NEW YORK - After the Rangers slipped to the brink of elimination Tuesday with a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden, a win that gave the Bruins a commanding 3-0 in the series, the talk was about bounces.
Sharks forward TJ Galiardi said Wednesday that Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is guilty of "a little embellishment every now and then" in this Western Conference semifinal series as he tries to draw penalties on San Jose forwards.
Defenseman Andy Sutton officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League on Wednesday.
SAN JOSE, Calif.-Turns out the San Jose Sharks were not blowing smoke, and now their series with the Los Angeles Kings has become a simple best-of-three.
LOS ANGELES-Anze Kopitar suspected something might be up. In two games at San Jose, the Kings had scored two goals and lost twice to the Sharks, dropping into a 2-2 tie in the teams' Western Conference semifinal playoff series. The Kings perfected the art of playing taut, low-scoring games last spring but that scoring pace probably won't get them out of this round.
They talked about urgency. They talked about the need to get more goals early to survive the inevitable third-period onslaught from the Los Angeles Kings. They talked about the imperative of winning a game away from home.
John Tortorella's message isn't going to change even though his New York Rangers are in an even more desperate situation than before their latest loss to the Boston Bruins.
Daniel Paille's goal with 3:31 left in the game led the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 3 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series. The win gives the Bruins a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series with a chance to close things out on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Johnny Boychuk tied the contest early in the third period while Tuukka Rask turned away 23 shots for Boston, which got a pair of assists from Shawn Thornton. Taylor Pyatt had the lone goal while Henrik Lundqvist made 32 stops for the Rangers, who have dug themselves a deep hole thanks to going 0-for-10 on the power play in this series, including 0-for-2 on Tuesday.
James Neal and Jarome Iginla each had two goals to help lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 7-3 Game 4 win over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.
The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly fired head coach Alain Vigneault along with his entire coaching staff, in the wake of a disappointing first-round playoff exit.
Down on the ice after absorbing another crosscheck that sent him flying into the maelstrom in front of the Red Wings goal, Jonathan Toews spun on his knees and whacked away at the puck.
Antti Niemi made 22 saves to help the San Jose Sharks take a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of this Western Conference semifinal series.
It took 40 years for Original Six rivals Boston and New York to face off again in the playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks will try to even their Western Conference semifinal series when they host the Los Angeles Kings in Tuesday's Game 4 battle at HP Pavilion.
Neatly framed but almost forgotten, a front page from the San Jose Mercury News sits against the wall in a room above the Sharks' practice rink. The newspaper photograph depicts a coach and two players, and the headline is bold:
Just because the Detroit Red Wings were the beneficiaries of a controversial no-goal call late in Game 3, it doesn't mean the seventh-seeded club isn't making its own breaks.
DETROIT - Sometimes, it takes more than urgency and effort.
Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic formed a productive partnership on the ice during their playing days, leading the Colorado Avalanche to two Stanley Cup titles.
DETROIT � Up and down. Quick as a minute. The compass was broken at Joe Louis Arena, and the game had only two directions: north and south. It was a track meet, a caffeinated pogo stick, all breathless goals and breathless chances. Fortunately, the Red Wings had three of the former and Jimmy Howard for the latter. When the horn sounded, the oddsmakers were rubbing their eyes, fans were singing Bon Jovi - "Whoa-oh, we're halfway there! ..." - and Chicago will have to beat the Wings three times in four chances now to keep them out of the Western Conference finals.
The Chicago Blackhawks were controlling the puck and dominating play early in the second period. It took all of a half-minute for the Detroit Red Wings to swing the momentum.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin underwent reconstructive surgery on Tuesday to repair damage to both the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee
With a two-day break between games in Detroit during their Western Conference semifinal series against the Red Wings, the Blackhawks were scheduled to head to Chicago to sleep in their own beds after Game 3.
Daniel Paille's goal with 3:31 left in the game led the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 3 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The New York Rangers will try to get on the board in the Eastern Conference semifinals when they host the Boston Bruins in Tuesday's Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Patrick Roy is in line to become the next head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
