A Stanley Cup Night by the Numbers

If you weren't in front of the TV on Monday, you missed one of the best nights so far in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. By the way, your new Stanley Cup favorites are Buffalo, Carolina, San Jose and Anaheim, all of them up 2-0 in their respective series.

Tuesday night, by the numbers:

9: Average power plays per game, compared to almost 13 per game on April 21, the opening night of the playoffs. Are the players conforming to the strict new standards or are the referees slacking off? A little of both, of course.

3:12: How long it took for the Devils' season to implode. Scott Gomez scores with 21 seconds left, giving the Devils a 2-1 lead. The game is practically over and New Jersey is exactly where it needs to be: escaping Carolina with a split and going home for the next two games. Then they give it all away. Eric Staal - left completely unmolested in front of the net - ties it for Carolina with 3 seconds left. Niclas Wallin finishes the job at 3:09 of overtime. Suddenly, the Devils are down 2-zip in the series, looking slow and defeated.

9: Shots on goal by New Jersey after the first period. Did I mention the slow and defeated part?

2: Sticks San Jose played with for close to a minute during a 5-on-3 penalty kill against Edmonton. The goalie had one; a defenseman had one; the other two guys had nothing. Incredibly, the Sharks escaped. They gave up a game-tying goal a few seconds later, which kind of spoiled the moment. But they won the game.

43: Saves by Ryan Miller, the latest in this year's chorus line of rookie goaltending heroes. Miller heroics allowed Buffalo to escape Ottawa with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Stanley Cup favorites are in a big hole, going on the road and approaching the precipice. Ottawa hockey fans are getting reacquainted with a springtime ritual: panic.

???: How long the Sabres will be without their leading scorer. Tim Connolly was helped off the ice just 58 seconds in Tuesday's game, after leaning straight into a devastating collision with Ottawa's Peter Schaefer. A two-game lead is all well and good. But for Buffalo fans, this mystery number might be the most important one of all.

Stanley Cup Playoff Tracker: Complete schedule and results