James Neal (center) scored a hat trick in the Penguins’ 6-2 win. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

By Sarah Kwak

When the Senators had a parade of players hauled on to the injured reserve, they were expected to sink. When they dropped five in a row in early April, people thought their postseason hopes were gone. And yet Ottawa found ways to win games, to make it to the playoffs, make it past the first round.

Well, after a season of exceeding expectations and proving doubters wrong, Ottawa finally reached the end of its line; after 58 games, the Senators just could not muster any more of their magic this year, and their surprisingly excellent season ended Friday night as they fell to Pittsburgh, 6-2, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Captain Daniel Alfredsson’s remarks after Game 4 — he had intimated that the end was imminent for his team, that he didn’t think it was likely his Senators could come back — turned out to be spot on. “With their depth and power play right now, you know, it doesn’t look too good,” Alfredsson said.

GAME 5: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

Maybe he was being defeatist, a little fatalistic; the comments did seem to come printed on a white flag. But at the end of the day, Alfredsson’s analysis was accurate. Pittsburgh overwhelmed Ottawa with its seemingly limitless scoring depth. Ultimately, the Senators just couldn’t keep pace with the Penguins’ offense, and not even Ottawa’s Vezina-caliber goalie, Craig Anderson, could keep the muzzle on them.

Some more observations from the series clincher for Pittsburgh:

• Ottawa coach Paul MacLean was succinct in his postgame remarks after Game 4 on Wednesday. “I think everything’s right here,” he said, holding the stat sheet. “Seven to three. Uh … See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh, and we’re coming to play. Have a good night.” Well, they came to Pittsburgh, yes. But by the looks of the first ten minutes of Game 5, one could argue if they came to play. Halfway through the first period, the Senators had only put up two shots, while the Penguins jumped out to an early lead when Brenden Morrow deflected in a puck at 6:25. Although the Sens finished the period with ten shots, they only had maybe one or two legitimate scoring chances on the Penguins. It wasn’t the kind of desperate play expected of a team on the ropes. It was the kind of play you expect from a team already resigned to defeat.

• Things didn’t get much easier for Ottawa. The Senators took too many penalties, which disrupted any momentum they could possibly build. Eventually, the Penguins made them pay, scoring a power-play goal 7:38 into the second. James Neal, who scored two in Game 4, punched in a puck that was lost in Anderson’s skates. It was the first of three the winger would score Friday night. Neal would finish the night with four points. After he was sidelined and banged up for the first-round series against the Islanders, Neal is showing his immense worth in the Penguins’ lineup. He finished the second round with nine total points.

• Speaking of depth, Neal’s four-point night Friday brings him to ten points for the postseason, one of six Penguins with at least that number. Keep in mind, the team has played just 11 games. The Bruins are the only team that’s close to that mark, having four players with at least ten points thus far. But Pittsburgh has gotten offensive contributions from top to bottom. All but three Penguins have at least a point this postseason. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, Kris Letang, and Neal, of course, are huge offensive weapons — all of them. But the Penguins also have gotten so much from Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, and Paul Martin. Even a player like Matt Cooke, who isn’t exactly known to be a skilled playmaker, made the hustle play to set up Morrow’s goal in the first.

• Boston still needs to win one last game against New York, but barring catastrophe, we’re looking at a Pittsburgh-Boston Eastern Conference final. Pittsburgh, of course, brings so much offensive firepower, but how will that hold up against Boston’s smothering defense? If the Bruins’ three injured veteran defensemen are ready to come back into the lineup, they will, as a whole, present the most formidable challenge Pittsburgh has faced.

• Was this Alfredsson’s last game? The Senators’ captain wasn’t tipping his hand immediately after the game, but he spoke about how much he enjoyed this season and the unexpectedly strong group they put together. The speculation about his future will run rampant for the next several months, but with 2014 being an Olympic year, and given how successful Ottawa really was this year, despite all of the injuries and low expectations, one more year might look pretty good come August.

Does it matter that Tuukka Rask was in net during Boston’s epic 2010 collapse? (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

By Sarah Kwak

It’s a well-worn cliché of playoff hockey: The fourth win is always the toughest. And on Thursday night, Boston played into the old adage again, letting the Rangers keep a modicum of hope in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, which now stands at 3-1. Friday, Pittsburgh, holding a 3-1 series lead over Ottawa, got its first chance to advance to its first East final since 2009. But given the Penguins’ recent history of elimination games on home ice — they are 1-6 since Dan Bylsma took over in ’09 — Friday’s game presented an element of challenge.

Elimination games often do. Just ask the Bruins, the Canucks, the Sharks. During the last three years, they have each allowed an opponent to climb back from a 0-3 series deficit to push a Game 7. The 2010 Flyers famously pulled off the full comeback against Boston, which haunted the Bruins until they won the Cup a year later. Since 2010, the NHL has seen only three more occurrences of series sweeps than it’s seen 0-3 comebacks. So really, are elimination games actually more difficult?

