So they weren’t about to ease up when they had a big lead of their own on Sunday.

Boston went ahead by two goals in the first minute of the third period, added another 12 minutes later and beat the New York Rangers 5-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

Still, the Blueshirts aren’t about to go down without a fight as the series heads to New York.

“We don’t want to lose two games here, no one does,” said Rangers coach John Tortorella. “But there’s no give in this team. There will be no give in this team. We need to go win a game. Not look anywhere else, just try to win our first home game this series.”

Just six days earlier, the Bruins became the first team to win a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period. They started their comeback with less than 11 minutes left and extended their season with a 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Guys are really trying to stay focused on doing their job in the third period,” Brad Marchand said. “We know how important they are, especially after what we went through being down by a few goals. We know that it’s possible for any team to come back from any score.”

Marchand made it 4-2 with just 26 seconds gone in the third period, Milan Lucic scored at 12:39 and the Bruins worked hard the rest of the way.

“We talked about it before we went out there in the third period, and we just had to make sure that we played to win,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “I don’t like our team when we play on our heels and we’re just trying to protect a one-goal lead. We’ve got to extend the lead and extend it even more before we even think about protecting it.”

Game 3 is Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers never led Sunday, although they tied the game quickly after each of the Bruins’ first two goals.

The second period may have been New York’s best of the series even though Johnny Boychuk’s tie-breaking goal on a 40-foot shot at 12:08 of the period got past goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was screened by several players.

“We played a really good second,” New York’s Dan Girardi said. “The first shift of the third killed us.”

That’s when Marchand made it 4-2 with a goal similar to the one that gave the Bruins a 3-2 overtime win in the opener.

Patrice Bergeron carried the puck in deep along the right side and passed across the crease to Marchand, who had beaten Girardi and tipped it in.

“I have to be ready to defend that pass there,” Girardi said. “They didn’t have much room, but, obviously, I have to be either on the strong side blocking that or on Marchand’s stick. That really put us behind the eight-ball.”

With a two-goal lead, the Bruins remained aggressive but still clogged the middle in front of goalie Tuukka Rask when the Rangers attacked.

“We felt really good going into the third, and to have that type of goal go in — it’s just two-on-two — it hurts you,” Tortorella said. “We couldn’t generate anything, and then they’re just going to fill the middle and they’re just going to jam you.”

Boston never trailed as rookie Torey Krug scored the first goal at 5:28 of the first period before Rangers captain Ryan Callahan tied it less than three minutes later. Gregory Campbell made it 2-1 at 2:24 of the second period, and New York pulled even again 56 seconds later on Rick Nash’s goal, his first of the playoffs after he led the Rangers with 21 in the regular season.

“We didn’t play our best,” Marchand said. “I think, especially in the second period, they took it to us, but we were able to bounce back. It’s definitely a very even series.”

Not when it comes to goaltending.

Lundqvist allowed more than five goals for the first time in 152 games, including the postseason, and stopped 27 shots.

“I thought I was in position, but (there were) a couple screens and when you give up five goals you can’t be satisfied,” he said.

There’s also the matter of his left shoulder that was hit by Daniel Paille’s third-period shot. Lundqvist rubbed it after the game and said, “We’ll take a look at it.”

Rask saved 35 of 37 shots.

Still, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy last year and is a finalist for it this year.

“I know that I can’t let in any lead goals most nights because he is who he is,” Rask said, “but, then again it’s a team game and we’re more focused on the Rangers than any individual.”

These are the Rangers who also lost the first two games of their opening series on the road, then won the next two at home. They lost Game 5 in Washington but won the last two games behind shutouts by Lundqvist.

“We’ve done it before,” he said, “but I think we are playing a better team now so it’s going to be tough to do it.”

Ahead or behind, home or away, the Bruins plan to play with the same determination the entire game.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Boychuk said. “It’s playoffs. Anything can happen, and sometimes a team can play better in front of their hometown.”

NOTES: The last time Lundqvist allowed more than four goals was March 9, 2011, in a 5-2 loss to Anaheim. In the next 151 games he allowed four goals just 13 times. … The Bruins played their second straight game without injured veteran defensemen Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden … A defenseman got a goal or an assist on each of Boston’s goals. … The margin of victory was more than two for just the second time in 26 games between the teams. … In their nine playoff games, the Rangers have scored on two of 35 power plays. They’re 0 for 7 against the Bruins.

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(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

After their performance in Game 3, it is clear the defending Stanley Cup champions still need plenty of work.

The Kings went through a short workout at their training complex Sunday after sleeping in their own beds following a 2-1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Such easy travel usually isn’t possible in the spread-out Western Conference, but Game 4 isn’t until Tuesday night at the Shark Tank.

“We were home at pretty much the same time as we would coming from Staples on a regular night,” center Anze Kopitar said. “It’s a 50-minute flight, so it’s pretty quick. I think it’s good for us.”

Los Angeles’ 2-1 loss in Game 3 ended on a power-play goal after two penalty calls that angered and confused the Kings for several reasons. Yet captain Dustin Brown acknowledged the Kings have plenty of concerns beyond the officiating.

Los Angeles leads the series 2-1, but only after getting a 35-save shutout from Jonathan Quick in Game 1 and stealing Game 2 with two late power-play goals.

“We’ve got to score more than one goal,” Brown said. “I mean, Quickie is a great goalie, but at the end of the day, we need to score more than one goal for him. We haven’t done that. I think we’ve only scored one goal three times out of four away games.”

Indeed, the Kings have scored six goals in their four road playoff games this spring, half of them in a 3-2 overtime win at St. Louis. The other three road playoff games all have been 2-1 losses — and before that, Los Angeles dropped six straight road games to close the regular season, scoring nine goals in that stretch.

Robyn Regehr was whistled for hooking on a seemingly garden-variety stick play with 41.7 seconds left in regulation in Game 3, and Trevor Lewis followed him into the box with 4.5 seconds left on a goaltender interference call that had the Kings steaming. They claimed Lewis was pushed into Antti Niemi, and questioned why such a dramatic call would be made so late in a game.

The Kings killed off the 5-on-3 disadvantage, but gave up Logan Couture’s power-play game-winner. Quick, who shut out the Sharks from the opening minutes until the final buzzer, got a game misconduct for berating the officials who made the decisive call.

“Not happy, but we can’t do anything about it,” Kopitar said. “Again, it’s the position that we put ourselves into that is mind-boggling. It’s not the way we want to play and be in that situation. We came close to killing it off, but we’ve said it all along, you can’t give them too many opportunities, because they will score, and they did.”

The Kings have demonstrated they know how to regroup after a playoff loss. After dropping the first two games of the postseason in St. Louis, they responded with six straight victories.

The Sharks also present a challenge similar to the Blues in their desire to attack Quick with a high volume of shots. St. Louis outshot Los Angeles in four of the six games, and the Kings have been soundly outshot by San Jose in the current series — but with Quick in top form, the numbers haven’t beaten Los Angeles.

San Jose also has revived its dominant power play, which produced both of its goals in Game 3 after the Kings shut out the Sharks in the first two games at Staples Center.

“Especially when the Conn Smythe winner (is) on the defending champion team, I’m going to assume if I was coaching against them, that I’m going to say, `Shoot lots, and get as much traffic as you can,”‘ Sutter said. “So I think San Jose has that mindset, as St. Louis did last series. You’re trying to get your team to shoot more, and you’re trying to get players to go to the net more.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings are the other finalists.

Former NHL star Mark Messier determines the winner of the award. He solicits suggestions from from club and NHL personnel and fans to come up with the finalists and then makes a final decision on the winner.

The following is the explanation of Toews’ nomination as provided by the award:

Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks in 2008 when he was just 20-years-old, making him the third-youngest captain in NHL history at the time. While his leadership on the ice is undisputed, his role off the ice with various children’s charitable causes makes him an undeniable role model to fans. In his spare time, Toews volunteers to grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and visits with patients at the local children’s hospital and Chicago’s Misericordia. Last fall, he returned home to join the Winnipeg Patrolmen Hockey Club and other NHL players for the “Goals for Dreams Hockey Challenge,” which helped raise $80,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Dream Factory, a charity that grants dreams for critically and chronically ill children.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings got much younger this year, rebuilding with rookies and prospects pushed onto the ice.

For much of the lockout-delayed season, it didn’t look good for them.

The storied franchise used to chase Stanley Cup titles with key players in their late 30s and 40s such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Larry Murphy.

Not anymore.

As the Chicago Blackhawks are now finding out, the Red Wings are much better than they were during the regular season thanks to an improved cast of inexperienced players.

“We’ve had great growth from within, I think the most since I’ve been in the National Hockey League for sure,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Sunday. “That may be because we have a different type of team. We got a whole bunch of kids, so we have a chance for growth.”

Red Wings rookie Brendan Smith scored the winning goal Saturday in Detroit’s 4-1 win at Chicago that tied the series 1-1. The top-seeded Blackhawks won the opener by the same 4-1 score.

“We knew they were going to come back and play much better than they did in Game 1,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “Obviously, we didn’t quite match the effort.”

When the puck drops Monday night in Detroit for Game 3, Toews hopes his team is ready to bounce back.

“There’s no time to waste in this series,” Toews said. “We know going into their building it’s even more difficult.”

It will be even more challenging for Chicago if Toews can’t produce as he did in the 48-game regular season.

Toews had 23 goals, tying Patrick Kane for the team lead and trailing just four players in the league. However, he is struggling to score for a third straight postseason.

Toews is in an eight-game playoff slump that dates to last year. He has just three goals combined in three postseasons since scoring seven goals to help Chicago win the Cup in 2010. He had seven goals the previous postseason — his first — when Detroit eliminated the Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals.

Henrik Zetterberg had a lot to do with holding Toews without a point in Game 2, an accomplishment that didn’t surprise Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.

“Most nights, he’s the best player on the ice,” Howard said. “No different from (Saturday), the way he was all over Toews the whole game, shutting him down. We’re going to need that for the whole series.”

The Red Wings would also benefit if their inexperienced players figure out a way to avoid fading into the background.

Before Smith’s go-ahead goal on Saturday, first-year player Damien Brunner and rookie Gustav Nyquist also scored winning goals this postseason — in overtime against Anaheim. Teammate Joakim Andersson ranks among rookie scoring leaders.

