Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff SF's, May 1st

Wednesday 1st May 1968
East Division
Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs Game #6
It was May Day for two teams today as both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins faced elimination. The Eastern matchup had fireworks at the very start when Harper and Stemkowski dropped the gloves, but the game, like the series as a whole, had very few penalties.

Toronto took the lead through Pappin (2) on the powerplay but were then forced to change netminders when Gamble went down with an injury after stopping all six shots, allowing Bower to make his return after being lit up in game three.

It was 2-0 when Pulford (1) went in unobstructed late in the first period, then becoming 3-0 on Pappin's (3) second of the night as Keon picked up his second assist. Keon (5) had his favours returned by Pappin for a 4-0 lead in the third but Beliveau (9) spoiled the shutout with four minutes and change left to play.

Game seven will be in Montreal in two days time.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
MON	@	0	0	1		1
TOR		2	1	1		4

MON Worsley (7-5 .900 3.08) 31/35, Powerplay 0/0
TOR Gamble (1-2 .913 2.25) 6/6; Bower (6-2 .894 2.88) 13/14, Powerplay 1/3

Goalscorers:
1st Period
Fight MON Harper vs TOT Stemkowski 1:38
TOR PPG Pappin (2) Keon, M Pronovost 4:26
INJ TOR Gamble 12:20
TOR Pulford (1) unassisted 19:05
2nd Period
TOR Pappin (3) Keon, Horton 8:58
3rd Period
TOR Keon (5) Pappin 11:10
MON Beliveau (9) Rousseau, JC Tremblay 15:46

The best-of-seven series is tied 3-3

West Division
Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins Game #6
Bassen started his third straight game after helping to stave off elimination for games four and five, including a sixteen shot shutout in the most recent contest. In game six Bassen was left out to dry all too often by his defence as he was bombarded with thirty-six shots; twenty-seven of them coming in the first forty minutes.

Parent, keeping his place as he was not to blame for the shutout defeat of game five, stopped all ten shots in the opening frame, including a blinding save, and, along with his opposite number's twelve saves, kept the game scoreless after the first period.

The rink was sloped in favour of Philadelphia throughout the second period as they outshot the Pens 15-4 and making the breakthrough 7:58 into the frame when Miszuk (2) found the net. 1:06 later it was 2-0, Sutherland (8) piling on the pain of the home crowd.

A fight between Dornhoefer and Boivin failed to get Pittsburgh fired up and went into the final period down 3-0 when Selby (4) scored his third of the series. Hoekstra (4) tallied early in that last frame and, after one final fight when Dornhoefer dropped the gloves with MacNeil, the Philadelphia Flyers finish their state rivals at the third time of asking to become the first expansion team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PHI	@	0	3	1		4
PIT		0	0	0		0

PHI Parent (5-4 .911 2.56) 19/19, Powerplay 0/0
PIT Bassen (2-1 .909 2.33) 32/36, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
1st Period
No SCoring
2nd Period
PHI Miszuk (2) JC Watson, Selby 7:58
PHI Sutherland (8) Hoekstra, Rochefort 9:04
Fight PHI Dornhoefer vs PIT Boivin 11:23
PHI Selby (4) Dornhoefer, Angotti 17:26
3rd Period
PHI Hoekstra (4) Sutherland 4:07
Fight PHI Dornhoefer vs PIT MacNeil 9:16

Philadelphia Flyers win the best-of-seven series 4-2

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff SF's, April 29th 1968

Mon 29th April 1968
East Division
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens Game #5
After two periods there were just twenty-two shots and a single goal on the scoreboard as Cournoyer's (5) tally at 2:15 in the first period held out until 6:44 in the third where Ellis (8) scored his fifth goal of the series while the Leafs were shorthanded.

T Harris (3) restored Montreal's lead on that same powerplay and only an F Mahovlich (5) finish eighteen seconds from time prevented the Habs from taking a 3-2 series lead back to Toronto. WHile the Leafs spent the final frame of  regulation on the ascendancy with fourteen shots to Montreal's eight, it was the Canadiens who controlled OT with twelve shots against one. The relentless pressure finally broke Toronto and at 3:39 of the extra period G Tremblay (5) finished off what his brother started to get that series lead for a third time.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
TOR	@	0	0	2	0	2
MON		1	0	1	1	3

TOR Gamble (1-2 .908 3.00) 30/33, Powerplay 0/0
MON Worsley (7-4 .902 3.00) 21/23, Powerplay 1/3

Goalscorers:
1st Period
MON Cournoyer (5) Duff 2:15
2nd Period
No Scoring
3rd Period
TOR SHG Ellis (8) Stranley 6:44
MON PPG T Harris (3) Duff, Lamaire 7:02
TOR F Mahovlich (5) L Hillman, Walton 19:42
Overtime
MON G Tremblay (5) JC Tremblay 3:39

Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 3-2

West Division
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #5
While the Penguins stuck with game four winner Bassen in goal Philadelphia went back to Parent as they once again tried to close out the series. Eight shots a piece in the opening frame yielded no success as both netminders stood firm, but Ingarfield (2) carried on from his OT winner last time out by breaking the deadlock midway though the second period on the powerplay.

