Tuesday April 28 7:30pm
Despite being the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the struggling New Jersey Devils are looking to pull even in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Ottawa Senators tonight. Alexei Yashin scored Ottawa's second overtime goal of the series and the Senators edged New Jersey, 2-1, on Sunday. Ottawa scored an overtime victory by the same score in Game One on Wednesday.
New Jersey was in the hunt for the Presidents' Trophy until the final day of the regular season, but has managed just five goals in the series, and trails in games despite allowing only five. Center Doug Gilmour and his surgically repaired right knee have accounted for three goals.
Center Bobby Holik, who led New Jersey in scoring during the regular season, has failed to record a point in the series and has gone without a goal in 19 games. Right Wing Randy McKay, who enjoyed a breakout season with 24 goals, also has yet to score in the postseason. The key for the Senators is the continued strong play of goaltender Damian Rhodes, who entered the series with no playoff record. Rhodes has stopped 87-of-91 shots thus far and has played as well as Vezina Trophy candidate Martin Brodeur.
Rhodes and the Senators would be happy to end regulation in a tie, since the Devils have not won in overtime in the postseason since Game Four of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals against Pittsburgh. Brodeur is just 3-9 in playoff overtimes.
Game Five of the series will be played on Thursday at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey.
#2 PITTSBURGH PEGUINS vs #7 MONTREAL CANADIENS
Wednesday April 29 7:30pm
The Montreal Canadiens can take a commanding lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four at the Molson Centre tonight. Shayne Corson scored twice and Andy Moog stopped 19 shots, including all 14 over the final two periods, as Montreal topped Pittsburgh, 3-1 on Monday.
It was the third time Corson has recorded two goals in a playoff game, as he accomplished the feat twice with the St. Louis Blues during the 1996 postseason.
The Canadiens have shut down the Penguins' power-play unit. Montreal has killed of 14 of 15 shorthanded opportunties while going 3-for-14 with the man advantage in the series thus far. Captain Vincent Damphousse is the only Canadien to record a point in each playoff game. Damphousse, the team's second-leading scorer behind Mark Recchi, has a goal and four assists in the series.
The high-powered Penguins offense has been limited to just seven goals -- three by Stu Barnes -- so far.
The line of Barnes, Ron Francis and NHL scoring leader Jaromir Jagr, which combined for 90 goals and 164 assists in the regular season, has totaled five goals and six assists in three playoff games. Jagr leads the Penguins in points with a goal and four assists.
The series shifts back to Pittsburgh for Game Five on Friday.
#3 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs #6 BUFFALO SABERS
Wednesday April 29 7:30pm
After making it look easy in their last game, the Buffalo Sabres can push the Philadelphia Flyers one step closer to elimination with a win tonight in Game Four of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Miroslav Satan scored a pair of power-play goals for his first career playoff points and Darryl Shannon and Brian Holzinger added shorthanded tallies as Buffalo cruised to a 6-1 win over Philadelphia in Game Three on Monday. The Sabres scored four of their goals on just six shots in a 5:28 span of the second period.
The Sabres have also unleashed a secret weapon in left wing Michal Grosek, who has six career playoff goals -- all against the Flyers. Dixon Ward joins Grosek as the only Sabre to score goals in all three games of the series.
Goaltender Dominik Hasek has yet to record a shutout, but has still been strong while stopping 88-of-94 shots faced for a .936 save percentage. Dan McGillis scored the lone goal for the Flyers in Monday's rout. Sean Burke, a mid-season acquisition from the Vancouver Canucks, allowed all six goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Ron Hextall to start the third period, but Burke is expected to be between the pipes again tonight.
Captain Eric Lindros has been absent from the scoring sheet in Games One and Three, while his goal and assist in Philadelphia's 3-2 win in Game Two on Friday were his only points of the series.
Game Five of the series will be played on Friday in Philadelphia.
#4 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs #5 BOSTON BRUINS
Tuesday April 29 7:30pm
After posting their first postseason overtime win in seven years, the Washington Capitals battle the Boston Bruins in Game Four of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight at the FleetCenter. Former Bruin Joe Juneau scored at 6:31 of the second overtime as Washington grabbed a two games to one lead with a 3-2 win over Boston on Sunday. The win snapped Washington's eight-game overtime losing streak in the playoffs. The Caps suffered a 3-2 double-overtime loss on Friday.
Sniper Peter Bondra, whose 52 goals in the regular season tied him with Anaheim's Teemu Selanne for the league lead, missed his second straight game with an ankle injury suffered in Game One.
Without Bondra, Washington has been getting goals from an unlikely source. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has scored four goals in the three games thus far after entering the series with four goals in 13 career playoff games. Dimitri Khristich and Kyle McLaren scored in Sunday's loss for the fifth-seeded Bruins, who are the only lower seed in the Eastern Conference trailing after three games.
Boston appeared to win the game in the first overtime on rookie Per-Johan Axelsson's goal. But, as his teammates poured onto the ice and the FleetCenter erupted, replays showed that Boston's Tim Taylor had his left skate in the crease, nullifying the goal and sending a game to double-overtime for the second time in the series.
The Bruins are down in the series despite outshooting the Caps 122-83 in the three games.
Game Five will be played in Washington on Friday.
