The NHL Playoffs have been exciting as any year in recent memory and on Tuesday a number of series have the chance to put one team in elimination mode, while the San Jose and Vancouver Canucks series could end with a win by the Sharks in Game 4 to complete the sweep.
The Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators have played a tough all-Canada series for north of the border supremacy and after a quick win by the Senators, Montreal rebounded with a 3-1 Game 2 victory to tie up the series. The Senators blasted the Canadiens 6-1 in Game 3 and the matchup was marred by a blistering hit and some fighting that ended up having nearly all the players involved and quite a bit of fighting.
Carey Price and Craig Anderson have been solid in spots, but the Montreal goaltender was outplayed in Game 3 and without a strong performance on Tuesday, the team could be heading home for the rest of the postseason. The seven seeded Senators are happy they aren't facing the number one ranked Penguins and the team has taken advantage of their spot by stealing one game in Montreal. Rene Bourque is leading the Canadiens in scoring and goals, while Daniel Alfredsson is tops in scoring and assists for the Senators.
The Penguins and the Islanders has been a much more exciting series than anyone had predicted before the playoffs started, as Pittsburgh has been on its heels since dropping Game 2 and nearly losing Game 3 in overtime. The team was dominant in Game 1 and looked as if they would walk over New York in the series, but the Islanders bounced back in Game 2 to win and then were able to force overtime in Game 3 on Saturday after making a comeback from two goals down in the third period.
Chris Kunitz scored the winning goal off of an assist from Sidney Crosby, his third of the game, and the Penguins were able to keep up the 2-1 series advantage as Game 4 gets ready in Uniondale on Tuesday night. The Islanders are not afraid of the Penguins and the play of star Jonathan Tavares has helped and after he scored a goal in the last game he may have some momentum heading into the contest.
The Blackhawks and the Wild have had an entertaining series as well as is another one-eight matchup that was expected to be quick, but after Minnesota won in Game 3 the series is at 2-1. The Wild won Game 3 in overtime after the Blackhawks took the first two contests, including a 5-2 win in Game 2. The series has had two games go into overtime with each team winning once and whoever takes the game on Tuesday will be in a good position to win the series.