Anecdotally, they certainly are. It always seems that teams have trouble closing out series. Since 2008, the Bruins, for example, have been stretched to seven games eight times and they’ve swept opponents only twice. They sincerely believe they’re built to win in a long, grinding series.  In 2010 and 2011, the Penguins were unable to close out opponents, dropping two Game 7s in series that they had seemed to have under control.

So, facing elimination, teams are expected to play with a higher degree of “desperation.” They may take more risks or play with a greater physical edge.

But in reality, there isn’t a lot of evidence to suggest that win No. 4 is significantly harder to come by than the other three. It’s the myth of the elimination game. During the last four postseasons, in non-Game 7 elimination games, the team holding three wins is 35-37. No significant trend there. Granted, a number of the wins in that count came on the heels of a loss, but the overall record in first-chance elimination games is equally inconclusive. In postseason series since 2010, teams that have reached three wins have gone  24-29 in the next game. Yes, slightly more likely to lose, but not to a remarkable degree. It only seems like clinchers are harder to win.

GAME 4: Cazeneuve’s take | Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

Rask worry?

Should the Bruins be worried about goalie Tuukka Rask, who gave up a couple of bad goals on fluky plays in Game 4 on Thursday night? After all, it was the 26-year-old Finnish goalie who was in net during the infamous Bruins collapse against the Flyers in 2010, and though Boston lifted the Cup the following spring, it was on the shoulders of a different goalie, Tim Thomas.

Is there any doubt about Rask?

Simply, no. The indisputable No. 1 in Boston now, he has long exhibited patience and maturity that has earned him respect throughout the Bruins organization. He’s cheery, yet calm, and has proved that he can deal with plenty of stresses, whether it’s jumping in for Thomas in 2010 or being unseated by him in 2011. He’s got patience and the trust of his coaches and teammates, which mean more than a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes.

Toews woes

The Blackhawks captain hasn’t scored a playoff goal in more than a year. He has been held pointless in seven of Chicago’s nine games during this postseason, and he seemed to lose his composure on Thursday night as the Blackhawks fell into a 3-1 series deficit against Detroit. It was an uncharacteristic display by a player who is so often lauded for his maturity, but now, his frustration is beginning to show. He took costly penalties, threw a fit, yelled at referees, and even needed teammate Brent Seabrook to swing by the penalty box to calm him down.

Toews is still only 25 years old, and he is allowed to be frustrated. But if his individual frustrations are having wider effects and in turn are hurting his team, then Chicago has a real problem. Indeed, this series — not the Cup run in 2010 — could shape up to be Toews’ first real test of leadership. Can the young captain bring the Blackhawks back from the brink? Well, one thing is for sure. He won’t do it by taking penalties and complaining about officiating.

By Allan Muir

We know this much about the Ottawa Senators. Placed on a slab and fitted for a toe tag early this season after Jason Spezza, Craig Anderson and Erik Karlsson were dispatched to the long-term IR, this team hopped off and danced a jig on its own grave just to prove everyone wrong. So maybe writing the Sens’ obituary before they have a chance to play Game 5 in Pittsburgh tonight is a bit foolish.

Granted, Daniel Alfredsson, the team’s captain, doesn’t like Ottawa’s long-term chances for survival, but that doesn’t mean they won’t live to fight at least one more day.

“If you ask anyone and they looked at our series, I don’t think there’s too many people who would have pick us right now. That’s what I meant,” Alfredsson said by way of explaining his post-Game 4 quote that the Sens probably wouldn’t win the series. “We have an opportunity and we’re still in the playoffs. We have always responded when we were up against the wall and I expect us to do the same thing [in Game 5] and give ourselves a chance to win a game and come back [to Ottawa for Game 6].”

GAME 4: Muir’s take | Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

Whether they come into the contest as never-say-die warriors, or with the easy calm of a team that has nothing to lose, the Senators still face long odds of extending the series against a Pittsburgh squad that proved it could keep its foot on the gas in Wednesday’s 7-3 thumping.

The Penguins boasted the league’s most prolific offense during the regular season, averaging 3.4 goals per game. That was nothing. In the postseason, they’re churning ‘em out at a rate of 4.1 per game. No team during the past 15 years has done that during a playoff run that lasted at least two rounds. The Pens have scored at least four goals in eight of their 10 playoff games, so they’re as consistent as they are dangerous.

And now that James Neal and Jarome Iginla have snapped out of long scoring droughts by netting a pair apiece in Game 4, everything we’ve seen to this point might just have hinted at how potent the Penguins can be.

In other words, it’s going to take a lot more than words of determination from the captain for Ottawa to avoid being blown out again Friday night.

It starts with Anderson, of course. After showcasing his all-world stopper abilities while smothering Montreal’s offense in the first round, Anderson has struggled to maintain his form against the Pens, overwhelmed by both the quantity and quality of chances they’ve created. He’s even been chased twice in this series, something that didn’t happen all season, but as he showed in Ottawa’s Game 3 double-overtime win when he stopped 49 of 50 shots, there’s still a bit of larceny left in his tired bones.

