Poll: Which of the final eight teams will win the 2012 Stanley Cup?

By Mike HalfordApr 27, 2012, 12:48 AM EDT

We’re down to the Conference semifinal stage — or the Elite 8, to steal some college basketball parlance — of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. The story of the opening round was upsets, upsets and more upsets:

— Top overall seed Vancouver, the Presidents’ Trophy winner, lost to No. 8 Los Angeles.

— Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champion, lost to Washington.

— Pittsburgh, who finished with the fourth-most points (109) in the NHL, lost to Philadelphia.

As such, we’re left with a pretty interesting Round 2.

Western Conference

No. 2 St. Louis vs. No. 8 Los Angeles

No. 3 Phoenix vs. No. 4 Nashville

Eastern Conference

No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 7 Washington

No. 5 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 New Jersey

The Wraparound: First Round seeding up for grabs Saturday

By Sean LeahyAug 8, 2020, 10:00 AM EDT

The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2020 NHL Return to Play. We’ll break down the NHL playoff games today with the all-important television and live streaming information included.

• The NHL Bubble Wrap has your roundup of Friday’s wild postseason action.

• Friday was Elimination Day as the Oilers, Penguins, Predators, Panthers, and Wild all exited the postseason.

NHL GAMES TODAY

Round-robin: Avalanche vs. Golden Knights, 3 p.m. ET, NBC; livestream: Two of the hottest teams so far in these playoffs will face off for a chance to earn the top spot in the West. The winner of this matchup will earn the West’s #1 seed; the loser will be #2. Through two games, Vegas has scored 11 goals (by eight different players) while Colorado has allowed just one goal. Even without their regular season leading scorer Max Pacioretty (undisclosed), the Golden Knights have scored 11 goals in two round robin games. Seven have come in the third period. The Avs have been spreading the love on offense. Through two round robin games, each of Colorado’s six goals have been scored by a different player – two from defensemen (Cale Makar and Ryan Graves) and four from players in their first season with the Avalanche.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Round-robin: Flyers vs. Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, NBC; livestream: The winner of this game will become the #1 seed in the East; the loser will be the second seed. The league’s best regular season offense (3.47 goals/game) has scored five goals in its first two games… and they’re without Steven Stamkos, who will not play against the Flyers after missing Tampa’s first two round robin games with a lower-body injury. He has been ruled out indefinitely. Carter Hart, who will turn 22 on Thursday, is expected to start after Brian Elliott got the nod in Philly’s last game vs Washington. Hart stopped 34 of 35 shots in their 4-1 win vs Boston last Sunday in his postseason debut, becoming the youngest Flyers goalie to win a playoff game.

Round-robin standings (ties broken by regular-season points percentage)

EAST
Lightning (2-0-0, 4 points)
Flyers (2-0-0, 4 points)
Capitals (0-1-1, 1 point)
Bruins (0-2-0, 0 points)

WEST
Avalanche (2-0-0, 4 points)
Golden Knights (2-0-0, 4 points)
Blues (0-2-0, 0 points)
Stars (0-2-0, 0 points)

SUNDAY‘S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Round-robin: Bruins vs. Capitals, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Round-robin: Stars vs. Blues, 3 p.m. ET – NBC
Game 5: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN

NHL Return to Play: Round-robin standings, scenarios

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By Adam GretzAug 8, 2020, 7:05 AM EDT

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While the 16 teams in the qualifying round play for the right to move on, the No. 1 seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference are still up for grabs in the round-robin format of the NHL’s return to play.

The round-robin schedule resumes on Saturday with a pair of games (Lightning vs. Flyers and Golden Knights vs. Avalanche) and here we take a look at the impact those games can have on the standings.

