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The NHL playoffs are set, and SB Nation has you covered from puck drop to the hoist of the Cup by a team Captain to be determined later.
This time of year brings an entirely new audience to the NHL, the casual fan who may not be very familiar with the game. In the interest of public service, then, I'd like to offer up this primer as to exactly why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most thrilling, captivating event in professional sports.
Here's an excerpt from a post at On the Forecheck:
1. Doing whatever it takes for the team. Unlike the old days when the overwhelming majority (16 of 21) teams made the playoffs every year, it's a tougher task in today's NHL to qualify for the post-season. Once you're there, it takes four grueling, best-of-seven series filled with high-intensity, physical hockey played every other day to capture the Stanley Cup, and players will do anything and everything to make the most of that opportunity.
2. Sudden-death overtime
3. playoff beards
4. bitter rivalries
5. viewing parties
Read the justification for all five reasons over at OtF.
12:25p
by Dirk Hoag
of On the Forecheck
- 0 comments
Here's a look at the complete bracket for the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Click to enlarge.
As a reminder, teams are re-seeded after each round.
There will be tons of NHL playoff games over the next couple weeks. NBC will be broadcasting…four. At least for now. The list is below and future broadcasts are TBD, depending on how things shake out.
Saturday, April 17
Game 2: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, 1 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 18
Game 3: Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings, 3 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 24
Game 5: Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks, 3 p.m. ET, if necessary
Sunday, April 25
Game 6: Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings, 2 p.m. ET
Here is the schedule for the first round of the NHL playoffs. Stay tuned for much, much more on these series:
Washington vs. Montreal
Thursday, April 15 at Washington, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at Washington, 7:00 p.m.
Monday, April 19 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
*Friday, April 23 at Washington, 7:00 p.m.
*Monday, April 26 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
*Wednesday, April 28 at Washington, TBD
New Jersey vs. Philadelphia
Wednesday, April 14 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 16 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at Philadelphia, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
*Thursday, April 22 at New Jersey, 7:00 p.m.
*Sunday, April 25 at Philadelphia, TBD
*Tuesday, April 27 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Boston
Thursday, April 15 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m.
Monday, April 19 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
*Friday, April 23 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
*Monday, April 26 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
*Wednesday, April 28 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa
Wednesday, April 14 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 16 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20 at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.
*Thursday, April 22 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
*Saturday, April 24 at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.
*Tuesday, April 27 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
San Jose vs. Colorado
Wednesday, April 14 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Friday, April 16 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20 at Colorado, 10:00 p.m.
*Thursday, April 22 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
*Saturday, April 24 at Colorado, TBD
*Monday, April 26 at San Jose, TBD
Chicago vs. Nashville
Friday, April 16 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20 at Nashville, 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 22 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.
*Saturday, April 24 at Chicago, 3:00 p.m.
*Monday, April 26 at Nashville, TBD
*Wednesday, April 28 at Chicago, TBD
Vancouver vs. Los Angeles
Thursday, April 15 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
Monday, April 19 at Los Angeles, 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21 at Los Angeles, 10:00 p.m.
*Friday, April 23 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
*Sunday, April 25 at Los Angeles, TBD
*Tuesday, April 27 at Vancouver, TBD
Phoenix vs. Detroit
Wednesday, April 14 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.
Friday, April 16 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at Detroit, 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20 at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.
*Friday, April 23 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.
*Sunday, April 25 at Detroit, 2:00 p.m.
*Tuesday, April 27 at Phoenix, TBD
The NHL playoffs are finally set with the Philadelphia Flyers earning the final spot in the Eastern Conference with their 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Rangers. This gives us the following pairings for the first round of the playoffs:
Eastern Conference
1 Washington Capitals vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens
2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers
3 Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins
4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Ottawa Senators
Western Conference
1 San Jose Sharks vs. 8 Colorado Avalanche
2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7 Nashville Predators
3 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Los Angeles Kings
4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings
All lower seeds have home-ice advantage. Home-ice advantage gives the team four home games, Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 while the lower seed has home games in games 3, 4, and 6.
For more information on these matchups, please visit From The Rink, which breaks down the matchups.
With all of the teams having clinched spots in the Western Conference and most of the teams in Eastern Conference doing the same, the final day of the season will determine who gets seeded where:
In the East
Out West
Eight games on the schedule for the final day of the regular season, so get the supplies ready and settle in.
