Madferret
3-30-07, 1:15 PM
Habs @ Sens
The Sports Network
March 30. 07
The battle for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference continues tonight as the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders are all in action.
The red-hot Canadiens aim for their sixth straight victory tonight, when they visit the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.
The Canadiens' recent surge increased their season point total to 86 and has placed them in a tie with Tampa Bay for the final two postseason berths in the East. However, Toronto is just one point back in ninth place and the Islanders and Hurricanes are tied for 10th with 84 points.
Montreal's latest victory came Tuesday against the visiting New York Rangers. Alex Kovalev's pair of goals and Saku Koivu's four assists led the way for the Habs in the 6-4 win at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens have struggled to a 16-19-3 mark as the road club this year and have dropped six of their last eight as the away club.
Ottawa, meanwhile, recently clinched its 10th straight playoff berth despite losing its last game Tuesday night against Boston. The Senators have 98 points and are tied with New Jersey for fourth place in the East.
The Senators are holding a slim 4-3 edge in this year's series with Montreal as the teams meet for the final time in the regular season tonight. Ottawa has won nine of the last 16 overall encounters with the Canadiens and has taken six of the last eight matchups in the series on its home ice.
A pair of struggling playoff hopefuls try to get back on the right track tonight, when Tampa Bay visits Carolina at RBC Center.
Tampa Bay has dropped two straight and five of its last seven contests and has fallen five points behind Atlanta for the Southeast Division lead.
The Lightning has been outscored 12-4 in its last two games, losing 7-2 to Ottawa on Saturday and getting dealt a 5-2 setback by Florida on Tuesday. The decisive defeat put a sour ending on a four-game homestand that began with a pair of victories.
The Hurricanes have also lost two straight, as they came away empty on a brief two-game road trip. After getting slammed 6-1 by the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Carolina was handed a 5-1 thrashing Wednesday by the lowly Philadelphia Flyers.
Carolina and the Lightning have split six meetings this year, but Tampa Bay has come out on top in eight of the last 14 overall encounters in the series.
The Hurricanes are 20-14-4 as the home team this season, while Tampa is 21-15-3 as the visiting club.
The Islanders shoot for a much-needed win in one of the NHL's toughest buildings this evening, when the playoff hopefuls pay a visit to Buffalo's HSBC Arena to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Sabres.
The Isles haven't helped their cause by dropping two straight games at home this week, including Tuesday's 3-2 setback to New Jersey.
Dunham is expected to be back in goal tonight, but the Isles continue to be without regular netminder Rick DiPietro. The former No. 1 overall pick continues to battle post-concussion symptoms and could be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season.
New York has won just once (1-9-1) in Dunham's last 11 appearances.
The Islanders also could be without standout forward Ryan Smyth, who has a leg injury and is questionable for tonight's contest.
The Sports Network
March 30. 07
The battle for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference continues tonight as the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders are all in action.
The red-hot Canadiens aim for their sixth straight victory tonight, when they visit the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.
The Canadiens' recent surge increased their season point total to 86 and has placed them in a tie with Tampa Bay for the final two postseason berths in the East. However, Toronto is just one point back in ninth place and the Islanders and Hurricanes are tied for 10th with 84 points.
Montreal's latest victory came Tuesday against the visiting New York Rangers. Alex Kovalev's pair of goals and Saku Koivu's four assists led the way for the Habs in the 6-4 win at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens have struggled to a 16-19-3 mark as the road club this year and have dropped six of their last eight as the away club.
Ottawa, meanwhile, recently clinched its 10th straight playoff berth despite losing its last game Tuesday night against Boston. The Senators have 98 points and are tied with New Jersey for fourth place in the East.
The Senators are holding a slim 4-3 edge in this year's series with Montreal as the teams meet for the final time in the regular season tonight. Ottawa has won nine of the last 16 overall encounters with the Canadiens and has taken six of the last eight matchups in the series on its home ice.
A pair of struggling playoff hopefuls try to get back on the right track tonight, when Tampa Bay visits Carolina at RBC Center.
Tampa Bay has dropped two straight and five of its last seven contests and has fallen five points behind Atlanta for the Southeast Division lead.
The Lightning has been outscored 12-4 in its last two games, losing 7-2 to Ottawa on Saturday and getting dealt a 5-2 setback by Florida on Tuesday. The decisive defeat put a sour ending on a four-game homestand that began with a pair of victories.
The Hurricanes have also lost two straight, as they came away empty on a brief two-game road trip. After getting slammed 6-1 by the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Carolina was handed a 5-1 thrashing Wednesday by the lowly Philadelphia Flyers.
Carolina and the Lightning have split six meetings this year, but Tampa Bay has come out on top in eight of the last 14 overall encounters in the series.
The Hurricanes are 20-14-4 as the home team this season, while Tampa is 21-15-3 as the visiting club.
The Islanders shoot for a much-needed win in one of the NHL's toughest buildings this evening, when the playoff hopefuls pay a visit to Buffalo's HSBC Arena to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Sabres.
The Isles haven't helped their cause by dropping two straight games at home this week, including Tuesday's 3-2 setback to New Jersey.
Dunham is expected to be back in goal tonight, but the Isles continue to be without regular netminder Rick DiPietro. The former No. 1 overall pick continues to battle post-concussion symptoms and could be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season.
New York has won just once (1-9-1) in Dunham's last 11 appearances.
The Islanders also could be without standout forward Ryan Smyth, who has a leg injury and is questionable for tonight's contest.