The 27-year-old Brunner, too old to be a candidate for the Calder Trophy given to the rookie of the year, has followed up a 26-point regular season with four goals in the playoffs to match Johan Franzen for the team lead. He also has three assists.

Calder finalist Brandon Saad has only one assist in seven postseason games for the Blackhawks. The 20-year-old forward had 27 points during the regular season.

Brunner has insisted it doesn’t bother him to be out of the running for the Calder, and sounded even more thankful on Sunday that he waited to make the jump from the Swiss League.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound forward was banged around on the ice quite a bit and had growing pains off it, dealing with a lot of travel after his longest trip last year was a 2½-hour bus ride.

“You kind of think it’s not that big of a deal when you come over, but after a couple trips and the hours you lose, especially when you come back home, it’s tough,” Brunner said. “It’s really tough.”

While Babcock’s job behind the bench was tougher this year than it had been the past seven seasons with veteran-filled rosters, he relished the opportunity to lead the young Red Wings.

“It’s the most fun I’ve had coaching in a couple years, by far, just because we have a real enthusiastic group,” Babcock said. “At the start of the year, we weren’t a good team. We all understood that, but we buckled down and we got better. It’s been fun for us. If you would have asked me before the playoffs, I would’ve told you the same thing. Then suddenly you have a little success in the playoffs — and it’s more fun.”

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage

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After Game 2, Henrik might be in for some tossing and turning after experiencing some serious déjà vu.

Early in the third period, with the Bruins leading 3-2, Patrice Bergeron won the opening faceoff and shortly afterwards carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush up the ice. With Marchand driving to the net, Bergeron carried the puck to the corner of the rink, drawing Michael Del Zotto with him before sending a pass to the front of the crease. Marchand, able to fight through Dan Girardi, got his tape on the puck and redirected it just under Lundqvist’s right pad.

The goal made the score 4-2 in favor of the Bruins with 19:34 left in the game, so it wasn’t quite the back-breaker that Thursday’s overtime goal was. Yet the goal appeared to crush New York’s hopes of clawing back, a thought completely eliminated 12 minutes later when Milan Lucic scored to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead. The rout was on, and while Lundqvist was a bit cryptic with his postgame comments, he seemed to confirm suspicions that the Rangers were taken off their game in the third period.

“We gave it to them,” Lundqvist said after the game, before repeating himself. “We gave it to them. I thought we played great, [but] I don’t think they had to work really hard to get a couple goals there. We just made it really tough on ourselves, so we have to correct a few things and go home and turn this around. It doesn’t matter the score — it’s a loss. Overtime or 5-2, doesn’t matter.”

The bottom line is that the final score doesn’t matter, but in a series predicated on defense and goaltending, the dynamic certainly shifts now. After an imperfect but respectable performance by Lundqvist in Game 1 (45 saves on 48 shots), the safe bet was for a monster performance in Game 2. Instead, he allowed five goals, the first time he’s done that in any game since March 9, 2011, and the first time he’s done it in a postseason game since April 26, 2009. His save percentage in the series now sits at .900, his goals-against average at 3.54. His regular-season numbers? A .926 save percentage and 2.05 GAA.

Despite the outcome, the Rangers won’t panic. Head coach John Tortorella said flatly, “I’m not evaluating our goaltending. I don’t need to evaluate Henrik. We know what Henrik is.”

And, really, the five goals don’t all fall on Lundqvist’s shoulders. Dan Girardi screened the goalie on Torey Krug’s shot, which opened the game’s scoring, and Girardi later kicked a Krug shot right to Gregory Campbell in front of the net for the second Bruins’ goal. Girardi again screened Lundqvist on Johnny Boychuk’s goal, the eventual game-winner, and he failed to break up the pass from Bergeron to Marchand early in the third. The icing on the cake for Girardi came when he made a decent play to drop to the ice to break up a pass, but ended up sliding out of the way and allowing Lucic to easily score the fifth goal. If anyone had a nightmare game, it was most certainly No. 5 in white, not No. 30.

Lundqvist also looked to be suffering through some sort of pain in the third period, and he later confirmed he had some sort of shoulder injury that would require a look from the team’s medical staff.

Excuses beyond his control were there for Lundqvist, and he certainly cashed in on the opportunity to make them, but he is not supposed to be just any goalie. The reigning Vezina winner and almost-unanimous best goalie in the sport should be able to rise to the challenge of playoff hockey and come through with saves no matter the circumstance — maybe not all of them, but at least one of them. That’s what it takes to get through the postseason and win a Cup for a team dependent on defense, and the last two Conn Smythe winners are proof of that.

For the last two games in Boston, dozens of reporters, microphones and cameras crowded around Lundqvist’s locker stall, because he is the superstar, and he is the “king.” His hat with the number 30 inside a crown, which he wore after the 5-2 loss, was there to remind everyone of that.

But one more game from Lundqvist where the king plays like just another goalie, and this series is going to be a lot shorter than most everyone anticipated.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Ask Bruce Arians. Or Neil O’Donnell. Or PennDOT.

The Pittsburgh blame motor got revved up again late Sunday night, just after the Penguins lost to Ottawa, 2-1, in double overtime of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Caught in the powerful blame vortex of the aftermath that pushed the series to 2-1 — in the Penguins’ favor — were Penguins coach Dan Bylsma and players Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Paul Martin and Chris Kunitz.

The prevailing thought here, and with the full understanding that it is unpopular, is this: The players deserve the heavy balance of the blame, not Bylsma.

Did Bylsma, perhaps, make an error in personnel in a key late-game situation? Yes.

But, in pivotal late game situations, are top-shelf talents such as Malkin and Letang, and very good NHL players like Martin and Kunitz, supposed to lose all semblance of good decision-making? No. Never.

To rehash what almost-certainly needs no rehashing, the Senators trailed 1-0 when defenseman Erik Karlsson took a slashing penalty with 1:27 left in regulation. From there, as the clock wound under a minute, the Senators pulled goaltender Craig Anderson, eradicating the man advantage just before Daniel Alfredsson created space with a drop pass in the neutral zone to Sergei Gonchar, who gained the zone. Gonchar then flicked a pass to Milan Michalek, who deftly slipped a pass back to a darting Alfredsson, who was wide open and had no trouble shoveling it past Tomas Vokoun for the game-tying goal.

From there, the game traversed into one overtime, then another, before Ottawa won on Colin Greening’s goal.

But it was that first Ottawa goal people are — and should be — talking about.

In postgame interviews, Bylsma said that, during the late-game stretch, the Penguins were employing their “possession power play” technique, yet on a few occasions, players dumped the puck in, giving Ottawa virtually free possession and forcing Pittsburgh to play defense with offensive-minded players.

Or, could it have been where Malkin and Kunitz, the guys who dumped the puck during the power play, simply became frazzled? Could it have been where they — and not Bylsma — erred by giving the puck up so easily when given the directive of holding onto it?

Still, even with whatever the mix-up was in that regard, the Penguins still held the lead as Alfredsson pushed ahead with a head of steam with about a half-minute to play.

At that point, from my vantage point, this is all about winning one-on-one battles; this is all on the players simply needing to grit through another possession. That isn’t on Bylsma, rather, it is on Malkin, Letang, Kunitz and Martin.

If you go back and watch the play, mistake one was by Kunitz, letting Alfredsson make the drop pass and then getting behind him, with virtual ease and a clear path to the goal.

Mistake two was a tandem job by both Martin and Letang, who failed to get their stick down in the passing lane as Michalek’s pass zipped through to Alfredsson — just past both Penguins — for a tap-in.

And, lastly, Malkin made a mistake by, there’s no other way to say it, standing around in the middle of the ice. On the play, Malkin did, virtually nothing. That isn’t good enough.

Four players, four mistakes.

And these weren’t four guys fighting for a spot in your lineup, either. Again, Malkin and Letang are world-class talents and Kunitz and Martin are very good NHL players.

So go ahead and crow all you want about Bylsma’s coaching at the end of regulation in Game 3.

You might have a valid point.

Know what certainly is a valid point, beyond any shadow of a doubt? Four guys had a chance to make a play, and none did.

That much isn’t on Dan Bylsma.

Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports Writer Colin Dunlap is the featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weeknights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 “The Fan.” You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com.

The Steelers drafted a running back in the second round, and also signed a free agent at the position. Redman said that gives him extra motivation to work hard and prepare for the 2013 season. He also jokes about the Draft and how he does not look forward to the it because people are trying to take his job.

There has been a lot of discussion from the Steelers players about the locker room and how it was more divided than it has been in the past. While he would not call the room “fractured,” he did say there were some issues.

“It just wasn’t the same,” Redman said.”Hopefully this year, we can get things back on track.”

We also hear his thoughts on the new rule where running backs are not allowed to lower their head when trying to break tackles.

To hear the interview, click below:

For more on the Red Zone Redman Foundation, visit www.isaacredman.com

It’s all about crashing in this week’s That Thing You Missed.  Jake “The Snake” Roberts crashes and burns while singing at a Braves game, Bryce Harper crashes into the wall, Manny is being Manny in Taiwan, an undergrad crashes into a catcher and Dwyane Wade crashes a prom. 

Houston is on pace to lose 120 games, and is already being compared to the woeful 1962 Mets. If the Pirates are as good as they think they can be, Clardy thought the only acceptable outcome against the Astros would have been a sweep. He explains why and he unveils the 2013 Houston Astros’ theme song!

Catch Troy Clardy weekends on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan.

Castro doubled off the top of the center-field fence against Bryan Morris (1-2), and Carlos Pena was intentionally walked one out later. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and Castro scored when he beat second baseman Neil Walker’s throw home on Matt Dominguez’s fielder’s choice grounder.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle argued the call with plate umpire C.B. Bucknor and was ejected. Pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

Rookie Jose Cisnero struck out five in 3 2-3 scoreless relief innings for his first major league win. Jose Veras pitched a scoreless 11th for his sixth save as Houston won for the second time in three games since losing six in a row.

Chris Carter’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning tied the game at 2 and ended Mark Melancon’s string of 13 consecutive scoreless relief appearances, covering 13 innings.

Houston’s Jose Altuve had three hits to raise his batting average to .342 after being activated from the bereavement list before the game. Altuve missed three games after his grandmother died in his native Venezuela.

Andrew McCutchen hit two doubles and Brandon Inge had two hits for Pittsburgh, which lost for the second time in nine games.

Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett held Houston to one run in seven innings while allowing five hits and four walks, but wound up with a no-decision when Melancon could not hold the lead. Burnett struck out seven to raise his National League-leading total to 79. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 10 starts this season.

The Astros’ Erik Bedard gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings with three strikeouts and no walks in his first career start against Pittsburgh. The veteran left-hander was the Pirates’ opening day starter last season, but was released on Aug. 30 after going 8-14.

Inge put Pittsburgh in front 2-1 in the sixth when he hit a two-out RBI single to left field off Bedard.

The Pirates scored the game’s first run on consecutive doubles by McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez with two outs in the first inning.

Houston tied in the fifth when Altuve delivered a two-out RBI single.

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Oxbow led from start to finish. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown win, the most in horse racing history.

Orb finished fourth.

The Kentucky Derby winner was a 3-5 favorite in Saturday’s race, but he became another casualty of starting on the rail in the Preakness. Since 1950, only two horses have won the middle jewel of the Triple Crown from the No. 1 post position.

Orb’s five-race winning streak ended on an overcast, windy day at Pimlico Race Course. The brown colt had not lost since Nov. 24.

Oxbow was coming off a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, where he made a move for the lead in the final turn but faded.

In the Preakness, Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens took control at the outset and never relinquished the advantage.

Oxbow covered the 1 3/16th miles in 1:57.54. He went off as a 15-1 underdog and paid $32.80, $12 and $8.80.

Itsmyluckyday finished second and paid $7.80 and $5. Mylute paid $5.20 to show.

Mylute, with Rosie Napravnik in the saddle, came in fifth in the Kentucky Derby. Racing at the track where she earned her first career victory, Napravnik was attempting to become the first female jockey to win the Preakness.

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The star forward hasn’t played since Jan. 27 after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disk. He’ll rejoin Ottawa’s lineup Sunday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Senators trailing 2-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I’m excited to have a chance to play again,” Spezza said. “I feel ready to play.”

The 29-year-old will immediately add depth to a struggling offense and power play.

“We’re excited about the skill that he brings back to our team and we’re looking forward to it,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean. “We certainly feel that he’s going to give us some help on the power play, for sure. He can help us quite a bit there.”

The Senators’ power play has gone 1 for 7 through the first two games.

Spezza’s minutes will be monitored, and MacLean suggested his time on the ice could vary depending on the number of power plays the Senators get.

Spezza is expected to line up with Milan Michalek and possibly Colin Greening.

“He’s such a skilled playmaker that if you’re on the ice with him you know to keep your stick on the ice because he finds a way to get the puck to you,” Zack Smith said. “When you’re playing with guys like that, you’re just more prone to go to the net and go to those areas and be more confident.”

Spezza hopes his timing comes back quickly.

“Basically I’m just going to go out and work hard and be smart,” he said. “I expect to play well.

“I wouldn’t play unless I felt I could help the team and contribute.”

Spezza had two goals and three assists in just five games during the regular season.

“It’s going to be important to be in his face right away and make sure he doesn’t have time and space,” said Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang. “He’s got good hands, so he can make you look really bad. So if you’re in his face and have a good gap, you have a better chance of having success against him.”

The Senators are undefeated at Scotiabank Place in the playoffs this year.

“We need to play to our identity,” MacLean said. “We have to try and establish our game first. What hurt us in the first two games is not getting off to a (good) start, and we’re down in the first three minutes of both games and catch-up hockey is losing hockey.”

Despite being pulled after allowing three goals in Friday’s game, Craig Anderson will get the start Sunday.

“They’re going to be desperate and we know this is going to be the toughest test yet,” Sidney Crosby said. “We need to start well, but just play a complete game and give ourselves a chance.”

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Well, okay, maybe not the same sort of mirror that might immediately spring to mind. More like one of those funhouse mirrors, actually.

You know, the kind you step in front of that mars your own image so far beyond recognition it’s laughable?

Sound familiar?

Once upon a time, the Storm were Pittsburgh’s property. The Pittsburgh Gladiators, one of the Arena Football League’s seminal (experimental) franchises, competed here from 1987 through 1990, and although they didn’t win any titles during that time, they were an instant success, on the field and in the Civic Arena stands.

That’s where we step inside the funhouse.

Co-owner Bob Greis took advantage of his business liaisons in the Sunshine State to turn the Gladiators into the Storm, allegedly leaving Pittsburgh, at least in part, over dissatisfaction with the state of the Igloo.

Sound familiar?

The Storm then got over the hump, eventually capturing an unprecedented five ArenaBowl championships. They made the playoffs for the first two decades of the original league’s existence.

Longtime head coach Tim Marcum, who won three of those and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1998 before handing the reins to Dave Ewart in 2011, will forever be remembered as one of the most successful coaches in the sport’s history.

Sound familiar?

CONSOL Energy Center, which opened while that franchise–not to mention the league itself–was being rebuilt, has its fair share of mirrors. But it has been anything but a fun house.

The Power enter Week 9, the virtual midpoint of their third fledgling season, having gone over a full calendar year between home-field victories. It took the greatest comeback in AFL history–or, depending on the color of your sunglasses, the most horrifying choke–to pull off the last one, a 57-54 overtime decision over the Orlando Predators Apr. 14, 2012.

Even despite the growing, glaring incompetence throughout the league, I couldn’t have dreamed that if I tried, and as I look in the funhouse mirror, it turns my oblong stomach just to think it, much less give it utterance.

Remember that first year, when the Power, like the erstwhile Gladiators (not to be confused with the relatively new ones from Cleveland), were the flavor of the month? Remember when we packed the relatively new building and led ourselves to believe a second-tier sport could actually thrive in Pittsburgh for a change?

They played in overtime that first night, too, if you’ll recall, stumbling against the Philadelphia Soul before a league-record crowd and national TV audience.

So who’s that guy on the other side of the mirror?

Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Lynn Swann joined the Elways, the Ditkas, and the Jaws’–er, Jawses–er–eh, screw it, Jaworskis–of the world by bringing the Power into the AFL with the help of local hotel moguls Matt and Lance Shaner. Their tenure, by and large, has been an abject failure, as anyone who has been privy to and/or cracked jokes about dwindling crowds can attest.

The key to winning over those crowds, and winning back the dwindling number of die-hards, admittedly, is not easily done. But it is easily stated. Put a successful product on the field, and show a commitment to sustaining that success. Greis and company did that, and when they didn’t, they found others who were willing to and knew how to. The Swann-Shaner group, to date, has not, and this, as much as any other reason, is why the Power and the Storm, though forged from the same Steel City iron, have so little in common anymore.

Under their watch, the Power have an alarming history of backing the wrong horse. Those first few months of somewhat respectable play, perhaps with a pinch of beginner’s luck, don’t delete that fact. Labor disputes in which grown men–on both sides–behave like children, coaches who burn bridges and drive away popular players, subordinates who are chosen, evidently, because of status, replacements with good intentions but no recent history of excellence, and talent that displays a glorious absence of…well, talent.

In order to save face in this town, the leadership of this franchise had better hope the merry-go-round of quarterbacks located adjacent to the funhouse stops at Steve Sheffield, and that his play last Saturday night signals a new direction for the Power. While CONSOL Energy Center’s other tenants were rallying in Game 6 in the Nassau Coliseum, the Texas Tech standout, who enjoyed cups of coffee with the AFL’s Spokane Shock and San Antonio Talons, was rallying in Week 8 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sheffield completed 19 of 35 attempts for 272 yards and six TD’s in a 53-48 upset of the East Division rival Soul. It was exactly what the Power needed to keep their postseason hopes on life support following missed opportunity after missed opportunity by Sheffield’s overwhelmed predecessor, Jordan Jefferson, against the Talons and Predators. But was it just an erratic blip on the EKG of a dying patient?

Tonight the Power face one of the most dynamic players in the league, Storm quarterback and 2004 AFL Rookie of the Year Adrian McPherson. McPherson, who has made plenty of big plays for the AFL’s third-highest-scoring offense, is just a few more away from becoming the league’s fifth–or, at worst, sixth–2,000-yard passer in the 2013 season. While passing for 34 scores against only three picks, the fleet-footed FSU product has led the league with 268 rush yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.

I have the utmost respect for the gameday peons of the Pittsburgh Power, and all they have done to help make my labor-of-love coverage look remotely professional. It’s way past time for those who create their jobs to show this city that same professionalism.

It’s time for that Power defense, led by Chris LeFlore and Sergio Gilliam, to once again live up to that number one overall ranking, and hold an opponent below the league scoring average for what would be the fifth time in the last six games.

It’s time for that Power offense, led by Sheffield and Mike Washington, who ranks among the AFL’s top five with 66 receptions, to do some more damage in No. 66′s barn.

It’s time for that Power special teams to be as special as we thought they would be when All-Arena selection P.J. Berry joined the club over a year ago.

It’s time for that Power management team to be proactive and visionary if they don’t.

It’s time for the Power to be able to sell something besides vague euphemisms and cheap hot dogs. Like, for example, playoff tickets. They only need to finish ahead of three teams in the American Conference to make that happen.

It’s time for the Power to live up to that marketing slogan–oh, you know the one I’m thinking of–right now.

Otherwise, it’s time for the Power, from CEO to towel boy, to take a long, thoughtful look in the mirror.

Any mirror they can find.

(Follow me on Twitter @mpopchock for live commentary during select Pittsburgh Power games.)

On Thursday, Whaley was promoted to General Manager. Bob Pompeani asked Whaley how much of the Steelers philosophy will carry over to his role with the Bills, and Whaley said a lot.

“I think that the main thing I learned is it’s a full organizational effort. The organization has to be committed to accountability and hard work,” Whaley said.

Whaley added that a singular focus and goal is to be able to compete for championships, and that’s what’s starting to build in Buffalo.

“Anybody in this field is competitive, so you’ve got to take that competitive nature and harness it and realize that losing is unacceptable,” Whaley said.

He added that “every day that you walk into this building to try to get better and accomplish that goal of a championship.”

What’s the reason for the turnaround?

“I think a lot of it has to do with trusting myself, trusting my stuff, trusting my defense, trusting my catcher,” Locke told Bob Pompeani. “I know the first few go-arounds up here in the big leagues weren’t like that for me. It was tough for me to figure out things.”

Locke has had several different pitching coaches during his professional career, but likes working with pitching coach Ray Searage.

