The Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL - May 15th, 2014

There will be no more Bruins in the playoffs this year.

The moon over Boston was full at 3:16 p.m. Wednesday afternoon – but of course it was – just in case the stellar Canadiens-Boston Bruins Eastern Conference quarter-final needed some stardust.

Which it didn’t.

The Canadiens are headed to the third round of the NHL playoffs — that would be the Eastern Conference final against the New York Rangers — after completing a remarkable upset of the Boston Bruins, the league’s best club over the regular season.

The Habs spanked the Bruins, their most bitter archrival, 3-1 at TD Garden Wednesday to advance and send Boston packing.

Hockey-mad Montreal will now see its first Eastern final since 2010, when the Canadiens fell in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers after gruelling, improbable seven-game quarter- and semi-final rounds against Washington and Pittsburgh.

The Memorial Cup has started in London, Ontario.

The 96th version of the Memorial Cup launched here Wednesday with the four coaches gathered under a big white tent outside of the Budweiser Gardens.

There were no elephants in the tent and nobody sent in any clowns, but it was very obvious they’re each directing very different circuses.

There will be scouts at the Memorial Cup.

There's a good chance many of the NHL's brightest future stars will be playing big roles this weekend when the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup commences at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario.

The four-team round robin tournament takes place May 16-25 and will feature the host team London Knights along with the Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm, Western Hockey League champion Edmonton Oil Kings and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Val d'Or Foreurs.

Make no mistake, NHL scouts and general managers pay close attention to the tournament and which prospects rise to the occasion in a big spot.