But he can’t be expected to do it all himself. The Penguins are averaging 40 shots per game this spring. Allowing that number on Friday is courting trouble, so all 18 Senators skaters have to be committed to minimizing Anderson’s exposure. Blocking shots, sticks in the passing lanes, keeping shooters to the outside…whatever it takes.

Well, almost whatever. Discipline will be another key to Ottawa’s survival. Pittsburgh’s power play is clicking at a league-best 28.6 percent in the playoffs. Neal’s game-winner was one of two they scored on five chances on Wednesday, but just as important is how effective they’ve been at hemming Ottawa in its zone with the extra man. That takes a lot out of the Senators’ penalty killers, and since the unit relies heavily on the team’s top-two scorers — Alfredsson and Kyle Turris — it saps the energy they need to be dangerous when they finally get the puck back. Getting into penalty trouble might just be an ender.

When the Sens are on the attack, they have to forget about making the perfect play and just get the puck on the net. Tomas Vokoun has been solid since taking over for Marc-Andre Fleury, but nearly every start has featured moments where his concentration or execution has wavered. He’s beatable, especially if they get bodies to the net. That takes some courage when Brooks Orpik and Douglas Murray are patrolling the crease, but a few bruises are preferable to a Saturday afternoon tee time.

Or maybe the Senators just have to play the way they’ve always played and let the chips fall where they may. As Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review pointed out, the Penguins have an 0-6 record all-time under Dan Bylsma in close-out games at home.

So he’s saying there’s a chance…

It’s all suddenly gone very wrong for Joel Quenneville and his Blackhawks. (Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

By John Rolfe

An annotated guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• Eric Duhatschek points out that those surprising Red Wings are rudely reminding the Blackhawks that a stellar regular season means nothing once you’re in the playoffs.

• The more Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville mixes and matches and juggles and tinkers, the more out of synch his team becomes.

• George Malik on one of Detroit’s subtle x-factors in the series.

• Mired in a 26-game scoring slump, the Kings’ Anze Kopitar did what big game players do, writes Helene Elliott.

• Think the Kings-Sharks series will go seven? The Sharks sure hope so.

• Drew Doughty responded to T.J. Galiardi’s embellishment accusation against Jonathan Quick by pointing out that it takes a diver to know a diver.

• Sparked by lineup changes, the reeling Rangers found their inner resolve just in time to stave off summer, at least for one more game.

• After spending much of the season in John Tortorella’s doghouse or the AHL, Chris Kreider picked a fine time to rekindle some of the magic he worked last year in the playoffs.

• In his usual, bracingly candid manner, Tortorella defended his benching of Brad Richards … with a charming invitation to the media.

• Boston’s normally reliable Tuukka Rask took responsibility for a “goaltending error for the ages” in a loss that probably left some Bruins fans wondering what kind of horror comes next.

• If the Penguins’ offense is truly awake now, can anyone tame the monster in a seven-game series?

• Daniel Alfredsson spoke an uncomfortable truth with his team in need of another miracle, but the Senators vow to keep chipping away, and Penguins are still wary of them ahead of tonight’s Game 5.

• The Ottawa Sun has Alfie’s back. And so do his teammates.

•  Apparently being pesky isn’t enough to capture the heart of a nation, even if you’re Canada’s last team standing in the postseason.

• The Denver Post‘s Terry Frei wisely recommends that Joe Sakic best be a boss and not a friend to new coach Patrick Roy.

• The London Knights brought an ugly end to host team’s stay in the Memorial Cup, routing the Saskatoon Blades 6-1 in the tournament’s tiebreaker game. London moves on to Friday’s semifinal against Seth Jones and the Portland Winterhawks.

Jonathan Quick’s 28 saves blunted a surge by the Sharks, who had won the last two games. (Getty Images)

By Adrian Dater

The Los Angeles Kings are one win away from their second straight Western Conference finals appearance, which puts them in striking distance of doing what they say can’t be done in this age of NHL parity: win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Not since Detroit in 1997 and 1998 has a team repeated the feat, but the Kings are now nine wins away.

In Game 5’s 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the Staples Center on Thursday night, goaltender Jonathan Quick kept alive his bid to accomplish something that has only been done twice in the history of the sport: win two straight Conn Smythe trophies (goalie Bernie Parent of the Flyers in 1974 and ’75, and Penguins great Mario Lemieux in 1991 and ’92 are the two repeat postseason MVPs).

Quick saved his best for last: a glove-hand robbery of Joe Pavelski with 39.5 seconds left in regulation, a ridiculous stop that helped earn him an honor as the game’s No. 1 star.

Anze Kopitar, who scored the game-winner, summed up the game to the NBC Sports Network as “Probably our best game of the playoffs so far. We all realize they have lots of players who can make good plays, but when you can limit their time and space it makes it hard for them.”

