Well hockey fans, the start of the “second season” and the race for the Stanley Cup is officially underway: the NHL Playoffs! To get you up to speed, here are the current teams in this year’s playoff, as well as who they’ll be playing:

Western Conference

Minnesota Wild vs Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks
San Jose Sharks vs Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings vs St Louis Blues

Eastern Conference

New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadeins
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins

Last night’s kickoff of the NHL Playoffs surely didn’t disappoint as Chicago vs Minnesota, Anaheim vs Detroit and St Louis vs Los Angeles all hit the ice. Highlights from last night’s games include:

Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild
2 – 1 Overtime Win
Chicago Leads 1-0
Bryan Bickell scoring the overtime winning goal

Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks
3 – 1
Anaheim Leads 1-0
Jonas Hiller with 21 saves

Los Angeles Kings vs St Louis Blues
1 – 2 Overtime Win
St Louis Leads 1-0
Alexander Steen scoring a power play goal and the overtime winning goal

(Remaining teams are scheduled to play their first games tonight or Thursday.)

Playoff hockey is a whole new beast compared to regular season hockey. Every play, every hit, and every shot on the net is one you will hang on. Your blood pressure will increase, your body will tense up, and you’ll maybe even cry out unexpectedly on the close goals and before you know it, you’ll be hooked. As any regular hockey fan would agree to, the NHL playoffs are an amazing time of year!

This is the perfect time for you the hockey fan to get in on the action as well. With our expansive selection of 2013 NHL Playoff Gear, we can get you into the latest and greatest threads for this year’s NHL playoff season. Best of luck to your team in the quarterfinals, and we’ll see you back next week with a full recap of this week’s happenings!

Well, another week is marked off in the hockey books as we come to an exciting conclusion on the NHL season. With most teams reaching their last final 4 games, some are playing for home ice advantage, some are trying to squeeze their way into the playoffs and some are just trying to get through alive.

Chicago Blackhawks

Once again, the Chicago Blackhawks remain the top team this week, as how it seemed to be the whole season. These Blackhawks are 8-0-2 of their last 10, most recently losing in a shootout to the Nashville Predators. Although not winning their last game, they still managed to earn a point, and are sitting at 73 total game points – the highest in the NHL. With concerns of Ray Emery’s injury, and Corey Crawford failing to stop easy shots to the net, could a goalie issue pose a serious concern yet again for the Blackhawks heading into the playoffs? The Chicago Blackhawks can clinch the Presidents Trophy and home ice advantage with a win tonight, and a Pittsburgh loss.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Nipping on the heels of the Blackhawks are the Pittsburgh Penguins. This team has done quite well themselves, as they are currently on a Win 6 streak of their own and are 8-2-0 of their last 10. Most remarkably, these guys are a 21-2-0 in the last 23 games! The Pens have clinched the best record for the Eastern Conference and are battling for the Presidents Trophy with the Blackhawks. Whether or not the team could forge on without seeing the likes of a Sidney Crosby jersey or Evegeni Malkin jersey on the ice was a question that weighed heavily with fans – but this Pittsburgh Penguins team conquered through adversity. Although these players have been skating with the team, there is no definite timetable for their return.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit fans, we can hear you loud and clear: you’re nervous! With the Red Wings sitting at a 9th place position, this Detroit team needs to buckle down if they want to get into the Playoffs. Could a 21-year run of making the Playoffs come to an end? With Columbus and Minnesota ahead, both with 51 points, and Detroit tied with Dallas at 48, these last few games need to be played to their fullest. Anything but a 2-point victory could cost one of these teams the Playoff spot. I would recommend keeping an eye on these Western Conference duelings, as this will be a fight to the finish and notably one of the most exciting finishes this season.

Florida Panthers

This Florida Panthers team is just trying to get back and end this shortened season. With a special feat of their own, these Panthers barely survived the season at a lowly 13-26-6 record – the lowest record in the league. These Panthers have a 6 game losing streak and are 3-7-0 within their last 10 games. Florida fans everywhere will be thankful for the end of the season. This team never had much hope from the beginning as injuries plague them from the start.

With the Playoffs within arms reach, now is as good as any other to browse through your team’s NHL jerseys and find your favorite player to support. The hockey fan is just as important to the game as the player, which is why the fight for the Presidents Trophy and home ice is so important. Who do you think will be making it to the playoffs in the Western Conference? Have you any gut feelings on who’ll be in the Stanley Cup Finals? Let us know in our comment selection below.

Most teams are about 36 games into the season now, which means that there are only about 12 more games left into this shortened 48-game season. A whole lot has happened over the last week with injuries, surprises and even one team with a 15-game hot streak.

Chicago Blackhawks

Although this team is only at a 6-4-0 record within their last 10 games, this team still deserves a shout out and to be on the top of most NHL teams team-to-beat lists. These Blackhawks did have a shutout within their last 6 wins, and most notably hammered home a victory against one of their favorite rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, winning by a commanding 7-1. The most amazing part, is that this team accomplished all this without the aide of Hossa and Sharp, who are expected to return to the lineup at any time. The Chicago Blackhawks still maintain the best record in the league at 27-5-3 with 57 points, and an amazing +43 goal differential.

