Chase for the Cup: 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup

The Stanley Cup playoffs resumed last night in Boston where the Bruins were hoping to get back into the Conference Final and tie at one. While the game may have given the coaches heart attacks, it was certainly an entertaining one for fans.

The Night that Was:

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the Boston Bruins were able to tie up their Eastern Conference Final at one game apiece. At first it looked like things were going to go the same way they did in Game One as Adam Hall opened up the scoring thirteen seconds in, and after Nathan Horton’s sixth tied things up, Martin St. Louis put Tampa up 2-1 with just seven seconds left in the first. Then, it was time for Tyler Seguin to take over. Seguin scored the first goal of the second 48 seconds in on a beautiful breakaway, and after David Krejci’s sixth made it 3-2, Seguin scored his second on a 2-on-1 with Nathan Horton. After Vincent Lecavalier made it 4-3, Michael Ryder scored his third and fourth of the playoffs to make it 6-3, with Seguin earning assists on both goals, making him the youngest player to ever record four points in a single period during the playoffs. The Lightning wouldn’t give up though. After Mike Smith came in to start the third period, Steven Stamkos and Dominic Moore scored to make it 6-5, and despite a late flurry from Boston, Tim Thomas and the Bruins held on for the 6-5 victory. The Bruins got three points out of Ryder and Horton, and two points out of Dennis Seidenberg and Tomas Kaberle, while Lecavalier (4 points), Stamkos (3 points), St. Louis (2 points, and Hall (2 points) all had two points for the Lightning. Game Three goes Thursday in Tampa Bay.

The Injury Bug:

-Manny Malhotra participated in practice with the Vancouver Canucks yesterday, using a full face shield. To this point, it’s still just a motivator for his teammates, although Malhotra certainly has the motivation to get back in the lineup if he ever gets close enough to playing condition.

-Jason Demers of San Jose is listed as probable for Game Two with an undisclosed injury.

What’s on Tonight?

Game Two in the Western Conference Final goes tonight at 9:00pm Eastern as Vancouver hosts San Jose. The Sharks are hoping to tie the series at one win apiece.

News and Rumours Around the League:

-As we reported here last week, the Montreal Canadiens were pursuing defenseman Alexei Yemelin. Yemelin was selected 84^th overall in 2004 and came to an agreement on a one-year, two-way contract yesterday with the Habs.

-The Philadelphia Flyers will be without Dan Carcillo for the first two games of next season. The NHL handed down the suspension as punishment for his actions during the first intermission of Game Four of the Eastern Semifinals. The incidents reportedly happened outside of the officials’ locker room, and a second when he and linesman Brian Murphy had a verbal confrontation at the players bench at the beginning of the second.

-Ron Francis has relinquished his coaching duties with the Carolina Hurricanes to concentrate on his duties as assistant General Manager.

-Staying being the bench, Bob Boughner has relinquished his duties as an Assistant Coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Boughner won the Memeorial Cup in each of the past two CHL seasons as Head Coach of the Windsor Spitfires and earned a shot in the NHL this year. Boughner cited business commitments with the Spitfires and personal reasons for leaving.

-While all of the headlines surround the potential sale of the Atlanta Thrashers (who may have an interested party in the Atlanta area), the Buffalo Sabers have signed a letter of intent to purchase the Rochester Americans. If you’re wondering, the Sabres’ current AHL franchise is the Portland Pirates, and their agreement with them lasts through the 2013-14 season. There is no out-clause with the Pirates, so if they want to close the sale sooner, the Sabres need to ensure the Pirates have an NHL partner.

Your Top Playoff Performer of the Night:

With four points in a single period, Tyler Seguin earns the honours. Two goals, two assists (one coming on the powerplay), a plus-three rating, and a perfect 2/2 on faceoffs has certainly helped the Bruins cope with the absence of Patrice Bergeron.

You can follow Bryan on Twitter at BryanThiel_88.