Los Angeles Kings Kings see reasons, but need answers Kings' next step: Shedding underdog status

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1 SPORT-SCAN Boston Bruins Horton hears a Woo! Bruins win Game 7 vs. Habs Overjoyed Game 7 joy for Bruins Final count 0 for 21 on power play Winning a Game 7 was a long time coming Horton is making a habit of OT winners Montreal kept up pressure Recchi an old pro at playoffs Bruins never make it easy This 7 lucky for Bruins Nathan Horton, instant hero Tim Thomas keeps cool in crease Chris Kelly s game picks up Bruins fans in Seventh (overtime) heaven Changing lines in-game no problem for Daniel Paille Bruins probably will have revenge on the mind against Flyers Buffalo Sabres Turning point? Sabres have sixth sense Top seeds in the West should survive Calgary Flames Reinhart pots five to pace Kootenay Chicago Blackhawks Hawks reflect on what might have been Tuesday's Hawks, Bulls games set ratings marks Hawks' Toews, Canucks' Kesler among Selke finalists Hawks inconsistency led to their downfall Don t let Hawks loss overshadow Crawford s amazing game Toews, Canucks Kesler now battling for Selke With a few tweaks, Hawks should be Cup contenders again Canucks slayed their dragon in Hawks Priority No. 1 for Hawks: Re-sign Crawford Toews named a finalist for Selke Trophy Detroit Red Wings Drew Sharp: Time for Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard to step up again Red Wings' path to redemption runs through San Jose Red Wings 'Office' fans say they'll miss Michael Scott Octopus garden: Rested Red Wings better match for San Jose? Game 1 of Red Wings-Sharks is 10 p.m. Friday Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk is a Selke finalist again New NHL appears to produce far less elite goalies in playoffs Red Wings have to keep up pressure against Sharks Wings' Pavel Datsyuk faces tough competition for Selke Trophy Hungry Red Wings out for revenge against tough Sharks Wings-Sharks series to begin Friday Defense of Selke Trophy finalist Pavel Datsyuk appreciated by Red Wings teammates Mike Babcock: Forechecking key in Red Wings-Sharks series; Johan Franzen ready to play Pavel Datsyuk named Selke Trophy finalist again Justin Abdelkader on WDFN: Red Wings make conscious effort to focus on improved defense Edmonton Oilers Ewanyk scores with scouts at under-18 championship NHL 4/28/2011 DAILY BRIEF Florida Panthers Florida Panthers sign Keaton Ellerby to one-year deal Panthers sign Ellerby to one-year, one-way deal Los Angeles Kings Kings see reasons, but need answers Kings' next step: Shedding underdog status Montreal Canadiens Bruins dream continues after downing Habs in OT We battled to the end, Price says Canadiens need more size, scoring Boston Bruins eliminate Montreal Canadiens in OT Nashville Predators Nashville Predators face tough opponent in Vancouver Canucks Nashville Predators' Shane O'Brien still holds grudge against Vancouver Canucks Predators arrive in Vancouver for second round Game 1 preview: Predators at Canucks Predators will face top team from regular season in second round Strong finishes in series victories means Predators not done with playoffs Weber joins list of Predators named finalists for NHL awards New Jersey Devils In Tense Seesaw Series, Bruins End on Up Side Andy Greene would forgo free agency with right offer from Devils EPA honors Devils, Rangers, Islanders and Sabres New York Islanders Zenon Konopka, hockey enforcer/mma fan New York Rangers The best year ever in sportswriting... NHL Pens missed Crosby against 'Bolts Roloson stands tall for Lightning Boucher holds key to Flyers' Cup hopes Villainous Pronger gives Flyers swagger Game 7 Preview: Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh Game 7 Preview: Montreal at Boston Philadelphia Flyers Flyers Notes: Flyers' Carter likely to play in conference semifinals Bruins will be tough test for Flyers Five positive thoughts as Flyers advance to Eastern Conference semifinals Pronger's return makes Flyers that much stronger Horton's OT goal sends Bruins to Philly Matching up Flyers vs. Bruins Flyers shift focus to Bruins Flyers-Bruins Schedule Flyers to play Bruins again Flyers save the best for last Briere shines in deciding game It was fitting this one went seven It's Flyers-Boston, Round Bruins earn another date with Flyers

2 Flyers Continued Flyers get rematch with Boston Laperriere a finalist for Masterton Flyers stave off adversity, look forward to Round Flyers to open series against Bruins on Saturday With day off, Flyers await next round opponent Phoenix Coyotes Glendale mayor rejects idea to partner with tribe on Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins make quiet exit from postseason Power outage ends Penguins' season Familiar referee assigned to Game Penguins vs. Lightning, Game 7: Period by period analysis Penguins reach record-length new TV deal with Root Sports Lightning beat Penguins 1-0 in Game Play of game: Tampa Bay's double-take Crosby, Malkin sorely missed by Penguins Power play ends Penguins season with 1-0 loss to Lightning Penguins Notebook: Orpik pans Boucher's remarks Collier: Game 7 home ice meaningless Penguins blanked in season-ending Game Root Sports to carry Penguins through season San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings renew postseason rivalry Sharks notebook: Dan Boyle hopes to shake off subpar series against Kings Sharks vs. Kings schedule Sharks, Red Wings set for probable Friday start Thornton shows off different sides this season Sharks-Red Wings series schedule Sharks get Red Wings as Canucks defeat Blackhawks Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning learn valuable lessons COMEBACK COMPLETE Penalty-killing team no laughing matter So far so good, but Lightning's Boucher wants greatness East semifinals: Lightning-Capitals schedule Tampa Bay Lightning-Washington Capitals East semifinal schedule, ticket information So many parts to this long comeback for the Tampa Bay Lightning So many parts to this long comeback for the Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning's winning goal comes on familiar play Tampa Bay Lightning's winning goal comes on familiar play Pittsburgh Penguins' Brooks Orpik calls eye-gouging charge by Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher 