Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Playoffs tonight: Bruins and Red Wings look to finish things in Game 5

Chicago Blackhawks v Detroit Red Wings - Game Four

DETROIT, MI - MAY 23: Brendan Smith #2 of the Detroit Red Wings battles battles in front of the net against Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena on May 23, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Getty Images

A pair of Game 5s take place tonight and we could see a pair of teams move on to the Conference finals should they earn victories tonight. Will Chicago and New York live to fight another day or will Boston and Detroit march onward?

We’ll find out tonight. Here come your previews:

Boston Bruins host New York Rangers (5:30 p.m. ET NBCSN/Live Extra)
Boston leads series 3-1

The Bruins tried to sweep out the Rangers as best they could in Game 4, but overtime heroics finally arrived for New York in the form of former Boston College star Chris Kreider. Now the Rangers will look to put a real scare into the Bruins and their faithful by extending the series for another day.

If there’s reason for the Rangers to breathe easier it’s that they finally found something working on their power play and scored once with the man advantage in Game 4. It was just one goal but for how miserable they’ve been on the power play, maybe getting one goal was what they needed to get right.

Big question for the Bruins tonight will be: How does Tuukka Rask bounce back? He wasn’t all that hot in Game 4 and it showed as the Rangers got a big jump out of being gifted their first goal of the game thanks to Rask falling down. He’ll need to lock it down tonight to help the B’s get back to the Conference finals and give Boston fans some time to relax a bit.

Chicago Blackhawks host Detroit Red Wings (8 p.m. ET NBC/Live Extra)
Detroit leads series 3-1

This is a spot the Chicago Blackhawks likely didn’t expect to be in this early in the playoffs but now we’ll find out what they’re made of. They’re down 3-1 to their hated rivals and now face the prospect of possibly being eliminated from the postseason on their own ice by them in the fifth game of the series.

That doesn’t sound right at all for everything this Chicago team has done, yet here we are. Who needs to step up for the ‘Hawks? Take your pick. Captain Jonathan Toews had a meltdown in Game 4’s 2-0 loss picking up three penalties and leading Chicago media to call him out for it. Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have been similarly quiet as well and defenseman Brent Seabrook has seen his ice time cut way back thanks to performance.

If Chicago’s going to get back in this they have to find a way to shake up Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings goalie has been other-worldly in this series including his Game 4 shutout, the first time the Blackhawks were held without a goal in a game this season. Even when Detroit’s improved defense has faltered, Howard’s bailed them out in often spectacular ways.

If Chicago goes down without a fight tonight, expect there to be a lot of hard questions and big regrets coming all summer for the Presidents’ Trophy winners.