The Hockey Stop

The Detroit Red Wings, who just forced Game 7 after being down 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks, might not win the series. But if they do and make history, I wouldn't be surprised. There is a reason the Wings are the model NHL franchise.

They have fought their way back into this series by simply outworking the Sharks in the third period of the past two games after being down two goals in Game 5 and one goal in Game 6. There are not enough adjectives to describe Detroit, but a few choice words come to mind: Resilient, hard working, mentally tough, never say die, team first, disciplined, consistent, character, heart.

And this team defies the stereotype of European players as not caring or not being able to raise their game when it counts in the playoffs. It just goes to show that if you play in a system like Detroit's and for a coach like Mike Babcock, then the country of origin or name on the back of the jersey means absolutely nothing. Sweden, Russia, United States, Canada. It doesn't matter if everyone buys in.

The current roster continues the amazing legacy of 11 Stanley Cups and 20 consecutive playoff appearances. These players perform their best when it counts. They are the envy of every other team in the NHL. Todd Bertuzzi, Danny Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Justin Abdelkader, Patrick Eaves, Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen, Darren Helm, Tomas Holmstrom, Jiri Hudler, Drew Miller, Mike Modano, Henrik Zetterberg, Jonathan Ericsson, Jakub Kindl, Niklas Kronwall, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Ruslan Salei, Brad Stuart, Jimmy Howard, Joey Macdonald and Chris Osgood. That is the entire roster. A United Nations of teammates who have all bought in and play as one unit. That is how championships are won.

Like I said, the Wings might lose Game 7, but by fighting back in this series they have proven once again what every other NHL team has known since the Detroit hockey franchise was founded in 1926: The Wings won't go away.

The National Hockey League's second season is about to begin and while many of the match-ups are repeats of previous playoff battles, there are some intriguing stories heading into the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs that will drop the puck this Wednesday night at 7:30 on Versus with the No. 1 seed Washington Capitals versus the No. 8 seed New York Rangers.

• For the first time all three California teams made the playoffs at the same time. That means there will be more teams competing in the postseason from the Golden State then the entire country of Canada. The No. 4 seed Anaheim Ducks will take on the No. 5 seed Nashville Predators, while cross-state rivals the No. 2 seed San Jose Sharks will face off against the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Kings.

• The No. 4 seed Pittsburgh Penguins and the No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Lightning will see each other in the playoffs for the first time. In an interesting turn of events for the Pens, the biggest stars won't be on their side because of injuries to Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Instead, they will have to hold off the Lightning's Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier.

• Caps fans are anxious to see if their team's major mid-season adjustment from a high flying, offense first style to a more defensive, playoff-style structure will pay dividends after three straight painful years of Game 7 exits, including last year's heartbreaking first-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Ironically, the system change was instituted after a 7-0 thrashing by the Rangers at MSG that was caught by the HBO cameras for the reality series "24/7."

• Another big question mark is whether the Presidents Trophy winners, the No. 1 seed Vancouver Canucks, can translate their regular-season success to a Stanley Cup victory. Their first big test will be the defending champion No. 8 seed Chicago Blackhawks, who needed the Dallas Stars to lose their finale in order for them to sneak into the playoffs only a year removed from hoisting the Cup.

Here is the full schedule courtesy of NHL.com.

2011 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES A

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers

Wednesday, April 13 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS (JIP)

Friday, April 15 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

Sunday, April 17 at New York, 3:00 p.m. NBC (HD), TSN

Wednesday, April 20 at New York, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

*Saturday, April 23 at Washington, 3:00 p.m. TSN, NBC (HD)

*Monday, April 25 at New York, TBD TSN

*Wednesday, April 27 at Washington, TBD TSN

SERIES B

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres

Thursday, April 14 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS-JIP

Saturday, April 16 at Philadelphia, 5:00 p.m. TSN

Monday, April 18 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

Wednesday, April 20 at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

*Friday, April 22 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS (JIP)

*Sunday, April 24 at Buffalo, 3:00 p.m. NBC (HD), TSN

*Tuesday, April 26 at Philadelphia, TBD TSN

SERIES C

#3 Boston Bruins vs. #6 Montreal Canadiens

Thursday, April 14 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), RDS, VERSUS

Saturday, April 16 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), RDS, VERSUS

Monday, April 18 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. CBC (HD), RDS