“Ray’s been great to me, to everybody that I’ve seen him work with. (He) puts a lot of trust and a lot of confidence in his pitchers, and cares about each and every one us a real lot,” Locke said.

Yep, that’s correct, go right at the reigning James Norris Memorial Trophy winner.

That 6-foot, 185-pound, 22-year-old Swede who skates like a gale-force breeze and has off-the-charts skill? He’s a liability right now.

So make him pay.

Make the Ottawa Senators pay.

He’s a weak link; at least right now, in this very moment.

Crazy as all this sounds, as the Penguins took a 2-0 series advantage on Friday, with Game 3 headed to Ottawa on Sunday, Karlsson is hurting the Senators and, by extension, helping the Penguins.

There is generally something noble, a deep measure of gallantry and courage that comes with playing injured. One normally gains respect from his teammates for such an act, is lauded by fans and commands admiration from teammates.

But there is a definite threshold, and one that Karlsson is crossing that was ridiculously evident as the Penguins took Game 2 with a 4-3 victory at CONSOL Energy Center.

Truly, one can be too injured to play, can be out there trying to grit through an injury and — during the progression of such an event — be having a counterproductive impact on his team.

For me, that’s where Karlsson is for the Ottawa Senators.

If I’m a Pittsburgh Penguins forward (and again, this sounds crazy on the surface) but right now my eyes should be lighting up if Karlsson is the player charged with the duty of having to provide a measure of defense to offset my offensive skills.

Karlsson, who was injured when his Achilles was sliced by Matt Cooke’s skate in a game on Feb. 13, was embarrassed on that very same sheet of ice on Friday night.

Case in point, with the Penguins leading 1-0 in the first period, Sidney Crosby took a pass in the neutral zone and met a back-peddling Karlsson just as he was going to penetrate through the blue line. Crosby then faked as if he was going to dump the puck into the zone, but, rather, in one fluid motion, yanked the puck back inside, forcing Karlsson to glance down.

Game over.

From there, Karlsson whiffed with both his stick and foot in an attempt to dispossess Crosby and, just a flash later, the lamp was lit, the crowd was chaotic.

Karlsson’s misplay — which was obviously related to his lack of mobility as he still is battling that Achilles injury — was the reason the game became 2-0 and Crosby was on his way to a hat trick.

Now let’s get something square here: There isn’t a ton of embarrassment to be extracted from getting made to look like a fool by Sidney Crosby, one of the finest talents to ever touch a hockey stick.

But, also fair is this: Karlsson isn’t some down-the-liner. No, he is, when healthy, also one of the world’s best.

Which gets us back to the most logical deduction — Karlsson is still very much injured, and, by extension, a liability to Ottawa’s efforts and an assistance to Pittsburgh’s.

In Game 2, Karlsson had 15:37 in ice time, compared to Game 1, when he tallied 26:58.

Of the reduction in time, Senators coach Paul MacLean said, “On our team, the best players play; Erik wasn’t one of the best players so he didn’t play.”

MacLean is onto something. Right now, playing as badly injured as he is, Karlsson isn’t one of the best players Ottawa has.

The Penguins need to recognize this, and take advantage of it, every time Karlsson is on the ice.

Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports Writer Colin Dunlap is the featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weeknights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 “The Fan.” You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com.

Down 4-1, Pittsburgh started its comeback in the sixth when Chris Carter, usually a designated hitter, dropped Andrew McCutchen’s fly ball for a three-base error and Garrett Jones followed with a double.

Pedro Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the eighth, a 462-foot drive that cleared the right-field stands and went into the Allegheny River on one hop.

Starling Marte singled off Edgar Gonzalez (0-1) leading off the ninth, and Travis Snider hit into a forceout, with the Astros failing to turn a double play with a late throw to first.

McCutchen’s single put runners at the corners, and Gonzalez fielded Brandon Inge’s comebacker and dropped it for an error as he turned to throw to second, missing his chance to start an inning-ending double play.

Neil Walker took a called third strike with a full count, and Martin lifted a full-count pitch to short right-center field, where Elmore settled under the ball and Paredes slammed into him as the ball hit his glove and fell to the field.

Justin Wilson (4-0) pitched a scoreless ninth as the Pirates (25-17) won for the seventh time in eight games to move a season-high eight games over .500.

Andrew McCutchen homered and had three hits for Pittsburgh.

Houston’s 11-31 start is its worst and matched Miami for the worst record in the major leagues.

Astros starter Jordan Lyles allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits in five innings and is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in six career starts against Pittsburgh.

Pirates starter Jeanmar Gomez gave up four runs — three earned — and five hits in 4 2-3 innings.

Houston built a 4-1 lead on Jason Castro’s sacrifice fly in the first and a three-run third that included Matt Dominguez’s solo homer, Elmore’s run-scoring single and a throwing error by Walker at second.

McCutchen homered in the first.

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Inside, the Pens’ mascot, Iceburgh, greeted Macin with a bag full of junior ice hockey equipment.

“I love this!” Macin said of the new gear.

Like any super fan, little Macin immediately grabbed his new stick and started slapping the puck.

Macin caught the attention of the Penguins’ organization after they saw his YouTube video and KDKA’s story of him effortlessly reciting the names of the Pens’ players by jersey number.

“Stories happen during the playoffs, but this one really blew us as away; and we thought we have to find out who this kid is,” said Tom McMillian, of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Macin’s mom Lindsay says her son, who at 2-years-old could count to 100, took notice of the game when the DeFazio family regularly had Penguins’ hockey games on.

“He would ask, what number’s who, and it just went from there,” said Lindsay.

His parents say the team’s gift could be laying the foundation for a future player.

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Brenden Morrow added his first playoff goal in more than five years, Tomas Vokoun made 19 saves and the Penguins rode their superstar captain to their fourth straight victory.

Crosby beat Craig Anderson three times in the game’s first 22 minutes, sending the goalie to the bench after stopping 18 of 21 shots.

Kyle Turris, Colin Greening and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Senators, but couldn’t stop Ottawa from falling into a deep hole against the Eastern Conference’s top seed. The Senators have never won a playoff series after dropping the first two games.

Game 3 is Sunday in Ottawa.

The Senators insisted they didn’t have to play a perfect game to hang with the Penguins, pointing to the way they controlled play at even strength for long stretches in a 4-1 loss in the series opener Tuesday night. Ottawa insisted if it could stay out of the penalty box and convert when it had the man advantage, it would be right there.

Despite doing both in the first period — killing two penalties and converting on Turris’ bank shot on the power play — the Senators still trailed 2-1.

More to the point, they trailed Crosby 2-1.

The Pittsburgh captain became the fifth player in franchise history to record 100 playoff points in spectacular fashion.

He collected an innocent-looking pass at the Pittsburgh blue line then darted up the left side. He split two Senators — including Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson — then ripped a shot under Anderson’s pad to give the Penguins the lead 3:16 into the game.

Turris tied it with the first soft goal Vokoun has allowed since taking over for Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Islanders. Turris collected the puck near the left post and shot it off Vokoun and into the net.

Crosby one-upped Turris a few minutes later, zipping down the left side once again. This time, Crosby appeared to be looking to pass, eyeing linemate Pascal Dupuis as they raced in on Anderson. Only Crosby didn’t pass. At the last second and without even peeking directly at Anderson, he flipped a wrist shot near the goal line that smacked off the goalie’s pad and into the net.

Karlsson, who is still working his way back from an Achilles injury sustained when Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke inadvertently slashed Karlsson with his skate, drew a hooking penalty on Cooke early in the second.

Crosby didn’t need any fancy stickwork to record his first postseason hat trick since 2009. Instead he powered a slap shot over Anderson’s glove from the left circle to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-1. Anderson skated to the bench in favor of backup Robin Lehner.

Greening responded almost immediately after the switch, beating Vokoun with a sizzling wrist shot 40 seconds later to get the Senators within one.

Morrow restored the two-goal lead by redirecting Paul Martin’s blast from just outside the crease. It was Morrow’s first postseason score since May 14, 2008, while playing for the Dallas Stars.

The score was one of the few mistakes made by Lehner in his playoff debut.

The 21-year-old was stellar otherwise in relief of Anderson. He made 20 saves in all, including series of point-blank stops. He robbed Jarome Iginla on a 2-on-1 shortly after entering and used perfectly a timed slide to stone Evgeni Malkin on the doorstep in the third period.

Lehner’s play steadied the Senators, and Ottawa kept coming, pulling within a goal 2:01 into the third period when Pageau tapped the puck across the line following a mad scramble in front.

The Senators, however, couldn’t tie it as Pittsburgh remained unbeaten since Vokoun replaced Fleury and moved within two wins of making it to the conference finals for the first time since 2009 when the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has a habit of attracting attention.

Maybe you recall the former No. 1 overall pick hitting the Internet last season, when photos show him partying in Madison, Wis. Or the 2009 arrest in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., after an altercation with a cab driver.

All that seems so long ago for Kane, who on Thursday was named one of the finalists for the Lady Byng trophy given to the NHL player who exhibits the best sportsmanship and “gentlemanly conduct” along with top skills on the ice.

That shouldn’t be a surprise given Kane’s dazzling talent. He stepped right into the Blackhawks lineup and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. He scored 30 goals and 88 points in the 2009-10 regular season, then added 10 goals and 18 assists in the playoffs as the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years.

Then came this lockout-shortened season and the 24-year-old Kane has had the most effective season of his six-year career, according to coach Joel Quenneville, whose team holds a leads 1-0 in its Western Conference seminal series against Detroit. Game 2 will be played in Chicago on Saturday.

“I thought Kaner really progressed in his game this year,” Quenneville said. “Offensively he had the puck more than he ever did. I thought he had more speed, more pace to his game. He seemed to be more aware positionally and technically. He definitely improved his play in his own end. It thought his overall game was to a new level this year.

Kane led Chicago this season with 55 points, on 23 goals and 32 assists. More than his passing and playmaking — including a handful of jaw-dropping 360-degree pirouettes — have improved.

“I though each and every year Kaner has gotten better as a player in all aspect of his game,” Quenneville said. “He’s gotten stronger, he’s gotten better and he’s growing up as well.”

Kane, who has never taken a fighting major in the NHL, has been smarter, too. His penalty minute total has dropped from 52 as a rookie to just eight last season.

“I thought maybe I’d have a chance at this one (award) and I think it kind of speaks volumes for where my game has gone since my rookie season,” Kane said. “I remember I used to take a lot of penalties that were kind of unnecessary. I kind have got that out of my game a little bit. I’m definitely happy about it. It’s an honor.”

