Thursday's news: Sharks lose Game One at home yet again

The Stanley Cup playoffs got off to a rollicking start last night with four tense games, and we get three more series openers this evening.

Follow after the jump for reaction to last night's opening games, more talk about Predators-Blackhawks, and a whole lot more...

Last Night in the Playoffs

Ottawa 5, Pittsburgh 4 - Jarko Ruutu got the winner as the Sens stole Game One on the road.

Philadelphia 2, New Jersey 1 - The #7 seed in the East captured home-ice advantage, too.

Detroit 2, Phoenix 3 - In a physical nail-biter of a game, the Coyotes served notice that they won't roll over for the Red Wings. And yes, a snake hit the ice.

Colorado 2, San Jose 1 - The home crowd booed the Sharks off the ice when a last-minute goal went in off the skate of Rob Blake. Are San Jose fans panicking already?

Predators News

Preds On The Glass: What a Start to the Playoffs and Thursday Thoughts
Sacre Bleu! Buddy's going on the radio in Montreal tonight!

Thursday Notes and Previews of Tonight's Lid Lifters - Paul McCann
Paul makes his call for the series which open tonight.

Playoff Preview: Blackhawks vs Predators - View From My Seats
Jeremy from Section303.com squares off with a Chicago blogger in this series preview.

Keys to a Nashville Win | Hockey Independent
David Singleton lines up the requirements for a Predators series win.

Red Light District: Who is this year's Cinderella?
The Preds as Cinderella? I can dig that, just don't ask me to picture Wade Belak in a ball gown and crystal slippers.

Grindcast 4: Playoffs, Prop Bets and Dan Ellis' Cologne - The Grinder
Part of this podcast touches on hockey players who use Twitter, so of course they bring up @dellis39...

Predators need to find a way to win on the road in playoffs - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair highlights Challenge #1 for the Preds.

Nashville Predators combine young, old players on roster - The Tennessean
Breaking news - the Preds have some younger guys and some older guys on the team.

Behind Enemy Lines: The Tennessean’s John Glennon | Blackhawk Up
The Preds beat writer gives a Chicago blog the scoop on Nashville.

Around the NHL

Gone fishing? Not yet, but it’s tempting - William Houston
This bitter, old former columnist for the Globe & Mail leaves open the question of his sanity. First, he says, "The biggest joke of 2009-10, unfortunately, was the spectacle of James Mirtle attempting to function as a Globe and Mail hockey writer", an over-the-top tirade against the first-year journalist who made the transition from blogging. What's absolutely nuts is that he also "enjoyed the work of Doug MacLean on Fan590". There isn't a bigger blowhard in hockey than the ex-Columbus GM, period.

Chicago Blackhawks' Brian Campbell back on ice - chicagotribune.com
Stealing one of these early games in Chicago becomes even more important for Nashville, as the Hawks' offensive defenseman may return soon.

Round-One Opponent Breakdown: Nashville's Goalies - Second City Hockey
The Chicago camp takes a look at Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis.

Davidson says the Blues still can’t break the bank - STLtoday
St. Louis Blues President John Davidson has no quick fixes in mind for his club.

Penalty Kill Save Percentage - Final Tally and Playoffs - The Copper & Blue
An analysis that digs into how various goalies perform on the penalty kill, with some encouraging notes for Nashville fans.

Shooting Percentage vs Age - Behind The Net
Once a player hits his early 30's, his shooting percentage typically declines. Interesting stuff here.

Public funds would back Phoenix Coyotes bidder - AZCentral.com
The new lease arrangement between Jerry Reinsdorf and the City of Glendale puts much of the burden on other property owners around the arena. It's an odd, unprecedented situation in the desert. (hat tip to Kukla's Korner)

Rangers Analysis: John Tortorella's Future on Broadway - Blueshirt Banter
It's the natural question when your team misses the playoffs - should the coach go?

SBN's New York Rangers Blog, Blueshirt Banter, Interviews Wayne Gretzky - SB Nation
How Freaking Cool.

Who Could Use Tomas Kaberle? - Pension Plan Puppets
PPP puts on a yard sale.

My Playoff Predictions - Bird Watchers Anonymous
The Falconer is "picking the Predators to shock the world and beat up the Blackhawks goalies".

What Sort of GM will Rick Dudley Be? - Bird Watchers Anonymous
The Falconer looks at the road ahead for Atlanta...

Iginla open to trade possibility - The Globe and Mail
At age 33, the superstar winger wants to win - and if the Flames think they need to rebuild from scratch, he'd consider a trade out of town.

Season Ending Press Conference: Highlights and Insights - Canes Country
After making noise in the 2009 playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes fell short this season. Here, the front office discusses the plan going forward.

And finally, some video - are you ready for those home playoff games next week?