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How much will the NHL benefit from having its most competitive second round in almost a quarter-century? It's hard to say.

Boston posted one of its best regular seasons in years. The Bruins enter the playoffs with the upper hand and a healthy lineup -- the right recipe to upend rival Montreal. Except there's all this history ...

Once upon a time, Magic and Bird revived the NBA. Should we expect the same thing from Sidney Crosby in his first trip to the Cup finals? Asking the 20-year-old to save the NHL isn't exactly realistic.

Last season, the Flyers fired their coach, saw their GM resign and posted an NHL-worst season. Now, Philly is in the conference finals. Here's how the team pulled off one of the greatest turnarounds in NHL history.

There are problems, and then there are near curses, and the Bruins are in a losing trance when it comes to the Canadiens.

Teams made big trade-deadline deals back in February for just this purpose -- a long playoff run. But will it really work? It's too soon to tell.

The Ducks and Senators made it all the way to the Cup finals without making a blockbuster deadline deal. Could that success ultimately kill the entire concept of the big trade?

While you don't have to root for the Sabres to win the Cup or the East finals, you should at least appreciate what the team represents: a little excitement.

Ray Emery is the NHLer who refuses to fit in, yet refuses to be typecast as the rebel. He may not let us in, but he is on the verge of reaching the Cup finals.

The same question keeps creeping up on the Sabres: where's their A game? Damien Cox has a list of ways for them to find it.

They will be at the center of every game, usually the hero and often the goat, talked about more than any other player. They are the goaltenders.

Who are those guys? The Oilers are still alive in the playoffs and Damien Cox wonders why Canadians didn't see this coming.

It's time to end the farce that is the teams' method of reporting injuries in the playoffs, writes Damien Cox.

Don't expect Flames-Lightning to ignite into high-scoring, heart-stopping hockey Monday just because it will be Game 7 of the finals.

Not all Canadians are fans of the Flames, and their concerns extend further south than Calgary.

The Stanley Cup finals were on the verge of being an afterthought. Then along came Steve Thomas.