Nhl Playoffs

Several teams in the NHL playoffs have gone back and fourth with sudden winning and losing streaks. Yet no one has been on a more sudden hot streak than the Lightning, which can ride it to a 2-0 lead in the conference finals tonight.

After a week of rest and rust, the Lightning and Bruins finally got to face each other in the Eastern Conference finals. Yet the rust only affected the Bruins- particularly in 85 key seconds- as the Lightning cruised to a 5-2 win.

The NHL postseason is now halfway over, after a lot of madness in the first two rounds. Now the next two, even more important rounds begin in Boston, as the Lightning and Bruins try to overcome a week of rest in Game 1 of the Eastern finals.

The first round of the NHL playoffs went the distance, but the second round could be all over by Sunday. With the Eastern finals set after two sweeps, and with two Western teams looking to advance in five games, hockey could be off for several days soon.

The next round of the NHL playoffs is fully under way, with Tampa Bay and San Jose joining Vancouver as teams with early 1-0 leads. Today, either the Flyers or Bruins will join the club in their opener, while the Canucks try for a bigger 2-0 lead.

The last two Game 7s of the NHL first round were held last night, with Tampa Bay and Boston finally advancing. But there are no off days ahead, as Vancouver returns to action tonight with the other conference semis starting in the next two days.

Half of the first round series will see Game 7, with two of them decided last night. The Flyers had it easy against the Sabres, while the Canucks needed overtime to beat Chicago at last. Wednesday, Boston and Pittsburgh will host finales of their own.

Breaking down the Nashville vs Vancouver series

Three Game 7s are already set in the NHL first round, with a fourth to possibly be forged later on. The Lightning forced the third deciding game against the Penguins last night, with the Flyers-Sabres and Canucks-Blackhawks finales coming tonight.

Last night, two NHL first round series headed to overtime in Game 5, with the series lead on the line. But both road teams pulled out the victory early, leaving Buffalo and Nashville with a chance to advance to round two at home.

The NHL held only two games last night in the Western Conference, yet each of them ran up the scoreboard. The Blackhawks did most of the scoring against the Canucks to stay alive, while the Sharks did all of the scoring late over the stunned Kings.

Each NHL playoff game last night had the hosts fail to defend their home ice. Road warriors Pittsburgh and Philadelphia took back a 2-1 series lead, while Boston avoided a 3-0 deficit and Detroit went up by three games.

Yesterday, the Rangers and Blackhawks tried to avoid 3-0 deficits to top seeds, but only the Rangers succeeded. The defending champions are now the first team on the brink of elimination, while the Rangers and Ducks are in more manageable holes.

Each of the first round NHL matchups are now heading to new locations. So far, four of them are split, while the other four have a commanding 2-0 lead - although just one of those teams is going home with that advantage.

The Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks may be the top NHL seeds, but their past history makes it impossible for them to coast by. Therefore, going up 2-0 in their opening series is valuable, but they still have a lot to get past.

The last opening games in the NHL first round had the Sabres, Canadians and Sharks jump ahead in their series. Now the Capitals, Penguins, Canucks and Predators hope to get ahead even further tonight.

The opening NHL playoff games started well for home teams, as the Capitals survived an overtime test, the Canucks shut down the Blackhawks, and the Red Wings and Penguins cruised - though the Ducks couldn't make it a clean sweep.

The first night of the NHL playoffs has both top seeds, a defending champion and two former champions taking the ice. The Red Wings and Penguins are the first to go off, with the Capitals and Canucks to defend their No. 1 seeds later.

When the Capitals and Rangers last met inthe playoffs, it turned out to be a classic seven game series. The regular season found the Rangers having a 3-1 series edge, but that was before the Capitals became a different team.

The last day of the NHL regular season had the Blackhawks waiting on edge to clinch the last playoff spot after losing to the Red Wings. But when the Stars lost too, the Blackhawks were the final team to get on Wednesday's opening night schedule.

The NHL postseason finally has some pairings set in stone, at least in the East. But the order in the Western Conference is still unsettled, as the defending champion Blackhawks try to clinch the last available slot today.

The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals are now set set with the heavily favored Chicago Blackhawks preparing to take on the underdog Philadelphia Flyers. Will the Blackhawks hold up the Stanley Cup or can the Flyers win their third?

The NHL has never seen such a different pairing of conference finals before. Western 1-2 seeds San Jose and Chicago start off tomorrow afternoon, followed by the historic, seventh seeded Flyers hosting the shocking eighth seeded Canadians out East.

The NHL Eastern Conference finals now won't have the Capitals or the Penguins. Instead, it has the eighth seeded Canadiens, after their latest Game 7 upset. But even that pales to the Flyers coming back from 3-0 to tie Boston.

As the NHL second round goes on, Game 2 will help determine if a series is in for the long haul or could end early. The Canadiens proved they're in for the long haul, and the Flyers and Blackhawks look to do the same tonight.

The NHL first round ended with Montreal knocking top seeded Washington out. But the show must go on, as the second round starts with San Jose vs. Detroit tonight, while Montreal, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Vancouver get ready.

Six of the eight NHL second round slots have been set, with the last two to be determined in two Game 7's. Tonight's Phoenix-Detroit winner will meet San Jose, but tomorrow's Washington-Montreal Game 7 will radically alter the East bracket in some way.

The NHL playoffs were filled with Game 1 upsets, but a few of them were balanced out last night. Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Detroit and San Jose all rebounded from Game 1 defeats, but now Chicago hopes to do the same after they were upset.

The first night of the NHL playoffs had three upsets, but yesterday had the biggest one of all when Washington lost to Montreal in overtime. Buffalo and Vancouver narrowly avoided home upsets too, mainly thanks to their goalies.

For those who predicted top seeds to breeze through the NHL playoffs first round, they might want to think again. San Jose, Pittsburgh and New Jersey all gave up home ice, while the only road favorite, Detroit, got knocked off by Phoenix.

The NHL Playoffs are about to kick off, the second season is ready to begin. The 2009-2010 NHL season started off with 30 teams, we are down to the final 16.

With the NHL playoffs starting tomorrow, picks for who will win the Stanley Cup are in full force. The obvious temptation is to pick either Washington or Pittsburgh, especially with skepticism around the other overdue contenders.

There are a handful of questions that will be answered when the Conference Quarterfinals of the 2010 NHL playoffs begin on Wednesday.

The NHL playoffs are now set, as the bracket will start to narrow down over the next two weeks. Only the first round matches are set, as anyone could meet up in round two. But the first round series's will set the tone for a grueling Stanley Cup run.

After the NHl regular season ended yesterday, the playoff schedule was released. Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Detroit and San Jose start their run on Wednesday, with Washington, Buffalo and Vancouver starting Thursday, and Chicago starting Friday.