NHL 1st round of Stanley Cup play offs - 1st games: Montreal - Washington 3:2, Boston - Buffalo 1:2, Los Angeles - Vancouver 2:3.

Czech forward Milan Michalek (Ottawa Senators) is done for the season. He requires a surgery on a torn ACL in his left knee. The 25-year old forward suffered an injury on March 18 in a game against Atlanta and after a return at the end of the regular season he aggravated the injury in the second period of the first play off game against Pittsburgh. He left the game and did not return. Further medical examination revealed a tear in the ligament which will require a surgery to repair.

KHL play off final result - 1st game: Balashikha - Kazan 2:3.
Slovak Extraliga play off final result - 2nd game: Slovan Bratislava - Kosice 3:6, series 0:2.
SM-Liiga play off semifinal results - 4th games: TPS Turku - Jyväskylä 4:3 in OT, series 2:2, Hämeenlinna - KalPa Kuopio 3:2 in OT, series 2:2.
Swiss NLA play off final result - 3rd game: Bern - Geneva 6:2, series 2:1.
Under 18 World Championships - group A: Belarus - Canada 3:11 (1:4, 2:2, 0:5). Goals: 14. Levsa, 21. Kardashev, 25. Zhevlochenko - 5., 29. & 57. McFarland, 6. & 35. O'Connor, 4. Connolly, 15. Howden, 43. Bournival, 45. McKegg, 46. Spooner, 53. Weal.
Group B: Slovakia - Finland 2:5 (0:1, 2:1, 0:3). Goals: 33. Cingel, 38. Murcek - 10. & 60. Granlund, 40. & 48. Pulkkinen, 57. Paajanen.
Swedish Elitserien play off final result - 1st game: Djurgaarden - HV 71 4:3.

There are more players that will not be able to join the Czech national team for the upcoming World Championships. Zbynek Irgl, who plays in Yaroslavl, Russia, will have a sinus operation, Michael Frolik (Florida Panthers) had a broken nose surgery overseas, and Roman Polak (St. Louis Blues) has a broken collar bone. Another Florida Panthers player Kamil Kreps is also injured.

According to Swedish paper Aftonbladet goalie Henrik Lundqvist is still undecided about joining the national team for the upcoming World Championships in Germany. Reportedly, the New York Rangers goaltender has problems with a hamstring and knee and should be able to give the national coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson an answer within the next week or so.

Danish national team coach Per Bäckman will have to do without the services of forward Mikkel Boedker. After finishing his AHL season, he was called up by Phoenix for the Stanley Cup play offs and the only way he might be available for the World Championships in Germany would be if Phoenix gets knocked out in the first round.

Swedish goaltender Henrik Karlsson, who has even played for the Swedish national team this season has been called up by San Jose Sharks after the end of his Swedish Elitserien season. Karlsson was backing up Färjestad, and now he will be available for the Sharks as they signed him last August and own his NHL rights.

Young Swedish forward Joakim Andersson signed a three-year entry level contract with Detroit. The Red Wings drafted him 88th overall in the 2007 draft.

Buffalo Sabres winger Drew Stafford (concussion) still has not been cleared by the team doctors for full contact and missed the first play off game. It appears unlikely that he will be cleared for the next game. German forward Jochen Hecht has also missed the first game after suffering unspecified upper body injury.

Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brian Campbell has appeared in practice on Tuesday for the first time since March 14. The talented defenceman was injured when he was hit by Alexander Ovechkin in to the endboards. Campbell suffered a broken collar bone. He was supposed to be out seven to eight weeks however it appears that he might be back earlier. He will not play on Friday in Chicago's first play off game against Nashville.

Finnish coach Jukka Jalonen is receiving whole series of rejections from potential players from the NHL. Mikko Koivu, who has a knee injury will not be joining the team, as well as Saku Koivu, Teemu Selänne, Joni Pitkänen and Sean Bergenheim. Reportedly, other players have also declined include Miikka Kiprusoff, Antero Niittymäki, Olli Jokinen and Niklas Hagman.

New Swiss national team coach Sean Simpson will receive reinforcements from overseas before the World Championships in Germany. Forwards Andres Ambühl (Hartford, AHL) and rookie of Slovak background Juraj Simek (Norfolk, AHL) will join the training camp next week. After Portland's elimination from the junior WHL play off Simpson might also have talented forward Nino Niederreiter and defenceman Luca Sbisa available to him.

Dynamo Moscow might lose two more players from their roster according to the local media. Defenceman Denis Denisov and Swedish forward Mattias Weinhandl might be on their way to SKA Saint Petersburg as both players' contracts have expired. SKA is reportedly also interested in another Swede Tony Martensson, who was supposed to transfer from Linköping (Swedish Elitserien) to Dynamo Moscow but it's being reported that he might also end up in Saint Petersburg.

For the fifth time in a row has Alexander Ovechkin won the Alexander Kharlamov Trophy for the best Russian NHL player presented by the paper Sovietsky Sport. In the polling he received 62 votes, second was Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and third Ilya Kovalchuk from New Jersey.

Ilya Vorobiev will be the Russian national team escort at the World Championships in Germany. He started his career in Dynamo Moscow, however spent most of his professional career in Germany. The 35-year old Vorobiev was part of the Frankfurt club before retiring last year. He also played on the Russian national team during the 1990's. Vorobiev will fulfill the function of team liaison and will take care of the team social comfort at the hotel and arena.

Russian SKA Saint Petersburg is still looking for a new coach to replace American Barry Smith. The team president Alexander Medvedev denied that among candidates are Bengt-Ake Gustafsson or Ralph Krüger. According to the Russian magazine Sport new coach should be named any day now out of the five front runners Hannu Aravirta, Vladimir Yurzinov jr., Vladimir Yurzinov sr., Ivano Zanatta and Vaclav Sykora.