3 Stars - @ Jets (Game 3)

Score: 7-3 (W)
Shots: 39-21
Goalie: Elliott (18/21)
Scorers: Parise (3), Clutterbuck, Boychuk, Nash, Couture
PP: 1/3
PK: 3/3

ZACH PARISE
3 goals
3 points
4 shots
+3

RICK NASH
1 goal
3 assists
4 points
+3
PPG

LOGAN COUTURE
1 goal
1 assist
2 points
5 shots
7-2 passing
GWG

3 Stars - vs. Jets (Game 2)

Score: 5-2 (W)
Shots: 44-31
Goalie: Elliott (29/31)
Scorers: Couture (3), Clutterbuck, Pronger
PP: 0/4
PK: 3/4

LOGAN COUTURE
3 goals
3 points
6 shots
+5
GWG

CHRIS PRONGER
1 goal
3 assists
4 points
4 shots
+3
17-1 passing

CAL CLUTTERBUCK
1 goal
1 assist
2 points
3 shots
+3
3 hits
10-2 passing

3 Stars - vs. Jets (Game 1)

Score: 1-2 (L)
Shots: 40-28
Goalie: Elliott (26/28)
Scorers: Sharp
PP: 0/3
PK: 1/1

PATRICK SHARP
1 goal
1 point
5 shots
+1
9-1 passing

DAVID BACKES
1 assist
1 point
+1
11-6 FO
3 hits
13-2 passing

BRIAN ELLIOTT
26 Saves
.929 Sv%

Playoff Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) vs. (8)

Season matchup: 4-0-0 BOS
@ Bos 5-3 Bruins
@ Wpg 5-2 Bruins
@ Bos 5-3 Bruins
@ Wpg 5-2 Bruins

Comment: The Bruins finished with 134 points to Winnipeg's 75. The league-run Jets are true underdogs for this one, not having won a single game in the regular season series.

Goalie matchup: Brian Elliott (Bos) vs. Craig Anderson (Wpg)

Elliott 56 GP, 1.85 GAA and a .932 Sv%

Anderson 70 GP, 2.98 GAA and a .908 Sv%

Comment: A clear edge to Elliott who was solid all season long. Anderson will have to play at his very best and steal a couple of games for his club.

(2) vs. (7)

Season matchup: 1-1-2 TIED
@ Fla 3-3 Tie
@ Nyi 4-2 Islanders
@ Nyi 3-3 Tie
@ Fla 3-1 Panthers

Comment: A very even matchup, even though Florida had 114 points to the Islanders 78. But that doesn't mean a whole lot when it comes to the playoffs.

Goalie matchup: Corey Schneider (Fla) vs. Cam Ward (Nyi)

Schneider 50 GP, 1.98 GAA and a .932 Sv%

Ward 69 GP, 3.07 and a .905 Sv%

Comment: If the series comes down to goaltending, Schneider will probably be victorious as he enjoyed a very good regular season and ranked among the best in GAA and Sv%.

(3) vs. (6)

Season matchup: 3-2-1 PIT
@ Phi 3-2 OT Flyers
@ Pit 3-2 Penguins
@ Pit 3-3 Tie
@ Pit 5-1 Penguins
@ Phi 4-3 OT Penguins
@ Phi 6-2 Flyers

Comment: Only two games weren't close, but neither was won by the same club. This should be a close series between two rivals. The Penguins had 97 points to the Flyers' 81, which sounds a lot, but this can really go either way.

Goalie matchup: Jonas Hiller (Pit) vs. Mike Smith (Phi)

Hiller 71 GP, 2.37 GAA and a .902 Sv%

Smith 70 GP, 2.80 GAA and a .918 Sv%

Comment: If there's something the Flyers can rely on, it's Mike Smith. He can very well be the deciding factor in this series. Hiller needs to step up for the Penguins and play well.

(4) vs. (5)

Season matchup: 4-2-0 MTL
@ Buf 4-2 Canadiens
@ Mtl 2-1 Sabres
@ Buf 4-3 Canadiens
@ Mtl 4-2 Canadiens
@ Buf 3-1 Canadiens
@ Mtl 4-1 Sabres

Comment: Montreal had a terrific season and ended up with 113 points to Buffalo's 85. But the season series was a pretty close affair. Buffalo were able to win two games in Montreal, but on the other hand, Montreal won all three in Buffalo...

