The field is starting to get a little more narrow and for some teams, it all comes down to one game as the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature two Game 7 sudden-death games Monday.
On Sunday, the New York Rangers, with their backs to the wall, forced a Game 7 with the Washington Capitals after a 1-0 shutout win at Madison Square Garden thanks to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist's 27 saves and a goal from Derick Brassard. The win shifts the series down to a penultimate Game 7 Monday in Washington, D.C.
The Toronto Maple Leafs climbed back from the brink with a Game 6 win in Toronto on Sunday, thanks to a pair of goals from Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. And in Game 7 in Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings won a back-and-forth series with the Anaheim Ducks by taking the deciding Game 7 with a 3-2 win thanks to Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula, who each had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings moved on to the semifinal round.
The action now moves on to Monday with two critical Game 7s-two teams can continue to dream of Stanley Cup glory while the others will go home for the season.
First up, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the Rangers visit the Capitals in a do-or-die Game 7. Last season, the Rangers made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell short. They hope for better luck this time against the Capitals, who are hoping to bring better fortune against a 3-7 lifetime franchise record in Game 7s. The Rangers are 0-5 in Game 7s on the road in their franchise history. Will the Rangers push deep into the playoffs again, or with the Capitals be the ones to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup this year?
Then at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass., the Boston Bruins are hoping for better luck at their home ice in front of thousands of rabid Bruins fans as they host the Maple Leafs. The Bruins are hoping to keep up their push for their second Stanley Cup in three years since their 2011 victory. However, the Maple Leafs are looking to make some history of their own by becoming the first Maple Leafs team since 1924 to overturn a 3-1 deficit for a series win. The Maple Leafs have won twice in Boston during this series; will they make it a hat trick? Or will the Bruins close it out at home to forge on to the semifinals?
Latinos Post beaks down the TV schedules, dates, times and live stream info for Monday, May 13, 2013:
Monday, May 13, 2013
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Date and Time: 7 p.m. EST, Mon, May 13, 2013
TV Schedule: New England Sports Network, CNBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports.com
Live Score: NHL Gamecenter
Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
Date and Time: 8 p.m. EST, Mon, May 13, 2013
TV Schedule: CSN Boston, MSG, NBC Sports Network
Live Stream: NBC Sports.com
Live Score: NHL Gamecenter