'childish' Vancouver Canucks Canucks' survival may make them stronger Only one trophy on Ryan Kesler's mind Canuck Dan Hamhuis to put friendship on back burner in facing ex-teammates Canucks-Hawks in Game 7 draws attention of PTI Western Conference semifinals: How Canucks-Preds, Sharks-Wings stack up Alberta coach impressed with former charge Mason Raymond's role in Canucks' victory No holes in Canucks' game, says Preds' Mike Fisher Canucks, Predators begins Thursday at 6 p.m Luongo has shown - once again - that he has the right stuff Vigneault's redemption a work in progress Kesler-Burrows-Raymond line mighty formidable Trotz is liking where this is going Former Predator Dan Hamhuis lists Nashville's strengths Predators not to be taken lightly, but the call is Canucks in seven Winning a first-round series spells success for Nashville, but Preds want more Canucks battle royale against Preds starts Thursday at 6 p.m Kesler, Toews join Datsyuk as Selke finalists Washington Capitals NHL playoffs: Capitals will face Lightning in Eastern Conference semifinals Capitals hope they re rested, not rusty, entering second round of NHL playoffs Roloson makes 36 saves, Lightning cap comeback with 1-0 win over Penguins in Game Schedule announced for Capitals second-round series against Lightning Capitals will face Lightning in Eastern Conference semifinals Bruce Boudreau s message to call-ups: This isn t a vacation Mike Knuble likely to return in the second round at some point, Bruce Boudreau says Statistical analysis: What s causing Nicklas Backstrom s slump? Capitals recall Perreault, McNeill and Pinizzotto Capitals, Flyers took alternate routes to conference semifinals Starting from scratch for the Caps? Websites CNN/Sports Illustrated / VIEW FROM THE ICE Lightning thrive on secret formula to dismantle Penguins in Game Shedding the label Tampa transformation TSN.CA Bob McKenzie / It was gut-check time for the Bruins TSN.CA / Looking at Tuesday's calls on Briere and Lucic USA TODAY / Lightning blank Penguins 1-0 for first series win since YAHOO SPORTS / Bruins cap improbable run to feel relief SPORT-SCAN, INC

3 Boston Bruins Horton hears a Woo! Bruins win Game 7 vs. Habs 4-3 By Jimmy Golen BOSTON It took Nathan Horton six years to make the playoffs. Once he got there, he showed the value of patience. Horton scored his second overtime goal of the postseason on Wednesday night, waiting until 5:43 of the extra period in Game 7 to give Boston a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens and help the Bruins advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. "Just getting to the playoffs is all I was really thinking about. This has been a dream come true," said Horton, who never reached the postseason while spending the first six years of his career with Florida Panthers. "I'm really enjoying it. I'm enjoying it more every day." Boston will open conference semifinals in Philadelphia on Saturday with a chance to avenge last year's epic collapse against the Flyers. The Bruins led that series 3-0 before Philadelphia came back to force a decisive game; in Game 7 in Boston, the Bruins led 3-0 before losing 4-3. "I get at least until midnight before I've got to start thinking about that," said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, who stopped 34 shots. Horton scored on his only shot of the night off a pass from Milan Lucic, setting off a celebration on the Bruins bench and in the stands. It was Boston's third overtime win in the series, including Game 5 on Saturday night when Horton scored 9:03 into the second extra period. "He's been saving it for seven years, right?" Bruins coach Claude Julien said with a smile. "So he had a lot of game-winning goals in him." A year after reaching the conference finals, the Canadiens were eliminated by the Bruins for the second time in three years. "We're disappointed with the end result but you have to give credit to the Bruins," Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said. "Yes, we did have some injuries. We missed some soldiers, but the ones that were dressed gave a really good effort." Carey Price made 30 saves, and Yannick Weber, Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban scored for the Canadiens. Montreal erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 but never led in the game. Montreal won the last of its NHL record 23 Stanley Cup championships in the longest title drought in the history of hockey's most-decorated franchise. "It's a tough trophy to win," Subban said. "I mean, you never know when it's your year. But this year is not going to be ours." Johnny Boychuk and Mark Recchi scored in the first 5:33 to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. But Weber made it 2-1 with a power-play goal in the first and Plekanec tied it in the second with an unassisted, short-handed goal. After Chris Kelly scored with just under 10 minutes left to give Boston a 3-2 lead, Subban tied it in the final two minutes -- again on the power play. The Bruins were 0 for 21 on the power play in the series. But it doesn't matter. The Canadiens won the first two games in Boston to swipe the home-ice advantage and put the Bruins into a hole they had never been able to recover from before. Boston was 0-26 in series after falling behind 0-2. But the Bruins came back to win three straight -- including the first two in Montreal, and then Game 5 at home. The Habs won Game 6 on Tuesday night to force a seventh game in Boston. The Bruins wasted another early lead on Wednesday, jumping out on a slap shot by Boychuk and a wrister by Recchi from the slot that beat Price on the stick side. Martin took his timeout, and the Canadiens seemed to regroup. After Michael Ryder was sent off for hooking, Weber scored a power-play goal by converting a cross-ice pass from Michael Cammalleri midway through the first. Five minutes into the second, with the Canadiens down a man, Plekanec stole the puck from Recchi and broke in alone to wrist it past Thomas and tie it 2-2. But Kelley slid a rebound back under Price with 9:44 left in the third to put Boston back on top. Montreal tied it after Patrice Bergeron was sent off for whacking James Wisniewski in the face with 2:37 left. The Canadiens set up the power play in the Boston zone and worked the puck around to Subban, who slapped it over Thomas' glove. Notes: Lucic was back in the game, one day after he was given a major for boarding and a game misconduct in Game Canadiens center Jeff Halpern went to the ice after taking a shoulder from Andrew Ference in the corner with 11:30 left in the third. He was attended to by a trainer and helped off the ice, apparently woozy.... TV showed Thomas and Price tapping each other with their sticks as they left the ice at the end of the second period. Boston Globe LOADED:

