OK, I know we've seen a lot of really good hockey games during the past seven days, but I think Tuesday night was pretty special. Here are five things that stood out for me:
1. San Jose's Dan Boyle and Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer are listed as defensemen, but they really play more like rovers. Those two guys can show up anywhere on the ice at any time. In Tuesday's Game 3 of the Sharks-Ducks Western Conference quarterfinals series, Boyle and Niedermayer both turned in brilliant performances.
Boyle was rewarded for his efforts with two goals and an assist in the Sharks' season-saving 4-3 victory over the Ducks at the Honda Center. The former Lightning star (boy, the Bolts were so silly to deal him away) was a major factor in all three zones. He helped move the puck out of danger in the D-zone, pushed the biscuit through the neutral zone and attacked the net from several different angles in the offensive end. By the end of the game, I thought he played well over 30 minutes (at least it seemed like he did). I was surprised to learn he totaled just 20:56 minutes. For my money, he made every second count.
Niedermayer, meanwhile, continues to be a hockey treasure. His skills are so subtle, you don't even realize he's controlling the game. On one shift, he carried the puck up the ice through traffic as if he were playing against high school kids. And, like Boyle, he's quick to dart into open lanes in the offensive zone. In a game-high 26:21, he totaled six shots, four hits and three blocked shots. Those numbers don't even tell half the story about his impact on the game. At age 35, he looks as good as he ever has. If he opts for retirement at the end of the season, it won't be because he can't play. I can't wait for Game 4 on Thursday night.
2. What a crazy ending to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals series between the Devils and Hurricanes. After Carolina blew a 3-0 lead on home ice, we seemed destined for a third straight overtime between these evenly matched rivals. Instead, Canes forward Jussi Jokinen deflected Dennis Seidenberg's point shot past Devils legend Martin Brodeur with just two-tenths of a second left in regulation time to even the series at 2. The goal was significant in a statistical way, too. In playoff history, it was the latest goal to be scored to win a game in regulation. In 1964, Leafs forward Bob Pulford had scored with two second left to avoid overtime.
The goal set off Brodeur, who had been bumped outside the crease by Jokinen just seconds before the decisive moment. I believe the refs made the right "no call" on the play. By rule, because the contact between Brodeur and Jokinen took place outside the crease, the ref has two choices: goal, or no goal and a penalty to Jokinen. I don't think Jokinen would have deserved a penalty on the play. I suspect Canes fans agree with me, while Devils backers will be quick to disagree.
Either way, I really like the way New Jersey coach Brent Sutter handled the situation in his postgame press conference. He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the positives of his team's position -- having recovered home-ice advantage during their two-game stint in Raleigh. Sutter is a winner, and he understands what it takes to win a close series. He wants to keep his team focused on the end game. Nice work, Brent.
3. The Canucks became the first team to advance to the second round, completing a four-game sweep of the Blues with a wildly exciting 3-2 overtime win. Vancouver goalie/captain Roberto Luongo enjoyed a terrific series, stopping 126 of 131 shots for an impressive .962 save percentage. He also keyed the club's stellar penalty-killing unit that proved to be the difference in the series. The Canucks killed 23 of 24 power-play opportunities, including three key 5-on-3 chances. In overtime, the Blues had six minutes of power-play time, but couldn't take advantage of the unusual opportunity.
Sadly, heroic Blues goalie Chris Mason, who backstopped the club's surprising second-half charge to a playoff spot, surrendered a stinker -- a bad angle shot by Alexandre Burrows -- in overtime to end it. The playoff sweep was the 100th in league history, but the very first for the Canucks. Vancouver can head home, heal up and hope for Anaheim to knock off San Jose. If the Sharks fall, the Canucks will avoid both the Ducks and Wings in the next round. In that scenario, they'll face the winner of the Hawks-Flames series. I believe that would be a less difficult path to the conference finals.
4. I won't dwell on it because my ESPN colleague Scott Burnside goes into more detail in his latest Flyers-Penguins story, but I have to give a shout out to Pens stopper Marc-Andre Fleury. "Flower" was in full bloom, stopping 45 of 46 shots en route to a 3-1 win over the Flyers. Fleury has been the difference in this series. Remember in Game 2, Fleury saved his team's bacon with a stunning stop on Philly's Jeff Carter in the third period. At the time, the Pens were trailing 2-1. If Carter scores there, the Flyers grab a two-goal lead and they probably go on to even the series at 1. From there, who knows where we go.
Instead, the Pens rally to tie the game and win it in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead. Fleury is reminding us just how good he was during the club's playoff push last spring. With that experience in his back pocket, the happy-go-lucky goalie seems ready to take his game to another level. The Pens would be wise to finish off the Flyers on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. If they don't, this series could still go the distance.
5. The other goalie in last season's Cup finals, Detroit's Chris Osgood, continues to regain Hockeytown's confidence. Ozzie helped put a damper on the festive mood at Nationwide Arena, which was hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets' first NHL playoff game Tuesday. The always underestimated goalie turned back 31 of 32 shots, including several excellent scoring chances, in the Wings' 4-1 victory. Osgood has surrendered just two goals -- both scored by Jackets forward R.J. Umberger -- in three games. Of course, as I'm sure Osgood knows, there won't be many outsiders who'll believe he can get it done ... again. Fortunately, those doubters have never bothered him before. The Wings can complete the sweep in Columbus on Thursday.