After seeing a rather anti-climatic game 7 between the Capitals and Penguins, last night provided two very exciting matchups. The Ducks and the Bruins were hoping to come from behind to win the series. The comeback was almost complete, but it fell short at the end.

Anaheim 3 @ Detroit 4 – Now it seems like smooth sailing to the Stanley Cup for the Detroit Red Wings. With the win last night, the Wings got rid of their toughest obstacle on their journey for another Stanley Cup. Detroit’s next opponent is a younger, faster Chicago team but keep in mind that the Blackhawks are inexperienced and they might not be able to handle a well rounded team like the Red Wings.

The Ducks spent the entire game playing catch up, but overall, it was indeed a close game. Jiri Hudler opened the scoring in the first frame with a powerplay goal. Darren Helm potted in another goal a little over a minute into the second period to give the Wings the upper hand. However, the Ducks weren’t out of this as Teemu Selanne scores for the Ducks with 5 minutes to go to liven up the Ducks once again. The action shifted back and forth as the Wings scored another goal courtesy of Mikael Samuelsson, while Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan scored a goal each for the Ducks. The game was tied 3-3 well into the third period until Dan Cleary pokes the puck past Jonas Hiller with three minutes to go in regulation. That goal ended Anaheim’s run for the cup this round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ducks have been outshot in every single playoff game this series and this was no exception. Jonas Hiller put up another good performance as he stopped 36 of 40 shots. Unfortunately that was not good enough. Chris Osgood made 24 saves for the night. Overall, Hiller provided a great performance during the playoffs this year and this demonstrates that he has what it takes to carry the Anaheim team for years to come.

While this series has been overshadowed by the Ovechkin vs. Crosby saga, the battle between the two Stanley Cup champions was the one to watch. The Wings are off to the conference finals for the third straight year, the eighth time in the past fourteen seasons. That is truly impressive. Now it’s time to enjoy an Original Six matchup against the Blackhawks in the conference finals.
Detroit wins the series 4-3
 

Carolina 3 @ Boston 2 (OT)- It was the battle of the goaltenders in this game as both Cam Ward and Tim Thomas stopped 34 pucks that night. However, that extra shot that Tim Thomas couldn’t stop in overtime was the deciding factor in this series.  

The action shifted back and forth throughout this game. It all started with Byron Bitz’s goal at 7:42 of the first period before the Hurricane’s Rod Brind’Amour tied it six minutes later. Sergei Samsonov gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead at 7:45 of the second period. Milan Lucic made it 2-2 at 6:19 of the third, but the Bruins had run out of comebacks from that point on.

In the end it was Scott Walker that delivered the knockout punch game winning goal in overtime to send the Bruins home and lead the Hurricanes to the conference finals.

This is a heartbreaking loss for Tim Thomas who has been having such a wonderful season. His solid goaltending definitely makes him worthy of the Vezina Trophy. The Bruins have now lost all 21 series when they trailed 3-1. Tough loss for a team that had high hopes after finishing first in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile Carolina has won six consecutive playoff series, starting in 2006 when it hoisted the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes are off to face the Penguins. Can Cam Ward handle the firepower coming from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
Carolina wins the series 4-3

Three Stars of the Night:
1. Dan Cleary (Detroit)
2. Teemu Selanne (Anaheim)
3. Cam Ward (Carolina)