(Ed. Note: Welcome to Stat Nerd Sunday, where we occasionally obsess over hockey numbers like a Dungeon Master obsessing over the level of his warrior elf. Here's Matt Barr, formerly of LCS: Guide To Hockey and Trolleytracks and now blogging hockey at Kertwang.me.)

The playoffs are in full swing, the regular season a rapidly fading memory, especially if you're the Boston Bruins.

Never fear, I remember the regular season. Possibly so you don't have to, especially if you're the Colorado Avalanche.

Now we have a full regular season's data from 2010-11 to bend, fold and mutilate. I don't just consider doing that my responsibility, but my pleasure. There's a whole playoff tournament and offseason to deep dive into the numbers, for now let's just sample and enjoy.

The Nashville Predators' Sergei Kostitsyn led the league with a 24.7 percent shooting percentage, the third-best season total in the last 15 years. The top 10 since then:

The league keeps track of giveaways (2010-11 season leader: Ilya Kovalchuk (104) and takeaways (2010-11 season leader: Joe Thornton, 114), but not giveaway/takeaway plus-minus. But I do!

The 2010-11 leaders in giveaway/takeaway plus-minus:

And trailers:

Cam Ward had a 2,000 save season, which doesn't happen that often. The 2,000-save seasons from the last 25 years:

Know what else doesn't happen often anymore?  The 300 penalty minute seasons, like Zenon Konopka's this year. It was only the third such in the last 10 years.

Sidney Crosby's (1.61) lead over second-best Daniel Sedin (1.27) in points per game was Gretzkyan, or maybe Marioish, at 26.77%. It was only the second time since the merger in 1979 that someone other than Gretzky or Lemieux had led the second-place finisher in points per game by more than 20 percent.

Two sets of teammates, Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, finished in the top five in scoring in 2010-11. That's the seventh time such a thing has happened since the merger.

Henrik Lundqvist's 11 shutouts were the second most since the lockout, and the second time he's hit double digits.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings scored first in 50 of their games in 2010-11. That's happened six other times since the lockout.

Brandon Dubinsky did two things in Game 3 of the New York Rangers' Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon: He gave a national television audience a glimpse at a glorious playoff mustache, warped in from the set of a 1970s porno; and he scored this game-winner to save the Rangers' season.

Plenty of skill, a dash of luck and a 3-2 win for New York:

The teams were skating 4-on-4 in a tie game, with less than 2 minutes in the third period. Dubinsky won a battle for the puck with Niklas Backstrom on the half boards and skated out past defenseman Scott Hannan, who was closing in on the scrum.

Then, a genius move: Dubinsky, skating behind the goal line, fakes as if he's going to continue to move the puck behind the net. This leaves Caps defenseman Karl Alzner off-balance in front, as he lunges for the puck with Dubinsky cutting in front. The Rangers forward shoots the puck at an odd angle, the puck goes off Ovechkin's stick, it flips off of Alzner's shoulder and behind Michal Neuvrith.

Tremendous play by one of the few players on the Rangers who can create his own offense and be dangerous in the attacking zone.

It was a hard-fought win for the Blueshirts: Through the tedium of the opening period, to Alex Ovechkin tying the game with 1 minute left in the second, to just missing out on a goal with a tenth of a second left on the clock in that period.

They needed a play, Dubinsky gave it to them, and this is a series again.

The Chicago Blackhawks returned home for Game 3 tonight down 2-0 to the Vancouver Canucks, having been defeated in nearly every facet of their Western Conference first-round series. They need to flip the script, and flip it quickly, to get back into this.

So the attention turns to two players: John Scott and Patrick Sharp.

Scott, the 6-foot-8, 260-pound winger who's considered one of the best heavyweight brawlers in the NHL, will replace the injured Bryan Bickell in the lineup for the Blackhawks. Whether that means anything on the ice remains to be seen; whether it shifted the pregame conversation away from a defending champion facing a 3-0 deficit on home ice is undeniable … especially when Scott does his part to play the heel.

Remember what Scott did to Alex Bolduc of the Canucks last season, when Scott was with the Wild?

Said Scott today, via The Province:

"Coach Q kind of hinted about it yesterday and I was jacked up and said let's do this," said Scott. "I couldn't sleep last night. I'm excited. Any chance I get, we're going to get it in deep and I'm going to go right to the front and park my body there and create a screen or some havoc and go from there.

"I've got to go and throw the weight around. I'm going to hit as much as I can but I'm not going to be crazy. We've got to throw everything we have at the net. We've given him [Luongo] too many easy saves. We kind of let him off the hook a bit."

The Canucks' reaction to Scott? Well … not impressed.

Kevin Bieksa of the Canucks had this to say about Scott in the lineup, via the Chicago Tribune:

"When a guy 6-8 challenges you that can't skate? Usually you say no and you go around him and score," Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa said Sunday morning, when asked about John Scott's arrival in the Hawks' lineup. "That's what usually you do.

"There are a couple other 6-8 guys in the league. Why doesn't he challenge those guys to fight? I don't think a whole lot is going to change for us. We're going to come out and be physical regardless of who they have in the lineup. Our whole game plan has been to initiate and not retaliate, and we've done a good job of it so far. I don't see anything changing tonight."

Scott averaged 6:15 TOI on average in 40 regular-season games.

Meanwhile, Patrick Sharp is in the spotlight because he has as many points as John Scott in this series.

Sharp's yet to score and has skated to a minus-2, getting nine shots on Roberto Luongo. Is he still battling through his knee injury? The Tribune asked:

Sharp hardly has been ineffective since his return April 6, recording three points — all assists — in the final three regular-season games and throwing 13 shots on goal in those contests. He has played with a sniper's required aggression.

"I was surprised when he came back that home game against St. Louis, but he has played great hockey since," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "To me, it doesn't look like there's anything bothering him out there. He's playing hard. He's not making any excuses."

Will the Sharp/Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane trio see significant time tonight in Game 3? We'd wager yes. Bottom line, as Sam Fels wrote for NBC, is that the Blackhawks' stars need to come through tonight:

There aren't too many more x's and o's to be unearthed here. These teams know what the other one has and what they're going to try and do. It's pretty much up to if they can do it. And more importantly, will Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Patrick Kane make their presence felt tonight? Do they have the legs to do so? Even just one power play goal could make a huge difference. If the Hawks had cashed in on any of their limited opportunities in Games 1 and 2, how different might things look?

And how much different will Game 3 look if it happens?

