Alfredsson made news following Game 4 on Wednesday night when he replied with “probably not” after being asked whether or not he thought the Senators could come back and win after being down 3-1 with a 7-3 Game 4 loss. Alfredsson did say, however, that he wasn’t ready to give up on the team. He reiterated that  Thursday, just a few hours after making the postgame comments.

“There’s no denying we’re in tough,” Alfredsson said, according to NHL.com’s Arpon Basu via Twitter. “Was it taken out of context? Probably, but that’s fine. I can handle that.”

The Senators will play Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Friday night where they will try to stave off elimination.

MacLean did not take questions from the assembled media after the game, instead issuing one quick statement before walking away from the podium in a news conference that lasted all of 20 seconds.

“I think everything’s right here,” MacLean said, pointing to the game notes. “It’s 7-3. See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh, and we’re coming to play. Have a good night.”

Boom.

Check it out for yourself in the video below.

The rout gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, raising the question of whether or not the Sens have a chance to come back against a high-flying Penguins squad led by the NHL’s best player, Sidney Crosby.

Ottawa’s captain isn’t too optimistic.

“Probably not,” Daniel Alfredsson said when asked if his team can come back to win the series, according to NHL.com’s Erin Nicks. “They have too much depth.”

Alfredsson, who tallied a goal and an assist in 15:47 of ice time Wednesday night, said his team will not give up the fight but acknowledged that his team has struggled to gain any momentum in the series.

“We don’t have much going for us right now,” he reportedly said. “Maybe that’s the way we like it.”

The Senators have been outscored 16-9 over the four games, with their lone win coming in double-overtime in Game 3. They will attempt to stave off elimination Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Greening may actually have a keepsake from his memorable goal that’s a little bit different than just a stick or a puck. If the Sens have good doctors, Greening may have a couple pieces of fiberglass to commemorate the goal. Greening took a high-stick to the face earlier in the game that left him with pieces of fiberglass in his face on his left cheek.

According to reports, Greening had the bigger pieces of the fiberglass from the stick removed after the second period, but that didn’t get all of the fragments. Greening had to get more work done after the game to have the smaller pieces fished out, a procedure that actually delayed him in meeting with the media after the game-winner.

The doctors took the big pieces of fibreglass out of Colin Greening's cheek in the second period, and the small pieces after the game.

—
Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 20, 2013

Greening on why he was late to meet the media: "The doctors were just taking some fiberglass out of my face."

—
Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 20, 2013

See a photo of Greening after the game in the photo below.

Photo via Twitter/@GoldAndOrSmith

The Penguins were on the winning end of one of the three blowouts on the evening, thrashing Evgeni Nabokov and the Islanders to take a 3-2 lead in their opening-round series. After a scoreless first period, Sidney Crosby provided the exclamation point on a three-goal second, splitting two Isles defensemen before beating Nabokov blocker-side.

Check out Crosby’s beauty in the video below.

C’mon, Nabby

Crosby’s score was nifty, but the Penguins didn’t need Grade A shots to beat Nabokov on Thursday.

The Isles netminder allowed four goals before being yanked in the third period, and none were worse than this one off the stick of Pittsburgh’s Douglas Murray. Murray’s shot from the point was on a trajectory to hit Nabokov right in the chest, but it nicked off the top of the goalie’s glove, knucklepucked over his head and somehow ended up in the back of the net. It was just that kind of night for the veteran goalie.

It also helped that Penguins backup Tomas Vokoun played out of his mind, pitching a shutout with 32 saves in his first playoff game in six years and prompting the hashtag #vokounamatata to trend on Twitter in the U.S.

Check out the Nabokov’s gift-wrapped tally in GIF form below. (h/t Eye on Hockey)

Au revoir, Montreal

The Canadiens were also forced to go to their backup goalie after losing Carey Price for the series in Game 4, and Peter Budaj was much more Nabokov than Vokoun on Thursday.

Budaj surrendered six goals to a Senators offense that ranked 27th in the NHL in the regular season, allowing seventh-seeded Ottawa to clinch the series and putting the so-called “Pesky Sens” in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2007. The Senators celebrated accordingly on Twitter after the game.

