After a wild last day of the season, 16 teams are matched up and ready to contend for the prestigious Stanley Cup.
As late as Sunday afternoon, the final spot in the Eastern Conference was still up for grabs. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, with just a point separating each in the standings before Sunday's action, laced up their skates for their last — and most important — regular−season game of the year.
Only two days earlier, the Flyers failed to clinch a playoff spot thanks to a disappointing 4−3 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. But unfortunately for the blue shirts, the Flyers would get the last laugh on Sunday.
The victors of the rematch in Philadelphia assured themselves at least four more games of hockey, with the loser forced to watch the postseason from a recliner. After 81 games, the chance to earn a playoff spot and compete for the Stanley Cup came down to one showdown for these two division rivals.
Not even four minutes into the opening period, Ranger enforcer Jody Shelley picked up his second goal of the season with a nifty deflection off a Michael Rozsival shot, giving New York an early 1−0 lead. Shelley's only other goal this year had come against Philadelphia in the 4−3 win on Friday, which had ended a season−long scoring drought for the burly forward.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 18 saves in the first period alone, almost single−handedly keeping his team in front on the scoreboard for the majority of regulation. Despite furious action both ways, it wasn't until the seven−minute mark of the third period that either team lit the lamp once more.
Flyers defenseman Matt Carle collected a Jeff Carter pass to backhand the puck behind Lundqvist, tying the game at one goal apiece. The power−play goal held up for the remainder of the period, sending the 1−1 game into overtime.
The relatively quiet extra stanza featured only two shots on goal for each club, with none finding the twine. With a playoff spot on the line, the game went into a sudden−death shootout.
Philadelphia opted to shoot first, and Danny Briere smoothly stick−handled Lundqvist right out of the crease and put a shot through to put the Flyers ahead 1−0 in the shootout. At the other end, Brian Boucher stopped Ranger Erik Christensen, keeping the home team's lead intact.
In the second round, captain Mike Richards failed to score on Lundqvist, opening the door for P.A. Parenteau to tie it. Parenteau improved his shootout record to three−for−three after beating Boucher with a quick shot.
Lundqvist, who made 46 saves in the game, wasn't able to deny Claude Giroux in the third round, giving Boucher a chance to win it for the Flyers. Olli Jokinen tried to sneak a puck through Boucher's five−hole, but the netminder held strong to lift his team to a 2−1 shootout victory, clinching the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
The rest of the Eastern conference playoff matchups have a similar look to those of last year, with the Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes exiting the picture in place of the Ottawa Senators and the Northeast Division Champion Buffalo Sabres.
Ryan Miller, who became a national hero after his spectacular performance in goal for the United States during the Olympics, is the primary reason for the Sabres' success this season. Miller finished second in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, helping to lead Buffalo to its first postseason bid since the 2006−07 season.
The favorite in the East, however, has to be top−seeded Washington, whose 54−15−13 record is best in the league. The Capitals have lost just once in regulation in their last 14 contests and have an unbelievable plus−85 goal differential, the most in the NHL by more than 20 goals.
The Western Conference looks completely different than last year, with four new teams entering the playoff picture. Among these teams are the Los Angeles Kings, who hadn't clinched a top−eight spot in the Western Conference in almost a decade.
Joining the Kings will be the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes, two teams that have never won a playoff series. The Predators, who have made the postseason four of the last five years, will be facing a Chicago Blackhawks club that many have favored to win the Cup.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, are one of the great success stories of the 2009−10 season. With numerous questions surrounding their ownership and a possible relocation, first−year coach Dave Tippett has kept his team focused on one thing: winning hockey games. And that's exactly what it has done.
Much due to trade deadline deals that brought in sharpshooter Wojtek Wolski from the Colorado Avalanche and Lee Stempniak from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix has earned itself the fourth seed in the West and its first postseason berth since 2002. While a trip to the Stanley Cup finals would be a Hollywood finish to the Coyotes' Cinderella season, it won't come easy.
This time of year, every game becomes much more intense. It's win or to go home, which is exactly what makes playoff hockey exciting to watch.
This year's Stanley Cup playoffs will certainly be no exception, and with the wealth of talent around the league, each of the 16 teams competing has a real chance to be lifting the Cup in a few weeks' time.
