Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.
Don't tell the Nashville Predators they're done. The Detroit Red Wings looked set to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the first-round series, leading Game Three 3-2 late in regulation. It looked pretty bleak for the eighth-seeded Preds, but nine seconds later, things suddenly looked better.
Ryan Suter and Jason Arnott put consecutive pucks past Dominik Hasek to put the Predators in front and Martin Erat added an empty-netter for a 5-3 win in Nashville. Instead of facing elimination tomorrow night at home, the Predators have a chance to even the series against the President Trophy Wings. A little advice: if you're watching, you might not want to blink. Red Wings lead series, 2-1.
(After the jump: Go ahead and tell the Ottawa Senators they're done, and the Avs/Wild salute to overtime continues)
Penguins 4, Senators 1: The Ottawa Senators hoped that a return to home ice and the return of captain Daniel Alfredsson might help them stem the tide against the Penguins, who handily took two wins in Pittsburgh. It may have helped for two periods, but Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Marian Hossa scored third period goals for a 4-1 win to put a virtual nail in the Senators' playoff coffin. With the loss, the Senators will try to be the first team in 33 years to fight back from a 3-0 series deficit.
It's interesting to note that last year's Stanley Cup finalists, Anaheim and Ottawa, are the only playoff teams without a win this spring. I thought Stanley Cup hangover was supposed to happen in October. Penguins lead series 3-0.
Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT): Somebody should tell Minnesota and Colorado that there are no three-point games in the postseason. For the third time in the first three games, the Wild and Avalanche needed overtime to decide a winner. Nearly 12 minutes into overtime, Wild forward Brian Rolston centered a puck to Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who fired it past Avs goalie Jose Theodore for the OT winner. Joe Sakic had a goal and an assist for Colorado, while Marian Gaborik was once again held scoreless for the Wild.
In the three games of the series thus far, Minnesota and Colorado have combined for more than 24 minutes of overtime. As if that's not enough, they are going back at it tonight. Wild lead(s) series 2-1.
On Tonight's Schedule:
Canadiens at Bruins, 7 pm ET, Montreal leads series 2-1.
Capitals at Flyers, 7 pm ET. Series tied 1-1.
Ducks at Stars, 8:30 pm ET. Dallas leads series 2-0.
Wild at Avalanche, 10 pm ET. Minnesota leads series 2-1.
Sharks at Flames, 10 pm ET. Calgary leads series 2-1.
Gratuitous YouTube Embed: In honor of Jason Arnott's game-winning goal, here's a look at an earlier clip of his Stanley Cup memories, including his cup-winning goal in the 2000 playoffs for New Jersey. I have fond memories of that goal, as it won me a preseason bet I had made in Las Vegas.