What a feeling ! Doh doh doh doh doh! Nuff said! #lalala

—
Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) May 10, 2013

Never stop believing, #peskysens

—
Daniel Alfredsson (@DAlfredsson11) May 10, 2013

Heck of a win for the boys to finish the first round! @CraigAnderson41 was in beastmode again tonight, and @ECondra was on fire! #peskysens

—
Kyle Turris (@kyleturris) May 10, 2013

And yes, the cheesecake last night gave @ECondra a little something extra to aim at on that 3rd goal... #bigbootypoppin

—
Kyle Turris (@kyleturris) May 10, 2013

Budaj found himself out of position on several occasions in Game 5, clearing the way for a number of easy goals, including this one off the stick of Cory Conacher.

Wildin’ out

A few hours after Ottawa’s series-clinching win, the Blackhawks finished off the determined but short-staffed Wild in five games, as well. After keeping up with Chicago through four games despite missing its starting goaltender — and at times its backup goalie — the Wild imploded in Game 5, with Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper combining to allow five goals in a 5-1 rout.

In other words, there was a whole lot of this going on at the United Center.

The New York Rangers, the Stanley Cup favorite in the preseason, are fighting for survival. The second-seeded Montreal Canadiens are on the ropes, and the current East favorite according to the NHL oddsmakers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, are in a dogfight with the inexperienced, eighth-seeded New York Islanders. So much for everything going according to plan.

Let’s take a mid-round look at the East and assess who’s looked good and who’s looked shaky:

Who’s Looked Good: The Ottawa Senators

Battered, bruised and beaten up, the Senators were supposed to be a playoff weakling. After all, they are still without star forward Jason Spezza and have been using a makeshift roster almost the entire season while battling injuries.

However, the Sens continue to be a scrappy bunch. There’s no “soft”’ in this team (see Game 3), and there’s no quit (see Game 4). Maybe they’ve been underestimated just a tad.

Who’s Hasn’t Looked Good: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins might have one of the most talented rosters ever assembled, but they appear to have one significant weak link: goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Although he’s led the team to the Cup before and has performed like an All-Star many times throughout his career, he is far from that form right now.

Fleury has been benched for Game 5, and that’s because he’s allowed 14 goals in the last three games. The Pens might be talented, but they won’t go far without a reliable man between the pipes. Tomas Vokoun, you’re up.

Who’s Played As Expected: James Reimer

James Reimer was perceived to be the weakest of the eight starting playoff goaltenders in the East, and he hasn’t disappointed. While the Toronto Maple Leafs have been feisty, Reimer’s performance has hampered the team. He’s given up 12 goals in the team’s three losses, and that simply isn’t good enough. The Leafs will likely have to find an upgrade in net during the offseason.

Who’s Flying Under the Radar: Boston Bruins

Not many people want to give credit, but the Bruins have taken care of business in their first-round series with Toronto. The series isn’t over yet, but the Bruins have played relatively well — at least better than how they ended the season — and they seem to be gaining confidence by the day.

The Bruins’ offense was their downfall in April, when they averaged just 2.43 goals per game, but they’ve scored 14 goals in four games against Toronto while flashing their depth up front.

It might be looking too far ahead, but with the Pens struggling, the Canadiens on the ropes, and the Rangers and Capitals duking it out, the Bruins could find themselves in great shape after Round 1.

This post is presented by Bovada.

The Ottawa tabloid raised some eyebrows following Game 1 when it ran a cover that read “First Blood Sens” with a picture of Montreal forward Lars Eller laying in a pool of blood following a hit from Eric Gryba. The Sun was back at it Tuesday in advance of Game 4. This time, they’re going at the Habs as a whole with a headline reading “Boot Those Habs” depicting a boot about to stomp on a Canadiens jersey. Clever.

However, the Sun didn’t stop there. In addition to the cover, the paper also ran a “Top 10 reasons why we HATE Montreal” story. Naturally, Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban takes up two spots on the list.

See the Ottawa Sun cover below.

Image via Newseum

Therrien was more than willing to run his mouth following the wild Game 3 between Montreal and Ottawa on Sunday night, when he called a late Senators timeout in a 6-1 Ottawa win “classless.” The Montreal bench boss was at it again Monday when meeting with the media.

