The pens jump out to an early 1-0 lead, Roberts on a turnaround shot from Laraque and Talbot.

The playoffs are under way!

With the Pens on a PP, Volchenkov gets hit with a puck in the face (I think), drops like a stone- play continues since Pitt has the puck.... much blood on the ice as gerber makes a tremendous glove save. Penalty killed, back to ES.

7:40 left 2nd.

Devils tie it up 1-1, 6:00 left 2nd there.... under 5:00 left 2nd in Pittsburgh, still 2-0 Pens.

Sens with a :57 5 on 3... killed, now a 5 on 4... Sens get a post, but not a goal...

killed.

Sens suck. Sens get another PP with :30.5 left 2nd, but it won't matter.

2-0 Pens, end 2nd.

NYR-NJD 1-1 end 2nd.

The Sens get their second 5 on 3 of the night, this one for :52.... killed... 5 on 4... killed.

Get those golf clubs out, boys- you're toast.

The Rangers score to make it 2-1.

Sens are running out of time.

Now the Pens have 4 on 3 for :37.... killed... 5 on 4... killed.

Avery scores to make it 3-1 Rangers (Gomez is 0-3-3 so far), and that score is final now.

Avs-Wild has started, no score with 8:28 left 1st.

Ottawa fails on their 6th PP, Malkin scores to make it 3-0.

3:25 left, a fight breaks out- pairings all over the ice. Redden and Crosby, then Whitney and Redden (once the other Pens get SC away).... Scuderi-Foligno, lots of words and holding, but no punches...

The Pens get a PP out of all that, and...

Roberts gets another goal. 4-0 Penguins.

Another scrum with :11.5 left in regulation... still going on, and more getting involved. Roberts has been tossed, Bass is gone for the Sens... 

4-0 Penguins, final.

I can't stay for the late games.

The late game final scores were 3-2 Avs (in the 1st OT)... upset? And 3-2 CalGARy in regulation... another upset?  Yikes! Western Conference RULES! Eastern looks like it's going as predicted.

Tonight's (Thursday, 4-10-08 ) games are:

Boston at Montreal (this should be a great series, IMO, go BOSTON ) 7:00 CBC, RDS

Nashville at Detroit,  7:00 Versus (yay! ), TSN

CalGARy at San Jose (back to back, saving on those travel costs) 10:00 CBC, RIS (another great series- SJ has the touts, Cal has the guts)

Dallas at Anaheim 10:00 RDS, Versus (yay! ), TSN (Duck walk? Go, Stars! )

... many of the above in HD for the TV proficient.

I won't be around when the Caps play at home, I have tickets for all 4 rounds (yay!    ). I will be here for the away games, unless the Road Crew really goes crazy (and most of the away games seem to be mid-week, which isn't good as far as work is concerned). The CRC does have Round I Game 3 (I think) tickets, props to them for travelling to Philly for the game! I'll do the early game updates tonight, and hope Marc and/or TAK jump in with some later scores.

According to misto, the Habs score in the first :30 of the game..... meanwhile, the preds are on the PP early against the Wings....

and, in the Frozen4, BC os crushing ND 4-0 early in the 2nd.

Before I could type that, misto says 2-0 Habs....

The Preds killed their own PP- it went 4 on 4 for :27, then the Wings got the PP. Preds killed, but Det scored just after the PP was over. ES goal by franzen.

1-0 Red Wings early.

15:00 left in regulation, and now it's an interesting game- Preds just hit a post and then had another real good chance.... now the Wings with tons of pressure, and they score with 13:06 left.

2-1 Red Wings. Montreal still leading 3-1, just about the same time left in that game.

:47.2 left, Trotz calls his timeout to diagram some desperation... and Nashville goes with the EN.... it doesn't work. Detroit scores off the faceoff.

3-1 Red Wings, final. Montreal leads 4-1 late. Tonight's early game winners, no surprises.

Yes indeed. Bs are letting me down

(and, just since I'm going to refer to official in a second.... chicks with sticks...mmmmmmmmmm.... )

Lots of good insight into last night's Caps game in this thread from official:

http://boards.washingtoncaps.com/index.php?showtopic=68830

Wow- watching this last shift, I'm sitting here saying (to the air around me) "Go, Kovy! Go, Kovy!"- I can see how he's considered in the MVP list.... and Montreal scores, due to all his hard work (2nd assist).

2-0 Habs

Earlier today, detroit won 4-2 to take a 2-0 lead against the preds- I was hoping, but it looks like the Wings could be the stuff in the west.

Boston takes a penalty, and if it goes 3-0 (as NHL has it already) in this game, Boston is toast.

Good thread on official discussing Huet:

http://boards.washingtoncaps.com/index.php?showtopic=68852

I must admit, when it got to 4-2 last night, I reverted to my old "I'll give them a few minutes (my actual prediction was 8)  in the 3rd and if they don't produce, I'm out of here" mentality. Old habits are hard to break.

Fortunately, they made a chump out of me.

At the same time, I was watching Kolzig get antsy on the bench, and you could almost see his brain working like "Damn- I might get into a game again!" .

No, Olie, you won't. Not unless Huet breaks both arms and legs.

Even after how the Wild snaked them in OT? I'm impressed. Go, Wild!

Good news for Thoresen (got hit in the nuts- or, I should say, a nut- with a puck in last night's game). I thought this guy was gone for the duration.

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=360260&page=NewsPage&service=page

Cruel world when, after less than 5 periods of a possible 21+ you can say "put the fork in", but you're right. Kostitsyn almost stuck it in right there.

And now another Habs' PP.... doom and gloom for the Bruins (and possibly the broom).

But they don't survive.

Kovy with the goal, Habs with a 2-0 series lead...

So the Canadiens, Red Wings, Penguins, Rangers, and Stars all lead their respective series 2-0. Flames-Sharks and Avs-Wild tied at 1-1. Caps up 1-0, with a chance to join the others at 2-0 this afternoon.

Not a bad start to the playoffs. In my mind, the Rangers and Stars are better than they should be at this point, with the Wild and Caps close behind...