The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night by a score of 2-1. With that victory, the Blackhawks have eliminated the Wild in six games and are advancing to the Western Conference Finals. This is the Blackhawks' fourth trip to the Western Conference Finals in the last seven years.

The Blackhawks win in game six was the first victory in the series by a road team. Fan favorite, Patrick Kane scored the overtime clincher to break the 1-1 tie. Corey Crawford was the Blackhawks most valuable player in game six. The 29-year-old goaltender stopped 34 out of the 35 shots against him last night in a defensive duel. The Minnesota fans showed immense support and were as loud as they have ever been, but their season is officially over.

Moving forward, the Blackhawks will face the winner of the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings series in the next round.

In the East, the New York Rangers went into the Steel City and stole a win. This is the Rangers first franchise series victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. Rangers goalie Henrick Lundqvist was has been arguably the best goalie in the entire postseason. In a pivotal game seven, Lundqvist faced 36 shots from the Penguins and stopped 35 of them, leading the Rangers to a 2-1 win. The Rangers offense didn't play very well, only getting 20 total shots on goal and barely survived a late onslaught by the Penguins. Again, Ludqvist bailed the Rangers out of elimination. Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby was a big disappointment in this series.

Both the Rangers and Blackhawks are members of the "original six" hockey league. Four of the original six teams are currently still in the NHL Stanley Cup race, so older generations can relate to these historic franchises that have been playing since the '20s.

The Rangers victory couldn't have come at a better time. The Brooklyn Nets are on the verge of elimination and the New York Knicks failed to even make the postseason. With Major League Baseball still in May and the NFL still in the off-season, the Rangers are the Big Apple's No. 1 team right now. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers will face off against the winner of the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, who are locked up in an upcoming game seven duel.

The next round promises to be full of exciting must watch hockey games for NHL fans.

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