K McCreary (1) was then set up by MacNeil (2) with the latter scoring himself in the final period with Pittsburgh on their sixth man advantage as Bassen stops all sixteen shots that came his way, becoming the third goalie to keep a clean sheet in the playoffs and the second Pen to do so. The series heads back to Pittsburgh for game six where Philadelphia have a third chance to book their place in the finals.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PIT	@	0	2	1		3
PHI		0	0	0		0

PIT Bassen (2-0 .927 1.50) 16/16, Powerplay 2/6
PHI Parent (4-4 .903 2.88) 28/31, Powerplay 0/o

Goalscorers:
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
PIT PPG Ingarfield (2) Schinkel, Price 8:13
PIT K McCreary (1) MacNeil 13:24
3rd Period
PIT PPG MacNeil (2) Ingarfield, Fonteyne 14:52

Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 3-2

Player of the Game Hockey - 1967/68 NHL Playoff SF's, April 27th 1968

Saturday 27th April 1968
West Division
Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins Game #4
With both teams going to their alternate goalies game four was on a knife edge throughout and extra time was needed in order to find a winner. The home fans' joy at taking an early lead through Ubriaco (3) was short lived as J Johnson (1) tied the game for the Flyers 1:07 later.

Pittsburgh regained the lead again early in the next period when Stratton (5) scored his third of the series, but again Philadelphia tied the game, this time Selby (3) on the powerplay. The third period was were a lot of nerves were frayed after the Flyers took the lead just two minutes into the third period, LaForge (4) getting on the board for the first time in the series, and that is how the score remained heading into the closing stages.

Pittsburgh pulled their goalie for the extra attacker and with sixty-five seconds left to play Dea (4) was setup by Ubriaco for the game-tying goal. The game headed into OT with Pittsburgh leading in shots 27-25.

The extra period was all Penguins as they enjoyed thirteen shots to the Flyers' five and at 12:04 it finally paid off as Ingarfield (1), who scored nine goals in the regular season, put home Fonteyne's rebound to keep Pittsburgh alive to fight another day.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PHI	@	1	1	1	0	3
PIT		1	1	1	1	4

PHI Favell (3-1 .925 2.00) 36/40, Powerplay 1/3
PIT Bassen (1-0 .880 3.00) 22/25, Powerplay 0/4

Goalscorers:
1st Period
PIT Ubriaco (3) Speer 6:15
PHI J Johnson (1) Miszuk 7:22
2nd Period
PIT Stratton (5) Bathgate 3:03
PHI PPG Selby (3) Dornhoefer, Angotti 11:56
3rd Period
PHI LaForge (4) Peters 2:05
PIT Dea (4) Ubriaco 18:55
Overtime
PIT Ingarfield (1) Fonteyne, Schinkel 12:04

Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 3-1

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff SFs, April 22nd 1968

Monday 22nd April 1968
West Division
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #2
The Battle of Pennsylvania continued with Pittsburgh jumping out to a 2-0 lead 3:49 into game two. Price (1) and Dea (3) putting the Pens up before Van Impe of the Flyers drew Price into a fight, swinging momentum towards Philadelphia.

And swing it did with the hosts tied at 2-2 before the end of the period thanks to goals from Hannigan (2) on the breakaway and Rochefort (4). They took over the lead in the middle frame when Sutherland (5) scored the period's only goal, and then Sutherland (6) was on hand again in the third to make it 4-2.

A powerplay goal from Bathgate (1) brought Pittsburgh back within one with over eight minutes still to play, but Kennedy (4) wrapped it up four minutes from time to put the Flyers up in the series 2-0.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PIT	@	2	0	1		3
PHI		2	1	2		5

PIT Binkley (4-2-0 .928 2.00) 21/26, Powerplay 1/5
PHI Parent (3-3-0 .902 3.00) 30/33, Powerplay 0/4

Goalscorers:
First Period
PIT Price (1) Boivin 2:12
PIT Dea (3) Ubriaco 3:49
Fight PIT Price vs PHI Van Impe 10:48
PHI Hannigan (2) Kennedy 11:22
Phi Rochefort (4) Sutherland 14:04
Second Period
PHI Sutherland (5) JC Watson 11:39
Third Period
PHI Sutherland (6) Rochefort 6:15
PIT PPG Bathgate (1) Stratton, Speer 11:51
PHI Kennedy (4) Blackburn, Hannigan 15:42

Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 2-0

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff SFs, April 21st 1968

Sun 21st April 1968
West Division
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #1
Pittsburgh come into this round after a massive ten day break but they were able to keep pace with the Flyers who come straight in on the back of their seven game series against the LA Kings, even going so far as to start out with a 13-9 shot advantage through the first period. Stratton (4) tied the game up twice for the Penguins as he continues to score all of his goals on the powerplay, ultimately sending the game to overtime.

Philadelphia's first lead came courtesy of Hoekstra (3) and, after that was advantage was wipde out 2:43 later, went up 2-1 through Selby (2) early in the second period. Both teams held off a little in the third, especially after Pittsburgh got level again at 12:17, but the sides were all out for a win in OT as they charged back-and-forth, exchanging shots.