This time around, however, Therrien was lobbying for calls, especially in regards to two of his young stars. Therrien said that both forward Brendan Gallagher and defenseman P.K. Subban were being targeted by the Senators and it was going uncalled.

Of course, Subban had no problem being seen in Game 3. When it was all said and done, he was given seven penalties totaling 25 minutes, including an early exit following a fight with Kyle Turris in the third period. Subban was seen pounding on Turris even as Turris lay on the ice with a linesman in between the two. Gallagher was also involved in the fisticuffs, as he went after Cory Conacher in the third period, basically forcing Conacher into a fight.

Apparently Therrien must feel those penalties and fights were all done in retaliation, as he repeatedly mentioned during his media availability Monday.

Here are some tweets from those on the scene.

Therrien believes Brendan Gallagher was "being abused" by the Senators in Game 3.

—
Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 06, 2013

#Habs coach Michel Therrien feels Gallagher and Subban are taking a lot of abuse from #Sens that isn't being called.

—
Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 06, 2013

Therrien felt Brendan Gallagher was targeted. He mentioned that several times. #Sens

—
Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) May 06, 2013

The Ottawa rookie had himself a night in Game 3, as he scored a hat trick in the Sens’ 6-1 rout of the Habs. Pageau had his first memorable moment early on, though, when he scored his first career playoff goal in the second period.

Pageau had himself an odd souvenir in the seconds after beating Montreal goalie Carey Price for the goal. He took a high-stick from Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban before the shot, and Subban’s stick actually knocked out one of Pageau’s teeth. The forward, instead of properly celebrating his first career playoff tally, was seen searching frantically for his tooth on the ice after scoring.

Pageau eventually found the tooth, skated toward the bench and handed the tooth to backup goalie Robin Lehner who took care of it from there. This all comes after goalies Carey Price and Craig Anderson both lost teeth in the series as well.

See it all in the video below.

The NHL is not expected to hand out any supplementary discipline following the wild events of Game 3 of the Senators-Canadiens series which saw 53 penalties totaling 236 penalty minutes handed out. In fact, there aren’t even any scheduled hearings, according to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada.

A line brawl midway through the period highlighted a crazy third period in which things spiraled out of control to the point that both teams had limited benches to finish the game. The final period also had its share of questionable plays in addition to the brawl.

This elbow from Montreal’s Rene Bourque to the head of Cory Conacher is one of the plays that many thought would be in question.

The department of player safety has already intervened once in this series, as Ottawa’s Eric Gryba was suspended for his hit on Lars Eller in Game 1 of the series.

The Sens and the Habs locked horns in a wild affair that the Sens ended up winning 6-1. The game unraveled quickly for Montreal midway through the third, when things got really out of hand. When it was all said and done, the two teams combined for 53 penalties totaling 236 penalty minutes. In the third period alone, the two teams combined for 40 penalties and 210 PIMs.

The high point of that came at 7:04 of the third period after Ottawa had just scored to make it 4-1. With the game out of reach, and frustrations mounting, Montreal’s Ryan White took a two-handed slash to the legs of Zack Smith. From there, all hell broke lose. The two teams engaged in a wild line brawl that left sticks and gloves all over the ice.

See the brawl below.

The Penguins star, who skated with a softball-style facemask Friday night after missing 13 games with a broken jaw, wasted no time getting his name back on the scoresheet. Crosby scored twice in the first eight minutes of Game 2 as Pittsburgh built an early 3-1 lead on the Islanders.

After smoking the Isles 5-0 in Game 1 of the teams’ first-round series, the Penguins seemed well on their way to a second blowout in three days.

Check out Crosby’s two tallies in the video below.

Isles make a statement

Alternate captain Kyle Okposo made sure the No. 8 seed did not go quietly, though, as the Islanders winger gave his team a much-needed jolt in the second period.

After Pittsburgh’s Matt Niskanen laid out Matt Moulson with an open-ice hit, Okposo went after him, and the two dropped the gloves in a spirited bout. Niskanen ended up getting the better of Okposo in the end, but the tilt energized the Islanders, who went on to score three unanswered goals — all on favorable bounces off the back boards — to even the series at 1-1.

Okposo himself notched the game-winner when his shot missed the mark but rebounded off the back of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury‘s pads and into the net.

