NHL PO - Round 1 Game 4 - St Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild 6-1 - 04/22

The demise of the St. Louis Blues has been greatly exaggerated. The Blues countered a poor performance in Game 3 with a sterling showing in Game 4 of their Western Conference First Round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, winning 6-1 at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday. The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 and shifts back to Scottrade Center for Game 5 on Friday. David Backes, Paul Stastny, T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo, each of whom entered Wednesday with zero points, combined for five points. Backes had a goal and an assist. Shattenkirk had three assists, giving him a League-leading seven in the series. Goaltender Jake Allen wasn't severely tested and finished with 17 saves. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 consecutive starts. The six goals were the most ever allowed by the Wild in a Stanley Cup Playoff game. Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk allowed six goals on 17 shots before being removed late in the second period. The six goals allowed tied a season-high for him. St. Louis got started early, taking the lead at 5:34 when a blast from the point by Ryan Reaves beat Dubnyk. Vladimir Tarasenko, who had a hat trick in Game 2, tipped a Shattenkirk shot from the right circle past Dubnyk at 6:59 for a 2-0 lead. Backes made it 3-0 at 10:06 with his first goal of the series, banging away at a loose puck until it slid past Dubnyk. Minnesota got some life when Jared Spurgeon scored a power-play goal at 1:41 of the second period, but any hopes of a comeback were quashed less than two minutes later when Stastny scored off a rush at 3:39 to make it 4-1. The goal was Stastny's first of the series. Tarasenko scored his second of the game and fifth of the series on a pretty breakaway backhand at 15:47. Patrik Berglund put another backhand over Dubnyk's glove at 16:50, ending the goaltender's night. He was replaced by Darcy Kuemper, who made nine stops the rest of the way.

Blues Quotes

Kevin Shattenkirk: "We brought it up to the game what we're capable of playing. The way we performed on Monday didn't sit well with us. We were able to come out tonight, we came out confidently, we knew we could get to that game and if we did we'd be able to give ourselves a chance to win. We did a great job tonight of playing that game off the get-go and sticking with it for 60 minutes."
Ken Hitchcock: "Our scoring is a direct reflection of our checking. When we check, we score. It looks like we've joined the tournament now and we're dialed in. We've got home-ice back, we're dialed into our game, we're going to be hard to play against when we're dialed in this. Not fun to play against."
David Backes: "We had to assert ourselves. I think we had 20 guys on the page tonight, similar to Game 2. We've just got to stop this trend of every other game and play the same way in our building on Friday. Lot of great efforts for guys on the scoresheet and off the scoresheet that played really well that helped us win this game. You just shake your head. I can't do that in a video game when it's slowed down for me. You love having those guys on your team, and he came through again offensively for us."

Wild Quotes

Devan Dubnyk: "Forget about it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't make a difference if we lost 1-0 or lost the way we did. It's 2-2 and we know we got better than that. I've got [to be] better than that. We all got [to be] better than that and we'll get back at it in St. Louis."
Thomas Vanek: "First goals in this series are big and they got the first goal, and they added the second one fairly quickly. Once they get the lead, they kind of sat back and trapped the neutral zone pretty good and we couldn't find our game."
Mike Yeo: "It didn't have the feel of the type of game that we were going to come back. We weren't on it from the start, and it got worse. Normally, I think we start well but we stay with our game very strongly as far as whether we're ahead [or] whether we're behind, and tonight we broke that, that's for sure. We know that we need to be better. They were great tonight; there's no getting around that. They're a great team, and they played an unbelievable game tonight, so we've got to find a way to get better at ours."

NHL PO - Round 1 Game 3 - St Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild 0-3 - 04/20

After being held mostly in check in the first two games, the Minnesota Wild's top line led the way in Game 3 against the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round at Xcel Energy Center on Monday. Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund combined for six points and Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves in a 3-0 win. Minnesota leads 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Parise and Pominville each had a goal and an assist and Granlund chipped in with two assists. For Dubnyk, it was his first shutout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Minnesota controlled the tempo much of the game, but it wasn't until Pominville's goal at 14:08 of the second period when the Wild had anything to show for it. Granlund and Pominville led a 2-on-1 break into the Blues zone. Carl Gunnarsson laid out to knock the puck off Granlund's stick, but it went right back to Parise, who passed to Pominville all alone in front for an easy tap-in with Blues goaltender Jake Allen out of position. It was Pominville's second goal of the playoffs. Less than three minutes later, Parise was on the receiving end of a pass from Pominville at the hash marks. Parise won a puck battle with defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and sent a quick shot over Allen's glove for his first of the postseason at 16:13. St. Louis never got much going in its offensive end, rarely challenging Dubnyk. A blast by Alexander Steen from the slot with 10 minutes left in regulation may have been the Blues' best scoring chance but it was gloved down by Dubnyk, who was starting his third career playoff game. St. Louis struggled all night with Minnesota's speed, especially in the second period. Blues captain David Backes it reminded him of Game 1, which the Wild won 4-2. The line of Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera, which sparked St. Louis in a 4-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday, was held without a shot through 40 minutes before Hitchcock disassembled the group for the third period. Nino Niederreiter scored an empty-net goal with 2:02 remaining. Minnesota went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage and did not take a penalty in the game. Blues forward Steve Ott was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing and a 10-minute game misconduct with less than a minute remaining. It was the second time in the series Ott was assessed a misconduct late in a game; he was also given one late in Game 1. Charlie Coyle said Minnesota did a good job of not getting involved in altercations after the whistle. Allen made 21 saves.

Wild Quotes

Zach Parise: "I wasn't too excited about the way our first two games went in St. Louis. I thought we could do a lot better. Fortunately tonight we scored. That's the big difference. We had more puck time, more zone time, better rushes, just better plays. And I know the three of us wanted to have a better performance than we had in St. Louis. I had to try and pull it through Bouwmeester's feet about four times with no success. Finally, I just tried to shoot it and caught up him upstairs. I'm trying to get a shot and go high and hopefully it goes in. From that distance, you're trying to get it on net and trying to get it upstairs."
Mike Yeo: "I was pleased with how they played in Game 2 in St. Louis, and pleased with how they have played in the this series. Tonight, they got what they deserved."
Devan Dubnyk: "I've seen that a few times actually this last half of the year. I'm seen some pretty incredible performances here at home by us and that ranks right up there with it. There just wasn't any mistakes. It was just line after line supporting each other, making good plays and being there for each other."
Charlie Coyle: "That's all you can do. We're here to play hockey. We're not here to fight and do all that. That stuff after the whistle doesn't win you games. So we're just focused on playing our game and playing it smart."

Blues Quotes

Ken Hitchcock: "We turned the puck over in the neutral zone, fed their transition. We had a good start, started turning the pucks over and they were on us fast. A lot of it was what we did with the puck between the blue lines. That fed the engine."
David Backes: "They skated a lot and wanted to assert their game and we let them by sitting on our heels and playing passive. We let them come at us, come at us, come at us and the Granlund line scored two goals for them. They're dynamite on the rush, they've shown that all series and they made us pay tonight. We've got to get to our game. I thought it was a lot better in the third again, but you can't play 15-20 minutes against this team and expect to win games. We need a full 60-minute effort like we had in Game 2."
Barret Jackman: "We let him down, some backdoor plays. He made some big stops for us but when you put a big goose egg up on the board, it's hard to win."

