It may have been the most exciting ending to a game in the playoffs so far. The Wild, down 4-1 to the Hawks with only a few minutes left, scored two quick goals to create a nail biter finish. In the end, the Hawks prevailed, and completed the series sweep. However, the Hawks didn't get away without any losses at all. Roszival fell awkwardly in the third, and couldn't skate off the ice on his own. It is still unclear exactly the extent of his injury, but it sure doesn't look pretty.

Matt Cooke was also in fine form last night. Remember the media fawning over him for changing the way he plays?

Hockey Wilderness recap here.

Second City Hockey recap here.

On the other hand, the Bolts spectacularly blew up against the Habs. Bishop was pulled after a bad flub that lead to a third Habs goal.

The Habs added three more to win with a final score of 6-2. The series flips back to Montreal Saturday.

Raw Charge recap here.

Eyes on the Prize recap here.

Looks like Katie and I are the only PPP staff still able to have a completely accurate prediction! Interesting how so many people picked the Blues to go all the way, yet they were defeated by the Wild, who then couldn't even win one game against the Hawks. Are the Blues really that bad? Would they have been swept by the Hawks too?

Also, I hope you didn't bet real money on the Wild, Skinny.

Other hockey news

Belarus beats U.S. for the first time at hockey worlds
Captain Alexei Kalyuzhny scored twice for Belarus.

Oklahoma City Barons defeat the Utica Comets... in fourth OT!
This quadruple overtime game was only long enough to be the 6h longest in AHL history.

NHL in Seattle: Arena owner open to hockey tenant before NBA team
Seattle cleared away a major stumbling block toward the construction of a downtown arena on Thursday.

2015 NHL draft odds: There is some easy money to be had in here
Only 4.5 teams will congratulate the Cup winner? TAKE THE OVER.

The Future Of Hockey Is A Bunch Of Kids With Irritating Names
Devlin? Jaxon? Powell? Four different Dawsons? Really? We're naming kids after a crappy 1990's TV teen drama?

It's going to be HOT today!

The Weather Network says it could top 30 degrees in much of Southern Ontario. Enjoy it now while you can. The forecast high temperature is back down to mid teens next week. And be sure to join us tonight for the Caps-Rags and Ducks-Flames.

James van Riemsdyk answers Twitter questions - NHL VideoCenter
"Do you call it sauce or gravy?" He calls it sauce....

From The Branches