Chase for the Cup: 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round Up for Day Seven

The defending champs stave off elimination, while a thrilling game in California had everyone up late and on the edge of their seats.

The Night that Was:

The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t dead, and David Bolland is back. After things were tied at one following the first period, a four-goal second period sealed things for the defending champs. Careless play and turnovers from the Canucks along with a shaken up Roberto Luongo lead to a 7-2 Chicago win. For Luongo, it was the sixth career playoff game in which he’s allowed five goals or more, and all of them have come against Chicago. Patrick Sharp had a pair of goals, Michael Frolik had a three-point game, but the story was Bolland. In his return from a concussion, Bolland controlled the game, scoring one goal and setting up three others. The third period was full of penalties in this one to the surprise of no one, while Corey Crawford looked like the goalie who could have been nominated for the Calder Trophy with 21 saves. Every member of Bolland’s line had a goal (Bolland, Frolik, and Bryan Bickell) in the victory, as Chciago cut the series to a 3-1 Vancouver advantage.

If you were told that a two-game night in the NHL would yield a 20-goal output, I doubt you’d believe it. Well we’ve already accounted for nine of those, so here are the other 11.

If you were watching and turned the San Jose/Los Angeles game off after the Kings went up 4-0 and chased Antti Niemi from the game just 44 seconds into the second period, you missed a good one. The Sharks scored three unanswered (including the Thornton/Marleau combination finally picking up some points) after the 4-0 goal, and after Ryan Smyth made it 5-3 Kings, San Jose tied it at five before the second ended. A scoreless third (no…seriously) brought about overtime, where Devin Setoguchi played hero. It was Setoguchi’s first goal of the playoffs, and none was bigger as this capped the second-largest single-game comeback in NHL playoff history. The Kings went without points from key performers Drew Doughty and Justin Williams, while getting multiple points out of Brad Richardson, while on the other side six Sharks had two-point nights. The win gives the Sharks a 2-1 series lead.

The Injury Bug:

-Jonas Hiller’s vertigo continues to frustrate the team. He has been sent home from Nashville because he’s not making any progress.

-Initial reports state that Chris Pronger and Andreas Nodl will both be missing Game Four for the Flyers.

-With the Coyotes’ backs against the wall, Derek Morris remains doubtful.

What’s on Tonight?

The New York Rangers look to come back all the way and tie their series with the Washington Capitals at two games apiece. Tampa Bay is an identical situation with Pittsburgh in town, while Buffalo (like New York and Tampa Bay) can tie their series with a home win. Detroit hopes to sweep out Phoenix in the desert, while Nashville looks to take a 3-1 series lead with another big win at home against Anaheim.

News and Rumours Around the League:

-First I’d like to state an amendment and an apology. Yesterday I had it listed on here that Ben Lovejoy of the Pittsburgh Penguins had a disciplinary hearing with the league. That should have read “Steve Downie has a disciplinary hearing with the league for his hit on Ben Lovejoy.” My apologies to anyone the mis-step angered or offended. Either way, both Downie and Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz were suspended one game each for their corresponding hits in Game Three and won’t play in Game Four.

-The nominees for the Calder Trophy were announced yesterday. The Islanders’ Michael Grabner, San Jose’s Logan Couture, and Carolina’s Jeff Skinner are up for the first-year award.

-The NHL will continue to broadcast with NBC and VERSUS. The two sides struck a 10-year deal worth $2-billion total ($200-million per year).

-Although he’s unsure of what his responsibilities will be, Joe Sakic has returned to the Colorado Avalanche as a member of their front office.

-Peter Forsberg has been named assistant General Manager of Modo in the Swedish Elite League. His friend Marcus Naslund is the General Manager.

Your Top Playoff Performer of the Night:

David Bolland. A four point return from a concussion with your team facing an elimination game makes your performance the most important of the evening. He played 16 minutes in his return to the lineup, and all of his points were even-strength leaving him with a plus-four rating.

You can follow Bryan on Twitter at BryanThiel_88.