Western Conference

Vancouver v Los Angeles (4-1)
St Louis v San Jose (4-1)
Phoenix v Chicago (4-3)
Nashville v Detroit (4-3)

Eastern Conference

NY Rangers v Ottawa (3-4)
Boston v Washington (3-4)
Florida v New Jersey (4-2)
Pittsburgh v Philadelphia (4-3)

Early call on finalists: Nashville v Pittsburgh

I'd like to feel a bit more positive about the Nux chances than I do. They're not winning pretty anymore. They're not winning ugly either. They're just, well, winning really. Two President's Trophies in row ought to be viewed as an achievement but it's been met with collective "meh" by everyone fans, players, and media.

The team's been marking time for so long I just hope they can ramp it up again now it matters. The constant shuffling of lines and pairings over the past month or so has made it hard to get a read on how well (or not) they'll do now it matters. Looks like Sedin D won't be ready for the first game or two, at least, but the understudies have done OK, LaPierre especially. Things have been way too exciting behind our blueline in recent games. I hope, once AV settles on some regular defensive combos, things will settle down a bit. One area that definitely isn't a problem is in the net. No one in the league has better goalkeeping, and the experience gained from last year should be invaluable. TBH — though I'd rather have had SJ instead of LA to get started — there's no one (except the Preds) in the West we ought to be afraid of.

Carve that on my tombstone.

I wouldn't disagree with you with the Penguins to come out of the east. I've not seen too much of the Rangers this year but I've not once thought "wow, they're good" any time I did see them. The current bout of media trash talking by the Flyers and Rangers will only serve to wind the Penguins up.

I think the western final might well be Canucks-Preds. Detroit's window seems to be closing a little as the team ages, and the Sharks have had a funny old year.

I suppose, given my lot are golfing again, I have to throw my hat in with Ottawa, since that was my first visit to Canada at the height of the 2007 run. I was visiting one of my lab mates from grad school where he worked for 3 years. He and his (Ottawa-raised) wife are big fans, and that's as good a reason as any.

Vancouver in 6
St Louis in 6
Phoenix in 6
Nashville in 7

Ottawa in 7
Boston in 6
New Jersey in 6
Pittsburgh in 6

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I live in the world's biggest hockey town and I'm utterly certain that hockey ends in the first week of April.

Just happy Marty gets another chance after those two Carolina buzzer-beaters a few years back. Those ones still give me nightmares.

So...NJ Devils beating whoever.

Can't wait for the Canucks to realise that the series began last night.

Perhaps AV could ask Shea Weber to assist in getting the cobwebs out of their heads.

Fortunately I missed the first half of the game. They were starting to look the part in third period and had, I thought, begun carrying the play until Edler's braincramp. All being well that will continue tomorrow. (The play-carrying, not Edler's braincramp.)

Giving Weber only a USD 2,500 fine is the worst decision of the Shanahan era.

Particularly in comparison to what Rome got in last year's final. It's depressingly similar to the way the FA handed out punishments this week. Both they, and the NHL, act as if certain players/clubs are allowed more latitude than others.

It's an interesting test case, because the victim was also a star.

The relevant variables seem to be the profile of the protagonist and the degree of injury to the the victim.

And also when it occurs. If it had happened in the regular season it would, almost certainly, have been minimum five game suspension.

To me this factor is more insane — and dangerous — than the others. Is an injury somehow less crippling because it takes place in the play-offs?

Of course the commissioner is in full denial mode:

“The standard will be held,” he vows. “We were on a conference call with officials that Terry Gregson [director of officiating] was leading the other day and he reinforced the fact that the officiating standard is not to slip or change.”

The same standards, he promises, will apply to supplemental discipline and any action the league’s head of player safety, Brendan Shanahan, decides to take on players who cross the line on head shots or intent to injure.

Shanahan and the NHL catching excrement from every direction on this decision. Especially as afterwards Nux fourth liner Byron Bitz got a two game suspension suspension for a hit that happened during the game, not after it.

It does look an awful lot like Bitz' got Weber's game suspension in addition to the one he thoroughly deserved on his own.

The Rangers looked ominous last night.

MMAARRTTYY

The Kings are confirming all my fears.

This is looking like a very short cup run.

HOW ABOUT THEM KINGS???

/didn't know that Kings were in playoffs
/doesn't really care, just trolling

So, do the Kings actually have a shot at winning it all? I may turn into one of those So Cal people that suddenly fell in love with the Ducks when they made the finals a few years back.

Cripes! L.A. w/ two short-handed goals and outshot by 22. Sorry Amor.

I'm looking at the box score and do not recognize a single King except for their goaltender Jonathan Quick. I was a fan of the Kings from Simmer-Dionne-Taylor era who had loads of talent but couldn't put it together in the playoffs.

So, do the Kings actually have a shot at winning it all?

Probably not, they just have a shot a beating the Canucks.

Cripes! L.A. w/ two short-handed goals and outshot by 22. Sorry Amor.

s'OK. After last year I've emotionally distanced myself from this year's finals.

It's hard to believe that for a season and a half we had the best PP in NHL by a considerable distance. They lost it in January and haven't been able to find it since. It's become predictable — which the KIngs have exploited well — and without both Sedins on the ice utterly ineffective.

I've seen beer league games with better goaltending than Flyers/Pens.

Lakers are heading to overtime at Staples Center...Kings game set to start at 7:30pm. Could be a close call for the Staples workers who take the basketball court down, and everyone that cleans up the aisles.

The ice will be terrible.