SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF

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1 SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF Boston Bruins Kelly finally gets one in for OT win Chris Kelly's goal 'fitting' ending Bruins hold Alex Ovechkin in check Game 1: Bruins beat Capitals in OT, Patrice Bergeron: 'Everyone's back at zero' Game 1: Capitals at Bruins Dennis Wideman puts it in past B s man-up struggles continue Braden Holtby gets feather in Cap Tim Thomas poised at all points Chris Kelly scores Bruins a lead Chris Kelly key link in chain Mike Mottau ready for a call Bruins win Game 1 in overtime Capitals pose concerns for Bruins Buffalo Sabres Sabres' brass comes across thin-skinned For Enroth, little safety in numbers Calgary Flames Johnson: More dominoes than Sutter need to fall Flames, coach Sutter parting appears mutual The Brent Sutter File Flames start search for new head coach Calgary Flames part ways with coach Brent Sutter Darryl Sutter says fired brother Brent can coach again soon Get younger and fast Signs of the times Flames GM short on coach search details Sutter's solutions didn't jive for Flames Flames part ways with Sutter Chicago Blackhawks Ex-captain Aucoin knows how good Hawks have it Coyotes see Toews' return as 'huge' for Blackhawks Hawks' Toews says he'll play in Game Smith outduels Crawford in playoff opener O'Donnell glad for 2nd chance with Hawks Hawks captain Jonathan Toews will return in Game 1 vs. Coyotes Jonathan Toews looks good to go Coyotes preparing for Jonathan Toews on Hawks top line Coyotes beat Blackhawks in OT, overshadow Jonathan Toews return Enforcer Brandon Bollig surprised by call-up from Blackhawks Blackhawks vets Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers and Sean O Donnell relish shots at Cup Enforcer Brandon Bollig surprised by call-up from Blackhawks With Q in control, Hawks willing to Phoenix knocks off Chicago 3-2 in overtime Different vibe this year for Blackhawks Coyotes take first bite in series with Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Jackets sign draft pick, assign him to minors Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings... Blue Jackets, college hoops, Indians and more NHL 4/13/2012 Detroit Red Wings Holland says Wings' Henrik Zetterberg "is fine;" Helm out for playoffs; no suspension for Weber Penalties, Helm's injury mar playoff opener Drew Sharp: Gutless NHL should have suspended Predators' Shea Weber Octo-ticker: Pundits say Shea Weber got off too easy Darren Helm's injury means Red Wings rookie Gustav Nyquist gets playoff call Red Wings weigh in on Shea Weber's fine, 'dirty play' Helene St. James: Red Wings must be poised, persistent in Game Wings Darren Helm out for remainder of playoffs after surgery Gutless, but not surprising: Predators' Shea Weber escapes suspension A cheap fine for Shea Weber's cheap shot Wings want to unravel Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne Shea Weber fined, but not suspended, for slamming Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg into glass Red Wings' Darren Helm out for playoffs following surgery to repair lacerated tendons in forearm Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk advances in EA Sports' NHL 13 cover vote Red Wings' goals in Game 2 include reducing number of visits to the penalty box Gustav Nyquist fills Darren Helm's spot but Red Wings say it will take team effort to replace him Rookie Gustav Nyquist to take Darren Helm's spot on Red Wings' third line for Game Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg feels fine, ready for Game 2, says hit by Shea Weber was 'dirty' Poll: Should Nashville's Shea Weber have been suspended for hitting Henrik Zetterberg NHL failed by not suspending Shea Weber for head shot on Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg RED WINGS: Darren Helm out for rest of playoffs after lacerating tendons in right forearm Detroit Red Wings fall in Game 1, 3-2 Edmonton Oilers How did Shea Weber escape a suspension? RNH's adventure just starting Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Playoff Preview - Florida vs. New Jersey Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen must choose between a hot goalie and experienced one Florida Panthers playoff team: Where are they now? Playoff Preview: Florida Panthers v New Jersey Devils Where Are They Now? Florida Panthers Last Playoff Team Before Florida Panthers Postseason Experience... NOW! With Panthers Playoff Records Florida Panthers, Believe it or Not, Have Plenty of Postseason Experience... John Madden to Play in 135th Pla Florida Panthers Notebook: Jason Garrison Bloodied, OK... Marco Sturm Returns, Matt Bradley Skates... Can Ca Florida Panthers Top Line Gets off to Hot Start, Good Finish Heading into Playoffs... Devils will Watch Weiss Playoffs a familiar experience for Florida Panthers players Panthers Continued Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen must choose between a hot goalie and experienced one Beards are back as Florida Panthers prep for NHL s Stanley Cup playoffs Florida Panthers front line rounding into form

2 Panthers, Heat, Marlins all play at home Friday night Florida Panthers happy to see shootouts go bye-bye in playoffs Florida Panthers start their Stanley Cup playoff journey on bonus time Who has the edge? Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils Panthers-Devils: Five players to watch Panthers-Devils rewind Raise your hockey IQ with a Florida Panthers playoff primer After long wait to reach NHL playoffs, Florida Panthers veteran Stephen Weiss wants to stay for awhile Los Angeles Kings Mike Richards' resolve pays off for Kings in Game 1 against Canucks NHL PLAYOFFS: Kings apologize for Twitter remark; Bitz is suspended Kings sorry for Twitter crack about Canucks Clifford out for Game Kings aren t expecting power-play repeat News at 11: Kings send Posted by Rich Hammond on 12 April 2012, 5:45 pm Changes coming for Canucks? Minnesota Wild Dany Heatley dichotomy: Minnesota Wild MVP in a disappointing season Montreal Canadiens Habs GM search: What we know Nashville Predators Postgame Ponderings: Predators vs. Red Wings Game Preds' Weber fined $2,500 for hit on Detroit's Zetterberg Nashville Predators' Shea Weber fined $2,500 for hit in Game Weber fined for hit on Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings satisfied with play against Nashville Predators Nashville Predators struggle with power play in series opener Predators rookie builds on postseason success with memorable NHL playoff debut Preds' Weber fined $2,500 for hit on Detroit's Zetterberg New Jersey Devils Devils Unite Under First-Year Coach Devils hot topic: Who is the franchise's most clutch playoff