Other observations from Game 5:

GAME 5: Recap | Boxscore  | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

• Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi lost his stick prior to a goal by Kopitar – only his second of the playoffs – that broke a scoreless tie late in the second period. But it wasn’t really Niemi’s fault. Teammate Matt Irwin – trying to cut across the crease to check Justin Williams’ wraparound attempt – accidentally kicked the stick out of Niemi’s left hand. That led to chaos in front of the net, as Irwin handed his lumber to Niemi.

There are only a few things more awkward-looking than a goalie with a regular stick in his hands: A middle-aged man in a Speedo, me on the phone asking a girl on a date (circa 1980s), etc. Irwin was then left to kick his feet and bat his hands in the air, ultimately in futility as the puck bounced in off Kopitar’s stick as Irwin tried to check him off the puck.

It was an accident, but Irwin could have avoided it by skating wider around the crease.

• To that point, I thought San Jose was the better team. Not by much, but enough to where, if they could have just capitalized on an early chance or two, they might have sent the Kings into panic mode. Instead, Quick kept L.A. in it. The Kings got a fortunate goal and the game was essentially over after that. The Sharks continued to play hard, but they’re not a very good team when trying to come from behind.

• I agree, T.J. Galiardi has been better of late, but he’s not a good enough winger to be playing on a line with Joe Thornton. When the Sharks really needed a goal in the final 20 minutes, you got the feeling that Thornton was playing by himself.

• Defenseman Slava Voynov made a great shot to score the Kings’ second goal. His wrister off the rush was perfectly placed to the far post.

• I don’t want to dump on Patrick Marleau, because he’s a tremendous player for a guy in his mid-30s but … his performance in Game 5 won’t silence the smart alecks (hello Jeremy Roenick!) who say that he doesn’t show up in the big games. Marleau had a goal in every game of San Jose’s first-round sweep of Vancouver, but against the Kings through five games? One goal, with no points in the last two.

• The Sharks should have gotten a 5-on-3 midway through the third period. Dustin Brown bowled Niemi over on a short-handed 2-on-1 chance with Justin Williams. Yeah, Brown was nudged by Tommy Wingels on the backcheck, but he’d already made up his mind that he was going to go in feet-first on the goaltender. Brown plays on the edge at all times and is to be admired for that in many ways. But he ran the goalie, no question. A 5-on-3 could have gotten the Sharks back into the game.

• Mike Richards should get an Oscar for the acting job he did to draw a roughing minor on James Sheppard with just under seven minutes left. Either that, or the refs should let playoff hockey play out. It was just a garden variety check into the boards by Sheppard, but Richards turned his back and did the Fosbury Flop to draw the call.

• During a stoppage in play, San Jose’s Scott Gomez was caught talking to Jeff Carter like he was his best buddy. Hey, o friendly fraternization with the opposition in hockey. A long time ago, former Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote told me a story about Brett Hull: he would lull you into friendly conversation during a game, and Foote said it probably caused him to let up on Hull physically at times. Foote lost three Game 7s in his career to Hull – all in the Western Conference Finals (1999, 2000 and 2002). Gomez, by the way, finished with one shot in the game.

• Defensemen Rob Scuderi and Matt Greene were just tremendous as a pair for the Kings. Greene’s late-season return from back surgery might have as much to do with the team still being alive in the playoffs as anything.

• Kyle Clifford did fine on a line with Kopitar and Williams as a replaceement for Dustin Brown, but if the Kings are to win another Cup, you get the feeling that Brown will need to get back with the big boys.

• Home teams are now 14-3 during the conference semi-finals. That’s why I think we’ll see a Game 7 in this series, with Game 6 back at the Shark Tank.

Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in the Red Wings’ shutout win in Game 4. (Steven King/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

When Jonathan Toews watches the tape of Chicago’s 2-0 Game 4 loss in Detroit, he should pay close attention to the play of his nemesis Henrik Zetterberg and of Zetterberg’s Red Wings teammate, Pavel Datsyuk.

He’ll see the two stars were subjected to a series of hooks, jabs, slashes and all manner of uncalled cheap shots, just as Toews was. He might also notice that, despite that duress, they rarely lost their cool.

And really, that was the difference tonight and in the previous two games that have seen the Wings wrestle control of this series from the Stanley Cup favorites. While Toews and the Hawks allowed their frustration to get the best of them over and over again, the Red Wings simply gritted their teeth, put their heads down and kept their focus.

That’s how the Wings have earned a 3-1 series lead that’s surprising only to those who haven’t watched them in action. Yesterday, Pierre McGuire offered some insight on the series to SI.com’s Stu Hackel, which you can read here. And it’s why the Stanley Cup favorites are on the ropes and facing elimination in Game 5 on Saturday.

Here are some thoughts and observations from tonight’s action:

GAME 4: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule 

• Toews tied Patrick Kane for Chicago’s team lead with 23 tallies during the regular season, but he’s clearly feeling the pressure of the goal column goose egg that he carried into tonight’s game. “Maybe a little,” he admitted the other day. “Eventually it’s going to come. Right now, [I'm] just not letting it build up too much in my own mind. But I know that sooner or later, something’s got to give.”