4 Boston Bruins Overjoyed By Fluto Shinzawa If there was anyone who deserved a better fate than watching a tying goal from the penalty box, it was Patrice Bergeron. Last night, the Bruins were less than three minutes away from claiming a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 7. But with 1:57 remaining in regulation, Bergeron, the Bruins sharpest all-around player (team-leading seven points in the series), was in the box with a great view of P.K. Subban s power-play slingshot. But hockey is about trust. You know that your goalie will bail you out. You have faith that your moneymakers will score the goals that count. You go instinctively, like Adam McQuaid did in overtime when he charged low, believing one of his forwards would cycle back to cover the point. All those things combined to make one magical night for 17,565 at TD Garden. With one slap shot that hit off traffic and sailed past Carey Price, Nathan Horton catapulted the Bruins to a 4-3 win and a first-round victory over the Canadiens. The Bruins nemesis from last year, the hated Flyers, await them Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. I ve got a feeling it s in here, coach Claude Julien told his players after regulation. We ve just got to go out and do it. Game 7, like the entire series, was a breathless affair that had more swings than a playground. The Bruins struck rapidly in the first with goals from Johnny Boychuk and Mark Recchi, prompting Montreal coach Jacques Martin to call an early timeout. The Canadiens counterpunched with a Yannick Weber power-play goal and a Tomas Plekanec shorthanded strike to make it a 2-2 game. But after Chris Kelly s go-ahead goal at 9:44 of the third, the Bruins believed they finally had a Game 7 they had dropped three straight to Philadelphia, Carolina, and Montreal in the three previous seasons in the bag. But with one ill-timed backhanded swipe, Bergeron put his team down a man. After the win, Bergeron still wasn t sure if he had gotten a piece of James Wisniewski s head. Bergeron had chased the puck-carrying defenseman behind the Montreal net. Then Bergeron clipped Wisniewski with enough force to jerk his head back, even if stick never struck face. I don t know, to be honest with you, Bergeron said. I didn t feel anything. But there s not much I can do. You can t take that penalty there. Naturally, the Canadiens buried the Bruins for the mistake. Plekanec, who outdueled fellow Czech David Krejci throughout the series, backed up in the right corner. Plekanec spotted Subban s raised stick at the other side of the ice. Once Plekanec s pass landed on Subban s blade, Tim Thomas anticipated what would come next a howitzer either low blocker or five-hole. So Thomas pushed from left to right, squared himself to Subban s shot, and dropped into his butterfly. That s where I ve seen him beat a lot of people, said Thomas (34 saves). He s tried me there before. I was trying to get over to the far side to cover those two. That s why I was already on my way down. Then I saw [Gregory Campbell] lying down, too late for me to realize [Subban] could only go high. I had to go down. As it s going by Soupy, the thought s crossing my mind of whether it s going to hit off his butt. McQuaid saw a loose puck down low, he pinched hard and quick, knowing that a winger would cycle back toward the blue line. I had to trust that someone would do it, McQuaid said. It s all part of it. McQuaid went low and kept the cycle going. Horton covered the right point. Milan Lucic emerged from a scrum with the puck, then spotted Horton open in the high slot. Because McQuaid had pinched, the Canadiens were caught scurrying. Whenever you do that, you create some confusion in your inner coverage, Julien said. This is something we d talked about before the game, keeping a high man. A lot of times, they even have their D drawing almost up to the blue line. It leaves only one D down low. We talked about that before the game. Our guys executed it well. It was a good switch and it created a little bit of confusion. Before Horton wound up, the right wing hadn t landed a single shot on Price all game. But Horton, who scored the double-overtime winner in Game 5, picked the perfect time to record his first shot. But that s sports. Zeros become heroes. Lows swing violently toward highs. An 0-2 hole, like the one the Bruins found themselves in for the 27th time, turned into a 4-3 series win. The Bruins are now 1 for 27 in such occurrences. That was the tightest series I ve ever been a part of, said Thomas. Watching some games on TV, that s got to be one of the tightest series statistically I could think of. It was back and forth. Both teams showed a ton of character and a ton of heart. It definitely is nice to be the one that came out on top. Fluto Shinzawa Boston Globe LOADED: By that final thought, Subban s shot had already rocketed over Thomas. At 18:03, Montreal s greatest villain Bruins fans booed the rookie throughout the round had pulled his team out of the grave. Last year, it was a too-many-men call that wiped out the Bruins. This time, it was a high-sticking penalty. But after regulation, the Bruins were calm in the dressing room. Prior to the series-ending goal, they acted naturally, executing what the coaching staff had sketched out. McQuaid was on the ice with Zdeno Chara. Once