Scoring three goals in a game was a challenge for the Boston Bruins this season because of an offense that dried up considerably. With a playoff spot at stake on Saturday, Matt Hunwick’s first-period penalty created a scoring frenzy in the most unlikely for circumstances.
Daniel Paille, Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin scored shorthanded goals in a 1:04 span setting an NHL record for the fastest time to accomplish such a feat, and becoming the first team to strike three times on the same penalty kill in history.
The Bruins withstood a comeback to win 4-2 to reach 89 points and create the possibility of a sixth-placed finish. Hunwick tried his luck again in the third period by taking another penalty, but to no avail.
Boston’s offense came through when it mattered most.
The Philadelphia Flyers could have cleared all this stuff up with a regulation win on Friday night, but the New York Rangers had other plans in mind. So entering Saturday, the Eastern Conference playoff race is not over just yet. Here's a breakdown of today's action and the consequences it holds.
Out West...
The Eastern Conference playoff race can end Friday night, and it's all up to one team. Here's how it breaks down today:
The Canadiens could have clinched last night if they could've gained just one point against Carolina. They did not, and now, Toronto fans are hoping for the absolute dream trash-talk scenario. They could potentially knock the Habs out of the postseason on Sunday, but a few things would have to happen first.
From SBN's Leafs blog, Pension Plan Puppets:
- The New York Rangers need to win both games against the Philadelphia Flyers.
- The Philadelphia Flyers need to take one of those losses to overtime or the shootout.
- The Boston Bruins need to pick up just one point in their last two games.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs need to beat the Montreal Canadiens in regulation in Montreal.
If this happens, NYR, the Flyers and the Bruins would all finish with at least 88 points. Montreal would be left out of the party with just 87 points. It wouldn't be a fun time to be in town, that's for sure.
The Boston Bruins gained the points they needed while the Montreal Canadiens could not clinch a playoff position. With their 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres, the Boston Bruins leapfrogged the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens, finding themselves in the sixth position in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens drop to seventh while the idle Flyers find are currently in the bubble position.
TEAM
#6 Boston (87 pts)
#7 Montreal (87 pts)
#8 Philadelphia (86 pts)
#9 NY Rangers (84 pts)
Friday
at Rangers
vs Flyers
Saturday
vs Hurricanes
vs Maple Leafs
Sunday
at Capitals
vs Rangers
at Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a must win series against the Rangers this weekend. All they need to do win a game in regulation and they will guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs, along with the Bruins and Canadiens. If the game goes to overtime, it would then come down to the final game of the year against the same team.
SB Nation's Copper and Blue takes a look at the Avalanche's struggles in the second half of the season because their bread and butter started to fail them:
Essentially, Colorado got to face a large number of soft opponents. Even though the schedule got softer and the shots rate strengthened, Colorado's performance faltered. From January 28th through today, Colorado has 27 points in 28 games, or .964 points per game. The even strength save percentage during that span has been .916 and talk of Anderson as an "Elite goalie" has disappeared. The team PDO in that stretch is 100.1 and the Avs have been a 79 point team rated out for a full season.
Whether Craig Anderson can regain his game in time for a matchup against either the Sharks or Blackhawks has yet to be seen.
9:08p
by Derek Zona
of The Copper & Blue
- 0 comments
The eight teams are set out west, but who can end up where? SBN's general hockey blog, From The Rink, took detailed look at where things are, what's left, and what possible finishes lie ahead.
- The Sharks and Blackhawks will have the top two seeds.
- The Canucks are locked into third.
- Phoenix can clinch the fourth spot with a singlepointwin (correction courtesy of Saskhab). Nashville and Los Angeles both have opportunities for home ice if the Coyotes lose their remaining games.
- Fifth through eighth is a complete jumble. There are no head-to-head match-ups between Nashville, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Colorado outside of the Colorado/Los Angeles game to end their respective seasons. That means that Colorado could still wind up fifth if the other teams lose all their games -- no other head-to-head match-ups means that there are no guaranteed points for that group of teams.
For the entire read and to get a handy take on what will happen in the West, head over to FTR.
12:12p
by Mike Chen
of From The Rink
- 0 comments
Only one team can clinch a playoff spot tonight, but several others are looking to solidify seeding or home-ice advantage. Here's a list of the clinching scenarios for Thursday, April 8.
