Saturday May 2nd 7:30pm
The eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators try for a second time to close out their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the top seeded New Jersey Devils tonight when the teams battle at the Corel Centre. Martin Brodeur stopped 22 shots and set up Brian Rolston's shorthanded goal as the Devils stayed alive with a 3-1 win in Game Five on Thursday.
Ottawa was in a similar situation last year in Game Six at home against the Buffalo Sabres, leading three games to two, but went on to lose that game and was beaten in the decisive seventh game in overtime. The Senators have never advanced past the first round.
If the Senators are to advance tonight, they will need another stellar game from goaltender Damian Rhodes. Rhodes has allowed only 10 goals through the first five games and has posted a stellar .934 save percentage. However, six of those goals have been in the last two games. Brodeur, who led the league with 43 wins and was second in goals-against average (1.89), has also allowed 10 goals in the series, while posting a .925 save percentage.
Doug Gilmour has paced the Devils offensively through the first five games with five goals and two assists.
New Jersey will be without winger Jason Arnott for the rest of the series. Arnott, who has a pair of assists in five games, had his wrist lacerated by a teammate's skate during a line change in the second period of Thursday's game. He underwent surgery on Friday.
The Devils have scored first in four of the five games.
Game Seven, if necessary, is scheduled for Monday night in New Jersey.
#2 PITTSBURGH PEGUNIS vs #7 MONTREAL CANADIENS
Sunday May 3rd 7:30pm
Fresh off an impressive win in Game Five, the Montreal Canadiens try to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in five years tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six. Patrice Brisebois and Shayne Corson scored 89 seconds apart in the second period as the underdog seventh-seeded Canadiens pushed Pittsburgh to the brink of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game Five on Friday.
The Canadiens have not advanced to the second round in the postseason since winning the Stanley Cup in the 1992-93 season.
Home ice has been anything but an advantage in this series. The teams split the first four games in the series before the Canadiens won for a second time in Pittsburgh on Friday. The specialty teams have been basically a stalemate thus far. Montreal has gone 4-for-24 on the power play, while the Penguins have scored four times in 27 chances with the extra attacker.
Vincent Damphousse has paced the Canadiens offensively, with two goals and six assists. Mark Recchi is second with two goals and four assists.
Jaromir Jagr, who led the league in scoring with 102 points, leads the Penguins with nine points through the first five games. Stu Barnes is second with six points. Jagr has four goals, while Barnes has tallied three times.
The Penguins were without one of their key defenseman for most of Game Five. Hard-hitting Darius Kasparaitis had the flu and played only one shift Friday.
Montreal was without winger Brian Savage, who missed Friday's game with a mild concussion.
Game Seven, if necessary, would be on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
#3 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs #6 BUFFALO SABERS
Buffalo Wins 4-2
#4 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs #5 BOSTON BRUINS
Sunday May 3rd 2pm
The Washington Capitals are hoping to avert another collapse
after holding a three games to one lead in a playoff series
while the Boston Bruins are shooting to force a decisive seventh
game.
History has not been kind to the Capitals when given a chance to
close out a playoff series. Of the 13 times a team has rallied
from 3-1 deficits to win a best-of-seven series, it has been at
Washington's expense three times. The Capitals blew 3-1 leads
against Pittsburgh in 1992 and 1995, as well as one to the New
York Islanders in 1975.
After winning Games Three and Four in Boston, the Capitals
returned home and were shut out by the Bruins, 4-0, on Friday.
Jason Allison had a goal and two assists and Byron Dafoe made 26
saves to lead the Bruins to Friday's win. Allison was slashed in
the left leg by Washington's Chris Simon during Friday's game
and missed practice Saturday, but is expected to play today.
Calder Trophy candidate Sergei Samsonov scored his first goal of
the series for Boston in Game Five. He had four assists in the
first four games.
Caps star Peter Bondra has missed the last three games with an
injured ankle and is questionable for today.
The Capitals have not reached the Eastern Conference semifinals
since 1993-94.
If the Bruins win today, Game Seven will be Tuesday night in
Washington.
