Saturday’s Game Five was described by many as a “must win” for both teams, as the pivotal contest would decide which team would be on the brink of elimination, and which team would only need one more victory to get their names on the Stanley Cup. The Chicago Blackhawks came out on top with a 3-1 victory, and now hold a three games to two lead.
The news for Boston gets worse. Not only are they faced with the slimmest of margins of error, they very well may be forced to win the next two games without Patrice Bergeron’s help. Bergeron has been one of the most consistently clutch players in these entire playoffs, but was forced to leave last night’s contest in an ambulance, with what is being reported as a spleen injury. [ESPN]
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t leave the game unscathed, as captain Jonathan Toews did not step on the ice in the game’s third period, after taking a monstrous check from Johnny Boychuk midway through the second period. It’s not known at this time how severe his injury is, but the league is expected to take a look at the hit before deciding if any disciplinary action needs to be taken. [WEEI]
Game Six will take place tomorrow night, back in Boston.
Corey Crawford, along with his glove hand, were under much scrutiny after his performance in Game Four. He went a long way to silencing his critics with a strong performance in Game Five. I don’t even know how many times I’ve claimed redemption for this kid in links since the playoffs began, but you’d think people would stop doubting him. He’s one win away, and he’s not a passenger on this train. [CBS]
No one could possibly accuse Patrick Kane of being a passenger either, as he has been one of the most spectacular standouts on a star-studded Blackhawks roster. Regardless of your personal feelings on him, you can’t deny that he’s playing like a man possessed. The Chicago Tribune shows him the love he deserves this morning. [Chicago Tribune]
In international news, Daniel Alfredsson, captain of the Ottawa Senators, has yet to decide if he will play again next season at the age of 40… but it’s been decided for him that he won’t be playing for Team Sweden at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. He was not invited to their team conference to take place in August. [Canoe]
When Joe Sakic announced last week that the Colorado Avalanche had no plans to select defenseman Seth Jones with the first overall selection in next week’s NHL entry draft, many fans rolled their eyes and claimed that they were just playing the market to drive up interest in the pick, or somehow add value to their selection with misinformation. Adrian Dater heard this criticism, and wrote an article entirely dedicated to vouching for the veracity of Joe Sakic’s intentions. [Denver Post]
Yesterday, I wrote about the flooding in Calgary and the damage to the Saddledome. While the damage continue to mount to both the venue and the city, Calgary Flames president Ken King reassured hockey fans that the arena would be fully operational in time for next season. [NHL.com]
Today’s video features the Johnny Boychuk hit that knocked Jonathan Toews out of the game last night. What are your thoughts? Clean? Dirty? Suspendable?