performer of all time? Calgary Flames fire Brent Sutter, former Devils coach Adam Larsson expected to play in Devils' first round playoff series against Florida Panthers Ex-Devils center John Madden ready to face pal Martin Brodeur Rangers well-equipped to feed this frenzied city Zach Parise has delivered for Devils Brodeur searches for 100th playoff win Devils Playoff Schedule The matchups Devs stronger in playoffs with Zajac New York Rangers All Aboard the Rangers Train Lundqvist Sets the Stage by Standing His Ground Rangers Open With a Powerhouse Display Rangers Use Big 2nd Period to Top Sens in Game As NY Rangers skate into Stanley Cup playoffs vs. Senators, Blueshirts hope return to '94 blueprint leads to s Secret's out on Artem Anismov, who adds two assists in NY Rangers' 4-2 win against Ottawa Senators in Game 1 o Henrik Lundqvist pulls out stops to lift Blueshirts at start, as NY Rangers go up 1-0 against Ottawa Senators NY Rangers captain Ryan Callahan is healthy and it shows as Blueshirts begin Stanley Cup playoffs with win vs NY Rangers take 1-0 series lead against Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Ga Rangers Playoff Schedule Clinton makes bet with Canadian Foreign Minister on Rangers-Senators playoff series Rangers' Kreider ready to watch and learn Lundqvist buys time for scorers in Game 1 win Gritty Callahan plays leader s role to a C Anisimov comes out aggressive in opener Rangers shut down power play in second Eastbound and out? Rangers use big 2nd period to top Senators in Game Chris Kreider gets primer on playing in NHL Three stars for Rangers Rangers notes: Kreider watches Rangers, Lundqvist stop the Senators, 4-2, in Game Chris Kreider told to watch and learn Gilroy returns to face Rangers at Garden Pre-game notes: Kreider's homework, bag skates, scratches Hillary Clinton, Canadian minister bet on Rangers-Senators Captain Ryan Callahan does what it takes Carl Hagelin's puck-hounding pays off for Rangers Rangers win Game 1, John Tortorella pleased with Artem Anisimov NHL Shoddy Senators second best in NYC Early results an instant referendum on Flyers shuffle Vancouver needs to answer back Byron Bitz receives two-game suspension Brent Sutter won't return for Flames Predators Weber escapes with $2,500 fine Time fails to do its job and heal the Rypien family Kings apologize for tweet mocking Canucks Will Shea Weber be the first suspension of the NHL playoffs? What would Shea Weber s hit merit if it happened on the street? Feschuk: Fearless Flyers keep on coming in comeback win over Penguins Canucks Bitz suspended two games for hit Flyers take up residence in Penguins heads Sutter departure not about finger-pointing Red Wings Darren Helm out for the playoffs Canucks only have themselves to blame Predators Shea Weber fined $2,500 for Henrik Zetterberg hit NHL Playoffs Diary: Can a two-goalie system win a Stanley Cup? Shots fired: Kings troll Canucks fans on Twitter, but later apologize Coyotes faith in Mike Smith paying off Ottawa Senators Scanlan: Senators dug too deep a hole in Game Sens don t put on much of a Broadway show in opener Baird, Clinton make friendly wager on Sens-Rangers series Senators set lineup for Thursday series opener against Rangers Senators fans keep faith despite loss Sens better step on it

3 Opening-night flop for Sens Rangers 3, Senators 0 after 2nd period Neil, Gilroy a 'go' for Senators vs. Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Do Penguins lack Flyers' hunger? Flyers-Penguins: Game 1 Recap Flyers Playoff Comebacks NHL admits blown call Rinaldo Blog: Day Game 2: Flyers at Penguins These Flyers are a likable bunch Inside the Flyers: Schenn repays Flyers for confidence Flyers not out for blood but another road win Flyers rookie Couturier has a big job against Penguins' Malkin NHL admits Briere goal was offside Kubina has playoff itch Another patented rally keys Flyers' OT win Big challenges now old hat for Couturier Life on the edge making older Flyers nervous Penguins vow to fix mistakes Flyers seek an earlier starting time Punch Shots: Time to put Sid-related trash talk on ice Flyers dig out of 3-0 hole to take Game 1 in dramatic OT McCAFFERY: Flyers can't make a habit of getting down early in playoffs Hillary: Rookie Schenn delivers for Flyers Schenn shakes nerves, shows growth in Game Flyers notes: Timonen calls win 'lucky' Flyers stay grounded after improbable comeback Gonzo: Flyers-Pens trumps all Philly rivalries Tiring Pens' Letang vital for Flyers' chances Opening win a reward to Flyers offseason risk Holmgren's patience with Schenn paying off Kubina to take Bourdon s spot for Flyers? Flyers can't make a habit of getting down early in playoffs Jackson's Five: Inside a wild Game Snider: Flyers in Pens' heads at CONSOL Panaccio: Preds' Weber should get ban for hit Bylsma to shake up Penguins' power play unit Bears in Pens' forest don't stop Bryz Penguins' Crosby has seen it all Colossal comeback for Flyers Flyers can't afford another slow start THE REAL DEAL Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes battle, take step toward bright future Lauri Korpikoski emerges as Phoenix Coyotes' top penalty killer Phoenix Coyotes dig deep to grab Game 1 victory Phoenix Coyotes win in overtime to earn Game 1 victory over Chicago Blackhawks Pittsburgh Penguins Power play of Penguins set for new look in Game 2 vs. Flyers New home hasn't been kind to Penguins in NHL's postseason Young Flyers earn high marks in Game 1 win over Penguins Time to move, and skate, forward Penguins aren't making excuses for loss to Flyers in Game Flyers unsatisfied by Game 1, too Fleury understands it's time to forget loss Power-play units likely to change San Jose Sharks Playoff experience pays off for San Jose Sharks Antti Niemi stands tall in goal for San Jose Sharks in Game One win over Blues San Jose Sharks beat St. Louis Blues 3-2 in playoff opener San Jose Sharks notebook: Rookies Tommy Wingels, Andrew Desjardins come through in clutch Martin Havlat's goal in 2nd OT lifts Sharks Sharks-Blues: What to watch for Lineup tweaks for Sharks Sharks' Havlat remains a playoff rainmaker Sharks take Game 1 on Havlat's OT goal St Louis Blues Third period update: Blues 2, Sharks Bernie Bytes: This is Halak's time Blues say Elliott is 100 percent, will be backup tonight Blues will win this first-round series against San Jose if Sharks update: Putting experience to work Playoff opener energizes crowd, but Blues fall in end Blues lose playoff opener in double OT Berglund, linemates have strong game Hitchcock doesn t expect power play to affect series outcome Sharks players familiar with playoff OT Elliott ready if needed for Blues; Hitchcock prepares a young team Blues 1, Sharks 1: Berglund ties it up Bergland