5 Boston Bruins Game 7 joy for Bruins By Dan Shaughnessy They hadn t won a Game 7 of any kind since 1994, when they played in the Old Garden and Boston had a new mayor named Tom Menino. They were eliminated in heartbreaking Game 7s each of the last three seasons, and there were questions about their hearts and souls when they took the ice last night for the final game of their 33d playoff series against the hated Montreal Canadiens. For one night, the Bruins made all the pain go away. No more agita on ice. Nathan Horton s booming slap shot in the sixth minute of overtime beat the Canadiens, 4-3, in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series last night at TD Garden. Game 7. Bruins-Canadiens. Overtime. How much better does it get? Round 2 starts this weekend on Broad Street in Philadelphia against the Flyers. For sure, there are plenty of Philadelphia stories to be told, but let the Bruins and their fans enjoy last night for a few more hours. Had the Bruins lost to the Canadiens, it could have been a franchise-altering defeat, with dire consequences for coach Claude Julien and general manager Peter Chiarelli. But this time the Bruins did not choke it away. Sure, they blew a 3-2 lead in the final two minutes of regulation, and they failed to convert on a single power play for another night (0 for 21 for the series), but who cares when you win it in OT? These Bruins become the first team in franchise history (in 28 tries) to win a series after falling behind, two games to zero. Game 7s have not been the Bruins friends in recent years. The Pesky- Dent-Buckner-Boone torch has been passed to Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Andrew Ference. Julien has been in the Hub of Hockey for four years. His first three seasons ended in Game 7 defeats, the last two at home. Finally, he gets some relief and vindication. Nothing could top the abject failure of the 2010 Bruins, who had a 3-0 series lead in the second round against the Flyers, saw the dominance fizzle as the Flyers won three straight, then came home to Causeway Street and lost, 4-3, after leading, 3-0. A 3-0 lead at home in a Game 7 is a lock... unless you are the Bruins. Those Bruins coughed up four consecutive goals and went home for a summer of speculation about their mental toughness. This was a lot of luggage to carry into the Jeremy Jacobs barn last night. The Garden rocked when the Bruins scored twice in the first seven minutes (a Johnny Boychuk slapper from just inside the blue line and a Mark Recchi wrist shot from the slot). What to think? I don t know about you, but I was somewhat relieved that the Bruins weren t ahead by a prohibitive, unlucky 3-0. Midway through the first, with the Bruins shorthanded, Canadiens defenseman Yannick Weber potted a goal on a wrist shot from the right side after Daniel Paille lost his stick effectively making this another fiveon-three goal for the Habs. The Bruins failed to score on their 20th power play of the series at the end of the first. It had reached a point when the one-man-advantage for Boston was a decided disadvantage. You could almost see the Habs drooling at their prospects any time the Bruins went on the power play. In the sixth minute of the second period, with the Bruins on the dreaded power play again, Montreal s Tomas Plekanec stole the puck from Recchi and went in alone on Boston goalie Tim Thomas. He did not miss. It was 2-2 and the Garden felt like a Temple of Doom. The Black and Gold were outshot, 12-7, in the second period. We wondered if there was more torture in store for Bruins fans when Recchi fanned on an open net in the third. Then the Bruins struck. While Canadiens defenseman Roman Hamrlik lay on the ice, trying to sell a penalty after he was hit by Chris Kelly, the Bruins kept playing. Andrew Ference fired a wrist shot that was blocked by Montreal goalie Carey Price, but Kelly was there for the nifty backhand rebound and a 3-2 lead with 10:16 left in the third. The joy lasted until the final two minutes of regulation when Patrice Bergeron went off for high-sticking and Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban blasted a one-timer past Thomas for the 3-3 tie. Overtime. Horton s slapper put the hockey universe back in order. Neither one of these teams looked particularly Cup-worthy in this first round. The Bruins became the first team in NHL history to win a sevengame series without scoring on a power play. They will take plenty of baggage to Philadelphia. But we don t care about any of those things today. The Bruins played a Game 7 and did not choke. They sent the other guys home for the summer. Hockey lives in Boston in the spring of Dan Shaughnessy Boston Globe LOADED:

6 Boston Bruins Final count 0 for 21 on power play By Fluto Shinzawa The Bruins survived one round with a dormant power play. It is unlikely they can pull a similar trick against the Philadelphia Flyers. After an 0-for-2 effort last night on the man-advantage effort being a generous term the Bruins concluded their seven-game series against the Canadiens with a most glaring blemish: 0 for 21. Through six games, the power play proved to be good for nothing no goals, neither for nor against. Last night, the power play cost the Bruins a goal. At 4:41 of the second, Lars Eller was sent off for cross-checking Zdeno Chara. But a misplay by Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi led to a tying goal. During a neutral-zone regroup, Seidenberg dropped a pass to Recchi. Recchi had to fish for the puck, and never got it settled on his stick. That slight bobble was all Tomas Plekanec needed. He took the puck away from Recchi, then hurtled in on Tim Thomas for a shorthanded breakaway. Plekanec wristed a shot high blocker on Thomas at 5:50 to make it 2-2. Philadelphia will be licking its chops to get at Boston s power play. During the regular season, the Flyers scored 13 shorthanded goals, second most in the league behind the Islanders (15). Claude Giroux and Mike Richards, Philadelphia s two best forwards, each netted three shorties. If the regular season trend continues into the playoffs, the Bruins will be going on the power play. The Flyers averaged 13.6 penalty minutes per game. For the most part, the Bruins survived the loss of Marc Savard. The ace playmaker, limited to 25 games because of his struggles with concussions, had only two goals and eight assists this season. The Bruins leaned on David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron to assume the bulk of the offense. This season, Savard recorded only 4 power-play points (all assists). Even after Savard suffered another concussion when Matt Hunwick slammed him into the glass Jan. 22, the Bruins believed they had manadvantage alternatives. They pulled the trigger on acquiring Tomas Kaberle Feb. 28 by trading away Joe Colborne and their 2011 first-round pick. They believed they had landed the power-play specialist they had been missing. They were wrong. Last night, the Bruins broke up Kaberle and Chara. Kaberle manned the point with Johnny Boychuk. They were joined by Bergeron, Recchi, and Rich Peverley up front. Chara skated with Seidenberg on another unit. Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Michael Ryder were the forwards. During the regular season, Kaberle recorded only three power-play assists for the Bruins. After his arrival, the Bruins went 6 for 55 on the power play (10.9 percent). Kaberle is an unrestricted free agent. Given his lack of offensive contributions, the Bruins would have to ask him to assume a pay cut ($4.25 million annual cap hit) in an extension. Kelly comes through Chris Kelly scored three goals in the first round, including what the Bruins briefly believed was the winning goal in the third. Kelly, the left wing on the No. 3 line, started the play by dumping Roman Hamrlik in the neutral zone. Hamrlik stayed down, trying to draw a penalty. Then after Andrew Ference put a close-range shot on goal that Carey Price turned back, Kelly swooped in and backhanded the rebound home at 9:44. Kelly finished with three shots in 17:16 of ice time. He s adapted so well, said coach Claude Julien. Not only has he been good production-wise, but he s such a reliable player. He does all the little things right. It s not very often you see him make a mistake that turns into a scoring chance for the other team. Lucic in lineup As expected, the league did not tag Milan Lucic with supplemental discipline for his boarding major on Jaroslav Spacek in Game 6. Lucic was in the lineup last night, with Krejci and Horton on the first line. In 21:01 of ice time, Lucic had three shots and four hits, and assisted on the winning goal... The Bruins get a couple of days to prepare for the Flyers. Game 1 is Saturday at Philadelphia (3 p.m., Ch. 7). Game 2 is Monday in Philadelphia, then the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 (Wednesday) and Game 4 (Friday, May 6). If the series goes to a fifth game, the Bruins and Flyers play again on NBC (Channel 7, 3 p.m.), Sunday, May 8 at Philadelphia. Fluto Shinzawa Boston Globe LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Winning a Game 7 was a long time coming By Kevin Paul Dupont Nathan Horton s shot, hard and low and right on the money, last night shook the Garden to its foundation, made the city shake, and propelled the Bruins into Round 2 of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. But for those who have been watching and waiting and angsting, even dying inside a little for these last 40 years, it did more. At least for one night, one series, it did a lot more. That was a nice reward for our fans, said coach Claude Julien, because they ve been punished enough. Black-and-Gold Nation, this one was for you, the Bruins first victory in a Game 7 since More to the point, it ended an ugly string of Game 7 losses over Julien s tour behind the bench, which included KOs at the hands of Montreal (2008), Carolina (2009), and Philadelphia (2010). All of that came to an end at 5:43 of the first overtime. Fresh-faced blue liner Adam McQuaid cashed in on a slight gamble, successfully containing the puck in the offensive zone, and then a Milan Lucic diagonal feed set up Horton to rip home the winning slapper from above the left circle. He s been saving it for seven years, right? said Julien, noting the years Horton spent in Sunrise, Fla., without the Panthers making the playoffs. So he s got a lot of game-winning goals in him. I could get used to it, added Horton. The Bruins also joined the history books, but it s not a chapter they would care to own. They again went without a power-play goal (0 for 2) and finished 0 for 21 in the series. Never before in Stanley Cup annals had a team won a series in seven games and not once connected on the manadvantage. It was, in many ways, a series the Bruins survived as much as they triumphed. They lost the first two games on home ice. They survived what became an X-rated man-advantage. It became so bad last night that the Habs clearly began to view Boston power plays as just another way to attack the net. And with 5:50 gone in the second, with the Bruins on their second and last advantage of the night, Tomas Plekanec took a puck away from Mark Recchi at center ice and broke in alone to pot the 2-2 equalizer. Yeah, I didn t pick it up, said Recchi, referring to how the play was bollixed at mid-ice, and it was a breakaway. Their confidence lacking throughout the series, even in wins in Games 3, 4, and 5, the Bruins finally started to play with some pluck n strut last night when they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes. All of a sudden, it was the Canadiens in the search of some much-needed mojo. Obviously sensing it from behind the bench, coach Jacques Martin called a timeout when Recchi s goal at 5:33 provided the two-goal lead. The sellout Garden crowd reveled in seeing Les Glorieux in retreat. Car-ee! Car-ee! Car-ee! came the chant, the crowd mocking Habs goalie Carey Price, beaten on two of Boston s first seven shots. As so often is the case, the little bit of strut and surliness ended up costing the Bruins when a revved-up Michael Ryder raced into the offensive zone and upended Plekanec as the two of them piled into the left-wing corner. Ryder went off for hooking at 8:22, and only 1:27 later Yannick Weber riveted a short-range wrister to the top right corner, a power-play goal that cut Boston s lead in half. Though futile and frustrating, the power play at least looked better, perhaps an encouraging sign as the Bruins get ready to face the Flyers. The first unit had Recchi up front with Rich Peverley and Patrice Bergeron, backed by Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara. PP2 used Milan Lucic-David Krejci- Ryder up front, with Tomas Kaberle switching in for Chara as Seidenberg s point partner. But the Plekanec shorthander was the insult added to injury. With 4:41 gone in the second, Habs forward Lars Eller dropped