TODAY’S GAMES
Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens
When: 4 p.m., CBC The series: Canadiens lead 3-1 The skinny: So we were watching highlights from Game 4 and saw the Hamburglar make an outstanding save. Only it turns out it wasn’t Andrew Hammond, the late-season hero who let in seven goals over games 1 and 2. It was Craig Anderson, who’s reclaimed his starting post for the Senators with real conviction. “I feel 25 years old again,” said Anderson, who’s 33. Sens head coach Dave Cameron didn’t get too wistful about Anderson’s claim: “I don’t care what he feels, just keep playing the same way.” The Senators have also killed 12 straight penalties, which helps keep Anderson youngish. And also explains why most of the Habs showed up to an optional skate on Thursday and spent plenty of time practising their shots.
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
When: 4 p.m., Sportsnet The series: Rangers lead 3-1 The skinny: When Evgeni Malkin is on his game, he’s a monster. A big guy, firm on his skates, with crazy offensive skills, he’s a unique problem for opposing defenders. But something’s wrong with Malkin, who has only been less than a point-per-game player once in his career. There has to be, since he hasn’t scored a goal in about six weeks and has just three points in his past 14 games. Now the Rangers look poised to move to the second round. And as if their defence corps isn’t deep enough, Kevin Klein could well return for Game 5, just six weeks after an Alex Ovechkin slapshot broke his arm.
Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues
When: 6:30 p.m., Sportsnet 360 The series: Tied 2-2 The skinny: If you were searching for emerging playoff stars, you might want to start with Vladimir Tarasenko. He went to the dirty areas to score his first goal in Wednesday’s 6-1 Blues rout, then shook off defenders in a Pavel Burelike breakaway dash before scoring a second time: one-handed and back-handed. It was outrageous and sensational, his fifth goal in four games. Need more convincing that Tarasenko steps up in the playoffs? He had four goals in the Blues’ six-game first-round loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last spring. That’s nine goals in 10 games. On the other side, maybe, just maybe, the unforeseen Devan Dubnyk bubble has burst. His save percentage in the series is now .864.