The Eastern and Western Conference playoff landscapes couldn’t be any different at the moment.
Out East, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins advanced to the conference final with relative ease -- the Penguins dispatched of the Senators and the Bruins took care of the Rangers in five games each.
Out West, it’s a different story as both the LA-San Jose and Chicago-Detroit series are headed to Game 7 showdowns.
San Jose forced the one-game, winner-takes-all finale with a 2-1 victory on Sunday in Game 6 at HP Pavilion, where the Sharks have yet to lose this postseason.
But now, San Jose faces a tall task in trying to get a win at Staples, where the Kings have yet to lose this postseason.
In the other series, Chicago sent the series to Game 7 after rallying from a 3-1 deficit, most notably with a 4-3 win at Joe Louis on Monday in Game 6.
The ‘Hawks rallied to even the series by doing what they do best -- scoring goals.
After notching just six through the first four games of the series, Chicago has scored eight over its last two while going a 3-for-8 on the power play.
With the wins, Chicago now reaps the benefits of being the No. 1 seed and will host Game 7 at the “Madhouse on Madison” -- the United Center.
The Blackhawks are an impressive 5-1 at home this postseason and boasted an 18-3-3 mark at home during the regular season, the second-best record in the NHL.