Chara with a crosscheck deep in Boston s end. A good sell job by the towering Chara, who fell to the ice on the fairly light hit, looking much like the trained pratfalls the Habs took throughout the series. The trouble started right at center ice, where Seidenberg shoveled a short pass to his left in the neutral zone. As Recchi attempted to handle the easy dish, Plekanec stepped in and took off alone, with the entire five-man unit flatfooted and dumbstruck. Plekanec closed to within about 10 feet and finished off with a low, sharp wrister that beat Thomas stick side to the left post. I m not going to comment on our power play right now, Boston coach Claude Julien said late in the afternoon. Because what I am commenting on is something positive and that s winning the hockey game. Ultimately, winning meant surviving the Habs tying power-play goal (a P.K. Subban blast) with 1:57 remaining in regulation, then getting Horton s winning shot. It was his only shot of the night, following a Game 6 in Montreal in which he didn t land one. For once, Game 7 went the Bruins way, leading goalie Tim Thomas (34 stops) to joke that there was a little more gray in his playoff beard when the night came to an end. It looked to me like his shot must have hit something on the way to the net, said Thomas, musing over the reasons Game 7 went to his team for a change. So we got that bounce instead of the other team. Other than that, I don t know what to say. Left speechless in so many Games 7 of the past, there really wasn t much more he had to say. Kevin Paul Dupont Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Horton is making a habit of OT winners By Michael Whitmer Nathan Horton couldn t remember what year it was, when asked if he d ever scored a goal in overtime in the playoffs prior to joining the Bruins. Once before, with Oshawa, Horton said, mentioning the Ontario Hockey League team he played two seasons for as a teenager. It was Game 7, though. He s got plenty of new memories to replace that one which came in 2003, for the record. On a slightly bigger stage, he s now accomplished the feat twice in five days. Horton had so much fun ending Game 5 Saturday night in double overtime that he booked a repeat performance last night. The stakes were much higher this time, since any Game 7 means win or go home. Horton, evidently, was ready to pack his bags. Next stop: Philadelphia. I m really enjoying it. I could get used to this, Horton said, smiling minutes after his blast whizzed past Montreal goalie Carey Price at 5:43 of overtime, giving the Bruins a 4-3 win and sending the TD Garden crowd into pure delirium. It s pretty special again. It doesn t get any better. Horton s only shot of the night was the only one that ultimately mattered. He took a pass from Milan Lucic near the top of the left circle and let fly, beating Price on the glove side. The goal capped a pressure-packed contest that saw the Bruins grab a 2-0 lead six minutes in, give up a tying goal with two minutes left, and leave Bruins Nation lamenting another possible Game 7 letdown. Horton made sure it wouldn t happen. At least not in this series. I remember Looch coming up with the puck and I just tried to get open, and I tried to put the puck toward the net, Horton said. Luckily it got deflected off someone and went straight in. That s how I remember it. The reaction is a little clearer, with the Bruins bench emptying and engulfing the 25-year-old in a massive pig-pile. I ll jump on him all playoffs if he keeps scoring these OT [goals], said Chris Kelly, whose third-period strike gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead and looked, for 10 minutes at least, that it might be the series-clincher. For Horton, it made his long wait for NHL playoff action well worth it. He spent his first six seasons with the Florida Panthers, never making it to the postseason. After being acquired in a trade last June, he s followed 26 regular-season goals with three in the playoffs. Two won games. Last night s earned him a first the team s tattered jacket, given to the player of the game, which he proudly wore to the podium. You know, I ve imagined getting to the playoffs for a long time, said Horton, who did not win the jacket after Game 5, an honor that went to Tim Thomas. It s definitely better than I imagined. This has been a dream come true. For us to win in Game 7 is pretty special, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of us. Horton wasn t here the last time the Bruins and Flyers met in the playoffs, a stomach-punch stretch in the Eastern Conference semifinals that saw the Bruins lose a 3-0 lead not only in the series but in Game 7 at home. He watched it unfold on television, though, and won t put much stock in those games affecting these. New year. New team. That s in the past now. Everyone knows in the playoffs it doesn t matter how many games you re ahead or how comfortable you feel, Horton said. It can all change at one moment. Horton should know. In the past week, he s done it twice. Michael Whitmer Boston Globe LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Montreal kept up pressure By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell They were resilient to the end. They were criticized for being too small, for being too soft, for not being talented enough to play with the top squads in the Eastern Conference. But throughout their first-round series with the Bruins, the Canadiens proved they wouldn t go quietly into the offseason. The Habs were faced with elimination in Game 6 at the Bell Centre Tuesday night and delivered a terrific performance to even the series at three, forcing last night s Game 7 at TD Garden. They fell behind, 2-0, early in the opening period but battled back to tie it on a shorthanded goal by Tomas Plekanec at 5:50 of the second. Chris Kelly gave Boston back the lead, 3-2, at 9:44 of the third, and with time running out, it looked like the Canadiens might finally be done. But with 18:03 gone in the third, defenseman P.K. Subban a.k.a. the Hab Boston fans most love to hate rode to the rescue and tied it on the power play with a bullet from the top of the left circle, forcing overtime for the third time in the series. The Canadiens ran out of comebacks at 5:43 of the extra session when