Raffi Torres of the Vancouver Canucks returned to the ice tonight for the first time since April 5 when his blindside hit on Edmonton Oilers rookie Jordan Eberle earned him a four-game suspension from the NHL.

Midway through the second period of Game 3 against the Chicago, Torres laid this big hit on Brent Seabrook behind the Blackhawks' net, which immediately led to suspension talk:

Torres was assessed two minutes for interference, not a major for violating Rule 48 for a hit that targeted the head; meanwhile Seabrook left the ice, but returned for the third period after spending time in "the quiet room".

In this era of concussions and the NHL trying to minimize hits to the head, we're sure Torres will be sitting a few more games in this series. The fact that Torres is a repeat offender in the League's eyes and needed all of a period and a half to put himself in another precarious situation doesn't bode well when he spins the Wheel of Discipline once again.

UPDATE: Via our own Nick Cotsonika, here are some postgame quotes:

Joel Quenneville:

"Brutal. Major. Absolutely. They missed it. We could have scored four goals on that play. Is it a suspension? I don't have to worry about that. It's not my call. The guy didn't even get through his first game back off one."

Alain Vigneault:

"I compare that hit to [Ryan] Getzlaf on [Dan] Hamhuis, and [Getzlaf] didn't even get a two-minute minor. I didn't think [Torres' hit] was a penalty.  Obviously you never want to see a player get hurt, and I understand where [the NHL] is going with it, but hockey is a physical game. I think each and every one of us wants it to stay a physical game without players getting hurt, but in a collision sport there's always going to be injuries."

Before this postseason, the Chicago Blackhawks had tormented Roberto Luongo in their previous two playoff battles: Physically, psychologically and emotionally.

But here's the thing: In the last two Stanley Cup Playoff defeats for the Vancouver Canucks against the Hawks, Luongo's been sneakily good when playing inside United Center. Toss out that elimination game implosion back in 2009 when he gave up seven goals, and Luongo's goals against average in five playoff road games against the Blackhawks is a stellar 1.59.

So the notion that a change in scenery would suddenly turn Luongo (and his 1.50 GAA in this series) into a sieve — or the complete tomfoolery in expecting John Scott to morph into Dustin Byfuglien — was misguided for Game 3.

And Luongo was a difference-maker in the Canucks' 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks, to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Coming up, some of his better stops against Chicago.

Here are few of Luongo's best stops in his 30-save performance.

Luongo on Jonathan Toews, with the Blackhawks already up 1-0:

Luongo and Toews and Kane, with the Hawks still up 1-0:

And this one on Patrick Kane in the third period, with the glove and one of the best of the playoffs:

"I think Roberto did his job, and a great job in the first period when we got in penalty trouble," said Canucks Coach Alain Vigneault after the game, on Luongo's 15 saves in the first period. "Especially on that 5-on-3, he kept us in."

Luongo wasn't perfect, and the Blackhawks certainly squandered as many chances as he thwarted. But he's one win away from vanquishing his postseason tormentors, and is a primary catalyst in the Canucks' 3-0 series lead.

So much for the erosion.

No. 1 Star: Brandon Dubinsky, New York Rangers

Each time the Rangers grabbed the lead, the Washington Capitals came right back to even the score, except after Dubinsky's goal with 1:39 left in regulation to secure a 3-2 victory. Washington now leads the series 2-1. Sporting a new mustache, Dubinsky powered his way to the net and received two fortunate bounces before the puck finally crossed the line to give New York the lead for good and a lifeline in the series.

No. 2 Star: Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators

Fisher continued his recent run of production by potting the game-winning goal as the Predators edged the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 to take a 2-1 lead in their series. After getting into a scrap with Ryan Getzlaf in the second period, Fisher fell an assist short of notching a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. After watching Teemu Selanne score twice in a 30-second span in the second period to erase a 2-0 Nashville lead, the Predators tallied two of their own in the third, with Fisher's winner coming with 9:39 to go:

No. 3 Star: Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Sedin set up Vancouver's first goal that tied the game at one and then their last that was the difference in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin scored the other two goals for the Canucks, while Roberto Luongo made 30 saves.

Honorable mention: After blocking five shots this afternoon, Rangers defensemen Dan Girardi is tied for the playoff lead with 14 through three games ... Ryan Suter led all players with 27:22 in time on ice and finished with two assists and a plus-2 ... Luongo wins your "Save of the Night" with this robbery of Patrick Kane:

Did you know? Today's loss was the first in regulation for the Capitals with Jason Arnott in their lineup (12-1-1).

Dishonorable mention: Is another suspension coming for Raffi Torres after his blindside hit on Brent Seabrook? ... John Scott was inserted into the Blackhawks lineup to help make a difference. Seven seconds after his interference penalty, Christian Ehrhoff evened the game at one ... Referee Chris Rooney had to leave the Rangers-Capitals game in the second after suffering a leg injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the playoffs ... Finally, New York thought they had taken a 2-1 lead in the dying moments of the second period before the goal call was overturned after time had expired before the puck crossed the line:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens 2. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 4. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; 5. Michael Neuvirth, Washington Capitals; 6. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators; 7. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings; 8. Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators; 9. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; 10. Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks.

We are gathered here this morning to remember the Atlanta Thrashers' blight on the NHL -- better known as their third jersey.

They arrived in November 2008, back when Ilya Kovalchuk was still in Atlanta and Don Waddell was making terrible decisions behind the bench and in the front office. When the design first leaked, we didn't find them terrible. But when we actually saw the players wearing them … well, it looked like someone had taken an indoor lacrosse jersey, gave a yellow crayon to an irresponsible young child and said "have at it."

The essential problem with these jerseys -- besides the fact they seemed to be stitched together from several other terrible sweaters -- was that the Atlanta Thrashers had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars branding their home ice as Blueland, from the color of their usual jerseys to the color of the partitions in the rink glass.

And really, what better way to reinforce that marketing message than with a third jersey THAT DOESN'T HAVE A THREAD OF BLUE PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED ON IT?!

Last week, Ben Wright of Blueland Blog broke the news that the third jerseys will not return:

After launching in the fall of 2008 and being worn for three seasons as an alternate home jersey the red Thrashers jersey is being retired. The Thrashers will return to the basics next season and stick with their regular home and road uniforms with no third jersey in 2011-12.

Birdwatchers Anonymous bid farewell to the "hideous motocross jerseys." Chris from Icethetics, which hipped us to the jersey's demise, wrote on its blog:

I like slightly oversized shoulder patches and the stripes on the sleeves. And I was always on the fence about the socks and the odd elements on the sides of the jersey. But after years of seeing it over and over again I've been unable to reconcile the front of that uniform. It's just not what a hockey uniform should look like.

