The NHL playoffs are into the conference finals and with excellent matchups between the last four teams to win the Stanley Cup, there are a number of players to watch, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter as well as veterans like Jarome Iginla and Jaromir Jagr, who are chasing a Cup with new teams.
The playoff matchups were excellent in the previous round with multiple Game 7 matchups and after Brent Seabrook put the Chicago Blackhawks past the Detroit Red Wings in overtime with the game winner, the series against the defending champion Kings was all set. The Bruins were able to defeat the New York Rangers in six games and now they will play against the number one seed in the East with the Penguins. Both number one seeds made it to the conference finals and the Blackhawks are in after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit.
Both the Blackhawks and Penguins will have home ice advantage through the round, but the LA Kings will not be scared about travelling to Chicago, as the team won the Cup for the first time last season as the eighth seed and had to travel for every series. The Kings will be well rested despite playing a seven game series, as they only had to travel up and down the coast to play the Sharks. The matchups are expected to be tough on both sides in the East and the West and the Penguins are ready to give the Bruins a good fight after their series with the Rangers. The Bruins and Penguins are fairly matched as are the Kings and Blackhawks and each series is expected to stay close throughout.
One player that will have some extra attention is Jarome Iginla, as he spurned the Bruins to play for the Penguins and was traded from the Flames and now he will get the chance to see what it would be like to play that team. Jagr and Iginla are veterans looking for Cups this time around and while the Bruins wanted Iginla, they are happy with the roster they have currently. The Bruins won the Cup in 2011 and the Penguins are the first from the four after winning it in 2009 and now Crosby will be looking to get his second title.
Iginla has played well with Crosby and Malkin and he has 12 points in 11 games and has been a solid contributor. Iginla had played with the Flames for his entire career and now he has the chance once again to get back to the Stanley Cup and this time he hopes to leave as a winner and playing with Malkin has been good for both players, as he leads the team in scoring in the playoffs.
The longtime Calgary Flames captain waived a no-trade clause and was dealt to the Penguins in March hours after turning down a deal that would have sent him to Boston.
"I was very fortunate that both teams were interested and I was fortunate that Calgary gave me that chance," Iginla told the Penguins website.
"I know Boston is a great team and it was one of those situations that when I did it, I knew there was a big possibility that we'd be in this situation and here we are. I'm excited about the challenge." "Playing with 'G' and 'Nealer,' they have such a great chemistry," Iginla said.
"They really, really enjoy playing together. So you want to play with them and play hard, but not disrupt that and kind of just find different places to go and contribute to that.
"(Even) if that's going to the net and getting out of their way..."
(Reuters Quotes)
