some stunning saves against the Capitals, but ended up giving up a soft game-winner, once again showing how vulnerable he is when you shoot shortside on him. For whatever reason, Lundqvist just does not fully hug the post.
The Rangers controlled the [...]

How can you not be impressed by the poise and maturity of the Chicago Blackhawks?
Going into Calgary in game seven, you would think a young team like Chicago would collapse under the pressure and expectations. Instead, they went in and won the first round of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks were aided by Calgary playing without defenseman [...]

In a lot of ways, it’s kind of a relief for a coach to be down 4-1 in a game. It frees the coach up to make riskier decisions, since the game is pretty much gone anyway.
Last night, down 4-1 to the Flames, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville rode his third and fourth line to a [...]

Everyone made a big deal about Alex Ovechkin sitting on the Caps bench to watch the Rangers practice before game three.
Maybe he caught some of a passing drill and decided he wanted to pass the puck, too.
After spending the first two games almost pathologically refusing to pass up a shot, Ovechkin spent game three distributing [...]

The beauty of the playoffs is that teams see each other over a series, allowing each to adjust.
This is key as last night’s Ranger win over the Capitals was a bit of an upset. The Rangers want to do it again. The Capitals are looking to put themselves back on track.
Washington goalie Jose Theodore was [...]

Wow. Last night Phoenix’s Al Montoya became the first Cuban-American to play in the NHL. Even better, he got a shutout.
Montoya is a former first-round pick who’s never seemed particularly ready for the NHL, so it’s great he had such a strong game. Even if it was against a horrible team. A horrible team a [...]

Saturday night, Islanders coach Scott Gordon used stay-at-home defenseman Brendan Witt in the shootout, obviously a very strange move. Greg Logan finally got to ask Gordon about the rationale for Witt. Basically, it sounds like Gordon is just experimenting, since the season is over. I’m with Gordon on this. I’d put my backup goalie in [...]

Wow. Martin Erat is out for the rest of the season. That’s tough for Nashville, who really haven’t locked down a spot in the playoffs. Even worse, he was hurt by friendly fire — teammate Shea Weber pulled the trigger. The only good news is that the Predators might call up the beloved Jed Ortmeyer, [...]