THE QUEST FOR LORD STANLEY BEGINS....NOW.

The truncated NHL regular season ended in thrilling fashion this weekend as teams battled one another to punch a ticket to the NHL playoffs.  It literally came down to the final weekend for teams to clinch spots and literally until the very last game to decide playoff seedings.  With that being said, now that the smoke has finally cleared, here are the lucky teams who earned a chance to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (8) NY Islanders

(2) Montreal Canadiens vs (7) Ottawa Senators

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) NY Rangers 

(4) Boston Bruins vs (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (8) Minnesota Wild

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs (7) Detroit Red Wings

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs (6) San Jose Sharks

(4) St. Louis Blues vs (5) L.A. Kings

While the Penguins and the Blackhawks will go into the playoffs as the favorites to reach the Finals, recent history indicates that being the top-seed doesn't guarantee a spot to the championship.  Just ask the L.A. Kings, who squeaked into the playoffs last season, then went on an epic run to win the Cup.

The playoffs begin on Tuesday, April 30th and we'll be kicking things off with an appearance by HOCKEY THIS WEEK the hockey radio show, followed by three games: Minnesota vs Chicago, L.A. vs St. Louis and Detroit vs Anaheim.   The local teams play later in the week (NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh on Wednesday, NY Rangers/ Washington & Montreal/Ottawa on Thursday).  We were scheduled to raffle off a signed & framed Lundqvist Winter Classic photo on Tuesday, but since the NY Rangers don't play until Thursday, we're going to hold off on raffling it off until then.  We're selling raffle tickets during the game ($5 each, 3 for $10) and the proceeds of the raffle will go towards the One Boston Fund, for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

So remember, if you are a fan of the Habs, Islanders, Rangers or any other team competing in the playoffs, be sure to know that you can catch your favorite team here during the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Cheers!