Tonight, it was his composure that gave way. Smothered — again — by Zetterberg, Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall, Toews let his frustration get the best of him. He took three (THREE!) consecutive penalties, all stick fouls, on three consecutive shifts in the second period.

Chicago’s penalty kill has been brilliant in these playoffs, going 30 straight chances without allowing a goal until Jakub Kindl scored with one second remaining on Toews’ second infraction. But it wasn’t the goal that hurt so much as the total swing in momentum that sucked the life out of the Hawks. And then for Toews to go out and commit another foul right away? No wonder coach Joel Quenneville sat his captain for almost three minutes after he finished serving that one.

You know Toews wants to score, but it’s just as important that he sets the tone for his teammates. And right now, his utter lack of discipline is leading them down the wrong path.

• It’s not all on Toews, of course. When a stacked team like Chicago scores just two goals over the course of three games, the entire room shares the blame. But some guys deserve a larger share than others.

Patrick Kane was a non-factor, landing two shots but showing no appetite for the punishment that the Wings were dishing out in the middle of the ice. Quenneville noticed him floating around the edges, and with the game on the line limited his other top sniper to just three shifts in last 11 minutes, with the third coming after Danny Cleary’s empty-netter salted the game away with 38.2 seconds remaining.

• The stat sheet said Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp played nearly 40 minutes between them, but they were barely noticeable, mustering just three shots between them. And Brent Seabrook, a player challenged by Quenneville before the game to provide something more, earned just 12:03 of ice time — nearly 10 minutes below his season average.

• One of the two coaches in this series was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. It’s time for him to prove he deserved it. Quenneville changed up his lines before this game and tweaked his power play. In-game, he cut ice time of under-performers and sat star players to cool them down. He’s hammering every button he can find and nothing is working. He’s being outsmarted by Mike Babcock at every turn and unless he can find a way to get his troops pulling in the same direction — or at least convince a couple of his guys to plant themselves in Jimmy Howard’s kitchen on a consistent basis — the Blackhawks are headed for a humiliating end in Game 5.

• The consensus heading into the series was that Howard had to steal it for the Wings to win. It hasn’t been all him, of course, but he’s been superstar-good in dealing Chicago it’s first three-game losing streak of the season. He denied 28 shots tonight for the shutout and has stopped 84 of the last 86 he’s faced for a .977 save percentage. That’s pretty stout.

Howard wasn’t tested often tonight, but he made a couple of 10-bell stops to protect the one-goal lead, including a sprawling pad save that robbed Dave Bolland off a one-timer on a lethal-looking two-on-one chance in the third.

“Howie played well,” Babcock said after the game. “We pay him to do that. We expect him to do that.”

Nothing like pumping a guy’s tires.

• Though he was reserved about Howard, Babcock was quick to heap praise on the PK. “Our penalty kill has been outstanding. It started the worst in the NHL, finished 12th and then got better. Tonight, I thought it was huge for us.”

The Red Wings killed off three Chicago power plays tonight, and have limited the Hawks to just one goal in the series with the man advantage, and that was back in Game 1. The unit was at its best when Kindl was whistled for a hook with just 4:45 left in the game. The Hawks failed to even attempt a shot under intense pressure from Detroit’s checkers. That’s huge, alright.

• At this point, the coaching decisions by Babcock are probably beyond being questioned by anyone, least of all by yours truly. Still, watching the live legs, tenacious forecheck, and savvy decision-making of Gustav Nyquist, it’s fair to wonder when the coach is going to take him off the short leash and see just what he can do. The rookie winger played just over 10 minutes, but seemed to be the center of attention every time he hit the ice. He created two great scoring chances in the third period with his speed and frustrated the Hawks with his puck pursuit.

He certainly wasn’t the only member of Detroit’s surprisingly effective supporting cast to stand out — a tip o’ the cap here to Joakim Andersson, Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller for making the most of their limited minutes — but Nyquist seems ready to break out into something more.

Of course, Babcock probably already knows that.

NEW YORK — Down three games to none, the New York Rangers kept their season alive with a fair amount of stick-to-it-iveness, and a couple of gifts from their guests, coming from behind twice in regulation and getting the winning goal in overtime to defeat the Boston Bruins, 4-3, and gain a toe-hold in their playoff series. Some thoughts on a back-and-forth Game 4:

• Rangers coach John Tortorella decided it was finally time to sit his struggling veteran center, Brad Richards. For sure, Richards is a Tortorella favorite. The two go back to Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup victory in 2004. Though Richards, a high-priced free agent, has played on New York’s first line for most of his tenure with the Rangers, he has been seeing fewer and fewer minutes as the playoffs have progressed. Tortorella also benched tough guy Arron Asham. With defenseman Anton Stralman out with an injury, New York added forwards Kris Newbury and Michael Haley and veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik to the lineup for their first games of the series.

