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2011 Playoffs: Bruins and Coyotes fight to stay relevant; Four Game 3’s overall tonight

Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins - Game Two

in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 16, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Elsa

Sunday represented the first Game 3’s of the 2011 playoffs, contests that are the first great pivot of any seven-game series. The league’s parity was on decent display, as the Vancouver Canucks rank as the only team with a 3-0 series lead so far. Can two other teams put their opponents on the brink of elimination? Which two teams will break 1-1 ties? We’ll have our answers tonight.

As always, start times are according to Eastern Standard Time (ET).

Philadelphia @ Buffalo - 7 p.m. (Versus); Series tied 1-1

The Flyers are the headline-makers in this series, even with the home ice shifting to Buffalo. Philly must try to earn a one-game lead without Chris Pronger and with Brian Boucher in net. What does that mean? They’ll likely need to win another high-scoring game against the Sabres, but you never know with the NHL playoffs.

Then again, scoring several goals against Ryan Miller two games in a row isn’t the safest bet.

Boston @ Montreal - 7:30 p.m.; Canadiens lead series 2-0

If Zdeno Chara ends up playing tonight, surely Habs fans will oblige the dehydrated giant. Unfortunately, that would come in the form of spit and maybe beer thrown from the stands, so Chara should probably stick to water and Gatorade on the bench.

The burning question of this game really is: will Carey Price continue to outshine likely Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas? If he does, there might be some people out there who feel the need to file the Bruins under the “chokers” category ...

Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay - 7:30 p.m.; Series tied at 1-1

Am I the only person who finds this series a little bit lacking in personality (or at least “sizzle”)? The Penguins managed to grind out a Game 1 shutout while the Lightning basically put Game 2 away in the first period. Chances are, if this one’s going to get interesting, it’ll start to move in that direction tonight.

Bolts fans should certainly be jazzed up since this is their first home playoff game since 2007 ...

Detroit @ Phoenix - 10:30 p.m. (Versus); Red Wings lead series 2-0

The Red Wings took care of business at home, but the Coyotes can carry a kernel or two of confidence into what could be their final games in Arizona. The team is holding a logical white-out tonight to show that the people in the stands aren’t there as Detroit transplants. With their crowd behind them, can the ‘Yotes make things interesting?