Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 14th 1968

Sunday 24th April 1968
East Division
Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins Game #6
Duff (4) must have though his third powerplay goal of the season was going to be the game winner, but with just eight seconds left up popped Green (3) to save Boston's season again after scoring the GWG in game four.

Cournoyer (3) for the Habs and Lonsberry (1) for the B's scored the only goals in both the first and second periods respectively before Duff was gifted a chance to pot home his go-ahead effort at 2:10 in the third.

Boston pressed the hardest in that final period, finally getting the tying goal so late in the game with the points leader in the postseason Esposito (5+4) earning another assist, and forcing overtime for the second time in the series. Montreal took the win in OT in game one of the series less than two minutes in, and this time it lasted just 3:52 before Stanfield (2) won it for the Bruins as they comeback from 0-3 down to take this to a game seven.

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

MON Worsley (3-2-0 .908 2.80) 28/31, Powerplay 1/5
BOS Cheevers (3-3-0 .891 3.17) 25/27, Powerplay 1/7

Goalscorers:
First Period
MON Cournoyer (3) Laperriere, Lamaire 10:49
Second Period
BOS PPG Lonsberry (1) Cashman, Krake 10:25
Third Period
MON PPG Duff (4) unassisted 2:10
BOS Green (3) Westfall, Esposito 19:52
Overtime
BOS Stanfield (2) McKenzie, Bucyk 3:52

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

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit Red Wings Game #5
The second game of the night was another tight contest as Detroit looked to emulate the Bruins and keep their series alive. But they did not get the best start when Walton (2) opened the scoring as the Leafs out-shot the hosts thirteen six.

MacGregor (3) scored his third in two games to tie it up early in the middle period before Toronto were once again in the lead through Stemkowski (2) who has tallies in back-to-back games. The third period was the only one where Detroit had more shots with thirteen to the Leafs' seven, but they faced an uphill battle when Walton (3) scored again to make it 3-1.

K Douglas (2) batted in his own rebound with eight and a half minutes to play, but Bower, who was back in net for Gamble, stood firm for the remainder and settled the series in favour of Toronto as the take their third win out of three in the barn of the higher seed thanks in part to taking a single minor penalty in the last four games.

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

TOR Bower (4-0-0 .921 2.25) 25/27, Powerplay 0/4
DET Crozier (1-1-0 .912 2.50) 33/36, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
First Period
TOR Walton (2) Ellis, Horton 8:35
Second Period
DET MacGregor (3) Henderson 4:11
TOR Stemkowski (2) Stanley 14:12
Third Period
TOR Walton (3) Stanley, Ellis 6:30
DET K Douglas (2) unassisted 11:27

Toronto wins the best-of-seven series 4-1. Detroit Red Wings are eliminated.

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68 Playoff QFs, April 13th 1968

Saturday 13th April 1968
East Division
Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens Game #5
The Bruins refuse to go quietly into the night, forcing a game six in Boston after coming back from a 3-2 deficit with three unanswered third period goals. Shack (1) and McKenzie (1)  led the charge for Boston in the opening period, matching Montreal shot for shot with the Habs countering with a goal from Backstrom (1).

The second frame saw Green of the Bruins fight Ferguson, the second bout between them in the series and only penalties dealt out in the game, and it was Ferguson (1) who got the biggest boost out of it by tying the game at 2-2. Less than four minutes later and Beliveau (6) struck on a Ferguson feed to give Montreal the lead.

Even in the first, out-shot in the second, Boston had the lion's share of scoring chances on Worsley who returned in goal for the Canadiens in the final period with D Smith, Hodge and McKenzie all picking up their second points of the game as Stanfield (1), Bucyk (2) and an empty netter from Esposito (5) won out for the visiting team.