“We know that we didn’t play the way we needed to,” Crosby said after the game. “I don’t think we feel like we did enough to deserve that one.”

Check out the fight that turned the tide in the video below.

Toothless wonder

With all the drama surrounding the Senators-Canadiens series, it wasn’t particularly surprising that someone lost a tooth during Game 2 on Friday. Most didn’t expect that player to be Montreal goalie Carey Price, though.

With the Habs leading 2-0 early in the second period, Price got accidentally run over by his own teammate, with Jarred Tinordi‘s skate catching him right in the face. The netminder remained down in his crease for a few moments before skating over to the Montreal bench — to deliver the dislodged tooth to one of the team trainers.

Price’s smile may have taken a hit, but his play in net did not. The Canadiens, who were missing the services of Max Pacioretty, Brian Gionta and Lars Eller, rode a strong performance by their goalie to a 3-1 win that knotted the series.

Montreal’s first goal was a bit of a gift, as Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson‘s pass in front of his own net was intercepted by Ryan White for an easy goal. The All-Star didn’t deny his mistake, and he owned up to it on Twitter after the game.

Giveaway? Yes, it happens. I am who i am and will never change that. Peace.

—
Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) May 04, 2013

Gryba was suspended two games for his hit during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday that bloodied Monteal’s Lars Eller and sent the Canadiens forward to the hospital. Gryba was assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for the hit, which took place during the second period of the Senators’ 4-2 win.

It has been debated whether Gryba deserved a suspension for the blow, since Eller had control of puck at the time and the Senators defenseman did not launch himself or hit with an extended elbow. NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan agreed that Gryba’s intentions were not malicious, but he determined that Gryba had illegally targeted Eller’s head.

Tensions have boiled on both sides following the hit, with Ottawa coach Paul McLean placing blame for the injury on a dangerous pass by Raphael Diaz (or “number 61″). Montreal’s Brandon Prust responded with the best zinger of the postseason, calling McLean a “bug-eyed fat walrus.” The squads won’t have to wait long to settle their differences on the ice, as Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night.

See the NHL’s full reasoning behind the suspension in the video below.

A little more than 12 hours after Ottawa’s Eric Gryba delivered a nasty-looking check to Montreal’s Lars Eller that left Eller in a pool of his own blood on the ice, things are continuing to heat up.

After Game 1, Ottawa coach Paul MacLean criticized Montreal defenseman Raphael Diaz for the pass that put Eller in a vulnerable position, saying that Eller should be upset at Diaz for putting him int that position.

“[If I'm Eller], I’m really mad at player 61, whoever he is, because he passed me the puck in the middle of the rink when I wasn’t looking,” MacLean told the media after the game. “That’s always been a dangerous place as far as I know. Ever since I’ve been playing this game, that’s a dangerous place to be — bad things happen.

“I think it’s a hockey play that ended up going badly for Lars Eller.”

Montreal forward Brandon Prust was asked about that Friday. Check out the tweet below to see what he had to say.

Exact words by Prust on MacLean: We don't really care about what that bug eyed fat walrus has to say.

—
BrianWilde (@BWildeCTV) May 03, 2013

The Montreal forward was hit by Ottawa’s Eric Gryba in Game 1 of a first-round series between the Canadiens and Senators that sent Eller crashing to the ice. Eller was initially motionless on the ice with blood pouring out of his face. That blood pooled as the medical staff quickly jumped onto the ice to tend to Eller.

The Ottawa tabloid, the Ottawa Sun, decided to use a photo of Eller laying on the ice on its front cover of Friday’s paper. See what the cover looks like below.

Photo via Newseum

Center Lars Eller suffered a concussion and facial fractures after taking a big hit from Ottawa defenseman Eric Gryba in the second period of the Senators’ 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their playoff series Thursday night.

Eller, who was taken off on a stretcher with a pool of blood on the ice, was spending the night in a hospital, the team said.

The hit came as Eller took a pass up the middle from Montreal defenseman Raphael Diaz.

“It’s tough seeing a guy laying in a heap with blood coming out,” Canadiens center Ryan White said. “You never want to see that.”

Gryba was handed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct.

“I can’t make any comment,” Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. “We all saw the hit. I’m sure the league is going to review it.”

