Sharks, Bruins move closer to Stanley Cup

Although Colorado College hockey has been over since March, hockey fans can fill that void thanks to the return of the annual National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

With the conclusion of the quarterfinals, only eight teams remain in the battle for the Stanley Cup. In the Eastern Conference, the world champion Pittsburgh Penguins look to defend their title as they take on the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens are coming off an impressive win over the top-seeded Washington Capitals whom they beat in the conference quarterfinals. The Penguins, who are led by star player Sydney Crosby, currently hold a 2-1 lead over the Canadiens in the best-of-seven series. If the Canadiens hope to tie the series they will need to score against one of the best goalies in the league in Penguins starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury, who had 18 saves and posted a shutout in game three, leads all playoff goalies with a 90 percent save percentage. 

In the other Eastern Conference bracket, the Boston Bruins lead the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 and are just a game away from winning the best-of-seven series and reaching the conference finals. The Bruins owe much of their playoff success to the outstanding play of their goaltender Tuukka Rask who posted 34 saves in a 4-1 win over the Flyers in game three last night. 

In the Western Conference semifinals, the San Jose Sharks lead the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 in their best-of-seven series. The Detroit Red Wings, who last year were just one win away from their third Stanley Cup in five years, are now a game away from being swept by the Sharks. The Sharks owe much of their 3-0 series run to star player Patrick Marleau who, in game three, scored the game-winning goal in overtime to beat the Red Wings 4-3 and take a commanding lead in the series. 

In the other Western Conference series, the Chicago Blackhawks hold a 2-1 lead over the Vancouver Canucks in their best-of-seven-series. On Wednesday night, the Blackhawks skated to a 5-2 victory over the Canucks thanks to the powerful play by Dustin Byfuglien who scored a hat trick. With a 2-1 lead over the Canucks, the Blackhawks look to seize control of the series when they travel to Vancouver for Game 4 tonight at 9:30 (ET). 

With 3-0 series leads, the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins look to be shoo-ins for the Western and Eastern Conference finals respectively, however, much remains to be determined as to who each team will face. With the heavily favored Penguins just a game ahead of the Canadiens and the Blackhawks tied with the Canucks, the next week will no doubt be an exciting week of hockey for hockey fans and sports fans alike.