Lesson learned, Bruce Boudreau: Never tell a New Yorker they're not loud enough.

Here's a sold-out Game 4 crowd at Madison Square Garden, asking the Washington Capitals coach "Can You Hear Us?!" after his critical comments about the arena's "quiet" atmosphere this week:

In this Comcast SportsNet clip, you hear a deafening "Booooooo-dreau!" after the initial chant as the Rangers had a 3-0 lead in the second period:

It wasn't the first time that was heard during Game 4; previously, it preceded the word "Sucks" in a chant.

As we mentioned Wednesday morning, the Capitals vs. the Rangers suddenly became Boudreau vs. a building when he slammed "The Mecca of Sports Entertainment" in a radio interview on Sunday. From the NY Daily News:

"Well, the one thing, its reputation is far better than the actual building. I mean, it's nothing," Boudreau said of the Garden on 105.9 The Edge. "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 (Verizon Center) is a lot louder, too. So, I mean, they can say what they want, but it's not that loud in there."

It was that loud in there on Wednesday night. Whether or not Boudreau used those comments, and others about the Rangers targeting defenseman Mike Green, as a diversion from the Caps' Game 3 loss, there's no question they served to fire up the Blueshirt faithful Wednesday night at MSG.

(Although the Capitals would have the last laugh, winning 4-3 in overtime to take a 3-1 series lead.)

"Can You Hear Us?!" What an awesome moment of puckhead spontaneity, inspired by a suggestion earlier in the day by NY Rangers Blog. That's a European soccer quality chant. Or, at the very least, vintage ECW.

At the end of the second period in the Philadelphia Flyers' 1-0 Game 4 loss at the Buffalo Sabres, Mike Richards was battling for the puck near the Sabres bench when Patrick Kaleta of the Sabres came flying in for a hit. Richards defended himself by throwing up an elbow.

For that, he received a 5-minute major for elbowing, a call the Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia broadcasters disagreed with … oh, slightly:

The Sabres didn't score on their power play, and Richards was not ejected from the game. Richards said after the game that he didn't believe the call was justified and that referee Francois St. Laurent didn't offer him an explanation.

The Delaware County Times had this reaction from the Flyers on the play:

"I think (Richards) was just protecting himself becse you never know what Patrick Kaleta is capable of," Kris Versteeg said. "He is a dangerous player out there when it comes down to it. You never know if he's going to run you from behind or if he's going to hit you without the puck. Richie was just protecting himself, it's unfortunate that he had to go to the box for that long."

"It look like he (Richards) was getting run," Peter Laviolette said. "He's got his arm up. I don't think that's the intention of the five-minute (call). It was difficult to see. I think he just got his arm up and there was a collision along the boards. But I didn't see any intent in there."

This is the push-pull between the benefit of the doubt and the letter of the law. Was it in self-defense? Of course. Was it also an intentional elbow to the head of an opponent? Of course. So it's on the referee to give Richards the benefit, and chose not to; and Richards knows that whether it's an elbow or a stick or a fist used to ward off Kaleta, there's going to be a chance that the ref won't give it to him.

We're fine with the major penalty; we're not fine with the optics for the NHL when something like Chris Kunitz's blatant elbow gets two minutes and this gets five. Which, we imagine, will be a source of anger for Flyers fans, too.

Suspension? Hopefully not, because Richards doesn't deserve one. But it's the NHL we're talking about here; guess it all depends if Richards was in the "elbowing zone" or not.

No. 1 Star: Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

Two wins for the Sabres and Miller in their series with the Philadelphia Flyers and two 1-0 shutouts. Miller helped Buffalo tie the series at two with a 32-save performance as the Sabres were able to hold on to their slim lead after Jason Pominville's goal 9:38 into the game. The two shutouts for Miller made him the third Sabres goalie franchise history with a pair in a series -- the last being Dominik Hasek in 1994. Miller's best save of the night came late robbing Danny Briere on the doorstep:

No. 2 Star: Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

Perry's shorthanded goal 1:17 into the third period broke a 3-3 tie and was the first of three in a 6:46 span that propelled the Ducks to a 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators to tie their series 2-2. Perry wasn't done there as three minutes later he added his second assist of the night on Ryan Getzlaf's goal.

No. 3 Star: Danny Cleary, Detroit Red Wings

Two goals 1:53 apart late in the third period broke a 3-3 deadlock and powered the Red Wings to a 6-3 series-clinching sweep over the Phoenix Coyotes. Cleary posted a three-point night with his no-angle bank shot with 5:19 remaining in regulation ending up the game winner:

Honorable mention: James Neal snapped a 16- game goal-scoring skid by firing home the winner in the second overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 to take a 3-1 series lead ... Tyler Kennedy's goal to open the scoring in Tampa ended Pittsburgh's 0-for-15 power play skid ... Dwayne Roloson made 50 saves in the loss ... The Washington Capitals fought back from a 3-0 deficit and took the New York Rangers to a second overtime before Jason Chimera's goal ended things. The Capitals now hold a 3-1 lead in the series. Marcus Johansson scored twice in the second period to help tie the game and Michael Neuvirth made 26 saves in the third period and overtime ... Rangers fans sure didn't let Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau forget about comments he made about Madison Square Garden earlier in the week ... Teemu Selanne now leads all players with five playoff goals.

Did you know? New York scored two goals seven seconds apart, one second shy of the franchise record set by Rod Gilbert in 1968.

Dishonorable mention: Ilya Bryzgalov had a miserable series against the Red Wings allowing 17 goals in the four games ... Mike Richards was given a five-minute major for this elbow. Will the NHL give him more? ... Chimera's overtime winner was the result of a major miscommunication between Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 2. Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks; 3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 4. Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals; 5. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; 6. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; 7. Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks; 8. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 9. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators

In the second period of Wednesday night's Game 4 against the Washington Capitals, Marian Gaborik did exactly what New York Rangers fans want their highest-paid offensive player ($7.5 million base salary this season) to do more often: Score a goal, and score a meaningful goal. His close-range snipe on a pass from Ruslan Fedotenko made it 2-0; Brandon Dubinsky scored seven seconds later to make it 3-0.