		1st	2nd	3rd	OT	F
BOS	@	2	0	3		5
MON		1	2	0		3

BOS Cheevers (2-3-0 .885 3.40) 27/30, Powerplay 0/0
MON Worsley (3-1-0 .910 2.75) 25/29, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
First Period
BOS Shack (1) D Smith, Hodge 5:13
MON Backstrom (1) G Tremblay 7:50
BOS McKenzie (1) Westfall, Bucyk 13:01
Second Period
Fight BOS Green vs MON Ferguson 5:42
MON Ferguson (1) Rousseau, Beliveau 12:35
MON Beliveau (6) Ferguson 16:23
Third Period
BOS Stanfield (1) D Smith, McKenzie 4:11
BOS Bucyk (2) unassisted 17:33
BOS ENG Esposito (5) Westfall, Hodge 18:45

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

Detroit Red Wings @ Toronto Maple Leafs Game #4
Two goals from MacGregor (2) to start and end the game's scoring, and a three point outing for Crashley (1) gave Detroit a sliver of light in their series, out-shooting Toronto forty-two to twenty-one.

The Wings found themselves down 2-1 after the first period when Keon (3) and Stemkowski (1) scored within twenty-two seconds of each other, but they were level again when Delvecchio (2) scored at 2:29 of the middle period.

Detroit then played out the third frame with total domination, amassing over half of their total shots on Gamble, as both teams played their backup netminders, in the final twenty minutes. Prentice (1) nabbed a pair of points as did Crashley to round out his star performance.

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

DET Crozier (1-0-0 .905 2.00) 19/21, Powerplay 0/0
TOR Gamble (0-1-0 .881 5.00) 37/42, Powerplay 0/0

Goalscorers:
First Period
DET MacGregor (1) Crashley, Henderson 4:35
TOR Keon (3) Hillman, Carleton 11:55
TOR Stemkowski (1) Pulford, M Pronovost 12:17
Second Period
DET Delvecchio (2) Howe, Jim Watson 2:29
Third Period
DET Prentice (1) Crashley, Delvecchio 11:47
DET Crashley (1) Prentice 13:30
DET MacGregor (2) unassisted 17:56

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

West Division
Los Angeles Kings @ Philadelphia Flyers Game #5
Another team who turned to their second choice goaltender was Philadelphia as Favell was called upon to try and keep the Flyers alive in the postseason. Facing nine shots in each period his side was down 3-1 early in the final frame after Flett (3) scored for the third game in a row, taking his shorthanded with aplomb, but the home team were able to rally and travel back to LA for game six.

That was not the first shortie the Flyers had given up in the series, or even the game, as Wall (2) had scored his goal ahead goal, his second of the game, while the  Kings were down a man, adding to White's SHG back in game two. Joyal picked up an assist on the late second period goal to give him points in every game so far, but Flett takes over the points lead in LA with a goal and two assists.

Wall (1) and Dornhoefer (2) exchanged tallies in the first period before the two shorthanded goals forty-two seconds apart swung momentum fully in favour of Los Angeles. The crowd were doing their part and aided in the comeback by Philadelphia as Angotti (2) and JC Watson (2) led the charge with Peters (1) grabbing one in between.

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

LAK Rutledge (3-1-0 .906 1.80) 29/33, Powerplay 0/4
PHI Favell (1-0-0 .889 3.00) 24/27, Powerplay 0/1

Goalscorers:
First Period
LAK Wall (1) Irvine, Flett 3:53
PHI Dornhoefer (2) JC Watson, Miszuk 5:15
Second Period
LAK SHG Wall (2) Flett, Joyal 19:44
Third Period
LAK SHG Flett (3) unassisted 0:26
PHI Angotti (2) Dornhoefer 4:13
PHI Peters (1) JC Watson, Miszuk
PHI JC Watson (2) Selby, Angotti 15:18

Los Angeles leads the best-of-seven series 3-2

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 9th 1968

Tuesday 9th April 1968
East Division
Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins Game #3
Beliveau's (5) third game-winning goal of the series leads Montreal to a commanding 3-0 lead. With the game tied at 1-1, Larose (1) for the Habs and Williams (1) for Boston exchanging second period tallies, the leading scorer in the playoffs made his mark again 11:39 into the third period.

