Triple K Sends Canadiens to 1-0 Series Lead

Goals by brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn and Tom Kostopoulos helped the Eastern Conference’s top seeded team beat the Boston Bruins 4-1. Montreal also got a goal from Bryan Smolinski; Shane Hnidy had the Bruins only tally. Montreal has now won all nine games against Boston so far this season.

Although Vancouver’s Sedin Twins are better known, this season the Kostitsyns became the first pair of brothers to score a goal in the same game since 1974. These two are not twins though, Andrei is two years older.

The other #1 seed, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings, started with a win as well. They beat Central Division foe Nashville 3-1. Henrik Zetterberg scored the game-winner in the midway through period three and added an empty netter late in the third. Dominik Hasek stopped 39 shots to stake Detroit to a 1-0 series lead. However, this doesn’t guarantee anything yet. Detroit has lost to the eighth seed in the first round before…

Dallas is In

The Dallas Mavericks no longer have to worry about Golden State keeping them out of the playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki hit a three-pointer with under a second to go to defeat the Utah Jazz 97-94. The Mavs 50th win and a Warriors loss guarantees Dallas a playoff position.

Denver beat the Warriors 114-105 and now are a game ahead in the race for playoff spot #8 with only three left for each team. The Nuggets also have the tie-breaker. Allen Iverson led the Nuggets with 33 points and Monta Ellis had 29 to lead Golden State. Baron Davis recorded his 3rd triple-double of the year with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Sakic Comes Up Big

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic scored 11:11 into the first overtime to give Colorado a 1-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild. That was his eighth career OT playoff goal which adds to his NHL record. He now has two more than #2 “Rocket” Richard. Sakic also assisted on a Kurt Sauer tally in the second.

After a scoreless first period, Colorado, on only seven shots, got goals from Sauer and Ryan Smyth . The Avs watched that two-goal lead vanish early in the third, but Jose Theodore kept the door closed the rest of the way. David Jones had a goal waved off in the third because it was ruled he kicked it in. Smyth missed another opportunity to win in regulation, but his penalty shot was stopped by Niklas Backstrom.

Mikko Koivu and Todd Fedoruk were the Minnesota scorers. Koivu got an assist on Fedoruk’s Power Play tally. Mark Parrish went out with a head injury in the second period.
In the other Western Conference game, the lower seed was victorious as well. Stephane Yelle had two goals, including the game-winner, to stake the Flames to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against San Jose. Ryan Clowe got both of the Sharks scores in the 3-2 regulation loss, the second one coming with under a minute to play when the Sharks were in desperation mode. Dion Phaneuf had the only specail teams goal of the night with his tally 5:17 into the first period that gave Calgary a 2-0 advantage. 50-goal scorer Jarome Iginla was held goal-less, but he did pick up two assists.

1st star of the game Miikka Kiprusoff had 37 saves to earn the win over 46-game winner Evgeni Nabokov. Yelle was surprisingly not named one of the stars of the game. The other two honored players were Iginla and Clowe.