NBA playoffs have no surprises while the NHL saw two wildcard teams advance

After the NFL Draft it is time to turn our attention to the NBA and NHL playoffs. Both leagues implement seven game series starting in round one. A long first round series may not affect a team immediately, but if the team advances, those additional minutes can add up. The NBA playoffs have followed suit except for the Portland Trailblazers. The Trailblazers were the only lower seed to advance to the second round. They dismantled the injury ridden Los Angeles Clippers in six games. The biggest series is betwen the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The number two and three seeds will battle for the right to play in the Western Conference Finals. 

The NHL had a glimpse of excitement, and gave fans two underdogs to route for. The Nashville Predators and New York Islanders advance as wildcard teams. The Predators jumped out to an early series lead over the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks did not fold and forced a game seven, but fell to the fiesty Predators. The Islanders took care of the Florida Panthers in six games, and proved to the hockey world that they will not be an easy out. The Islanders took game one, but lost in OT to the Tampa Bay Lightning in game three making the series 2-1, in favor of the Lightning. The biggest draw in the NHL playoffs is the series between the Washington Capitals and the PIttsburgh Penguins. Each team has an NHL star, with Alexander Ovechkin on the Capitals and Sidney Crosby on the Penguins. Ovechkin is looking to play in a Conference Final for the first time, while Crosby yearns to hoist the Stanley Cup for a second time.