While their coach remained tight-lipped, Canadiens players didn’t hide their feelings.

“I’m not sure where the contact was, but obviously it wasn’t a clean play. It’s something you’ve got to take out [of the game],” winger Rene Bourque said.

Replays showed Gryba making contact with Eller’s head and body almost simultaneously.

“For me it looked it like it was right to the head. The league will look at it and take care of it,” rookie Montreal winger Brendan Gallagher said. “It’s tough to see your teammate down, tough to see him hurt. You just want to pick him up the best you can.”

Gryba said he saw the replay and maintained that the hit was clean.

“I stepped up to make a hit. I kept my shoulder down. He received the puck by the time I hit him,” the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Gryba said. “My elbow was down, and there was no intent to hurt him whatsoever, and I hope that he’s OK.

“I’m not out here to hurt anybody, and it’s never good seeing anything like that. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.”

Senators coach Paul MacLean stood by Gryba on the play, instead putting the onus on Diaz.

“[If I'm Eller], I’m really mad at player 61, whoever he is, because he passed me the puck in the middle of the rink when I wasn’t looking,” MacLean said. “That’s always been a dangerous place as far as I know. Ever since I’ve been playing this game, that’s a dangerous place to be — bad things happen.

“I think it’s a hockey play that ended up going badly for Lars Eller.”

Eller had eight goals and 22 assists for the Canadiens in the regular season.

Diaz, making his NHL playoff debut, was left rattled by the hit but said he didn’t see Gryba coming toward Eller.

“Of course you don’t want to make passes like that. I just saw that [Eller] was open,” Diaz said. “If I see the guy coming, I never would do that pass. It’s not fun when you see your teammate like that.”

Game 2 of the series goes Friday night at the Bell Centre.

Click here to see video of the hit >>

Final, Senators 4-2: That does it. The Bruins fall 4-2, and they’ll get the Maple Leafs in the first round.

Third period, 19:24, Senators 4-2: So it will be Toronto.

Kyle Turris just put the game away with an empty-net goal, and the Senators look like they’ll get the win, meaning Montreal wins the Northeast and the Bruins will take on Toronto in the first round.

Third period, 16:26, Senators 3-2: The Senators have been dominated for much of the period, yet they find themselves in the lead late in the third.

Ottawa withstood the charge from the B’s, and they now hold the lead. This time it’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau scoring to put Ottawa back in front, as they lead 3-2.

Third period, 14:02, 2-2: The Bruins continue to pour pucks into the Ottawa zone and on net, but they haven’t been able to get anything by Robin Lehner since the Dennis Seidenberg goal.

Ottawa has just two shots here in the third period, with the Bruins picking up their defensive intensity, spear-headed by solid showings from Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara, who are getting better as the playoffs near.

Third period, 11:28, 2-2: This game is still tied 2-2, and that’s thanks in large part to Tuukka Rask. I mentioned that he would need to stand on his head here in the third, and he just did that in a big way.

Rask made the save of the night when he denied Erik Condra on a breakaway attempt.

Third period, 6:32, 2-2: The Bruins have gotten a noticeable lift here in the third period, as one might expect following that Dennis Seidenberg goal.

Gregory Campbell just had tremendous scoring opportunity with a shot in the slot, but Robin Lehner turned it away with a left pad save.

That fourth line has been good again in this one getting in on the forecheck. That trio has combined to put five shots on net and they’re getting some good run even into the third.

Third period, 0:14, 2-2: Well, that certainly did not take long.

The Bruins waste no time tying it up here in the third period. Dennis Seidenberg rips one by Robin Lehner from the right point to tie things at 2-2.

Third period, 0:01, Senators 2-1: The third period, presumably the final period of the regular season, is underway.

Second period reaction: For much of the second period it looked like the Bruins were about ready to pack it in and just get ready for first-round matchup with Toronto.

However, Rich Peverley scored the late power-play goal with just a few seconds to play, and this is a game again. More importantly, perhaps, the Bruins could get a big boost from this. The goal woke up what was, really, a dormant crowd. They’re fired up as evidenced by the roaring “Let’s go Bruins” chants that rained down as the B’s went to the dressing room as the period ended.

