And because the playoffs are coming up, a cameo from … Sportsgal!

Montreal 4, Boston 5 (OT): Montreal, needing only one point to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, scored 4 goals in the 2nd period but allowed Boston to tie the game in the 3rd on the power play. The Canadiens have recently had to deal with many injuries, but were boosted by the surprising return of Mathieu Schneider. Defenseman Schneider was reported to be out for the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury. The Habs got two goals from the normally mundane winger Matt D’Agostini ( he’s -15 for the season). NHL journey man Mark Recchi had two goals and two assists for the Bruins. With 76 penalty minutes in this game, be on the lookout for a playoff rematch if Montreal ends up with the 8th seed.

Philadelphia 1, NY Rangers 2: The Rangers had the best start of the season in the NHL, but have been clawing and scraping their way through the past month’s worth of games. All they needed was a win to secure a playoff spot. The Rangers scored two goals in the first period, a lead that held up through the rest of the game. Chris Drury had two assists and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 37 shots. Be on the lookout this weekend to see who takes the 8th seed in this conference as Boston also has some bad blood with the Rangers (specifically Sean Avery).

Nashville 4, Detroit 3 (OT): Nashville was in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive. Down by two in the third period with less than 6 minutes to play, Nashville scored two goals (including a power play goal by J.P. Dumont at the 19 minute mark) to tie the game and send it to overtime. Nashville had a power play opportunity with 30 seconds left in the OT but was unable to convert, sending the game to penalty shots. Ville Koistinen answered Jiri Hudler’s goal, Nashville’s giant goalie Pekke Rinne (6′5, 210lbs) made a great save on Dan Cleary’s shot, and recently returned Preds captain Jason Arnott was able to put one past Osgood for the win. Nashville is now tied with the Blues for the 8th spot in the playoffs with only one game remaining.

Los Angeles 0, Vancouver 1: Vancouver is in an interesting race with both the Flames and the Blackhawks for playoff position. They needed two points to stay in the race for the division title with Calgary. Luongo made 20 saves and the Canucks scored on the power play in the second period to get the win. Vancouver is now two points over idle Calgary (who will face a home and home matchup with rival Edmonton starting tomorrow). The Flames have the advantage on the tie breaker (number of over all wins) and will need a win to regain the division. The Blackhawks need one point to lock up the 4th seed and home ice for the first round, and they will face a home and home series with the Red Wings beginning Saturday.