g out of surgery would be like. Its all been really good." Smith has always prided himself on his durability that allows him to play almost every snap at a physically grueling position whe

(Sports Network) - A pair of Original Six rivals will battle in the playoffs for the first time in 40 years on Thursday, as the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Cheap NCAA Jerseys . You can catch all the action on TSN beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Plus you can chat and get updates from TSNs hockey personalities with TSN.cas Game Night Blog on the TSN GameTracker. Although the Rangers and Bruins have met nine times in the playoffs this is the first encounter since the 1973 quarterfinals, when New York downed Boston in five games. Both clubs enter this series after being pushed to the limit in the opening round. The Rangers beat Washington in seven games, closing out the series with Mondays 5-0 win in D.C., but Bostons Game 7 was much more dramatic. Thanks to a ferocious comeback in the closing minutes on Monday, the fourth-seeded Bruins are still alive in the playoffs. Boston nearly blew a 3-1 series lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1, losing Games 5 and 6 before falling behind 4-1 in the third period of the decisive contest in Boston. Boston was down 4-1 after Nazem Kadri tallied 5:29 into the third period, but the Bruins scored three unanswered goals and tied the game on Patrice Bergerons marker with 50.2 seconds left in regulation. Bergeron then netted the game-winner 6:05 into overtime to cap a 5-4 comeback win and move Boston into the Eastern Conference semifinals. Now, the Bs find themselves in the second round for the fourth time in five seasons. The only exception was last spring when Boston lost to Washington in the opening round the year after winning the franchises first Stanley Cup since 1972. While Bergeron came up with two big goals in Game 7, fellow forward David Krejci led the way on offense for Boston in Round 1. Krejci, who led Boston with 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists during the 2011 title run, paced the Bs with five goals and eight assists against Toronto. With his defensive ability, Bergeron could be Bostons most important player up front. He won the Selke Trophy last year as the NHLs best defensive forward and is one of three finalists for the award this season. Bergeron led all Boston forwards in ice time in the opening round, logging just over 20 minutes a game as he posted three goals and an assist against the Leafs. Krejci, Bergeron and Nathan Horton, who had four goals and three assists in the opening round, combined to score 12 of Bostons 22 goals against Toronto. Milan Lucic also recorded nine points on two goals and seven assists against the Maple Leafs, while Jaromir Jagr failed to score but chipped in with four assists. The 41-year-old Jagr leads all active players with 193 career playoff points (78 goals, 115 assists). Johnny Boychuk added two goals from the back end in Round 1, but Zdeno Chara led all Boston defensemen with eight points on one goal and seven assists. The big Slovakian also led the Bruins with an average of 28 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time per game over the seven contests. With fellow defensemen Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg all battling injuries, Chara may actually see his playing time increase in the second round. Seidenberg and Ference did not practice on Wednesday, while Redden skated briefly before leaving the session early. Bruins head coach Claude Julien isnt saying whether any of the three players will be available for Game 1 on Thursday. The injuries mean Julien may have to ask for more minutes from unproven defensemen like Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski. Goaltender Tuukka Rask went 19-10-5 with a 2.00 goals against average during the regular season but he posted a 2.49 GAA in seven games against the Leafs. All told, the Finnish netminder is 11-9 with a 2.57 GAA in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the backbone of the Rangers is goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and the reigning Vezina Trophy winner certainly showed his worth in the opening round against Washington. After posting consecutive shutouts against the Capitals in Games 6 and 7, the 31-year-old Swede finished the series with a 1.65 GAA and .947 save percentage. He has eight career postseason shutouts and five of them have come since the start of the 2012 playoffs. Lundqvist enters Round 2 riding a scoreless streak of 120 minutes after allowing his last goal -- an overtime game-winner -- to Washingtons Mike Ribeiro in Game 5. Logging the big minutes in front of Lundqvist are defensemen Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who both averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time a game in Round 1. Girardi and Michael Del Zotto led the Rangers blue line with one goal and one assist each, while Steve Eminger chipped in with two helpers. Like the Bruins, New Yorks most glaring weakness is scoring. The Rangers have enough talent up front to sustain pressure, but they often wind up with little to show for it. Leading the charge for New York on offense in the opening round was Derick