LOS ANGELES, CA (BDCi) – With the NHL down to eight teams and the second round of playoffs underway, we have had some tight knit closely contested hockey being played with several more teams advancing and several others packing their summer clothing. Which teams are now on summer break and which ones are continuing to play puck? Read ahead to find out!
Eastern Conference Matchups
#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #4 Boston Bruins (Boston Leads Series 1-0)
A classic rivalry is reborn as these two teams are going head to head in the Eastern Conference Finals to decide who has the right to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins have been one of the hottest teams as their offense has been clicking on all cylinders, while the Bruins have been no slouches themselves as they dispatched the New York Rangers in five games in their prior series. So far these two teams have only played one game and the defensive prowess of the Bruins led them to a 3-0 win over the Penguins in game one of the series. The Penguins had not been held scoreless since the 2012 season so this was a major shock for them. Their series will continue with game two being played on Monday night in Pittsburgh where the Penguins will look to even up the series.
Western Conference Matchups
Round 2 Matchups
#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs #7 Detroit Red Wings (Chicago Wins Series 4-3)
The Detroit Red Wings were in the drivers seat as they held a 3-1 series advantage earlier in the series. However after a loss in Chicago that made the series 3-2, the Blackhawks were able to creep back in to the series. The Red Wings had a second chance to put away Chicago in game six at home, however the Blackhawks were able to prevail with a 4-3 victory before coming home for a decisive game seven. In game seven it appeared the Blackhawks had taken a 2-1 lead with just over a minute to play, but the goal was waived off as coincidental minor penalties on both teams had been called before the shot was taken. The game went into overtime and Brent Seabrook played the role of hero for the Blackhawks as he scored his first goal of the playoffs three and a half minutes into overtime to give Chicago a 2-1 victory and 4-3 series victory to send them to the Western Conference Finals.
#5 Los Angeles Kings vs # 6 San Jose Sharks (Los Angeles Wins Series 4-3)
The Defending Cup Champions have been have had a rocky post season as they are just 1-5 on the road, however they had the perfect remedy for game seven of their series against the San Jose Sharks. Home ice advantage! The Kings would use the home ice as a strength as they earned a 2-1 victory and Jonathan Quick played the role of hero in the third period as he made 25 saves en route to the victory. The victory sends the Kings to the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive season where they will take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the chance to repeat as Western Conference Champions and Stanley Cup Champions.
Western Conference Finals
#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Los Angeles Kings (Chicago Wins Series 2-0)
In this matchup we have the leagues number one overall team taking on the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Both teams are coming off game seven victories in their prior series and both will be plenty beaten up by the end of this series. Thanks to Chicago’s United Center arena being booked on Friday and Monday, the two teams needed to play back to backs in their first two games. The Blackhawks would best the Kings in game one 2-1 and then crush them by a score of 4-2 in game two to take a 2-0 series lead. The series travels to Los Angeles for games three and four to be played on Tuesday and Thursday where if the Kings continue to be perfect at home, we will have ourselves quite a series!
By: Benjamin Robinson
Source: ESPN
June 2, 2013
9:10 p.m. PDT