NHL Playoff Central, Round 1: Reflect on wild opening series
And then there were eight.
With Wednesday night's Lightning 2-0 victory over the visiting Red Wings, the first round is complete and the second round is set.
Tampa Bay's Game 7 win was the first pair of consecutive victories by either team in its scintillating series with Detroit. The Lightning advance to take on the East's No. 2 seed in the Montreal Canadiens, who needed six games to dispatch the Ottawa Senators.
The other East matchup pits the top-seeded New York Rangers against the Washington Capitals. The Rangers beat Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in five games in the opening round, while the Caps went the distance with the New York Islanders.
Out West, the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks face the Calgary Flames in one semifinal, while the Chicago Blackhawks meet the Minnesota Wild in the other.
In the first round, the Ducks swept the Winnipeg Jets in four (with the Ducks rallying in each of the first three games when trailing in the third period), while the other three series went six: the Flames ousting the Vancouver Canucks, the Blackhawks beating the Nashville Predators, and the Wild skating past the second-seeded St. Louis Blues.
NOTE: HOME TEAM in CAPS.
| EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS | |||
| East 1 vs. Wild Card 2 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Thursday, April 16 | RANGERS 2, Penguins 1 | Rangers lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Saturday, April 18 | Penguins 4, RANGERS 3 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Monday, April 20 | Rangers 2, PENGUINS 1 | Rangers lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Wednesday, April 22 | Rangers 2, PENGUINS 1 (OT) | Rangers lead 3-1 | |
| Game 5: Friday, April 24 | RANGERS 2, Penguins 1 (OT) | Rangers win 4-1 | |
| East 2 vs. Wild Card 1 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Wednesday, April 15 | CANADIENS 4, Senators 3 | Canadiens lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Friday, April 17 | CANADIENS 3, Senators 2 (OT) | Canadiens lead 2-0 | |
| Game 3: Sunday, April 19 | Canadiens 2, SENATORS 1 (OT) | Canadiens lead 3-0 | |
| Game 4: Wednesday, April 22 | SENATORS 1, Canadiens 0 | Canadiens lead 3-1 | |
| Game 5: Friday, April 24 | Senators 5, CANADIENS 1 | Canadiens lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Sunday, April 26 | Canadiens 2, SENATORS 0 | Canadiens win 4-2 | |
| Atlantic 2 vs. Atlantic 3 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Thursday, April 16 | Red Wings 3, LIGHTNING 2 | Red Wings lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Saturday, April 18 | LIGHTNING 5, Red Wings 1 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Tuesday, April 21 | RED WINGS 3, Lightning 0 | Red Wings lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Thursday, April 23 | Lightning 3, RED WINGS 2 (OT) | Series tied 2-2 | |
| Game 5: Saturday, April 25 | Red Wings 4, LIGHTNING 0 | Red Wings lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Monday, April 27 | Lightning 5, RED WINGS 2 | Series tied 3-3 | |
| Game 7: Wednesday, April 29 | LIGHTNING 2. Red Wings 0 | Lightning win 4-3 | |
| Metropolitan 2 vs. Metropolitan 3 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Wednesday, April 15 | Islanders 4, CAPITALS 1 | Islanders lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Friday, April 17 | CAPITALS 4, Islanders 3 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Sunday, April 19 | ISLANDERS 2, Capitals 1 (OT) | Islanders lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Tuesday, April 21 | Capitals 2, ISLANDERS 1 (OT) | Series tied 2-2 | |
| Game 5: Thursday, April 23 | CAPITALS 5, Islanders 1 | Capitals lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Saturday, April 25 | ISLANDERS 3, Capitals 1 | Series tied 3-3 | |
| Game 7: Monday, April 27 | CAPITALS 2, Islanders 1 | Capitals win 4-3 | |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS | |||
| West 1 vs. Wild Card 2 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Thursday, April 16 | DUCKS 4, Jets 2 | Ducks lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Saturday, April 18 | DUCKS 2, Jets 1 | Ducks lead 2-0 | |
| Game 3: Monday, April 20 | Ducks 5, JETS 4 (OT) | Ducks lead 3-0 | |
| Game 4: Wednesday, April 22 | Ducks 5, JETS 2 | Ducks win 4-0 | |
| West 2 vs. Wild Card 1 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Thursday, April 16 | Wild 4, BLUES 2 | Wild lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Saturday, April 18 | BLUES 4, Wild 1 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Monday, April 20 | WILD 3, Blues 0 | Wild lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Wednesday, April 22 | Blues 6, WILD 1 | Series tied 2-2 | |
| Game 5: Friday, April 24 | Wild 4, BLUES 1 | Wild lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Sunday, April 26 | WILD 4, Blues 1 | Wild win 4-2 | |
| Central 2 vs. Central 3 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Wednesday, April 15 | Blackhawks 4, PREDATORS 3 (2OT) | Blackhawks lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Friday, April 17 | PREDATORS 6, Blackhawks 2 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Sunday, April 19 | BLACKHAWKS 4, Predators 2 | Blackhawks lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Tuesday, April 21 | BLACKHAWKS 3, Predators 2 (3OT) | Blackhawks lead 3-1 | |
| Game 5: Thursday, April 23 | PREDATORS 5, Blackhawks 2 | Blackhawks lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Saturday, April 25 | BLACKHAWKS 4, Predators 3 | Blackhawks win 4-2 | |
| Pacific 2 vs. Pacific 3 |
 vs. 
|
TV/Series result | |
| Game 1: Wednesday, April 15 | Flames 2, CANUCKS 1 | Flames lead 1-0 | |
| Game 2: Friday, April 17 | CANUCKS 4, Flames 1 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| Game 3: Sunday, April 19 | FLAMES 4, Canucks 2 | Flames lead 2-1 | |
| Game 4: Tuesday, April 21 | FLAMES 3, Canucks 1 | Flames lead 3-1 | |
| Game 5: Thursday, April 23 | CANUCKS 2, Flames 1 | Flames lead 3-2 | |
| Game 6: Saturday, April 25 | FLAMES 7, Canucks 4 | Flames win 4-2 |
