Western Conference
San Jose Sharks 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT) -- This series shifted to Detroit, and yet the nightmare continues to have the same result for the Red Wings. In 2010, the Sharks handily took care of the Wings in a five game semifinal matchup and that appears to be repeating itself in 2011. Devin Setoguchi was the hero for San Jose, as his goal at 9:21 in overtime gave him a hat trick for the evening, and his Sharks a dominating hold on the series. Jimmy Howard made 34 saves, but was outplayed by Antti Niemi's dominance in goal. With this game, there have been 20 OT games in this year's playoffs, and six straight nights with at least one overtime game.
San Jose leads the series, 3-0.
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Washington Capitals 3 -- The clock ran out for the top seeded Capitals, as they were dominated by an aggressive Lightning team that appears on a mission. After being down 3-1 in their quarterfinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Lightning have racked up seven straight victories to cruise into the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, and only the second time in franchise history. Lightning forward Sean Bergenheim scored two goals in the blowout, and has officially entered the Conn Smythe race with seven playoff goals. The ageless Dwayne Roloson stopped 33 shots on the way to the easy victory in front of an ecstatic Tampa Bay crowd.
Tampa Bay wins the series, 4-0.
Boston Bruins 5, Philadelphia Flyers 1 -- The Flyers needed a huge performance in net from Brian Boucher to keep hope alive in this series. Instead, the Bruins scored twice within the first 1:03 of the game and put the game out of reach quickly. After a incredibly successful regular season, the Flyers are facing a nightmarish ending at the hands of their rivals from Boston. Tim Thomas was again unstoppable in net for the Bruins, stopping 37 of 38 shots. Philadelphia is now trailing Boston in a semifinal round 3-0 for the second straight season. They pulled off a miracle last season; they'll need an even bigger one this year against a Bruins team that has dominated from the puck drop in Game One.
Boston leads the series, 3-0.
Games To Watch Tonight
Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators, 8:30 p.m. EDT, on Versus -- Each game in this series has been decided by a single goal. There have been three overtime sessions played in the past two games. Tight defense and spectacular goaltending have been the (expected) hallmarks of this series, and there's no reason to expect that element to change. The Predators lost a tough Game Three at home in overtime on a Shea Weber penalty, and now have a chance to tie the series up on their home ice. This has been *the* series to watch in the semifinals, and that will only continue to be the case now that the remaining semifinals are on the verge of completion.
Vancouver leads the series, 2-1