NHL Playoffs

It’s mid-may – the weather is heating up and so Is the NHL, where round three of the playoffs, the Conference Finals, are underway.

In the Western conference, the Anaheim Ducks are battling the Chicago Blackhawks, in a series currently tied 1-1. In the first game of the matchup, Anaheim defeated Chicago, 4-1. The Ducks scored a goal in each of the first two periods and closed out the game with two more goals in the final period. Chicago scored its single goal in the second period. In Game 2, Chicago came out strong, scoring two goals in the first period. Anaheim scored one goal in each of the first two periods. The third period was scoreless and therefore the game went into overtime. And not just one overtime – the game proceeded to triple OT! There are no ties in hockey playoffs so the show had to continue. Despite Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen making 53 saves in the game, it just wasn’t enough. In the third period of OT, Marcus Kruger was able to score for Chicago, allowing the Blackhawks to come out victorious. The first two games were in Anaheim and the next two in the best-of-seven series will be in Chicago. Game three will take place on Thursday, May 21st.

In the Eastern conference, the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning are also tied 1-1. The first two games were held in New York and the series has now moved to Tampa. In Game 1, the Rangers won 2-1, as the Lightning were only able to score one goal in the final period. In Game 2, Tampa Bay creamed New York, winning 6-3. The Lightning scored two goals in the first period, one in the second and finished the game with three goals in the third period. New York scored a goal in the first period and again in the second, but were no matchup for the Lightning’s offense. A key to victory for the Rangers in Game 3 will be to stay out of the penalty box. The Lightning had decent success in the second game as a result of power play opportunities. The Rangers must also find a way to stop Tampa Bay’s line that includes Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, who have scored half of the Lightning’s post season goals thusfar. For Tampa Bay to come out victorious, the team will need to play strong in the middle as they did in the last game, and will also need to play physical. Game 3 takes place Wednesday night and Game 4 is scheduled for Friday, May 22nd.