Red Wings Blackhawks Game 7 Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks battle the Detroit Red Wings in a winner take all Game 7 tonight at the United Center as the winner of this game will advance to play the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals. 

This series has been all about momentum changes as the Blackhawks took Game 1 to open up the series which seemed like forever ago, but then the Red Wings surprisingly rattled off three straight wins to take a 3-1 series lead. The Blackhawks then showed why they have won the President’s Trophy by winning two straight games to force a Game 7 on the brink of elimination. Chicago has a chance to win three straight games tonight at home to put them in the Western Conference Finals.

This series has seen everything as Blackhawks forward Michael Frolik scored a penalty shot to take a 4-2 lead in Game 6 as he became the only player in NHL history to score two penalty shots in the postseason as he also did it in 2011 with the Vancouver Canucks.

Whatever happens tonight, it has been one heck of a series between these two Original Six rivals as these two storied franchises battle in a Game 7 with much anticipation. 

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Bruins' Overtime Heroics

The Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in one of the most memorable comebacks in Stanley Cup Playoff history as the Bruins scored three goals late in the third period to tie the game at four, eventually winning the game in overtime, by the score of 5-4. Patrice Bergeron was the hero in Game 7 for the Bruins back on Monday night to advance the Bruins to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

Thursday night the Bruins defeated their rival, the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals as this one was also an overtime winner, this time Brad Marchand was the hero as the Bruins take a 1-0 series lead in a 3-2 overtime win in what seems to be a series that looks like it could be going a long way. 

The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are long time rivals, but this is the first time these two teams are meeting in the post-season since 1973, as they were members of the Original Six. Rangers won the series back in 1973, 4-1.  With New York and Boston rivalries in the playoffs like the Celtics and the Knicks in the NBA, Red Sox and Yankees in the MLB, and Patriots and the Jets and Giants in the NFL,  the Bruins and Rangers look to provide the drama in the NHL playoffs for the first time in a long time, and Game 1 provided plenty of excitement as the city of Boston is definitely "Boston Strong" after the last two overtime games they have witnessed.

Playoff hockey provides plenty of drama and excitement to the sports world, no matter what team you are a fan of. The Bruins and Rangers provided plenty of playoff drama tonight and look to do it again in Game 2 as the Rangers try to even the series at one a piece, meanwhile the Bruins look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Conference Semifinals Preview

The compelling first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have come to an end Monday night with two Game 7s as the New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals on the road 5-0 and the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in OT as the Bruins had the comeback for the ages scoring three goals late in the third period to tie the game at 4, and eventually winning in overtime. The first round of the NHL Playoffs have concluded with 17 overtime games, setting an NHL record. Now the Stanley Cup Playoffs focuses on the conference semifinals, which begin tonight with two games. Senators at Penguins and Sharks at Kings. A lot of rivalry games head into the conference semifinals including the Bruins and Rangers, Sharks and Kings, and Blackhawks and Red Wings.

(7) Senators vs (1) Penguins:
The Ottawa Senators are coming off their 4-1 series win over the second seeded Montreal Canadiens as they finished Game 5 with a 6-1 victory over the Canadiens at Montreal. Pittsburgh comes into this series with a 4-2 series win over the eighth seeded New York Islanders. Sidney Crosby did not play in Game 1 of the first round, but has played every game since concerning his jaw. Penguins come into this series with goal-tending issues as Marc-Andre Fluery has struggled in the first round against the Islanders, but Thomas Vokoun is ready to start Game 1 for the Pens. Game 1 is tonight at 7:30 ET on the NBC Sports Network at the Consol Energy Center.

(6) Sharks vs (5) Kings:
The San Jose Sharks are coming off their 4 game sweep of the three seeded Vancouver Canucks, the only sweep in the first round of the playoffs. The defending Stanley Cup Champions Los Angeles Kings are coming off their hard fought 4-2 series win over the St. Louis Blues, winning four straight after losing the first two games in St. Louis. The Kings and Blues series  was one of the best series to watch in the first round as every game of the series was decided by one goal or less. 98.8% of the series was either tied or within one goal and the Blues had a two goal lead only 5:01 in Game 4 of the series. The Kings defeated the Blues 2-1 in Game 6 in Los Angeles as Dustin Penner scored with 0.2 seconds left remaining in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. We will see who has the advantage in this series, Sharks coming off plenty of rest or the Kings coming off a grind it out series over the Blues. Game 1 is tonight at 10:00 ET on the NBC Sports Network at the Staples Center.