It was Gaborik's first goal of the playoffs. It was his first goal since March 20. The much-maligned star had a moment of redemption.

In the second overtime, Marian Gaborik did exactly what Rangers fans have, sadly, expected him to do: Erase those good vibes with a costly mistake.

In this case, it was an ill-advised attempt to clear the puck, which ended up hitting Jason Chimera's stomach before bouncing into the goal for a 4-3 Capitals' win and a 3-1 series lead. The gaffe heard 'round Manhattan on Wednesday night:

"Next to getting married and having kids, it's the best thing that ever happened to me," said Chimera after the game. "I tried to shoot it quick and it kind of went off of [a defenseman's stick] and kind of sat there. I was going to get the rebound and one of the guys coming back kind of poked it. It hit my chest and it was kind of a lucky break."

That guy was Gaborik, who broke down the misplay with Rangers Rants:

"I saw the puck," Gaborik told a handful of media. "I don't know if it was a rebound or something, I just saw it in front. I just tried to clear it. I didn't see that Hank went for it. I just saw him that second when I tried to clear it. I didn't see Chimera obviously so I guess it hit him in the stomach and he was right there. I wish I would have seen Hank quicker go for it. I just tried to clear maybe I should have seen Hank earlier, obviously if I would have seen him go for it, I would have left it, right? It's one of those bad bounces."

Seth Rothman of FOX Sports may have said it best: "Marian Gaborik, in an earnest attempt to make a smart defensive play, made perhaps the biggest mistake of his career."

The beard Ryan Miller wore as the starting goalie for the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 2010 was a scraggly bit of facial foliage that made the goalie look like he had just finished kicking around a hacky sack at Bonnaroo.

So it was initially jarring to see Miller's design for a 2011 Stanley Cup Playoff beard with the Buffalo Sabres: a mustache and large sideburns, looking as if he's preparing to shoot an ad for men's cologne in the 1970s.

But forwards Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe are sporting the same look. Ditto defenseman Jordan Leopold and others on the Sabres, who are battling the Philadelphia Flyers in a quarterfinal series.

What's behind this odd playoff grooming trend? It's a tribute, to one of the franchise's most beloved players, who tragically lost his life earlier this year.

On Sunday, March 14, Rick Martin was driving through Clarence, N.Y., when his car drifted from the westbound to the eastbound lane and then into a utility pole. He died from Hypertensive Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, having a heart attack behind the wheel during the one-car accident. He was 59.

Two weeks earlier, Martin was at center ice of the HSBC Arena being loudly cheered, as the fabled French Connection line of Martin, Rene Robert and Hockey Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault were reunited to the delight of Sabres fans and new owner Terry Pegula.

He was as popular a player as the Sabres have seen, not only for his on-ice exploits -- he's second in team history with 382 goals -- but because of his connection with the fans and selfless commitment to the community.

The current Sabres understood that, and wanted to honor his legacy beyond wearing a commemorative sticker on their helmets. That's when things got hairy.

As part of the team's annual playoff beard-a-thon for charity, and as part of the grand tradition of the playoff beard, some of the Sabres are growing big sideburns and mustaches in honor of Martin, who sported the look in the 1970s and on hockey trading cards.

"We see pictures of him all over the place and thought it would be a nice tribute," said Stafford to the Buffalo Business Journal.

The beard-a-thon benefits the Sabres Foundation, which does everything from assisting youth hockey initiatives to supporting children's health and wellness initiatives. Fans can pledge donations in support of their favorite player's beard.

What makes the tribute perfectly symbolic of Martin's impact on the franchise: The fans are in on it, too.

Shutdown Pair, a Sabres blog, suggested a "Mustaches for Martin" campaign that quickly caught on in social media. From Buffalo 74:

The latest fan effort to emerge from the Twitter Sabres convo is "Mustaches for Martin," a heart-felt push to convince fans to grow serious 'staches instead of the traditional unkempt, mangy playoff beards.  It's an awesome idea.  Besides the rallying power this has for fans, imagine how the city would look for tourists (on their way to Niagara Falls), or at least non-hockey fans (heretics), when thousands of hungover mustachioed Sabres fans are roaming the streets after game nite. How wonderfully creepy.

I'm in.

The campaign gained an official Twitter tag -- #MustachesForMartin — and was spreading like an unwieldy sideburn as the Sabres tied their first-round playoff series with the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-2, on Wednesday night.

Sure, the Sabres will look like extras from the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" video if they keep advancing. But as hockey tributes go, it's a woolly, worthy effort.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- What you just witnessed in Phoenix over the past week was essentially a full-on, back-alley mugging. And I'm not even talking about what the Detroit Red Wings did to the Coyotes on the ice.

On April 13, the day the Stanley Cup Playoffs started — also coincidentally, the day TSN Radio was launched — Nick Kypreos took to the airwaves on FAN590 and said he was told by sources that the NHL was waiting for the Phoenix Coyotes to be eliminated from the playoffs before announcing that the team was moving to Winnipeg.

Talk about getting Raffi Torres'ed …

On the most exciting day of the hockey season, Phoenix fans got hit with the ultimate, deflating, elevator-dropping-a-floor, airplane-in-turbulence stomach drop. Kypreos softened his statement on Twitter a little later, but the damage had been done.

When Kypreos gets information — if it's credible — it's his job to share it. But the timing sucked the air out of Coyotes fans.

Enjoy your series, folks! Get right back at those Detroit Red Wings! Never mind the U-Hauls!

Yes, the fans did their best. Yes, they were present, loud, and a smidge angry while rooting for their team Wednesday night. But as the Zamboni took what were potentially its last laps around Jobing.com Arena after the game, stunned fans quietly paced out to their cars, fully uncertain if they still had an NHL season to look forward to or not.

Was that the end of hockey here?

Whether you'd prefer the team to be in Phoenix or Winnipeg, it's never cool to see dejected hockey fans realize their NHL involvement may officially become limited to the Internet and TV.