The B’s really need Tuukka Rask to stand on his head here in the third period. I honestly don’t like the chances of the Bruins scoring more than two goals in the third, so it’s imperative that Rask keeps the Senators where they are.

By the way, this would be a great time for that Patrice Bergeron line to break out. They have just three goals between the three of them in the last six games, and one of those was an empty-net goal from Brad Marchand.

End second period, Senators 2-1: The second period comes to an end, and once again, the period ends with some pushing and shoving and that fun stuff. It doesn’t look like there will be any penalties from this scrum, though.

Second period, 19:56, Senators 2-1: It looked like the Bruins were destined to see the power play expire without any success. So much for that idea.

Rich Peverley just injected a whole bunch of life into this building by scoring a power-play goal to cut the lead to one. Wade Redden did a great job of taking the hit along the boards when carrying the puck into the zone before passing it to Peverley who beat Robin Lehner five-hole with just seconds to play in the period.

Second period, 18:00, Senators 2-0: The Bruins started the period on the penalty kill, and they may end it on the power play.

Cory Conacher was just called for holding, which gives the B’s the man-advantage with 2:00 to play in the second.

Second period, 16:30, Senators 2-0: The Bruins just had arguably their best chance of the night. Milan Lucic and Kaspars Daugavins got free on a 2-on-1, and Lucic decided to shoot. He put it right in Robin Lehner’s midsection, and that’s that.

Second period, 16:09, Senators 2-0: Slowly but surely, this is turning into a very disappointing evening for the Bruins.

They don’t look to have the same jump they had during the first period, and they’re looking very “blah” once again here in the second.

If this keeps up, the Bruins will be headed for a first-round matchup with the Maple Leafs.

Second period, 10:33, Senators 2-0: Well, the Bruins are up against it at this point.

Jared Cowen just blasted one by Tuukka Rask from the point, and the Senators take the 2-0 lead midway through this game.

Second period, 9:55, Senators 1-0: The Bruins, bottled up in their own zone for a while, just iced the puck, and that led to Claude Julien using his timeout.

Second period, 7:36, Senators 1-0: The Bruins are starting to tilt the ice some, but they have nothing to show for it.

Robin Lehner has done a very nice job so far, and he just made arguably his best save of the evening. Lehner gloved a big slap shot from the right point off the stick of Johnny Boychuk. The B’s actually had traffic in front on that as well, with Carl Soderberg moving to the front of the net on the shot.

Tyler Seguin also had a scoring chance in front of the net to Lehner’s right, but Seguin couldn’t quite control the puck before skating by the net, cutting off his angle on net.

Second period, 2:20,  Second period, 2:08, Senators 1-0: So Brad Marchand’s penalty doesn’t come back to haunt the Bruins, as they kill off the Ottawa power play to begin the second period.

Second period, 0:01, Senators 1-0: The second period is underway.

First period reaction: On the whole, that wasn’t a terrible first period for the Bruins, but it wasn’t great, either.

The Bruins did outshoot the Senators 13-9, but the Sens lead where it matters, and that’s on the scoreboard. Tuukka Rask’s lone mistake of the first period did come back to bite him, when he couldn’t control a rebound that led to a relatively easy goal for Erik Condra. The same issue plagued Rask on Saturday night in Washington where a juicy rebound led to the game-winner for Eric Fehr.

The Bruins are definitely trying to get physical, though. They registered 11 hits in the first period, with a pair of them coming from Milan Lucic. The big winger has got his nasty back, and he’s trying to hit anything that moves right now. That includes Chris Neil, who Lucic fought late in the first period. Lucic and Neil are no stranger to each other, and this was another exciting fight between the two.

On the other side of the physical game, Brad Marchand just took what might have been a costly penalty at the end of the period. Marchand recklessly slashed Erik Karlsson, and the B’s winger earned himself a slashing penalty for the act. That power play will go into effect when the second period begins, and Ottawa will have two minutes on fresh ice. The good news for the Bruins, though, is that their penalty kill looked good in the first, while the Sens’ power play looked abysmal. So the Bruins have that going for them.

Once again, the Bruins need to get something going offensively. They’ve gotten some good scoring chances in the first, but they still need to do a better job of going to the net and getting in on the forecheck. It’s simple, but it’s been shown to work, and that’s what they need right now.