(6) Rangers vs (4) Bruins
The New York Rangers are coming off their seven game series win over the Washington Capitals winning Game 7, 5-0 as the Rangers became the first team to win on the road in that series. The Boston Bruins are coming off their dramatic 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs as Patrice Bergeron scored the game winner to advance the Bruins to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a battle between the their rivalr Rangers. The Bruins were down 4-1 late in the third period but scored three goals to tie the game at four a piece as they scored two in the final minutes. You can't really put that game into perspective, but the Bruins showed why they are Boston Strong with that incredible comeback. Game 1 is Thursday night, 7:30 ET on the NBC Sports Network at the TD Garden.

(7) Red Wings vs (1) Blackhawks
The Detroit Red Wings are coming off their 4-3 series win over the Anaheim Ducks winning Game 7 on the road Sunday night 3-2 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. The series shifted every game, but the Red Wings won the final two games of the series Game 6 in Detroit and Game 7 in Anaheim. The one seeded Chicago Blackhawks are coming off their 4-1 series win over the eighth seeded Minnesota Wild as they won Game 5 5-1 in Chicago way back on Thursday night. It's the Blackhawks and Red Wings, great rivalry for hockey fans in the playoffs. Game 1 is tomorrow night at 8:00 ET at the United Center.

The conference semifinals get underway as teams move forward to winning the Stanley Cup.

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Jason Motte to undergo Tommy John surgery

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte will miss the remainder of the season as Motte will undergo Tommy John surgery early next week to repair a torn collateral ligament.

Motte saved 42 games last season out of 49 opportunities for the Cardinals, with an ERA of 275.

Mitchell Boggs was to replace Motte in the closer role, but he has struggled as of late with a 12.66 ERA as the Cardinal's bullpen look to find their identity. With Boggs struggling, the Cardinals have optioned him down to Memphis and have called up RHP Carlos Martinez, who was 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 3 starts for the Springfield Cardinals.

Edward Mujica has took over the new closer role with the struggles of Mitchell Boggs as he has successfully saved all of his seven opportunities and has posted a 2.25 ERA in the last 12 innings. With Mujica's success, the Cardinals bullpen has been slowly improving.

Carlos Martinez has been called up as the Cardinals go up against the Brewers in Milwaukee tonight, first pitch at 7:10 CT. Starting pitching match up is Shelby Miller vs the former Cardinals Kyle Lohse.

Kings at Blues Game 2 Preview

With the dramatic 2-1 overtime win for the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1, the Blues will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Quarterfinals as Blues hockey takes center stage again in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center.

With the win, the Blues ended an eight game losing streak against the Kings as their last win came in February of 2012. St. Louis finally looks for confidence to beat Los Angeles.

Alex Steen was the hero in Game 1 on Tuesday night scoring both of the Blues' goals, one on the powerplay and the other on shorthanded, the game winner in overtime. Steen's historic goal was the only the fourth shorthanded overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 1990 and the first since 2006.

The Blues dominated the whole game last night as they were in front most of the game, but a King's goal by Justin Williams with 31 seconds left in the third period stunned the crowd in St. Louis as the game went into overtime. However, the Blues didn't back down as they knew they could still win Game 1 and take a huge advantage early in the series. So, Kevin Shattenkirk is in the penalty box for high sticking for four minutes, but that didn't rattle the Blues as Alex Steen capped off a remarkable night and an unforgettable game with an shorthanded overtime goal to beat Jonathan Quick.

With the way these two teams played last night, this series seems like it's long from over. However, it was a huge win for the Blues and now they have the momentum. Both teams will look to their hot goaltenders who were outstanding in Game 1 as Jonathan Quick and Brian Elliott get ready to battle it out again as this series seems to be the series to watch in the first round. Brian Elliott had an impressive month of April with a record of 12-2-0, allowing one goal or fewer in 10 of his last 13 April starts. The Blues now hold a seven game winning streak at home with Elliott in net, allowing only one goal in each of the seven games.

Blues and Kings will drop the puck Thursday night at 8:30 CT as a pivotal Game 2 is ahead for both teams.

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