For lack of a better term, it just felt ... weird.

Now, the fans in Arizona have been on the wrong side of this relocation beat-down for quite some time, something to which even they seem to have grown accustomed. Still, they were just about to launch the rematch of their series from the previous season in which they battled seven games against the Detroit Red Wings before being eliminated. It had been a fantastic show -- they'd gained experience, the fans had a taste, and it really was time to go right back at 'em.

This year, they got smoked (despite a quality effort), but the fans never seemed to have a chance to hope.

Tough to commit to a battle when you believe the war has already been lost.

The NHL, for its part, has vehemently denied the Kypreos claim, stating that it is still pursuing every avenue to keep the team in Phoenix, while noting that yes, a deadline looms. The ominous "Plan B" is barely even a euphemism for the real possibility of a move.

Worse still is that Wednesday night, as fans once again donned the white-out apparel only to see the Red Wings put black in their hearts, local supporters didn't even get the chance to have a proper goodbye, if in fact that was the final game of the team from Arizona. Everything was as it's come to be expected around here — sketchy, up in the air, unsettled.

And, that's what the fans have received for their dollars recently ­— more than ever during this playoff run despite it being only their third kick at playoffs since 2000, which should have had folks right ramped up.

As Rebecca Black would put it, FUN FUN FUN FUN.

Casual hockey fans make up the fluctuating attendance numbers in most cities which we use to assign labels like "good fan base" and "bad fan base." But as certain folks out there who run team-centric blogs know, some people are a little more passionate than others.

Well those people exist here too, and the casuals were chased away by the fear that getting invested here means getting your heart broken. And "team leaving" heartbreak — as Winnipeg Jets fans unfortunately know well — is far worse than the "missing playoffs" heartbreak fans of, say, the Toronto Maple Leafs have experienced many, many (many) years.

I'm not saying that if the ownership situation were rectified that the building here would be jammed — let me state, unequivocally, it wouldn't be — but it would be better. It would give the team a fighting chance, and at the very least, allow the people willing to put their money into the NHL's product to believe the Coyotes were their team.

Having an NHL team with one foot in the city and the other on the road to its next home is not fun.

And that was never more evident than in this year's playoffs.

The NHL will announce the Lady Byng Trophy finalists today, given annually to the player who exemplifies gentlemanly play.

Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres will not be one of them, but that was obvious well before he opened the bench door in order for Philadelphia Flyers forward Nikolai Zherdev to fall through it in last night's Game 4 win for Buffalo:

What's the old line about how it's only cheating if you get caught? Sneaky, dirty move by a sneaky, dirty player. Though not the worst example of a player using the bench door to try and cause some damage on a foe this season — nothing is topping this clip from the Swedish Elite League and the sinister mischief of goalie Niklas Svedberg.

From Flyers Goal Scored By, which originally brought the Kaleta play to our attention:

Kaleta: I'm feeding it right now but won't be after I type this, and hope you got it out of your system last night. The guy is like a feral unicorn. And you know what it eats? Attention. If you want it to stop then it's up to you - stop feeding it. The sum of the parts makes the whole and talking about the guy just makes you angrier. To tell the truth, neither accomplishes anything anyway, so play it cool and let it go.

Translation: The pest did his thing in Game 4, and did it well.

To paraphrase an ancient Chris Rock line about OJ Simpson: Now, we're not saying Patrick Kaleta deserved to get elbowed in the face by Mike Richards after seeing this bench door malarkey … but we can understand.

Of course, there's always guilt to be passed around ... like this Kimmo Timonen, er, stick check on Nathan Gerbe (via Die By The Blade):

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

• Special Guest Star: Former Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils forward Andrew Peters talks playoff rivalries and his retirement.

• Dallas Stars left wing Loui Eriksson, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the 2010-11 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, which is awarded "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,"Who was snubbed?

• Complete reviews of last night's five playoff games.

• Breaking down TSN Radio's interview Colin Campbell, who was in no mood for debate.

• Question of the day: Which series has played out in a way you least expected before the playoffs and why?

• 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:

When a goalie gets lit up and allows a few baby-soft goals like Antti Niemi did in Game 3 for the San Jose Sharks, the question needs to be asked.

But despite Antero Niittymaki getting the win in that miraculous Game 3 comeback over the Los Angeles Kings, there's no question Niemi deserves to start Game 4 tonight at Staples Center. Frankly, it'd be a surprise if he doesn't.

First off, he's a comebacker, following up below average performances with standout ones. It was a hallmark of his playoff run with the Chicago Blackhawks right up until June, when both goalies in the Finals were less than stellar.

As Coach Todd McLellan told the Mercury News on Wednesday:

"When you look at (Niemi's) record, when we pulled him throughout the season -- which wasn't very often -- he always responded very well," McLellan said before heading into a meeting with players at the team hotel. "If we go that route, which I think we're leaning toward, we expect him to be very good."

The other aspect is that back-to-back 4-goal games don't undo a 26-5-4 record from Jan. 15 to the end of the regular season. He's the earned the right to be between the pipes; what's remarkable is that even when he's on the bench after a bombing, the Sharks are still playing for him. From the Mercury News, Ryane Clowe said:

"Nemo's been so good for us all year, he's bailed us out a lot," the forward said. "It was one of those things where we wanted to pick him up and bail him out. That kind of got lost in the shuffle of the comeback -- picking Nemo up was a big deal for us."

As for the Kings, who saw Jonathan Quick allow six goals, Coach Terry Murray was on defense with LA Kings Insider:

"Heck, look, when you give up five goals in one period, everybody's got to be better. You need a spectacular save. Some of those goals, he had absolutely no chance on. They're dot-to-dot passes, lateral feeds that are for one-timers. That's where you need an extraordinary effort, save. So you don't look at your goaltender and say that he's the reason why anything happened. It's six guys on the ice."

Which goal bounces back the best in this critical Game 4?

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.

