Smith, Keith Score as Hawks Force Game 7

 

Duncan Keith (Michigan State) wristed home the tying goal with less than nine minutes left in regulation, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks forced a Game 7 with Friday's 4-3 win at Los Angeles. The Blackhawks and Kings will play a deciding Game 7 on Sunday night in Illinois to crown the Western Conference champion.

Ben Smith (Boston College) scored for Chicago for the second straight game, while Jonathan Toews (North Dakota ) and Patrick Sharp (Vermont) both picked up assists on the night. Smith’s goal gave Chicago a 2-1 lead early in the second period, while Keith’s goal forged a 3-3 tie after Los Angeles had tallied two consecutive third-period goals to take a 3-2 lead. Jonathan Quick (UMass) made 25 saves for the Kings, who had won their previous two home games in the series at the Staples Center.

The Blackhawks, who are seeking to become the NHL's first repeat champion since Detroit in 1997-1998, have won two straight games after falling behind in the series, three games to one. They forced Game 6 with a 5-4 double overtime win on Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.

The winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 will host the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers on June 4 in Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

Moore, Boyle Send Rangers to Stanley Cup Final

Dominic Moore (Harvard) scored the only goal of the game, and the New York Rangers will now return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it all in 1994.

Brian Boyle (Boston College) fed Moore from behind the net at 18:07 of the second period on Thursday Night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, and the Rangers held on to beat the Montreal Canadians, 1-0, at Madison Square Garden. New York won the series, four games to two, after previously winning a pair of seven-game series against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds.

The Rangers will be on the road next week at either Chicago or Los Angeles, with the Blackhawks and Kings playing their own Game 6 tonight in California. Los Angeles leads that series, three games to two. Montreal had been seeking its first return to the final since winning the Cup in 1993, the last time the NHL crown was claimed by a Canadian club.

Smith Helps Hawks Stay Alive

Ben Smith (Boston College) scored the tying goal early in the third period, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks went on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-4, in double overtime on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the NHL's Western Conference Final.

After Chicago took 2-0 and 3-1 first-period leads, the visiting Kings rebounded with three consecutive goals to take a 4-3 advantage after 40 minutes of play at the United Center. Smith's goal against Jonathan Quick (UMass) off a rebound just 1:17 into the final stanza pulled the Blackhawks back into a tie. Quick finished with 45 saves for the Kings, while Chicago captain Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) registered an assist on the Blackhawks' first goal of the game.

The victory not only kept Chicago's season going, it broke a three-game Los Angeles winning streak in the series, and sent both teams back to California for Game 6 on Friday night at the Staples Center. Game 7, if necessary, would be played on Sunday night in Illinois, as Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final has already been set for June 4.

Bourque Hat Trick Brings Habs Back Against Rangers

It almost looked an NCAA all-star game last night in Montreal.  

Rene Bourque (Wisconsin) tallied a hat trick to power the host Canadiens to a 7-4 victory over the New York Rangers and keep the Habs' season alive. Max Pacioretty (Michigan) had a goal and an assist for Montreal, which staved off elimination for the third time in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Derek Stepan (Wisconsin) scored two goals and Chris Kreider (Boston College) notched a goal and three assists for the Rangers, who fought back from a 4-1 deficit to briefly tie the game at 4-4 before Bourque's second goal put the Canadiens back ahead for good. New York still leads the best of-seven Eastern Conference final, three games to two, with Game 6 to be played Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) took the loss in net for New York, surrendering Bourque's last two goals after coming on in relief in the second period. Talbot finished with six saves on eight shots in just his second career NHL playoff appearance.

Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) collected two assists for the Rangers, both in the six-goal second period, while Brian Gionta (Boston College) and Thomas Vanek (Minnesota) had one assist each for Montreal.

Quick and Kings One Win Away from Final Again

Former NCAA goaltender Jonathan Quick (UMass) and his Los Angeles Kings are just one win away from a second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in three years.

The Kings dominated the defending NHL champion Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at the Staples Center in a 5-2 triumph, with Quick making 22 saves in Game 4 of the Western Conference final. Quick has gone 11-4 in his last 15 playoff outings following an 0-3 start against the San Jose Sharks in the opening round, and has stopped 86 of 96 shots in four outings so far against Chicago.

Los Angeles came back to win the San Jose series in seven games, and then outlasted the Anaheim Ducks in seven games in the second round after falling behind, three games to two. The Kings have also rebounded with three straight wins versus the Blackhawks after losing the opener of their Western Conference final series, 3-1, last week in Chicago.

Two years ago, when the Kings won their first NHL championship, they took a 3-0 lead in each of their four series. They ousted the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes and New Jersey Devils in a total of 20 games, going 16-4 overall that spring, with Quick earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They fell to Chicago in five games last year in the conference final.

Game 5 between the Kings and Hawks this series will be Wednesday night at the United Center in Chicago (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN). The Blackhawks, who got an assist from captain Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) in Monday's loss, rebounded from a 3-1 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings last year with three straight wins in the conference semifinal before going on to top the Kings and then the Boston Bruins to claim their second Cup in four seasons. 

The Chicago power play, however, is functioning at just over 17 percent in the playoffs this spring, according to NHL.com, and is just 2-for-13 so far against the Kings, including an 0-for-7 statistic in the last two games. The Kings, meanwhile, have been scoring at almost a 27 percent clip with the man advantage in the postseason, including a 2-for-3 power-play performance last night.

Rangers Push Habs to Brink with 3-2 OT Win

Carl Hagelin (Michigan) scored for the second straight contest, and Martin St. Louis (Vermont) notched the game-winning goal just 6:02 into overtime to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Hagelin, who scored on a first-period breakaway off a set-up from Brian Boyle (Boston College) and Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin), also assisted on St. Louis' game-winner as the Rangers took a 3-1 lead in their Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Habs. Rene Bourque (Wisconsin) assisted on the Canadiens first goal of the game as Montreal twice fought back from one-goal deficits to again force sudden death.

Game 5, and New York's first chance to clinch the series and move on to the final, will be on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Chicago Comes up Short Despite Collegian Scores

The visiting Chicago Blackhawks got all three of their goals from former NCAA players on Saturday night in Los Angeles, but still came up on the short end of a 4-3 score at the Staples Center in an NHL semifinal postseason contest.

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) staked the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks to a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes with two goals in the first period. The host Kings then scored four unanswered goals before Patrick Sharp (Vermont) managed to tip a shot past Los Angeles netminder Jonathan Quick (UMass) with three seconds remaining in regulation for the final margin.

Los Angeles now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one. Game 4 is slated for Monday night in California at 9 p.m. ET.