NHL PO - Round 1 Game 2 - Minnesota Wild @ St Louis Blues 1-4 - 04/18

St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko had a simple answer when asked about the hats raining down from the sellout crowd at Scottrade Center on Saturday. Tarasenko scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff hat trick to help the Blues defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round series at Scottrade Center on Saturday. Tarasenko, who had four goals in six games in his playoff debut last season against the Chicago Blackhawks, has seven in his past eight playoff games. His two goals in the first period set the tone for what the Blues wanted to accomplish after losing 4-2 in Game 1 at home Thursday. Tarasenko didn't have a shot on goal in Game 1. Patrik Berglund scored for St. Louis, and Jake Allen made 24 saves for his first NHL playoff victory. Alexander Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk each had two assists; Shattenkirk has four assists in the series. Tarasenko gave the Blues a 1-0 lead with a redirection off Steen's wrist shot inside the blue line 14:18 into the first period. He scored his second of the period on a power play with 1:59 remaining after he took Steen's cross-ice pass and banked a shot in off Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who peeled off the near post, for a 2-0 lead. Tarasenko completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 16.1 seconds remaining. It was the first playoff hat trick for the Blues since April 12, 2004, when Mike Sillinger had three goals in a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Dubnyk took blame for the second goal. Marco Scandella scored for the Wild. Dubnyk made 23 saves. The Blues played a better first period than in Game 1. There were 18 hits in the period, led by David Backes (four), Steve Ott (three) and Ryan Reaves (three). Establishing a good forecheck was what the Blues were looking for to offset the Wild's speedy transition game. Allen made several big saves, perhaps the biggest off a harmless dump-in off the stick of Ryan Suter, who threw the puck off the glass. The puck took a strange carom and fell at Allen's skates, nearly going in the net. With 4:49 left in the second period, Allen made a glove save of a sharp-angle Mikko Koivu shorthanded shot while sprawled on the ice after Jason Zucker shot wide on a 2-on-1. Dubnyk kept Tarasenko from getting a hat trick earlier with a save off a Steen pass with 52 seconds left in the second period. Scandella scored 1:46 into the third period to make it 2-1 on a slap shot from the left point, breaking his stick on a shot that had eyes and beat Allen on the near side after a drop pass from Thomas Vanek. The Wild continued to press for the tying goal in the third period, and Charlie Coyle nearly tied it with 8:37 remaining. His wrist shot from the slot hit the crossbar, went off Allen's back, and Backes saved the puck from going in by clearing it off the goal line. Berglund gave the Blues a 3-1 lead with 1:58 remaining after stealing puck in the neutral zone, skating in and beating Dubnyk with a wrist shot.

Blues Quotes

Vladimir Tarasenko: "It was nice. This is a win. This is 100 percent [a] win. There's no time to celebrate. We have a tough couple games coming [up]. Just bring the good part and make the next step right now. We just win. It doesn't matter how many goals you have."
Ken Hitchcock: "We took a big step. We know we have to play better. Now we've got to go steal a game. We've been a good road team all year, actually we've been a great road team. I think the chemistry with Steen and Tarasenko is off the rush. They can find each other. It was a goal-scorer's goal. If you're going to have an odd-man rush, he's not fast enough. He's going to shoot, which is good for us."
Alexander Steen: "We do a lot. We constantly talk, mostly in English, trying to work out details in our game and, yeah, tonight was good."
Steve Ott: "I thought we came out, we had a game plan in Game 1 which was similar to that but it didn't show up, and in Game 2, it did. That's the difference, that's the team that we are and who we've been all year, and it's no secret that that's how we have to play to have success. I thought to a man, from our goaltenders out, everybody played their role and extremely hard."
Jake Allen: "Me and [forward Jaden Schwartz] both got a piece of it. My glove was there, I sort of didn't want to move because [Koivu] didn't have an angle so he was trying to get close to me and [Schwartz] made a heck of a backcheck to get back there and we both sort of got a piece of it and he swatted the puck away. He's one of the best back-checkers in the League, so credit him for that."

Wild Quotes

Devan Dubnyk: "That's just a mistake by me. It's not a good goal. I came off my post on a guy [who] likes to shoot, who's got a pretty good shot, and he made me pay for it. That’s a mistake by me that cost me a goal against. Make sure it doesn't happen again."
Zach Parise: "I thought we played two good games. You find yourself down 2-0 here early, but we got ourselves back in the game. It was just a couple that we couldn't capitalize and put in the net. Overall we'd love to be going home 2-0 but it's 1-1. There's a lot of things we can feel good about. Of course there are areas for improvement, but there's a lot of things that we've been doing pretty well."
Mike Yeo: "I think we can take some confidence out of the fact that we won the one game and played pretty strong in the second game and even to battle back against a team that is tough to generate offense against, that’s a pretty good sign. But going back home doesn’t guarantee anything either. They’re a good team. We have a lot of respect for them, so we know we’ll have to be at our best."

NHL PO - Round 1 Game 1 - Minnesota Wild @ St Louis Blues 4-2 - 04/16

The Minnesota Wild took home-ice advantage away from the St. Louis Blues with a 4-2 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference First Round series Thursday. Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk made 19 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Minnesota got goals from Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville. The Wild prevented the Blues from playing their game, which is getting pucks in deep and working on the forecheck. They took away the middle of the ice, clogged up the neutral zone and utilized their speed. The victory was the Wild's first in Game 1 of a playoff series in eight tries; they had not won a series opener since their first-ever postseason game, in April 2003. It was Minnesota's second win in 13 road playoff games; they were 1-9 away from Xcel Energy Center the past two years. Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen scored for the Blues, who got 25 saves from Jake Allen in his first playoff start. Hitchcock said he plans to start Allen again in Game 2. Zucker scored 2:47 into the game after Allen kicked out his initial shot from a sharp angle in the left circle. The puck came back to Zucker, who had a quick burst of speed and scored on a quick wraparound to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The Blues had the better of the territorial edge in the opening period, but the Wild, who finished with 19 blocks, blocked 12 in the first. Minnesota increased its lead to 2-0 when Dumba scored a power-play goal on a slap shot 4:10 into the second period. St. Louis defenseman Barret Jackman had a chance to clear the puck but had his attempt blocked in the Blues zone. The Wild kept it in, and Dumba took a pass from Jared Spurgeon and beat Allen high glove side. The Wild dominated the second period, outshooting the Blues 14-4. The Blues were called for three minor penalties in the second. Schwartz cut the Wild lead in half when he redirected Kevin Shattenkirk's wrist shot from the blue line at 7:12 of the third period. Schwartz was parked in front of Dubnyk for the tip. The Blues kept pressing but could not get the equalizer. Granlund's empty-net goal with 1:13 remaining restored the Wild's two-goal lead. Steen scored a shorthanded goal with 58.7 remaining to again make it a one-goal game, but Pominville scored the Wild's second empty-net goal with 20 seconds remaining. The Blues hope to carry over their play in the third period to Game 2.

Blues Quotes

Ken Hitchcock: "They outplayed us in the second period. We outplayed them in the first and for a portion of the third, but they outplayed us in the second. They were quicker on pucks, they were faster in the zone. We took a couple penalties that gave them some momentum, gave them a chance to rest. We didn't build on the good first period.... I don't know about killer instinct, but we have not played well off of layoffs all year. This is probably another example of that. But we've had another game under our belt; we're going to have to play better. Killer instinct comes in a number of fashions. One of the fashions is you really have to simplify your game in the playoffs. I thought when we didn't get the shots through at the start, we started to play a very complicated game that made us at times look slow. We were in to make the next play instead of play it off the goalie."
Jake Allen: "That guy's a speed demon there [Zucker]. Good play by him. Wish I could have controlled the rebound a little bit better, but it was a good move by him."
Alex Pietrangelo: "Any time you're taking that many penalties, certainly they're going to feed off of that. Usually we use those penalty kills as momentum-changers for us and we're killing them off. We didn't change the tide as quickly as we wanted to."
David Backes: "You get down one at home and you hope to pick it up a notch and that'd be a wake-up call. It almost took until the third period until we finally got our legs going and played our brand of hockey. We had great chances and created O-zone time, looked more like our game, and we need that for a full 60 in order to win games against this team and another chance on Saturday."