Thursday, April 21 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), RDS, VERSUS

*Saturday, April 23 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), RDS, VERSUS

*Tuesday, April 26 at Montreal, TBD CBC (HD), RDS

*Wednesday, April 27 at Boston, TBD CBC (HD), RDS

SERIES D

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning

Wednesday, April 13 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD)

Friday, April 15 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD)

Monday, April 18 at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS (JIP)

Wednesday, April 20 at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. CBC (HD)

*Saturday, April 23 at Pittsburgh, TBD CBC (HD), VERSUS (JIP)

*Monday, April 25 at Tampa Bay, TBD CBC (HD)

*Wednesday, April 27 at Pittsburgh, TBD CBC (HD)

2011 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES E

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks

Wednesday, April 13 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

Friday, April 15 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

Sunday, April 17 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

Tuesday, April 19 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

*Thursday, April 21 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

*Sunday, April 24 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC (HD)

*Tuesday, April 26 at Vancouver, TBD CBC (HD)

SERIES F

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #7 Los Angeles Kings

Thursday, April 14 at San Jose, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

Saturday, April 16 at San Jose, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

Tuesday, April 19 at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

Thursday, April 21 at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. TSN

*Saturday, April 23 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS

*Monday, April 25 at Los Angeles, TBD TSN

*Wednesday, April 27 at San Jose, TBD TSN

SERIES G

#3 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Phoenix Coyotes

Wednesday, April 13 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

Saturday, April 16 at Detroit, 1:00 p.m. NBC (HD), CBC (HD)

Monday, April 18 at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

Wednesday, April 20 at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

*Friday, April 22 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS

*Sunday, April 24 at Phoenix, TBD CBC (HD)

*Wednesday, April 27 at Detroit, TBD CBC (HD)

SERIES H

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Nashville Predators

Wednesday, April 13 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. TSN

Friday, April 15 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. TSN

Sunday, April 17 at Nashville, TBD TSN

Wednesday, April 20 at Nashville, TBD TSN

*Friday, April 22 at Anaheim, 10:00 p.m. TSN

*Sunday, April 24 at Nashville, TBD TSN

*Tuesday, April 26 at Anaheim, TBD TSN



- * denotes if necessary

- All Times are Eastern Standard Time

Before I mount heaps of praise upon the Chicago Blackhawks for reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992 by sweeping the San Jose Sharks, I have to make a comparison that might make Washington Capitals fans like myself question why Mike Green is on defense instead of being a forward.

The reason being is that Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien started out as a defenseman and was moved to the forward position -- an experiment that has been wildly successful. Byfuglien scored the game-winning goal the past two games against San Jose, none more important than his third period tally at United Center this Sunday afternoon that capped a 'Hawks rally after being down two goals and sent 23,000 fans at the Madhouse on Madison into a frenzy and the Blackhawks into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Perhaps Green is better suited as a forward and could have the same kind of success as Byfuglien has had with Chicago. But that is a decision the Capitals will have to make. Maybe seeing the 'Hawks skating into the Stanley Cup Finals will make them consider changing things up a bit.

Chicago will be playing for its first championship since 1961. While a lot of that is due to Byfuglien's heroics, goaltender Antti Niemi deserves a lot of credit for keeping the 'Hawks in every game with save after spectacular save.

And with young stars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the NHL couldn't have asked for a better representative from the Western Conference. Chicago will play the winner of the Flyers-Canadiens series, which could end as early as Monday night in Philadelphia with the Flyers up 3-1 against Les Habs. Of course, tell that to the Caps and Pens.

Video highlights of Game 4:

No. 1 seed Washington Capitals. Done. No. 2 seed New Jersey Devils. See ya. No. 3 seed Buffalo Sabres. Eliminated. No. 4 seed Pittsburgh Penguins. It's tee time. No. 5 seed Ottawa Senators. Have a nice summer. No. 6 seed Boston Bruins. Bye bye.

Improbably the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens will be flying to Philadelphia to take on the seventh-seeded Flyers at Wachovia Center for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Wow.

Unlike the Western Conference, where the two top seeds -- the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks -- will be battling it out for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, two Cinderella teams will dance on the East Coast.

Tonight the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit and 3-0 goal deficit in Game 7 in Boston to become only the third team in NHL history to climb back from three games down to win a series.