Pittsburgh Penguins

What can we say about this team other than the fact, they were on one amazing hot streak! Their amazing streaking ended against the Buffalo Sabres at 15 games. This has greatly helped out the Pens in the rankings, as they currently sit at a 28-9-0 record, and are 5 points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, arguably one of the best players in the league, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is now out indefinitely. Crosby was hit in the mouth with a puck, by his own teammate, in a game against the Islanders breaking his jaw. Sid the kid has already undergone surgery and will be out for some time. How will this effect the rest of the team, and the rest of the Pens year? Be sure to keep an eye on this team.

Detroit Red Wings

As mentioned previously, this Detroit Red Wings team hasn’t exactly had the best of luck over the last week. The Red Wings won their first game this week after losing two in a row. Being shutout against the San Jose Sharks and a crippling defeat via the Chicago Blackhawks, this win was necessary both for morale and points in the standings. These Detroit Red Wings currently sit at 18-13-5 record with 41 points, which is just a few above the two way tied St Louis Blues and Nashville Predators at 38. These next few games will be telling on whether or not the Red Wings can pull it together to stay at the 7th spot, and make it into the playoffs this year.

As well, with the trade deadline looming, it makes sense to make some honorable mentions and maybe update you on a few standings:

∙ Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames to the Pittsburgh Penguins for 2013 1st Round Pick and rights to Kenneth Agostino (F) and Ben Hanowski (F)

∙ Jaromir Jagr of the Dallas Stars to the Boston Bruins for Lane MacDermid (F), Cody Payne (F) and 2013 2nd Round Pick

∙ Ryane Clowe of the San Jose Sharks to New York Rangers for 2013 2nd and 3rd Round Pick, and a 2014 2nd Round Pick

∙ Jay Bouwmeester of the Calgary Flames to the St Louis Blues for Mark Cundari (D), Reto Berra (G), 2013 or 14 1st Round Pick and 2013 4th Round Pick

With today being the trade deadline, a few more may sneak on through. With just about two weeks left in the season, whether or not to make a trade is more important than ever. Any new additions to the team could help or hinder a performance and streak to the coveted Stanley Cup Finals.

Another week down, and most teams are about a week over the half-way mark, leaving just about 3 more to go. This season sure has gone quickly – a saddening reminder to NHL fans of the lockout and the other half of the season missing. On the other hand, having a multitude of games a week sure is a great change of pace versus the usual. A lot has gone down since we’ve last come together, so let’s jump right into some teams highlights (and low lights).

Chicago Blackhawks

Since we last were here, the Blackhawks seemed unstoppable – unfortunately, the streak had to come to an end sooner or later for this team. The Colorado Avalanche were the first time to successful take down the Blackhawks in regulation time, where they then would then lose again the following game. Not to worry, they successfully gave the Dallas Stars a womping getting back on track to a a now 3 game win streak, defeating them 8-1. Blackhawks continue to lead the NHL 24-2-3 with 51 points, 5 higher than those close behind.

Anaheim Ducks

It’s no surprise here to see that the Anaheim Ducks are still powering forward, and have been on the Chicago Blackhawks feet. These Ducks have clobbered through their last 10 opponents, going 7-0-3 creating a 10 game win streak of their own. Will these Ducks have what it takes to muster through and overtake the Blackhawks? For those interested, these two teams will face off Wednesday night. This will be a must watch game for any fan of hockey. This team sits at 21-3-4 and 46 points, right behind Chicago in the Western Conference.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens sure did emerge as of late, seeing as their last 10 games they’ve played were 10-0-0, which is pretty amazing. This team showed it’s true colors in a 2-1 victory against the Boston Bruins. It’s nearly impossible to overlook this team with a star like Sidney Crosby, who is arguably the best player in the NHL so far. The Penguins sit on top of the Eastern Conference and show no signs of slowing down. These Pens have a 3 point advantage with 46 points over Montreal, and a 23-8-0 record.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are new to our weekly recaps, and unfortunately for fans of this team, not for reasons of greatness. The Rangers suffered a crushing blow out by the Pittsburgh Penguins that sent them for their third straight loss. It’s weird for most fans to not see this team in the playoffs, but as it’s going, it’s not looking too hot. With power players like Rick Nash and Marian Gaborik, it’s most definitely too early to dismiss this team from seeing a playoff spot. The Rangers are sitting at 15-12-2 and are in a four way tie with 32 points.

The race to the NHL Playoff is most certainly heating up, and time is ticking with just about 20 games left (take or give a few, depending on the team). Who will get home ice advantage? Will these teams hold onto positions, or will they flounder? Which NHL jerseys will remain on the ice, while some fall to injuries? Unpredictability and the NHL go hand-in-hand, which is one reason this is an amazing sport to follow.