In the end Angotti (3) beat Binkley in his net while Parent, who was controversially made the starting netminder for Philadelphia after Favell led them back against the Kings, was solid.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PIT	@	1	0	1	0	2
PHI		1	1	0	1	3

PIT Binkley (4-1-0 .950 1.40) 31/34, Powerplay 2/4
PHI Parent (2-3-0 .901 3.00) 33/35, Powerplay 0/2

Goalscorers:
First Period
PHI Hoekstra (3) JC Watson, Rochefort 12:51
PIT PPG Stratton (3) Bathgate, Speer 15:08
Second Period
PHI Selby (2) Gauthier, Angotti 2:24
Third Period
PIT PPG Stratton (4) Bathgate 12:17
Overtime
PHI Angotti (3) Dornhoefer 6:44

Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 1-0

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 11th

Thursday 11th April 1968
East Division
Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins Game #4
Boston earn a stay of execution to extend the series against Montreal by at least another game, but they had to work hard for it. Esposito (4) gave the Bruins a one goal midway through both the first and second periods before sealing the win early in the third with his hat-trick goal.

Montreal went with Vachon in goal for the game they hoped would seal their path into the next round but his team only let loose twenty-two shots on Boston's Cheevers, their lowest total in the series. The Canadiens big stars failed to impress and it was left up to the supporting cast of Laperriere (1) and Harris (1) to tie the game in both periods, but not one among the visitors had an answer to Green's (2) game-winning goal despite the continued poor discipline of the Boston Bruins.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
MON	@	1	1	0		2
BOS		1	2	1		4

MON Vachon (0-1-0 .875 4.00) 28/32, Powerplay 0/8
BOS Cheevers (1-3-0 .881 3.50) 20/22, Powerplay 2/6

Goalscorers:
First Period
BOS Esposito (2) Shack, Hodge 11:04
MON Laperriere (1) Backstrom, JC Tremblay 13:22
Second Period
BOS PPG Esposito (3) Shack 9:17
MON Harris (1) Rousseau 10:08
BOS Green (2) Bucyk, Stanfield 14:30
Third Period
BOS PPG Esposito (4) Hodge 4:28

Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 3-1

Detroit Red Wings @ Toronto Maple Leafs Game #3
With fifteen shots and three goals in both the first and third periods Toronto provide six of the best and take a 3-0 series lead over Detroit with Keon (2) leading the charge on his first two goals of these playoffs, including the game-winner 13:48 in the first period.

Walton (1) also opened his postseason account, tying the game 1:30 after K Douglas (1) had opened the game's scoring at 3:13 in the first period, and that started a run of four goals without answer with Ellis (3), Keon,  and F Mahovlich (2) getting their shots past Edwards. Ullman (2) stopped the bleeding, his unassisted goal making it 4-2, but Keon's second was followed by Conacher (3) scoring in a third straight game and guaranteed another Leaf win.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
DET	@	1	0	1		2
TOR		3	0	3		6

DET Edwards (0-3-0 .850 5.00) 30/36, Powerplay 0/0
TOR Bower (3-0-0 .920 2.33) 28/30, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
First Period
DET K Douglas (1) Howe, Prentice 3:13
TOR Walton (1) Ellis 4:43
TOR Ellis (3) unassisted 7:25
TOR Keon (1) Pappin 13:48
Second Period
No Scoring
Third Period
TOR F Mahovlich (2) Walton, Ellis 1:50
DET Ullman (2) unassisted 7:22
TOR Keon (2) unassisted 10:56
TOR Conacher (3) Stanley, Armstrong 15:04

Toronto leads the best-of-seven series 3-0

West Division
St Louis Blues @ Pittsburgh Penguins Game #4
Game four started where the last left off as Roberts of the Blues was quick to drop his gloves, this time taking on Bathgate who would later go on to fight Bob Plager. A scoreless first period led into a period that belonged to the Penguins as they took a 2-0 off goals from Fonteyne (3) and McDonald (3), out-shooting St Louis twenty to four in the process.

The Blues continued to generate little threat on Binkley's goal in the third but managed to make it 2-1 with under three minutes left when St Marseille (1) finished a nice passing play. The Pens were able to play good shutdown hockey and become the first team to win a playoff series this year with a clean sweep of the top seeded St Louis Blues.

Stratton led the team in points with two goals and two assists, but the MVP of the series surely goes to Binkley who earned a shutout and conceded just four games on one-hundred-and-seven shots. Only Melynk (1+1) had more than a single point throughout the series for St Louis.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
StL	@	0	0	1		1
PIT		0	2	0		2

StL Hall (0-4-0 .912 3.00) 36/38, Powerplay 0/5
PIT Binkley (4-0-0 .963 1.00) 16/17, Powerplay 1/3

Goalscorers:
First Period
Fight StL Roberts vs Bathgate 14:02
Second Period
PIT Fonteyne (3) Boivin, Rivard 2:13
PIT PPG McDonald (3) Stratton 6:41
Third Period
Fight StL Bob Plager vs Bathgate 9:59
StL St Marseille (1) Bob Plager, Melnyk 17:20

Pittsburgh win the best-of-seven series 4-0. The St Louis Blues are eliminated.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Los Angeles Kings Game #4
After taking game one in such convincing fashion many expected the Flyers to kick on and take the series, but Los Angeles were able to collect themselves thanks in part to changing goaltenders between the first two games and Rutledge was on fine form again.

Only facing fifty-three shots through his three starts compared with Sawchuk's thirty-six in a single game, Rutledge only let one of the the fifteen shots on the day past him when JC Watson (1) scored in the final minute of period number one.