Boston had their chances before that though as the outshot Montreal nine two in the first frame and only a spectacular stop by Worsley with his side on the powerplay kept the game scoreless. The shots were twenty-two to twelve in favour of the Bruins after forty minutes, but again they were struggling to beat the Canadiens' number one netminder, even failing to score on five powerplays to leave them 0-for-10 in the series and staring at elimination.

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

MON Worsley (3-0-0 .925 2.33) 29/30, Powerplay 0/5
BOS Cheevers (0-3-0 .875 4.00) 23/25, Powerplay 0/4

Goalscorers:
First Period
No Scoring
Second Period
MON Larose (1) Ferguson, Rousseau 9:56
BOS Williams (1) unassisted 18:04
Third Period
MON Beliveau (5) Rousseau, Ferguson 11:39
MON ENG G Tremblay (2) Savard 19:40

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

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit Red Wings Game #2
After ending the regular season so poorly it is a big boost for Toronto to take a two game lead back to Canada in a game that, compared with the fightfest in the first of the series, was very tame with only one penalty called.

It was on that minor penalty to Walton where Detroit scored first ten minutes in through P Mahovlich (1), but the advantage was short lived when Conacher (2) knocked home his goal less than three minutes later. The second period remained close but the Leafs were more clinical in front of goal, Ellis (2) unassisted and Oliver (1) putting them in command at 3-1 heading into the final twenty minutes.

An early goal from G Jarrett (1) assisted Ullman resulted in them picking up their seconds points of the postseason, pulling to back to 3-2, but again Toronto were quick to respond, M Pronovost (1) restoring the two goal lead 1:35 later.

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

TOR Bower (2-0-0 .912 2.50) 24/26, Powerplay 0/0
DET Edwards (0-2-0 .859 4.50) 27/31, Powerplay 1/1

Goalscorers:
First Period
DET PPG P Mahovlich (1) Unger 10:41
TOR Conacher (2) Armstrong 13:23
Second Period
TOR Ellis (2) unassisted 7:57
TOR Oliver (1) Hillman, Pulford 9:10
Third Period
DET G Jarrett (1) Ullman 2:04
TOR M Pronovost (1) Stanley, Conacher 3:39

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

West Division
Philadelphia Flyers @ Los Angeles Kings Game #3
Joyal (1), H Hughes (1) and White (2) score in a second period that the Kings dominated and went into the third period up 3-2; the Flyers getting powerplay goals from Dornhoefer (1) in the first and Rochefort (1) to make it 2-2.

The poor showing from Philadelphia got worse in the final frame as the generated just three shots after nine in the first and seven in the second. The Kings had twenty-eight of their thirty-five efforts through the second and third periods and, after B Hughes (1) insured the win, Los Angeles have the series lead.

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

PHI Parent (1-2-0 .900 3.00) 31/35, Powerplay 2/3
LAK Rutledge (2-0-0 .917 1.33) 17/19, Powerplay 0/3

Goalscorers:
First Period
PHI PPG Dornhoefer (1) Selby, Angotti 4:56
Second Period
LAK Joyal (1) Flett, Irvine 0:16
LAK H Hughes (1) Rolfe 4:19
PHI PPG Rochefort (1) unassisted 11:51
LAK White (2) L MacDonald, Wall 17:30
Third Period
LAK B Hughes (1) Rolfe 9:23

Los Angeles leads the best-of-seven series 2-1

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 28th

Thursday 18th March 1968
New York's first point in seven games comes at the expense of Boston who sit in fourth spot in the East with just one win in their last seven. Goyette (23) scored a hat-trick, starting with a first period penalty shot before he made it 3-2 in the middle frame after Westfall (11) scored two game-tying goals. Esposito (30) earned the Bruins a tie, with Shack collecting his second helper of the day.

With their third win in four Detroit move up into second out East; Ullman (23) scoring a pair with Henderson (16) and Delvecchio (25) nabbing a game-winner and empty-netter respectively. Chicago meanwhile limp towards home with a second winless game in a row after taking four victories on the bounce. Hawks goals coming from Martin (15) and Mohns (23), giving them a 2-1 advantage at the time before Ullman returned.

