Silver Nuggets: Senators and Rangers get started tonight
It's finally here, folks.
The Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers will be facing off in Game One of their Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series this evening, and it's ridiculous how excited I am to watch playoff hockey again. (Anyone else with me here?) I can't imagine how painful it would be to have to wait, say, seven years or more between playoff games...
Anyway, the Senators enter the game at full health (Peter Regin aside), as Chris Neil is slated as likely to start the game despite his recent injury. The Rangers have been missing Mats Zuccarello and Steve Eminger for a while now, and Henrik Lundqvist recently had a "swollen right forearm," but they should be in pretty good shape health-wise, too. We've previewed the series to no end, and there are plenty of previews linked below, so I won't go into too much detail here; however, let's just make some ridiculous predictions: What do you think the score will be tonight?
Outside of the Sens series, what was the biggest story for you last night? The Kings' surprising 4-2 win over the Canucks? The Flyers' remarkable comeback against the Penguins? Shea Weber's neanderthal-esque head-smashing of Henrik Zetterberg? There was no shortage of excitement last night, that's for sure.
For the links today, I've done something a little bit different--playoff edition, I suppose. Let me know what you think of it in the comments section.
Eastern Conference:
New York Rangers (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8)
- Game one TONIGHT!!!!!!, 7 p.m., CBC and RDS
- Our previews: Coaching and special teams, goalies, defenders, and forwards.
- Sens focus on power play as they prepare for playoffs (Citizen)
- Daniel Alfredsson sees lot of '97 in these Senators (Citizen)
- Ottawa Senators Must Rely On Craig Anderson (SB Nation)
- First-round preview: Rangers-Sens (ESPN)
- Rangers-Senators Preview (SB Nation New York)
- Rangers Prepare by Looking at Themselves (Ed.: The best thing about playing the Rangers is getting to read New York Times coverage of the team.) (NY Times)
- Series at a glance: NY Rangers-Ottawa playoff preview (ProHockeyTalk)
- New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators (Puck Daddy)
- NY Rangers to use Henrik Lundqvist and physical edge to their advantage against Ottawa Senators in quest for Stanley Cup (New York Daily News)
- Rangers Look to a Veteran to Show the Way (NY Times)
Boston Bruins (2) vs. Washington Capitals (7)
- Game one tonight, 7:30 p.m., CBC and RDS2
- Nathan Horton will not be playing in this series, or the playoffs, due to concussion problems. (Puck Daddy)
Florida Panthers (3) vs. New Jersey Devils (6)
- Game one tomorrow, 7 p.m., TSN, RDS Info
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)
- Flyers lead series 1-0
- GOOD THINGS HAPPEN as Flyers erase 3-0 deficit, win 4-3 in OT (Broad Street Hockey)
- Penguins collapse in playoff opener, fall to Flyers 4-3 in overtime (PensBurgh)
- Game two tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS
Western Conference
Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)
- Kings lead series 1-0
- Kings At Canucks Game 1 Recap ; Shot In The Foot (4-2L) (Nucks Misconduct)
- Game two tomorrow, 10 p.m., CBC, RDS
St. Louis Blues (2) vs. San Jose Sharks (7)
- Game one tonight, 7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS Info
- Well, Of Course: Brian Elliott Injured Just In Time For Playoffs (St. Louis Game Time)
Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)
- Game one tonight, 10 p.m., TSN, RDS
- Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews ready to return (CBC)
Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)
- Predators lead series 1-0
- Predators 3, Red Wings 2: Pekka Rinne steals Game One (On The Forecheck)
- Detroit Can't Overcome Rinne, Bounces (Winging it in Motown)
- Shea Weber's rough [ed.: read: "head-smashing"] on Henrik Zetterberg: Suspension worthy? (On The Forecheck)
- Game two tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., CBC, RDS
Other Sens headlines:
- Elliotte Friedman picks Erik Karlsson as his Norris Trophy winner. Friedman also put Daniel Alfredsson in second place for the Lady Byng Trophy behind Patrice Bergeron. (CBC)
- So does this guy. (Fighting for Stanley)
- Corey Cowick and Jack Downing were recently sent from Binghamton to Elmira, and they're helping that team in the same way the players from Ottawa helped Binghamton last spring's Calder Cup run. (Press & Sun Bulletin)
- Some insight into a few key Senators prospects. (The 6th Sens)