It was another tense night of hockey during the fourth night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. All three games featured a come from behind victory. With most of the series evened up, it appears the matchups are a lot tighter than initially expected.

Boston 5 @ Buffalo 3 – Thirty-one times this season the Sabres have led after 40 minutes and gone onto win the game. But all good things must come to an end. Riding big games by Michael Ryder and Zdeno Chara (each with a pair of goals), the Bruins levelled their first round series with Buffalo at one. Both teams played a physical game that took its toll largely on the Sabres. The game really ended for Buffalo when Thomas Vanek injured his knee when he was checked into the boards. At that point, all the air seemed to be let out of the Sabres and Boston took control of the game.
The series is tied 1-1.

Montreal 5 @ Washington 6 (OT) – For the second time in as many games, they needed overtime to settle things and Alex Ovechkin wasn’t the star of the game. Andrei Kostitsyn had a hat trick but Nick Backstrom matched it for Washington. It was Backstrom’s last goal that was the biggest because it was the overtime winner. After being held shotless in game one, Alex Ovechkin came back with a one goal, three assist performance to show that he’s definitely at 100%. Definitely not at 100% was Jose Theodore who was pulled eight minutes into the game after giving up two goals on two shots. Now it appears to be Simeon Varlamov’s ship to steer which is probably for the best.
The series is tied 1-1.

Los Angeles 3 @ Vancouver 2 (OT) – Refusing to be written off as an inexperienced team, the Los Angeles Kings came from a 2-0 deficit to claim victory 7:28 into overtime with a goal by Anze Kopitar. Steve Bernier and Mikael Samuelsson gave the Canucks the early lead in the first period, but all that fizzled by the second when LA’s Fredrik Modin and Wayne Simmonds had a goal each. Once again the game needed the extra period to determine the winner. Unlike the first game, the teams were evenly matched. Jonathan Quick had a less busy night making 24 stops (compared to 44 in game 1). Meanwhile Roberto Luongo made 29 saves. Game 3 of the series will now head back to the Staples Center where the Kings will hope to use the home ice to their advantage.
The series is tied 1-1.

Three Stars of the Night:
1. Nick Backstrom (Washington) – 3 goals, 1 assist
2. Zdeno Chara (Boston) – 2 goals
3. Andrei Kostitsyn (Montreal) – 3 goals

Sunday’s Schedule:
Phoenix at Detroit – Series tied 1-1 (TV: TSN, NBC)
New Jersey at Philadelphia – Series tied 1-1 (TV: TSN)
Pittsburgh at Ottawa – Series tied 1-1 (TV: CBC, Versus)
Nashville at Chicago – NSH leads 1-0 (TV: TSN, Versus)
San Jose at Colorado – Series tied 1-1 (TV: CBC, Versus)