It's not, which is why the Thrashers' thirds were the fifth-worst jersey of the last decade.

No, it didn't feature a diagram of the female reproductive system. And no, it didn't feature a logo as heinous as the Buffaslug. It was just an unsightly, messy look that was counterproductive for the team's branding; a misfire that wasn't not even bad enough to be a memorable third-jersey disaster like this one.

R.I.P. Atlanta Thrashers third jersey. Not even Dustin Byfuglien could make you look cool.

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Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

It's difficult to imagine that anyone out there who picked Nashville to win its series with Anaheim who actually, fully believed it would happen.

But after two wins from the first three games, one of which came on the road (that only happened once in the franchise's history), it's starting to look like it can pull off an actual NHL playoff series win.

After all, Nashville has never even forced a Game 7 by winning three times in a series (and in theory, I guess, that still holds up if Anaheim wins the next three). But when you look at the two teams, there are a couple reasons why Nashville can very easily advance to the second round for the first time ever.

One is that they say superstar players will help you win more than anything else. We've seen so-called system teams somewhat dispel that in recent years, but if you're comparing the Ducks' best players — Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf — to the Predators' — Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber and… Mike Fisher, I guess? — the teams aren't even close.

And yet, the Predators are doing something terribly interesting: They're letting the superstars run roughshod over them and completely shutting down the rest of the lineup.

(Coming Up: Doan's hit on the Mule; Blackhawks stars struggle; Zdeno Chara's illness; Big Buff's bad idea; Avalanche show a little sanity with coaching decision; Edmonton sour on Dustin Penner; Devils signing goalie prospect out of NCAA; Wild deserve better; Doughty's ESPN snub; James Reimer's pay day; Stamkos called out in Pittsburgh; the Bruins are terrible; and a rather extravagant trade proposal involving Linus Omark and Paul Stastny.)

The four Anaheim players listed above have compiled a jaw-dropping 8-7-15 in just three games; and apart from Saku Koivu's three assists, only two other guys have multiple points. The back 13 guys on the roster have a combined two points between them. Meanwhile, only three Preds are without a point through the first three games, and one of them is Matt Halischuk, who gets about as much TOI as you do.

Sure, Mike Fisher's really carried the water with three goals and five points, but goals are coming from all over the lineup. So too are shots, which says that the Ducks are also getting pretty well outpossessed in these games. Case in point: Sunday's game in Nashville saw the Preds outshoot the Ducks 37-16.

Nashville, which was 24th in the league during the regular season with just 28.8 shots per game (and 15th in shots allowed with 30.6 a night), has allowed no more than 28 and poured on no less than 30. They're playing like a completely different team.

And besides, which would you rather be? The Predators, who took the fifth spot in the West by steadily winning throughout the year, or the Ducks, who had to rip through the backend of their season at a white-hot pace to finish fourth with the same number of points? The argument could certainly be made that Anaheim, in just qualifying for the playoffs with a superhuman surge to nudge past the likes of lowly Dallas and Calgary, burned itself out.

Of course, that's not to discount the Ducks' most obvious problem: Their All-Star goaltender can't play.

If Jonas Hiller were between the pipes, rather than (oh God!) Ray Emery and Dan Ellis, we might be looking at a 3-0 Ducks advantage. But he's not, and that's a huge problem. How can any team be confident in a goaltending tandem of a guy whose hips are held together with the adhesive from the back of Post-It notes, and one who is Dan Ellis?

Not only that, but Rinne has been playing classic "goaltender stealing a series" hockey. Even as the Preds' defense runs around in its own zone and affords far too many beautiful scoring chances to players that are far too dangerous to not score on them, Rinne has been spectacular, and it's unlikely that he just stops doing so for three more games from the next five.

None of this, obviously, is to say that the series is wrapped up. There's still time for the Predators to realize they're coached by Barry Trotz, after all.

But for now it really seems like the Predators are headed for uncharted territory: the second round.
 

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Fights in the playoffs are the best kinds of fights. Especially when they include one of the best players on your team.

Atlanta Thrashers: Dustin Byfuglien thinks he'll be a defenseman for the rest of his career. His play in the second half of the season shows why this is not a good idea.

Boston Bruins: So Zdeno Chara's dehydration was caused by an undisclosed virus and not, as I originally suspected, his having eaten one of those 50-pound bags of sand you get at Toys R Us, all by himself.

Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres aren't a bunch of little girls. They play tough and take a million penalties and give up five goals, but they're not sissies.

Calgary Flames: Calgary played 34 games against current Western Conference playoff teams. They won nine of them. That is fairly terrible. Four of them, somehow, were against Nashville.

Carolina Hurricanes: To the surprise of absolutely no one who watched one second of the NCAA tournament, now-former Minnesota Duluth freshman defenseman Justin Faulk signed a pro contract and has been assigned to the AHL. Kid's a really good offensive d-man.

Chicago Blackhawks: What a performance from a true leader! When the Blackhawks were at their lowest point, noted National Hockey League megastar Ben Smith rose to the occasion and scored twice on Friday night. It's too bad that only one guy anyone has ever heard of popped one in for Chicago though, eh?

Colorado Avalanche: Some sanity: The Avalanche didn't fire their coach just because he had a bad season. Apparently unlike most terrible teams, the Avs realize he is not solely responsible for their terribleness.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Jackets are talking about their need to hire a coach specifically for the defensemen. "They did not have such a coach this season, which may have been a mistake," writes Aaron Portzline. It may have been a mistake in the same way that the sinking of the Titanic might have been a boat accident.

Dallas Stars: Kari Lehtonen says he's lost 20 pounds since the end of last season. I'm assuming most of that is the result of him no longer having to carry the subpar Stars around now that the season is over.

Detroit Red Wings: Johan Franzen got popped nice and clean by Shane Doan.

How do I know it was clean? Mike Babcock said so.

Edmonton Oilers: This is maybe my favorite article of the weekend. "Dustin Penner starts playoffs on Kings' fourth line." And no, those grapes do not in any way taste sour, why do you ask?

Florida Panthers: Doug MacLean called the Panthers' management, "A joke." This marks the first time Doug MacLean has been right about anything.

Los Angeles Kings: Pierre LeBrun says Jonathan Quick was the difference in L.A.'s Game 2 shutout over San Jose. That must have come as quite the shock to No. 1 star Drew Doughty, who had a hand in every goal and blocked four shots.