• If the Bruins had a right to ease off the gas after taking a 3-0 series lead, they didn’t cash in their slow-motion card. With the crowd at Madison Square Garden trying to fire up the Rangers, Boston outshot New York, 9-2, during the first ten minutes.

GAME 4: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

• Shawn Thornton may be known as an enforcer, but he is also a very smart enforcer. Shortly after Boston’s first goal at 4:39 of the second period, a couple of Rangers pests, Newbury and Derek Dorsett, began poking at Thornton to start a scrap. He would have had a strong advantage in either instance, but with the momentum already squarely in his team’s favor, Thornton didn’t get suckered into either confrontation. Neither did Brad “Little-ball-of-hate” Marchand, who got tangled up with Rangers forward Derick Brassard along the sideboards. Brassard dropped his stick and gloves, but Marchand skated away.

• Boston frequently caught New York running around in its own zone on Thursday. The Bruins’ first two goals — power-play strikes by Nathan Horton and Torey Krug early in the second period — occurred when the Rangers were overloaded with three players on one side of the ice, making it easier for Boston to outman them on the weak side.

• New York took advantage of a lucky deflection to get on the board at 8:39 of the second period. Rangers forward Carl Hagelin, the man who “stinks” on the power play, according to his coach, collected a pass at Boston’s blueline and tried to send a backhand in on Tuukka Rask. Boston’s goalie fell and the puck squirted past him.

• Tuukka took a nap on a Rangers dump-in and it cost him a 2-2 tie at 1:15 of the third period. Rick Nash shot the puck around the boards, leaving Rask to play it behind his net. He then left it for defenseman Zdeno Chara, who looked in front of him, up the ice, assuming he had ample time and space to move it. To Chara’s surprise, Rangers forward Derek Stepan sneaked in behind him, lifted the puck off his stick and tucked it into the open net as Rask was far too slow getting back into his crease. “We gave them a couple of gifts, obviously,” Rask said. “At the end of the day, that’s what cost us.”

• The way Tyler Seguin has pressed the attack, it was a matter of time before he put one in. The Bruins’ leader in shots on goal during the playoffs put six on Lundqvist, who kicked the first one aside with an outstretched right pad, but Seguin potted the rebound to give his team a 3-2 lead at 8:06 of the third period. The Bruins’ sniper then punched the glass behind Rask in relief as much as celebration. It was his first playoff goal in 11 games this year.

• New York’s anemic power play actually knotted the game at 3-3 less than two minutes later. The problem for the Rangers has often been their inability to gain the zone successfully. This time, Brassard managed to get Boston’s Daniel Paille to turn his head the wrong way, enabling New York to enter on the right side of the ice. Brassard made a lead pass to Stepan, who lured Boston’s defense towards the goal line before finding Brian Boyle open in the slot. Boyle  then beat Rask for New York’s first power-play goal since Game 4 against Washington in the first round.

• Dorsett may be one of New York’s more aggressive players, but he took better than he gave in the second minute of overtime when Boychuk caught him square in center ice. The Boston defenseman took a step back before gliding back into Dorsett in what is probably one of the hits of the year.

• Chris Kreider’s overtime goal is a feel-good story that could have implications for next season. Kreider came up for the playoffs last season after a good run at Boston College and made a quick impact with his speed and advanced offensive instincts. But without training camp this season, he seemed out of place in New York’s scheme of things and often compounded mistakes with his lack of confidence. With the lineup changes on Thursday, Tortorella moved him onto a line with Nash and Brassard, giving him the type of role that many feel he will play more often as he develops. “Regardless of how people think things have been going for me,” Kreider said after the game, “I’ve never doubted myself.”

• In looking ahead to Game 5, Tortorella wouldn’t commit to keeping the same lineup, but he did make a significant point about Richards, saying that he didn’t feel the veteran center, a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner, could be a seven- or eight-minute per game player, essentially not someone he would want to play on the fourth line. If Richards gets back into the series, it seems, it will have to be on one of New York’s top lines, an unlikely prospect at the moment.

• With the victory, Tortorella ironically moved into third place on New York’s all-time list of playoff coaching wins, with 19, one better than Colin Campbell, whose son, Gregory, now plays for the Bruins.

Patrick Roy was officially unveiled as the new coach of the Colorado Avalanche. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Looks like Stephane Roy knew what he was talking about after all.

His brother, Hall of Famer Patrick Roy, finally was named as the new head coach of the Colorado Avalanche after days of speculation.

It’s a hiring that should energize a disaffected fan base, and stabilize a position that has seen five changes in the past 10 years.

But Roy faces a tall challenge, and not just the obvious task of making a winner out of a roster that, for the moment, is overly reliant on young talent and lacks the depth to match up with the top teams in the Western Conference.

The most intriguing element of the announcement is that Roy also was named vice-president of hockey operations.

