The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers reached conference finals in the NHL with Game 6 victories.
The Stars needed double overtime to put the Colorado Avalanche away 2-1 with Matt Duchene scoring the game-winner.
Dallas awaits the winner of the series between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers to know its Western Conference opponent.
Florida closed out their second-round series with a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
The Panthers face the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final starting Wednesday.
Here are five things to know entering Saturday's post-season action:
STARS ALIGN
Matt Duchene's double OT winner at 11:42 sent the Stars to the Western Conference final a second straight year.
Mason Marchment thought he'd scored the winner for Dallas in the first overtime, but Duchene jostling with Cale Makar in front of Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev on the play had the goal waived off upon review for goalie interference.
Dallas lost last year's conference final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
PANTHS ON FIRE
The Florida Panthers are back in the Eastern Conference final a second straight year.
They lost last year's Stanley Cup final to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
BRUINS BANISHED
A year after they were eliminated in the first round by the Panthers, the Boston Bruins bowed out again to Florida in the second round.
Home ice helped the Bruins in neither series as the Panthers have won six straight playoff games at Boston's TD Garden.
Boston was penalized for having too many men on the ice a record seven times in this post-season.
CANUCKS ON THE BRINK
The Vancouver Canucks are a win away from reaching a conference final for the fourth time in franchise history, but first since 2011.
Up 3-2 on the Edmonton Oilers heading into tonight's Game 6 at Rogers Place, the Canucks can close it out on the road and be the lone Canadian NHL club left in Stanley Cup contention.
A Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday back in Vancouver.
It's been a tight series though with the first five games decided by one goal. That hasn't happened since two series in the first round of the 2017 playoffs.
OILERS ON THE EDGE
The Edmonton Oilers are in must-win territory tonight.
Trailing the Vancouver Canucks in their second round series three games to two, the Oilers will attempt to stave off elimination on home ice at Rogers Place.
The Oilers couldn't get past Game 6 of the second round last year when Edmonton fell 5-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Who will be Edmonton's goalie tonight adds to the intrigue. Stuart Skinner played the first two games, but was replaced in Game 3 in a 4-3 loss.
Calvin Pickard is 1-1 since then in the 32-year-old's NHL playoff debut.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press