Brassard, a player who was acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus. Brassard tied four other players for the team lead with two goals against the Caps and he also recorded seven assists. Arron Asham, Brian Boyle, Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan each posted two goals for New Yorks balanced scoring attack in Round 1. However, the Rangers are waiting for Rick Nash and Brad Richards -- the clubs two most expensive skaters -- to chip in on offense. Nash, who comes with an annual cap hit of $7.8 million, was acquired in a trade with Columbus last summer to help make New York a more formidable offensive team. He did lead the Rangers with 21 goals in the regular season, but had just two assists in the seven-game set. Richards, who signed a nine-year, $58.5 million contract prior to the 2011-12 season, had one goal in the opening round. A former Conn Smythe winner for Tampa Bay in 2004, Richards recorded six goals and nine assists for the Rangers in last years playoffs. The Rangers won two of three meetings against the Bruins this season, but the clubs havent played each other since Feb. 12, when New York notched its second OT victory of the season against Boston. Despite winning two of the three games, Lundqvist had a lofty 2.95 GAA against Boston this season, while Rask went 1-0-2 with a 2.62 GAA. Nash paced New York with three assists in the season series, while Gaborik led the team with three goals against Boston before being traded. Lucic, Horton and Brad Marchand each notched two goals for the Bruins. Game 2 of this series is scheduled for Sunday in Boston. The Bruins were 16-5-3 as the host during the regular season and 2-2 in the first round. New York was 1-3 at Washington in Round 1, posting its only road win in Game 7. The Rangers were 10-12-2 as the guest in 2013. College Jerseys From China . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Cheap USA College Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. http://www.jerseyscollegecheap.com/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers signed defensive end Justin Smith to a two-year contract extension Wednesday to keep one of their most important defensive players off the free-agent market next off-season. Smith, 33, has been the anchor to one of the NFLs top defences the past two seasons, helping the 49ers make it to the NFC championship game following the 2011 season and to the Super Bowl last season. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season but had no interest in testing the market and negotiated the extension himself with general manager Trent Baalke to remain under contract through 2015. "I wanted to be here. That makes it simple," Smith said. "They wanted me to be here and I wanted to be here so that makes it easy." Smith originally signed a six-year deal to join the 49ers in 2008 and has been a key part of the building process that turned the franchises fortunes around after an eight-year stretch without a playoff berth. Smith was a first-team All-Pro defensive tackle and second-team defensive end in 2011 in a sign of his versatility. He was a second-team selection at both positions last season and has made four straight Pro Bowls. "Justins All-Pro contributions on the field, as well as his leadership on and off the field, are integral to our success as a team," Baalke said in a statement. "Justin consistently sets a standard of excellence, serving as an example for everyone within our organization. This contract allows Justin to finish his career as a 49er!" Since joining the 49ers in 2008, Smith has helped the team rankk second in rushing yards allowed per game (94. Cheap College Jerseys Outlet. .4) and yards per carry (3.6) over that time span. He has 536 tackles, 32 sacks, one interception, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and nine passes defenced since joining the 49ers. Smith missed the final 2 1/2 games of the regular season in 2012 with a partially torn left triceps, ending his streak of 185 consecutive starts. He returned for the post-season but was somewhat limited during a playoff run that ended with a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in the Super Bowl. He had surgery after the season and expects to be fully recovered by the start of training camp next month. "The good news is its healed. Its close to 100 per cent for what I want it to be," he said. "I feel good about it, feel confident about the season. Ive never been injured like that. I didnt know anything with the rehab process, what to expect, what coming out of surgery would be like. Its all been really good." Smith has always prided himself on his durability that allows him to play almost every snap at a physically grueling position where many players rotate in and out of the game to stay fresh. He played more than 90 per cent of San Franciscos defensive snaps last season before the injury, according to Pro Football Focus, and said he doesnt expect that to change even when he is 36-years old at the end of this contract. "I wont be a guy who will be around for 10 snaps, 20 snaps," he said. "Its either Im going or Im not going. If its time to get out of here, Im going. I can get a ticket like everybody else. Thats what Ill do." 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