Nathan Horton s shot hit something in front of Montreal goalie Carey Price and found its way into the back of the net. We gave her all we got, said Price, who was gracious in defeat. We can be proud of our effort, we can be proud of the way we played. The guys in front of me played excellent tonight. I thought we deserved better. We lost three overtime games and we were just a hair away from winning. It s frustrating, but at the same time I guess we can hold our heads high. I d say we gave it everything we had. Price, who had 31 saves, didn t have a chance on Horton s winner. It was a pass across [by Milan Lucic] and [Horton] got a shot and it hit something and bounced in the net, Price said. That s it. The name sudden-death overtime is pretty much all you ve got to say. Our guys were battling the whole time. A lot of our players had a considerable size disadvantage and they found a way to battle through that and wear them down. [The Bruins] were tired at the end, you could see it. I thought it was just misfortune that we didn t win that one. I feel like if we would ve played any team but Boston we d be advancing. [Bruins goalie Tim Thomas] played great. He should win the Vezina Trophy, in my opinion. He battled the entire series and we were just a hair short. Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said it was tough to stomach given how close the series was. Any time [you re eliminated] it hurts, he said. But especially when you battle that hard and you know you have a team that could ve won the series, that definitely hurts. As disappointed as he was, Gionta said the Canadiens will build on what they ve learned in this series. You see the maturity of the team, it s going in the right direction, said Gionta. Although we didn t get the result we wanted this year, you look at some guys and the way they played, they really made great strides for this organization. So hopefully we can continue that and grow off of that. I thought we played hard and we showed a lot. We had the lead in the series, we lost it, but we had a great Game 6, then again tonight, we were down, 2-0, and came back and showed character. Again at the end, we tied it up. We definitely never quit. Nancy Marrapese-Burrell Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Recchi an old pro at playoffs By Barbara Matson It s just nice to help the team. That s what we try and do every night, be consistent and be someone the coach can count on. While Boston fans may have been frantic as the overtime unfolded, Recchi said it was energizing. It s a great rivalry, said Recchi. We didn t want to stop playing. Boston Globe LOADED: Mark Recchi, 43 years old and with two Stanley Cup rings already stashed away in his personal vault, scored his 57th career playoff goal at 5:33 of the first period last night as the Bruins rocketed out of the gate, taking a 2-0 lead at TD Garden, and then riding a roller coaster into overtime, in which Nathan Horton s goal gave the Bruins a 4-3 victory over the Canadiens and a 4-3 victory in their first-round playoff series. The Bruins move on to face the Flyers in Round 2, which begins Saturday in Philadelphia. With the Boston power play continuing to sputter (0 for 21 in the series) and the Montreal power play running on overdrive (6 for 27, including 2 for 4 last night), the Bruins had to fall back on even-strength teamwork. The power play kept them in the series, said Recchi, but I think we re the better team five on five. After ceding the first two games to the visiting Canadiens, the Bruins last night were finally using not only their brawn and their bite, but their smarts. History hung over their bench, too: In their last two Game 7s against Montreal, the Bruins had been shut out. But the Bruins have some extraordinary history on their side, too: This is the 15th career playoff run for Recchi, who was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Penguins in 1990 and the Hurricanes in He knows the territory. He has seen what persistence can do. We believe we earned this series, said Recchi, whose goal moved him into a tie for 36th in career playoff goals with Cam Neely. We believe we deserved it. The goal also put Recchi in a tie for 34th in career playoff points with Phil Esposito (137). Give the guys a lot of credit, said Recchi. We believed in each other and we trusted each other and we found a way to win. Johnny Boychuk opened the scoring at 3:31 with a ripper from the right point, a shot set up by Brad Marchand s crafty pass out of the right corner as the rookie winger threaded the puck between two Canadiens to put it on Boychuk s stick. Two minutes and two seconds later, Recchi worked a smart exchange with defenseman Andrew Ference and gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead. Ference was making a move to the net from the right point, but lost control of the puck off the end of his stick. In the meantime, Recchi had dropped back to cover for Ference s pinch. Ference had enough reach to poke the puck back to Recchi, who fired a wrist shot over the glove of Canadiens goalie Carey Price. That was a great pinch by [Ference], said Recchi. It came right to me in the slot, I couldn t believe how wide open I was. You don t get too many good opportunities like that. I was fortunate to beat [Price], but when you have that much time in the slot, you don t get it very often so I took advantage of it. The Canadiens barged their way back into the game with Yannick Weber s power-play goal at 9:49, and then a shorthanded score that came off Recchi s stick. Dennis Seidenberg dropped a pass to Recchi in the neutral zone, but the puck was behind Recchi and he said he didn t see it. Tomas Plekanec did, and the speedy Canadien scooped it up and raced away to beat Tim Thomas for the breakaway score that tied the game at 2-2. The lead seesawed twice more, Chris Kelly scoring for Boston and P.K. Subban for Montreal, setting up the overtime session. I trust what I do out there, Recchi said. And I trust my linemates. I believe in what we re doing; I m comfortable out there. I ve been through a lot of it. Our line, I ve been with [Patrice Bergeron] for a long, long time and [Brad] Marchand is a terrific young player for us, so we know what we have to do and we support each other well.