The Kings took the lead at 6:56 when Irvine (2) made sure of his chance on the powerplay, and the Kings didn't let a little thing like momentum at the end of the period phase them as they totally dominated the Flyers in the second frame with fifteen shots to three. Gray (2) with his second GWG, Flett (2), and Menard (1) all found the twine, leading a final period that had six shots between both teams.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PHI	@	1	0	0		1
LAK		1	3	0		4

PHI Parent (1-3-0 .888 3.25)22/26, Powerplay 0/3
LAK Rutledge (3-0-0 .921 1.25) 14/15, Powerplay 1/1

Goalscorers:
First Period
LAK PPG Irvine (2) Wall, White 6:56
PHI Watson (1) Blackburn, Miszuk 19:04
Second Period
LAK Gray (2) unassisted 5:28
LAK Flett (2) Joyal 11:41
LAK Menard (1) B Smith 17:22
Third Period
No Scoring

Los Angeles leads the best-of-seven series 3-1

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 10th

Wednesday 10th April 1968
West Division
St Louis Blues @ Pittsburgh Penguins Game #3
A complete Penguins performance puts them on the cusp of taking the scalp of the top seed in the West and progress to the next round. While Hall was kept very busy off forty-seven Pittsburgh shots Binkley had it relatively easy, stopping all nineteen Blues efforts for the first shutout of the postseason.

Ubriaco (1) opened his playoff account with a game-winner just 2:42 into the game; Dea (2) and Stratton (2) making it 3-0 before the first intermission as Pittsburgh outshot their opponents twenty-one to eight. Another from Ubriaco (2) and Fonteyne (2) rounded out the scoring. The final period was all about Hall keeping the scoreline respectable by stopping another twelve shots, and Roberts tried to send a message to the Penguins' MacNeil with a fight as the Pens played another clean game without any minor penalties.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
StL	@	0	0	0		0
PIT		3	2	0		5

StL Hall (0-3-0 .917 3.33) 42/47, Powerplay 0/0
PIT Binkley (3-0-0 .957 1.00) 19/19, Powerplay 2/5

Goalscorers:
First Period
PIT Ubriaco (1) Boivin, Price 2:42
PIT Dea (2) Boivin, Rivard 4:18
PIT PPG Stratton (2) Bathgate 12:36
Second Period
PIT Ubriaco (2) MacNeil, Andrea 7:05
PIT Fonteyne (2) Schinkel 15:34
Third Period
Fight StL Roberts vs PIT MacNeil

Pittsburgh leads the best-of-seven series 3-0

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 6th 1968

Saturday 6th April 1968
East Division
Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens Game #2
A very exciting game two ended with Montreal in control of the series as Beliveau (4) scored a hat-trick, and Duff (3) scored a pair, while Lamaire (0+3) and Ferguson (0+2) kept the chances flowing. Ferguson was also involved in one of the four fights as the Canadiens out-battled the Bruins in all aspects of the game.

Boston did cancel out Duff's opening goal after two bouts of fisticuffs through Bucyk (1), but still found themselves down 3-1 heading into the first intermission. A shortie from Orr (1) got them as close as 3-2 but Beliveau took over in the second period, leaving two goals from Hodge (2) all but meaningless.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
BOS	@	1	2	1		4
MON		3	2	2		7

BOS Cheevers (0-2-0 .859 5.00) 35/42, Powerplay 0/3
MON Worsley (2-0-0 .905 3.00) 32/36, Powerplay 2/7

Goalscorers:
First Period
MON Duff (2) Lamaire, Cournoyer 2:51
Fight BOS McKenzie vs Laperriere 3:01
Fight BOS Awrey vs Harris 7:24
BOS Bucyk (1) Stanfield, McKenzie 9:15
MON Cournoyer (2) Vadnais, Lamaire
MON PPG Duff (3) Cournoyer, Lamaire
Second Period
BOS SHG Orr (1) Shack, Esposito 1:10
Fight McKenzie vs Laperriere 5:23
MON PPG Beliveau (2) Ferguson, Rousseau 6:05
MON SHG Beliveau (3) Ferguson 16:14
BOS Hodge (1) Shack, Esposito 18:37
Third Period
BOS Hodge (2) Esposito 3:00
MON Beliveau (4) Ferguson 6:12
Fight Awrey vs Ferguson 12:07
MON G Tremblay (1) Provost 14:27

Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 2-0

West Division
Pittsburgh Penguins @ St Louis Blues Game #2
With the only goal through two periods St Louis looked in good form on the back of B McCreary's (1) tally even though the Blues were edged in shots at that point twenty-two to seventeen. Roll on to the third period and penalty trouble led to Pittsburgh taking full advantage with a pair of powerplay markers as they owned the frame with sixteen shots to the hosts' four.

Stratton (1) and Dea (1) had the game on it's head five minutes in before St Louis were level again through Melnyk's (1) goal seconds later. However, the ice was tilted throughout the period as the Penguins kept coming in waves, finally making all of the pressure pay off with a game-winner from Fonteyne (1) at 18:22; McDonald (2) sealing the 2-0 series lead with his empty netter.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PIT	@	0	0	4		4
StL		1	0	1		2

PIT Binkley (2-0-0 .940 1.50) 19/21, Powerplay 2/5
StL Hall (0-2-0 .932 2.50) 34/37, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
First Period
StL B McCreary (1) McKenney 5:%6
Second Period
No Scoring
Third Period
PIT PPG Stratton (1) Matiussi 1:43
PIT PPG Dea (1) Andrea 5:23
StL Melnyk (1) Berenson, Roberts 5:40
PIT Fonteyne (1) Schinkel 18:22
PIT ENG McDonald (2) MacNeil, Speer 19:51

Pittsburgh leads the best-of-seven series 2-0

Los Angeles Kings @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #2
A much better performance from the Kings earns them a tied series as, unlike the Blues, they were able to win after leading 1-0 through two periods on a White (1) shorthanded effort. On another day they may have crumbled after the previous result when LaForge (1) tied the game less than a minute into the third frame, but Los Angeles remained resolute with Rutledge in goal replacing game one's starter Sawchuk and were happy to play an end-to-end game.

