A strange moment in the stands drew as much attention as the action on the ice in the Maple Leafs' overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, the defending Stanley Cup champions are showing shades of last year's form, and the Vancouver Canucks began their off-season with plenty of uncertainty. All that and more in our Stanley Cup Stories from Wednesday.
1. A deflating 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins has the Toronto Maple Leafs clinging to their playoff lives, but a seemingly awkward moment between two of the players' significant others garnered most of the post-game attention. Leafs goalie James Reimer's wife April was caught giving what was originally construed as a glare in the direction of Toronto defenceman Dion Phaneuf's fiancée and actress Elisha Cuthbert. The apparent face off happened just moments after a costly error by Phaneuf in overtime led to David Krejci's winner, and had the Twitter world buzzing. April Reimer was quick to get on damage control, clarifying who she was glaring at and denying any rift with Cuthbert. She claimed the two were upset at a rude comment made by a nearby fan. Tim Wharnsby writes although Phaneuf took responsibility for his gaffe, his risk-taking was unnecessary. To add injury to insult, the Leafs also lost defenceman Mark Fraser after he took a puck to the forehead. The night began with Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman landing an exclusive 1-on-1 interview with new MLSE boss Tim Leiweke.
2. The Vancouver Canucks will have plenty of time to contemplate their next moves after being swept by the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night. Jim Morris writes that a storm may be brewing in Vancouver and it won't be because of the weather. The futures of coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Mike Gillis are uncertain after another early playoff exit. If you ask Coach's Corner commentator Don Cherry, Gillis should have sorted out his team's goaltending situation in the middle of the season by dealing Cory Schneider before the NHL's April 3 trade deadline. But for now, Team Sweden is getting a boost as Henrik and Daniel Sedin will be suiting up at the hockey worlds, along with Alex Edler.
3. Remember last year's version of the Los Angeles Kings? Well, apparently they do, too. The defending Stanley Cup champions are looking like their former selves after beating the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime. L.A. won its third straight game to take a 3-2 series lead and looks to have turned the tide on St. Louis. The Detroit Red Wings also suffered a 3-2 fourth-frame defeat to the Anaheim Ducks and now trail their series 3-2, raising the total number of OT games in the 2013 playoffs to 13.
4. The Montreal Canadiens may be down 3-1 in their series with the Ottawa Senators, but they're not ready to go home just yet. It will be a tough task for the Habs, who may be without top goalie Carey Price with a lower-body injury, and won't have the services of captain Brian Gionta, who is done for the season with a biceps injury. Montreal will hope to extend the series on Hockey Night in Canada Thursday night in Game 5 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 6:30 p.m. ET). The doubleheader continues with the Minnesota Wild hoping to avoid elimination against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 9:30 p.m. ET).
5. Those who may have counted the New York Rangers out after they dropped the first two games of their series with the Washington Capitals may want to think again. New York has clawed its way back with a 4-3 victory over Washington, even minus defenceman Marc Staal. And as Jay Greenberg writes, the Rangers are gaining more and more confidence with each passing game.
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