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PHT Morning Skate: First round ends tonight with three Games 7

Logan Couture,  Mike Richards

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture, left, and Los Angeles Kings center Mike Richards fight during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series, Monday, April 28, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Kings won 4-1. (AP Photo)

AP

You don’t need to be told anything to need motivation to watch hockey tonight. Three series will come to an end in three separate Games 7 and each of them has their own tale of success and woe in store for the participants.

Having three games to run with was made possible when the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers in Game 6 last night. Thanks to their proximity to each other and the fact that the first round has to be done today, they’re lucky enough to play on back-to-back nights.

Editor’s Note: Pro Hockey Talk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a $1,250 Fantasy Hockey league for Wednesday’s NHL games. It’s $10 to join and first prize is $250. Starts Wednesday at 7pm ET. Here’s the FanDuel link.

Game 7: New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers [Series tied 3-3] (7:00 p.m. ET -- NBCSN)

The Rangers had a chance of ending things last night, but Wayne Simmonds and Steve Mason thought otherwise. Simmonds’ hat trick and Mason’s out-of-this-world play kept the Rangers (mostly) off the board as the Flyers rolled 5-2. While you might want to think momentum is on the Flyers’ side, the Rangers having home-ice advantage is a difference-maker.

The Rangers are 5-0 in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden and you could probably ask the Washington Capitals how fun it is to deal with them in those situations. New York has been a different team on home ice in this series, but they’re not infallible. Perhaps the smoothest move Alain Vigneault made was pulling Henrik Lundqvist after two periods in Game 6 to let him prepare for tonight.

Simmonds was a man on a mission last night. Do the Rangers have someone to play that kind of role in Game 7? Do the Flyers?

Game 7: Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild [Series tied 3-3] (9:30 p.m. ET -- CNBC)

The Wild were a team that would not be denied in Game 6. Zach Parise’s four-point night was the kind of game Minnesota fans envisioned when he signed with the team as a free agent two summers ago. The other guy they landed that year, Ryan Suter, has quietly had a strong series as well as the Avalanche haven’t had the same scoring fortune when he’s out there as opposed to when he’s not.

Look for Patrick Roy to try and take advantage of the 30 or so minutes when Suter isn’t on the ice to try and get Nathan MacKinnon or Paul Stastny out there. The “X” factor for Colorado has to be Matt Duchene. His return in Game 6 was a welcome one for the Avs, and if he can get his legs back on home ice, look out.

It’s incredible to think the Wild are this close to moving onto the Central Division Final while using their third or fourth string goalie in Darcy Kuemper. The fact that he’s going head-to-head with Vezina Trophy finalist Semyon Varlamov and could beat him makes Kuemper’s story a fascinating one.

Game 7: San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings [Series tied 3-3] (10:00 p.m. ET -- NBCSN)

The Kings are just the ninth team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after being down 3-0 in a series. That alone has made their run against the Sharks one for the history books, but they can go down as legends, so to speak, if they can win one more game.

Not since the 2010 Flyers has a team come all the way back from a 3-0 hole to win and that team went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Kings are a good enough team to have the same sort of run, but the Sharks would like to not have this sort of miraculous tale told at their expense.

The biggest question for San Jose is who they will start in goal. Antti Niemi is their No. 1 guy, but Todd McLellan went with Alex Stalock in Game 6 after pulling Niemi in Games 4 and 5. The Sharks are painted into a corner now where if Stalock starts and wins, they’ll have more controversy following them to the next round. If they leave Niemi on the bench and lose, the questions about giving up on the top guy will linger all summer and into next season.

It’s not an envious position for McLellan to be in. One way or another a great team is going home tonight and that’s perhaps the biggest disappointment out of this series.

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