Labossierre (1) restored the Kings' lead at 4:32, Sutherland (1) tied it once again with ten minutes to play, this time with the man advantage; an area that both sides struggled with today. The next goal would prove to be the decider and it was an unassisted effort from Gray (1) that won the day as he stole the puck for a breakaway, barely beating Parent in the Flyers' net.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
LAK	@	1	0	2		3
PHI		0	0	2		2

LAK Rutledge (1-0-0 .931 1.00) 22/24, Powerplay 0/6
PHI Parent (1-1-0 .909 2.50) 29/32, Powerplay 1/6

Goalscorers:
First Period
LAK SHG White (1) Joyal, Irvine 17:54
Second Period
No Scoring
Third Period
PHI LaForge (1) Peters, Van Impe 0:47
LAK Labossierre (1) R Lemieux, MacDonald 4:32
PHI PPG Sutherland (1) Rochefort 9:55
LAK Gray (1) unassisted 16:20

The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 4th 1968

Thursday 4th April 1968
East Division
Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens Game #1
Penalty trouble kept the Bruins from enjoying complete control in the series opener as they put Montreal onto the powerplay seven times, conceding the one goal lead Boston had earned in the first period when Green (1) finished on a nice feed by Awrey.

After a fight between the goalscorer and Montreal's Ferguson the home side went on to take a 2-1 advantage through Cournoyer (1) and Duff (1); Lamaire assisting on both powerplay efforts. Despite being shorthanded for significant time in the game Boston still led in terms of shots in regulation, and ultimately made their chances pay off with a late game-tying goal from Esposito (1) with 1:03 left to play and the netminder pulled.

In overtime the Canadiens finally looked like they had a home ice advantage, outshooting the B's 4-1 in the extra frame, and taking the first game when Beliveau (1) squeaked his shot past Cheevers less than two minutes into OT.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
BOS	@	1	0	1	0	2
MON		0	1	1	1	3

BOS Cheevers (0-1-0 .897 3.00) 26/29, Powerplay 0/2
MON Worsley (1-0-0 .926 2.00) 25/27, Powerplay 2/7

Goalscorers:
First Period
BOS Green (1) Awrey 11:43
Second Period
Fight BOS Green vs MON Ferguson 2:02
MON PPG Cournoyer (1) Haper, Lamaire 3:30
Third Period
MON PPG Duff (1) Lamaire 4:11
BOS Esposito (1) D Smith, Hodge 18:57
Overtime
MON Beliveau (1) Laperriere, Rousseau 1:49

Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 1-0

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit Red Wings Game #1
Detroit blow a 3-1 second period lead as the Maple  Leafs built momentum for the final frame on a goal from Armstrong (1) twenty-one seconds before the buzzer. Toronto had scored the only goal in the first period through Ellis (1) but the Wings came out hard in the middle period with eighteen shots to the visitors' nine scoring three unanswered goals from Delvecchio (1), Ullman (1), and D Roberts (1).

Neither team was afraid to get down into the trenches either with a fight in both the second and third periods; the latter coming very late on with Toronto enjoying a 5-3 lead after Conacher (1), F Mahovlich (1), and Pappin (1) turned the game around by outshooting their opponents fifteen to seven through the final twenty minutes.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
TOR	@	1	1	3		5
DET		0	3	0		3

TOR Bower (1-0-0 .903 3.00) 28/31, Powerplay 1/5
DET Edwards (0-1-0 .848 5.00) 28/33, Powerplay 1/4

Goalscorers:
First Period
TOR Ellis (1) Walton 4:38
Second Period
DET Delvecchio (1) Howe, Prentice 0:23
DET PPG Ullman (1) G Jarrett 4:50
Fight TOR Stemkowski vs DET B Marshall 11:03
DET D Roberts (1) Watson, Unger 16:42
TOR Armstrong (1) Hillman, Horton 19:39
Third Period
TOR Conacher (1) Pulford 5:11
TOR PPG F Mahovlich (1) Walton 9:26
TOR Pappin (1) Stanley, Keon 13:15
Fight TOR Horton vs DET Bergman

Toronto leads the best-of-seven series 1-0

West Division
Pittsburgh Penguins @ St Louis Blues Game #1
Pittsburgh proved better at dealing with playoff nerves as they controlled much of the match and probably feel they should have put more pressure on St Louis in the series if they had won by a larger margin. There was one goal each in the first two periods, McDonald (1) for the Penguins in the first and Schock (1) shorthanded in the second for the hosts.

Outside of that second period where the Blues registered thirteen shots to Pittsburgh's eight, the home team found themselves outshot twenty-seven to sixteen through the remaining forty minutes. This advantage held the Pens in good stead, going on ti win through a late Konik (1) goal before Hicks (1) put it to bed in an empty net. 