Wild Quotes

Zach Parise: "For us, when we're playing well, that's what we're doing. That's one of our strengths, is playing a fast game, a speed game. We want to dictate the pace of the game. They're going to get their chances. They're a big team, a physical team. Our D did a good job of getting the puck and getting out of the zone."
Mike Yeo: "That's a good start for us. I think we have to make sure that we use this game, we look at the video, and there's certainly some areas where we know we can be better. But a lot of good things to take from it, for sure. Dumba's a strong kid. He's a competitive kid, and certainly not afraid to go into the corners. He's got the skating ability to escape and help us execute in certain situations, but he's got that competitive nature that's a huge part of it too, especially against a team like this. It's one thing to say you want to execute, but they're going to find a way to create some turnovers, and you're going to have to find some opportunities to separate guys from pucks. That's not an easy team to do it against."
Mikko Koivu: "I think for both teams after many days off, it's like starting a season almost. It's not an easy thing to do. Your emotions are high; after a couple shifts it goes down a little bit. Second period too; a lot of special teams, which is going to slow the game down. We have to leave this one behind and take the good things out of it but move to the second one. We know the further it's going to go, the tougher it's going to get. We have to enjoy this one for a couple minutes and start to prepare for Saturday's game."

NHL PO - Round 1 - Chicago Blackhawks beat Nashville Predators 4-2

Game 1 - Chicago @ Nashville 4-3 2OT - Wed, Apr 15 - Hawks Lead 1-0
Duncan Keith's goal 7:49 into double overtime completed the Blackhawks' rally in a 4-3 win against the Predators in Game 1 of their Western Conference First Round series at Bridgestone Arena. Keith took a slap shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Blackhawks backup goalie Scott Darling made 42 saves after relieving Corey Crawford at the start of the second period. Chicago fell behind 3-0 in the first period and scored four unanswered goals. Despite the comeback win, the Blackhawks feel they can improve in all areas. Colin Wilson opened the scoring at 6:07 of the first period on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Crawford. Wilson broke into the offensive zone and went around Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival for the goal. Viktor Stalberg gave the Predators a 2-0 lead at 17:20 of the first period after he stole the puck from behind the goal and put it into an empty net. Crawford went to play the puck and had it poked away by Calle Jarnkrok. Stalberg got the puck and beat Crawford back to the net. Wilson gave the Predators a 3-0 lead on the power play at 19:33 of the first period. Seth Jones took the original shot from the point, and Wilson redirected it past Crawford for his second goal. Crawford was pulled in favor of Darling to start the second period. He faced 12 shots in the first. Niklas Hjalmarsson scored to make it 3-1 at 1:43 of the second period. Hjalmarsson drove to the net and one-timed a pass from Teuvo Teravinen past Rinne. Sharp cut the Predators lead to 3-2 at 8:32 of the second with a shot from the crease that snuck past Rinne. The Blackhawks had a two-man advantage, and Sharp took the pass from Patrick Kane, who played for the first time since sustaining a broken left clavicle on Feb. 24. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews tied the game 3-3 at 13:50 of the second period on a power-play goal. Toews took the puck from Kane, drove to the net and shot the puck through Rinne's five-hole. Darling made two highlight-reel saves in the third period to extend the game to overtime. Each team had one power-play opportunity in the first overtime but was unable to convert. Mike Fisher left the game in the second period because of a lower-body injury and did not return. Fisher missed the last two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. The Predators had to play the remainder of the game with 11 forwards.


Game 2 - Chicago @ Nashville 2-6 - Fri, Apr 17 - Series Tied 1-1
Craig Smith had two goals and an assist to help the Predators draw even in their Western Conference First Round series against the Blackhawks with a 6-2 victory at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators scored three goals in less than 140 seconds in the third period to put the game out of reach. The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1. Predators captain Shea Weber left the game at 9:20 of the second period because of a lower-body injury sustained on a hit behind the Nashville net by Brandon Saad. He did not return to the game. The Predators did not have an update on Weber, who had an assist and was plus-1 in 13:25. Wilson, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Mike Santorelli also scored for the Predators. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks. Smith put Nashville in front to stay when he scored at 14:54 of the second period on a wrist shot from the slot that beat Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford over the shoulder on the stick side. It was Smith's first goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Forsberg gave the Predators a 4-2 lead at 12:41 of the third period when he scored the first of three Nashville goals in a 2:19 span. The rookie followed the rebound of a shot by Smith and jammed the puck past Crawford for his first career playoff goal.


Smith scored his second of the night at 14:28 to give the Predators a 5-2 lead. He skated past Sharp and Duncan Keith before beating Crawford with a wrist shot from the hash marks off the rush. Forsberg and goalie Pekka Rinne each had an assist on the goal. Santorelli scored 32 seconds after Smith to put Nashville ahead 6-2. A healthy scratch for Game 1, Santorelli took a pass from Calle Jarnkrok and beat Crawford with a wrist shot. Crawford, who has allowed nine goals in four periods in the series, made 29 saves. Wilson gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:47 of the first period on a wrist shot from the goal line to the left of Crawford. He roofed the puck under the crossbar on the power play for his third goal of the playoffs. Sharp tied the game 1-1 at 16:13 of the first on a wrist shot from the crease that beat Rinne. He took a pass from Niklas Hjalmarsson and lifted the puck over Rinne for his second goal of the playoffs.


Josi scored to make it 2-1 with 3.6 seconds remaining in the first on a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle. He broke in the offensive zone and shot the puck through traffic and past Crawford for his first goal of the playoffs. Kane tied the game 2-2 at 10:32 of the second on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Rinne. Kane broke in the offensive zone on an odd-man rush and took the wrist shot for his first goal of the playoffs. Quenneville was noncommittal about who would start Game 3 in goal for Chicago. Backup goalie Scott Darling relieved Crawford to begin the second period in Game 1 and made saves on all 42 shots he faced in the Blackhawks' 4-3 win in double overtime. Cody Franson made his playoff debut after missing Game 1 with an upper-body injury. He had an assist on Smith's first goal. Mike Fisher missed Game 2 because of a lower-body injury sustained early in the second period of Game 1.


Game 3 - Nashville @ Chicago 2-4 - Sun, Apr 19 - Hawks Lead 2-1
Scott Darling made the most of his first-ever start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center, and the Blackhawks helped him win it by doing what they usually do when leading after two periods. Getting 35 saves from Darling, the Blackhawks defeated the Predators 4-2 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series. Chicago scored three goals in the second period to grab the 4-2 lead. The Blackhawks were an NHL-best 25-0-0 when leading after two periods during the regular season. Darling played in the series opener at Bridgestone Arena after Crawford allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first period. The former minor-league journeyman made 42 saves in 67:44 in the Blackhawks' 4-3 victory in double overtime. This time, he started in the building he used to attend Blackhawks games as a fan. Among the fans was a group of Darling's family and friends that included his father, Scott, who flew into Chicago after learning Saturday that his son would start. The younger Darling didn't disappoint. Mattias Ekholm and Mike Ribeiro each scored his first goal of the series for the Predators. Nashville outshot Chicago for the third straight game (37-30), but Darling made saves on 24 shots after Ekholm scored 58 seconds into the second period to tie it 2-2. The Blackhawks regained the lead in the second on goals by Brandon Saad and Brent Seabrook before closing the door in the third. The Blackhawks surrendered two one-goal leads less than a minute after they had scored to go ahead, but they protected their two-goal margin a lot better. Chicago's first and fourth lines were productive in Game 3. The first line produced goals by captain Jonathan Toews, who also had an assist, and Saad, Marian Hossa had two assists and played a strong two-way game. The fourth line created goals by Andrew Desjardins and Seabrook. Desjardins and Antoine Vermette played for the first time in the series, and the Blackhawks got some good shifts from their checking lines as a result. Desjardins had four shots on goal and scored the game's first goal by staying after a block of his initial shot and sending the second attempt between the pads of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne (26 saves). Nashville played without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and Mike Fisher (lower body). Victor Bartley entered the lineup for Weber, who didn't make the trip to Chicago. Fisher made the trip, but hasn't played since the second period of Game 1. Seth Jones moved up to the first defense pairing to join Roman Josi, taking Weber's spot, and each finished with a minus-3 rating.


