The Bruins took care of the Red Wings in five games as they were simply too good for Detroit. Red Wing superstars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and an assist each in the final game of the series but it wasn’t enough to extend the series. Tatar, Sheahan and Nyquist were different players in the playoffs compared to the regular season and were not able to score in the series even though they were the best puck possession trio for the Wings. Howard missed the last two games with what could be a concussion. Gustavsson’s save percentage was good (.917), but it’s always difficult to play the Bruins with your back-up goaltender. Datsyuk was the only Red Wing who finished with more than two points in the series.

Tuuka Rask

Tuuka Rask was at his usual best stopping 146 out of 152 shots in the series. The Bruins’ young defencemen really stepped up, as Dougie Hamilton had four points, and Krug also made a contribution at both ends of the ice. The Bruins will be favourites against the Canadiens, although history will prove that the Habs always make it difficult for Boston in the playoffs.

Sergei Babrovsky was outstanding in game five stopping 48 of 50 shots and kept his team in the game against the high-octane Penguin offence. Pittsburgh’s depth players like Lee Stempniak, Brandon Sutter, Jussi Jokinen and Beau Bennett were on the ice for more than 70% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts.  Bortuzzo replaced Brooks Orpik in the lineup due to injury and played well in his 13 minutes of ice time. Crosby has come under some criticism for his play in this series, but has five points in the series. The skill of the Penguins has compensated for their second-best goaltending to give them the edge so far. Game six was somewhat different. Although Crosby only registered 1 assist out of 4 goals, the real star was Evgeni Malkin with 3 goals. As a result the Penguins advance to the next round.

Evgeni Malkin