On the surface, it might seem that the additional responsibilities were included to justify a more significant financial package (that’s just an assumption at this point–contract details have yet to be announced). But this will give him a voice in player personnel decisions that no other coach officially has. And while executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic is expected to have final say in roster discussions, you can expect that Roy is expected to be an active participant in the process. That sets up a fascinating dynamic in a crowded front office that also includes GM Greg Sherman (yep, he’s still there) and Pierre Lacroix, the former GM and now minister without portfolio who has never really given up his Svengali-like influence on the organization.

We may see the strength of Roy’s hand revealed for the first time as the Avs consider the options that come with having the first overall pick in this year’s draft. It’s been assumed to this point that their choice would be Seth Jones, the franchise-caliber defenseman with strong ties to the Denver area and Sakic himself.

But he’s not a slam-dunk selection–after all, no defender has lived up to the weight of being the first selection since Denis Potvin in 1973. And Roy likely has some unique insights on Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Droun, the Halifax Mooseheads teammates who are equally worthy of being taken with the pick. Roy’s Quebec Remparts played against the duo just twice a year, but there was no avoiding their influence and impact on the QMJHL. That first-hand experience may make him a very influential voice in what is sure to be a franchise-altering decision.

However it plays out, Roy’s presence is certain to make the Avalanche one of the most closely watched teams heading into 2013-14.

Sidney Crosby and his merry Penguins are rolling home in the proverbial driver’s seat. (NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• After an atrocious first period, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally decided to unsheathe their claws. About time, too, according to Dejan Kovacevic.

• James Neal and Jarome Iginla found their inner beasts, scoring a pair of goals each in Pittsburgh’s win.

• Daniel Alfredsson and the Ottawa Senators were hit hard by the reality of their situation after that 7-3 blowout. Reality or not, it’s stunning to hear these words coming from the captain.

• After watching everything fall apart so abruptly after a promising start, Eric Duhatschek wonders if the Senators have checked out of the series.

• The Senators now face the ultimate challenge. The view from Ottawa suggests they’re not quite up to it.

• Anze Kopitar has been limited to just one assist through the first four games of the Kings’ series against the Sharks. Here’s why.

• “What kind of bugs me about him, I don’t know if I should say it, but a little embellishment every now and then,” Sharks winger T.J. Galiardi said of this Kings star. And…here…we…go.

• Darryl Sutter rearranged his lines at practice in an effort to jump-start the Kings’ moribund offense. Kyle Clifford earned a promotion to the top line as part of the shakeup. Because, well, obviously, right?

• Can the Red Wings maintain their composure and put the frustrated Blackhawks on the ropes? Goaltender Jimmy Howard may hold the key to Detroit’s chances.

• Every game has been huge for Detroit during the past few weeks, but Mitch Albom says this one is about standing up to the Hawks and holding the ground that the Red Wings have earned. So, you know, it’s really huge.

• Jonathan Toews won’t allow his eight-game playoff goal-scoring drought to have an impact on the rest of his game. He’s avoided criticism so far because of all that he does, but if he puts up another donut and the Hawks go down 3-1, he might want to keep his head low.

• Chicago coach Joel Quenneville shuffled his power play to create more net-front traffic in Game 4.

• Andrew Shaw crossed the line in Game 3. The gritty winger has to keep his cool while remaining involved physically for the Hawks to even up this set.

• Tuukka Rask has been Tim Thomas-good so far in the playoffs. Probably won’t hurt his bargaining position as a restricted free agent this summer, will it?

• The Rangers are done…the only question is when will the Bruins finish them off?

• New York is likely to be without one key defenseman for Game 4, but another one might draw back in to replace him.

• Forget about going out quietly, writes Larry Brooks. Win or lose, the Rangers need to give the Bruins something to think about in Game 4.

• Mark Spector asks the obvious question after Canucks GM Mike Gillis fired coach Alain Vigneault: if this is a results-oriented business, why were the coaches the only ones fired?

• You have to see what’s left of the car after Philadelphia forward Jakob Voracek survived a terrifying crash. For the record, that’s a Ferrari California Hardtop, valued at nearly $200,000. Ouch.

• A vicious head shot delivered by Montreal prospect Dalton Thrower marred the final round-robin game of the Memorial Cup. Seth Jones and Portland emerged with the win, earning the Winterhawks a slot in Thursday’s semifinal.

• It’s New Music Thursday! Be the first on your block to check out the debut release from The Occults, a Brisbane-based act who might have listened to some Joy Division and Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry somewhere along the way.

Senators goalie Craig Anderson finally cracked against the Penguins in Game 4. (Jana Chytilova/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Ottawa Senators finally proved they knew how to take a lead. They just didn’t know how to hold the lead.

That might sound like an old Seinfeld bit, but no one in Ottawa was laughing.

After Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris staked the Sens to a 2-1 edge during an entertaining first period, the Pittsburgh Penguins roared back with six unanswered goals on the way to a 7-3 win and commanding 3-1 series lead.