Game 4 - Nashville @ Chicago 2-3 3OT - Tue, Apr 21 - Hawks Lead 3-1
It spanned two days, had 101:00 of playing time, 100 combined shots on goal, took 4 hours, 31 minutes to complete and finished with a familiar sight inside United Center early Wednesday. Once again, it was Brent Seabrook who scored a game-winning goal in overtime for the Blackhawks, who beat the Predators 3-2 on his one-timer from the blue line 1:00 into triple overtime of Game 4 in the Western Conference First Round. Seabrook's third career playoff overtime goal didn't end the best-of-7 series, like his game-winner in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals did. But it did give Chicago a 3-1 lead heading back to Bridgestone Arena for Game 5. It was the longest game in Predators history. The previous franchise record for longest game was 94:51 on April 30, 2011, when they won 2-1 at the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Blackhawks' were closing in on their all-time mark for longest game, which is 113:50 set on April 9, 1931, at the Montreal Canadiens. Two of the Blackhawks' three victories in this series happened after 80 minutes of play; Duncan Keith won Game 1 at 7:49 of double overtime in Nashville. Asked if the Blackhawks plan to treat the short turnaround before Game 5 like a back-to-back situation, Seabrook chuckled. One more win and the Blackhawks will accomplish the latter, but it hasn't easy getting to this point. The Predators outshot them again, 52-48, and have had more shots on goal in each of the four games. Nashville also blocked 39 shots and leads that category for the series as well. To this point, the difference has come down to clutch goals in the three Chicago wins, with Seabrook's the most memorable because of how long the game took and how many times it could have ended. Each goalie was razor sharp, especially in the first two overtime periods. Chicago rookie goalie Scott Darling finished with 50 saves; Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne made 45 saves. The shot he'll try to erase is Seabrook's slap shot to end it. Patrick Kane started the play when he stole the puck in the neutral zone and carried into the Predators' zone. Kane got it back off a cycle and sent a feed to Seabrook at the blue line for the shot. The puck was bouncing a lot as the game went on, but the ice was still smooth so early into the third overtime. Seabrook fired from straightaway through a screen set by teammate Bryan Bickell standing in front of Rinne. Just that quickly the Blackhawks were rewarded and the Predators left the ice dejected. They came so close to winning, even without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and Mike Fisher (lower body). Chicago had two power plays in the second overtime and Nashville had one, but neither team generated much offense with the extra man. The overtime periods almost made regulation an afterthought, but Nashville's goals in regulation were scored by Craig Wilson and Neal, who gave the Predators a 2-1 lead when he scored at 17:02 of the second period. Chicago got regulation goals from Antoine Vermette, who scored his first goal as a Blackhawk, and Brandon Saad, who tied it 2-2 at 11:03 of the third with his second goal in as many games. Saad's goal was set up by Marian Hossa's drop pass. Saad returned the favor with 10 seconds left in regulation for a one-timer that nearly prevented overtime. Rinne stopped it and set the stage for the early-morning drama, which included the puck getting lost in Rinne's gear in the second overtime. The Predators know they can't dwell on the one that got away.


Game 5 - Chicago @ Nashville 2-5 - Thu, Apr 23 - Hawks Lead 3-2
Filip Forsberg's first NHL hat trick helped the Predators stave off elimination with a 5-2 win Thursday in Game 5 of their Western Conference First Round series against the Blackhawks. Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 28 saves, and Nashville scored three goals in a 2:27 span in the third period. It was the first time Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling allowed more than two goals in the series. James Neal gave the Predators a 2-1 lead 47 seconds into the third period on a wraparound goal. He chased the puck behind the net and beat Darling for his second of the playoffs. Colin Wilson gave Nashville a 3-1 lead at 3:02 of the third on a power-play goal from in front of the net. He took a pass from Mike Ribeiro, spun around and roofed the puck past Darling for his fifth goal of the series, a Predators record. Wilson's four power-play goals are the most in the playoffs. Forsberg's second of the night came on a one-timer on the rush 12 seconds after Wilson's goal. He took a pass from Mike Fisher, who returned to the lineup after missing Games 2-4 because of a lower-body injury, and scored his third goal of the playoffs to make it 4-1. The Predators were able to get Darling moving side to side more in Game 5. Kris Versteeg made it 4-2 with 5:08 remaining on a one-timer. Patrick Kane made a spin-o-rama pass in the slot, and Versteeg fired it past Rinne for his first goal of the playoffs.
Forsberg scored an empty-net goal with 10.3 seconds left to complete his hat trick. Brad Richards opened the scoring at 13:27 of the first period on a shot that beat Rinne through the five-hole. He skated around Cody Franson and got off a quick shot for his first goal of the playoffs. Forsberg tied the game 1-1 at 14:42. He retrieved the puck off the faceoff and beat Darling with a wrist shot over the shoulder on the glove side. The finalists for the Calder Trophy were announced Thursday, and Forsberg was left off of the list after being a favorite to win the award as top rookie for a large chunk of the season. Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers and Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators were named finalists.


Game 6 - Nashville @ Chicago 3-4 - Sat, Apr 25 - Hawks Win 4-2
The Blackhawks' core group rose to the occasion again when needed the most at United Center, including a solid relief appearance by goalie Corey Crawford.
They paved the way to a 4-3 comeback victory against the Predators that ended the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series in six games, with Crawford making 13 saves after relieving Scott Darling in the first period. Chicago advanced to the Western Conference Second Round for the third straight season and will play either the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild, who lead that best-of-7 series 3-2. Duncan Keith scored the deciding goal with 3:48 left in the third period. Keith had two assists, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp each had a goal and an assist. Nashville took a 2-0 lead 8:09 into the game on goals by James Neal. Predators center Matt Cullen scored later in the first for a 3-1 lead. Just like Game 1, a goalie change by Chicago coach Joel Quenneville sparked an uptick in the Blackhawks' defensive play. That led to more scoring chances, which is how they climbed back into the game. Sharp made it 2-1 at 10:37 of the first, Toews capped a power play at 12:14 to make it 3-2, and Kane scored off a feed from Keith with 6 seconds left to tie it 3-3, rewarding Brad Richards for a clean faceoff win. Neither team scored again until 16:12 of the third, when Keith's shot from the left point traveled through traffic and beat Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. He ended Game 1 in double overtime almost exactly the same way. Darling made 42 saves in relief in that game after the Blackhawks trailed 3-0. Crawford, who hasn't started since Game 2, rebounded after a shaky start to the series. He faced two shots in the first period and four shots in the third Saturday, and didn't allow a goal after replacing Darling at 11:16. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hinted strongly that Crawford would start the next series. The Blackhawks are 21-3 when winning three of the first five games in a playoff series and 18-0 when winning three of the first four.
Nashville has plenty of positives to take into the offseason. The Predators outshot the Blackhawks in four of the six games, were the faster team for much of the series, and built big leads in the first and final games. They played all but the first two games without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and had veteran center Mike Fisher for two-plus games because of a lower-body injury.
Neal scored the first goal off a backhand at 1:10 of the first period and finished a power play to make it 2-0 at 8:09. The second goal was Neal's fourth in the past three games after not having a point in the first three. The Predators, who lost to the Blackhawks in the first round in 2010, dominated the first 10 minutes. They outshot Chicago 10-4, forced numerous turnovers, and were faster. They just couldn't keep it going once the Blackhawks' core group decided to take over.