stands out for Blues in Game 1 loss Sharks down Blue in two overtimes in series opener Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning F Purcell to play for Canada at World Championship MLSE keeps trotting out losers Toronto Maple Leafs Rick Vaive walks free: Mandel Vancouver Canucks Darryl Sutter turns Kings around while brother Brent gets axe in Calgary Why Vancouver Canucks WILL / WON T beat the L.A. Kings Canucks must tune out white noise of controversy that swirls around them Vancouver Canucks look for answers after loss that was not even close Five Keys to Canucks Getting Back in the LA Series I Watched This Playoff Game: Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings, April 11, Vancouver Canucks' Byron Bitz suspended two games by NHL Vancouver Canucks Daniel Sedin missing again at practice (with video) Darryl Sutter on brother Brent being fired by Flames Canucks Continued L.A. Kings Twitter tweet sends Canucks fans fur flying Canucks Bitz suspended 2 games, admits hit on Clifford was wrong Gallagher: Shea Weber fine again highlights NHL s flawed discipline

4 Canucks carry power play woes into NHL playoffs L.A. Kings Mike Richards relishing NHL playoff redemption Willes: Canucks haters out in force, even though NHL playoffs have just begun NHL playoffs: Game 1 did little for Vancouver Canucks image or cause NHL Playoffs: Ryan Kesler vs Mike Richards is a tale of two warriors Canucks Hat Trick: Higgins disappears, Edler struggles, Kings Canucks of years past back to haunt the Kings, and fans Canucks show no discipline or intelligence against Kings Canucks Bitz suspended two games in NHL playoffs Canucks Byron Bitz contrite after head shot on Kyle Clifford Canucks Hat Trick: Gallagher on Higgins disappearing act, Edler s struggles, tweeting Kings Washington Capitals Capitals- Bruins Game 1: Optional morning skate update Morning roundup: Caps bring a new attitude to playoffs Capitals enter the Stanley Cup playoffs as an underdog, which could be a good thing Live updates: Game 1, Capitals at Bruins Bruins Coach Claude Julien: Alex Ovechkin-Zdeno Chara matchup is overhyped Stanley Cup playoffs: Alex Ovechkin needs to focus more on shooting than on hitting Stanley Cup playoffs: Capitals fall to Bruins in overtime Capitals praise Braden Holtby s efforts in Game 1 loss to Bruins Cold war: Ovechkin vs. Chara Bruins Chris Kelly sports team s playoff chain after scoring OT winner Capitals not discouraged after Game 1 overtime loss to the Bruins Lone blemish taints Holtby s playoff debut in Capitals OT loss to Bruins Capitals-Bruins Eastern Conference quarterfinals report card Websites ESPN / Flyers winning special-teams battle ESPN / Pascal Dupuis finds home with Pens ESPN / McLellan still not at 100 percent ESPN / Nill now on Habs GM list NBCSports.com / Claude Giroux had the NHL shop s highest-selling jersey this year CNN/Sports Illustrated / Adrian Dater INSIDE THE NHL Thursday's Three Stars Sportsnet.ca / Spector on Canucks: Solving King Richards Sportsnet.ca / Spector on Canucks: Where was the focus? Sportsnet.ca / Brophy on Leafs: The final player grades YAHOO SPORTS / Nashville Predators defender Shea Weber deserved suspension for head slam Winnipeg Jets Slater's season to continue in Europe Future Jets? Jets want closer look at draft crop TSN Jets off your cable bill SPORT-SCAN, INC. (941) phone (619) fax Boston Bruins Kelly finally gets one in for OT win By Fluto Shinzawa In overtime, an instant after booting out a dangerous Marcus Johansson shot, Tim Thomas thought about what would come next. It actually flashed into my mind right away, Thomas said. I was like, Man, last year, a couple different times in overtime when I made the big save, we went right down and scored. Thomas s thoughts became real. Seconds after Thomas stuffed Johansson, Chris Kelly scooted the other way and ripped a slap shot over rookie goalie Braden Holtby at 1:18 of overtime to give the Bruins a 1-0 Game 1 win at TD Garden. I had a good feeling, Thomas said. I had a good feeling it was going to go in. For the Bruins, it was the perfect ending to a black-and-blue tilt. For threeplus periods, both teams pummeled each other at every turn. The centerpiece collision took place in the second period, when Dennis Seidenberg lined up Alex Ovechkin at center ice. The result: a 10-bell car crash that belonged more on a NASCAR track than an NHL rink. Both players thudded off each other and stumbled briefly. But they both shrugged off the slam and continued play. He saw me at the last second, Seidenberg said. He s very solid. I just tried to hit him. It doesn t matter who falls at the end. I ve just got to be in his way so he can t do anything. For more than 60 minutes, no pucks were going in against Thomas (17 saves) or Holtby (29). Holtby was far busier, especially in the first 40 minutes, when the Bruins were bringing their best stuff. Holtby turned back 17 shots in the second period. But Holtby also got plenty of help from his teammates, who were cramming shooting lanes and flinging their bodies in front of pucks. As Holtby held the fort for 40 minutes, his teammates found their legs in the third. In the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Capitals started to change their pack-it-in ways to a more predatory approach. I thought we had a really strong first period, said Bruins defenseman Joe Corvo. We were all over them. I think that kind of changed in the third. I thought we played a sloppy third and gave them back some momentum. But [Holtby] played well. His defensemen blocked a lot of shots, too. Yet as the Bruins have seen repeatedly over the past few seasons, a bigtime save can trigger something even bigger at the other end. Just over a minute into overtime, Johansson, Washington s third-line right wing, nearly slipped behind the Bruins. Fortunately for Thomas and the Bruins, Greg Zanon recovered just in time. In Game 1, Boston s blue-line horses were their top four defensemen. Seidenberg (23:52 of ice time) and Zdeno Chara (21:46) drew the assignment of shutting down Ovechkin. Andrew Ference (17:38) and Johnny Boychuk (17:58) were tabbed to neutralize the second-line duo of Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Zanon, the team s third-pairing defenseman, didn t take as many reps as the others, playing 17:05. But he made his last shift count. Zanon positioned himself perfectly to fend off Johansson s rush. Zanon didn t want to let Johansson use his speed to swing wide. Instead, Zanon wanted to get between Johansson and Thomas and let the winger take a shot that his goalie could see. It s something we ve worked on, said Zanon. He doesn t want me to screen him. If he can see the puck, Timmy s going to make the save most of the time. He was allowed to see it. He made the save for us. Then we just turned it out. The way Zanon had angled off Johansson, the only spot the Washington forward could target was blocker side. I pretty much knew it was going blocker side, Thomas said. I didn t know if it was going to go up or down. Just trying to position myself well. Sometimes those shots on the ice are actually harder than the shots up high in that type of scenario. Thomas kicked out Johansson s shot. But the Bruins were still in danger. Had the Capitals sent in support with speed, they could have had a followup chance. But Corvo made a quick read to rap the puck off the right-side boards. I m just getting it off the wall, just keeping it out of the middle, Corvo said. I don t know what s in the middle behind me. But I know what s on the wall. Just trying to get it out of the zone.