Simon Gagne scored on a power play with 7:08 left in the third period to propel the Flyers into the history books.

And what makes this win even more remarkable is the fact that Philadelphia needed an overtime shootout victory over the New York Rangers in the final game of the regular season just to make the playoffs.

And on top of that the Flyers are riddled with injuries, including losing top goalie Ray Emery earlier in the season and then losing backup Brian Boucher in the Bruins series. So they had to go with untested netminder Michael Leighton, who played solid in relief against the woeful offense of Boston.

And I also heard there was an NBA playoffs going on too, but I've been too busy watching the most exciting NHL playoffs in years to pay any attention.

At least one of my first-round predictions is already wrong: The Washington Capitals will not sweep the Montreal Canadiens. Les Habs beat the Caps 3-2 in overtime, stunning the sellout crowd at the Verizon Center in downtown D.C.

I was one of those stunned fans wearing my Caps red in the stands. And after exiting the arena with 18,000 other shell-shocked fans and mulling over this disappointing loss, I realized that we had plenty of company as favorites Pittsburgh, New Jersey, San Jose and Detroit all lost game one at home (except for the Red Wings who lost at Phoenix).

Welcome to the playoffs where any team can beat any other team on any night. Throw home ice "advantage" out because the truth is that there are no favorites in the NHL postseason.

Regular-season domination means nothing. The seedings are completely arbitrary. A hot goaltender can win a series and a cold netminder can lose one. A team that struggled in the regular season and just barely sneaked in, can suddenly become hot in the playoffs.

I don't fully understand it but on paper the Sharks, Devils, Penguins and Capitals should have rolled over their supposedly inferior opponents.

And they all just might win the next four games. Or not. But the playoffs are a marathon not a sprint and adjustments will be made in Game 2.

But what a start to the playoffs. And the Blackhawks-Predators series hasn't even started! Game 2 is going to be a must-win for Washington, San Jose, New Jersey and Pittsburgh as they don't want to go to Montreal, Denver, Philadelphia and Ottawa down 2-0.

Lots of great hockey action ahead. I'm going to throw all my predictions out the window and just enjoy the ride.

Pre-game scene video and pictures from in and around the Verizon Center:

The National Hockey League regular season wrapped today with a thrilling overtime shootout in Philadelphia to catapult the Flyers into the playoffs and send the Rangers home to New York.

Here are the first-round match-ups. For the full schedule with dates, times and TV coverage, click here.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Colorado Avalanche

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Nashville Predators

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 Los Angeles Kings

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings

Also, some awards were decided on the final day of action.

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Tampa Bay's Steve Stamkos will share the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy because both players finished with 51 goals.

Vancouver's Henrik Sedin nabbed the Art Ross Trophy for scoring with 112 points (29 goals, 83 assists).

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and backup Yann Danis won the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed, with 191.

Some initial thoughts on the first-round match-ups (and guess what, it all comes down to the men between the pipes):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Caps-Canadiens

Washington is quickly putting its record-breaking regular season behind it (first non-Original Six team to reach 120 points) and focusing on Les Habs, a team it has never faced in the playoffs. Laval, Quebec native and former Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore should be pumped to play his old team and he is sure to hear it from the crowd, which should provide even extra motivation.

Prediction: Caps in 4

Devils-Flyers

Philadelphia is riding high after advancing to the playoffs in a last-game shootout against the Rangers. That won't last long. The Devils are a complete team. They already were one of the fiercest defensive teams in hockey, but with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk they are now dangerous on offense. Flyers will sneak one win in but that is all.

Prediction: Devils in 5

Sabres-Bruins

A good match-up between two defensive-minded teams. But the edge goes to the Sabres because of Ryan Miller. If he shows the spark he had in the Olympics for Team USA, then Buffalo will be very hard to beat.

Prediction: Sabres in 6

Penguins-Senators

This is a very even match-up but the edge has to go to the Pens because of their experience winning the Cup last year and the Sidney Crosby factor. Also, Sens star Alexei Kovalev will miss the playoffs with a left knee injury. That said, Ottawa and head coach Cory Clouston should not be underestimated. They have weapons up front like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson and the blue line is solid, especially with the addition of Andy Sutton.

