Whew. On to the second round. After the dismissal of the President's Trophy winner and two razor-close Game 7 showdowns in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins are the new owners of home ice advantage throughout the playoffs--as long they are in contention for hockey's coveted Stanley Cup. Boston will open up at home against Carolina Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) after the Hurricanes scored two goals in the last 80 seconds of Game 7 in New Jersey Tuesday night.
The other Eastern matchup will feature Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to visit Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who pulled out their own 2-1 Game 7 heart-stopper Tuesday. That series begins Saturday afternoon in D.C. (1 p.m. ET)
The matchups in the Western Conference were set Monday night after the No. 8 Anaheim Ducks closed out intrastate rival and top seed San Jose in six, and Chicago's young Blackhawks did the same six-and-out number on the Flames at the Saddledome. Anaheim travels to Detroit to open its second-round series Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) in a battle of the last two Stanley Cup championship teams, while Chicago travels to Vancouver to open its conference semifinal series in the second round's opening game Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.
Here is the complete schedule for the Eastern and Western conference semifinals:
| SERIES I |
|
NETWORK | |||||
| Friday, May 1 | at Boston, 7:30 p.m. | VERSUS (JIP), TSN | |||||
| Sunday, May 3 | at Boston, 7:30 p.m. | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| Wednesday, May 6 | at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. | VERSUS (JIP), TSN | |||||
| Friday, May 8 | at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. | VERSUS (JIP), TSN | |||||
| *Sunday, May 10 | at Boston, 7:30 p.m. | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| *Tuesday, May 12 | at Carolina, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| *Thursday, May 14 | at Boston, TBD | TSN | |||||
| SERIES J |
|
NETWORK | |||||
| Saturday, May 2 | at Washington, 1:00 p.m. | NBC, CBC, RDS | |||||
| Monday, May 4 | at Washington, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC, RDS | |||||
| Wednesday, May 6 | at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC, RDS | |||||
| Friday, May 8 | at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC, RDS | |||||
| *Saturday, May 9 | at Washington, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC, RDS | |||||
| *Monday, May 11 | at Pittsburgh, TBD | VERSUS, TSN, RDS | |||||
| *Wednesday, May 13 | at Washington, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC, RDS | |||||
| SERIES K |
|
NETWORK | |||||
| Friday, May 1 | at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. | VERSUS, CBC | |||||
| Sunday, May 3 | at Detroit, 2:00 p.m. | NBC, TSN | |||||
| Tuesday, May 5 | at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| Thursday, May 7 | at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| *Sunday, May 10 | at Detroit, 5:00 p.m. | TSN | |||||
| *Tuesday, May 12 | at Anaheim, TBD | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| *Thursday, May 14 | at Detroit, TBD | VERSUS, TSN | |||||
| SERIES L |
|
NETWORK | |||||
| Thursday, April 30 | at Vancouver, 9:00 p.m. | CBC, VERSUS | |||||
| Saturday, May 2 | at Vancouver, 9:00 p.m. | CBC, VERSUS | |||||
| Tuesday, May 5 | at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. | CBC, VERSUS | |||||
| Thursday, May 7 | at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. | CBC, VERSUS | |||||
| *Saturday, May 9 | at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m | CBC, VERSUS | |||||
| *Monday, May 11 | at Chicago, 9:00 p.m. | CBC, VERSUS (JIP) | |||||
| *Thursday, May 14 | at Vancouver, TBD | CBC, VERSUS |
* - if necessary
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.