Minnesota Wild: Craig Leipold says Minnesota fans "deserve better" than a fairly bad team that turns in fairly bad performances every year. That's interesting. Because it fired its coach, right? But no one, I think, would say that the roster is good enough to get the Wild into the playoffs. And yet they spend to the cap every year. Know what that tells you? It's not the coach's fault, it's the GM's. Terrible money management. What the fans "deserve" is a competent front office. Might wanna get on that.

Montreal Canadiens: What a frickin' call by Glenn Healy.

Nashville Predators: The Preds are lovin' their power play. It's gone 4 for 16 through the first three games, which is a bit of a turnaround from that whole 0-for-22 fiasco in the first round last year.

New Jersey Devils: At some point Monday, the Devs are expected to announce they've signed undrafted 21-year-old goalie Keith Kinkaid from Union College. He will forego his final two years of NCAA eligibility. Kinkaid led Union to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance with a 1.99 GAA and .920 save percentage.

New York Islanders: Isles prospect Rhett Rakhshani isn't as terrible as people seem to think. Hey, 62 points in 66 games in his first full pro season? You'd take that, right?

New York Rangers: I'm so glad the Rangers won Sunday. Otherwise their crybaby fans would have been moaning about a conspiracy for the next year.

Ottawa Senators: Here's a thing: "The 2010-11 season marked the first time in team history that all 82 Senators games were broadcast on live television." Isn't that strange? Doesn't it seem like that couldn't be possible?

Philadelphia Flyers: Whatever Peter Laviolette says to the Flyers during timeouts sure seems to work. They have a 75 percent Corsi advantage in the two minutes after Lavvy uses his timeout.

Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes probably aren't going to win their series with the Red Wings, but it won't be for a lack of effort from Shane Doan. What a captain.

Pittsburgh Penguins: If this hockey thing doesn't work out, Pascal Dupuis might have a future in soccer.

San Jose Sharks: Todd McLellan on Saturday night's effort: "I was actually hoping that as we watched it, I could find a few more positives as far as battles and competitive situations. But I didn't find that."

St. Louis Blues: The Blues will probably perhaps possibly get sold before the start of next season. TO QUEBEC CITY; no, I'm just kidding. Maybe.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos you are terrible, writes a Pittsburgh reporter. Might as well retire now and save yourself the embarrassment, kid. Take your Rocket Richard as a 19-year-old and beat it.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Trying to figure out how much they're gonna pay James Reimer is a bit of a fool's errand, it turns out.

Vancouver Canucks: Raffi Torres on Patrick Kane: "It almost looks like he doesn't want the puck at some points." Well that only makes sense. If he gets it, Torres might try to take his damn head off his shoulders. (And hey, I wrote that even before the blindside hit on Brent Seabrook! Prescient stuff, Lambert. Prescient stuff.)

Washington Capitals: The Caps are going to be devastated by this AP headline: "Dubinsky's goal gets Rangers lead back." So now they head into Game 4 down 3-2 in the series. What an unfortunate turn of events.

Gold Star Award

Drew Doughty had two goals and two assists in one game, in which his team only scored four times. In the playoffs. He is a defenseman. That's pretty much the best you can do.

Minus of the Weekend

The Bruins might wanna pull their heads outta their asses before this series is over. Just sayin'.

Play of the Weekend

Like it wasn't gonna be the Pavel Datsyuk pass. Puhleeze.

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week
User "NGARV" is wheelin' and dealin'.

Col gets:
LA 1st
Ganger
Hemsky or Omark
1st overall

Edm gets:
2nd overall
Stasny

He helpfully adds, "I know huge value trades rarely work, but I figured why not."

Signoff
Have the Rolling Stones killed.

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can email him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

Sports Business Journal (reg. req.) has the 2010-11 regular-season cable ratings for 22 of the NHL's franchises -- they were unable to collect data for Carolina, Nashville or the Canadian franchises -- and the Pittsburgh Penguins are, by far, the most watched team locally in the NHL. Which either speaks to their surging popularity among fans, or the other entertainment options in Pittsburgh.

According to SBJ, the Penguins have an average rating of 8.68 rating and have an average of 101,000 homes tuned into their games on Root Sports. From SBJ:

Not surprisingly, the league's biggest markets posted the biggest local TV audiences. Following Pittsburgh, the largest local TV audiences came in Chicago (96,000 average homes on CSN Chicago), Boston (77,000 on NESN), Detroit (76,000 on FS Detroit), Philadelphia (71,000 on CSN Philadelphia) and New York (59,000 for Rangers games on MSG).

The Florida Panthers continued to suffer through TV problems. The club's 0.16 rating and 3,000-home average were both league lows.

That's just an ugly, ugly number right there. Pittsburgh, Buffalo (7.03), Detroit (4.03), Boston (3.12) and St. Louis (3.07) rounded out the top five.

Also of interest were the top 5 and bottom 5 ratings changes from last season to this season -- which offered great news for teams like the Bruins, Bolts and Blues … and not so much for the Sharks.

Beginning with the most improved markets:

Top 5 Ratings Changes (Avg. 2010-11 Rating)

1. Boston Bruins, NESN: 43.8% (3.12, No. 4 overall)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning, Sun Sports: 40.0% (0.84)
3. St. Louis Blues, FS Midwest: 31.8% (3.07, No. 5 overall)
4. Dallas Stars, FS Southwest: 23.0% (0.91)
5. Chicago Blackhawks, CSN Chicago: 12.3% (2.74)

That Blues number is impressive, and in fact it was a new ratings record for the franchise. Meanwhile, on the other end of the ratings spectrum:

Bottom 5 Ratings Changes (Avg. 2010-11 Rating)

18. New Jersey Devils, MSG Plus: -21.7% (0.47)
19. Columbus Blue Jackets, FS Ohio: -22.7% (1.09)
20. San Jose Sharks, CSN CA: -27.9% (0.80)
21. Atlanta Thrashers*, SportSouth: -32.4% (0.23)
22. Florida Panthers, FS Florida: -36.0% (0.16)

* According to SBJ, the Thrashers also had 33 games air on FS South that averaged a 0.27 rating.

What is up with that Sharks' ratings tumble? That's a conference finalist right there! Who knew Evgeni Nabokov was such a marquee player …

(Ed. Note: Puck The Media's household numbers were from last season, so we're just deleting them as to make sure there's no confusion.)