In regards to the 2010 NHL playoff race, Wednesday night was a quiet night in the Eastern Conference with only one game of interest. The Rangers beat the Maple Leafs 5-1 to keep their playoff hopes firmly alive. This makes updating the chart fairly easy:
TEAM
#6 Montreal (87 pts)
#7 Philadelphia (86 pts)
#8 Boston (85 pts)
#9 NY Rangers (84 pts)
Thursday
at Hurricanes
vs Sabres
Friday
at Rangers
vs Flyers
Saturday
vs Maple Leafs
vs Hurricanes
Sunday
vs Rangers
at Capitals
at Flyers
New York is now one point behind an idle Boston club who will face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The Montreal Canadiens will be able to clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday as well.
As a result of the Calgary Flames' 2-1 loss at the hands of San Jose and Colorado's 4-3 shootout win over Vancouver, the Avalanche have clinched the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Flames are eliminated from contention.
Calgary could still catch Colorado in points by the end of the year, but regardless of whatever happens, the Avalanche will have more wins when all is said and done, meaning any potential tiebreaker would go to Colorado.
All that's left out West is a race for seeding at this point. Los Angeles jumped into sixth place with a victory tonight over Anaheim, pushing Detroit down to seventh.
In the Eastern Conference, Tuesday night's action had a huge impact on the way the playoff race will shake out. We'll run through what each game means in a moment, but first, let's update our handy chart.
| TEAM | #6 Montreal (87 pts) | #7 Philadelphia (86 pts) | #8 Boston (85 pts) | #9 NY Rangers (82 pts) |
| Wednesday | vs Maple Leafs | |||
| Thursday | at Hurricanes | vs Sabres | ||
| Friday | at Rangers | vs Flyers | ||
| Saturday | vs Maple Leafs | vs Hurricanes | ||
| Sunday | vs Rangers | at Capitals | at Flyers |
You'll notice that Atlanta is no longer on the board there. They've been eliminated, thanks to their 3-0 shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Philadelphia 2, Toronto 0
Buffalo 5, NY Rangers 2
NY Islanders 4, Montreal 3 (SO)
As of this writing, the Western Conference games tonight are still in question. Check back for those scenarios later.
The Atlanta Thrashers hopes for the postseason were dashed rather quietly on Tuesday night as the team fell to the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on home ice. Ilya Kovalchuk promised to do something in his return to Atlanta, but in the end, the biggest story of the night was likely Martin Brodeur's 600th career win.
The Thrashers were a long shot for the playoffs anyway, especially once the New York Rangers took ninth place from them late last week. Tonight's game was essentially just a technicality, as many in town had given up hope for the postseason. Still, it's a shame to see a franchise that could use the postseason so badly come this close without making it.
Only one team currently outside the playoff picture is still alive at this point. The New York Rangers sit in ninth place, three points behind eighth place Boston.
Emotions will follow Ilya Kovalchuk into Atlanta this evening when the Russian sees his former club as an opponent for the first time ever. The first overall selection in the 2001 Entry Draft was their superstar for nearly eight seasons and now, two months after joining the New Jersey Devils, can be a factor in the Thrashers' demise.
Atlanta's special number is three because that's how many points they are behind the eighth-ranked Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference, and the number of games left for them. Washington and Pittsburgh will be the final straws for the Thrashers, so to say a win is needed today is an understatement.
Philips Arena hasn't received the kind of attendance that boosts a team's spirits, and they can use it now more than ever. With his goal-scoring acumen, Kovalchuk, once known as Atlanta's greatest hope for a bright future, may decide their fate. Only this time, it wouldn't be for their benefit.
Two teams can clinch a playoff berth on Tuesday night, while a few teams can also see their runs end. Here's a full list of the clinching scenarios for Tuesday, April 6th in the NHL.
Montreal will clinch a playoff spot if several things happen tonight. They essentially need to get one more point than both Philadelphia and the New York Rangers, but they can clinch that spot if they get two more points than just one of those teams tonight. Montreal is in if...
Buffalo can clinch the Northeast Division with a win over the Rangers, if Ottawa loses to Florida, or if they get one point and Ottawa gets zero tonight.
The Islanders were eliminated on Monday night.