Kane has yet to score in six playoff games this season. But he has been visible on the ice, with six assists and a plus-4 rating.

“I just play my game and if the pass is there I’ll try to make the pass,” he said. “If it’s a shot, then I’ll shoot. That’s the thing with our team. If one or two guys aren’t scoring, then other guys are stepping up. That’s the way it’s been all year. Whoever it might be, that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

The Blackhawks anticipate a stiffer challenge from the Red Wings in Game 2. After Chicago defeated Detroit 4-1 on Wednesday night, coach Mike Babcock said his team was tired, coming off a seven-game upset of Anaheim in the opening round.

“I expect them to be better for sure,” Quenneville said. “Those Western trips back-and-forth add up.”

Babcock, who gave his team a day off Thursday, predicted the Red Wings will be re-energized on Saturday

“We have no reason not to be very good in the next game,” he said. “We got to get back at her and playing at a high tempo because obviously they were playing at a level (in Game 1) that we weren’t playing at.”

Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall added: “We know we’re better than this.”

Kane will be ready. As for the Lady Byng award, seven Blackhawks have won it but none since Stan Mikita in 1968.

“It’s an award that definitely a great honor,” he said. “I think it’s got a little different view now from players. Like it says in the (description), it’s skill and sportsmanship put together.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The famed wrestler won his first WWE Championship title on the same day 50 years ago, in 1963.

Sammartino was also recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after declining multiple offers for many years.

“It is a great privilege to honor Bruno Sammartino today. He has been an inspiration to so many people in our region and across the world who have looked up to him,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald in a statement. “We are truly blessed that he calls Allegheny County home. This is just one small way that we can recognize the contributions that he has made to our county as wrestling’s ‘Living Legend.’”

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WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin played the last two games of the Washington Capitals’ season with what the team says is a hairline fracture in his left foot.

Capitals spokesman Sergey Kocharov writes in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that Ovechkin’s foot was hurt during Game 6 of Washington’s first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers.

Washington lost that game 1-0 Sunday, and then lost 5-0 Monday in Game 7.

Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 32 goals during the regular season, scored only once against the Rangers, in Game 1.

He played Thursday for Russia in an 8-3 loss to the United States in the world championships in Finland.

Ovechkin’s injury was first reported by The Washington Post’s website.

Related:Jason La Canfora Says Ted Leonsis is Delusional

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(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Marchand scored the game-winner for Boston 15:40 into overtime on Thursday night, giving Boston a 3-2 OT win and a 1-0 series lead over the Rangers.

For Marchand, it was all about turning the page from a goal-less series and focusing on the new task at hand.

“It’s a whole new series and we’re happy to play the Rangers,” Marchand said after the game. “They’re a very good team and a very good battle. It’s nice to finally get one there and get the monkey off the back, and hopefully they keep coming.”

Hurley: B’s Capitalize On OT Power-Play, Ride Momentum To Win

The Rangers had the upper hand during regulation, but the Bruins dominated in overtime — putting 16 shots on net. The Rangers managed just five shots, but the B’s were still worried that even though they were dictating the action, one of those silly playoff goals could do them in.

“That’s usually how it goes in the playoffs. One team does very well in overtime and then the other team gets a lucky one. We hit so many posts and had so many very good opportunities. They were bound to get one,” said Marchand. “We’re happy that we’re able to capitalize in these overtime games. They’re very tough games to be in, but we’re happy with the win tonight.”

Kalman: Chara Once Again Bruins’ Blue-Line Workhorse

Hopefully this is the start of something good for the slumping Marchand, who led Boston with 18 goals in the regular season but hadn’t scored in his last 11 games. Marchand became a hero for Boston during their Stanley Cup run in 2011, scoring 11 goals to set a new Bruins record, and he received a message from his then-linemate Mark Recchi prior to Thursday night with a few words of encouragement.

“He just texted me and told me to play my game and not to worry about anything else,” said Marchand. “The goals and stuff will come. It’s nice to hear from him. He’s obviously a guy that I went through a lot when I played with him, and it was good to hear from him again.”

Maybe Recchi should shoot Marchand a text before every game. And on that note, maybe Marchand should get morning skates off as well.

There was a scare early Thursday when Marchand appeared to leave the ice in pain during the Bruins’ morning skate. But head coach Claude Julien quickly dismissed it as anything serious, and now he’s wondering if he should let Marchand leave practice early from now on.

“I think that’s what he needed to do, get off the ice early so he could score that winning goal. Whatever works is good for us,” Julien joked after the win. “I thought Brad, personally, I thought that was one of his better games so far in the playoffs. He skated well, made some great plays, he took pucks to the net and that’s the Brad Marchand that we know. It was nice to see him really bring his A-game to the table.”

“Claude knows I hate morning skates,” said Marchand. “He used to yell at me when we won the Cup there because I wouldn’t even take a stride. I just wanted to get off early.”

Marchand wasn’t the only player on the Bruins second line to struggle during the series against the Leafs, which prompted Julien to swap out Tyler Seguin with Jaromir Jagr. No one was sure how the Marchand-Jagr-Patrice Bergeron line would pan out, but the Bruins head coach said over the last two games, the line has shown a lot of promise.

“We put them together; we weren’t quite sure how it would turn out, but the first game, which was Game Seven, as the game went on, they got a little bit better, but I thought tonight, again, they took another step in the right direction,” said Julien. “They did a great job of cycling the puck down low in the offensive zone, and hanging on to it. That was a good line for us, and we’re going to need that because we don’t want to just rely on the [David] Krejci line to produce, but we want a little bit more out of our other lines.”

After barely making a whisper last series, the Bruins’ second line is starting to make some noise. And it should come as no surprise that Marchand is the one to get that noise started.

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before every game!

The clear favorite is Orb at 7-5 odds and the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s probably his race to lose but it’s horse racing he ain’t the Miami Heat,” Jerardi said. “It’s the nature of the sport anything can happen.”

The weather was a mess in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, but all signs point to a better forecast for tomorrow in Baltimore.

The Belmont Stakes will be pulling for Orb tomorrow because of the boost they will get with the possible chance at a Triple Crown winner.

“It’s like the difference for a network having Tiger Woods or no Tiger Woods in a golf tournament,” Jerardi said.

We will have to wait and see. There has been no Triple Crown winner since Affirmed won in 1978.

Listen to the full interview here:

With three minutes left, the San Jose Sharks appeared to be cruising toward a well-deserved win over Los Angeles. After two penalties and two dynamic power-play goals, the Kings were halfway to the Western Conference finals.

And even the Kings weren’t quite sure how they got there.

Brown tied it with 1:43 left and Trevor Lewis scored the tiebreaking power-play goal 22 seconds later, propelling the defending Stanley Cup champions to a 4-3 victory Thursday night and a 2-0 series lead.

“It’s huge, I guess,” Brown said. “Two minutes left, down one, it’s about capitalizing. The power play is about scoring big goals, and we found a way to do that. We’re happy with the result, but we have to play better. We can’t let it get to that situation every night.”

Brown scored during a 5-on-3 advantage and Lewis provided the winner on a loose puck with 1:21 left, sending Staples Center into shocked celebration. The Kings won their 12th straight home game since March and their sixth straight postseason game, but only after getting outplayed for long stretches and needing late-game magic to thrive.

“It’s a roller coaster, but when you go through the experience of everything we did last year, you keep your emotions in check,” Brown said. “Even when that happens, you know there’s a lot of work still to do.”

Game 3 is Saturday night at the Shark Tank.

Jeff Carter scored on the Kings’ first shot and added an assist on Brown’s goal. Drew Doughty scored an early power-play goal for Los Angeles, which didn’t really get rolling until the third period — and with two late goals, the Kings landed one of the most amazing victories in their relatively thin playoff history.

“We found a way,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. “You know what? The power play was on. We’ve been talking about it. We’ve been getting good looks and good opportunities and not finishing, and we got it from different guys.”

Jonathan Quick made 28 saves for the Kings, tying Kelly Hrudey’s franchise record with his 26th career playoff victory. Antti Niemi stopped 27 shots for the Sharks, but was powerless to stop the Kings’ power play.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his first career playoff goal with 11:04 to play for the Sharks, who were doomed by their late penalties after rallying from an early two-goal deficit. Coach Todd McLellan left his team alone in the dressing room afterward.

“I liked our game,” McLellan said. “We’ll meet (Friday) at the rink, and I’ll tell our team that. The thing I like about our team, maybe in the past, this would have bothered our team more, but with the group of guys we have, I think we can recover from this.”

Patrick Marleau and Brad Stuart scored second-period goals for the Sharks, who largely dominated the first two periods with another barrage of superior speed and skill. None of it mattered when the Kings charged ahead.

“We’ve got to put it behind us,” said Stuart, who had a goal and an assist. “There’s two ways for us to respond. We can either fold up and say, ‘Oh, at least we tried,’ or we can say, ‘You know what? We can win.’

“I think 5-on-5, we were the better team. We keep doing those kinds of things, we’ll get our wins. That’s what we have to do. We have to respond in that way. We’re being tested, and it’s about how we’re going to respond. The key for us is to come out and do a lot of the same things we were doing tonight.”

After Vlasic’s score on a rebound of Stuart’s shot off the end boards, the Sharks seemed to be cruising to a win — until Stuart was whistled for tripping with 2:41 to play. Just 22 seconds later, Vlasic joined him in the box when he shot the puck over the glass, although Vlasic claimed the puck had deflected off Carter.

The Kings scored 36 seconds later, with Brown pounding home his second goal of the postseason. Lewis got the winner shortly after the ensuing faceoff, finding a loose puck on the back side of a scrum in front of Niemi after a shot by rookie Tyler Toffoli.

Lewis hadn’t scored in the postseason, but the depth forward scored two goals in the Kings’ Cup-clinching win over New Jersey last June.

“Power play got it done in the end when we needed it most,” Lewis said. “We’ve got some work to do to clean things up, but it’s a big win for us.”

The Kings played without veteran center Jarret Stoll, who didn’t return to Game 1 after a hit from San Jose’s Raffi Torres late in the second period. Torres was suspended for the rest of the series Thursday by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for his illegal check to the head after a hearing in New York.

Brad Richardson contributed a key power-play assist while filling in for Stoll.