• Country music star Vince Gill, during a first intermission performance, tried to get the Nashville Predators fans in the crowd to chant "Perry is a sissy" last night during Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks. Perry had a goal and two assists in the win. And this is Vince Gill, from a 1996 concert at Honda Center (then The Pond). [NHL.com]

• Martin Erat will miss Game 5 for the Nashville Predators for what's being called a "high hit" by Jarkko Ruutu, who had a hearing with the League scheduled today. [NHL.com]

• Our first Eulogy hits on Friday. Be prepared.

• Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma with the Sidney Crosby Update: "There is no timetable. If you were under the impression that he was moving closer, he's got to pass the next stage of what he can do. That has not happened yet." [Penguins]

• Buffalo Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff on the Philadelphia Flyers: "I just feel that they're doing a lot of whining. I didn't hear any whining when they had ten power plays in Philly and I didn't hear any whining when the power plays in the first game were lopsided, but all of a sudden there's all this whining that we're getting away with murder, that's a bunch of crap. That's for the media, that's for the officials to read, that's for here let's get the next call, that's a bunch of crap, let's just play." [WGR, via Dave Davis]

• Troll bait from the Daily Herald. [Daily Herald]

• We score this one to Kevin Bieska in his war of words with John Scott. [The Province]

• No Brent Seabrook tonight, per the Blackhawks.

• Check out the big Colin Campbell interview from TSN Radio yesterday. He sounded like your crazy uncle, but he schooled the hosts something wicked. [TSN Radio, and a transcript from Mirtle]

• The Awl presents all 30 NHL goal horns. We'll go ahead and ask the goalies in our readership to avoid this post. [The Awl, via Dan]

• Today's must-read: The great mystery of the 2010 Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals game-winning goal puck. [Outside the Lines]

• Ilya Bryzgalov would rather play in the KHL than Winnipeg. Which is a little hilarious and a little sad, all in one overrated goaltending package. [QMI]

• Joey Junior Blackhawks Reporter gets a Q&A with Time Out Chicago Kids, and was asked if he gets to talk to the players: "Yeah, they're pretty nice when I talk to them. Oh, I almost forgot some players—Stalberg. And Klinkhammer. On Thanksgiving, John Scott wanted a pet. And I told him I wanted a real puppy for Christmas. And on Valentine's Day, he told me, 'I might have a girlfriend.'" [Time Out Chicago Kids, via oksoda]

• Jordan vs. Metzer on the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, and about the Arron Asham juggernaut. [Beasts of the Southeast]

• Ryan Smyth on how the Los Angeles Kings will get their groove back: "We're in control of our destiny. It's a seven-game series and we, as a group in this locker room, believe that we can win." [LA Kings Insider]

• Dennis Wideman says there's no timetable for his return from a leg hematoma for the Washington Capitals. [Capitals Insider]

• Why we love Ian Walker, Part 13,141: He gets to make a pot reference in a story about the optimism locally for the Vancouver Canucks: "Then again, don't forget it was also 4/20 — a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis, for those of you on the East Coast — so by mid-afternoon most of the province was too stoned to even remember the score from the previous night." [Vancouver Sun]

• Stat Nerd Alert: Looking at the best defensive forwards in the NHL. [Behind The Net]

• Breaking down the other options for Phoenix Coyotes relocation. [Pegasus News]

• Problem No. 1: Detroit did not play in this series. Problem No. 2: They were never up 3-1. Problem No. 3: Hockey on ESPN. (stick-tap Nicholas Wenck)

• Awesome preview for the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens Game 4: "It's simple to diagnose: it sucks. Bruins have been 0-11 for the series and the power play doesn't look like it's getting any better. Good thing Chiarelli gave away the farm for f--king Kaberle right?" [Days of Y'Orr]

• Kerri from Some Like It Blue on the MSG vs. Verizon Center battle: "For instance, there's no way a "can you hear us?" chant or any other blip of originality breaks through the flashy and pre-programmed atmosphere. Heaven forbid they all don't wear matching #8 jerseys!" [SLIB, via Eric Roitman]

• Breaking down the GM of the Year Award field. Who will win "the Silver BlackBerry"? [The Hockey Writers]

• The Islanders want to save the planet. [Islanders]

• Please remember the Mandi Schwartz donor drive. [Yale]

• Fantastic piece on how the Stanley Cup Playoffs reach all the way to Afghanistan. [OC Register]

• Cool contest, via Puck Daddy reader Ch M: "Contest is simple; predict the Stanley Cup winner this year, number of games of the Final, and Conn Smythe winner. Prize is a 10-11 Panini Crown Royale hobby box with retail price of around 87.99 at a card store." [The Hobby Talk]

• Finally, James Neal made history last night:

There was something off about Ilya Bryzgalov in the Phoenix Coyotes' first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. He posted a 4.36 GAA, an .879 save percentage, and looked somewhere between inept and disinterested.

Speculation has been that the Coyotes, as a team, were distracted by the never-closer relocation talk regarding the franchise and a return to Winnipeg. If that's the case, then it'd be easy to understand Bryzgalov getting caught up in that distraction. Because he doesn't want to play in Winnipeg. Like, at all.

From QMI and writer Paul Friesen, here's Bryzgalov, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer:

"You don't want to go to Winnipeg, right?" Bryzgalov said after the Coyotes lost to Detroit, Wednesday night. "Not many people live there, not many Russian people there. Plus it's cold. There's no excitement except the hockey. No park, no entertaining for the families, for the kids. It's going to be tough life for your family."

The 30-year-old Russian's knowledge of Winnipeg comes from a visit or two when he was with Cincinnati in the AHL. "I've been there for just once, maybe twice, when I play in minors. It was really cold," Bryzgalov said. "I used the tunnels between the buildings to get to the arena. Because it was minus 40-something. Real cold."

OK, frigid weather aside, would he re-sign with GM Don Maloney if the team relocated?

"Probably not. I better go to somewhere in Russia, KHL, to be honest. Because KHL is Russian people, it's family, friends. Even as a cold place, I can speak to people in Russian language."

Oh, Ilya; why you heff to be mad? So, in summary:

• The KHL is filled with cities that contain a suitable number of parks.

