Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Preivews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
Preview: Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. EST; TV: NESN, CBC, RDS). Bruins lead the series, 3-0; and we have no idea who Jamie is, but we doubt it's Macoun.
Keys for Montreal: Knowing the gigantic tease that's been the Canadiens' season, Carey Price will likely pitch a shutout and the Habs will win 73-0 with 25 goals from Saku Koivu. The only key for tonight is to extend the series by any means necessary, even if Coach Bob Gainey's optimism rings a tad hollow. Oh, and also to get the hell out of the way in case some Montreal fans decide to redecorate local shops and police vehicles again.
Keys for Boston: Be prepared that a Montreal team with its back against the wall could come out with some added fire. Hope that Zdeno Chara does another number of Alexei Kovalev, a.k.a. the one Hab who clearly has given a damn this series.
Preview: Washington Capitals at New York Rangers (7 p.m. EST; TV: VS, TSN). Rangers lead the series, 2-1.
Keys for New York: It's a total cliché, but score the first goal. The Capitals netted two in the first in their Game 3 victory, and the difference in their play the rest of the way was apparent. Score first, reestablish the defense that won the first two games; and then hope Sean Avery is back to being the pest of Game 1 instead of the headcase of Game 3.
Keys for Washington: Win the special teams battle again, and hope that Simeon Varlamov gives you another confident performance between the pipes on the road. Know this: If the first goal of the game is Alexander Ovechkin's, the Rangers are in trouble.
Sports
Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. EST; TV: TSN, VS). Blackhawks lead the series, 2-1.
Keys for Calgary: Keep playing on the edge. The Blackhawks bugged the Flames in Game 3, and Calgary responded with a strong effort. Adam Burish promised this game will be a war, which means that the NHL has already instructed its officials not to allow it to become one. Because they're killjoys. So Calgary needs to maintain its edge without taking silly penalties from over-reactive zebras.
Keys for Chicago: Remained focused on the ice even as the Flames and the Canadian media attempt to take it into the gutter. Oh, and hope that Patrick Kane's return to the lineup sparks the offense. His justification for missing Game 3, by the way, was priceless: "I had a funeral to go back to in Chicago. The goldfish that I had since I was 10 years old died so I had go back and say my prayers and flush him down the toilet ... I just bought a turtle."
Meanwhile, in the rest of creation ...
• We want to feel sympathy for this cat, but if you get kicked out of a bar for a dress code violation because you're wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey, then you're watching the game in the wrong damn bar. [CBC]
• The usually-blog-friendly Steve Zipay of Newsday decides to take a shot at New York Rangers bloggers without naming names. [The New York Rangers Blog]
• George James Malik on the interesting tug of war between the NHL and NHLPA on year-round drug testing. [Snapshots]
• Rudy Kelly agrees with us that Drew Doughty deserved some Calder Trophy nomination love. [BoC]
• And no, we didn't mention Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators today, although we've compared his numbers favorably to those of Steve Mason in the past. Two goalies from the same conference getting the nod was a very long shot, but that's not to say he didn't have a stellar season. The Forechecker gives him the love. [On The Forecheck]
• No Derick Brassard or Nikita Filatov in the lineup for Game 4 of the Columbus Blue Jackets/Detroit Red Wings series. [Dispatch]
• Leahy passes along this NSFW image of what a female Philadelphia Flyers fan thinks of a certain Pittsburgh Penguins player. Hint: Not Hal Gill. [Photobucket, and NSFW]
• Will Marty Brodeur's "fat guy goes nutso" routine at the end of Game 4 affect the rest of the New Jersey Devils' series against the Carolina Hurricanes? [Canes Country]
• Finally, Lindsay Soto of Versus does a good job on the whole "hockey sideline reporter" thing. Last night, she was a little self-conscious during an interview with Rob Niedermayer of the Anaheim Ducks. Today, the video's found its way to Deadspin and With Leather, which means our sweet little cable hockey vixen is well on her way to becoming the next Erin Andrews or, at the very least, "Lindsay Soto > Carrie Milbank." Sigh ... this reminds us of the first time we heard The White Stripes on commercial radio.