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Calgary Flames

Friday Playoff Open Thread: Do or Die

Three teams are fighting for their playoff lives tonight as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Boston for game five, the Blues are in Los Angeles, and the Ducks try to get it done in Detroit.

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With the Wild, Canucks and Canadiens eliminated from post-season contention, three more teams will attempt to join the waiting Senators, Sharks and Blackhawks tonight.

The defending Stanley Cup champion LA Kings return home to try and finish off the Blues tonight on home ice after winning three consecutive games, including Wednesday night’s OT victory. Since losing the first two games in St. Louis, Jonathan Quick has allowed just five goals in three games. He appeared to be the butt of the joke following his gaffe in the first overtime period in game one of the series, but has rebounded in a big way to give the defending champs a chance.

The likes of Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar finally beginning to find their scoring touch doesn’t hurt either.

Game six of the LA/St. Louis series can be seen on CBC at 8 p.m. MT.

Here's what else is on tap tonight:

Game 5: Toronto at Boston, 5 p.m. MT on CBC

David Krejci’s hat trick and some nifty saves from Tuukka Rask helped the Bruins overcome a 2-0 deficit in game four against the Leafs en route to a 4-3 overtime win, and they’ll look to close out the series against the blue and white tonight. Toronto outshot Boston 14-7 in the third period and 11-9 in overtime, and had several golden chances to win it themselves in the extra frame, but they’ll need to stay out of the penalty box tonight if they hope to stay alive in this series. The Bruins scored twice on the powerplay in game five.

Game 5: New York at Washington, 5 p.m. MT on TSN

With the series all tied up at two, the Rangers will try to build off of the momentum of two straight wins to take their first lead of the series. Marc Staal is questionable for tonight’s game after experiencing some problems with his vision in the eye that was struck by a deflected shot back in March. Staal missed 29 games with the injury.

Game 6: Anaheim at Detroit, 6 p.m. on TSN

An overtime win by the Ducks gave them a 3-2 series lead on Wednesday, and they will have to try not to get caught up in the return of Justin Abdelkader for the Red Wings tonight if they hope to end Detroit’s playoff hopes early. Abdelkader served a two-game suspension for a hit to the head of former Flame Toni Lydman in game two. Red Wings rookie Damien Brunner has had an impressive NHL playoff debut, scoring at a point-per-game pace through five games.

Enjoy the games and have a good weekend!

by Hayley Mutch