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
PIT	@	1	0	2		3
StL		0	1	0		1

PIT Binkley (1-0-0 .966 1.00) 28/29, Powerplay 0/5
StL Hall (0-1-0 .943 2.00) 34/36, Powerplay 0/2

Goalscorers:
First Period
PIT McDonald (1) Bathgate 0:11
Second Period
StL SHG Schock (1) Arbour 10:08
Third Period
PIT Konik (1) K McCreary 17:56
PIT ENG Hicks (1) Stratton, Bathgate 18:57

Pittsburgh lead the best-of-seven series 1-0

Los Angeles Kings @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #1
It was a brutal postseason debut for the Kings, and especially their netminder Sawchuk, as they were systematically destroyed by a very impressive Philadelphia performance that resulted in a six goal deficit, thanks in no small part to the hat-trick scored by Kennedy (3) as he grabbed two of the four third period Flyer goals that doubled their tally.

Los Angeles, already 3-0 down less than three minutes into the second period, tried to fight back but Irvine's (1) goal was quickly cancelled out, and then after Flett (1) scored on the powerplay at the end of the frame the Kings found their momentum wiped out two minutes into the third by yet another Philadelphia goal. In addition to the trick Hannigan (1+2) also put up three points for the Flyers.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
LAK	@	0	2	0		2
PHI		2	2	4		8

LAK Sawchuk (0-1-0 .778 8.00) 28/36; Rutledge (0-0-0 1.000 0.00) 5/5, Powerplay 1/2
PHI Parent (1-0-0 .913 2.00) 21/23, Powerplay 1/2

Goalscorers:
First Period
PHI Kennedy (1) Hannigan 2:12
PHI Hoekstra (1) Sutherland, Rochefort 13:56
Second Period
PHI Hannigan (1) Blackburn 2:46
LAK Irvine (1) Joyal, Flett 5:47
PHI Miszuk (1) Johnson 8:36
LAK PPG Flett (1) Joyal, Rolfe 19:33
Third Period
PHI SHG Selby (1) Angotti 2:03
PHI PPG Kennedy (2) Blackburn, Hannigan
PHI Angotti (1) Dornhoefer, Selby 7:50
PHI Kennedy (3) Van Impe 10:45
LAK Goaltending Change: Rutledge in, Sawchuk out 10:45

Philadelphia leads best-of-seven series 1-0

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 31st

Sunday 31st March 1967
The battle for third in the East was decided by the two teams involved as Toronto traveled to Boston. Ellis (35) scored twice for the Leafs, including the first goal of the game, but Sanderson (19) matched him with a pair of his own, the first tying the game at 1-1. The Bruins then went 3-1 up through Hodge (29) and Bucyk (36); Ellis pulling one back to round out a five goal first period. After Orr (12), who already had two assists, and McKenzie (34) scored for the home side Pappin's (13) goal was only enough to get Toronto back within as Sanderson scored the third period's lone goal, giving the B's their first win in seven and leaving the Leafs heading into the postseason winless in three with three victories in their last seventeen.

Detroit had already wrapped up second in the East and ended the regular season on a high winning their fifth game in six with only two defeats in the past twenty-two outings. They started out hot in Chicago, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the first intermission on goals from Delvecchio (27) and G Jarrett (36). The Blackhawks pulled it back to 2-1 in the second frame on a D Hull (12) effort, but Unger's (4) game-winner was enough that when Martin (18) brought the Hawks back to within one that would be as close as they would come, ending their season with one win in four.

In one fell swoop St Louis finish their season above .500 and sink Minneosta in their quest for a playoff spot. With a disastrous five wins in twenty-six games to end the campaign the North Stars sunk themselves and lost again against the Western Division champions, opening the scoring through Cullen (34) set up by McMahon. The Blues had back-to-back goals from Keenan (18), the second his fourth game-winner of the year, and R Stewart (6) added an empty netter late on to keep the Blues in form heading into the playoffs with one loss in their final five.

Montreal complete one last quest before they enter the postseason as red hot favourites by reaching one-hundred points with victory over the New York Rangers who finish last in the East going winless in nine and only manufacturing twelve shots in their season finale. In Worsley's ninth shutout of the year G Tremblay's (32) unassisted goal at 3:56 of the first period was all that was required to win, taking the Canadiens' unbeaten run to seventeen straight with back-to-back wins at the close of the season.

The final jockeying for position came in the West as the final Battle of Pennsylvania of the regular season was played out in Pittsburgh. In the end though a Penguins win did not affect the Flyers claim of second place as Philadelphia won more games throughout the year, taking home ice advantage in the first round on that tiebreak. Schinkel (13), Konik (18), Bathgate (28), Dillabough (5) and Stratton (20) all made sure of the Pens' fifth win in eight games, while the Flyers had goals from Dornhoefer (18) shorthanded, he would then fight Boivin soon after, with JC Watson (9) nabbing two, and Miszuk taking two assists. Going into the playoffs Phhiladelphia have one win in their last five, five victories in seventeen.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
TOR	@	2	1	0	3
BOS		3	2	1	6

TOR Gamble (13-13-5 .909) 44/50, Powerplay 0/0
BOS Cheevers (23-18-6 .896) 27/30, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	2	0	1	3
CHI		0	1	1	2

DET Edwards (16-19-9 .894) 34/36, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (24-15-10 .898) 29/32, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
StL	@	1	1	1	3
MIN		1	0	0	1

