S*U*S*P*E*N*S*E

Vol. I, No. 38

Two Eastern Conference games tonight went down the wire in regular time. Two cliffhangers in Newark and Pittsburgh ended just about the same way, with sellout home crowds on the edge of their seats after 55 minutes of play, games deadlocked and results in doubt.  Both home teams had lost their first games and faced the prospect of a deep playoff hole if the visitors scored the winning goal.

The Penguins and Senators danced with a 1-1 tie well into the third period. In the third, Sidney (the Kid) Crosby saved Pittsburgh's derriere with a last minute diving save behind a sprawling Theo Fleury.  If the Kid isn't there, the puck crosses the line and Ottawa leads. Then, at 15:48 of the third, Kris Letang scored on Brian Elliott (with a mind-boggling assist from Sid the Kid).  Elliott had allowed only one goal until that point in the game.

Letang's goal gave the Penguins a win, tieing their series with Ottawa at 1-1. Crosby again showed how he can dominate a game at both ends of the rink. It is now a best of five series.  The next game on Sunday is north of the border.  Crosby will be playing for the enemy, deep in the heart of Canada.  Fans from Toronto and the Maritimes (where Sid comes from) may be rooting for the Pens.

In Newark, the Devils took nine penalties and gave the Flyers seven power play opportunities.  Philly scored two PPGs. The Devils fought back in the 2nd period, and the game was tied 3-3 after 40 minutes of play. The Flyers seemed to own the 3rd period, outplaying the Devils for the first 15 minutes, with 10 shots on goal. Marty Brodeur managed to fight off all the scoring chances and keep the Devils in the game.

At 15:56 of the third period, Dainus Zubrus found a way through a goal front scrum, fed the puck to Zach Parise and the puck got past Brian Boucher. The Devils went ahead 4-3, with 4 minutes left in the game. Unbelievably, Zube managed to extend his stick, get the blade on the puck that he passed over to Zach and shoot for the net. If it was possible to split goals, both players would get 1/2 point.

The game ended with Ilya Kovalchuk getting an empty net goal. It was fitting, since #17 had played a high energy game with two assists and physical play. Kovy wound up with a three-point game, along with Patrik Elias who also had three assists.

The Devils threw 32 shots at Boucher.  Up to this evening, Boucher had allowed only 2 goals over the past two games, facing 49 shots. That's a save percentage of 0.959 and a GAA of 1.0 - stats that are in goalie nirvana. The Flyer stone wall crumbled a little bit tonight, enough to allow the Devils to tie the series.  The next game happens on the west bank of the Delaware River, across another border.  

Two Brians in goal, two cliffhangers resolved just 8 seconds apart, deep into the third period. Both series are now tied 1-1.  And one footnote from the Western Conference.  #7 Nashville knocked off #2 Chicago tonight with four unanswered goals in the third period.  The Hawks were eaten alive by the Predators.  This is playoff hockey.

Hockey Rules.