NHL PO - Round 1 - Calgary Flames beat Vancouver Canucks 4-2

Game 1 - Calgary @ Vancouver 2-1 - Wed, Apr 15 - Flames Lead 1-0
Trailing by one goal going into the third period of the franchise's first Stanley Cup Playoff game in six years, there was no sense of panic inside the Flames' locker room. The young Flames may be short on playoff experience, but they have plenty when it comes to third-period comebacks this season. David Jones tied the game 7:59 into the third and Kris Russell scored the winner with 29.6 seconds left in regulation to lead Calgary to a 2-1 win against the Canucks in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Arena. After taking control of the game during the final four minutes of regulation, the Flames finished a dominant late shift in the Vancouver end by getting the puck back to Russell at the point. His shot beat goalie Eddie Lack low on the glove side through the screen of rookie Sam Bennett, giving the Flames a win in their first playoff game since 2009. Rookie center Bo Horvat opened the scoring for the Canucks midway through the second period, but Calgary showed why it excelled in the third period during the regular season. The Flames won 10 games when trailing after two periods and were tied for the lead in third-period goals with 99.
They got No. 100 after goaltender Jonas Hiller made four great saves to keep it 1-0. Hiller made a flashy glove save off Daniel Sedin in the opening minute, a right-pad robbery from the slot two minutes later, and gloved Christopher Tanev's rebound chance in the slot. Jones tied it after the Canucks turned the puck over just outside their blue line and Calgary tagged up quickly to create a 3-on-2. Michael Ferland passed back to Jones, who was making his NHL playoff debut, for a wrist shot from the slot past Lack's glove. Canucks coach Willie Desjardins stuck with his balanced, four-line program, with every player seeing at least 12:46 of ice time and only Alexander Edler with more than 22 minutes. But it was the Flames, who had three forwards with less than eight minutes of ice time and top Dennis Wideman and Russell near 30, who took over late. Instead it was the Flames, who had seven players making their NHL playoff debut, who capitalized late. Bennett, an 18-year-old who made his NHL debut in the final game of the regular season, had Calgary's best chances early and set the screen on the winning goal. Lack made 28 saves in his NHL playoff debut for the Canucks, who were back in the postseason after missing for the first time in six years last season. Vancouver is 0-7 in home playoff games since Game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and has only one victory since losing Game 7 of that series to the Boston Bruins. Horvat, who turned 20 on April 5, opened the scoring 12:08 into the second period. His initial shot from the top of the right circle hit a crowd in front, but Horvat got to the rebound and threw a backhand towards the net that bounced off the heel of Wideman's skate and deflected between Hiller's legs. For a while it looked like Lack would match Hiller, but after robbing Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau with the glove on a 2-on-1 with two minutes left, he couldn't glove Russell's shot through traffic. Hartley praised Joe Colborne for his work to keep the play alive before changing, and Bennett for setting the screen on the winning goal.


Game 2 - Calgary @ Vancouver 1-4 - Fri, Apr 17 - Series Tied 1-1
This time the Canucks built on their lead instead of sitting on it against the Flames. Daniel Sedin and Chris Higgins ended long playoff scoring droughts in the first period and Eddie Lack made 22 saves to lead the Canucks to a 4-1 win against at Rogers Arena. Rookie Ronalds Kenins scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal early in the third period, Radim Vrbata hit the empty net with 2:01 left and Alexandre Burrows had two assists for the Canucks, who evened the best-of-7 series at one victory apiece. Kris Russell, who scored the winning goal with 29.6 seconds left in Game 1, ended Lack's shutout bid with a power-play point shot through a screen with 3:34 left in regulation. If the end of Game 2 was any indication, the old Canucks-Flames rivalry has heated up again.
Referees Dan O'Halloran and Brad Meier assessed 132 penalty minutes after all five skaters from each team squared off deep in the Canucks' end with 1:17 left to play. The penalty total included three game misconducts for Deryk Engelland and one each for Vancouver's Derek Dorsett, Dan Hamhuis and Brad Richardson. The win snapped a seven-game playoff losing streak on home ice for the Canucks, who hadn't won at Rogers Arena since Game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It was also the second win in 13 playoff games for Vancouver dating back to that Cup Final. Daniel Sedin opened the scoring 2:56 into the first period, and Higgins doubled the lead on a power play four minutes later.
Engelland fell defending a Canucks rush, allowing Henrik Sedin to walk around him and down to the left faceoff dot before passing cross-ice to brother Daniel at the opposite dot. Daniel took the pass and beat Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller over the glove with a wrist shot for his first playoff goal in 13 games, dating to Game 2 of the of the 2011 Final. Unlike Game 1, when they blew a 1-0 lead in the third period, the Canucks quickly added to their lead on a power play. Dennis Wideman was penalized for knocking a rebound over the glass after Hiller got his shoulder on a good shot from Horvat, and Vancouver's second power-play unit converted. Christopher Tanev made a nice play to keep the play onside at the blue line and Burrows threw the puck at the net to set off a scramble. Higgins shot the rebound between Hiller's legs from the top of the crease for his first playoff goal since Game 2 of the 2011 Western Conference Final, a span of 21 games. Lack got into the game after making his fifth save of the night on a screened point shot 7:27 into the second period. The rebound sat loose for a second and as Lack pushed to his right and Brandon Bollig ended up on top of the Canucks goalie as a scramble ensued. Bollig stayed there while other players tried to pull him off. An angry Lack, missing his helmet, got up throwing blocker punches at the backside of the big Flames forward. Calgary has 11 wins this season when trailing after two periods, including one in the series opener, but Kenins ended any thoughts of a second straight playoff comeback early in the third. Horvat skated onto a chip down the left wing and circled down near the goal line before passing cross-ice to Kenins for a one-timer past Hiller's glove. Calgary's Sam Bennett, an 18-year-old rookie who was the Flames' best forward in Game 1, left the game with 5:39 remaining in the second period after a big hit by Alexander Edler but returned five minutes into the third. Michael Ferland was called for charging after a big hit on Tanev, and Sean Monahan and Gaudreau got into a scrum Hamhuis with 4:14 left. Hamhuis was penalized for interference, leading to Russell's goal, but the post-whistle activity continued even after Vrbata's empty-net goal ended the scoring.


Penalties

1st Period
05:52 CGY	Dennis Wideman  Delaying Game-Puck over glass
2nd Period
02:53 VAN	Kevin Bieksa  Slashing against  Jiri Hudler
07:27 CGY	Brandon Bollig  Roughing against  Luca Sbisa
07:27 VAN	Luca Sbisa  Roughing against  Brandon Bollig
16:41 CGY	Mikael Backlund  Hi-sticking against  Shawn Matthias
3rd Period
09:53 CGY	Micheal Ferland  Charging against  Christopher Tanev
15:46 VAN	Yannick Weber  Misconduct (10 min) against  Dennis Wideman
15:46 CGY	Dennis Wideman  Misconduct (10 min) against  Yannick Weber
15:46 VAN	Dan Hamhuis  Interference against  Sean Monahan
18:43 VAN	Brad Richardson  Game misconduct against  Matt Stajan
18:43 VAN	Shawn Matthias  Misconduct (10 min) against  Micheal Ferland
18:43 VAN	Derek Dorsett  Game misconduct against  Deryk Engelland
18:43 VAN	Derek Dorsett  Fighting (maj) against  Deryk Engelland
18:43 VAN	Derek Dorsett  Fighting (maj) against  Deryk Engelland
18:43 VAN	Brad Richardson  Fighting (maj) against  Matt Stajan
18:43 CGY	Brandon Bollig  Misconduct (10 min) against  Dan Hamhuis
18:43 CGY	Micheal Ferland  Misconduct (10 min) against  Shawn Matthias
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Game misconduct against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Game misconduct against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Game misconduct against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Fighting (maj) against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Fighting (maj) against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Instigator against  Derek Dorsett
18:43 CGY	Matt Stajan  Game misconduct against  Brad Richardson
18:43 CGY	Matt Stajan  Fighting (maj) against  Brad Richardson
18:43 VAN	Dan Hamhuis  Game misconduct against  Deryk Engelland