5 Brian Rolston was in the right spot to hunt down Corvo s chip. Rolston settled the puck, then had only one play available - to linemate Benoit Pouliot in the middle. With just a slight turn to his left, Rolston saw that Pouliot was charging through center ice. A backhand chip to Pouliot triggered the counterattack. I knew I had time, Rolston said. Benny was coming flying through. That was my only play. Pouliot saw Kelly streaking up the ice and hit his center with a tape-to-tape pass. Because Kelly had curled back hard into the defensive zone to support his linemates, he had picked up enough speed going the other way. Ex-Bruin Dennis Wideman angled Kelly to the outside, instead of giving him the middle. Kelly took it and blasted the shot, which appeared to skim off Wideman s stick and beat Holtby glove side. The Bruins have always maintained that making defensive plays, coming back hard, and going the other way with speed leads to scoring chances. It was a textbook example of how that philosophy turned into the winning goal. Zans made a great play there to come back and defend, coach Claude Julien said. We moved the puck up the ice quickly and caught them in a transition game. It was outside speed and being able to use that shot. I thought at times tonight, when we did get that outside speed, we were looking to make plays through the middle versus shooting just like Kells did. Yet another overtime win in the playoffs. The Bruins are used to those. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Chris Kelly's goal 'fitting' ending By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff Bruins hold Alex Ovechkin in check By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff Capitals star Alex Ovechkin put just one shot on goal in 17:34 of ice time against the Bruins Thursday night. Ovechkin was the focus of Boston's top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, and the two burly Bruins were able to hold Ovechkin in check. "That s what it s about -- trying to shut him down," said Seidenberg. "He s their biggest offensive threat, and you ve just got to play tough and disrupt his speed and time. "It s a good challenge, and I think me and Z both thrive on that stuff." Ovechkin is a physical player in his own right, and the Bruins had their hands full with him. During one shift in the first period, both Seidenberg and Chara were able to get a hit on Ovechkin. In the second period, Seidenberg took the brunt of a hit on Ovechkin in the neutral zone. "I just tried to hit him," said Seidenberg. "It doesn t matter who falls at the end, I ve just got to be in his way so he can t do anything." Ovechkin's one shot on net was almost enough to cause some damage, but his blast kicked off the toe of Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Washington coach Dale Hunter said he thought Ovechkin played hard despite the physicality. "They were playing tight on him," said Hunter. "He battled. That s all you want from your players is to battle. He battled hard." It's one game, but the Bruins seem to have a solid plan to limit the Capitals superstar, provided they can execute it for the rest of the series. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Chris Kelly's goal just 1:18 into overtime seemed to come out of nowhere. With no pucks finding the back of the net in a scoreless game through regulation, Kelly's name didn't jump off the box score as the guy most likely to break the drought. The Capitals are loaded with top-line forwards, and the Bruins have players with more scoring prowess than Kelly. But it was Kelly who ripped a routine slap shot from the wing and past a goaltender who had been perfect to that point, sending the Bruins home with a 1-0 series lead. "Well, I think it s fitting," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "He was, without a doubt, our unsung hero this year, for what he s accomplished -- you know, scoring 20 or some goals, something he d never done before... It was nice to see." Kelly saw just enough room to get past Capitals rookie goaltender Braden Holtby from a point on the ice where it is increasingly difficult to score. "It's obviously a great feeling," said Kelly. "It's always good when you can end things a little early." Kelly showed up to the podium for the postgame press conference wearing a chain necklace that looked better suited for pulling a trailer. Kelly explained that the necklace represented a desire not to be the team's weakest link, and that Bruins players would award the necklace to a new player after every postseason game. Sitting next to Kelly, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas said Kelly was definitely deserving. "He's humble," said Thomas. "He doesn't see it. I had a good feeling that it was going to go in. And I had a good feeling about the guy who had the puck. I could tell that he had something today. Earlier in the third period when he cut across the net, he'd come closer to scoring than anyone on the team tonight. Also he's been whizzing shots past me in practice the last few days. He's got his shot going right now." Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Game 1: Bruins beat Capitals in OT, 1-0 By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff Bruins center Chris Kelly ended a scoreless game 1:18 into overtime, beating rookie goaltender Braden Holtby with a slap shot to give the Bruins a 1-0 win over the Capitals in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series at TD Garden. Increasingly quiet because of the game's lack of scoring and their team's squandered chances, Bruins fans were allowed to exhale after Kelly's goal. The Garden erupted as the Bruins celebrated on the ice and the Capitals skated off it, a fitting way to punctuate the first game of Boston's Stanley Cup title defense. The goal developed because of a kick-save by Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas. The puck kicked out to Brian Rolston, who moved it up the wing to Benoit Pouliot, who found a streaking Kelly one step ahead of his defender. Kelly let one rip, and for the the first time all night the puck found the back of the net. The sight of puck hitting webbing was a welcome one. Neither team created a solid scoring chance in the first 20 minutes. The Bruins out-shot the Capitals, 9-5, in the first period, but they failed to make it difficult for Holtby in his first career playoff start. Each team committed a penalty in the first, but the power plays proved just as bereft of chances as the five-on-five action. The Bruins did everything but score in the second period, but there's no prize for that. The shots in the second period went in favor of the Bruins, but once again the B's failed to find the back of the net. Unlike in the first period, the Bruins didn't lack chances in the second. Daniel Paille's shot in front at the 8:28 mark came minutes after Brad Marchand had a similar chance, but Holtby was up to the task. The Bruins peppered Holtby with six shots on a power play to start the second, but none of them broke through.

6 The Capitals finally seemed to find their edge in the third, outshooting the Bruins, 9-3. Thomas was tested for the first time in the game, and he reverted to the dominant Thomas of last year's playoffs. Thomas made the second of two tremendous saves during a Capitals power play four minutes into the period. A short time later, Boychuk bailed out his goalie by diving to the ice to cover an open net. It seemed as if the two teams might play all night, but the Bruins' 30th and final shot of the game was Kelly's. The Capitals finished with 17 shots on goal. Game 2 is Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at TD Garden. OVERTIME: 18:42: Bruins win, 1-0, on a slap shot by Chris Kelly, who streaked down the left side of the ice and put a hard shot on net for the only goal of the game. Holtby went to his right and Kelly's shot went left THIRD PERIOD End third: Overtime. Shots are Boston 29, Washington 16. 1:33: One final push here for both teams before potential overtime. 7:33: David Krejci almost gives the game away with a lazy pass in his own zone. Thomas with a stop. 9:43: Johnny Boychuk throws himself in front of an empty net to prevent a goal. Great play. The Bruins have already let this game get into the danger zone. Lots of nervous fans in the building. 14:39: Tim Thomas makes a couple of unbelievable saves during Washington's power play to preserve the tie. 16:48: Penalty on Zdeno Chara for cross-checking. SECOND PERIOD End second: The Bruins did everything but score in the second period, but they don't get anything for that. Shots on goal are 26-7 in favor of Boston. Braden Holtby is standing on his head. The Capitals are still in this game despite being badly outplayed. 5:18: The Capitals escape this one, too. Good chances for Boston on that 4-on-3, but no goals to show for it. Not putting one of these shots in earlier could come back to bite the Bruins. 7:17: Roughing penalty on Holtby for knocking down Chris Kelly in the crease. Bruins have a man-advantage. 7:42: Some extracurricular activity behind Washington's net between Milan Lucic and John Carlson results in a four-on-four. 8:28: Great chance out in front for Daniel Paille, but Holtby makes another stop. Give the kid credit, he's keeping Washington in this game. 11:40: There's a flurry of activity now as both teams race end to end. Marchand has a great chance out in front of the goal but has his shot blocked. Shots are climbing for the Bruins, who now have 19 to Washington's five. 17:31: The Bruins don't score, but they pepper Holtby with six shots on the remainder of their power play. Their reward? Another power play. Two minutes for delay of game for Troy Brouwer. FIRST PERIOD END first: No score after one here at TD Garden. The Bruins will have 2:27 remaining on a power play to start the second. Shots on goal are 9-5 in favor of the Bruins. 1:33: The Bruins will have their first power play. Double-minor, high-sticking penalty for Jay Beagle. On the previous shift, both Chara and Seidenberg managed to lay a hit on Ovechkin. The Bruins would obviously like to do more of that. 7:06: And we have our first penalty. David Krejci is called for boarding on everyone's favorite former Bruin, Dennis Wideman. 9:41: As we suspected before the game based on the pairings at this morning's skate, the Bruins are using the defensive pairing of Chara- Seidenberg vs. the Ovechkin line. and Ference-Boychuk vs. the Backstrom line. 13:44: Shawn Thornton delivers the first big hit of the game on Marcus Johansson up against the boards. There's that fourth line coming into play. More complete from top to bottom, the Bruins will do well if they can get production out of that fourth unit. 16:55: No great chances, but shots on goal are 4-0 Bruins. Most of the early action in Washington's end. 19:19: Little scuffle behind the Capitals net between Brad Marchand and Jay Beagle. Faceoff coming for the Bruins in Washington's zone. Pregame: Jerry York's national champion BC Eagles are in the house. The Globe's Fluto Shinzawa notes that Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk are starting along with the Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin line. Chara won't be paired with Dennis Seidenberg, at least for now. Who do you think will win tonight? Who wins the series? What are you looking for right off the bat? Leave a comment, and enjoy the game. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron: 'Everyone's back at zero' By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff The Bruins begin their second season tonight at TD Garden with Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. Boston is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team really is approaching the game as a clean slate. 8 things you should know about the Capitals "We're not worried about that," Bruins center Patrice Bergeron said after today's morning skate. "Everyone's back at zero. It's all about Game 1 now. We need to focus on that, and not about what's in the past." In the past, also, is the Bruins' record against the Capitals this season. