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Both Conference Finals are Set, Joe Pavelski Returns, and More

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

And then there were four. Only four teams are still in the hunt to claim the most prestigious trophy in all of team sports. The Eastern Conference Finals start tonight with the Boston Bruins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Western Conference Finals will pit the San Jose Sharks against the St. Louis Blues with Game 1 being played on Saturday.

The San Jose Sharks are in the Western Conference Finals for the fifth time in the past 15 seasons, and they are hoping to wipe away their legacy as postseason choke artists in one fell swoop. San Jose will be playing the only team in the Western Conference with a more star-crossed past, the St. Louis Blues.

Joe Pavelski returned to the ice for the first time since Game 7 of the Sharks first round series with the Vegas Golden Knights and he was instrumental in San Jose returning to the conference finals. He notched a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Charlie McAvoy’s Game 1 suspension has opened up a roster spot prior to tonight’s tilt with the Carolina Hurricanes. Bruce Cassidy and the Boston Bruins were expected to slot Steven Kampfer into the lineup, and they made that decision official earlier today. This will be Kampfer’s second game of the playoffs.

John Tavares was one of the NHL stars looking to lead Canada to its first IIHF Hockey World Championship in three years, but the Maple Leafs center suffered an oblique injury and will not participate in the tournament. The two-week competition starts May 10.

The Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off one of the biggest postseason upsets of all-time when they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. However, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Blue Jackets will be blown up in the offseason. Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are both probably going to leave in free agency, leaving this team’s future in doubt.

Top Stories

  • Blues face Sharks again in Western Conference finals; Game 1 is Saturday in San Jose | St. Louis Post Dispatch
  • Seventh heaven! Sharks hold off Avalanche in Game 7, advance to face Blues | The Mercury News
  • Kampfer Gets Call for Game 1 | NHL
  • Tavares sustains oblique injury with Team Canada, to return to Toronto | TSN
  • Mailbag: Bobrovsky, Panarin futures with Blue Jackets | NHL

Written by Jonathan Willis

Jonathan Willis has written on virtually every sport imaginable over the last decade. His specialties are college football, eSports, politics, the NFL and the NHL. He is always looking for soft markets to pounce on, and he will have you in the black by the end of the year.

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