NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Finalized After Ducks, Flyers Victories

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Washington Capitals 2-0 at the Verizon Center in D.C. on Sunday night, capturing the Pacific division title.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Finalized After Ducks, Flyers Victories

The Capitals started Philip Grubauer in net, and Alex Ovechkin was a scratch.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 5-2 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, keeping the New York Rangers in third place in the Metropolitan division.

The Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning will kick off the Eastern Conference playoffs on Wednesday, April 13 at 7 pm, followed by the Rangers and the Penguins at 8 pm.

The Islanders will now face the Florida Panthers, while the Flyers will play the Capitals.

The Chicago Blackhawks face off against the St. Louis Blues at 9:30 pm Wednesday for the Western Conference.

The final three match-ups for the Western Conference are the Minnesota Wild vs the Dallas Stars, the Ducks vs the Nashville Predators, and the San Jose Sharks vs the Los Angeles Kings.

Several questions remain as we enter this year’s playoffs: Will Chicago repeat history and win the Stanley Cup? Will the Eastern Conference overthrow the Western Conference for the first time since the Boston Bruins’ 2011 win? Will the Ducks drown in Chicago again?

Caption:NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 10: Nick Cousins #52 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center on April 10, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Flyers defeated the Islanders 5-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)