Below is a look at the current round-robin standings and everything at stake on Saturday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Current standings (tiebreaker is regular-season points percentage)

Tampa Bay Lightning (2-0-0, 4 points)
Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-0, 4 points)
Washington Capitals (0-1-1, 1 point)
Boston Bruins (0-2-0, 0 points)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Flyers 4, Bruins 1 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Lightning 3, Capitals 2 (SO) (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Lightning 3, Bruins 2 (recap)
Thursday, Aug. 6: Flyers 3, Capitals 1 (recap)
Saturday, Aug. 8: Flyers vs. Lightning, 8 p.m. ET – NBC
Sunday, Aug. 9: Bruins vs. Capitals, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN

• Winner of TB/PHI will be #1 seed; the loser will be #2
• Winner of BOS/WSH will be #3 seed; the loser will be #4

• Carolina will face either Boston or Washington in First Round.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Standings (tiebreaker is regular-season points percentage)

Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0, 4 points)
Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-0, 4 points)
St. Louis Blues (0-2-0, 0 points)
Dallas Stars (0-2-0, 0 points)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Avalanche 2, Blues 1 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Golden Knights 4, Stars 3 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Avalanche 4, Stars 0
Thursday, Aug. 6: Golden Knights 6, Blues 4 (recap)
Saturday, Aug. 8: Golden Knights vs. Avalanche, 3 p.m. ET – NBC
Sunday, Aug. 9: Stars vs. Blues, 3 p.m. ET – NBC

• Winner of COL/VGK will be #1 seed; the loser will be #2
• Winner of STL/DAL will be #3 seed; the loser will be #4

MORE:
• 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

NHL schedule for 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers in league’s Return to Play

By Sean LeahyAug 8, 2020, 7:00 AM EDT

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It’s time to focus on the NHL games, including the 2020 NHL playoffs schedule. The 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers began on Saturday, Aug. 1 in the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto.

The top four teams in both conference will play a three-game round robin for seeding in the First Round. The Stanley Cup Qualifiers will be best-of-5 series with the losing teams being entered into Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery.

Below is a full 2020 NHL playoffs schedule of both the round-robin and the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (Scotiabank Arena)

Round-robin [Standings, scenarios]

(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens (MTL won series 3-1)

Saturday, Aug. 1: Canadiens 3, Penguins 2 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Penguins 3, Canadiens 1 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Canadiens 4, Penguins 3 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Canadiens 2, Penguins 0 (recap)

(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (11) New York Rangers (CAR won series 3-0)

Saturday, Aug. 1: Hurricanes 3, Rangers 2 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Hurricanes 4, Rangers 1 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Hurricanes 4, Rangers 1 (recap)

(7) New York Islanders vs. (10) Florida Panthers (NYI won series 3-1)

Saturday, Aug. 1: Islanders 2, Panthers 1 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Islanders 4, Panthers 2 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Panthers 3, Islanders 2 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Islanders 5, Panthers 1 (recap)

(8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets (Series tied 2-2)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Blue Jackets 2, Maple Leafs 0 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Maple Leafs 3, Blue Jackets 0 (recap)
Thursday, Aug. 6: Blue Jackets 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT) (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Maple Leafs 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT) (recap)
Sunday, Aug. 9: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

WESTERN CONFERENCE (Rogers Place)

Round-robin [Standings, scenarios]

(5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago Blackhawks (CHI won series 3-1)

Saturday, Aug. 1: Blackhawks 6, Oilers 4 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Oilers 6, Blackhawks 3 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Blackhawks 4, Oilers 3 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Blackhawks 3, Oilers 2 (recap)

(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes (ARZ won series 3-1)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Coyotes 4, Predators 3 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Predators 4, Coyotes 2 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Coyotes 4, Predators 1 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Coyotes 4, Predators 3 (OT) (recap)

(7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota Wild (VAN won series 3-1)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Wild 3, Canucks 0 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Canucks 4, Wild 3 (recap)
Thursday, Aug. 6: Canucks 3, Wild 0 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Canucks 5, Wild 4 (OT) (recap)

(8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg Jets (CGY won series 3-1)

Saturday, Aug. 1: Flames 4, Jets 1 (recap)
Monday, Aug. 3: Jets 3, Flames 2 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Flames 6, Jets 2 (recap)
Thursday, Aug. 6: Flames 4, Jets 0 (recap)

————

Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

NHL Bubble Wrap: Elimination Friday; Maple Leafs’ miracle

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By Adam GretzAug 8, 2020, 2:48 AM EDT

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There were five teams eliminated on Friday, including a couple of favorites.
The Toronto Maple Leafs pull off an incredible comeback.
Chris Tanev makes some history for the Vancouver Canucks.