• Russian-speaking people make cold weather more tolerable.

• Winnipeg is populated by a race of mole creatures that move between facilities though an intricate system of tunnels.

• Guess we can add Winnipeg to 'first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs' on the list of places where Ilya Bryzgalov won't show up.

Not for nothing, but Bryzgalov is one of eight UFAs for the Coyotes, who also have five restricted free agents (including Keith Yandle). And there's a better chance of Jim Balsillie swooping in to keep the Coyotes in Glendale than Bryzgalov being alone in his feelings about playing in Winnipeg.

When Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk fought Corey Perry on Oct. 8, 2010, we wrote that he could "kiss that Lady Byng goodbye." Many of you probably assumed we were joking. And yet …

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is given to "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Datsyuk won it four times from 2005-09, but wasn't nominated this season, in which he picked up his first career fighting major. Coincidence?!

Of course it is. Probably. More likely, Datsyuk's injuries limited him to 56 games and one of his teammates snagged the majority of the votes for the Wings because he's old. But it's more fun to think that it's because he beat up Corey Perry.

Dallas Stars left wing Loui Eriksson, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the 2010-11 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy", the National Hockey League announced today. The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes on this award.

Who wins the Byng this season?

Why Loui Eriksson Deserves the Lady Byng

From the NHL:

Eriksson is a trophy finalist for the first time in his five-year NHL career. The 25-year-old Gothenburg, Sweden native played a strong two-way game for the Stars, leading the club in power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (six) and placing second in scoring with a career-high 73 points (27 goals, 46 assists) and in plus-minus with a +10 rating. He posted a nine-game assist streak from Dec. 28 to Jan. 15, tied for the longest in the League this season. Eriksson received just eight minutes in penalties, the fewest among the League's top 50 scorers and by any player appearing in at least 76 games.

We hate to destroy any deeply held beliefs about the Lady Byng voting that you may have had, but the bottom line is that Eriksson was the only dude on this page with penalty minutes in single digits. And that screams "sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct" to the voters, who aren't exactly going around to every player and official in the NHL to research this selection (although we did, naturally).

Why Nicklas Lidstrom Deserves the Lady Byng

From the NHL:

Lidstrom is a Lady Byng finalist for the first time in eight years and for the sixth time in his NHL career. He has never won the trophy, finishing second or third in the voting for five consecutive years from 1999 through 2003. Lidstrom enjoyed one of his most productive seasons, ranking second among NHL defensemen in scoring with 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists) in 82 games, highlighted by a career-best 11-game point streak. The Red Wings captain, who turns 41 on Apr. 28, assumed his usual heavy workload yet rarely saw the penalty box, receiving just 20 penalty minutes in a team-leading 1,924:25 of ice time.

It's as if the collective minds of the Professional Hockey Writers Association simultaneously came to the conclusion that (a) this incredible class act hasn't been a Byng nominee in eight years and (b) time's running out to get him one and (c) he's Nicklas [expletive] Lidstrom, and yes we shall note the irony in using a redacted profanity in an article about the Lady Byng.

Why Martin St. Louis Deserves the Lady Byng

From the NHL:

St. Louis joins Lidstrom as a six-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist, all in the past seven seasons; he captured the award for the first time in 2009-10 after finishing second from 2007 through 2009 and third in 2004. The 35-year-old wing surged late in the season, tallying points in each of his last nine games and in 15 of his final 17 to finish second in League scoring with 99 points (31 goals, 68 assists). He tied a franchise record for assists in a season and posted the second-highest point total in his 12-year NHL career. St. Louis was assessed just 12 minutes in penalties, matching his career low set last year.

Obviously, that career low in penalty minutes after winning the Byng last season was too much to ignore. And, evidently, the voters must have agreed that snarking about Linus Omark in the shootout wasn't a violation of the Lady Byng code.

Prediction

Loui Eriksson because, again, he had eight penalty minutes on the season.

Our Ballot

1. Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars
2. Marty St Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wing
4. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
5. Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks

No, seriously, what do we win if that's how it plays out?

Warning: If you are squeamish about seeing a disgraced hockey fan eating a worm on camera after losing a bet on a game-winning goal, you'll want to avoid hitting "play" here:

"Drizzt1" is a Colorado Avalanche fan living in Australia, one who frequents the official fan message boards on the Avs' website. On Nov. 6, 2010, the Avalanche were set to play the Dallas Stars when another user on those boards predicted that center Kevin Porter, who had yet to score a goal in the regular season, would have the game-winner that night.

Drizzt1 was skeptical, to a rather disturbing extent:

At 10:02 of the first period, Porter scored. The Avalanche won, 5-0. So, while not exactly dramatic, he had the game-winning goal. Uh-oh.

As the video showed, there was a thread and a poll on the boards urging Drizzt1 to pay up and to document it. Last Friday, he informed his fellow fans that yes, in fact, the deed was done:

"Firstly, it was disgusting. It fricken squirmed in my mouth. Secondly, again, I apologize because I was pretty drunk. Third, once it finished, I spewed."

Sounds about right. But let it never be said that Drizzt1 wiggles out of the bets his mouth makes. In fact, let it be said that his bets wiggle in his mouth.

Stick-tap to Jonathan Hord, via reader Nic Zamora.

There were 29 players in the NHL this season who scored at least 30 goals. Seventeen of them have played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Four of them have yet to score a goal: Steven Stamkos, Ryan Kesler, Jonathan Toews and Milan Lucic.

Three of those players have something else in common (with the acknowledgement that Kesler has seen a ton of ice time in a defensive role against Toews and Patrick Kane): They're trailing in their respective series, and in the case of Stamkos and Toews are facing elimination. Which brings us to Lucic.

