The Chicago Blackhaws and Boston Bruins are set to do battle for Game 3 tonight in Boston.

The Blackhawks took the series lead in Game 1 in a triple-OT thriller. However the Bruins took the always important Game 2 on the road in another OT contest. In a series filled with star players it was the Bruins role players that stepped up in Game 2. Chris Kelly scored his first of the playoffs from Daniel Paille in the second period that knotted the game at 1. Both Tuukka Rask and Corey Crawford played very and the score stayed at 1′s until 13:48 of the first overtime when Paille put one home to tie the series at 1-1 heading back to Boston.

Chicago dominated the Bruins in the first period on Saturday. They outshot Boston 19-4 after one and had a 1-0 lead, they also have a goal waived off in the first. The Bruins made great adjustments during the first intermission and limited the Hawks to just nine more shots in the second and third period combined. Their top-pair of Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara continues to shutdown the Blackhawks in 30-plus minutes of ice time.

Tonight the Bruins will be back at TD Bank Garden for Game 3 where they are 7-2 in the playoffs. As for Chicago they are 3-4 on the road.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the excitement in this building..I remember 2 years ago how loud it was. I can’t wait to hear it again,” said Game 2′s hero Paille.

Boston has done a great job in the first two games shutting down the Hawks top-6 forwards. Jonathan Toews has yet to record a point in the Finals while their top-6 have combined for seven points.

Viktor Stalberg will draw back into the Blackhawks lineup after being a healthy scratch in Game’s 1 and 2. He will replace the Brandon Bollig and skate on the fourth line with Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik.

“We need some speed from him, bring some energy,” said Coach Joel Quenneville about inserting Stalberg back into the lineup.

The first two games of the Finals have been excellent especially with both games going to an extra frame. These two teams are about as even of a matchup as you can find, so it would not be surprising if we are in for some more ‘free’ hockey tonight.

Prediction: Bruins take a 2-1 series lead on home ice with a 3-2 win. 

The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks are set to face-off in a crucial Game 5 for the Kings.

Los Angeles are faced with a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-7 series and will look to keep their back-to-back Stanley Cup dream alive. It will be a tough task for the Kings to defeat the Hawks on the road. They are 1-7 away from the Staples Center in the post-season versus 8-1 at home. However their past performances do not matter because tonight is basically a Game 7 for the Kings.

They are hoping that they will get Mike Richards back for tonight’s contest. He missed the last three games because of a concussion but may return to the lineup tonight. Richards skated on the Kings fourth line with Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan in this morning’s pre-game skate, which would suggest he will be in the lineup.

“I’d say it’s 50/50,” said Kings head coach Darryl Sutter on whether Richards will play.

In Game 4 the Blackhawks continued to get strong goaltending from Corey Crawford who’s 1.72 GAA still leads all netminders in the playoffs. Jonathan Quick will need to be in top-form tonight and will likely need to steal the game for the Kings who are struggling to score versus Chicago. They have been outscored 10-8 in the series.

If the Kings are going to win they will need Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown to awaken from their post-season slumber. Each player posted 20 points in last year’s Stanley Cup run, but have struggled this year. Brown is ninth on his team in scoring with just four points in 17 games. Kopitar is not much better with seven points and an Even plus/minus rating. One bright spot for the Kings has been 23-year-old defenseman Slava Voynov. He has recorded a team-high 12 points and plus-10 rating.

Prediction: Kings prevail with a stellar performance from Jonathan Quick. Kings win 2-0.

The Kings head home for Game 3 tonight, they are down 2-0 to the President Trophy winning Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks were in tough in Round 2 vs. the Red Wings but have jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Kings after two strong home games. They head on the road for games 3 and 4 where they are 2-3 in the post-season. Despite being down two games the Kings are not in panic mode just yet because they love playing at the Staples Center. Los Angeles is 7-0 at home in the post-season and 14-0 in their last 14 games. Their last loss at home was 74 days ago on March 23 when they were beat 1-0 by Vancouver.

