Playoff Update: Red Wings and Flyers Force Game 5

It's been an interesting, although entertaining, second round thus far, which had two teams on the brink of being swept in four games. The battle tested Detroit Red Wings were on the verge of being hastily eliminated by the San Jose Sharks, but refused to be swept, taking the Sharks down by a score of 7-1 in game four. Johan Franzen (also appropriately known as, "the Mule") was the hero, scoring four goals and six points for the Red Wings. Rookie goaltender, Jimmy Howard, also showed he can play in high pressure situations, allowing only one goal in the game.

The series will now shift back to the Shark Tank in San Jose for game five. You can catch that game tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00pm EST on TSN. It should prove to be a tough, hard fought, high-flying game. It will be interesting to see how the San Jose Sharks react to Thursday's blowout loss. If there is any team in the NHL capable of coming back from a 3-0 series deficit, it would have to be the Detroit Red Wings.

Another team on the ropes showed some life tonight. The Philadelphia Flyers, also down 3-0 to the Boston Bruins, fought off elimination to force a game five back at the Boston Gardens. This game needed overtime, after Mark Recchi scored the tying goal late in the third period. The battle tested veteran continues to be a story of these playoffs, with six goals and nine points in ten games.

Recchi's heroics would not be enough however, as Simon Gagne (just back from injury) scored the overtime winner for the Flyers. The series will now go back to the Boston Gardens for game five on Monday. You can watch that game on TSN at 7:00pm EST.