Game 3 - Vancouver @ Calgary 2-4 - Sun, Apr 19 - Flames Lead 2-1
Sam Bennett spent plenty of time while growing up imagining his first NHL goal. The scenario that took place on Sunday wasn't one that crossed his mind.
Bennett's first NHL goal stood as the game-winner and Jonas Hiller made 23 saves to lead the Flames to a 4-2 win against the Canucks in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round. Bennett, the first Flames rookie to make his Saddledome debut in the playoffs since Brennan Evans in 2004, extended Calgary's lead to 3-1 at 2:14 of the third period by swatting a loose puck past a downed Eddie Lack. At 18 years, 303 days old, Bennett became the second-youngest player in Flames history to score a playoff goal; only Jarome Iginla was younger (18 years, 297 days). Bennett also became the youngest player in NHL history to score a playoff game-winning goal in regulation. Three other players, Don Gallinger on March 21, 1943, Nathan MacKinnon on April 26, 2014 and Patrice Bergeron on April 9, 2004, have scored postseason overtime winners at a younger age than Bennett. With Yannick Weber serving a goaltender interference minor and Hamhuis called for a hit to the head of Bennett, the Flames' top line finally got on the board and put Calgary up 4-1. Working the 5-on-3, Sean Monahan capped a passing play set up by Russell and Johnny Gaudreau by beating Lack at 14:36. Jannik Hansen's goal with 2:19 remaining in regulation and Lack on the bench for an extra attacker trimmed Calgary's lead to two goals and made Bennett's goal the winner. The Flames didn't disappoint the full house at the Saddledome after a six-year intermission between home dates in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Brandon Bollig didn't make them wait long. Mason Raymond's shot towards the Vancouver net was blocked by Derek Dorsett, but the puck skipped to an open Bollig, who fired a shot off the post and behind Lack for his first of the playoffs 6:35 into the game to give the Flames the lead. Shawn Matthias responded for the Canucks at 9:09 with his first career playoff goal. A partially blocked shot off the stick of Dan Hamhuis skipped in on Hiller and, after a scramble in the crease, Matthias swatted a loose puck over the goal line for his first career playoff goal to tie the game. But TJ Brodie, with his first of the playoffs, restored Calgary's lead at 15:02 with a goal reminiscent of Kris Russell's Game 1 winner. After a heavy forecheck in Vancouver's end, Radim Vrbata couldn't clear the zone under pressure from Joe Colborne. David Schlemko held the puck in and fed Brodie, whose shot through Bennett's screen beat Lack.
Penalties

1st Period
16:58 CGY	Brandon Bollig  Cross checking against  Derek Dorsett
2nd Period
05:35 CGY	Josh Jooris  Interference on goalkeeper against  Eddie Lack
07:58 CGY	Mikael Backlund  Boarding against  Dan Hamhuis
08:15 VAN	Alexander Edler  Interference against  Matt Stajan
15:39 VAN	Alexandre Burrows  Roughing against  Kris Russell
15:39 CGY	Kris Russell  Roughing against  Alexandre Burrows
3rd Period
04:34 VAN	Kevin Bieksa  Charging against  Mikael Backlund
13:52 VAN	Yannick Weber  Interference on goalkeeper against  Jonas Hiller
14:28 VAN	Dan Hamhuis  Illegal Check To Head against  Sam Bennett
18:35 VAN	Alexandre Burrows  Instigator against  Kris Russell
18:35 VAN	Alexandre Burrows  Boarding against  Johnny Gaudreau
18:35 VAN	Alexandre Burrows  Fighting (maj) against  Kris Russell
18:35 CGY	Kris Russell  Fighting (maj) against  Alexandre Burrows
18:35 VAN	Alexandre Burrows  Game misconduct
18:54 VAN	Kevin Bieksa  Fighting (maj) against  Micheal Ferland
18:54 CGY	Micheal Ferland  Fighting (maj) against  Kevin Bieksa
18:54 CGY	Joe Colborne  Misconduct (10 min)
20:00 CGY	Deryk Engelland  Roughing against  Luca Sbisa
20:00 VAN	Luca Sbisa  Fighting (maj) against  Deryk Engelland

Game 4 - Vancouver @ Calgary 1-3 - Tue, Apr 21 - Flames Lead 3-1
The Flames are on the verge of advancing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Calgary has made it to the second round once since winning the Stanley Cup in 1989, in 2004 when the Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Jonas Hiller made 28 saves.
The Flames didn't waste time picking up where they left off in Game 3, a 4-2 win, thanks in large part to their power play. With Ronalds Kenins in the penalty box for boarding Sam Bennett, Dennis Wideman and Jiri Hudler worked a give-and-go below the goal line before Wideman fed a cross-slot pass to Johnny Gaudreau waiting on the back door. Gaudreau scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal on Eddie Lack 3:23 into the game. The goal was matched by Henrik Sedin's first of the 2015 playoffs less than five minutes later. On the power play, Sedin's shot glanced off the leg of a sprawled Kris Russell before sneaking between Hiller's legs at 8:12 to make it 1-1. But with another man-advantage, Hudler deflected Wideman's one-timer over Lack's shoulder 1:08 later to restore Calgary's one-goal lead. The goal was Hudler's first of the playoffs. Calgary built on it with 41.3 seconds remaining in the period. After breaking out of the Flames end, TJ Brodie fed Joe Colborne before taking a return pass and snapping a shot that banked off Bennett and behind Lack to put Calgary up 3-1.
The goals came on seven shots, and Vancouver replaced Lack with Ryan Miller to start the second period. Miller helped stabilize the Canucks with six saves; Hiller had to make three in the scoreless period. Vancouver matched that output in the first three minutes of the third. After the Canucks' fifth shot, coming at 5:13, they went nearly 10 minutes without another as the Flames tightened up to protect the two-goal lead. Vancouver's next shot came with 5:36 remaining, one of Hiller's 15 saves in the third period. Alexandre Burrows was transported from the arena in an ambulance following the morning skate and did not play. He was to remain in Calgary overnight, the Canucks said.

Penalties

1st Period
01:44 VAN	Ronalds Kenins  Boarding against  Sam Bennett
07:08 CGY	David Schlemko  Slashing against  Brandon McMillan
09:02 VAN	Nick Bonino  Roughing against  TJ Brodie
19:28 VAN	Bo Horvat  Hi-sticking against  Matt Stajan
2nd Period
03:54 VAN	Brandon McMillan  Cross checking against  Micheal Ferland
06:15 CGY	Brandon Bollig  Misconduct (10 min)
14:58 CGY	Matt Stajan  Delay of game

Game 5 - Calgary @ Vancouver 1-2 - Thu, Apr 23 - Flames Lead 3-2
The Canucks avoided elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by playing their best game against the Flames. Now they need to do it two more times.
Daniel Sedin scored the go-ahead goal 1:47 into the third period to lead the Canucks to a 2-1 win against the Flames in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Arena. Sedin said a mixture of patience and increased desperation led to the win. The added desperation helped the Canucks outshoot Calgary 43-21. The patience enabled them to stick with a game plan of getting pucks to the net even after falling behind early, and even though it wasn't paying off for long stretches against Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller. It finally paid off after an icing against the Flames early in the third period. Henrik Sedin won the offensive-zone faceoff and defenseman Dan Hamhuis skated the puck into the corner before firing a sharp-angled shot at Jonas Hiller, who made the save. But the rebound went off Daniel Sedin and under Hiller's left pad for his second goal of the playoffs, breaking a 1-1 tie. Nick Bonino tied the game with 6:29 left in the second period for the Canucks. Daniel Sedin doesn't expect the Canucks to change a game plan he thinks may finally be wearing down the Flames. Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller made 20 saves in his first start of the playoffs; he took over for Eddie Lack after the first period of a 3-1 loss in Game 4. Miller, who had played five periods since spraining his right knee two months ago, got help from his goal posts on a couple of occasions but made his best save of the third period on a Calgary power play nine minutes in, getting his left arm on Joe Colborne's shot from the slot. David Jones scored early and Hiller made 41 saves for the Flames, who are trying to win a playoff series for the first time since 2004, when lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks are trying to overcome a 3-1 series deficit for the fourth time in franchise history. That includes a comeback against Calgary in the first round of 1994, a run that ended in a trip to the Final.