The Kings were without one of their best forwards Mike Richards in Game 2 after he took a hard hit from Dave Bolland in the first game of the series. Los Angeles is saying that the injury is an ‘upper-body injury’ however their was some speculation after warmups that he is dealing with a concussion. If that is the case then it is highly unlikely that he will be in the Kings lineup tonight.

The Blackhawks have been led by Patrick Sharp all post-season and the Conference Finals have been no different. He scored their first goal of the series and then added two assists in Game 2. Sharp has eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 14 games which has him ranked sixth in Playoff scoring.

Game 2 was an ugly one for Jonathan Quick. He gave up four goals on 17 shots and only lasted 29:20 before being pulled in favor of Jonathan Bernier. In the other crease, Corey Crawford continued his outstanding post-season stopping 29 of 31 shots. This series features the two best goalies in the playoffs. Crawford has a 1.67 GAA and even after being pulled Quick posts a 1.76. Quick should be back in goal tonight despite a tough Sunday night.

Players to Watch in Game 3:

Los Angeles Kings – Jeff Carter

If Richards can not play in Game 3 then Carter will be leaned on heavily to play as well as he did in Game 2. Carter, Dustin Penner and rookie Tyler Toffoli were definitely the Kings best line. They scored both of Los Angeles’ goals and will need to have a repeat performance because their top line is struggling. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown each had 20 points in 20 games in last year’s playoffs, but Kopitar has just seven points while Brown only four in 15 games this post-season.

Chicago Blackhawks – Marian Hossa

It is tough to pick a player to watch for the Blackhawks right now because they are all playing at such a high level. That being said Hossa has a goal and an assist in two games of this series which gives him 13 points in the playoffs, just one behind Sharp. He is a very dangerous player because of his speed but he is also a great two-way player, making him an ideal playoff performer.

The Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to duel it out in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight in Pittsburgh.

In Game 1 the Bruins successfully frustrated the Penguins stars, most notably  Sidney Crosby. Sid was out of sorts all night thanks in large part to the 6-foot-9-inch, 255 lbs Zdeno Chara. Chara is one of, if not the best shutdown defenseman in the NHL and with his size and strength he can frustrate anyone in the league.

With all the elite talent on the ice for Pittsburgh it was Boston’s David Krejci who continued his torrid scoring pace in the post-season. He scored the first two Boston goals which gives him seven in the playoffs which is good for second in the league, just one behind Chicago’s Patrick Sharp. He also has 12 assists for a league-leading 19 points in 13 games, he is making a strong case for the Conn Smythe. On the other end of the ice Tuukka Rask stood tall stopping all 29 shots the Penguins threw his way. The 26-year-old netminder has looked great in his first post-season as a starter. He is now 9-4 with a 2.10 GAA and .933 SV% which are better than Tim Thomas’ 2011 numbers after 13 games of 9-4, 2.39 and .927, the Bruins won the Cup that year.

In the other net Tomas Vokoun who replaced Marc-Andre Fleury after four games in Round 1, allowed three goals on 30 shots. It is tough to pin the loss on Vokoun but regardless there was a lot of speculation whether or not he would start Game 2. However it will be the 36-year-old, Czech native that will take to the crease tonight.

Players to watch in Game 2:

Pittsburgh Penguins – Evgeni Malkin

Like I said earlier, in Game 1 the Bruins frustrated Crosby and he was not as effective as they need him to be. He will likely see a lot of Chara again tonight so Pittsburgh needs Malkin to step up. He played 18:19 in Game 1 and was a minus-1 while recording five shots, two hits and had a fight with Patrice Bergeron. A huge issue for the Pens is that Malkin only won 17% of his faceoffs. He needs to improve for Game 2 or the Penguins could be staring a 2-0 deficit in the face heading to Boston.

Boston Bruins – Zdeno Chara

How could he not be the player to watch? He was very successful in Game 1 and it led to a 3-0 win, if he can shut the NHL’s best player and his line-mates down again the B’s will be in great shape. He played a game-high 26:32 in the first contest and will very likely play 25-plus minutes again tonight.

Both the Western and Eastern Conference Finals will kickoff on Saturday night.