Prediction: Sens in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Sharks-Avs

San Jose is a perennial playoff disappointment and that won't change this year. Despite another stellar regular season, Colorado could upset the Sharks. That is unless goalie Evgeni Nabakov plays up to his potential. If he does, the Sharks are pretty much unbeatable. But the Russian goalie has been known to put in mediocre performances just at the wrong time. Avs coach Joe Sacco has his group of young players believing.

Prediction: Avs in 7

Hawks-Preds

Next to the Capitals, Chicago has the most dynamic team in the NHL. With Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews leading the charge the Hawks are the best in the West. But there is still a question mark at goal. Can Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi take this team deep into the playoffs? Time will tell.

Prediction: Hawks in 5

Canucks-Kings

The City of Angels is excited the Kings are back in the playoffs after a long dry spell. And with a corps of young talented players like Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown there is a bright future ahead for the Los Angeles franchise. And they will give the Canucks everything they've got. But it won't be enough. Vancouver has more depth and experience and Team Canada gold medal winner Roberto Luongo and Art Ross winner Henrik Sedin.

Prediction: Canucks in 7

Coyotes-Wings

This is going to be a great series. Both teams are peaking just at the right time and have hot goaltenders. Phoenix has MVP candidate Ilya Bryzgalov and the Wings have rookie of the year candidate Jimmy Howard behind the net. With all the off-ice problems in Phoenix, it is amazing the Coyotes are in the playoffs. And Detroit had all kinds of on-ice problems earlier in the season. But with the kind of Cinderella season Phoenix is having, it has the edge.

Prediction: Coyotes in 6

Whether or not the Washington Capitals have what it takes to win the Stanley Cup this year remains to be seen (Pens and Devils in the East and 'Hawks and Sharks in the West are tough tasks to say the least).

But Cup or not, the Capitals reached a significant milestone tonight in the history of the franchise -- their 5-1 home win against the Ducks was their eighth straight, which is the team's longest winning streak in 26 years.

There is still a lot of hockey left to play this year, including the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but right now the Capitals are the best team in the NHL, or at least the best team in the Eastern Conference. Washington is tied with Chicago and positioned only two points behind San Jose for the league points lead with 76.

All streaks must come to an end at some point, but for long-suffering Washington, D.C. sports fans (think Redskins, Wizards and Nationals) this is a moment to savor.

This lonely Caps fan in the City of Angels is definitely enjoying it.

The National Hockey League has crowned the Kings as host team for the 2010 entry draft -- the first time in the event's 46-year history that it will be held in the state of California.

The draft will take place from June 25-26 at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

And as an over eight-year resident of the Golden State, I say it is about time the league acknowledged its importance to the future of professional hockey.

There is a popular perception of California as some sort of hockey hinterland with all the sunshine and palm trees being more conducive to surfing than skating. And there is a trivializing of California hockey fans as too casual in some quarters of the Northeast.

That is simply unfair and the NHL knows it. That is why they chose L.A. for the draft.

Here are five reasons why -- besides the obvious influence Wayne Gretzky had on developing hockey here -- that California is the hottest spot for the coldest sport:

• The rise of the Los Angeles Kings is one of the best stories of the season so far. This young, exciting team with loads of talent, such as scoring leader Anze Kopitar, is second in the Pacific Division and is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. And goalie Jonathan Quick put in one of his best performances of the season last night by making 26 saves in a 2-1 win at home over the Flames.

• The rise of the area around the Staples Center nicely coincides with the resurgent Kings. The L.A. Live complex includes ESPN's new West Coast studios, the Nokia Theater, restaurants, nightclubs, a movie theater, a Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriot hotel opening in February and other entertainment options that are turning the area into a West Coast Times Square.

• The Anaheim Ducks, despite their mediocre play this season, brought the first Stanley Cup to the Golden State in 2007 and turned a team based on a Disney movie into one of the most respected franchises in the NHL.

• The San Jose Sharks are one of the elite teams in the league and, despite a disappointing first-round playoff exit last year, won the President's Trophy as the the team with the best regular-season record. And this year they are on pace to win it again (they will have some competition from the Caps though -- after last night's victory over the Lightning the Capitals overtook San Jose for the overall points lead with 44, one point ahead of the Sharks).

• Hockey at the grassroots level continues to grow in California. According to NHL.com, since 2001 only five states have had more players in the NHL entry draft than California.