StL Hall (22-20-7 .895) 27/28, Powerplay 0/0
MIN Maniago (18-22-11 .900) 32/34, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	1	0	0	1
NYR		0	0	0	0

MON Worsley (22-12-6 .913) 12/12, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Giacomin (21-33-10 .887) 16/17, Powerplay 0/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	2	0	1	3
PIT		2	2	1	5

PHI Parent (19-22-7 .897) 28/33, Powerplay 1/4
PIT Bassen (13-10-5 .907) 19/22, Powerplay 2/5

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	74	45	19	10	100
Detroit Red Wings	74	37	24	13	87
Boston Bruins	74	37	27	10	84
Toronto Maple Leafs	74	35	27	12	82
Chicago Blackhawks	74	31	32	11	73
New York Rangers	74	26	34	14	66
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	74	32	31	11	75
Philadelphia Flyers	74	30	34	10	70
Pittsburgh Penguins	74	28	32	14	70
Los Angeles Kings	74	29	35	10	68
Minnesota North Stars	74	24	32	18	66
Oakland Seals	74	16	43	15	47

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 30th

Saturday 30th March 1968
The final weekend of the regular season features all twelve teams in action including the Detroit Red Wings who seal their spot in second place in the East with a third win in a row, beating the Rangers in a ten goal match. K Douglas (10) scored the game's opening goal and would go on to nab the game-winner in period two, making the score 6-3 in the process. But the Wings would need Howe's (44) hat-trick to keep their advantage; Delvecchio (26) also scored in his three-point night. For New York they fell short with goals from Nevin (28) and Fleming (14), tying the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and a pair from Hadfield (22) kept the Rangers within two but remain winless in eight.

The Bruinsremain in fourth spot with a sixth straight game without a win and blowing a 4-3 second period lead after Esposito (31) and Westfall (12) gave them a 2-0 lead; Stanfield (22) and Shack (24) giving them leads again. A win tomorrow will see Montreal finish with one-hundred points as they continue to look invincible, extending their unbeaten run to sixteen games. Rousseau's (16) first of two goals and then Ferguson (16) combined to tie the game at 2-2, Lapierriere (10) made it 3-3 and then Cournoyer (36) nailed back-to-back chances, both set up by Duff, to turn the game on it's head.

The  Kings and Seals end their regular season in Oakland where a point for Los Angeles keeps things tight in the West as they sit two points above fifth place Minnesota. B Harris (13) and Cahan (10) put Oakland 2-0 to the good with goals either side of the first intermission, but they are winless in seventh, with two wins in their final twenty games, as Irvine (24) and Joyal (28) assisted on each others efforts to earn LA a point.

The penultimate Battle of Pennsylvania took place in Quebec City while the Flyers home continues to undergo repairs. A low-scoring encounter with no powerplays saw it's first goal thirty-one seconds into the second period when Pittsburgh's Bathgate (27) scored from MacNeil and Stratton. Philadelphia tied it up at 7:44 in the third through LaForge (7) unassisted. A fight between Bathgate and Miszuk sixteen seconds after the game-tying goal failed in inspire anymore goalscorers as each side takes away a point. Like Los Angeles the Penguins are two points ahead of the Stars but have just one loss in their last seven; the Flyers have a single defeat in six as they look to hang on to second place.

The reason Philadelphia are looking to settle for second place is because the St Louis Blues clinch the Western Division in a goalfest against a struggling Minnesota team who are 1-2-3 in their last six with just eight wins in the past thirty-three outings. The Blues' second win in seven comes on the back of fifty-two shots as Schock (10) and Sabourin (22) get them out to a 2-0 lead. Cullen (33) scored to make it 2-1 and, after Hucul (3) made it 3-1, pulled the North Stars within one again. But St Louis were taking their best chances through Crisp (15) and two from Keenan (16) before McKenney (11) saw the Blues 7-3 up. Minnesota came back with P MacDonald (22), Goegan (3) and Goldsworthy (17) but, even with Balon and Boudrias hitting fifty points on the season, would ultimately fall short and still have it all to do tomorrow.

The final game today is in Toronto where another Leaf loss, and a run of sixteen games with only three wins, keeps them away from the top two in the East. Chicago's first win in three was all thanks to Pilote who picked up three assists, helping Mikita (40), Wharram (25) and Martin (17) got on the board. Torontowere two goals down heading into the final frame, but F Mahovlich (30) and Ellis (33) brought them level.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	2	1	1	4
DET		2	4	0	6

NYR Giacomin (21-32-10 .886) 36/42, Powerplay 0/0
DET Crozier (15-4-4 .908) 19/23, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	2	2	0	4
MON		1	3	2	6

BOS Johnston (14-9-4 .891) 38/43, Powerplay 1/3
MON Vachon (23-7-4 .907) 30/34, Powerplay0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
LAK	@	0	1	1	2
OAK		1	1	0	2

LAK Sawchuk (7-15-5 .889) 25/27, Powerplay 0/0
OAK Hodge (13-33-12 .896) 18/20, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	0	1	0	1
PHI		0	0	1	1

PIT Binkley (15-21-9 .903) 28/29, Powerplay 0/0
PHI Favell (11-12-3 .900) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	2	1	2	5
StL		3	2	2	7