11 Boston Bruins Bruins never make it easy By Stephen Harris Cam Neely had seen it so many times, lived it so many times. Everyone around the Bruins had. Can it never be easy? the Bruins president thought. The Bruins were poised to grab a monumentally important victory against their most hated rival, the Montreal Canadiens, a win that literally could impact the future of the franchise. But just when the victory seemed secure, something happened. Against Montreal in the playoffs, it seems, something always happens. The B s 3-2 lead on a goal by playoff standout Chris Kelly near the middle of the third period of last night s Game 7 looked like it was going to stand, but Patrice Bergeron, chasing Habs defenseman James Wisniewski near the Montreal net, inadvertently high-sticked him in the face. The Habs went on the power play and, of course, scored, tying the game with 1:57 left in regulation and forcing the most deadly of sudden deaths: Give up a goal and your season is over. It s tough, yeah, for sure, Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference said of the stunning emotional shock of having a win slip away as it did. It bites, but what can you do? You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can go out there, hope for the best and keep playing. I think we made the right decision. What the Bruins did was restore hope for all their fans, as Nathan Horton s slapper from the high slot at 5:43 of overtime produced a 4-3 victory and sent them on to a second-round rematch with Philadelphia. The Flyers are the team, you might recall, the B s played at just about this time last year. Given that outcome the B s blew a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 lead in Game 7 at the Garden this might be the ideal challenge. Best for us, or for you guys? Ference asked a crowd of press. I m not going to lie, it s a good opportunity for us to hopefully exorcise some demons. As much as we learned lessons from last year and we re not afraid to talk about those lessons, we ve got a chance to make things a little bit better this time around. The way their power play was going, part of me says, Can you blame them? Ference said. I mean, if they re going to get the calls, you know, why wouldn t they? This is the time of year when you re going to do anything you can to try and win the Stanley Cup. If that s going to get you a power play, I can t really blame them. Would he do it? Oh, no, he said. I really don t do that. Neither does anyone else on the Bruins. The Habs have a team of whiners and divers. Which just makes last night s win all the sweeter for the Bruins and their backers. And now there s this little score to settle with the Flyers. Boston Herald LOADED: It was a mighty close call whether they d get the chance to face the Flyers, even after they flew to a 2-0 lead last night. The Canadiens, forced out of their defensive shell, fought back to tie the game with a power play goal and a shorthanded tally. The Garden was a very uneasy place, and stayed that way until Kelly s goal at 9:44 of the third restored the home team s lead. It was a goal frought with poetic justice. As the play formed through neutral ice, Kelly had a mild collision along the boards with Montreal blueliner Roman Hamrlik. The play continued into the Montreal zone, but Hamrlik stayed down the ice near the red line, seemingly pretending to be hurt in an effort to get a whistle that would kill the B s rush. There was no whistle, and Hamrlik was far out of position as Kelly jammed home a Ference rebound. It was a typical dishonorable play by the Canadiens, who regularly dived and embellished, trying to trick the referees into calling penalties. Too often, the refs were easily duped. It s an emotional time when you re out there, said Ference, explaining the Habs nasty habit. If you think that you re going to get a call, the temptation to stay down and try to make it seem worse, it s big. It s a big temptation, and some guys will take it. Ference noted that several Montreal players appeared to be gravely injured as they pleaded for calls, and then barely missed a shift.

12 Boston Bruins This 7 lucky for Bruins By Steve Conroy Still, there were some shaky moments in OT. At one point, a rebound went off Seidenberg s skate and just missed going into the Bruins net. But after defenseman Adam McQuaid had gone down low, Horton rotated up top, took the Lucic feed and ripped a shot that appeared to deflect off Jeff Halpern and past Price. It was pretty special, said Horton. It doesn t get any better. Boston Herald LOADED: This time, in the end, the Bruins didn t flinch. After coughing up an early two-goal lead and a late one-goal edge, the B s captured their first Game 7 win in four tries last night. Nathan Horton scored his second overtime game-winner of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, lifting the B s to a 4-3 game and series victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Garden. Horton took a feed from Milan Lucic in the high slot and blasted a slap shot past Carey Price at 5:43 of OT. The tension percolating in the crowd of 17,565 was palpable all night, but it only got worse when the game was forced to an extra session. But when Horton s shot found the back of the net, all that tension was released in one big roar that emanated from the stands and the Bruins bench. For us as a group, it was nice to reward our fans with that, because they ve been punished enough, said coach Claude Julien with a wide grin. The B s will now have a return date in the conference semifinals with the Philadelphia Flyers starting Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center (3 p.m.). The Flyers, of course, punished the Bruins and their fans as much as anyone in their history, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit and a 3-0 Game 7 hole last year. I m not going to lie, it s a good opportunity for us to hopefully exorcise some demons, said defenseman Andrew Ference, who had a pair of assists last night. I don t put too much stock in history. There are new guys on this team, new guys on that team. This is a fresh start for us. But we learned lessons from last year, no doubt about it. The B s certainly showed this year they re not the type of team to fold under pressure. After losing the first two games at home, they won Game 3 in Montreal by building a big early lead. Then they evened the series by eradicating three separated deficits before winning their first OT game of the series. Horton scored the double-ot winner in Game 5 and, after the B s dropped a sloppy Game 6 in Montreal, he delivered the game-winner again last night. I think we showed a lot of character, said Patrice Bergeron. We had to put ourselves in a little bubble and not think about the pressure and what people were saying around us. We stayed resilient all game and all series, and found a way. Like they had against Philly in Game 7 last year, the Bruins got off to a great start, jumping to a 2-0 lead just 5:33 into the game on goals by Johnny Boychuk and Mark Recchi. But the Habs special teams got them back into it. First Yannick Weber scored a power-play goal in the first period and then Tomas Plekanec tied it in the second on a shorthanded breakaway. It stayed 2-2 until midway through the third. After he belted down Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik in the neutral zone, Chris Kelly headed to the net as Hamrlik laid on the ice to get a call that never came. Kelly found a fat rebound of a Ference shot and shoveled a backhander over Price at 9:44 of the third. But with 2:37 left in regulation, Bergeron was called for a high sticking penalty, helped along by a James Wisniewski head jerk. And with 1:57 left in the third, P.K. Subban tied it when he one-timed a slapper past Tim Thomas to sent the game to overtime and gave the crowd a case of the jitters. The feeling in the B s locker room? We were remarkably calm I thought, said Kelly, who was stoned by Price on a breakaway shortly before Subban s goal. We never really panicked too much going into overtime. We were a confident group and realized that if we did stay out of the penalty box, we d be OK.