Meanwhile, via Puck The Media, ratings news for NBC in 2011:

Sunday's broadcast of Capitals vs. Rangers, Game 3 drew a 1.3 overnight, the highest an indoor NHL broadcast has drawn since last year's Stanley Cup Final. This was down 13% from that aforementioned Coyotes/Red Wings game from 2010. It was also down 24% from the comparable broadcast of Penguins vs. Flyers, Game 3 on April 19, 2009.

NHL On NBC Overnights This Season
January 1 — Washington vs. Pittsburgh: 2.8
January 23 — Philadelphia vs. Chicago: 1.1
February 6 — Pittsburgh vs. Washington: 1.0
February 13 — Boston vs. Detroit: 0.9
February 20 — Regional Coverage*: 1.2
February 20 — Pittsburgh vs. Chicago*: 1.2
March 6 — Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers: 0.9
March 13 — Chicago vs. Washington: 0.9
March 20 — NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh: 0.7
April 3 — NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia: 1.0
April 10 — Detroit vs. Chicago: 1.1
Season Average: 1.1

2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Overnights

Apr. 16 — Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.1
Apr. 17 — NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 3: 1.3

The 2-0 Capitals lead had to play into that Rangers number, no?

UPDATE: No suspension for Torres, per TSN.

Brutal hockey hits are like snowflakes, if snowflakes were designed by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach: No two are alike, and everyone sees something different in them.

The moment when that became apparent about the Raffi Torres hit on Brent Seabrook in Game 3 between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks arrived for me this morning, when a reader named Ryan said over Twitter:

"No intent to separate man from puck. Intent was to decapitate. Time to make an example."

Now, you see, I think the legality of what Torres did can rightfully be questioned. If it wasn't a hit to the head, then at the very least he went in high on him; and in the Rule 48 society of today's NHL, the onus is on the hitter to not kabong a guy on the noggin, which Torres should have learned after he was sent to the press box for two regular-season and two postseason games following that hit on Jordan Eberle. (Keeping in mind this wasn't a blindside hit but a north/south one; just pointing out where the culture is.)

But the "intent was to decapitate" with no regard for the puck?

Sorry, I think we're watching two different plays. Here's the one I saw:

What you'll notice is Jannik Hansen beating Troy Brouwer to the puck and passing it behind the net. Seabrook turns to try and steal the pass, and that's when Torres levels him. To act as if this play had nothing to do with the puck is asinine: He's trying to wipe out a defensive player to gain possession of the puck.

The only debate in that regard is whether a check is still a 'hockey play' in today's NHL, because what Torres did on a north/south hit right there made the Scott Stevens fan in me grin and point to the opponents bench to ask "who's next?"

For this hit, Torres received two minutes for interference, because neither player had possession of the puck. Not elbowing nor roughing nor a headshot, despite Torres reacting like a guy on parole who just got caught in the passenger's seat of a stolen car.

Others didn't see it that way. Others see this play by Raffi Torres, Repeat Offender, as something that should end his season.

First, some pro-Torres talk from the Canucks locker room, via The Province:

Rule 48 was put in place to guard players against blindside or lateral hits that target the head. The league could impose supplementary discipline and suspend a repeat offender because you can argue that Torres delivered a lateral blow. And the odds are probably good that Torres won't escape unscathed and will be suspended.

Keith Ballard was on the ice when Seabrook was hit and tried to take make philosophical assessment. He has had his head down when circling the net and has been crunched without the opposition player drawing a penalty.

"I thought he hit him with the shoulder and the puck was there," shrugged Ballard. "Is it a normal hit? He just hit him hard. They can slow it [replay] down and see something they don't like. I know they're trying to take away some of these hits and I'm for taking the dirty hits out of the game. But there's a responsibility to have your head up and take a hit as well."

From the pro-Blackhawks side, Keotta L. House of Chicago Now:

All of this makes me wonder if the NHL officiating crew even reads the rules. The NHL has to do a better job with communicating the actual rules to the referees in the league. Everyone remembers back in January when the star of the NHL Sidney Crosby took a shot to the head during the Winter Classic, and the Referees did nothing; neither did the league.

All of that has to change for the sake of this sport that we all love. Raffi Torres did the exact same thing to Edmonton's Jordan Eberle, which makes him a repeat offender. The league should throw the book at him just as they finally did to Penguins headhunter Matt Cooke, and Islanders crazy man Trevor Gillies.

From the Make An Example of Him! side, Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail:

However, let's look at this strategically rather than technically. The NHL has other tools than Rule 48, for heaven's sake. There's varieties of "intent to injure" transgressions that are rarely, if ever called. And there's the very simple fact that it was, without argument, a hit to the head. And Raffi Torres is the Western Conference's Matt Cooke, a serial hitter just back from another suspension.

He will get suspended. I'd like to see at least four games. If the NHL elects to do nothing, strategically they will have failed to send out exactly the right signal for exactly the right time. The playoffs have just started. It's the simplest thing in the world to act today and take headshots of all kinds out of the playoffs.

And finally, The Ken Campbell side, in which The Hockey News' caustic columnist argues that Raffi Torres should be banned for the rest of the postseason:

If Torres is coming off a suspension and doesn't have the presence of mind to restrain himself when he sees Seabrook in that vulnerable position, he's either too stupid or too reckless to enjoy the privilege of playing the game for a good long time. I suspect it's the latter, but if the NHL wants to send a message to players that they have to be responsible for their actions, this would be the perfect opportunity.

After the game, we had no real information on whether or not Seabrook went to the notorious quiet room after the hit from Torres and there seemed to be nothing but confusion surrounding the NHL's concussion protocol as it applied to that situation. But there was absolutely no confusion over the Torres hit. It was a classic head shot to an unsuspecting opponent in a vulnerable position who had no opportunity to defend himself.

It's gotten to the point in the NHL with this "unsuspecting opponent" crap that I'm wondering if hitters need to stop on a dime, loudly whistle to get an opponent's attention, scream, "HELLO, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE. I'M GOING TO HIT YOU NOW, BUT I NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU SEE ME. DO YOU SEE ME? YES? OK" and then check him.

I know things like Rule 48 have taken the responsibly away from the player being hit, and I know there are always going to be arguments about players in a "prone" position. But hits that catch an opponent off-guard about going to happen, and they're not always illegal to the point of suspension.

If you want to have hockey where every single play features the players facing forward and going north/south, than this is more your speed:

It's a Monday edition of Puck Daddy Radio, and we're chatting about the following and much more:

• Special Guest Star: The great Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports joins us to talk about the Boston Bruins vs. the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL playoffs and relocation.

• Will Zdeno Chara play in Game 3?

• Has Philly figured out its goaltending dilemma?