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said that doesn't matter, either. "Everybody at this time of year starts on the same level," said Chara. "We need to approach it that way." The Bruins appeared loose at their morning skate, going about their business without much talking. During a drill, a playful jab by Tyler Seguin on Brad Marchand against the boards signaled a relaxed mood, while a mostly silent workout suggested the team was concentrating on the task at hand. "It was a focused morning skate more than a quiet one," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. "Our experience in past years has helped get us ready." Experience was a talking point for several Bruins players this morning. Julien said he watched the start of the NHL playoffs last night and that his family knows things are a little different this time of year. Center Chris Kelly said his mood wasn't any different today, but he said that his mentality had to change a little bit for the postseason. "There's going to be great times, there's going to be bad times," Kelly said of the playoffs. "One thing you need to remember is as soon as that game's over, you need to park it and focus on the next one, regardless of the outcome." One player whose approach has changed dramatically from last season is Seguin. As a rookie, the No. 2 draft pick wasn't a major part of the playoff game plan. This postseason, the Bruins are counting on him. "There's no thought of, 'Maybe I won't even play tonight,'" said Seguin. "It was a year ago, but it really doesn't even seem like it was that long ago. It's nice to be in different shoes this time around. "It's a night and day difference. That whole ride that we went on and seeing everything that I saw both on the ice and off the ice makes me a lot more comfortable."

7 -- Chara will be paired with Dennis Seidenberg to the Bruins' top line, the same pairing the Bruins used during last year's playoffs. Julien warned the media not to get too focused on the Chara/Alex Ovechkin matchup. "People are forgetting about the rest of the players in the series," said Julien. "There's more than those two. They'll certainly play a big role. There's a lot of players that can do some damage in this series, and we'll stay aware of that." Adam McQuaid won't play tonight, but Julien said he was happy with the depth has team has on defense. "I feel very confident," said Julien. "Everyone that we have here is very capable of playing. The other seven, you can put any one of them in there, and they all do a great job. Peter [Chiarelli] did a great job of solidifying that position for us." Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Storylines: The Bruins will deploy Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg against Alex Ovechkin s line. They should also have reinforcements in Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin, their best matchup line Anton Khudobin will most likely back up Tim Thomas tonight. Tuukka Rask is progressing in his recovery, but might not be ready until later in the series Washington averaged only 9.4 penalty minutes per game (sixth-least in NHL) Andrew Ference will appear in his 100th career NHL playoff game tonight Stephen Walkom and Ian Walsh will be the referees. Jean Morin and Derek Nansen will be the linesmen. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Dennis Wideman puts it in past By Mark Daniels Friday, April 13, 2012 Game 1: Capitals at Bruins Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff April 12, 2012 Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will start their Stanley Cup defense tonight against the Capitals. The Bruins went against Washington during the regular season. Their most recent setback was a 3-2 shootout loss on March 29. Defenseman Adam McQuaid (eye/head) will not play. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk (knee) is likely to be in the lineup. Puck drop: 7:38 p.m. TV/radio info: NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers) Playoffs records: Capitals 0-0, Bruins 0-0 Projected Bruins lineup: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Brian Rolston Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk Greg Zanon-Joe Corvo Tim Thomas Anton Khudobin Healthy scratches: Jordan Caron, Mike Mottau Projected Capitals lineup: Alex Ovechkin-Brooks Laich-Troy Brouwer Jason Chimera-Nicklas Backstrom-Alexander Semin Matt Hendricks-Jay Beagle-Marcus Johansson Keith Aucoin-Mathieu Perreault-Joel Ward Karl Alzner-John Carlson Jeff Schultz-Dennis Wideman Roman Hamrlik-Mike Green Braden Holtby Dany Sabourin Healthy scratches: Dmitry Orlov, Mike Knuble, Cody Eakin Dennis Wideman s tenure with the Bruins didn t end on a high note. After a breakout season, in which he registered a career-high 50 points and plus-32 rating, the defenseman struggled mightily with his game, recording just 30 points and a minus-14 rating the following year as fans at the Garden booed him mercifully every time he touched the puck. Though Wideman played well in the postseason, the Bruins dropped a 3-0 series lead and lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That offseason he was traded to the Florida Panthers in a package that sent Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell to the B s. Last night, Wideman returned to the Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals as a member of the Washington Capitals. Despite the way things ended with the Bruins, the 29-year-old Wideman said there s no ill will toward the team or its fans. No. I mean, obviously I didn t start off the year as well as I wanted to, he said. The first half was a struggle. I wasn t playing well. I was getting frustrated. They re knowledgeable hockey fans. I assumed they were not going to be happy with thew way I was playing. They re just being Boston fans. They don t put up with that. That s how it is. The Panthers traded Wideman to the Capitals last year, and he s since developed into the team s top scoring defenseman. He collected 11 goals and 35 assists this season. I know he had a tough outing here near the year s end, but we still felt that when Dennis was here he was probably our best puck-moving defenseman at the time, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. He had a bit of a tough year, all of a sudden fans turned on him a little, it got a little bit out of control, but he s still a good player. You look at his stats this year and you look at what he does on their power play, and he s still a great puck mover, still a great offensive defenseman that has a lot of qualities to his game. Wideman said he s not looking to prove the Bruins or their fans wrong. The seven-year veteran has been around long enough to know the NHL is a business. I don t sit there and say, I can t believe they traded me, and that kind of thing, Wideman said. I have no regrets about here. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins B s man-up struggles continue By Steve Conroy / Bruins Notebook Friday, April 13, 2012 An ongoing storyline in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs was the Bruins lack of a power play. Unfortunately for the B s, last night s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals produced the same fodder.