The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks will start at 5 P.M EST while the puck drops between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins at 8 P.M. The shortened may not have been an accurate depiction of how things would have shaken out during a full length regular season, but the playoffs are still the playoffs. It is no mistake that the last four Stanley Cup Champions are the last four teams remaining in the post-season. The Playoffs are a whole different style of hockey and these teams have proved in the last few years that they have what it takes to win the Cup.

Western Conference – #1 Blackhawks vs. #5 Kings

Chicago and Los Angeles opened the season against each other with the Blackhawks beating the Kings 5-2. Chicago won the season series 2-1 while outscoring the Kings 12-9. Both teams have been led by outstanding goaltending in the first two rounds. Jonathan Quick who won the Conn Smythe last season is putting together another MVP worthy post-season. He has the top ranked GAA (1.50) and SV% (.948) in the playoffs however Corey Crawford is not far behind. Crawford’s 1.70 GAA is second best to Quick and his .938 SV% is third amongst active goaltenders. Special-teams is going to be key in this series. The Blackhawks have been fantastic on the penalty kill in the post-season, killing 97.6% of their penalties. This series is loaded with offensive talent and should be a fun one to watch.

Prediction: Kings win in 7. 

Eastern Conference – #1 Penguins vs. #4 Bruins

Pittsburgh swept Boston in the season series 3-0 but all three games were one-goal games. They outscored the Bruins 8-5. The Penguins are absolutely stacked so it is no surprise that they are in the Conference Finals without much of a struggle. After a tough first series vs. the Maple Leafs the Bruins did not have much trouble beating out the Rangers in Round 2. Like all playoff series goaltending is going to be a key factor in who wins this series. However the goaltending matchup in this series is a unique one. Tomas Vokoun came in for Marc-Andre Fleury in the first round and has play admirably. He has posted the third best GAA in the playoffs with a 1.85 while his .941 SV% ranks second. In the other crease we have 26-year-old Tuukka Rask who will play in his first career Conference Final. After waiting in Tim Thomas’ shadow for a few years Rask has finally been given his shot and he has played very well. The Bruins are a good team but the Penguins have too much fire-power. All of the playoffs top four scorers are in this series, but three of them are Penguins. Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have combined for 47 points in Pittsburgh’s 11 playoff games. Not to mention Jarome Iginla has 12 points of his own.

Prediction: Penguins win in 6. 

The Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks square off in Game 7 tonight, at the United Center in Chicago.

Detroit was unable to finish off the President Trophy winning Blackhawks in Game’s 5 and 6 after going up 3-1 early in the series. In Game’s 2 through 4 the Red Wings methodically went about their business. They stayed out of the penalty box while frustrating the Hawk’s top players. In Game 5 they might as well have stayed in Detroit because they did not look ready for what Chicago brought to the ice. The first two periods of Game 6 it looked like Detroit  was going to get the job done. However a sloppy third period by their defense mixed with a questionable penalty shot led to a 4-3 loss and a Game 7 tonight.

Chicago has the advantage of playing on home ice where they are 4-1 in the playoffs. It will not be an easy task for the Red Wings to go into the United Center and steal this game, but anything can happen in a Game 7, just talk to the 2002 Avalanche. The Avs pushed the Red Wings to Game 7 but the Wings came out on fire and blew them out 7-0. (Watch HERE)

Detroit needs their stars to carry them tonight like they did in Round 1. Henrik Zetterberg had eight points vs. Anaheim but has only recorded three assists vs. Chicago. The Red Wings top line of Pavel Datsyuk, Justin Abdelkader and Johan Franzen have looked dangerous against Chicago but have not produced much. Datsyuk only has a goal and an assist.

The pressure will be on Corey Crawford and Jimmy Howard who have both been excellent in the series. Each of them have the ability to steal a game so their teams will be relying on them heavily.

Players to watch in Game 7:

Chicago Blackhawks – Bryan Bickell

He is not known as much of an offensive threat having recorded just 90 points in 220 career regular season games. However he is starting to make a name for himself in the playoffs right now having scored in each of the last two games. He now has five goals and one assist in 11 games this post-season. He is a big body who has been engaged in the physical side of this series. The Red Wings are having a tough time dealing with his size, which makes him dangerous in Game 7.