• Should Raffi Torres be suspended again for his hit on Brent Seabrook?

Should Bobby Ryan have been suspended, or suspended longer, for stomping on Jonathan Blum?

• Question of the day: Which player or team impressed you the most over the weekend?

• Puck Previews.

Email your thoughts to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.

Puck Daddy Radio is on Monday through Friday, from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 98. Featuring Wyshynski and Rob Pizzo, it's your show: Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.

The call in number is 1-888-942-7326 (1-888-9-HARDCORE). We'll also be reading emails to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com and tweets that you send to @wyshynski and @robpizzo.

We're all about interaction here; call in, email, tweet ... we'll discuss whatever you'd like. Listen here:

The Philadelphia Flyers' locker room is going to seem like old times for veterans of their 2010 Stanley Cup Playoff run: Brian Boucher getting the start, Michael Leighton backing him up … and no trace of the Russian rookie that helped get them back to the postseason in 2011.

Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly broke the news that Boucher and Leighton had full lockers in Buffalo for Game 3 — Sergei Bobrovsky did not — and that Boucher appeared to be the starter based on the workload in practice.

Bobrovsky was a wild card entering this season for the Philadelphia Flyers, before turning into an unexpected Calder Trophy candidate with 28 wins and a 2.59 GAA.

He was also a wild card entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs; not just because this was his first rodeo, but because he had hit a bit of a wall in April: Giving up 11 goals in his final three starts, and getting pulled from his last regular-season appearance against the New York Islanders in 12 minutes.

In Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres, he made 24 saves and gave up the game's only goal on a defensive lapse by the Flyers. In Game 2, he was terrible: 3 goals on seven shots and replaced by Boucher in just 13 minutes. Boucher would go on to win the game, 5-4, for Philly.

The word from the Flyers that stuck with you following that win was "calm." Defenseman Sean O'Donnell said it. Coach Peter Laviolette said it, via CSN Philly:

"There's so many times where [Boucher] comes in and he's bailed us out," Laviolette said. "He's a veteran goaltender that has a calmness about him. In a game where there was a lot of emotion and a lot of energy, especially in the first period … he can come in and really settle things down for us, and that's just what he did. He's done it in the past, and it was great to see him do it tonight."

Leighton, one assumes, would have the same effect should he have to enter this series. Here's a keeper that was on the ice at the end of Game 6 vs. the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals last season, and rocked a 2.46 GAA in 13 playoff starts. The alternative is a rookie who just crapped the bed in 13 minutes during Game 2.

Which one do you think gives the Flyers piece of mind about their goaltending in the playoffs? Check out The Goalie Guild's "The Curious Case of Michael Leighton" for more on the dynamic between that keeper and 'Bob.'

No Chris Pronger for Game 3, by the way. Which might make the goalie talk pointless anyway.

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

• The Red Wings are in Phoenix tonight, which can mean only one thing: Shane Doan is totally going to make out with Mila Kunis. Oh, wait, sorry: DoanFace watch is on! (via Dan Kukkonen)

• Officially, Zdeno Chara is a game-time decision for the Boston Bruins, but given his demeanor in practice Bruins Blog bets he plays in this critical Game 3 tonight vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Timmy Thomas gets the start. It is not Tuukka Time. Yet. [Bruins Blog and QMI]

• Darren Dreger on the NHL's decision not to suspend Raffi Torres for his hit in "Death Valley" on Brent Seabrook: "An important distinction for the NHL is the fact the puck was in the area of the hit last night and Torres stopped skating near the faceoff circle and cruised in before landing the hit." [TSN]

• Bruce Boudreau Distracts The Media From His Team's Game 3 Loss, Vol. 1: Boudreau today said that the NHL should look at the Marc Staal hit on Mike Green after Alex Ovechkin's goal that was so vicious that … Green was still able to go celebrate the goal and played the entire game. "Staal comes in, there's no puck, he takes his arm, he swings it at [Green's] head, but it's all forgotten because we score a goal to tie the game up. … But it shouldn't be forgotten and it wasn't the only time they targeted Mike's head. They targeted it a few times. That's what we want to get out of the game." [Capitals Insider]

• Bruce Boudreau Distracts The Media From His Team's Game 3 Loss, Vol. 2: On The Kirk McEwen and Mike O'Meara Show on 105.9 The Edge, Boudreau made his feelings about Madison Square Garden known. "Well, the one thing, its reputation is far better than the actual building," the coach said. "I mean, it's nothing. The locker rooms are horrible. The benches are horrible. There's no room for anything. But the reputation of being in Madison Square Garden is what makes it famous. Also, our building's a lot louder, too. So I mean, they can say what they want, but it's not that loud in there." [The Edge]

• Jonathan Toews thinks the Vancouver Canucks are counterfeit. [Pass It To Bulis]

• A study by the Canadian Medical Association finds that NHL players suffered 559 concussions from 1997-2004. "The highest concussion rate recorded was 7.7 per 100 players in the 2000-01 regular season, while the lowest was 4.6 in 1997-98. The last year covered by the statistics—2003-04—saw a rate of 4.9 per 100 players." [CP]

• Don Cherry, hockey pornographer: "Like any pornographer, Cherry removes the purity and substance from the act and renders it into a vulgar display that appeals to our primal instincts." [The Metropolitain]

• Mike Brophy of Sportsnet feels the top three Conn Smythe candidates are Pavel Datsyuk, Mike Fisher and … Alex Ovechkin? There's simply no way Ovechkin should be ahead of Carey Price for the Conn. [Sportsnet]

• On Dustin Penner, a.k.a. Lazybones on the Los Angeles Kings: "I think the mystery to Penner is a combination of many things.  First of all, he can be a little lazy, or to be more specific; there are times when he lets the play come to him.  Sometimes that's a good idea because then you aren't chasing yourself out of position.  Sometimes it's bad and the lack of pressure gives the opposing team too much time and space." [Pro Sports Blogging]

• Why Bryan Murray should just go ahead and hire Bryan Murray to coach the Bryan Murrays, er, Ottawa Senators. [Senshot]

• GM Paul Holmgren denies that Chris Pronger suffered a second break in his hand, despite a report from NBC. Which is now merged with Comcast. Which owns the Flyers. Synergy! [Sun]

• The Buffalo Sabres drop Brad Boyes to the fourth line because he's been playing like one, and promote Rod Niedermayer to a line with Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. [Sabres Observer]

• No Sidney Crosby at the Pittsburgh Penguins skate before Game 3 in Tampa Bay. [NHL.com]

• We always like our Sean Avery devious, like when he breaks his stick on purpose to get his team a little extra time. He did the same thing during Fashion Week with an unprepared runway model and an 8-inch heel.

