Despite a lockout-shortened season with teams playing as many as five games per week, the excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has failed to diminish.
Following a first round that consisted of 17 overtime games, the semifinal round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has begun and consists of four amazing matchups, two of which date back to the league’s roots from the 1940s.
After pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history in Game Seven of their opening round series versus Toronto, the Boston Bruins have advanced to the second round and will face the New York Rangers. The Rangers also pulled off a comeback in their opening round matchup, as the blue shirts came back from a 3-2 series deficit to shut out the Washington Capitals 6-0 in Games Six and Seven to advance. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist leads the Rangers and will attempt to carry all of New York on his shoulders as the Rangers meet the Bruins in the playoffs for the first time in 42 years.
On the other side of the East bracket, the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins take on the number seven seed- the Ottawa Senators. The Sens pulled off what many considered to be an upset in the first round, as they defeated their Canadian rivals in Montreal in a stunning five games. Captain Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins struggled in the first round, as it took six games and a change in net to defeat the Islanders in the first round.
Out west, the top dog continues its dominance; the Chicago Blackhawks took down Minnesota in five games and have advanced to take on their arch nemesis- the Detroit Red Wings- in and Original Six matchup. The Red Wings took down Anaheim in a thrilling seven game series in the opening round, so it should be interesting to see if they can carry the momentum to the Windy City for the first two games of the series.
And finally, an in-state rivalry: the fifth seeded Los Angeles Kings will look to continue their title defense from 2012 against the sixth-seeded San Jose Sharks. Goalie Jonathan Quick and the LA Kings defeated St. Louis in the first round 4-2 after dropping the first two games of the series on the road, while San Jose has had over a week of rest after shockingly sweeping the 3rd seeded Vancouver Canucks.