Goalie matchup: Jimmy Howard (Mtl) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (Buf)

Howard 70 GP, 2.56 GAA and a .904 Sv%

Fleury 70 GP, 2.43 GAA and a .907 Sv%

Comment: A bit of a surprise to see the stats for Himmy Howard. On such a good team, you'd think he'd have better stats. But he's got a better chance than Fleury to put up top numbers in the playoffs, so watch out.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) vs. (8)

Season matcup: 5-0-1 SJS
@ Dal 3-2 Sharks
@ Sjs 2-1 Sharks
@ Dal 3-2 Sharks
@ Sjs 3-2 OT Sharks
@ Dal 3-3 Tie
@ Sjs 3-1 Sharks

Comment: Even though San Jose dominated the series with five wins and no losses, all six games were close and pretty low scoring affairs. Dallas will have a tough time, but they should at least feel they've got a chance to make a series out of it. The Sharks had an impressive 123 points to Dallas' 85.

Goalie matchup: Henrik Lundqvist (Sjs) vs. Pekka Rinne (Dal)

Lundqvist 65 GP, 1.87 GAA and a .935 Sv%

Rinne 73 GP, 2.77 GAA and a .914 Sv%

Comment: There's no question this will be a goalie battle that will have to be won by Rinne in order for the Stars to have a slight chance at an upset. But Lundqvist was probably the best goalie in the regular season (best Sv%) so this feels like his series.

(2) vs. (7)

Season matchup: 3-0-1 CBJ
@ Col 7-1 Blue Jackets
@ Col 5-5 Tie
@ Cbj 7-6 OT Blue Jackets
@ Cbj 6-2 Blue Jackets

Comment: High scoring affairs and we can expect the same in the playoffs. Both teams have a lot of fire-power with Colorado having the #1 (Eberle), #2 (Lupul) and #5 (Krejci) point producers in the regular season. Looks as if Columbus should have an edge after their impressive offensive output in the four games between the clubs. The Blue Jackets had 109 points to Colorado's 94.

Goalie matchup: Curtis Sanford (Cbj) vs. Semyon Varlamov (Col)

Sanford 30 GP, 1.83 GAA and a .924 Sv%

Varlamov 70 GP, 3.67 GAA and a .886 Sv%

Comment: Well, a pretty loopsided matchup it would seem. Sanford had impressive numbers, although he was limited to just 30 games. Varlamov on the other hand will have to do a whole lot better as his numbers were just terrible, not just in the season series, but during the whole season.

(3) vs. (6)

Season matchup: 3-1-0 CGY
@ Nas 3-2 Predators
@ Cgy 6-3 Flames
@ Nas 3-2 Flames
@ Cgy 4-2 Flames

Comment: This could be a pretty close affair as Calgary had 106 points to Nashville's 98, which isn't a whole lot of a difference. With the Flames winning the last three games of the season series, they should feel comfortable heading into this series. But the Predators might be in a good spot to cause an upset.

Goalie matchup: Evgeni Nabokov (Cgy) vs. Jonathan Quick (Nas)

Nabokov 50 GP, 2.82 GAA and a .916 Sv%

Quick 71 GP, 2.35 GAA and a .923 Sv%

Comment: It's pretty easy to figure out that if Quick can (and should) outplay Nabokov, this could turn out to be a winnable series for the Predators. But the Flames have been able to find a way past Quick during the regular season so it'll be interesting to see if it continues or if Quick steps up in the playoffs.

(4) vs. (5)

Season matchup: 3-1-0 VAN
@ Stl 4-0 Blues
@ Van 5-2 Canucks
@ Stl 5-2 Canucks
@ Van 6-2 Canucks

Comment: Well, well, this should be very interesting. Who's the favorite and who's the underdog in this one? The Blues edged the Canucks in points with 101 to 98, but that's close. The more interesting part is probably the season series which went in favor of the Canucks. But this one can really go either way and is a perfect example of a #4 vs. #5 battle.

Goalie matchup: Mikka Kiprusoff (Stl) vs. Tim Thomas (Van)

Kiprusoff 70 GP, 2.65 GAA and a .910 Sv%

Thomas 70 GP, 2.82 GAA and a .912 Sv%

Comment: A very even matchup here as well looking at the stats from the regular season. With neither goalie having a visible edge over his counterpart, this battle should be as interesting as the rest of the series. No way one could pick a winner...

End of Regular Season Report

The Bruins enjoyed a terrific regular season in which they finished 1st overall in the league, taking home the President's Trophy. Most of the team was put together during last season and the off-season, but some key aquisitions were made during the season, including Brian Elliott (from Washington), Dennis Seidenberg (from Dallas) and Patrick Sharp (from Ottawa at the trade deadline).

Here's a look at some interesting stats after 82 games.

