Sabre Noise
Fansided

Buffalo Sabres Daily: NHL Playoff Matchups

By Melissa Kania

facebooktwitterreddit

Good morning, Buffalo Sabres fans. This weekend, we saw several of the first-round NHL playoff series come to a close, with just a few more still to be determined.

In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild eliminated the St. Louis Blues in six games; while the Chicago Blackhawks did the same to the Nashville Predators. The Anaheim Ducks, of course, already swept the Winnipeg Jets, and the Calgary Flames knocked out the Vancouver Canucks in six games as well.

In the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Ottawa Senators in six games, and the New York Rangers knocked out the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games.

Two more first-round series remain, as the NY Islanders and Washington Capitals face game seven on Monday night.

More from Sabres News

The Detroit Red Wings, ahead 3 games to 2, look to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning with a win tonight. If Tampa Bay forces a game seven, that will be played on Wednesday night.

With that, we already know some of the second-round match-ups.

Anaheim and Calgary will meet, while it’ll be Chicago vs. Minnesota. In the East, the Rangers will face the winner of Washington/NY Islanders, while Montreal faces the winner of Detroit/Tampa Bay.

With some NHL teams seeing their respective seasons coming to an end, it’s now the time of year that we see more players joining their respective countries for the IIHF World Championships, being held this year in May in Prague.

Among those who will represent their countries: Sidney Crosby, joining Team Canada, and Jaromir Jagr, who will represent the Czech Republic.

Back in Buffalo — are things finally looking up for the Buffalo Sabres organization?

Another valid question: could playoffs not be too far off the mark for the Sabres in the close future? [The Hockey Writers]

Undoubtedly, one of the ways many teams will look to improve this offseason is via trade. It seems likely that the Buffalo Sabres could make a few trades in the offseason — who would you like to see the Sabres acquire?

From Bleacher Report, here’s some hypothetical trades that NHL teams could consider based on recent rumors.

Finally, more draft talk. From The Hockey Writers, here’s one player who could be a great steal for an NHL team in one of the later rounds – Erie Otters defenseman Travis Dermott.

Just two games on tap for the NHL this evening, as the Capitals and Islanders take things to game seven, while the Red Wings and Lightning take the ice for game six of their series. Who will come out of this evening victorious?

Will we see another game seven on Wednesday, or will Detroit take it in six games to finish out the NHL’s first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs?

Next: Will Eichel Return to School?

More from Sabre Noise

Home/Sabres News