The Western Conference playoffs can be wrapped up tonight, except for final seeding.
Colorado can clinch the final playoff spot and eliminate the Calgary Flames with a win over Vancouver and a Calgary loss in regulation to San Jose.
A Colorado win tonight would eliminate the slim chances St. Louis and Anaheim both have.
San Jose will clinch the Pacific with a win.
There was only one game on Monday night that had any impact on either playoff race. Washington beat Boston 3-2 in overtime, giving the Bruins what could potentially be a gigantic one point. They now sit in seventh place at 85 points, one point ahead of eighth place Philadelphia.
Here's our handy chart:
| TEAM | #6 Montreal (86 pts) | #7 Boston (85 pts) | #8 Philadelphia (84 pts) | #9 NY Rangers (82 pts) | #10 Atlanta (81 pts) |
| Tuesday | at Islanders | at Maple Leafs | at Sabres | vs Devils | |
| Wednesday | vs Maple Leafs | ||||
| Thursday | at Hurricanes | vs Sabres | |||
| Friday | at Rangers | vs Flyers | at Capitals | ||
| Saturday | vs Maple Leafs | vs Hurricanes | vs Penguins | ||
| Sunday | at Capitals | vs Rangers | at Flyers |
So how does Boston's one point impact the rest of the playoff race in the East?
A loss would have helped the Flyers a ton, because it would've given Philly seventh-place and control of that spot the rest of the way out thanks to tiebreakers. The extra point for Boston keeps them in control of that position, even though the Flyers can take it temporarily with a win over Toronto on Tuesday.
As usual, the race for the final playoff spots in the NHL will come right down to the wire. At SB Nation, we like to make things easy to digest for as many people as possible, so without any more delay, we'll break down the hectic Eastern Conference playoff race and the milder, yet still exciting, Western race.
We start in the East, where five teams are still fighting for their playoff lives.
| TEAM | #6 Montreal (86 pts) | #7 Boston (84 pts) | #8 Philadelphia (84 pts) | #9 NY Rangers (82 pts) | #10 Atlanta (81 pts) |
| Monday | at Capitals | ||||
| Tuesday | at Islanders | at Maple Leafs | at Sabres | vs Devils | |
| Wednesday | vs Maple Leafs | ||||
| Thursday | at Hurricanes | vs Sabres | |||
| Friday | at Rangers | vs Flyers | at Capitals | ||
| Saturday | vs Maple Leafs | vs Hurricanes | vs Penguins | ||
| Sunday | at Capitals | vs Rangers | at Flyers |
CLINCHING SCENARIOS / MAGIC NUMBERS
THE GAMES
TIEBREAKERS
Now we move on to the West, where the battle for eighth place is a lot easier to digest.
| TEAM | #8 Colorado (91 pts) | #9 Calgary (89 pts) |
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | at Canucks | vs Sharks |
| Wednesday | at Oilers | |
| Thursday | vs Wild | |
| Friday | vs Blackhawks | |
| Saturday | at Canucks | |
| Sunday | vs Kings |
The bottom line? Calgary needs a bit of help. If the Flames win out -- and with games against San Jose and Vancouver, that won't be easy -- they'll need Colorado to lose at least two games. Calgary has a max of 95 points the rest of the way out, so if Colorado gets five or more points, it's all over for the Flames.
If the teams wind up tying in wins and points, Colorado wins the head-to-head tiebreaker. Ultimately, if Calgary wants to make the playoffs, they need to win out and hope the Avalanche only get three points or fewer in their four remaining games.
A Look At The 2010 Eastern & Western Conference Quarterfinals
Scott Reynolds is a fan of the Edmonton Oilers. If you haven't noticed, the Oilers are very, very bad this season. Now that the season is over, Oilers fans are looking forward to watching NHL hockey again -- (get it, because the Oilers don't play NHL hockey).
Scott also writes at SB Nation's Oilers blog, The Copper & Blue, and he decided to use his new excitement to write two whole previews on the entire playoffs. Starting in his native west, Reynolds got the native fans engaged.
Click through to read the entire Western Conference preview, which is entertaining and informative even if you aren't an Oilers fan.
Logically, of course, the next step is covering the East, which Reynolds did in another article.
Head over to C&B for the entire read.
Apr 13 12:54p by Travis Hughes - 0 comments