The first round of the playoffs has approached or reached its midway point, and while the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals are playing to expectations, the rest of the Stanley Cup schedule is being played with snarl, nastiness and a high degree of competitiveness.
The competitive fire in the Western Conference has been white-hot. While the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings were expected to dominate their series against the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, respectively, both find themselves trailing through the first three games.
That's typical for the Stanley Cup playoffs, where upsets are commonplace and the No. 8 seed has proved capable of winning the title in recent years.
It doesn't appear that the Philadelphia Flyers are suited to match what the Kings did in 2012 in winning their first Stanley Cup, but the Minnesota Wild remain alive and breathing after spotting the Dallas Stars a 2-0 lead in Game 3 and coming back to post a 5-3 victory.
Still it would be a major upset if the Wild comes all the way back and eliminates the Stars. But after wresting momentum away from the Western Conf ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
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