SCOREBOARD
Friday, April 27
N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo (7 p.m. EDT). The Sabres handed the Rangers their first postseason loss with a 5-2 win in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.
STAR
Thursday
-Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks, made 34 saves to lead San Jose to a 2-0 victory over Detroit.
STREAKING
Ottawa won its fourth straight playoff game, holding off New Jersey 5-4 on Thursday night to take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
TIGER SHARK
Evgeni Nabokov made 34 saves to lead San Jose to a 2-0 victory over Detroit on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The shutout was his first this postseason and the fifth of his career in the playoffs. Nabokov was tied for second in the NHL with seven during the regular season.
BREAKDOWN
Ottawa scored four times in the first period of its 5-4 win over New Jersey on Thursday night. The only other time Martin Brodeur gave up four goals in a period in the playoffs was April 28, 2001, in the third period of a 6-5 overtime win over Toronto.
COLD SNAP
New Jersey Devils captain Patrik Elias missed Thursday’s 5-4 loss to Ottawa because of a lingering cold. He is expected to play in Game 2 on Saturday. Elias, who had 21 goals and 48 assists this season, developed a cold over the weekend and missed practices Tuesday and Wednesday.
SPEAKING
“I think they were kind of watching us play. We were doing all the right things and we were all over them. We were scoring on basically every shot.” – Ottawa defenseman Joe Corvo after the Senators scored four goals in the first period of their 5-4 win over New Jersey on Thursday night. Corvo, Jason Spezza, Dean McAmmond and Dany Heatley all scored in the period, and the Senators took Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.