• Matt Barr, our hockey nerd, takes a look at times shut out in the regular season and how that translates in the postseason. [Kertwang.me]

• Don't look now, but New York Islanders prospect Kirill Kabanov is killin' it in juniors. [Buzzing The Net]

• The New Jersey Devils today signed goaltender Keith Kinkaid to an entry-level contract.  The announcement was made by Devils' President/CEO/General Manager Lou Lamoriello.  As per club policy, no further terms were disclosed. Kinkaid, 21, joins the Devils' organization after spending the past two seasons at Union College (ECAC).  He appeared in 38 games overall this past season, posting a 25-10-3 mark with three shutouts and a 1.99 goals-against average. [Devils]

• Nicklas Lidstrom is up for the King Clancy Award. [Red Wings]

• The Puck Buddys have a story about two gay fans who helped get the Hershey Bears of the AHL to stand up against discriminatory slurs at games. [Puck Buddys, Strong Language Warning]

• Interesting take on the Torres hit. [Hammer's Bulldog Blog]

• More NHL.com pun-gasms. The Royal Half makes this observation: "Everytime NHL.com does a pun with Alexander Semin, it's always using his first name." [TRH]

• Finally, this should be a familiar conversation for any puckhead with a child of a certain age:

It was a surprise when Turner Broadcasting was named as a suitor for the NHL, but a pleasant one. The production on their sports properties (NBA, MLB, NASCAR) is top notch. At the very least, they know how to put together a studio show, as the gold-standard group on TNT's NBA coverage proves every broadcast.

Still, it was hard to believe that Turner would hang in the bidding with NBCUniversal and ESPN because (a) its priorities are in scripted shows and in trying to land some NFL rights in 2013 and (b) the notion that the NHL would end up calling truTV home wasn't likely.

Despite its market penetration (93 million homes, via SBJ and thanks to its former life as CourtTV), truTV still conjured up memories of the NHL's time with OLN/VERSUS as a startup; you know, the "what is this station/where can I find it/why isn't it in my hotel room?" stuff that VERSUS still seems to inspire years later.

According to Variety today, Turner's dance with the NHL has ended:

After spending billions in recent years to assemble a formidable slate of sports programming, Turner Broadcasting is taking a breather on the rights front, opting not to bid for National Hockey League games that could go as high as $200 million a year.

Mindful of the mantra from his boss, Time Warner topper Jeff Bewkes, to be prudent on deals, Turner chief Phil Kent determined in the last week or so that the NHL didn't make financial sense for his nets, said a source familiar with the decision. That leaves current NHL rights holder, NBC and its cable arm, Versus, to square off with ESPN for the NHL rights.

Keep in mind that NBCUniversal has the right to match any offer for the NHL package, and that ESPN still has many cheerleaders among the NHL's brass and Board of Governors.

Ah, Turner … what could have been. Alex Ovechkin guest starring on a Tyler Perry sitcom. Charles Barkley breaking down the Stanley Cup Finals …

Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play in their first playoff home game since April 22, 2007, when they were eliminated by the New Jersey Devils in six games. (Tampa Bay goalie in that game? The immortal Johan Holmqvist, of course.)

So the Bolts are making the most out of this opportunity in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins with some fan appreciation.

First off, they're issuing fuzzy blue playoff beards to fans that request a coupon for them on Facebook (see it here), which is a really keen idea. Not only because it shows team spirit, but because it acknowledges that a deep playoff run may not produce a large amount of scraggly face foliage -- having a Paul Mara during June in Tampa Bay doesn't seem like the most comfortable grooming option.

More importantly for those attending and playing in the game: The Lightning are giving out these "rally drums" to the first 15,000 fans who enter the arena.

The Pensblog had an image of a rally drum from earlier this season, and the Lightning sent over the one above for tonight's Game 3 percussionists. The St. Pete Times believes the drum sounds "as if it will be louder than the ThunderStix planned for Game 4." We believe that officially places these drums somewhere ahead of ThunderStix but well behind vuvuzelas on the player annoyance scale.

What do you think of the drum giveaway? Cool? Lame?

Laugh if you will at this plastic trinket … will you still be laughing when Steven Stamkos conjures his offense through the power of the drum technique, Daniel-san?

Game 3 between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens is tonight at Bell Centre, marking the first time the Bruins will play in that building since the Zdeno Chara/Max Pacioretty incident.

Chara, should be play, will be booed lustily. So will the Bruins. For a team needing a victory in this 2-0 series like a Kardashian needs a magazine cover, the hosts couldn't be less hospitable.

That goes for the team across the ice, too. The Canadiens have given the Bruins fits in their arena this season.

Via Big Bad Blog:

The B's took a 4-3 loss to the Habs on Dec. 16, and in their second meeting in Montreal, they blew a 2-0 lead in the final 2:22 en route to taking an embarrassing 3-2 loss in overtime on Jan. 8. While the March 8 game in Bell Centre was ugly enough as a result of the Max Pacioretty/Zdeno Chara mess, the B's play in a 4-1 loss wasn't much prettier.

With the Habs winning all three games of their meetings at the Bell Centre, they could conceivably be licking their chops at the prospect of sweeping the B's in front of their home crowd. They're not thinking about it, but the Bruins are thinking about finding a way to turn into the team that grabbed 24 road wins.

So how do they pull it out in Game 3?

Score the first goal, obviously.

As we pointed out over the weekend, the Canadiens have made it a postseason tradition to open strong with a goal within the first 5 minutes of a game. The Bruins score first, and it helps them exert their own style of hockey on the Habs and at least brings the crowd down a few decibels.

Whether they break through first or not, the question is whether their kung-fu is stronger than that of Montreal. Eric Engels of CTV is trying to figure that out:

Those two games the Bruins won with brute force - which everyone placed the onus on in handicapping the Canadiens' chances before this started - are looking more and more like aberrations. And yet, if the Bruins are to look for some source of motivation, they'll still be caught scouring those game tapes for some degree of evidence that they had the Habs figured out.

[…]

If the Bruins are going anywhere but down in this one, they'll need to do it with the same game-plan they've tried, but failed, to execute in the first two games. If they're to make this a series, it'll have to be on Tim Thomas' shoulders and on the performances of players like Lucic, Horton and Krejci, who have yet to punch their scorecards in the post-season. At this stage, all of that is far more questionable than the Canadiens' chances of finishing them off.

