The Los Angeles Kings have to be feeling confident as they have a 3-0 series stranglehold over St. Louis. The Phoenix Coyotes hold a 2-1 lead on the scrappy Nashville Predators. The New Jersey Devils took a 2-1 series lead with an exciting overtime victory over the Flyers in Newark.

Finally, in a triple-OT thriller, the New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals to take a 2-1 series lead.

Pacific Division Taking Control

Who says the Western Conference is ruled by the Central Division? That’s certainly not the case this postseason. West cup favorites St. Louis, Nashville, Detroit and Chicago all from the Central are either out or dangerously behind in their series this postseason. The Kings and the Coyotes are the teams giving this division so much trouble.

In the Western Conference semifinals, both the Kings and Coyotes boast early leads in their respective series. The Kings have gone in to St. Louis and have dominated Games 1 and 2, then got an even firmer grip on this series with a home win in Game 3. Phoenix, meanwhile, lost a grueling game to Nashville 2-0 on Wednesday but still leads the series 2-1. Interestingly, both the Kings and Coyotes have been classified as the underdogs in these series, but have produced early victories.

Goaltending Still Key

New York's Henrik Lundqvist, L.A.'s Jonathan Quick, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Phoenix's Mike Smith have dominated for their respective teams and led them to victories. Lundqvist, with his 2.02 goals allowed per game, has kept New York in every game and played key on Wednesday with 45 saves in a triple-OT, 2-1 victory.

Quick, meanwhile, has been the player of the postseason. Behind his 7-1 record, the Los Angeles Kings have taken control of their series against the Blues. Quick has made some tremendous butterfly saves this postseason and is playing up to his potential unlike last year during the team’s horrific first round against San Jose.

Smith is the cog behind the Coyotes this season and will need to continue his great work behind the pipes to allow the Coyotes to advance. Smith carried Phoenix past Chicago in the first round and has not had a bad game the entire postseason, posting a 2.03 goals against average.

And who can forget the savvy veteran Martin Brodeur? Brodeur does not get all the accolades like Smith or Quick, but is playing just as well for New Jersey. Up 2-1 on Philadelphia in a second-round matchup, Brodeur is working hard to keep the high scoring Flyers offense at bay this series.

So Long Alex, Thanks for Playing

Tied at 2, late in the third period, captain Alexander Ovechkin stepped up huge for Washington and scored a power play wrist shot past Lundqvist to give the Capitals the victory. Ovechkin actually played the least amount of ice time in his playoff history but that did not matter. Ovechkin came up clutch and powered the slap shot into the back of the net and cemented Washington as a legitimate threat to New York’s title hopes.

In Game 3, however, Ovechkin was held off the goal sheet and seemed lackluster in his performance. Which Ovechkin will we see as this series progresses? If Ovechkin does not light the lamp or at least create havoc for the Rangers defense, this series will remain low scoring which will favor New York.

Mike Richards Trade Working For Both Sides

On June 23, when the Los Angeles Kings traded Braydon Schenn and Wayne Simmonds for Mike Richards, the hockey world was in complete shock. Philadelphia was expected to go young and maybe take a step back this season, while Los Angeles added a huge piece to its title run.

As the season progressed, the trade looked much better for Philadelphia. Philadelphia got great contributions from their core and finished with more than 100 points. Meanwhile, the Kings struggled at the end of the season and searched for more production from Richards and his former Flyers teammate Jeff Carter.

Once the playoffs rolled around however, Richards stepped up his game. Richards led the charge for the Kings that downed the Canucks top line in the first round by playing strong on the fore check and creating havoc with puck possession deep into the offensive zone. As for the second round Richards already has recorded three points and is leading the second line attack for the Kings.

Philadelphia is scoring at a tremendous pace and is using the play of new center Claude Giroux and his playoff-leading 15 points to reach the second round. Although Richards was the starter last season, Giroux is now leading the potent Philadelphia attack and has them primed for a deep playoff run.

It’s Starting to Get Chippy In Here

Watching the Kings-Blues game on Monday Night, I saw a dirty contest that started with a Kings barrage of goals and ended with a 15-penalty grudge match. Then on Tuesday, the Flyers and Devils combined for nine penalties and 56 hits.

These are just some of the most recent matchups that highlight the aggressive and hard-hitting nature of the NHL playoffs. Raffi Torres' hit on Marian Hossa and Dwight King’s hit on Alex Pietrangelo highlight just a few of the nasty hits that have taken place this postseason, which increase tension between certain teams that must battle it out in a long series. Let's hope that teams can take their frustration out on their opponents, creating more fights and big hits that have defined this sport for decades.

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