Hockey Today
No games scheduled. Eastern Conference finals begin on Thursday.
MIXED EMOTIONS
When Philadelphia meets cross-state rival Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference finals, it will be a homecoming for Flyers forward R.J. Umberger. Umberger, who was raised in Plum Borough, Pa., a small suburb about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh, rooted for his hometown Penguins as a kid. But his boyhood dream of leading Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup has been replaced by the professional goal of taking the Flyers to their first title since 1975. Umberger leads Philadelphia with nine goals in the postseason, including a team-record eight for a five-game series against Montreal.
LONGER LASTING
Dallas beat San Jose 2-1 in the eighth-longest game in NHL history Sunday night. The victory ended the second-round series in six games, earning the Stars a spot in the Western Conference finals against Detroit. Dallas has been involved in five of the 18 longest games in NHL history, more than any other club. All have come since 1999, the year the Stars won their lone Stanley Cup title - in triple overtime, of course. Dallas is 4-2 in Stanley Cup playoff games that have gone past two overtimes.
SIGNED
Florida signed center Kamil Kreps and right wing Wade Belak to two-year contracts on Monday. Kreps played in 76 games as a rookie this season, finishing with eight goals and 17 assists while Belak, acquired in a trade with Toronto, played in the Panthers' final 17 games. Florida also signed defenseman Luke Beaverson of Alaska-Anchorage, drafted in the seventh round in 2004. ... Chicago agreed to terms with Finnish goalie Antti Niemi. Considered one of the top European goalies, the 24-year-old Niemi went 26-6-14 with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 49 games last season with SM-Liiga of the Finnish Elite League.
SPEAKING
``The playoffs are always intense but it throws a little spice into it when it's Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It doesn't get any easier.'' - Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby on the upcoming Eastern Conference finals series between the Penguins and the Flyers.