It didn't look good early. Jones, a North Vancouver native who scored the tying goal in the third period of Calgary's Game 1 win, opened the scoring after a Canucks turnover 2:40 into the first period. With the most of the Canucks exiting the zone, Alexander Edler's pass went off the skate of forechecking Matt Stajan and caromed right to Jones, who was alone in the left slot. Jones gloved the puck down to his stick and quickly fired it past the glove of Miller on the short side, off the post and in. Calgary had a chance to double the lead on a power play just over one minute later, but Dennis Wideman hit the post on the Flames' best chance and puck was cleared from behind Miller. The Canucks stuck with their game plan. Bonino finally tied it with a perfect shot after a good forecheck. Vrbata got the puck behind the net to Bonino at the left faceoff dot, and his one-timer beat Hiller high over the blocker just inside the far corner. Calgary pressured after Sedin put the Canucks ahead, but couldn't take advantage of two power plays. After scoring three power-play goals in Games 3 and 4 in Calgary, the Flames managed only Colborne's shot on their two third-period advantages. The Flames have two more chances to finish the job, but Mikael Backlund wants no part of a return to Vancouver for Game 7 on Monday.

Actress Kate Upton spotted in Vancouver for Game 5.


Game 6 - Vancouver @ Calgary 4-7 - Sat, Apr 25 - Flames Win 4-2
Fittingly, the Flames pulled off another third-period comeback to extend their season and escape the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Flames erased an early three-goal deficit and defeated the Canucks 7-4 in Game 6 of their Western Conference First Round series at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday. They advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and just the second time since winning the Stanley Cup in 1989. Matt Stajan goal with 4:17 remaining broke a 4-4 tie. The Flames, who won the best-of-7 series 4-2, will face the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Second Round. Stajan, 31, gave the Flames their first lead of the game with the first playoff goal of his career. After Ryan Miller couldn't handle David Jones' initial shot cleanly, Stajan lifted Calgary's second rebound opportunity over the shoulder of the Canucks goaltender and into the top corner to put Calgary ahead 5-4. A poke check by goaltender Karri Ramo on Daniel Sedin, who was in alone, led to Jiri Hudler's second of the night, an empty-net goal with 28.4 seconds. Michael Ferland, with his second of the game, added another into the empty net with 2.1 seconds remaining to complete the win. The late outburst capped another Calgary comeback. The Flames trailed early after Vancouver scored the fastest three goals from the start of a playoff game in franchise history to take a 3-0 lead at 9:42. But Ferland trimmed Vancouver's lead to 3-1 late in the first period, and Calgary's top line of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Hudler completely erased it in the second, scoring twice in a span of 4:33 for their first even-strength goals of the series. But Luca Sbisa, with the first goal from a Canucks defenseman in the series, put Vancouver ahead midway through the period by beating Ramo through a screen. Vancouver took the 4-3 lead off the ice at the second intermission. The Flames, who were third to Anaheim (12) and the Detroit Red Wings (11) in victories when trailing after 40 minutes in the regular season and added another in Game 1 in Vancouver, came up with one more comeback thanks to their top line. With Vancouver's Brandon McMillan in the penalty box for interference, Monahan couldn't redirect Gaudreau's slap-pass on net, but Hudler fished the puck from below the goal line and beat a downed Miller to tie the game at 6:14 of the third. That goal accounted for three of the trio's 10 points in the game. The line entered Game 6 having combined for a total of seven points through the first five games. After Calgary opened the scoring early and went on to win Games 3 and 4, Vancouver got the jump this time with McMillan burying a rebound in the slot off an initial shot from Chris Higgins at 2:36 to put the Canucks ahead. They were the Canucks' first shots on Jonas Hiller. Vancouver struck again with goals from Jannik Hansen at 7:32 and Radim Vrbata at 9:42. Hansen's goal chased Hiller, who made one save on three shots. Vrbata's goal came on the first shot against Ramo.

Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins was complimentary in defeat. "You have to give them credit," Desjardins said. "They found ways all year, and they found a way again tonight. I'm proud of our guys; 101 points this year was a good run. I thought our fans were great, we wanted to get back there for a Game 7 because they've been so good, they deserved a Game 7. It just didn't go our way. I knew coming in it was going to be a hard series, and leaving I knew it was a hard series. I think the games were there, we just didn't quite seize it to get it."

