The Conference Semifinal round of the 2012 NHL playoffs is finally here, and while we've known the Western Conference matchups for what seems like forever, the Eastern Conference matchups are now set as well.
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers advanced on Thursday night by winning decisive Game 7s. The top-ranked Rangers host the No. 7-seeded Washington Capitals in the first round, and that series will begin on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.
The Devils travel south to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the other Eastern Conference Semifinal. That series kicks off with Game 1 on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.
The New York Rangers were victorious in Game 7 of their series with the Ottawa Senators and are the highest remaining seed left in the 2012 NHL playoffs. The East's top regular season team hosts the worst remaining seed in their conference as a result, and that honor falls to the No. 7-seeded Washington Capitals.
The schedule has yet to be released for the Capitals vs. Rangers series, and as of now, we don't even know what day the series will start. But we do know these two teams will face off against one another, and if the first round was any indication, these teams will play a tight-checking, low-scoring series that could go longer than the No. 1 vs. No. 7 matchup would lead you to believe.
Elsewhere in the East, the Philadelphia Flyers play the winner of Thursday night's Game 7 between the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. Should Florida come out on top, the Flyers will travel to Sunrise to open the series. Should the Devils win, the Flyers will have home-ice in the series.
The Western Conference Semifinals are set thanks to the Phoenix Coyotes' win over the Chicago Blackhawks, but in the Eastern Conference only one team has punched their ticket to the second round.