Detroit Red Wings – Johan Franzen

Franzen was once a scoring machine in the playoffs, but now he looks disinterested and slow. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are going to have a good game because most nights they do, so if they can get some offensive support from ‘The Mule’ they will have a good chance to win tonight.

The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are set to do battle in Game 7 tonight at the Staples Centre.

San Jose was able to stave off elimination on Sunday by defeating Los Angeles 2-1 at home. The Sharks improved to 5-0 at home in the playoffs with the Game 6 victory. After a first round sweep of the Canucks the Sharks have been pushed to the brink by the Kings in this second round series.

There has not been too many goals in this series because of the outstanding goaltending of Jonathan Quick and Antti Niemi. Quick has posted a 1.51 GAA, .950 SV% and two shutouts in this series. Niemi has been almost as good as Quick posting a 1.83 GAA and .929 SV% though the first six games.

However none of that really matters as we head into Game 7, because is their anything more exciting than a Game 7 for a fan of either of these teams? It is a one game crapshoot where anything can happen. Throw all the numbers out of the window, it is cliche time. According to NHL.com ten of the 20 Shark players they’re expected to dress tonight have combined to appear in 30 Game 7s, including the 10 for Gomez. The Kings have eight guys in the lineup that have played in a combined 16 Game 7s.

Players to watch in Game 7:

Los Angeles Kings – Mike Richards

Both teams have a lot of talent and can roll all four lines with success, but in Game 7 you need your start players to show up and that is what the Kings need from Richards. He leads all players in this series with five points (2 G – 3 A) in six games. Richards is tied for 12th in playoff scoring with 10 points (2 G – 8 A)

San Jose Sharks – Antti Niemi

Niemi is the main reason the Sharks are in the position they are in right now and they will need him to be at his very best tonight. He does not have the prettiest style of play but he gets the job done. For Sharks fans and players it is not going to matter how it looks tonight, as long as the puck does not cross that red line.

The Chicago Blackhawks will look to avoid elimination and force a Game 7 tonight at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

The Blackhawks avoided elimination in Game 5 with a convincing win, but will have their backs against the wall again tonight. They outshot the Red Wings 45-26 and were led by their gritty forwards. Bryan Bickell who has been engaged physically all series scored the games opening goal, while Andrew Shaw scored twice, added three hits in 12:25 of playing time.

Detroit frustrated the Blackhawks in Game’s 2-4 by shutting down their star players. With Chicago’s frustration they became undisciplined and got into penalty trouble. Detroit is traditionally a good at Joe Louis Arena and they have proved that with their 2.00 GAA at home versus 3.00 GAA on the road. They will look to punch their ticket into the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2008-09.

Players to watch in Game 6:

Detroit – Jimmy Howard

The Red Wings playoff hopes hinge on Howard. He was their rock all through the regular season and has been sensational in the playoffs as well. He has posted a 1.80 GAA and .948 SV% in the first five games of this series. Howard will need to be great tonight for the Red Wings to finish this series off at the Joe.

Chicago – Jonathan Toews

Toews is Chicago’s best player and had been frustrated all series by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall until he finally broke through with his first goal of the playoffs in Game 5. He has only recorded one goal, one assist and is a minus-2 with 17 shots in five games this series.

The Bruins and Penguins are already into the third round and could be joined by the Kings tonight.

The Kings will take on the Sharks in Game 6 in San Jose tonight at 8 PM EST. They are up 3-2 in the series and will look to close things out tonight and move into their second Western Conference Final in the last two years. They have been led by great goaltending from Jonathan Quick (7-4-2, 1.50 GAA, .948 SV%, 3 SO) and former Flyers Mike Richards (2G, 8A=11 PTS) and Jeff Carter (5G, 3A=8 PTS). The Kings have outscored the Sharks 11-7 in the first five games of the series.

