by Larry Leavitt

Montreal vs. New York: The Canadiens game three, overtime win 3-2 in New York was a hard fought. The battles were big a lot of hitting and a lot of extracurricular activity, there were a number of non calls by the refs. The game was fast, there was a lot of pressure on New York on the Canadiens defense.

The Habs defense stood up to the task and the key thing is the last three goals. The Canadiens scored on a deflection that banked off the back boards towards the net and one of the Rangers kicked it in on the Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundquvist.

At the opposite end with just seconds left to go,the Candadiens could not hold off the six on five with Habs goaltender Dustin Tokarski pulled again. The Rangers shot a bank shot, a fluke goal off the back of a Canadiens skate and into the net that tied it up at 2-2 all.

Of all things the final goal actually flipped up in the air and almost hit a Canadien in the throat and came right back down and went into the goal. The Habs will take a goal anyway they can take one. If you got a win, you got a win and it doesn’t matter how the puck went in as long as it goes in and it’s legal.

Chicago vs. Los Angeles: The Blackhawks really had the Kings on the road at the United Center for the first period and a half and they actually let the Kings back into it in game two for the 6-2 loss. Then the flood gates opened in the third period when the Kings scored all those unanswered goals.

The Kings have the momentum in this series, the Hawks had a lot of chances and they just didn’t bury them in the back end of the net. In the playoffs you’ve got to take advantage of it every chance you can get.

The Hawks are a good team and their not out of it, it’s just that watching the game you couldn’t believe that Chicago wasn’t not taking advantage of all the chances they had.Of course as the teams got worned down the Kings started coming back, wow they came back with a vengence.

The thing about the Hawks is they have so much depth, it’s not just the first, second or third lines. Everybody on Chicago is equally as important. Although the big names Marion Hossa, Jonathan Toews, and the second and third line guys are keeping the pressure on. The Hawks have talent up and down the line up and the Hawks are not one team that’s going to just roll over.

Larry Leavitt is covering the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs for http://www.sportsradioservice.com