8 The power play had a chance to turn the game in the B s favor well before Chris Kelly s overtime game-winner to beat Washington, but the B s manadvantage went 0-for-4 on the night. That included a double minor as well as a lengthy 4-on-3. Coach Claude Julien afforded himself a wry chuckle when the subject came up, but he realizes it was close to being no laughing matter. Our guys weren t seeing much tonight, said Julien. There were some openings we could have used, and we were dusting the puck a little bit too much vs. shooting it. When we made some of those passes, some of those guys should have ripped a shot right away, and instead we stopped and we started looking for another play. It s unfortunate, because at practice this week I thought our guys were moving the puck well, and they were finding the openings that we didn t find tonight. So, we ll keep working on that and hopefully make it a better situation because there s no doubt, if we don t win the game tonight, we d be talking a lot about that being the reason that we lost. We found a way to win it. We turn the page and work on the things you need to work on. Said Brian Rolston: We had a couple of good opportunities, but I think we have to get more pucks to the net for sure. But I think they did a good job blocking. In the playoffs, how many times do you hear it everybody s blocking shots. And we just had to find a way to get pucks (to the net), that s a huge thing. And then, you ll have seams off that. But we need to get pucks to the net for sure. Taking his time There s no question that Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask would have wanted to be in uniform last night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, but he also knows the value of caution when it comes to rehabbing his groin/abdomen injury. And if he didn t know it already, the events of March 29 surely hammered it home. That s when Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun, believing he was fully recovered from a groin injury, decided to play in a game against the Bruins at the Garden. Vokoun, however, had to pull himself out of the contest. He has not played since and it seems doubtful he ll make an appearance in this series. When Rask comes back, he wants it to be for good. I didn t see it, but I heard about it, said Rask yesterday morning. I guess he was hurt a little bit and then he came back and got hurt again. That s the last thing you want to happen. You d get so frustrated after that. You want to play and you might feel like you re OK to play. But game situations are different from practice, where you might want to make that extra push that you weren t comfortable with in practice and then something happens. I don t know if that was his case, but I certainly don t want that to happen with me. Rask continues to skate and appears to be moving in the right direction. As long as it s pain-free, it s good. And it has been. I m just trying to push it harder every day and try to see my limits. When I feel nothing at all, I ll be good to go, said Rask. Every day gets closer and closer. It s day-to-day, as long as I don t have any setbacks. I m not pushing it too hard. With Anton Khudobin a more than capable back-up, there s no rush for Rask to get back too quickly. Right now, I don t want to be in this spot, but there s nothing you can do about except work hard until I get better, said Rask. I m hoping I get back soon and we have a long run ahead of us. And I get some games, too. Bergey on the dot The B s had a slight advantage in the faceoff circle, but Patrice Bergeron had a good night, winning 18-of Washington s Roman Hamrlik had a game-high five blocks.... Mike Mottau and Jordan Caron were the Bruins healthy scratches.... With Julien matching Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg on Alex Ovechkin, the workhorses minutes were very reasonable. Seidenberg played 23:52 and Chara played 21:46. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Braden Holtby gets feather in Cap By Mark Daniels Friday, April 13, 2012 If the Bruins didn t know who Braden Holtby was, they certainly do now. In just his 22nd career NHL game, the 22-year-old Holtby stymied the Bruins offensive attack for more than 60 minutes before letting in Chris Kelly s overtime game-winner in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last night at the Garden. Though the B s came away with the 1-0 win, they also left with a newfound respect for the Washington Capitals rookie goalie after he made 29 saves. He played very well. He worked really hard, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas said. I m hoping he expended a lot of energy and wore himself out a little bit, because I hope he doesn t play that well every game. I thought he did a very good job. With the Capitals top two goalies Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth out with injuries, Holtby got the start last night after playing in 30 games this season for AHL-Hershey and only seven for Washington. He made the most of the opportunity, denying the Bruins as they peppered him early and often with shots. The B s took four shots in the game s first five minutes, but Holtby kept each out of the net. In the second period, the Saskatchewan native thwarted 17 Bruins shots and three power plays. On some of those power-play chances he was really good, Bruins right winger Brian Rolston said. He s a big goalie, and we had a hard time obviously tonight against him. Bruins center Brad Marchand was surprised by Holtby s strong play. A little bit, he said. But you know in the playoffs, you got a young guy coming up like that, there s not really a lot of pressure on himself, so they usually play very well. And he did that tonight. He made a lot of good saves at the right time, and you have to give him credit. As Kelly s slap shot sailed over his glove just 1:18 into overtime, Holtby slowly slumped down until his mask touched the ice. Afterward, he said he s still looking to improve despite playing the game of his life in the opener. Yeah, I felt all right (prior to overtime), Holtby said. Later on in the game I felt like there were some things I needed to be better at. I got a little sloppy with some things, and those are the things I ll need to make improvements on for the next game. But mainly I wasn t there for the boys in overtime, and I ll definitely be better for that. For the Bruins sake, hopefully not. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Tim Thomas poised at all points By Ron Borges Friday, April 13, 2012 The biggest test Tim Thomas faced much of last night wasn t Alex Ovechkin. It was staying awake. For two periods, the Bruins goaltender didn t see enough rubber to make a bicycle tire, facing only seven shots and repelling them with relative ease. To the uninitiated this might seem an ideal scenario, to be facing a Washington Capitals team seemingly so fixated on defense that they forgot you can t win 0-0. But a 38-year-old, two-time Vezina Trophy winner understands this is not a circumstance likely to continue for long.