Plenty can happen in Game 3, but one thing's certain: The crowd is going to be insane. (And hopefully not in a lighty/burny way after the game.) As Annakin Slayd said in his lastest Habs anthem:

Reader Joe Hindy has a friend named John who he said was in a pickle tonight.

He wanted to watch Game 3 of the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes, but had to work on Monday night. He even posted one of those maudlin "I'm going to miss the game" messages on his Facebook page. So sad.

Undaunted by the reality of his surroundings, John and Joe concocted a last-ditch attempt to spring him from his work obligations tonight: Inventing a holiday with a fake Wikipedia page so he could call out of work without any repercussions.

You know, like any of us would have.

Thus, the sacred "Kwanza holiday of El Juego De Tres De Los Siete (The Game of 3 Out of 7)" was born, according to Joe. Among the facts about this hallowed occasion:

"The beginning dates back to 1991, wherein the Detroit Red Wings would begin to make history as they made the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Every year since then, due to this astounding holiday, the Red Wings have not missed the playoffs. The name literally means 'game 3 of 7' and is preceded by national holidays el juego de dos de los siete and el juego de uno de los siete. Following it will be quatro, cinco, seis and siete.

"It is customary for any subscribers to the religion of the Red Wings to request days off, often at little to no notice, in order to take part in a tradition that millions take part of. The tradition is to sit on a couch (later rules to the tradition say bar stools and lay-z-boy chairs are an adequate substitute) and watch the red wings game while imbibing the traditional snacks of pizza, wings and beer (pizza, wings and beer optional)."

It's still on Wikipedia as of tonight, with the expected nominated for deletion note. You can find a screenshot of the stunt here.

So, did it work? Of course not, Joe told us. Because it's completely absurd. Still, Joe wanted us to pass it along in order to "give you the answer to any Wings fan who wants tonight off."

And who are we to laugh in the face of one's religious dogma?

Another night, another pair of hits that have drawn the ire of fans and, one assumes, the attention of the NHL's secondary disciplinarians. And they both occurred in the Pittsburgh Penguins' Game 3 at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

First up, Steve Downie's leaping hit into Pittsburgh's Ben Lovejoy, right before Max Talbot put the Penguins up 1-0 at 10:49 of the first:

Brutal. Leaves the skates, leaves nothing up to debate on whether it was a charging penalty. Will it be something more? Well, as NHL discipline czar Colin Campbell ruled in his exoneration of Raffi Torres today:

"We distributed a video to all players and teams that showed a similar hit on a defenseman by an attacking forward coming from the opposite direction behind the net and stated that this is a 'legal play'.

"This hit meets none of the criteria that would subject Torres to supplemental discipline, including an application of Rule 48: he did not charge his opponent or leave his feet to deliver this check. He did not deliver an elbow or extended forearm and this hit was not 'late'."

Downie's, we're sure, will be judged differently, even if it happened in that Mad Max no-man's-land known as "Behind the Net."

At 10:49 of the first period, Chris Kunitz was given a 2-minute penalty for elbowing after this hit on Simon Gagne (via The Score):

That was a blatant elbow to the back of the head, a tad Cooke-ian in its violent nonchalance. Gagne remained in the game and later assisted on both of Marty St. Louis' power play goals.

C'mon, man: Everyone knows you stay down and wait for the stretcher if you want to job your opponent into a suspension. Or, at the very least, Brent Seabrook knows it now.

No. 1 Star: Brian Boucher, Philadelphia Flyers

The veteran settled the Flyers down on the road with 15 first-period saves and 11 more in the final 20 minutes, as Philly won Game 3 at the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2. Boucher made 35 saves in his first playoff start since last May 10.

No. 2 Star: Tyler Kennedy, Pittsburgh Penguins

Just 31 seconds after Marty St. Louis tied the game with a power-play goal, his second of the night, Kennedy popped home a rebound for his first of the playoffs, leading the Penguins to a 3-2 win. Max Talbot and Arron Asham had the other goals, as Pittsburgh took a 2-1 series lead.

No. 3 Star: Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit banger had a secondary assist on Ruslan Salei's goal 1:57 into the game and the primary helper on Drew Miller's goal at 2:41 of the first, helping the Wings to a 4-2 win in Game 3 at the Phoenix Coyotes. Kronwall was a plus-3 with four hits. Detroit's up 3-0 in the series.

Honorable mention: Tim Thomas made 34 saves for the Bruins, while David Krejci and Nathan Horton (with the first postseason goal of this career) scored first-period goals as the Bruins won Game 3, 4-2, to cut the Montreal Canadiens' series lead to 2-1. Patrice Bergeron was a plus-3 and had two assists. … Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec had the Habs goals; Michael Cammalleri had two assists. … Jeff Carter (on the power play), Danny Briere, Nikolay Zherdev and Kimmo Tomonen (empty netter) had the Flyers goals. … Marc-Andre Gragnani had two assists for the Sabres. … Ray Whitney and David Schlemko had power-play goals for Phoenix. … Johan Franzen scored a critical breakaway goal just 45 seconds into the third period. … Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves.

Did you know? The Canadiens have lost each of their last two playoff series in which they have won the first two games on the road. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Chris Kunitz and Steve Downie will be hearing from the NHL for their elbow and charge in Game 3, respectively. … Pittsburgh was 0 for 2 on the power play, dropping to 0 for 15 for the series. … Ilya Bryzgalov had another sub-standard night, giving up four goals to the Wings. … Benoit Pouliot came in hard on Johnny Boychuk with a hit to the upper body, earning a charging minor and then five for fighting Andrew Ference. … Finally, Carey Price didn't officially pick up an assist on this Rich Peverley goal, but … well …

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 2. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 3. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; 4. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; 5. Michael Neuvirth, Washington Capitals; 6. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators; 7. Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators; 8. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings; 9. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; 10. Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings

Going into Monday night's Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins knew they needed a superior effort from their most important leader to avoid going down 3-0.

We are, of course, talking about NESN play-by-play man Jack Edwards. Here's Jack, taking on Benoit Pouliot, Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Roman Hamrlik and the Canadiens' franchise during Boston's 4-2 victory.

So many instant classics. The takedown of Benoit Pouliot's career during his fight with Andrew Ference. The screaming of "GET UP!" when Jack felt Hamrlik was embellishing the call. And, of course, his "if people in Montreal wonder why their team is a source of derision in the NHL …"

Love him, hate him, let's all agree on something: There's no better homer announcer when it comes to trolling the opposition. Right, Flyers fans?