NHL: The road to the Stanley Cup
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks
Honda Center, TSN, RDS, 5 p.m.
Series standing: Series tied 2-2.
The storyline: Jonas Hiller made 46 saves in Game 4, but he couldn’t avoid being run over by his defenceman Bryan Allen. Hiller was buried in his own net when Red Wings rookie Damien Brunner lifted a rebound over Hiller for a 3-2 overtime win. The result made sense for the Wings, who outshot the Ducks in every period — and outplayed them in OT. Teams have traded wins through four games; if form holds, the Ducks will win Game 5 at. home.
The key player: There are few players as electrifying as Pavel Datsyuk and the Red Wings centre is heading to an arena where he’s had huge faceoff success. In Games 1 and 2, Datsyuk was 30-19 in face offs, giving the Wings a sizable edge. But with just a goal and two assists through four games, he’ll need to contribute more.
Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues
Scottrade Center, CBC, 7 p.m. Series standing: Series tied 2-2.
The storyline: Everyone’s been curi- ous. What are the defending Stanley Cup champions made of? Well, in Game 4, the Blues were up 2-0 before the game was five minutes old. That didn’t faze the Kings, who scored the next two and ended up winning 4-3.
The key player: Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Penner all scored their first goals of the series in Game 4. Every one of those guys, arguably, has under performed. But none more so than Carter, who had an excellent regular season with 26 goals, but just one in 13 shots in the series.
Washington Caps at New York Rangers
Madison Square Garden, TSN, RDS2, 5:30 p.m.
Series standing: Capitals lead 2-1.
The storyline: In a tight series, special teams have been a big story. But after they went the Capitals’ way in the first two games, the Rangers won Game 3, 4-3, thanks to a power play that clicked and a penalty kill that, at the end of regulation, held on for dear life. The key player: The Rangers’ Derek Stepan says, of defenceman Marc Staal: “He makes our D corps calm.” Which is no small thing to say of the Staal brother who missed 29 games this season after taking a puck to the eye. He returned in Game 3 to play 17 mistake-free minutes — not an easy thing to do when you’re facing Alex Ovechkin and his pals.
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs
Air Canada Centre, CBC, RDS, 5 p.m.
Series standing: Bruins lead 2-1.
The storyline: Maple Leafs fans waited nine long years to host a playoff game, and probably had high hopes after the Leafs, so moribund in Game 1, surprised the Bruins in Game 2. And it’s not like they completely disappointed but the Bruins were just that much better and took advantage of errors. The key player: Tim Thomas was a huge reason the Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup, and if they’re going to win it again in 2013 Rask will be a huge reason. You have to like the Bruins’ edge — the Leafs’ firstround pick from 2005 coming back to haunt them.