Last night was the busiest on the schedule so far with five games being played.  We also had our first elimination game of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh 3 @ Philadelphia 1 – There’s no harder working person in Philly than Marc-Andre Fleury.  He faced 46 shots, many of which were point-blank, but turned away enough to pick up the win.  The physical play and general chippiness were a little subdued last night compared to game 3.  Matt Cooke had a pair of assists for the Pens while Flyers pugilist Dan Carcillo scored the only Philadelphia goal on the night.  At least the Flyers looked good in their orange jerseys and the “orange out” in the stands looks cool.  On the ice, Philly looks like they’re destined for their second straight 5-game elimination at the hands of Pittsburgh in as many years.
Pittsburgh leads the series 3-1

Detroit 4 @ Columbus 1 –The city of Columbus lost their playoff virginity last night.  And like many virgins, they started the night excited but ended a little disappointed.  Tomas Holmstrom’s goal one minute was this series in a microcosm as the Wings took a stranglehold on the series.  Chris Osgood made 31 saves for the win.  Henrik Zetterberg had a pair of goals while Dan Cleary had three points including the game winning goal.  R.J. Umberger had the only goal for the Jackets and has been the only goal scorer for Columbus in their playoff history.  The Blue Jackets have been thoroughly dominated by the Wings who look like the defending Stanley Cup champions when it counts.
Detroit leads the series 3-0

New Jersey 3 @ Carolina 4 –It was an epic game with an epic comeback but it was all for naught.  Carolina started the game by scoring 3 unanswered before the Devils came back with three straight of their own.  Then, with 0.2 seconds on the clock, Jussi Jokinen tipped-in a Dennis Seidenberg point shot for the win.  The goal counted on the clock but Martin Brodeur, who made 42 saves in the losing effort, claimed he was interfered with by Jokinen.  The only thing was that Marty was outside the crease when he was bumped so that is a call that could go either way.  In the end, it’s a Carolina Hurricanes goal!  Woooo!
The series is tied at 2-2

Vancouver 3 @ St. Louis 2 (OT) –When I did the preview, I said that goaltending would be the difference maker for Vancouver.  Roberto Luongo made 47 saves and Alex Burrows scored the series clinching goal with 19 seconds to go in the first overtime for the Canucks to complete their first sweep in team history.  The Blues came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to tie the game.  However, they weren’t able to grab a lead in regulation and were unable to convert on 6 minutes of power play time in overtime.  The Canucks will now have a long rest of up to a week before they start their next series.  They will either play Detroit, Chicago, or Calgary.
Vancouver wins the series 4-0

San Jose 4 @ Anaheim 3 –In a series that has gone back and forth the whole way along, it was only fitting that last night’s game was the same.  Every time San Jose got a lead, the Ducks would almost immediately tie it up.  That is with the exception of Patrick Marleau’s third period goal which was the eventual game winner.  Dan Boyle had 2 goals and an assist in the winning effort.  While he was the best player on the ice for Anaheim for the last two games, Jonas Hiller had a little lapse in game three.  He made 31 saves but it was letting in the four goals that did them in.  The question that remains heading into game four is if San Jose has managed to exercise its playoff demons or are they still en route to an early exit.
Anaheim leads the series 2-1

Three Stars of the Night:
1.Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)
2. Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh)
3. Dan Boyle (San Jose)

Wednesday’s Schedule:
Boston at Montreal – Boston leads the series 3-0
Washington at NY Rangers – New York leads the series 2-1
Chicago at Calgary – Chicago leads the series 2-1