Stanley Cup playoffs, day 11: Calder Cup Edition
Tonight there are four NHL games on schedule, but the feature game tonight has to go to the seventh and final game between the Binghamton Senators and Manchester Monarchs in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs Atlantic Division Semi-Final. The B-Sens have clawed back from a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back overtime victories to get themselves this opportunity to advance.
- Binghamton Senators at Manchester Monarchs (7 p.m., TEAM 1200, series tied 3-3)/
Although leading scorer Ryan Potulny was held off the scoresheet, Ottawa Binghamton got all the scoring needed from Bobby Butler and Geoff Kinrade, with the overtime winner, in Friday's game six. Jim O'Brien and Erik Condra each had two-point nights, in both instances their first points of the post-season. One key to the game will be finding a way to get scoring from O'Brien's line as well as Potulny's. Another will be giving Robin Lehner the support he'll certainly need after playing into double overtime and making 51 saves just last night.
Last night there were only two games on the docket in the NHL, but to keep things interesting, both went to overtime. Tyler Ennis scored 5:31 into overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 lead in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers, and Jerred Smithson beat Ray Emery less than two minutes into their overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 3-2 series lead over the Anaheim Ducks.
In the NHL tonight, three of the four games are potential series-clinchers if the team leading the series wins.
- (5) Tampa Bay Lightning at (4) Pittsburgh Penguins (12 p.m., CBC, Versus. PIT leads series 3-1)
- (8) New York Rangers at (1) Washington Capitals (3 p.m., TSN, NBC. WAS leads series 3-1)
- (6) Montreal Canadiens at (3) Boston Bruins (7 p.m., CBC, Versus. Series tied 2-2)
- (7) Los Angeles Kings at (2) San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m., TSN, Versus. SJS leads series 3-1)
Another full day of hockey. Playoffs are the best.