While the Kings look to punch their ticket into the West Final tonight the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks will do battle in Game 6 tomorrow night in Detroit. The Hawks were led by their gritty forwards Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw in must-win Game 5. Most importantly for Chicago, Jonathan Toews finally broke through with his first goal of the Playoffs. The Red Wings have done a great job this postseason of taking away their opponents best players. They shut down former 50-goal scorer Corey Perry in the first round and have frustrated Toews and Patrick Kane in this second round battle. The Wings will lean on their Captain, Henrik Zetterberg and goalie, Jimmy Howard to finish off the Hawks at home, in six.

The Penguins and Bruins both did not have much trouble disposing of the Senators and Rangers in the second round. Each team won their series in five games  and are gearing up for what should be a great series between two of the East’s best teams over the last few years.

The Detroit Red Wings topped the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL Playoff’s first Game 7 last night.

Tonight we are all lucky enough to have two more Game 7′s on the docket. First we have the Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins at 7 PM EST followed by the New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals at 8 PM EST.

The Maple Leafs came back from 3-1 down thanks to the outstanding goaltending of James Reimer. Boston in recent memory has had difficulty closing out playoff series and that problem has come to the forefront yet again. The Bruins looked like they were in control of the series and then all of a sudden they could not beat Reimer. Game 7 goes tonight in Boston, the city of Toronto should be wild and so should the game. Prediction: Maple Leafs win 3-2.

The home team has won every game in the Capitals and Rangers series, so that bodes well for the Capitals tonight. Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby have each played very well through six games and we will likely see good games from both of them tonight. These two faced in a 7-game series in the second round last year, which was won by the Rangers. I think that will happen again tonight on the back of ‘King’ Henrik. Prediction: Rangers win 3-1.

Round 2 Preview 

Western Conference

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings

The Blackhawks did exactly what they had all season in the first round vs. Minnesota. They scored a bunch of goals while getting great goaltending from Corey Crawford. His 1.32 GAA leads all NHL playoff goalies so far. While some might say Jonathan Toews struggled because he only had two assists in five games, it is what he does in the defensive zone that makes him an elite player. The same can be said about the Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, but they also scored a ton and carried the team vs. Anaheim. The Blackhawks were the better team in the regular season but the Red Wings played Chicago hard every game (minus that one 7-1 thumping). I think this series will be much closer than some may think especially because of how clutch the Red Wings have been of late. They won four straight at the end of the season to get into the playoffs and then won three overtime games in the first round. Prediction: I’m a Red Wings fan, I can not Predict this series. 

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks

Wow, was that Kings vs. Blues series not awesome to watch? Hit after hit after hit, that is what you want when you watch playoff hockey. The coolest part about that series was it was so physical, but the players were not stupid about it. They were hammering each other but it did not get out of control. The Sharks were amazing in round one. They completely dismantled the Canucks in a four-game sweep. This will be another physical exciting series and should have great goaltending. There is tons of offensive talent and size on the ice with these two California teams and it should provide the viewers with a great brand of hockey. Prediction: Kings win in 6. 

Eastern Conference 

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators

Remember February 13th when Matt Cooke sliced Erik Karlsson’s Achilles? And then Karlsson made a historical come back, is playing great and pushed the Sens into the second round? Well Karlsson will get his chance for revenge when the Senators take on the Penguins next round. Pittsburgh had some trouble keeping the biscuit out of their net against the Islanders but as expected they had no problem scoring. Craig Anderson was great against Montreal posting a 1.80 GAA in five games. He will need to bring his ‘A’ game against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evegni Malking, Jarome Iginla etc… if the Senators are going to have a chance in this one. Jason Spezza has started skating recently but likely will not be returning anytime soon. Should he return it would be a huge boost to the Sens lineup, but do not get your hopes too high. Prediction: Penguins win in 6.

#3 Washington Capitals / #6 New York Rangers vs. #4 Boston Bruins vs.#5 Toronto Maple Leafs

I can not really do much of a preview since we have no idea who is going to be playing next round. Check back after tonight’s Game 7′s for a preview of this round two matchup.

Editor’s Note: If you have any Fantasy Hockey or General NHL Stanley Cup Playoff questions or concerns you can contact us on Twitter @DailyFaceoff or @Brock_Seguin