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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