9 More often than not when your team outshoots the other team heavily for a couple of periods, whether you score or not, there s usually a time period in the game where the tables turn, said Thomas after last night s 1-0 overtime victory, in which the Bruins outshot Washington 26-7 through two periods. I knew they were going to get their burst sooner or later. I was mentally prepared for that going into the third period. Good thing, because Washington peppered him with nine shots while counterpart Braden Holtby faced only three. That Thomas turned them all away hardly was a shock, but who could have blamed him if he d been surprised to suddenly see anything coming in his direction? He was fantastic, defenseman Greg Zanon said of Thomas. I know he had seven shots after two periods but he s mentally strong. He s always prepared. He made some big saves for us down the stretch that obviously kept us in the game and gave us the opportunity to win. One came early in the third period when Ovechkin got the kind of opportunity he often buries. The big Russian from the wing after receiving a perfect pass, and Thomas mind began to whirl like a data processor. I didn t even think about Ovechkin until the pass happened, Thomas said, but when I did see the pass released in that direction, I very quickly realized where it was going and who it was going to. I knew I had to get over there very fast. And so he did, realizing where Ovechkin likes to shoot from that angle and making what Thomas called a toe save on a puck kept close to the ice. It was the kind of instant reaction after a slow night that could easily have come a tick too late had he allowed his focus to wane. More importantly, he kept that focus into overtime when he faced one of his most challenging moments: Marcus Johansson bearing down on him and Zanon between them. It was the kind of moment that, in an instant, can turn a dominant night into a sleepless one... or not First, I was just focusing on making the save, Thomas said. At the last second basically he got limited to shooting on the blocker side... I didn t know if it was going to go up or down and I was just trying to position myself well. Sometimes those shots on the ice are harder than the shots up high, so I was obviously very happy to make the save. Actually it flashed into my mind right away that, Man, last year a couple different times in overtime when I made a big save we went right down and scored. When I saw Chris (Kelly) take the long pass and saw he had a step on the defenseman, I had a good feeling it was going to go in. So it did, beating Holtby for the game-winner. Up to that point, Holtby had been perhaps the best player on the ice, but a goalie s life can be changed in one instant. One momentary lapse. One bit of bad luck. One second where you relax because, hey, they ve only taken seven shots and... Didn t happen to Tim Thomas. When a goaltender doesn t get a ton of shots it becomes a challenge for him to mentally stay in the game and even physically, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. Sometimes goaltenders thrive on the more shots they get the more they re into the game. So I thought Tim did a great job of staying focused and staying sharp and when he had to make those big saves he made them. That s Tim. It wasn t an easy task for him tonight. Just a short shift. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Chris Kelly scores Bruins a lead By Steve Conroy Friday, April 13, 2012 Through 60 minutes, Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was unbeatable. But it only took 1:18 of overtime for the Bruins to prove the rookie was human. Chris Kelly gained the offensive zone with speed and beamed a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat Holtby and gave the B s a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at the Garden last night. As good as the shot was, it was a bit of a shock to see Holtby, who had stopped all 29 B s offerings before that, beaten by the Kelly bid. The shot might have been tipped slightly as Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman was reaching out toward Kelly. I was probably the most surprised in the building, Kelly said. The Bruins won a Stanley Cup last year by getting contributions from everyone and, on the game-winner, every player on the ice had a hand in the goal. First, the Capitals had what was developing into a decent scoring chance but defenseman Greg Zanon forced Marcus Johansson into taking a long shot that goalie Tim Thomas (17 saves) stopped with his right pad. Defenseman Joe Corvo got the rebound and threw it up the boards to his right. I m just keeping it out of the middle because I don t know what s in the middle, Corvo said. I know what s on the wall and I m just trying to get it out of the zone. At the boards, Brian Rolston pushed the puck over to a rushing Benoit Pouliot, who took it into the neutral zone and fed Kelly along the left wing. Kelly had a step on Wideman and let it rip. I was actually taking the wall away (in the Washington zone) just in case it missed the net, Rolston said, but it was a pretty good feeling to see Kells come around the net with his arms in the air. Said Holtby: I don t really know what happened on it. I kind of lost it a little bit. The goal ended a game that was marked by its physicality. There were 69 hits recorded, 40 of which were credited to the Bruins. Dennis Seidenberg led the way for the Bruins with six hits, but the defenseman s main target, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, had a game-high seven. From the outset it was clear that the B s game plan was to have Seidenberg and defense partner Zdeno Chara (four hits) pound Ovechkin as much as possible. The highlight hit of the night came when Seidenberg crunched Ovechkin in front of the benches, a blow that forced both players to the ice. He s always physical, Seidenberg said. He s a very solid guy and, as you can tell, it s a good challenge and me and Z thrive on that stuff. Coach Claude Julien gave Ovechkin a tip of the cap. It was nice our guys did a good job against him, Julien said, but I have to give him credit. He didn t back down. Through two periods, Holtby was terrific, stopping 26 shots. His teammates also did a very good job of both blocking shots (22) and not allowing the Bruins to get to second-chance pucks. The B s squandered four power-play opportunities, one of which was a lengthy 4-on-3. By the time the third period rolled around, the Caps were ready to counterpunch. Thomas had seen just seven shots in the first two periods, but Washington was the better team in the third and the reigning Conn Smythe winner had to be sharp. The save of the game was a post-to-post stop on Ovechkin s only shot, during an early power play with Chara in the penalty box. Thanks to Thomas, the B s survived the third period and moved on to overtime. And thanks to Kelly, the 17,565 in attendance wouldn t have to wait long for the result they wanted. I thought it was a typical first game of a series, Corvo said. The team comes in and relies heavily on their goalie and he played well. It makes you nervous a little bit, but we came out ahead in the end. In the playoffs, that s all that matters. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Chris Kelly key link in chain