The NHL Playoffs are getting close to the final round and with the conference finals in full swing, the Chicago Blackhawks have continued their hot streak since coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings, taking Game 2 of the Western conference finals 4-2 for a 2-0 series lead on the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings won the Stanley Cup as an eighth seed last year and now after going down 2-0, they will need a repeat performance of the first round when they rallied to defeat the St. Louis Blues after losing the first two games. The Game 2 matchup with exciting with six goals and the Blackhawks showed their depth yet again by getting four goals from four different players, including one from Brent Seabrook, who scored the winner in Game 7 against Detroit. The team also got the second goal of the playoffs from Michal Handzus and despite being outshot, the team was able to win with two goals in the first and two in the second.
The Kings mounted a comeback with one goal in the second and one in the third, but the scores from Jeff Carter (his sixth of the playoffs) and Tyler Toffoli weren't enough to put the defending champs over the top and now one of the previous champs is up 2-0. The last four teams left in the playoffs are the last four to win the Stanley Cup and that is only the second time that has ever happened in the history of the league, with the Kings from last year, Bruins from two years ago, Blackhawks from three years ago and the Penguins from back in 2009. The Penguins are down 1-0 in their series and will try to avoid 2-0 in Game 2 against the Bruins on Monday.
The goaltending from Corey Crawford was fantastic and Jonathan Quick had his worst game in a while, allowing four goals while making just 13 saves in Game 2. The Bruins and Penguins will play on Monday after a 3-0 shutout by Boston on Saturday and after scoring again, David Krejci is doing it all for Boston, as he leads the team with 19 points, seven goals and 12 assists. The Penguins have been tough to beat in the playoffs and Evengi Malkin will try to add to his 16 points, while Sidney Crosby is tops with seven goals and Kris Letang has 13 assists and all three players will be needed on Monday to win.
The NHL playoffs will continue throughout the week and the Bruins will be looking to go up 2-0 on the road against the Penguins, while the Kings have a must win matchup in Game 3 at home against the Blackhawks after dropping the first two games.