Habs live another day, O'Connor chooses Ottawa, Canada narrowly edges… France?

Aside from Game 4 when they exploded for six goals, the Canadiens have had trouble scoring in their series with the Lightning, scoring just six goals over the series' other four games. But that didn't matter in Game 5, when the Habs came out on the better end of a 2-1 score. Carey Price was his usual self in this game, stopping 24 of 25 shots he faced. P.A. Parenteau picked the right time to score his first goal of the playoffs, ripping the game-winner past Ben Bishop with just over four minutes to play in regulation.

You may recall that Parenteau was a healthy scratch during the Habs' first-round series against Ottawa. But with some improved play in this series and points in his last two games, the former 67-point scorer with the Islanders now seems unlikely to come out of the lineup as long as the Habs stay alive.

If the Bolts wish to avoid sending this back to La Belle Province for Game 7, important contributors such as Ryan Callahan will need to find the scoresheet. Callahan has not recorded a point in five games, has just one point over his past ten games, and has yet to score a goal in the playoffs. Jon Cooper has noticed, issuing Cally just 13 minutes of icetime in Game 5. I can't say I follow the Lightning extremely closely, but these types of playoff slumps often indicate that an unspecified injury is factoring in.

How long before this guy is back in the NHL where he belongs? To use Kovalchuk's own words, "I have two more years on my contract. Then, we'll see." (ESPN)

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Finally, Happy Mother's Day to all the hockey moms out there reading this, and especially to my mother and my wife (the mother of my two sons). Both my mother and my wife have stomached my hockey addiction for years. I love them both for it, particularly because neither of them are huge hockey fans. Both have also been instrumental in pursuing my dream of becoming a fantasy hockey writer, which I will always give them credit for.

On that subject, I'm glad that many NHL teams bring in players' moms for a special road trip every year. It’s a just reward for hockey parents, who commit an incredible amount of time and money so that their children can pursue their dream. This commitment seems to be even greater in hockey than it is in other sports, especially when you consider the registration and equipment costs along with inconveniences such as the early-morning icetime and road trips. As a parent myself, I now better understand the true sacrifice that is made.