Los Angeles has won six straight home playoff games dating to last season’s Stanley Cup clincher, but none was more surprising than this victory. The Sharks appeared to be sure Quick couldn’t steal another win after the Kings took the opener despite getting outshot 35-20.

Quick’s streak of more than 125 minutes of shutout hockey ended in the second period with two quick San Jose goals. Vlasic then gave San Jose its first lead with a rebound goal on Stuart’s shot off the end boards midway through the period, capping a lengthy scramble near Quick’s net. Vlasic didn’t score a goal in his first 73 career playoff games.

The Kings were forced to make several changes in the absence of Stoll, the third-line center and faceoff specialist who excels on special teams. Stoll was replaced by Richardson, who played 13 postseason games during the Kings’ championship run last summer.

The Sharks replaced Torres by juggling their lineup, promoting Joe Pavelski to the second line and using several new combinations. Tim Kennedy was in uniform for just his second game of the postseason for San Jose, which also played without injured forward Marty Havlat.

NOTES: Sharks F Adam Burish sat out his second straight game after playing in all four games against Vancouver. He was replaced again by Bracken Kearns. Havlat hasn’t played since the playoff opener in Vancouver while nursing a lower-body injury. … Richardson hadn’t played since the Kings’ playoff opener against St. Louis on April 30. He appeared in just 16 regular-season games. … Quick hadn’t allowed a goal since early in the second period of the Kings’ series-clinching win over St. Louis six days earlier.

The NHL announced the suspension a few hours before the Kings hosted the Sharks in Game 2. Stoll wasn’t expected to play for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Stoll didn’t return to Game 1 after Torres hit him late in the second period of the Kings’ 2-0 victory. Torres got only a minor penalty for charging on the hit, and coach Todd McLellan and captain Joe Thornton echoed Torres’ belief that the hit was completely legal.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety sharply disagreed while handing down a fourth suspension for Torres, considered a repeat offender in dangerous hits under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Torres flew to New York for an in-person hearing Thursday.

While playing for Phoenix last season, Torres received a 21-game suspension — initially 25 games — for a high hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs. Torres was suspended for two games in January 2012 for charging Minnesota defenseman Nate Prosser, and he sat out four games in April 2011 for a hit to the head of Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle while playing for Vancouver.

Stoll was bent forward while trying to play a bouncing puck when Torres approached him from the side for a violent hit. Stoll’s head snapped back violently before he fell forward onto the ice.

In an explanatory video released by Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s senior vice president of player safety, he said Stoll’s head was “the principal point of contact” in the hit, creating grounds for suspension. Although Torres initially made contact with Stoll’s right shoulder, Shanahan ruled that the shoulder hit was only a glancing blow, as evidenced by the direction both players traveled after the contact.

Torres claimed he had changed his ways during a largely incident-free season with Phoenix and San Jose, his sixth team in six seasons. He has been a dependable depth forward this season for the Sharks and Coyotes, scoring 18 points with just 17 penalty minutes in 39 games.

The Kings lose much more in the absence of Stoll, their veteran third-line center. Stoll is a faceoff specialist and a top penalty-killer with a strong two-way game.

Brad Richardson, who played 13 playoff games during the Kings’ championship run last year, is expected to take Stoll’s spot in the lineup.

Los Angeles hasn’t disclosed the nature of Stoll’s injury or a timetable for his recovery.

Torres, Thornton and McLellan all claimed the hit was completely legal, while Kings coach Darryl Sutter called it “careless.” Torres and Stoll are friends after three seasons as teammates in Edmonton from 2005-08.

“We were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didn’t see anything wrong on the play,” Thornton said Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again.”

McLellan prepared for Torres’ likely absence by moving Joe Pavelski onto the Sharks’ second line on the left wing with Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. Scott Gomez moved into Pavelski’s spot on the third line, and Tim Kennedy is likely to suit up on the fourth line.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Snider finished 3 for 5, including a 458-foot blast off Hiram Burgos (1-2) in the sixth inning that gave the Pirates the lead. The home run sailed over bushes in right-center field at PNC Park, bounced on a sidewalk outside the stadium and landed in the Allegheny River.

Francisco Liriano (2-0) allowed one run on six hits over 5 2-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three.

Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Garrett Jones and Russell Martin had two hits for Pittsburgh.

Burgos gave up three runs in six innings but Milwaukee’s offense sputtered. The Brewers have lost 11 of 13.

While Milwaukee is wobbling, the Pirates are surging. Pittsburgh moved to 24-17 with the win, matching its best start through the first quarter of the season in 21 years. The 1992 Pirates also began the season 24-17 and finished with 96 victories while capturing the NL East. It’s also the last time Pittsburgh finished the season with a winning record.

The romp capped a dramatic turnaround in one of baseball’s most lopsided rivalries. Milwaukee has dominated the Pirates over the last six years, coming into the series 71-25 against Pittsburgh since 2007.

Milwaukee won the opener on Monday before the Pirates responded with a 4-3 win on Tuesday in 12-innings. A 3-1 victory followed on Wednesday before Thursday’s romp, the first time the Pirates have won three straight against the Brewers in the same series since Aug. 16-18, 2009.

Liriano, who signed a two-year free agent contract in the offseason, sparkled in his home debut. The veteran lefthander missed the season’s first six weeks while recovering from a broken right arm. He sailed through his first start, an 11-2 romp over the New York Mets last Saturday.

Things were a little tighter this time around. The Brewers pushed a run across in the first on an RBI-single by Jonathan Lucroy, an inning that could have been bigger if leadoff hitter Norichika Aoki hadn’t been gunned down trying to steal second after a leadoff walk and McCutchen didn’t rob Ryan Braun of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall in center.

The veteran lefthander seemed to settle down immediately. He struck out four straight batters at one point and worked out of a trouble spot in the fifth when Jonathan Lucroy flied out to left with two on to preserve a 1-1 game.

Snider broke the tie in the bottom of the inning.

Starling Marte led off with an infield hit then Snider crushed an 85 mph fastball from Burgos into the river, the 31st ball in the 12-year history of PNC Park to end up in the water. The homer was Snider’s first since Aug. 10, 2012, shortly after he arrived in Pittsburgh as part of a deal at the trade deadline.

Burgos gave up three runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts and remains winless since winning his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on April 20.

Milwaukee had a chance in the sixth after Clint Barmes bobbled a potential double-play ball at shortstop. Reliever Justin Wilson came on with two outs and retired pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez on a fly to left with two on and two outs to preserve the lead for Liriano.

The Pirates broke it open in the sixth off reliever Alfredo Figaro, ripping off five straight hits to score four runs and stake the franchise to its best start in 21 years.

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(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

“The one thing that I would be thinking of if I were in his position, I’d certainly be upset with the goals that I gave up in the Islander series, but I’d be thrilled that you’re still in the playoffs,” says Pang. “There’s nothing worse than letting your teammates down or giving up bad goals.”

At times in the playoffs Fleury has looked shaken by what was happening to him in the net, and Pang gave us a look inside a goaltenders mind and if it’s possible for a player to be out of it mentally because a team rattle him early on.

“Absolutely.  It happens where match-ups just don’t figure into the equation,” Pang says.  “It happens because you end up, for one reason or another, you misplay an odd-man break or a two-on-one or you misplay a shot from the point and you start the series on your heels.”

Pang also discussed a conversation he had last year during the playoffs with Dan Bylsma about Fleury’s play and an interesting trade proposition we presented him with including Marc-Andre Fleury and Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price.

Four-year-old Macin DeFazio is both player and announcer as he scores another goal in his Verona basement. Like any play-by-play man worth his salt, he knows his players.

“29.”

“Marc Andre Fleury.”

“24.”

“Matt Cooke.”

Lindsay DeFazio calls off the numbers, and her son responds with the corresponding Penguins player. Lindsay recorded Macin reeling off names to his father, Scott DeFazio.

“One day I said, I’m going to put it on YouTube and see what happened,” she says. “It escalated.”

The video went viral. But how did this get started in the first place?

“He started with Crosby and Malkin,” Macin’s mom recalls. “And then, as he watched the games, he would recognize a number and he would ask who they were. And then one day, my husband sat him down and went through all of them, once or twice. He memorized every single one.”

KDKA Radio’s Bill Rehkopf interviews Macin:

Lindsay says she and her husband were astounded.

“You don’t expect it. He was three at the time,” she said.

And no, he’s not reading. Could you read names like Jussi Jokinen when you were 4-years-old? As for his career path, Macin’s mom says her son has one goal in mind.

“He just tells me he wants to play hockey,” she says. “He doesn’t care what kind – ice hockey, dek hockey, hockey. That’s it.”

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

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» More Columns

Freewheeling? No.

Artistic? No.

High scoring? Definitely not.

Compelling and can’t miss? Without a doubt.

There’s something magical about the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers facing off in a playoff series. A four-decade absence in playoff competition will do that.

Forget the nostalgia. These are two teams that will mirror each other in approach and intensity every night.

LISTEN: BRUINS’ CAMPBELL ON 98.5 THE SPORTS HUB

The television broadcasts will be compelling. However, the in-person thumping that will take place at the two gardens — TD and Madison Square — will be thunderous.

It seems likely that the team that survives will be huge underdogs against the Pittsburgh Penguins (assuming they dispose of the pesky Ottawa Senators) in the Eastern Conference finals. However, that survivor will be battle-tested and somewhat vicious once the current series is over.

LUNDQVIST, SHOT-BLOCKING RANGERS READY TO DROP THE PUCK IN BOSTON

The Rangers have the advantage at the start of the series. The Bruins’ defense is awfully depleted, and it’s not likely that defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden will play in the opener.

Zdeno Chara is usually the Boston defenseman who gets the most attention, but Seidenberg is clearly the second best of the group. He is a big thumper himself and can carry the puck out of trouble. Ference is a smart and underrated player who can step up into the attack.

Rangers fans certainly know Redden. John Tortorella banished him when he didn’t fit the coach’s eye, and he was a trade-deadline pickup for the Bruins. Redden has been well worth the sixth-round draft pick that he cost them.

HARTNETT: BLUESHIRTS IN 6

The Bruins will use youngsters Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug in their place if the veteran trio can’t play. Hamilton is a future star, but he is mistake-prone at this point. So are the other two, but that didn’t stop Bartkowski from playing a strong Game 7 against Toronto.

