The NHL playoffs have been an exciting affair since starting two weeks ago and two of the best series have been between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks, who have played four overtime games out of six so far in their series with Game 7 coming on Sunday.
The Bruins have been dominant in the series, but the Maple Leafs have hung in to force a Game 6 matchup back home and gives their fans some hope for a Game 7 possibility if they can get their first win home at the Air Canada Centre in the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Dave Krejci has been fantastic for the Bruins, leading both teams with 11 points, including five goals and six assists as well as a hat trick in Game 4 that pushed the Maple Leafs to the brink.
Toronto bounced back with a do or die victory in Game 5 after winning 2-1 and now the team must win another game to force a final matchup in Game 7. Although the Bruins are ready to battle in a possible Game 7 matchup, the team would like to avoid it after previously losing a series in 2010 when they were up 3-0 and now the Maple Leafs are coming together at the right time, as goalie James Reimer had a fantastic game while stopping 43 shots in the victory on the road. The Leafs were helped by a shorthanded goal and with a 2-0 lead Boston was able to score one by Zdeno Chara, but that was all they could muster in front of Tuukka Rask, who will be in net for Game 6 as well.
The Bruins have the upper hand, but Toronto has the momentum on Sunday and could push to force a Game 7 matchup for Boston next week. The Bruins have been able to score goals all series and they also may get a boost from Wade Redden, who is expected to return to the lineup after sitting out of Game 5. The Red Wings and Ducks have played a tough series with four overtime games so far and with a win in Game 6 against the Ducks, the team now has the chance to eliminate one of the best teams in the league and advance to the next round.
Anaheim appeared to be in control of the series but the Red Wings have started to show some life later in the series and now the team has the chance to win after forcing Game 7 after the Game 6 victory on Friday night. Pavel Datsyuk has started heating up at the right time and he is leading the Wings in points and assists, while Ryan Getzlaf has been excellent for the Ducks, leading the team with five points, while Nick Bonino has three goals, including an overtime game-winner. Jonas Hiller has been great for the Ducks in net and Jimmy Howard has played better of late and the game on Sunday night could come down to who is more consistent in net and who can avoid making the big mistake. If the game goes into overtime the advantage could be with the Ducks, but since they are expected to win the series and advance, the Red Wings could end up being the looser more relaxed team and could come out on top.