NHL PO - Round 1 - Anaheim Sucks beat Winnipeg Jets 4-0

Game 1 - Winnipeg @ Anaheim 2-4 - Thu, Apr 16 - Sucks Lead 1-0
When the Sucks have their best players performing to their standard, they are difficult to stop. When they have their power play clicking on top of that, they can grind out wins as well as any team in the NHL. Corey Perry scored twice in the third period to rally Anaheim to a 4-2 win against the Jets in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Honda Center. Perry's second goal was the game-winner; it came when he drove to the net and attempted a backhand that was initially stopped by Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec before Perry tapped it in at 13:21. The play was originally called no goal on the ice; however, after the next stop in play, a video review determined that the puck had crossed the goal line.
Perry's two goals and two assists tied a franchise single-game playoff point record; the second assist came on Ryan Getzlaf's power-play goal with 3:05 remaining. Anaheim, which entered the game in a 1-for-23 rut on the power play, scored two extra-man goals for the first time since its previous game against the Jets on Jan. 11. The Ducks also went 3-for-3 killing penalties.
Getzlaf's goal capped a three-goal third period for the Ducks, who led the NHL during the regular season by winning 12 games in which they trailed after 40 minutes. It was the first playoff game for the Winnipeg franchise since 2007, when it was known as the Atlanta Thrashers. The teams combined for 83 hits in what is expected to be one of the more physical series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perry tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal 69 seconds into the third period when tapped in a loose puck that came to him at the right side. Ryan Kesler earned the power play late in the second period when he goaded Mark Scheifele into an after-the-whistle roughing penalty. Getzlaf gave his linemate Perry good grades. Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice and his players were pleased with their first two periods. Maurice didn't feel Anaheim's power play was momentum-changing, and said he felt his team handled the emotional swings well considering the high intensity of their final regular-season games. Tyler Myers said that they have their hands full with Getzlaf and Perry. The Ducks leaned on goalie Frederik Andersen early in the second period, and he made a big save on Chris Thorburn to keep the Ducks within a goal before Anaheim came on strong late. Winnipeg took a 2-1 lead on Drew Stafford's wrist shot to finish a 3-on-2 rush at 5:00 of the second period. It was one of several scoring chances early in the second for the Jets, who couldn't take further advantage of a typically poor middle period for Anaheim. Sami Vatanen scored 1:57 into the game, beating Pavelec on a point shot with Emerson Etem in front of the net. Getzlaf began the possession when he bumped Ladd off the puck and got it to Perry, who set up Vatanen. Winnipeg responded quickly when Adam Lowry one-timed Mark Stuart's pass behind Andersen at 2:46. The Jets transitioned quickly in the neutral zone and Andersen appeared out of position. Perry passed Teemu Selanne for second on Anaheim's all-time playoff assist list (35). Selanne, who began his NHL career in Winnipeg, was in attendance and drew loud cheers when he was shown on the video board. Perry is helped by playing on more talented teams than Selanne was given during his time in Anaheim. Also Perry has played is entire career with the Orange County-based franchise, while Selanne has played for the Original Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, all much better teams, than the Anaheim Sucks.
Game 2 - Winnipeg @ Anaheim 1-2 - Sat, Apr 18 - Sucks Lead 2-0
Jakob Silfverberg had not put a shot on goal in more than 59 minutes. His first one found the back of the net. That's how it's gone all season for the Sucks, who continued their third-period luck Saturday when Silfverberg scored with 21 seconds left in the third for a 2-1 win against the Jets in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at Honda Center. It was the second straight game that Anaheim came back to win after entering the third period down a goal. The Ducks won 4-2 in Game 1 after they trailed 2-1 in the third. Silfverberg grabbed the puck behind the goal line with Bryan Little defending, skated into the lower left circle and beat Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec to the short side with a wrist shot. Ryan Kesler cycled the puck back for Silfverberg to retrieve. It was a familiar scenario for Anaheim, which set an NHL single-season record with 18 wins when trailing at any point in the third period and was an NHL-best 12-23-0 when trailing after two periods during the regular season. Maroon tied it 1-1 when Cam Fowler's power-play shot deflected off him and into the net at 10:43 of the third. Jets captain Andrew Ladd was serving a high-sticking penalty for striking Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf in the neutral zone. The Dirty Dog Kyle Palmieir Slashed Michael Frolik a little over a minute earlier. The Jets will go home for the franchise's first playoff game since 2007, when it was known as the Atlanta Thrashers, and the first in Winnipeg since 1996, when the original Jets moved to Arizona after losing a first-round series to the Detroit Red Wings. They expect a raucous atmosphere at a sold-out MTS Centre, but they knew they had a golden chance for a split. Pavelec made 37 saves and kept Anaheim scoreless through 49 minutes. He stopped Maroon and Matt Beleskey on partial breakaways and made a left-pad save on Andrew Cogliano in the third period. Adam Pardy gave the Jets a 1-0 lead with his first career goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and first NHL goal since Jan. 26, 2011. Pardy, inserted in place of Ben Chiarot, skated around Kyle Palmieri down the left side and banked in a wraparound shot off teammate Lee Stempniak's skate at 15:43 of the second period. Kesler pushed Stempniak into the net with Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen seated on the goal line. 7
The goal was reviewed and upheld on Rule 69.1, which states that, "If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact."
Pardy fell to the ice in a heap with his teammates in celebration, but it didn't matter after 60 minutes. Jets players and coach Paul Maurice had no explanation for the third-period letdowns. Pardy credited Anaheim for its ability to prevail in the clutch, and even Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau again pointed to having the belief that they can come from behind. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Ducks are the first team in NHL history to take a 2-0 series lead when trailing at the start of the third period in each of the first two games.
Chris Wagner left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period. Mathieu Perreault returned after missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury.
Game 3 - Anaheim @ Winnipeg 5-4 OT - Mon, Apr 20 - Sucks Lead 3-0
Anaheim rallied three times before Rickard Rakell scored 5:12 into overtime in a 5-4 win in Game 3 at MTS Centre. Rakell tipped Francois Beauchemin's shot from the right circle past Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. The Jets were nearing their first-ever win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when Anaheim's Ryan Kesler put Jakob Silfverberg's cross-slot feed past Pavelec with 2:14 left. The Ducks have outscored the Jets 6-0 in the third period in the series. Along with the three Winnipeg leads, Anaheim had to deal with the MTS Centre crowd. It was the first Stanley Cup Playoff game in Winnipeg since April 28, 1996 when the original Jets franchise finished their 17-season run in this city. The Jets will again lean on their fans in Game 4. Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen made 31 saves; Pavelec had 26. Lee Stempniak gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead 9:38 into the game. Cam Fowler tied it for the Ducks with 6.4 seconds remaining in the first period. A five-goal second period started when Corey Perry's third goal of the series at 3:08 gave the Ducks their first lead of the game. But Tyler Myers made it 2-2 with a power-play goal 3:32 later. Blake Wheeler regained Winnipeg's lead 2:57 after Myers' goal. Silfverberg's second goal of the series with 3:56 left in the second period erased another Winnipeg lead. But 2:14 after Silfverberg's goal, Bryan Little put the Jets back in front. However, comebacks are nothing new for the Ducks, who won each of the first two games with third-period rallies. Anaheim's 18 regular-season wins when trailing at any point in the third period set an NHL record. The Ducks' 12 wins when trailing after two periods also set a League record. Secondary scoring is helping to drive Anaheim's comebacks. Winnipeg limited the Ducks' top line of Perry, Patrick Maroon and Ryan Getzlaf to one goal, but the third line of Rakell, Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano took up the scoring burden. Silfverberg had a goal and two assists; Cogliano had three assists. Winnipeg pounced on Anaheim early. Stempniak, acquired from the New York Rangers before the NHL Trade Deadline, snuck to the front of the net. Rookie Adam Lowry worked the puck to Stempniak, who swept it over the goal line before Andersen could scramble into position. Anaheim scored its first goal late in the first during a 4-on-4 situation. The Jets could not move the puck out of the defensive zone and Cogliano sent it to Fowler, who snapped a low shot past Pavelec from the left circle. Hampus Lindholm located Perry alone in front early in the second. Lindholm's backhand pass to the edge of the crease reached Perry, who tapped a shot past Pavelec at 3:08. Perry has three goals and two assists in the series. The Ducks took a bench minor for too many men on the ice while on a power play at 5:03 of the second period. The Jets had not scored on their first eight power plays of the series until Myers sent a wrist shot on net past Michael Frolik's screen that eluded Andersen at 6:40. Wheeler, who led the Jets with 26 goals in the regular season, made it 3-2 when he picked up a long rebound to the left of the net and sent a shot over Andersen's right shoulder at 9:40 of the second. Silfverberg, who had the game-winning goal in Game 2, continued his strong series with a goal that made it 3-3. But Winnipeg got the lead back when Little intercepted Fowler's clearing pass up the middle of the slot before beating Andersen with a high slap shot at 18:18 of the second period. The goal was the first since Feb. 24 for Little, who missed 11 games because of an upper-body injury in March.
After a game that featured 105 hits, Kesler expects that the Jets will provide even more resistance in Game 4. Yes because they are a dirty team.
Penalties

1st Period
15:50 WPG	Jacob Trouba  Holding against  Patrick Maroon
18:43 WPG	Adam Lowry  Roughing against  Ryan Kesler
18:43 ANA	Ryan Kesler  Roughing against  Adam Lowry
2nd Period
00:31 ANA	Hampus Lindholm  Hi-sticking against  Mark Scheifele
03:08 WPG	Dustin Byfuglien  Roughing against  Corey Perry
05:03 ANA	Kyle Palmieri  Too many men/ice - bench
11:16 WPG	Dustin Byfuglien  Tripping against  Ryan Kesler
3rd Period
18:11 ANA	Sami Vatanen  Delaying Game-Puck over glass

Game 4 - Anaheim @ Winnipeg 5-2 - Wed, Apr 22 - Sucks Win 4-0
The Sucks made their first statement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and some needed time to rest will be their reward. The Ducks completed a sweep of the Jets with a 5-2 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round series at MTS Centre. Two third-period goals from Ryan Kesler fended off a late push from the Jets. Anaheim will play the winner of the best-of-7 series between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks; Calgary leads the series 3-1. The Ducks will rest at home and prepare for the second-round series. Eight Winnipeg players made their playoff debuts, and the Jets could not counter Anaheim's experience. Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. Ondrej Pavelec made 30 saves for the Jets. Anaheim had a 2-1 lead after the second period. Kesler scored 6:41 into the third period before Jets defenseman Mark Stuart's first NHL playoff goal narrowed Anaheim's lead to 3-2 with 9:33 left in the game. But Kesler's third goal of the series, a one-timer on a pass from Jakob Silfverberg with 4:49 remaining put the Ducks ahead by two goals. Defenseman Sami Vatanen scored an empty-net goal with 27 seconds left. The Ducks came from behind in all four games, including in the third period in each of the first three games. Anaheim outscored Winnipeg 9-1 in the third period in the series. Winnipeg has never won a playoff game in its history. They were swept by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2007, when the franchise was known as the Atlanta Thrashers. Bryan Little's power-play goal with 3:34 left in the first period gave the Jets a 1-0 lead. Emerson Etem tied the game 1:26 later. Andrew Cogliano gave Anaheim a 2-1 lead at 12:55 of the second period. Anaheim swept Winnipeg in part because of a well-balanced offensive attack that allowed Boudreau to use four lines. Corey Perry had two assists for the Ducks and seven points (three goals, four assists) in the series. Silfverberg finished with two goals and three assists. Getzlaf had a goal and three assists. Kesler played two seasons in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League as a Vancouver prospect. Kesler tormented the Jets throughout the series, drawing penalties and solidifying the Ducks' second line. He teamed with Silfverberg to provide a dangerous second-line and center depth that the Jets could not match. Kesler's presence relieves some of the pressure on Getzlaf and Perry to carry Anaheim's offensive burden. The Ducks and Jets combined for 80 hits in Game 4. The Ducks' repeated comebacks frustrated the Jets. Maurice acknowledged that the Jets did not have a healthy lineup. He said Ladd sustained an injury 2 1/2 months ago that would have kept him out of the lineup for two months had he not played through it.