The fourth week of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is coming to a close and so far we have only one name on the guest list for the conference finals. The top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins predictably finished off the seventh seed Ottawa Senators in Game 5 Friday night in Pittsburgh.
The final two games of the series showcased the disparity between the two clubs. The Pens outscored Ottawa 13-4 in the fourth and fifth games, leaving no doubt as to who was the superior team.
The Penguins will have a few days to rest while the winner of the Boston-New York series is decided. After the Rangers were gifted a pair of goals in Game 4 they staved off elimination at home, forcing Game 5 Saturday night in Boston.
The Rangers may have only delayed the inevitable as Boston has been dominant in nearly every area of the series. Rangers coach has even gone so far as to bench Brad Richards in an attempt to spark the sluggish blueshirts. Whether Richards’ benching or just some lucky bounces helped New York the extending the series gives the Rangers hope and might give the Bruins a wicked-awesome flashback to their 2010 3-0 series collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Over in the Western Conference the 1) vs. 7) series has taken on a significantly different look. The Chicago Blackhawks, owners of the 2013 President’s Trophy have their collective backs against the wall courtesy of the Detroit Red Wings. After cruising to a 4-1 series opening win the Blackhawks have managed to get only two pucks past Jimmy Howard in the past three games.
The high scoring Hawks return home for a Saturday night showdown with their Original Six rivals at the United Center. The hometown faithful will be hoping to hear some “Chelsea Dagger” on Saturday evening or their hometown heroes will be golfing on Monday.
In the other Western Conference series the San Jose Sharks will look to hold serve and force a Game 7 back in Los Angeles Tuesday night. The Sharks failed to show up for a Game 5 drubbing, as a 3-0 King’s victory wasn’t as close as the score line. Both teams excel on home ice, and if the Sharks want to win the series they’ll need a better effort in Game 6 just to force a Game 7.