The Rangers are going to have to attack the Bruins with their strong forechecking game. That’s the way both teams play on a regular basis, but with three young defensemen in the lineup, it will almost certainly pay huge dividends for the Rangers.

There’s bound to be some nervousness, and mistakes are likely. The Rangers must be like piranhas after the first hint of blood in the water.

Henrik Lundqvist will get tested at some point in the series, but if there’s one game in which the Rangers should leave him to his own devices and go into a full-fledged attack mode, it’s this one.

The Bruins are going to be using young defensemen who will likely make mistakes. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask may be left hung out to dry on several occasions if the Rangers attack with ferocity.

CBS BOSTON’S BRUINS-RANGERS PREVIEW

If the Rangers give up a breakaway or two, it’s no big deal. They have Lundqvist in the net.

Do you think he’s going to give up more than one goal? Not the way he’s been playing.

The Rangers have an opportunity in Game 1 to set the tone of the series. The Bruins are still in the clouds after their seventh-game miracle comeback vs. Toronto.

They will eventually focus, but it won’t be in the first game.

It is the Rangers’ game for the taking.

His hit on Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll might have erased much of that work and put both players’ postseason futures in doubt.

Stoll is likely to miss Game 2 of the Kings’ second-round playoff series against the Sharks on Thursday night. The valuable two-way forward didn’t return to the series opener after a hard hit from Torres late in the second period of Los Angeles’ 2-0 victory.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter implied Wednesday that Stoll could be out for a significant length of time. Torres also might be sidelined for a stretch after he travels to New York for a disciplinary hearing Thursday with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, which suspended him until the hearing is completed.

“I thought it was careless,” Sutter said of Torres’ hit, which occurred near the sideboards after the puck rolled away from Stoll.

A lengthy suspension wouldn’t make Sutter feel any better about Torres’ play, either: “Our player is quite a bit more important than theirs.”

During the defending Stanley Cup champions’ 2-0 victory over the Sharks, Stoll was bent forward when Torres approached him from the side for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Stoll’s head also snapped back violently before he fell forward onto the ice. Torres was called for a minor penalty for charging, and Stoll didn’t return to the game.

Most of the Kings declined to weigh in on the hit’s legality after Wednesday’s light practice, claiming they hadn’t seen replays. Stoll attended the Kings’ team meeting before practice, but wasn’t on the ice.

The Sharks had much stronger opinions about the play: Torres, captain Joe Thornton and coach Todd McLellan all said the hit was perfectly legal, and shouldn’t even have resulted in San Jose’s only penalty in Game 1.

“We questioned the call of a charging penalty,” Thornton said. “So we were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didn’t see anything wrong on the play. … It’s unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again.”

Further complicating matters, Stoll and Torres are friends after three seasons as teammates with the Edmonton Oilers from 2005-08.

The Kings would lose plenty without Stoll, a stalwart on their championship team last summer. Stoll is their third-line center and a top penalty-killer and faceoff specialist, playing a valuable two-way game while also logging time on the power play.

Although he doesn’t score many points, getting just one assist in seven playoff games this spring, Stoll scored the series-winning goal in last season’s upset of top-seeded Vancouver in the first round on the way to the title. He also has a history of apparent concussions earlier in his career.

“He’s a big loss, one of our most valuable guys,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “Everybody else will have to step up if we want to keep going forward.”

Torres’ absence isn’t likely to affect the Sharks’ offensive efforts against goalie Jonathan Quick, who shut them out on 35 shots in the series opener. But Stoll’s absence on defense changes the mix for Los Angeles, which must entrust additional ice time to role players without one of its leaders.

Brad Richardson, who played 13 games during the Kings’ championship playoff run, is likely to replace Stoll in the lineup for Game 2. Richardson hasn’t played in this postseason since Game 1 of the Kings’ first-round series with St. Louis.

“It’s huge, because he’s one of our clutch players,” Richardson said of Stoll. “He’s the first guy on the penalty kill, and he’s a power-play guy.”

Even if it is deemed legal, the hit ignites another round of trouble for Torres, the journeyman forward whose ugly reputation has surfaced again.

While playing for Phoenix last season, Torres received a 21-game suspension — initially 25 games — for a high hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs. That play cemented Torres’ identity as a cheap shot artist and dangerous player in many NHL minds.

But the former No. 5 overall draft pick insists he has cleaned up his game during a season of largely trouble-free play with San Jose, his sixth team in six seasons.

“If he is going to miss some games, we’re going to miss him,” said Sharks forward Logan Couture, who thought the hit was clean from his on-ice viewpoint. “But it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up the physical play and try to take over his role. We’re going to support Raffi, and whatever happens, happens.”

Kings forward Dustin Penner thought Torres’ hit was objectionable mostly because it was unnecessary. He sees little comparison to the hit by Ottawa’s Eric Gryba on Montreal center Lars Eller in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, resulting in a two-game suspension for a blow that left Eller with a concussion and a broken nose. Eller didn’t return to the series as the Senators advanced.

“I think that hit (in Ottawa) was fine,” Penner said. “I know some people don’t, but it’s a split-second decision. You guys can slow it down to .001 milliseconds, but he’s got to make that hit, and this one (by Torres), he probably didn’t need to make that hit. That’s where I see the difference.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Chicago dominated the final two periods in its first game in the Western Conference semifinals since it won the Stanley Cup in 2010. Marian Hossa scored the opening goal, and Patrick Sharp had an empty-netter and two assists to give him nine points in the playoffs.

Jimmy Howard finished with 38 stops in a terrific performance, but Detroit still lost to rival Chicago for the eighth straight time dating to last season.

The series resumes on Saturday afternoon at the United Center.

The 75th all-time playoff game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings was tied at 1 after two periods, and Howard made a great stop on a breakaway by Dave Bolland 4½ minutes into the third.

Chicago kept working and went in front to stay on a heady play by Oduya. He drifted in from the point and sent Sharp’s pass past Howard on the glove side with 12 minutes left. Kruger then jumped on a loose puck and sent a backhander into the upper right corner to make it 3-1.

That was more than enough for Crawford, who caught a break when Damien Brunner’s rebound attempt went off the crossbar and straight down before it was swept away with about three minutes left.

The opener of the 16th playoff series between the Original Six teams was the first game for Chicago since it eliminated Minnesota last Thursday. Detroit closed out Anaheim with a 3-2 win in Game 7 on Sunday night, taking the final two games of the series against the second-seeded Ducks.

Despite the long break, there was no sign of rust for the Blackhawks. And the Red Wings skated right with Chicago despite all that travel in the first round and the thrilling conclusion to the series against Anaheim.

This one was fast and frenetic from the start. Two similar teams more than familiar with the other’s style, energized by their first playoff meeting since Detroit beat Chicago in five games in the 2009 Western Conference final.

The Blackhawks struck first, taking advantage of the first power-play opportunity of the game. With Gustav Nyquist in the box for hooking, Sharp forced a turnover along the boards and Jonathan Toews sent the puck to Hossa, who one-timed it past Howard at 9:03.

Detroit needed less than two minutes to respond, tying it when Brunner poked in a rebound for his third career playoff goal. The rookie center also contributed three assists in the first round against the Ducks.

The Blackhawks killed off two power plays created by penalties on Andrew Shaw. They killed off another one when Nick Leddy was sent off for delay of game in the second period, making them a perfect 20 for 20 on the penalty kill in the postseason and sinking Detroit to 1 for 18 on power plays against Chicago, including the regular season.

After Leddy’s penalty, the Blackhawks controlled most of the action for a while. They had a 17-5 advantage in shots in the period. They just couldn’t solve Howard, who made a great glove stop on a wide-open Hossa with 6:39 remaining. Detroit also killed off two Chicago power plays to keep it tied headed to the third.

NOTES: It was the 800th game between the teams. … Detroit F Justin Abdelkader was shaken up after he collided with Blackhawks D Michal Rozsival in the first period. He was helped to the bench after a few moments down on the ice, but eventually returned to the game. … Blackhawks F Viktor Stalberg was a healthy scratch. Coach Joel Quenneville said it was a “coach’s decision” and Stalberg could get back on the ice at any point. He said he talked to Stalberg about the decision to bench him for the opener. … Toews and Pavel Datsyuk of the Red Wings joined Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins as finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Datsyuk, a three-time winner, tied with Toews for the league lead in takeaways with 56. … Chicago has won eight of the previous 15 playoff series against Detroit.

___

Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Game 1 between the Bruins and Rangers will be tonight at the TD Garden, and the Bruins will have to put the events of Monday night behind them if they hope to avoid falling into an early hole in this series.

The Rangers come in riding some pretty good momentum themselves after staving off elimination with a 1-0 Game 6 win at home and then rolling to a 5-0 win in Game 7 in Washington.

The best goalie in the world, Henrik Lundqvist, is riding a two-game shutout streak, stopping the last 62 shots he’s seen. That includes six shots off the stick of Alex Ovechkin, who led the league with 32 goals this season, so the degree of difficulty has certainly been high.

With Lundqvist being his usual self (1.65 GAA, .932 save percentage) and Tuukka Rask playing pretty well himself (2.49 GAA, .923), it should be safe to expect close games to be the norm throughout the series.

Really, that’s nothing new for the Bruins and Rangers. This is how their last 15 meetings have gone:

2013
Jan. 19: Bruins 3, Rangers 1
Jan. 23: Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT)
Feb. 12: Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (SO)

2011-12
Jan. 21: Rangers 3, Bruins 2 (OT)
Feb. 14: Rangers 3, Bruins 0
March 4: Rangers 4, Bruins 3
April 1: Bruins 2, Rangers 1

2010-11
Oct. 23: Rangers 3, Bruins 2
Nov. 17, Bruins 3, Rangers 2
March 26: Rangers 1, Bruins 0
April 4: Rangers 5, Bruins 3

2009-10
Nov. 10: Rangers 1, Bruins 0
Jan. 4: Rangers 3, Bruins 2
Jan. 9: Rangers 3, Bruins 1
March 21: Bruins 2, Rangers 1

The condensed version of that:

• The Rangers are 11-4-0 in those games, while the Bruins are 4-8-3.
• The Rangers have scored 38 goals, and the Bruins have scored 29. The average margin of victory in the games is 1.33 goals.

Clearly, the Rangers have gotten the better of the Bruins, but the games have not been as lopsided as the teams’ records suggest. With the Rangers outscoring the Capitals 16-12 in their seven-game series, and the Bruins outscoring the Leafs 22-18 in their seven-game series, the two teams are in for a hard-fought series.