End first period, Senators 1-0: The second period comes to an end, but not without some physicality.

Brad Marchand drew a crowd behind the Ottawa net after the Bruins winger slashed Erik Karlsson as the buzzer sounded. Marchand was called for the slash, which means he’ll be in the box for two minutes when the second period begins.

First period, 18:36, Senators 1-0: Milan Lucic, the physical version of the Bruins winger, is back in a big way.

Lucic just dropped the gloves with Chris Neil in what was one of the best fights we’ve seen all year. The two traded a bunch of punches before finally running out of steam.

First period, 16:59, Senators 1-0: The Senators haven’t had much of anything at all in the first period, yet they’re the first on the board.

Tuukka Rask made a save on a chance from Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but the Bruins goalie couldn’t corral the rebound. That allowed Erik Condra to sweep in and bang home the second chance to give Ottawa the 1-0 lead.

First period, 14:46, 0-0: It would be really good for the Bruins if they could get the Patrice Bergeron line clicking like it was a month ago as they get set to enter the playoffs.

That line just created a scoring chance at the end of a lengthy shift, and it was Bergeron who was able to gain control of the puck just long enough in front of the Ottawa net to pass it back to the slot for a streaking Tyler Seguin. The forward blasted a shot from the right slot, but he put it right in Robin Lehner’s chest.

First period, 10:21, 0-0: Kaspars Daugavins is trying to make the most out of his opportunities when he’s in the lineup, and he almost turned that into a goal. Daugavins’ backhanded attempt was turned away by Robin Lehner.

First period, 10:00, 0-0: The Bruins’ penalty kill, which had some issues against a very good power play in the Capitals on Saturday night, looked very good on their first chance to kill one off in this one.

Then again, the Sens didn’t really help themselves. However, the Bruins did do a good job of clearing the puck when they had the chance not letting Ottawa sustain much of anything on the power play.

First period, 7:25, 0-0: Now it’s going to be the Senators’ turn to go on the power play.

Carl Soderberg got his stick caught in a skate in the Ottawa zone, and the Bruins forward was called for tripping.

First period, 5:30, 0-0: The Bruins could not do anything with their first power play of the night. They were only able to get one shot on goal with the man-advantage, which resulted in an easy save for Robin Lehner.

First period, 2:53, 0-0: The Bruins will get the game’s first power play. Patrick Wiercioch was just called for hooking, and the Bruins are going on the man-advantage.

First period, 0:01, 0-0: The game is underway in the regular-season finale here at the Garden.

7:05 p.m: The Bruins just got done passing out their regular-season awards.

Patrice Bergeron won the Eddie Shore Award (exceptional hustle and determination) as well as the Elizabeth Dufresne Torphy (outstanding performance during home games, voted by Boston media).

Tuukka Rask, Bergeron and Tyler Seguin won the First, Second and Third Star awards respectively.

6:56 p.m.: As mentioned earlier, this could be a preview of the first-round playoff series. If it is, history favors the Bruins, but barely. This is the fifth game between the two teams. The Bruins have won all four of those, and all of those have been by one goal, with one coming in the shootout and another coming in overtime.

So while the B’s have held the obvious edge in terms of wins and losses, every game has been very competitive.

6:43 p.m.: The Bruins’ lineup looks to be the same, at least in terms of players in the lineup, but the line combinations look to be a little different.

Here’s what the B’s went with in pregame skate, with Kaspars Daugavins skating up with Milan Lucic and David Krejci as the notable change.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Kaspars Daugavins
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Carl Soderberg — Chris Kelly — Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

We obviously won’t know for sure until things get underway here at the Garden, though.

6:33 p.m.: Tuukka Rask leads the Bruins out, meaning he’ll get his second start in as many nights. Robin Lehner, not Craig Anderson, will be in net for the Senators.

6:25 p.m.: One more time — until after the game that is — let’s take a look at the playoff scenarios.

If the Bruins win in regulation, they will win the Northeast Division and they will be the No. 2 seed. They would play the New York Islanders.

If the Bruins win in overtime or a shotout, the B’s will also win the Northeast Division (duh), and they will get the No. 2 seed, but they would play the Senators who would pick up a point in the losing effort.