He's gone 13 games overall without a goal, in a series against the Montreal Canadiens in which goals are at a premium. The Bruins have a spark of life heading into tonight's Game 4, despite their 2-1 deficit; but Days of Y'Orr feels it's time for Lucic to be heard from on the goal-scoring sheet:

Milan Lucic also needs to wake up. He looks slow and out of place all the time. Even when he has the scoring chances (like the wide open chance in Game 3 where if he lifted the puck over Price, it was a goal) he's whiffed. It's an ugly sight for sure and I know it's beginning to irk Bruins fans. The guy is a 30 goal scorer and has had 2 quality scoring chances off the top of my head. Montreal isn't giving Looch the space he needs and he can't handle it. He doesn't create his own opportunities anymore or maybe he never did to begin with.

Is Coach Claude Julien worried about Lucic's goal-scoring? Via ESPN Boston, his answer:

"Players support each other and so do we as coaches, and Luch has been a good player for us all year and he's going to continue to be a good player for us," Julien said.

"There's a lot of good things he's doing. Is there a possibility for him to do a little bit more? I think he scored 30 goals this year and you hope that at some point in this series he scores more. But even if he doesn't, if he's playing hard and he's playing his game, you can't criticize him for that. I think from what I saw last game, he was a better player than in the first two so it kind of coincides with what I talked about with our team."

You hate to be cliché about it, but this series really does come down to who scores the first goal. If it's Montreal, it's a chance to dictate terms to the Bruins as they did in Games 1 and 2. If it's the Bruins, then it's another boost of confidence like in Game 3, and the chance for Tim Thomas to play with a lead.

For those keeping score at home, this equals this equals this:

That was Jarkko Ruutu of the Anaheim Ducks with a high hit on Martin Erat of the Nashville Predators, knocking him out of Game 4 and putting him out of Game 5 as well. Another view (via Tom Kindschi):

The NHL suspended Ruutu today for one game, as it previously did Chris Kunitz and Steve Downie for plays that were plenty more egregious than Ruutu's. From the NHL:

Anaheim Ducks forward Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended for one game for delivering a late hit to Nashville Predators forward Martin Erat in Game Four of their Western Conference quarterfinal last night, the National Hockey League announced today.

The incident occurred 4:00 into the second period and Ruutu was assessed a minor penalty for interference on the play. Ruutu's suspension will be served tomorrow night (April 22) when the Ducks host the Predators in Game Five of the series.

Looking at the play again, you think this is a (a) reputation-based suspension or (b) suspending to the injury or (c) a little of both? Or do you find this play to be as heinous as, say, a Chris Kuntiz elbow?

In case you ever wondered about the amount of bad blood between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens in their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series, defenseman Andrew Ference provided the photographic evidence in Game 4 on Thursday night.

Ference cut the Montreal lead to 3-2 at 9:59 of the second period, skated near the glass and gave this obscene gesture to the Montreal fans. The video:

Rule 75.5 of the NHL rulebook indicates this was grounds for a Game Misconduct Penalty:

Any player who uses obscene gestures on the ice or anywhere in the rink before, during or after the game. The Referee shall report the circumstances to the Commissioner of the League for further disciplinary action.

Should it choose to, the most the NHL could fine Ference is $2,500. Please recall the suspension of James Wisniewski, then of the New York Islanders, for two games in order to hit him with $79,268 in lost salary for his lewd gesture to Sean Avery earlier this season.

Who knows if the League will come down on Ference for this. On the one hand, it's a bawdy gesture at the fans in a visiting arena; on the other, it's hard to stomach the NHL playing Morality Police after it allowed Bruce Boudreau to drop more F-bombs than a season of Def Comedy Jam on "HBO 24/7".

During the "Road To The Winter Classic" on HBO, we were told, "Hey, that's what hockey sounds like"; well, this is what it looks like.

Photo via Sarah Connors and video by Felix L.

UPDATE: Andrew Ference claims this was a fist-pump malfunction. Or something like that.

In Game 5 of their Western Conference series, the Chicago Blackhawks curb-stomped the Vancouver Canucks for the second straight game, 5-0, to cut their series deficit to 3-2.

So what does it all mean?

1. The Canucks aren't going to be able to hide from the "choker" thing or the "can't beat the Blackhawks" thing, which will dominate the conversation until Game 6 on Sunday.

The quick start in the series quieted talk of the former; the significant roster changes for both teams since they last met toned down the latter. But the tactical and psycho-analysis of the Canucks is going to be intense and unrelenting for the next 72 hours.

From a tactical standpoint, the fixes are obvious. The Blackhawks have gotten in front of Luongo, with ease. They've been able to connect on home run passes the Canucks were denying them in Games 1-3.

From a psychological standpoint, every player in the room is going to have to answer for these blowouts and for their history of defeat to the Blackhawks.

Roberto Luongo's going to be the name on everyone's lips.

2. Was this loss Luongo's fault? Two great snipes from Marian Hossa. Duncan Keith's goal that went through a Troy Brouwer screen, whom the Canucks defense couldn't budge. Patrick Kane's was through a Jonathan Toews screen, who stood in front of Luongo untouched.

If you get the sense we're not here to crucify Luongo, you're correct. He was a problem, but he wasn't the problem. Which is a hard argument to make for a goalie with a .667 save percentage in Game 5 and who has given up 10 goals in his last two starts, getting pulled in both of them. But we just made it.

Luongo's going to get skewered, roasted, dissected like a frog in biology class because he's never been past Round 2 and is suddenly looking like a goalie who won't even see the second round this season.

Would you throw Cory Schneider between the pipes at United Center for Game 6? No. You throw Luongo in there again and demand that the team in front of him protect their boy better than they have in the last 120 minutes. But you have the hook ready if the Blackhawks pounce again.

And if history holds, they will pounce again.

3. The Blackhawks have a rule of three against Vancouver. In 2009, the Blackhawks won Games 3-6 by a combined score of 13-8.

In 2010, the Blackhawks won Games 2-4 by a combined score of 16-8.

In 2011, they've won Games 4 and 5 by a combined score of 12-2. If history holds, we're going to seven games.

4. Why Dave Bolland went crazy: At 13:49 of the second period, the Blackhawks' Bolland took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a stick-smashing tantrum at his own bench. If you're wondering why that happened, it happened because of this:

That's Dan Hamhuis hitting Bolland up high, in Bolland's second game back from a concussion that kept him out since March 9. Of course, Hamhuis has had concussions of his own, which makes this kind of play so frustrating from a "when will these guys learn?" perspective. Not a suspension-level hit; more like a 2-minute minor for boarding. But still, you can understand Bolland's anger.