New York Islanders 5, Florida Panthers 1 (Islanders win series 3-1)

Anthony Beauvillier scored a pair of goals to help the Islanders easily knock off the Florida Panthers and advance to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was an ugly day for Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky as he badly struggled in the loss, starting with the first goal he allowed to Beauvillier from a terrible angle. The Islanders were lousy down the stretch run of the regular season but had the perfect matchup to get back on track in the qualifying round. They await their Round 1 opponent, which will be determined this weekend.

Arizona Coyotes 4, Nashville Predators 3 (OT) (Coyotes win series 3-1)

One of the many upsets to highlight the qualifying round. The Coyotes won a series for the first time since 2012 thanks to a brilliant goaltending performance from Darcy Kuemper and Brad Richardson‘s series-clinching overtime goal on Friday. If you look at this series objectively Nashville did not play as bad as the result would have you believe, it just ran into a white-hot goalie that made every big save. Still, that is not going to be much consolation for a team that underachieved in the standings all season and has been regressing for a couple of years now.

Montreal Canadiens 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 0 (Canadiens win series 3-1)

Speaking of upsets. The Canadiens, the 24th ranked team in the NHL during the regular season, eliminated the heavily favored Penguins on Friday with a 2-0 win. Carey Price gets the shutout in this one, but the Penguins rarely challenged him in a shockingly lackluster performance. Montreal completely dictated the pace of play starting with the second period of Game 3, never allowing the Penguins to generate any kind of consistent offense over the final four-and-a-half periods of the series.

Chicago Blackhawks 3, Edmonton Oilers 2 (Blackhawks win series 3-1)

Classic Jonathan Toews showed up in this series as the Blackhawks wrapped up the other 12 vs. 5 upset in the play-in round. Dominik Kubalik‘s third period goal completed a sensational series for the rookie, while starting goalie Corey Crawford was a wall in net for the Blackhawks who now find themselves in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs after being sellers at the trade deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 3 (OT) (Series tied 2-2)

Is this the game that turns everything around for the Maple Leafs’ core? They trailed 3-0 with four minutes to play in regulation and were on the verge of their most disappointing playoff exit in the Auston Matthews/William Nylander/Mitch Marner era. Then they gave themselves an opportunity to salvage it all with one of the wildest comebacks in NHL history.

Vancouver Canucks 5, Minnesota Wild 4 (OT) (Canucks win series 3-1)

The Vancouver Canucks are headed to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs after they eliminated the Minnesota Wild. They came-from-behind three different times in this game — including from a two-goal deficit midway through the second period — to get the win. Tanner Pearson, Quinn Hughes, Bo Horvat, and Chris Tanev were the big stars in this one, with Horvat tying the game late in the third period to set the stage for Tanev’s series-clinching goal just 11 seconds into overtime.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Three Stars

1. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks. Toews and Kubalik were great all series, but we are going to pick Crawford as the top star here. He was the most underrated part of the Blackhawks’ championship core in their Stanley Cup days and is one of the biggest reasons they are moving on here. Friday was his best game of the series as he stopped 43 out of 45 shots in the win.

2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews finished with three points and scored the overtime winner as the Maple Leafs completed one of the most improbable comebacks in recent postseason memory. Had Toronto not won this game he and the rest of the Maple Leafs’ big-money core would have spent the entire offseason under the microscope. Now they have a chance to salvage the series and their season.

3. Chris Tanev, Vancouver Canucks. Just a huge game for the veteran defenseman on Friday night. He played 24 minutes and finished with three points, assisting on the late game-tying goal and then winning the game — and the series — just 11 seconds into overtime.

Highlights of the Night

Matthews completes Toronto’s insane comeback with this overtime goal.

Tanev scores just 11 seconds into overtime.

Brad Richardson sends the Arizona Coyotes to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs with his overtime winner.

Factoids

The Maple Leafs are the first team in NHL history (regular season or postseason) to win a game by overcoming a three-goal deficit after losing a game where they had a three-goal lead. [NHL PR]
Dominik Kubalik is just the fourth Blackhawks rookie to score a series-clinching goal. [NHL PR]
The Coyotes win their first postseason series since the 2011-12 season when they went to the Western Conference Final. [NHL PR]
Chris Tanev’s overtime goal is tied for the second-fastest overtime goal in NHL postseason history. [NHL PR]

Saturday’s Schedule

Round-Robin: Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 3 p.m. ET, NBC
Round-Robin: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

MORE:
• 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.