The Blues and Flyers remain two points apart after sharing the spoils in their contest, and both teams have two wins in the previous eleven combined. St Marseille (11) started the scoring on the powerplay, but Philadelphia took the lead with two tallies off Kennedy (14). The game, played in Quebec City while the Flyers' home continues to receive repairs, was all squared at 18:26 of the second period when Crisp (14) made good on his chance.

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

NYR Giacomin (21-31-10 .887) 32/35, Powerplay 0/4
BOS Johnston (14-8-4 .891) 32/35, Powerplay 1/2

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

CHI DeJordy (24-14-10 .898) 27/30, Powerplay 0/0
DET G Gardner (5-1-0 .927) 25/27, Powerplay 0/0

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

StL Martin (9-11-4 .902) 28/30, Powerplay 1/4
PHI Parent (19-21-7 .898) 26/28, Powerplay 1/4

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	72	43	19	10	96
Detroit Red Wings	72	35	24	13	83
Toronto Maple Leafs	72	35	25	12	82
Boston Bruins	72	36	26	10	82
Chicago Blackhawks	72	30	31	11	71
New York Rangers	72	26	32	14	66
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	72	30	31	11	71
Philadelphia Flyers	72	30	33	9	69
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 24th

Sunday 24th March 1968
The win streak finally ends at ten games but Montreal extend their unbeaten run to fourteen with a tie in Chicago who are undefeated in their last six. Martin (14) scored twice for the Blackhawks, tying the game at 1-1 at bringing them back to 3-2 down on the powerplay after H Richard (16), Savard (4) and Backstrom (21) manafactured a 3-1 lead for the Canadiens. Mohns (22) and Mikita (39) gave Chicago their first lead in the final period, but a last minute equaliser from Duff (27) with fifty-four seconds to play resulted in a share of the points.

Detroit continue their surge up the East Division standings by hammering Boston to take their fifth win in eight games, equaling the Bruins' points total in the process. A Delvecchio (24) hat-trick, a brace from Ullman (21) with an assist, and a goal and two helpers from Howe (41) sealed the big win for Detroit; F Smith (21) scored the game-winner while his team were shorthanded. McKenzie (33) and two from  Esposito (29) were all that Boston could muster, leaving them with a single win in six.

After twelve without a win the Maple Leafs make it back-to-back victories, creating a three-way tie for second place in the East after edging the Rangers. Two goals from Conacher (12), both set up by Pulford, were all that Toronto needed with Ratelle (31) scoring for New York with a goal to make it 1-1 in the first period. It's a sixth loss after nine without defeat for NYR, and the first loss of the season for netminder Simmons,

In the battle for playoff spots in the West Pittsburgh overtake the North Stars for fourth place as Minnesota have just four wins in their last twenty-three games. Price (3) and Dillabough (3) made it 2-0 for the Penguins, Boudrias (25) brought the visitors back into it. Bathgate (24) and Andrea (13) then scored unassisted to give Pittsburgh a third win in their current four game unbeaten streak.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	1	2	1	4
CHI		1	1	2	4

MON Vachon (22-7-3 .906) 24/28, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (24-13-10 .898) 28/32, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	1	0	2	3
DET		1	5	1	7

BOS Cheevers (22-18-6 .896) 38/45, Powerplay 1/8
DET Edwards (15-19-9 .892) 30/33, Powerplay 2/9

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

TOR Gamble (13-12-4 .909) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Simmons (5-1-4 .910) 20/22, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	0	1	0	1
PIT		2	1	1	4

MIN Bauman (7-9-76 .889) 32/36, Powerplay 0/0
PIT Bassen (11-10-5 .907) 16/17, Powerplay 2/8

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
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66
Los Angeles Kings	71	28	34	9	65
Pittsburgh Penguins	70	26	31	13	65
Minnesota North Stars	71	23	30	18	64
Oakland Seals	72	16	42	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHl 1967/68, March 23rd

Saturday 23rd March 1968
AFter back-to-back wins it's a third straight defeat for the Flyers as Los Angeles takes the win and moves within a point of Philadelphia. Rochefort (21) scored first for the visitors at 3:10 in the opening period, but B Smith (20) had the Kings even 2:11 later. The second frame was scoreless but the third was all LA as R Lemieux (9) and Robinson (12) scored with the man advantage, with Irvine (22) grabbing his goal in between as the Kings have just one loss in five.