5. The Canucks big guns are misfiring. Daniel Sedin, Hernik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Mikael Samuelsson and Alex Burrows have combined for 1 goal, 1 assist and a minus-16 in their last two games. If the Blackhawks can continue that frustration of the Canucks' heart and soul players, we may actually see a second team overcome a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But we still think the Canucks take this series.

No. 1 Star: Michael Ryder, Boston Bruins

His first goal in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens was critical: Matching the first goal of the game by Brent Sopel, just over 2 minutes into the second period. His second goal was the most important of the game and the series for Boston: Converting a Chris Kelly pass into the game-winning goal 1:59 into overtime, as the former Canadien gave the Bruins a 5-4 win over the Habs.

No. 2 Star: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks defenseman had a 4-point night, helping the Stanley Cup champs to a 5-0 embarrassment of the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5 to cut their deficit to 3-2. He assisted on Marian Hossa's goal at 6:18 of the first, scored one of his own 24 seconds later and assisted on Patrick Kane's first of the playoffs on the power play 5:59 after that. He scored his fourth of the playoffs to cap the scoring in the second period.

No. 3 Star: Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks

Clowe had some help in his impressive 2-goal night for the Sharks, who defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 6-3, in Game 4 of their series for a 3-1 lead. His goal 3:58 into the second period bounced off two Kings defensemen and into the net. His second goal was the product of hard work in front of Jonathan Quick (21 saves) on the power play, giving the Sharks a 3-0 lead just 5 minutes and 30 seconds into the game. He now has four goals on the postseason.

Honorable mention: Michael Cammalleri had a goal and two assists for Montreal, while P.K. Subban scored his first of the playoffs. … Chris Kelly had a goal and two assists. … Marian Hossa had two goals. … Cory Crawford had 36 saves for his first playoff shutout for Chicago. He also picked up his second assist of the postseason. … Joe Pavelski put the game away with the Sharks' fifth goal, scored just 54 seconds after Joe Thornton's first of the playoffs. … Antti Niemi made 35 saves.

Did you know? Henri Richard brought out the Canadiens' torch to begin the pregame presentation.

Dishonorable mention: Roberto Luongo was pulled after 21:15, having given up four goals on 12 shots. … The Canucks were 0-for-4 on the power play. … Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez were both minus-3. … Keith Ballard was a scratch for Vancouver. … Andrew Ference denies he gave an obscene gesture to the fans in Montreal.

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks; 2. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 3. Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals; 4. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 5. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 6. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators; 8. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres; 9. Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks; 10. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks.

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is Drew from the Detroit Red Wings blog Nightmare on Helm Street, fondly recalling the Phoenix Coyotes.)

By Drew, Nightmare on Helm Street

Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here to mourn the Phoenix Coyotes.

Normally, we would be mourning only a team from a specific year - but this time, we may actually be mourning the franchise itself.  It wouldn't be the first time that this franchise in particular skated its last game against the mighty Winged Wheel in the postseason.  But this day feels quite a bit different compared to that fateful day in April of 1996.

You could almost feel the pain, the angst, the disappointment.  A die hard hockey fan base watching its team get bounced from the playoffs.  We, as Red Wings fans almost felt bad to do it.

I'm talking, of course, about beating the Winnipeg Jets at home in the playoffs.

Beating the Phoenix Coyotes this year was like laying the smack down against your little sister in a game of hoops.

Sure, the 'Yotes took Detroit to seven games last season -- but we've all had that one game against the sibling where they made it closer than it should have been … mostly due to you taking it lightly and her hitting some lucky shots.  You knew it, she knew it.  And you had to hear about it from your old man until the weekend after, when you absolutely obliterated her in front of your parents, grandparents, and any neighbor that would be willing to watch or at least slow down as they drove by.

The latter scenario was this year -- the son (the Red Wings) wanting to show the old man that he was the alpha male … and would be coming for the throne soon enough.

And that father figure watching down as we beat the ever loving crap out of his baby girl? Yeah, that's Gary Bettman in this case.

And the fact that the Commissioner wants Phoenix to be successful so desperately, is about the one thing that makes this series satisfying for the Detroit Red Wings.  So your little pet project has had 15 years to cultivate in Glendale -- it ain't gonna happen, Gary.

I suppose Bettman, in his infinite wisdom, would like to tell us that moving into 29th place in attendance this year -- as opposed to last year when they were dead last -- is progress.  But nobody is buying it.

And that fan apathy is what makes it so hard to hate on Phoenix.  If the word came down today that the Coyotes franchise was moving back to Winnipeg (where it belongs), the 30 people that showed up for the "Save the Coyotes" rally would be really upset -- but the rest of Phoenix would go back to their stucco mansions and outdoor malls (that spray you with water so you don't get heat stroke) and think nothing else of it.

Phoenix is all about trying to distract you from the fact that you're in an inhospitable desert -- which is why it's a little puzzling that some of the transplants don't look for shelter inside a nice, cool ice arena.

So if you can't hate the fans (or lack thereof), I suppose you can hate the players.

Shane Doan was just as big of a bug eyed hack job as ever. His bull in the china shop antics may have impressed the national media coverage teams, but this season will go down as yet another year of mediocrity.  Sixty points in a regular season is impressive … if you're a 40-year-old Swedish defenseman.

Oh wait, Nick Lidstrom had 62 points this season? Sorry, Shane.

Ilya Bryzgalov, the one hope that Phoenix had, laid a nice big egg.  Everyone knows that when you play Detroit, you better bring your 'A' game.  He didn't. Series over.  That 0.921 save percentage and sub-2.50 GAA in the regular season doesn't amount to much when you let in goals from the corner when your season is on the line.

Ed Jovanovski was still trying exert himself as a prickish physical defenseman -- too bad his Boniva just doesn't seem to be doing those bones justice anymore and his one tangible contribution to the series is going all "crime boss" on Darren Helm after a clean check was called a penalty.