If the Bruins lose — in regulation or overtime — the Canadiens win the division and the Bruins drop to the No. 4 seed. They would then play the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The more you know. Get all of the scenarios right here.

6:15 p.m.: Claude Julien just wrapped up his pregame media availability, and he revealed that Jaromir Jagr will miss this game. Jagr missed Saturday’s game as well with the flu, according to the club.

Nathan Horton remains out with an upper-body injury.

Here are the lines the B’s went with Saturday and will apparently go with once again in this one with the division title at stake.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Carl Soderberg — Chris Kelly — Kaspars Daugavins
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

6:05 p.m.: Good evening and welcome to TD Garden for the Bruins’ regular-season finale. Seems like just yesterday we were here for Bruins-Rangers on Jan. 19 for the season opener.

As I type, the Zamboni making its rounds around the TD Garden ice, a sheet that may be a little chippy for this one. The Celtics just finished up their game a little more than two hours ago, so the Bull Gang has been hard at work trying to get everything ready changing the basketball court over to the ice. All in all, a tremendous job done by everyone involved. But the weather is warm, and they just opened up the ice, so it may be a little soft.

8 a.m. ET: It all comes down to Sunday night for the Bruins and a handful of other Eastern Conference teams, as the B’s take on the Ottawa Senators in a rescheduled game.

The B’s and Sens were supposed to square off on April 15, but that was postponed due to the horrific events at the Boston Marathon. Now the two teams must play on the “new” final day of the season, the second of a back-to-back for both teams. The Bruins coughed up another third-period lead Saturday night in Washington, dropping an overtime decision to the Capitals. The Senators, meanwhile, fell to the Flyers in Ottawa.

The B’s ability to pick up a point against the Caps puts them in position to win the Northeast Division title with a win on Sunday. The Bruins need a win to wrap up the title, though, as an overtime loss won’t be enough to hold off the Canadiens who finished the season Saturday night. You can see all of the Eastern Conference first-round scenarios by clicking here.

While winning the division crown would be nice, the Bruins need a strong showing Sunday just to get going in the right direction headed into the playoffs. They were actually pretty good for two periods Saturday night, but the penalty kill fell apart in the third period, as the Bruins gave up two goals in the third before giving up another power-play tally in overtime.

Puck drop from the Garden is slated for 7 p.m. Sunday night.

For the first time since 2007, there will be playoff hockey at the Nassau Coliseum this spring.

After finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division last year, the Islanders clinched a playoff spot last week and currently have a hold on the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with two games to play. The Isles are young and talented up front — John Tavares ranks third in the NHL with 27 goals — and surprisingly sturdy in net, with veteran Evgeni Nabokov boasting modest stats but winning a conference-best 23 games.

Let’s just hope they leave those hideous black sweaters on the shelf come playoff time.

Andy Brickley thinks these inexperienced Islanders were the team that benefited most from this lockout-shortened, 48-game season. To see what Jack Edwards and Billy Jaffe have to say about that, check out the video above.

Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean told reporters following Thursday’s morning skate that Karlsson will indeed be in the lineup Thursday night when the Sens take on the Washington Capitals.

Karlsson suffered the injury on Feb. 13 when Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke cut Karlsson’s leg with a skate going for a check in the corner. The play sliced Karlsson’s Achilles, and it appeared to have ended his season. However, with the Senators in position to make the playoffs, the reigning Norris Trophy winner was able to work himself back into shape and was skating and practicing recently. He took morning skate Thursday, and led the team in its post-practice stretch.

As one might imagine, Karlsson is pretty excited about being back, too.

[ tweet https://twitter.com/ErikKarlsson65/statuses/327453050857988096 align='center']

The Bruins are headed to the postseason, but who they meet there is anybody’s guess at the moment.

With teams still scrambling for the final few tickets to the playoff dance, not to mention the Bruins and Canadiens (and maybe even the Maple Leafs) fighting for the Northeast division, the final postseason picture is a big jumble heading into the final few games.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette looked on Twitter to see what fans are saying about who the Bruins might play in the first round. See who they’re worried about and looking forward to in the video above.

Join NESN Nation: In-game home page | Twitter | Facebook