Day 4 had every winning team taking what seems to be a commanding lead in the series.
Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: New York wins 1-0 (2-0 series lead)
Suddenly the Rangers look like the powerhouse they were last year. Lundqvist shut out Ovechkin, and the Rangers held on to an early first period goal, killed off the league's 2nd best power play several times in the third period, and took a 2-0 lead before the series transitions to New York.
The biggest story was Washington inserting rookie Varlamov instead of Theodore at net. Either the Caps have lost faith in their goalie (not surprising after Thursday's effort), or they wanted to send a message to their team. Either way, it improved their defense dramatically. Varlamov did well for his playoff debut. He didn't allow any rebounds, and smothered the puck every chance he got. At the same time, it slowed the pace of the game down, which was perfect for the Rangers. There were several instances where he could've dropped the puck off to his defenseman, but instead elected to hold on to have the faceoff in his zone, a huge disadvantage for a team trying to come from a 1 goal deficit. Either way, the Rangers are in prime position to upset, and if Washington is going to win it'll probably take a 7 game series effort.
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Boston wins 5-1 (2-0 series lead)
The Boston came out in the exact same fashion in game 1, and this time held on to their 2 goal lead. The Canadiens wanted to up the ante with physical play, but instead it left their young goaltender Carey Price all alone to take on the strong offense of the Bruins. Montreal has no answers for any aspect of the Bruins game, and although it is likely that they can steal a win at home, Boston looks like they'll be the first team to sweep.
Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Detroit wins 4-0 (2-0 series lead)
It looks like Rick Nash's franchise's first playoff appearance will be very short. Chris Osgood has solidified his claim that he has the ability to carry his team in the playoffs, and the Blue Jackets cannot stop the high-powered Red Wing offense. The Red Wings can score with any line in any situation, and they controled the offensive flow of the game the entire game. It is doubtful that home ice will save the Blue Jackets from further humiliation.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Calgary Flames: Chicago wins 3-2 (2-0 series lead)
In similar fashion to Game 1, Chicago came back from a deficit to win 3-2. Calgary had a 2-0 lead at the end of the first after a dominating period. Then, the first ilne of Chicago woke up. The Flames had no answer for Toews, Kane, and Sharp, while the heralded Jokinen was once again rendered useless by the Chicago defense. Kiprusoff is having problems smothering pucks, dropping juicy rebounds in front of Chicago forwards. It looks like the Blackhawk strategy of crashing the net is working effectively, and if the Flames can't rely on Kiprusoff, who can they turn to?
The physical game is picking up throughout the playoffs, but it is having mixed effects on the outcome of the game. Montreal's strategy seemed to simply motivate Boston to play harder and Columbus took a boatload of penalties as a result of their rough play. Yet Washington/New York and Chicago/Calgary had plenty of hits and cross-checks, and it didn't really change anything for either team. The key players underachieving through 2 games: Olli Jokinen of the Flames and Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals. If they wake up, their respective teams can easily climb back into the series. If they continue to be smothered by defenses, their teams are likely to be swept. I'd include Rick Nash, but if you're being double-teamed all day (with one of the guys named Nicklas Lidstrom), you're probably not going to have a very good day on the score sheet.
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