Here are some observations from the pivotal Game 4:

GAME 4: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

• This one proved what many believed heading into this series. The Penguins are too deep and too experienced for the young Senators. Pittsburgh’s top six forwards toyed with Ottawa’s defense, then crushed the Sens’ spirits with goals that came in waves. The Pens scored two within 40 seconds to take the lead in the second period, then three more in the third in a span of 1:45 to gut any hope of a comeback. They scored twice on the power play to break an 0-for-11 skid, and once shorthanded just to rub it in. James Neal and Jarome Iginla broke out of slumps with two goals each, and singles came from Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. Kris Letang, who made critical coverage errors on Ottawa’s first two goals, rebounded with four assists.

This was total dominance.

It’s nice that Ottawa managed to steal one for the fans at home, but this series seems destined to end after Game 5 on Friday night in Pittsburgh.

• If hockey doesn’t work out for him, Evgeni Malkin might have a future in clairvoyance. He said prior to Game 4 that Neal was due for a breakthrough and the big winger responded with his best effort of the playoffs. In just over 15 minutes, Neal landed nine shots, created multiple high-end chances and guaranteed himself a starring role in Craig Anderson’s nightmares.

Neal tied it up midway through the first, collecting a puck off an Iginla face-off win and sliding to his left before launching a laser that beat Anderson high on the glove side. “I think it was real big for him to be able to find that puck and get that goal for us,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. Later, on a third-period power play, Neal found some space to the right of Anderson, collected a “wide” attempt by Crosby off the back boards, and put it into the open side with a crisp one-timer.

Neal’s always been a streaky scorer. With a date in the conference finals around the corner, this is a pretty convenient time for him to find his touch.

• Anybody but Crosby shoots that puck off the boards from 15 feet out and I’m wondering how he could have missed the net from that distance. But Sid? Watch the replay and tell me it doesn’t look like he intentionally tried to bank it off the wall to Neal.

That was the kind of magic that Crosby was working all night. He was a man on a mission, dominating in the face-off circle (after being embarrassed by Turris in Game 3, he won 65 percent of his draws tonight), creating chances out of nothing and scoring one of the most brilliant goals of the playoffs. On a nifty individual effort, he dropped Chris Phillips to his knees with a nasty toe drag before baffling Anderson with a backhand to the top corner. Just a dynamic performance from the game’s best player.

• Loved Daniel Alfredsson’s effort in these last two contests. His tying goal in the final minute of Game 3. His sweet stretch pass to set up Michalek’s breakaway goal in this one. Even the deft deflection of Erik Karlsson’s point blast for the meaningless third goal when the game was long out of reach. This was a never-say-die performance from the captain…

…Which makes what happened after the game so odd. When asked if the Sens would be able to overcome their 3-1 series deficit, he responded bluntly, saying, “Probably not. They have too much depth…[and] we don’t have much going for us right now.” He later added that “We’re going to go out and play one hell of a game” on Friday, but you have to wonder how his comments will go over in the room.

Not that anyone in there is kidding himself. The Pens have proven their superiority. But it’s still the first team to win four, not three, that takes the series. And no one wants to hear the captain is running up the white flag until after the handshake line.

Alfredsson has been so brilliant for so long for this team — the goal was his 100th career playoff point — but this bout of brutal honesty would make for a lousy epitaph if this ends up being his last home game.

• There weren’t many Senators who draped themselves in glory tonight. After a solid first game back, Jason Spezza looked pretty much like a guy who’d spent the last four months on IR. Karlsson, clearly not 100 percent, either, was a step slow all night. Sergei Gonchar was every bit as bad as his minus-4 suggests, and he was in the box when Neal scored Pittsburgh’s backbreaking fourth goal. Michalek may have been going 20 m.p.h. on his breakaway goal (or 33 km/h, according to Hockey Night In Canada), but he looked like he was stuck in neutral as he dawdled behind Iginla during the pivotal third marker.

And then there was Anderson. He was brilliant in the opening minutes, stoning Malkin, Crosby and Iginla while sending a message to his teammates that he was ready to steal this one like he had Game 3. But even he eventually sagged under the weight of Pittsburgh’s relentless attack, and midway through the second, after allowing the goals to Kunitz and Neal just 40 seconds apart, his physical and mental exhaustion was obvious. No need for an autopsy on Ottawa’s season when this thing comes to an end. The cause of death is apparent to anyone who watched: overreliance on their star goaltender.

• While the veterans crumbled, the play of some of the team’s youngsters offered hope for the future. Jean-Gabriel Pageau came a well-rung post away from tying the game in the second, and brought his usual energy to the attack. Jakob Silfverberg led the Sens with five shots and somehow finished a plus-1 on the night. And Mark Stone, making his season debut, showed drive and creativity that hinted at a regular role next season, possibly alongside Spezza.

• Ottawa coach Paul MacLean might find himself lighter in the wallet after refusing to take questions from reporters after the game. Instead, he stood at the podium and held up the stat sheet.

“I think everything’s right here. It’s 7-3,” he said. “See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh and we’re coming to play. Have a good night.”