Rangers, Penguins, Wild and Blackhawks will all face off in must watch games. The Stanley Cup playoffs just keep on delivering. Hockey fans already experienced three game sevens in the first round and a historic 3-0 series comeback win by the Los Angeles Kings.
Game 7 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and NY Rangers is on the horizon. The Rangers managed a shocking comeback in Games 5 and 6 after looking listless against a dominant Pittsburgh side. But the Penguins have seemingly capsized and no player has been more emblematic of that fall than Captain Sidney Crosby.
On Wednesday evening it all seemed like the NY Rangers were going to exit the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team had been thoroughly dominated by Pittsburgh Penguins in Games 2, 3 and 4; the Rangers had only managed to score one goal in three games and looked listless in Game 4. In that game, the Rangers struggled to create any cycle in the Penguins zone and only recorded 15 shots on goal. For their efforts, they were serenaded with boos by their fans. Fast forward to Sunday evening and the Rangers had accomplished the seemingly impossible. The team had forced Game 7 and now have Pittsburgh right where they want them. Why? Because the Rangers are arguably one of the best Game 7 teams in recent history.
The first round of the NHL came to an end on Wednesday. Every tournament features a plethora of major successes but also comes with a share of disappointments. Here is a look at some of the teams and players that really disappointed in the first round of the 2013-14 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The New York Islanders have acquired the rights to sign UFA goalie Jaroslav Halak. Is this a good or bad thing for the franchise? Here are the pros and cons of the trade.
The first round of the National Hockey League playoffs are complete. The first round of the National Hockey League playoffs are complete. The first round gave us three game sevens, overtimes, and zero sweeps.
The Philadelphia Flyers did all they could to overcome the NY Rangers, but came up short in the fateful Game 7. The team had a roller coaster season and now it is time to look at the highs and lows of the 2013-14 Philadelphia Flyers.
Back in 2003, the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild went to overtime in Game 7 of their first round series. The Wild won that game in what would be goalie Patrick Roy's final game as a player. Eleven years later, Roy faced the same outcome in his first season behind the Avalanche bench. Here is a look at the highs and lows of Colorado's promising 2013-14 season.
The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has come to an end and it is now time to keep stock of which players lifted their teams in the first round and are the early Conn Smythe contenders for playoff MVP. Here are the top contenders in no particular order.
Year after year, the San Jose Sharks are christened as a favorite to compete for the Stanley Cup. But year after year they disappoint and wind up knocked out of the playoffs in some embarrassing manner. The team has only made the Conference finals three times in its history but has been eliminated in rather woeful manners each time. In 2003-04, the team was bounced by a lower seeded Calgary Flames side in six games. In 2009-10, the team was swept out of the Conference finals by the Chicago Blackhawks and a year later the Vancouver Canucks took them down in five games. But the playoff embarrassment does not end there. Perhaps the team's biggest fail (before this season) took place in 2008-09 when it won the President's trophy but was eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks; Anaheim won the first two games in San Jose and took three wins in the first four games of the series.
The New York Rangers face Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia with a chance to end the series. Game six of the Eastern Conference playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers will be played Tuesday night in Philadelphia at 7:30 p.
The Columbus Blue Jackets saw the best season of their career come to an end on Monday when the team was defeated 4-3 in game six of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here is a look at the highs and lows of the team's season.
The St. Louis Blues were eliminated from the NHL playoffs on Sunday afternoon. The team had a 2-0 lead in the series against the defending Champions Chicago Blackhawks but managed to lose four straight; the team replicated the same feat a year ago when it had a 2-0 edge on the then defending champion Los Angeles Kings, but lost four straight. Here is a look at the highs and lows of the team in 2013-14.
The Dallas Stars returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007-08, but their stay was a short one as they were eliminated in six games by the Anaheim Ducks. Here is a look at the highs and lows of Dallas' season.
On Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The elimination was just the second time the team was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round since 2006-07. Here are the highs and lows of Detroit's 2013-14 season.
Bloomberg Businessweek recently released their "Smartest Spenders in Sports" 2014 list, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks topping the list, spending an average $58 million over five years for 44.6 six victories per season during that stretch and two Stanley Cup titles. The Chicago Cubs brought up the rear of the list spending an average $119.8 during a five seasons for only 71.2 wins per season and no titles to show for the money spent by the teams ownership.
The Tampa Bay Lightning became the first team to be eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs after losing their fourth straight game against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Here is a look back at the highs and lows of the Florida-based team in 2013-14.
Is Jimmy Howard capable of leading the Red Wings past the Bruins? The Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings resume their series on Tuesday in a pivotal game in Detroit.
The NY Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers head to the city of brotherly love on Tuesday in Game 3 of the series tied up at 1-1. The Rangers are said to have the edge in goal, as they possess arguably the best goalie in the world in Henrik Lundqvist. However, the team needs to avoid a lengthy series if they hope to get the most out of their franchise star.
