NHL Update: Top Ranked, “C”onference “C” Teams, Colorado And Carolina Sweep Their Prelims

The top ranked Colorado Avalanche and East top seed, Carolina Hurricanes completed preliminary series sweeps vs the L.A. Kings and Ottawa Senators respectively, in games played the last two days.

It was a great scene as ‘Lanche players embraced and congratulated the 20 year superb Kings’ player, the retiring, Anze Kopitar after Col’s (5-1) win in #4 yesterday.

Elsewhere, both Buffalo (Sabres) vs Boston (Bruins) and Philadelphia (Flyers) vs Pittsburgh (Penguins) have (3-1) series leads.

’75 anyone? That year, the Flyers repeated as Stanley Cup champions, (they have lost in their five final round appearances since then), by 6’ing the Sabres (0-2) in final rounds also losing to Dallas’ lone title team also in 6 games in ’99).

That ’99 final ended on a very controversial goal by the Stars’ Brett Hull. Last night a surely questionable goal credited to Ryan Poehling, lifted Anaheim (Ducks) (4-3) in O.T. and into a (3-1) series lead, vs the Edmonton Oilers.

Tonight the Utah Mammoth, an expansion team, hosts the Pacific Division “reg” winner, and the team that is the all-time most successful quick (noting another Kings titles winning player, goaltender Jonathan Quick is also retiring) expansion team, Las Vegas Golden Knights (a final round appearance in their first season and a title in their fifth), bidding for a (3-1) series lead at home.

Both the Tampa Bay (Lightning) vs Montreal and Dallas (Stars) vs Minnesota (Wild) prelims are deadlocked at two games apiece with pivotal #5 and a potential decisive 7th game at T.B. and Dallas.