The New York Rangers ambled through the second game of their NHL playoff series with the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals as if they believed most hockey enthusiasts. While the Caps are to be respected for sneaking by the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in seven close, bare-knuckle games, they shouldn't be too much of an obstacle to the Rangers' sojourn to this year's parade down Broadway in Manhattan.

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On Wednesday, April 25, 2012, the Washington Capitals played the Boston Bruins in the final game of the series in the first round of the 2012 NHL playoffs. The Capitals and the defending champions, the Bruins, had tied in regulation time which sent the game into overtime. It was during overtime that Joel Ward, one of just 20 African-American players in the NHL, got the game winning goal. Bruins fans, unhappy that their team was out of the playoffs in the first round, took to social media to express their disappointment and anger. ...

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(Reuters) - Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings was named a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the fifth straight year, matching the longest string of nominations since the award for top defensive forward was introduced, the NHL announced on Monday. Centers David Backes of the St. Louis Blues and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins were also nominated for the Selke, which will be presented on June 20 at the National Hockey League (NHL) Awards in Las Vegas. ...

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The Boston Bruins got off to the playoff start they were hoping for on Thursday, April 12 when they defeated the Washington Capitals 1-0 1:18 into overtime on a Chris Kelly goal. Goaltender Tim Thomas recorded his sixth career playoff shutout in his 17 save effort for the Bruins.

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Despite a number of struggles late in the season, the Boston Bruins still were able to dominate enough in the Eastern Conference to earn the No. 2 seed.

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For the Boston Bruins, the regular season is coming to an end and the games that really matter will be underway shortly. The Bruins have certainly had their fair share of ups and downs this season, but they have managed to pull it together when it matters most.

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The Boston Bruins are locked in as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. In their regular-season finale, they'll face a team that also already knows its fate.

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Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Hey, remember Deron Quint? Played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks among others? He's with Traktor in the KHL now. And he looks like this. • Not sure if Cory Schneider was a political science major, but boy does he know how to play the game in speaking about Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks' starting job. Schneider said Luongo's the starter, case closed. "I'm competitive. Trust me, I would love to play. I would love to play every single game I could. But Roberto has been one of the best and most consistent goalies the last decade. If it was a scenario that was grossly unfair or one that wasn't the right decision, then I'd probably be more upset. But what [Luongo] has done speaks for itself and I have a tonne of respect for him, I'm behind him 100 per cent and he deserves everything he gets." [ Province ] • Meanwhile, why is there a goalie controversy? Schneider's better. [ Fan Attic ] • Jeff Carter skated for the Los Angeles Kings, but would only indicate he'd be ready for the start of the playoffs. Even though his absence could potentially cost them that chance. Tough break. [ LA Kings Insider ] • Jose Theodore isn't the only ex-Capital looking to take down Washington tonight. [ Capitals Insider ] • Scott Harntell on the Buffalo Sabres: "You play games and it comes down to this is their Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to get in. They're gonna be hitting, they're gonna be skating, they're gonna be fighting." [ CSN Philly ] • The Boston Bruins wide their collective brow as Johnny Boychuk has but a mild knee sprain. [ Bruins Blog ] • Incredibly, Adam Proteau believes there's virtue and honor to being a Lady Byng winner: "If the Byng is such a terrible comment on the caliber of a player's game, why don't we create the anti-Byng award? We could present it to the thinnest-skinned NHLer, the mega-macho hothead who can be thrown completely off his game with a couple whacks across the ankles or a cross-check in the small of the back. That sounds like a player every Stanley Cup contender could use, doesn't it?" Actually, it sounds like Tim Thomas and/or Milan Lucic. How'd that work out? [ THN ] • Bourne explains why Doc Emrick needs to be more of a prick. [ Backhand Shelf ] • This Macleans piece on the CBC and NHL negotiations should be called "When Gary Bettman got all Gary Bettmany on the CBC and got on their nerves." [ Macleans, via Allan Walsh] • The 10 longest title droughts in the National Hockey League. No. 1 is ... a tie? [ The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit ]

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With their 6-3 loss Saturday to the Boston Bruins, the New York Islanders were officially eliminated from postseason contention. Sunday, rather than playing out the string with pride, they appeared to be playing like they wanted to get somebody fired. The Islanders forwards put only three shots on goal in the first period, and coach Jack Capuano wasn't having any of it. After his group fell behind 2-1 early in the second, he sent a message to his half-hearted forward corps by sending out five defencemen for the next shift. Via Islanders Point Blank : Capuano explained the move in the postgame : "Our forwards weren't going. I think I posted in the locker room after the first period, there were lines that had one shot and lines that didn't even have a shot or an attempted shot. There was no urgency in our game tonight, no excuses, but sometimes some guy's gotta look in the mirror and they gotta compete for one another." One wonders if it was the right time for some tough love: with the Islanders playing like a team that didn't much care to be on the ice, taking away their icetime seemed counterintuitive. The move didn't appear to work. The Islanders' didn't score again all game, their forwards would only put eight more shots on goal, and the group surrendered two more goals in the period, eventually losing the game 5-1. It was yet another sign of the ineffectiveness Capuano has shown as coach of the Islanders, but don't think it -- or anything Capuano has done this season -- will jeopardize his job. In an interview just prior to this game, owner Charles Wang endorsed both his GM and coach. From ESPN : In an interview with MSG Network on its pregame show Sunday, Wang said he thinks Snow has done "a very good job," and expressed "complete confidence" in him. When asked point-blank whether Snow and Capuano would retain their posts next season, Wang confirmed they would. One wonders if the complete lack of a response in Capuano's curveball coaching move will change Wang's mind, or if three more outings like Sunday's could. Or maybe a historically bad record at home? With a loss to the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, the Islanders would finish the season 2011-12 season with a 16-18-6 home record, their worst since they won only 12 homes game in 2000-01. Something has to change on Long Island. Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney

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With their 6-3 loss Saturday to the Boston Bruins, the New York Islanders were officially eliminated from postseason contention. Sunday, rather than playing out the string with pride, they appeared to be playing like they wanted to get somebody fired. … Continue reading ?

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