The two games of the day were both elimination games. Washington and Carolina faced their playoff mortality head on, both down 3-2 in their respective series.

Washington 5 @ NY Rangers 3 – So much for your coach getting suspended being an inspiration. The John Tortorella-less Rangers were embarrassed in front of their home fans by Washington to send the series to a seventh game. Tortorella was suspended by the NHL for defending himself (with a water bottle) from a fan (who threw a beverage at him). Tom Poti led the way for the Caps with a goal and three assists. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled before the start of the third period for the second game in a row after letting in 5 goals on 20 shots. His counterpart, Simeon Varlamov, was reasonably solid, making 25 saves. While the final score of the game was close, the Rangers were never close.
The series is tied at 3-3

New Jersey 0 @ Carolina 4 – Desperation creates some big performances and that was the case in Carolina. The Hurricanes needed the win to stay alive and they didn’t just win, they destroyed. Ray Whitney had a goal and three assists, Eric Staal had two goals and an assist, and Cam Ward had a 28 save shutout to send the series to a winner-take-all seventh game. Whitney’s goal halfway through the first period was all the offense that the ‘Canes needed. Carolina didn’t make life easy for Martin Brodeur who was peppered with 37 shots in the game. This series has seen the two teams trade wins with every Devils win followed immediately by Carolina. If Carolina doesn’t break that trend on Tuesday, they’ll be hitting the links on Wednesday.
The series is tied at 3-3

Three Stars of the Night:
1. Eric Cole (Carolina)
2. Tom Poti (Washington)
3. Cam Ward (Carolina)

Monday’s Schedule:
Chicago at Calgary – Chicago leads the series 3-2
San Jose at Anaheim – Anaheim leads the series 3-2