MIN Bauman (7-10-6 .887) 45/52, Powerplay 1/2
StL Martin (10-11-4 .900) 26/31, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
CHI	@	1	1	2	4
TOR		0	0	2	2

CHI D Dryden (7-16-1 .885) 26/28, Powerplay 2/10
TOR Bower (22-14-7 .916) 27/30, Powerplay 0/4

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	73	44	19	10	98
Detroit Red Wings	73	36	24	13	85
Toronto Maple Leafs	73	35	26	12	82
Boston Bruins	73	36	27	10	82
Chicago Blackhawks	73	31	31	11	73
New York Rangers	73	26	33	14	66
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	73	31	31	11	73
Philadelphia Flyers	73	30	33	10	70
Los Angeles Kings	74	29	35	10	68
Pittsburgh Penguins	73	27	32	14	68
Minnesota North Stars	73	24	31	18	66
Oakland Seals	74	16	43	15	47

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 27th

Wednesday 27th March 1968
Minnesota's first win in five games comes in a ten-goal contest in Los Angeles, handing the Kings their first defeat in five. LA were in the hunt throughout, goals from Menard (6), Flett (30), Joyal (27) and B Smith (21), but Connelly (43) ran wild with four goals, including the game winner and an empty netter, with Masterson (13) and P MacDonald (21) adding their tallies to the cause. Cullen, Vasko and Balon all came away with two assists as the North Stars have lost just once in their last seven yet they remain outside of the playoff spots...

...as the Penguins win in Oakland to stay in fourth position in the West. Despite injuries to Hicke and Cahan, the Seals played a strong game and took the lead in period one through Caron (10). Pittsburgh, who are 4-1-1 in their last six, answered in the second frame when K McCreary (16) tied it up, and the third period belonged to the Pens when Bathgate (26) scored unassisted on the powerplay with less than five minutes to go, and Dillabough (4) added one into the empty net late on.

Staying in the West it remains very tight and Philadelphia take their third win in four tries, re-taking second in the division. A penalty shot from Rochefort (22) was the only goal through two periods, but Sutherland (27) doubled the Flyers' lead in the final frame. Crisp (13) had a PP marker to make it 2-1 but St Louis, who lose for the fourth time in five games, cannot come all the way back; Kennedy (12) guaranteeing the win very late.

Laperriere (9) on the powerplay from Beliveau and JC Tremblay at 3:23, and Ellis (32) from Walton and F Mahovlich at 14:42, were the games' only goals in the all-Canadian battle; both coming in the middle period. Montreal continue on their streak and are now fifteen unbeaten, while Toronto are unbeaten in three thanks to the game-tying goal, and earn their fifth tie in eleven games to hold second spot in the East.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	2	1	3	6
LAK		2	1	1	4

MIN Maniago (18-21-11 .899) 27/31, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Sawchuk (7-15-4 .888) 32/37, Powerplay 2/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	0	1	2	3
OAK		1	0	0	1

PIT Bassen (12-10-5 .908) 22/23, Powerplay 1/2
OAK Hodge (13-33-11 .896) 23/25, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	1	0	2	3
StL		0	0	1	1

PHI Favell (11-12-2 .898) 22/23, Powerplay 1/3
StL Hall (21-20-7 .894) 20/22, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	0	1	0	1
TOR		0	1	0	1

MON Vachon (22-7-4 .908) 23/24, Powerplay 1/4
TOR Gamble (13-12-5 .911) 27/28, Powerplay 0/0

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	72	43	19	10	96
Toronto Maple Leafs	72	35	25	12	82
Boston Bruins	71	36	26	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	71	34	24	13	81
Chicago Blackhawks	71	30	30	11	71
New York Rangers	71	26	32	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	71	30	31	10	70
Philadelphia Flyers	71	30	33	8	68
Los Angeles Kings	73	29	35	9	67
Pittsburgh Penguins	72	27	32	13	67
Minnesota North Stars	72	24	30	18	66
Oakland Seals	73	16	43	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 26th

Tuesday 26th March 1968
The battle for playoff places in the West continues with a goal fest in Los Angeles. H Hughes (8) got the Kings off to a flying start and it was 3-0 in the first period when R Lemieux (10) and Flett (29) also scored. Pittsburgh roared back with a goal before the break from McDonald (16) before Bathgate (25), who also had three assists, and Stratton (19) tied the game at 3-3. LA retook the lead but Gray's (10) unassisted effort was cancelled out by Fonteyne (11), then a second from H Hughes (9) and one each from Joyal (26) and Irvine (23) killed the game off. Pittsburgh would add one last goal, Stratton (19) rounding out his three point night, but it's a first loss in five for the Pens who remain precariously positioned in fourth place. The Kings bump themselves up to second in the West with a third straight victory.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	1	3	1	5
LAK		3	2	2	7

PIT Binkley (15-21-8 .902) 35/41, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Rutledge (22-20-5 .894) 32/37, Powerplay 1/7

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	71	43	19	9	95
Boston Bruins	71	36	26	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	71	34	24	13	81
Toronto Maple Leafs	71	35	25	11	81
Chicago Blackhawks	71	30	30	11	71
New York Rangers	71	26	32	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	70	30	30	10	70
Los Angeles Kings	72	29	34	9	67
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66
Pittsburgh Penguins	71	26	32	13	65
Minnesota North Stars	71	23	30	18	64
Oakland Seals	72	16	42	14	46