There was no separating the Penguins and the North Stars, leaving Minnesota in fourth spot in the West, a point ahead of Pittsburgh who remain on the outside. Despite ending up with their third tie in a row, taking their undefeated streak to five games, Minnesota led twice with M Hall (8) scoring twice, Balon (12) the other goal in Maniago's fiftieth game in goal for the Stars. For the Pens, who are unbeaten in three after going winless in five, go the game to 1-1 just fifteen seconds into the middle frame when McDonald (15) scored unassisted, and then Ubriaco (12) gave Pittsburgh the lead before the intermission; K McCreary (15) was then on hand on the powerplay to make it 3-3.


Another win for for Montreal gives them eleven straight as they sweep aside the Red Wings who suffer their first defeat in nine. G Jarrett (35) for Detroit scored first and then D Roberts (7) nailed his powerplay opportunity to make it 2-2 after the Habs took the lead through Lamaire (22) and Provost (14). After that it was all Montreal with Ferguson (15) scoring a pair with Duff (26) and Backstrom (20) also getting on the board.

With the Flyers defeat St Louis were able to re-stretch their lead in the West to four points, thanks to a four-point effort from J Roberts (19) who scored two on the powerplay with two assists. Berenson (16), B McCreary (24), Melnyk (20) with his game winning goal, and Sabourin (21) who conspire to end the Blues three game skid. For Oakland, who had goals from Ehman (20), Burns (15) and T Hampson (16) to make it a 4-3 game in the final period, have just two wins in eighteen attempts.

After struggling of late the Toronto Maple Leafs bounce back with a vengeance to claim their first win in nine games, taking it out on their opponents of the day from New York. It was only 2-0 after two periods, Walton (31) and F Mahovlich (27) scoring in each frame, but an offensive explosion in the third had the Leafs looking rampant. F Mahovlich (29) went on to complete his hat trick, and Ellis (31) added to his two helpers with a powerplay effort. Keon (14), Pappin (12), and Stanley (5) added to the goal fest. The Rangers suffered a heavy loss to make it five defeats in a row; only Hadfield (2) scored for them to make it 5-1 at the time.

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

PHI Parent (19-21-6 .898) 23/27, Powerplay 1/4
LAK Sawchuk (7-14-4 .889) 22/23, Powerplay 2/7

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

PIT Binkley (15-20-8 .903) 24/27, Powerplay 1/8
MIN Maniago (17-21-11 .899) 21/24, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	1	1	0	2
MON		1	3	2	6

DET Crozier (14-4-4 .911) 42/48, Powerplay 1/3
MON Worsley (21-12-6 .912) 25/27, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
StL	@	4	0	2	6
OAK		0	2	1	3

StL Hall (21-19-7 .893) 29/32m Powerplay 2/10
OAK Hodge (13-32-11 .896) 33/39, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	0	0	1	1
TOR		1	1	6	8

NYR Giacomin (21-31-9 .886) 32/40, Powerplay 0/5
TOR Bower (22-13-7 ..916) 24/25, Powerplay 1/2

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	70	43	19	8	94
Boston Bruins	70	36	25	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	70	33	24	13	79
Toronto Maple Leafs	70	34	25	11	79
Chicago Blackhawks	70	30	30	10	70
New York Rangers	70	26	31	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	70	30	30	10	70
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66
Los Angeles Kings	71	28	34	9	65
Minnesota North Stars	70	23	29	18	64
Pittsburgh Penguins	69	25	31	13	63
Oakland Seals	72	16	42	14	46