TEAM STATS:

Overall record (W-L-T):
63-11-8 (1st overall)
33-5-3 (1st overall midseason)

Goals for:
312 (4th)
165 (2nd midseason)

Goals against:
143 (1st)
78 (2nd midseason)

Power Play:
16.1% (15th)
17.0% (12th midseason)

Penalty Killing:
89.9% (2nd)
87.2% (8th midseason)

PLAYER STATS:

Most points:
David Backes, 99 (9th overall)
David Backes, 58 (5th overall midseason)

Most goals:
Patrick Sharp, 49 (9th, also with Ottawa)
Zach Parise, 25 (tied 7th midseason)

Most assists:
David Backes, 60
David Backes, 37 (6th midseason)

Most points (d'men):
Michael Del Zotto, 49
Michael Del Zotto, 24 (midseason)

Most goals (d'men):
Michael Del Zotto, 12
Michael Del Zotto, 8 (midseason)

Most assists (d'men):
Michael Del Zotto, 37
Michael Del Zotto, 16 (midseason)

Best +/- rating:
Patrice Bergeron, +66 (1st)
Ryan Callahan, +40 (1st midseason)

Best +/- rating (d'men):
Dennis Seidenberg, +49 (also with Dallas)
Stephane Robidas, +26 (midseason)

Best faceoff%:
Patrice Bergeron, 64.9% (tied 6th)
Patrice Bergeron, 65.3% (tied 4th midseason)

Best corner battle %:
Ryan Callahan, 62.6% (4th)
Ryan Callahan, 61.3% (9th midseason)

Most shots:
Rick Nash, 367 (8th)
Rick Nash, 187 (tied 6th midseason)

Most hits:
Ryan Callahan, 255 (3rd)
Ryan Callahan, 130 (3rd midseason)

Most PIM:
David Backes, 130
David Backes, 67 (midseason)

Most blocked shots:
Dennis Seidenberg, 38 (also with Dallas)
Dennis Seidenberg, 23 (midseason, also with Dallas)

Most PPG:
David Backes, 11
Zach Parise & Ryan Callahan, 5 (midseason)

Most SHG:
Patrice Bergeron & Patrick Sharp (also with Dallas), 3
Patrice Bergeron, 3 (tied 4th midseason)

Most GWG:
Patrick Sharp, 10 (4th, also with Dallas)
Patrice Bergeron & Logan Couture, 5 (midseason)

Best shooting%:
Cal Clutterbuck, 16.7%
Michael Del Zotto & Tim Brent, 20.0% (midseason)

Best passing% (forwards):
Zach Parise, 83.3%
Zach Parise, 82.2% (midseason)

Best passing% (d'men):
Michael Del Zotto, 84.9%
Michael Del Zotto, 85.1% (midseason)

Average icetime leader:
Patrick Sharp, 23.0 (also with Ottawa)
Stephane Robidas, 24.2 (midseason)

Best GAA:
Brian Elliott, 1.85 (2nd, also with Washington) / Tuukka Rask, 1.67 (only 25 GP)
Tuukka Rask, 1.75 (1st midseason)

Best Sv%:
Brian Elliott, .932% (2nd, also with Washington) / Tuukka Rask, .927% (only 25 GP)
Tuukka Rask, .931% (2nd midseason)

3 STAR LEADERS: (full list here)

Overall:
1st:
Patrice Begeron, 104 points
Patrice Bergeron, 53 points (midseason)

2nd:
Ryan Callahan, 94
David Backes, 52 (midseason)

3rd:
David Backes, 83
Ryan Callahan & Zach Parise, 49 (midseason)

D'Man:
Chris Pronger, 21 (in just 20 GP)
Chris Pronger, 12 (in just 5 GP midseason)

Goalie:
Brian Elliott, 48
Tuukka Rask, 16 (midseason)

Most 1st star selections:
Patrice Bergeron, 13
Patrice Bergeron & David Backes, 7 (midseason)

Most 2nd star selections:
Zach Parise, 17
Zach Parise, 10 (midseason)

Most 3rd star selections:
Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Callahan, David Backes & Rick Nash, 9
Patrice Bergeron, 6 (midseason)

Most overall selections:
Patrice Bergeron, 32
Patrice Bergeron & Zach Parise, 17 (midseason)

3 Stars - @ Sabres

Score: 6-2 (W)
Shots: 45-18
Goalie: Elliott (16/18)
Scorers: Sharp (2), Nash, Callahan, Clutterbuck, Del Zotto
PP: 0/1
PK: 0/0

PATRICK SHARP
2 goals
2 points
6 shots
+3
11-3 passing
GWG

RICK NASH
1 goal
2 assists
3 points
7 shots
+3

JEFF HALPERN
3 assists
3 points
6 shots
+3
10-8 FO
6-2 passing