So that hit was a penalty but Shane Doan smashing Johan Franzen's face wasn't?  Yeah, OK.

"Jovo Cop" took the rest of the game off, while Franzenstein took his time in the quiet room and came back to play with his face being held together by nuts and bolts.

What else can I say about the 2010-2011 Phoenix Coyotes?  They now have their hopes pinned on Keith Yandle getting a nomination for the Norris Trophy, just for proof (aside from Wikipedia) that they even played a season this year.   Who would have thought that a plain vanilla ice hockey team in a desert was NOT the recipe for success?

The 'Yotes end the season with another banner-less season.  In fact, I think the only banner hanging in Jobbing.Com Arena is for indoor lacrosse (or something like that).

I wish I could say more. I really do. But this series was over so quickly, we Red Wings fans barely had the time to start fashioning our tin foil into our famous hats.

So I hope that the Phoenix Coyotes enjoy their nice LONG hot summer in Arizona, because next winter might be a little colder than they've become accustomed to...

...I hear it gets that way in Winnipeg.

Read more from Drew on Nightmare on Helm Street,

The series between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres looks different than when the teams last played in Philly. It's louder. It's nastier. It's more controversial. Hell, they're writing Danny Briere/Elton John parody songs on Buffalo. Now that's nasty.

What hasn't changed: That the series is deadlocked, now at 2-2 heading into Game 5 Friday night.

Jeff Carter is likely out for Game 5, the result of a collision with Tyler Myers in which Carter's knee hit Myers' ankle (/height joke). Please recall last postseason when Carter was injured in Game 4 of the first round against the Devils, everyone thought the Flyers could be in trouble, and then he rejoined the team in the conference finals.

Chris Pronger, out since March 8 with a hand injury, is a maybe for Game 5. He could return in a limited role, but the weakness in his hand might prevent him from being an effective player on the power play, where the Flyers (2 for 21 in the series) really miss him.

From Frank Seravalli of Frequent Flyers:

Make no mistake: Pronger is not going to be firing rockets from the blue line if he returns at any point in this series with the Sabres. His low powered shots on net this week have looked more like muffins than missiles. However, Pronger can now make a strong enough first outlet pass out of the Flyers' zone. And while he has not been able to test how his fractured right hand will react with physical contact from opponents, especially opponents that know it's the right hand and not the left, Pronger is one of the savviest skaters in the NHL.

He knows exactly when to push an injury. And with his team now tied, Friday night's Game 5 may be the first time to do that since undergoing surgery on March 15 for an injury that happened on Feb. 26 against the Islanders.

With the series taking on a nasty, physical tone, would there be a better time for a little bit of Pronger?

(UPDATE: For what it's worth, Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly, a well-connected guy, is reporting Pronger won't play in Game 5.)

If the war of words had a first shot, it may have gone to Mike Richards of the Flyers, who claimed the Sabres were getting "away with murder" during Game 4. This prompted Sabres goalie Ryan Miller to say, via Comcast SportsNet:

"Murder, huh? He's just trying to start spinning something," Miller said. "He's a smart guy. He's been around a while. He's been through a lot of these battles. He obviously knows some of the attention needs to be drawn to something.

"I think he's just trying to draw attention away from himself. That elbow is something we're trying to stay away from, and he threw it, not matter who's coming at him.  I know it's Patty Kaleta and he's got a reputation, but Patty hadn't hit him yet. So we don't even know what Patty was going to do. He got an elbow in the face. I think it's a big smokescreen. Mike's trying to throw everybody off his tail."

And Lindy Ruff famously said his piece on WGR on Thursday morning:

"I just feel that they're doing a lot of whining," Ruff said. "They're really doing a lot of whining. I didn't hear any whining when they had 10 power plays in Philly and I don't hear any whining when the power plays in the first game were lopsided. But all of a sudden there's all this whining about we're getting away with murder? That's a bunch of crap. That's for the media, that's for the officials to read, that's for 'Here, let's get the next call.' That's a bunch of crap. Let's just play.

"We're just playing," Ruff said. "There hasn't been one word about officiating out of us. If they want to cry about the officiating or whine about different calls, go ahead. Go ahead."

Are the Sabres in the Flyers' heads? A little. Kaleta did the kind of pest-work you'd usually expect from someone on orange and black — which is less a comment on legality and more about his ability to change the tone of the game. From Ryan Bright:

Like Barnaby did with the Sabres in the mid-to-late '90's, Kaleta is playing the villain perfectly in the first-round series against the Flyers.

"He's an agitator and tries to get under our team's skin," said Scott Hartnell. "He's a one-dimensional player. He skates pretty fast and hits hard. You can't worry about it.

"We have a game to win tomorrow and that's what it's about."

The physical play has been uneven: The Sabres are the aggressor, and Mike Richards told the Inquirer that the Flyers have to match that against Buffalo's best:

"We plan to be physical as usual," Richards said. "I think we got away from hitting the players we need to key on and not worry about the other players as much. They've got some skilled players who can make plays, and if we allow them to go off the ice without being hit, they're obviously going to create a lot. Players like [Tim] Connolly and [Thomas] Vanek, and Myers, we have to try to get a body on them as much as possible to slow them down."

Then there's the extracurricular stuff, like after the whistle. The kind of thing that drives Kimmo Timonen to do this:

Said the veteran defenseman to ESPN:

"There's some things happen after whistle, like you said, I don't usually get mad, but once things get out of control and there's hitting behind, hitting to the hands, hitting after the whistle to your calves. Those are things I can't take it and sometimes you get emotional about it. But that's again yesterday, and I'm focused on tomorrow."

Friday is Game 5. It's a critical one for the Flyers, who need to break through against Ryan Miller, as the Buffalo goalie was locked-in during Game 4. It's a critical one for the Sabres, as they've got the momentum and are dominating the conversation right now.

The Flyers have to steal it back.

And really, if you need a thief, would there be a better time for a little bit of Pronger?