Catch yourself up on Stanley Cup Playoffs

So, you haven’t been watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs? Well, first off, shame on you. But… So, you haven’t been watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs? Well, first off, shame on you. But not to worry, here is a recap of what you might have missed through Tuesday:

Eastern Conference:

Montreal vs. Boston

Canadiens lead 3-1

Thanks to stellar goaltending from rookie netminder Carey Price and timely goals, the top-seeded Canadiens look to finish off the Bruins at 7 tonight on home ice.

Brothers Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn stole the show in Game 1, scoring a goal apiece in the first two minutes of the game to power the Canadiens to a 4-1 victory.

In Game 2, two consecutive Bruins’ penalties, one at the end of regulation and another in overtime, led to Alexi Kovalev’s power-play goal 2:30 into overtime, giving the Habs a 3-2 overtime win.

In Game 3, again in overtime, the Bruins caught a break when the Canadien’s Bryan Smolinski was signaled for a penalty as Boston controlled the puck. Goalie Tim Thomas skated to the bench, and Dennis Wideman found the driving extra-attacker in Marc Savard for a wide-open backhand to give the Bruins a 2-1 win.

Carey Price earned his first career playoff shutout as the Canadiens blanked the Bruins 1-0 in Game 4. Price stopped all 27 shots by the Bruins, who are trying to avoid a first-round playoff exit for the third straight time.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

(Pending last night’s result) Penguins lead 3-0

Hopefully there is nothing more to be said about this series.

Washington vs. Philadelphia

Flyers lead 2-1

The playoff premiere of Alex Ovechkin and his Capitals has been a rough one courtesy of the Broad Street Bullies. The Flyers will look to build their series lead tonight in Game 4 at 7 p.m. at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Game 1 offered the type of game any hockey fan would love to watch as both teams scored early and often. But an Ovechkin goal with 4:32 left in the game after a bad giveaway by the Flyers’ defense won the game 5-4.

The Flyers’ Martin Biron earned his first career playoff shutout in Game 2 making 24 saves to knot the series at 1-1.

It was all Flyers in Game 3 as they outshot, outhit and most importantly outscored the Capitals on home ice to net a 6-3 win and take a 2-1 advantage in the series.

New Jersey vs. New York

(Pending last night’s result) Rangers lead 2-1

Both teams will look to take an advantage in the series tomorrow night.

Game 1 was the Devils’ worst nightmare. Their homegrown Scott Gomez, now wearing the Rangers blue, notched three assists to lead the Rangers to a 4-1 road victory.

Henrik Lundqvist out-dueled the veteran Brodeur again in Game 2, allowing one goal on 27 Devils shots, and the Rangers took the 2-0 advantage in the series.

All bounces went the Devils way in Game 3, including two off of the skates of Sergei Brylin and Rangers defenseman Mark Staal, brother of Penguins forward Jordan Staal, and gave the Devils the 4-3 victory.

Western Conference:

Detroit vs. Nashville

(Pending last night’s result) Red Wings lead 2-1

The Red Wings took Game 1 thanks to a questionable non-call which led to the game-winning goal late in the third period. Red Wings’ goalie Dominik Hasek, playing in his 116th playoff game, only needed to make 19 stops in the victory.

Bad bounces again haunted the Predators in Game 2. Nashville had a goal waved off, the Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom scored when one of his teammates could have been called for goaltender interference, and the Wings’ Kris Draper broke a 2-2 tie by scoring off of a Predators defenseman’s skate. In his second career playoff game, the Predators’ Dan Ellis made 34 saves.

The Predators bounced back in Game 3, overcoming a 3-2 deficit with three goals in the third period.

San Jose vs. Calgary

Series tied 2-2

The Sharks and Flames take to the ice at 10 p.m. in San Jose to fight for the series lead.

A dominating regular season by the Sharks was quickly forgotten in the silence of the Shark Tank’s crowd in Game 1. Stephane Yelle’s two goals and a Dion Phaneuf power-play goal powered them to a 3-2 win.

In Game 2, two goals in the second period propelled the Sharks to a 2-0 win.

The Sharks bolted to an early 3-0 lead in Game 3, with three goals in the game’s first five minutes to chase Kiprusoff from the game. Replacement goalie Curtis Joseph proceeded to not allow a goal in the next 55 minutes, and the Flames scored four unanswered goals, to give the Flames a 4-3 lead in the game and a 2-1 lead in the series.

Joe Thornton redirected a Douglas Murray slap shot from the point with 10 seconds left to give the Sharks a 3-2 victory in Game 4.

Minnesota vs. Colorado

Series tied 2-2

The Wild and Avalanche take to the ice tonight at 9 in Minnesota to duke it out for the lead in the series.

In the first of three straight overtime games, Joe Sakic led his Avalanche with an early assist and the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Avs a 3-2 victory.

Game 2 was another overtime thriller, but it fell the Wild’s way. Keith Carney provided the heroics for the home crowd when he grabbed a rebound at the left circle and fired a slap shot past Theodore to give the Wild a 3-2 win in overtime.

Game 3 was much the same. The Avs scored early, but the Wild scored two unanswered goals in the third period to grab a 2-1 lead.

Sakic then found the back of the net to force overtime, when Pierre-Marc Bouchard ripped a wrist shot past Jose Theodore from the slot to win the game for the Wild.

Game 4 was a physical, penalty-filled affair with a combined 38 penalties being called, leading to an absurd 111 minutes of penalty time. The Avs netted five straight goals, including three in the first period, to roll to a 5-1 victory.

Anaheim vs. Dallas

Stars lead 2-1

The Ducks and Stars take the ice tonight at 8 in Dallas.

In the first game of their championship defense, the Ducks looked nothing like their championship form of last year. The Stars, however, took that role and steamrolled the Ducks on their way to a 4-0 victory.

Game 2 saw more dominance from the Stars. Mike Ribeiro and Jere Lehtinen each scored to give the Stars and early 2-0 advantage. Finally, the Ducks showed signs of life, scoring two unanswered goals to tie the game. But Mike Modano and Brad Richards goals put the game away for Dallas.

The Ducks were in trouble in Game 3. They were down two games to none on the road in a packed American Airlines Center. But the poised Ducks scored three goals in the first period and another in the second to quiet the crowd and bury the Stars.