The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the best teams in the NHL during the lockout-shortened season and after drawing the New York Islanders as the eighth seed in the first round of the playoffs, many around the league felt that the number one seed would make quick work of the team, but that has been dead wrong.
The Islanders had an offensive explosion on Tuesday night at home in Game 3, defeating the Penguins 6-4 4 to even up the series at 2-2 in the Eastern conference first round and as things head back to Pittsburgh, it is now a best of three. Evgeni Malkin scored a goal for the Penguins, as did Pascal Dupuis, while John Tavares added a goal for the Islanders and Mark Streit had two in the victory. The win is huge for the Islanders, who can take control with a win in Game 5.
While many didn't expect the series to be as close, the Islanders have done a good job on Sidney Crosby and have now pushed the Penguins to at least six games no matter what happens in the series. Marc Andre Fleury had 18 saves, while Evgeni Nabakov had 27 in the win. The series is now tied 2-2 and while many did not expect it to go that way, the Islanders are not intimidated.
The Montreal Canadiens are on the brink in their series with the Ottawa Senators, as the team lost 3-2 in overtime and are now down 2-1 in the quarterfinals as Game 5 will be back home. Kyle Turris scored the game winning goal and now the all-Canada series has the chance to end with a win by the Senators in game 5. The team made a furious comeback on Tuesday night in the third period, scoring two goals to push it to overtime before scoring the winner against the Canadiens. Craig Anderson had 26 saves in the game and now the Senators have the chance to advance as the seventh seed in the Eastern playoffs.
The Blackhawks blanked the Wild 3-0 to take a 3-1 advantage in the series and after two goals from Patrick Sharp the team looks ready to advance. The team started the season on a record streak and are now taking that strong play into the postseason after scoring one goal in each period, while Corey Crawford had 25 saves in the victory. The Canucks are now heading home after getting swept by the Sharks, as the team lost both home games and now lost two in a row, including Game 4 in overtime 4-3.