When it comes to the scoring, the Rangers got a pretty balanced contribution in the first round. Eleven different players scored in the seven games, with no skater scoring more than two goals. Those goals have come from unlikely sources, too, with the likes of Brian Boyle and Arron Asham, both of whom finished the regular season with just two goals apiece, scoring twice in the series.

Rick Nash, who led the team with 21 goals in the regular season, didn’t find the back of the net once against Washington, while Ryan Callahan and Brad Richards only scored once each during the first-round series. It’s a testament to the Rangers’ depth that they were able to win a series without their best scorers even close to their best, and it means the Bruins are going to have their hands full trying to keep the Rangers off the board.

Of course, the Bruins showed some good depth in the first round too, with 11 players scoring in the first round as well. David Krejci led the way with five, Nathan Horton scored four, and Patrice Bergeron scored three, thanks to his game-tying and game-winning goals in Game 7. Claude Julien’s switch of Tyler Seguin (zero goals, one assist) and Jaromir Jagr (zero goals, four assists) seemed to be effective in the team’s final game against the Maple Leafs, and it provided reason to believe Bergeron and Brad Marchand (zero goals, three assists) could begin to produce a bit more reliably for Boston.

That will have to happen for the Bruins to compete in the series, because the line of Milan Lucic, Krejci and Horton accounted for 48 percent of the Bruins’ points against Toronto. That may have worked against a lesser opponent, but against the Rangers, it’s hard to believe it will lead to many wins.

We can’t ever know what will happen in the future, and the miracle that took place in the Bruins’ Game 7 victory was just the latest reminder of that. We can look at past results to try to infer what might take place, and if the past is any indication, there’s little doubt we should be in for a long, laborious series, full of heavy hits, blocked shots and bruised bodies.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Cooke was pleased to see the Penguins start the series with a convincing 4-1 win.

“We had a great first period,” Cooke says. “I think that’s the highest level we’ve gotten to [so far this postseason]. But we didn’t stay at that level for the entire game, and that’s an area we can improve on.”

Many were curious to see if the Senators would still be seeking revenge against Cooke for his role in Erik Karlsson’s injury in February.

Cooke didn’t think that subplot was an issue in Game 1 at all.

“I really felt that both teams were focused on winning that game,” he says. “We’ve already played against each other once, so any of that stuff that was there before was completely gone. That’s the way I think it should be in the playoffs.”

As for the Pens’ goalie situation, Cooke admits, “all the players feel like we like Marc-Andre Fleury down; and unfortunately, he’s taken the brunt of it. But Tomas has come in and done a great job. We’ve played better since that change was made. We all know that Marc is the starting goalie, and at some point in the playoffs he’s going to have to come back in and win games for us.”

Cooke also tells why the penalty kill has been so successful, and compares the Senators with the New York Islanders.

Matt Cooke appears weekly on Sportsradio 93-7 The Fan with Vinnie & Cook!

By Christian S. Kohl

Two of the elite talents in the American League, Miguel Cabrera and Mariano Rivera, have begun this year no differently than any other they have played. Both have dominated in a fashion that is so consistent we as fans become oddly accustomed to it. So, given that the numbers of both players are absolutely monstrous, who has been most impressive in the early going?

Miguel Cabrera created a situation for himself last year which made his 2013 performance impossible to improve upon. As both the MVP and triple crown winner, the best he could do would be an unfathomable repeat of both those accolades. His .375 average and league leading 41 runs batted in are nothing shy of astonishing, with a more than respectable eight home runs as well. In order to approach his accomplishments from last year, he’ll need to connect for more home runs as the summer approaches. Still, he sits right now on pace to drive in 175 runs, and is unquestionably the finest offensive player in the American League right now.

One has to wonder, however, if enough can be said about both the start to the season and the entire career of Mariano Rivera. The last man in baseball to wear the number 42, Rivera has amazingly returned to form a season after tearing his ACL, featuring an age higher than his jersey number. The greatest closer of all time has been perfect so far this season, converting all 16 save opportunities, 6 of which did not even allow a base runner. His ERA sits at a criminal 1.56, and he sports 13 strikeouts, proving once again to any doubters that it is in fact the movement, and not just the overpowering velocity his cutter once featured which confounds hitters and shatters bats the league over.

It is almost inconceivable to say comparing these two could be easy, especially given the tear Cabrera is on. Not to mention a direct comparison of a position player and a closer as a value proposition is ordinarily next to impossible. But Rivera has been perfect. There is no way his numbers could be any better, and at age 43 with one working knee, there is nothing to be done about Rivera except sit back and watch in amazement at one of the truly greatest players in the history of the game.

>>See More Sports Verdict Episodes Here

That doesn’t mean for one second a fan should take his eyes off Cabrera, however. He is doing amazing things a cut above even the elite offensive players in the game right now, and his contributions to his team, the season, and the game itself are right now no less special than the artistry of Mariano. The clear edge here is Rivera so far this year; still, with Cabrera at age 30 now and Rivera presumably at the tail end of his career (though once could conceive of him still splintering bats at age 50), in just a few short years their exploits will be memories, and their exploits enshrined in Cooperstown. Enjoy them both while you still can.

Christian S. Kohl is a sports contributor for CBS Local Digital Media.

By: Kevin Martin

Of the three Triple Crown races, the Preakness Stakes has been, in recent years, the most formful, meaning favorites run well and have dominated the winner’s circle. Since 2000, seven post-time favorites have won the Preakness. There is no doubt that this year’s post-time favorite will be Kentucky Derby winner Orb. He drew the number one post position at Wednesday’s Preakness draw which is not ideal but he had the same post in winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier this year. In his four starts in 2013, Orb has shown that race circumstances don’t matter, he just wins.

Anything over even money on Orb, the most likely winner of the 2013 Preakness, is a good bet. Big Brown won the 2008 Preakness at 1 to 5, the shortest priced Preakness favorite this century. It’s not out of the question that Orb could sink below even money come post-time. However, the presence of Mylute, with jockey Rosie Nepravnik aboard, and Departing, the talented colt who skipped the Derby, gives some hope that Orb backers will get at least 6-5 come post-time. So I will invest $80 of my bankroll on Orb to win.

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The place where I am hoping to find some value is in the exacta. Will Take Charge ran well but had a troubled trip off nearly a two month layoff in the Kentucky Derby. While it’s doubtful that any colt was going to beat Orb on Derby day, Will Take Charge would have done better than his eighth place finish with a cleaner trip. He will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith who will give him a chance to run when they hit the stretch. He will likely go off at odds exceeding 10 to 1 and could be forgotten in the exoctics where Mylute and Departing are expected to get the majority of the play. I will play a straight exacta with Orb over Will Take Charge for $20.

While I won’t get a significant return on a win bet should Orb win, the $20 exacta play, should it hit, would mean at least a 3 to 1 return on my $100 investment.

The $100 Bet

$80 to win on the 1 (Orb)
$20 straight exacta 1 with 7 (Orb over Will Take Charge)

For a Preakness Stakes preview, click here. Good luck and enjoy this year’s Preakness!

Of course, its more fun to make your own picks, you can learn do that at Hello Race Fans. You can also see a rundown of all the starters with their annual Preakness Cheat Sheet.

Kevin Martin is the founder of the thoroughbred racing history site Colin’s Ghost and a contributing editor at Hello Race Fans

Rodriguez (4-2) gave up six hits, walking one and striking out five. Jason Grilli worked the ninth for his National League-leading 16th save as the Pirates moved six games above .500 for the first time this season.

Walker, playing his third game since returning from a stint on the disabled list with a hand injury, lined a single to center with one out in the sixth off Yovani Gallardo for his first RBIs in nearly a month.

Gallardo (3-3) walked four and struck out four in six innings, allowing just three hits. Rickie Weeks hit his third homer to provide Milwaukee’s only run. Norichika Aoki had two hits for the Brewers. Milwaukee has dropped 10 of 12.

The triumph, coupled with a 4-3 victory in 12 innings on Tuesday, gave the Pirates consecutive victories over the Brewers for the first time since Aug. 18-19, 2009. Milwaukee has dominated the Pirates over the last six years, winning 73 percent of the meetings between the two clubs and knocked Rodriguez around during his last start against the Brewers two weeks ago.

The left-hander was rocked for seven runs in 4 2-3 innings of an eventual 10-4 loss on April 29.

Things were decidedly smoother this time around.

Working both sides of the plate, Rodriguez kept the Brewers off balance and found a way to get out of trouble. Milwaukee put runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings but had nothing to show for it.

No missed opportunity loomed larger than the one the Brewers created in the fourth when Jonathan Lucroy led off with a triple to right. Rodriguez induced Carlos Gomez and Weeks to hit harmless infield flies before Alex Gonzalez rolled a routine grounder to shortstop to end the threat.

Gallardo was just as sharp. Pittsburgh managed just one hit through the first six innings before Starling Marte doubled to center leading off the sixth. Andrew McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez worked one out walks to load the bases and Walker took the first pitch he saw and laced it to center to score Marte and McCutchen.

The hit ended an 0-for-23 skid with runners in scoring position by the Pirates and was just enough to deal Gallardo a rare loss to Pittsburgh. The right-hander had won seven consecutive decisions against the Pirates.

Weeks drew the Brewers within a run in the seventh with a homer to the bleachers in left field off Rodriguez but baseball’s best one-two punch out of the bullpen shut the door.

Set-up man Mark Melancon retired the Brewers in order in the eighth and Grilli did the same in the ninth as Pittsburgh remained undefeated (17-0) when leading after seven innings.

The Pirates gave Grilli a little extra cushion in the eighth when McCutchen scored from third after Weeks threw wide of first after making a diving stop on a grounder by Walker.

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Last night’s opening game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Ottawa Senators was not only exciting for the fans here in Pittsburgh but for those around the world – literally.

KDKA Radio’s Bill Rehkopf was joined on the Afternoon News by Rob Howe, a member of the British Penguins Fans Club. He talks with Bill about the excitement surrounding the season and the series.

When asked how hundreds of fans from across a country the team does not even play in found each other, the answer was easy, “Twitter; social media really helped brings us all together.”

He was also able to answer the question on everyone’s mind – Fleury or Vokoun?

Listen to the whole interview here now:

Also tune in to the Afternoon News weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.