2008 Stanley Cup playoffs enter second round

April 23, 2008

Eight teams will enter the next round of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs as two games on Tuesday completed the first set of playoff games.

The Philadelphia Flyers' Joffrey Lupul scored against the Washington Capitals shortly into overtime on Tuesday winning with a 3-2 final score in the seventh game of their first round series. The Flyers will face the Montreal Canadiens in the next round of the playoffs on Thursday.

In the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks were victorious in their first round series against the Calgary Flames after a 5-3 win. These teams also required the full set of seven playoff round games. The Sharks will meet the Dallas Stars when their next playoff round begins on Friday.

Second-round playoff games for the remaining eight teams begin late this week. The rounds for Montreal-Philadelphia and Colorado-Detroit begin on Thursday while the New York-Pittsburgh and Dallas-San Jose rounds begin on Friday. Teams must win four games out of a maximum seven per round.

First round summary
Here are the results of the other first round contests:

Eastern Conference

 * The Montreal Canadiens advance to the semifinals after their win over the Boston Bruins on Monday. The seventh series game ended with Montreal scoring a 5-0 shutout.


 * Despite an initially successful start to the hockey season, the Ottawa Senators were sent on summer vacation with a four-game sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins.


 * The New York Rangers won their series as the New Jersey Devils could only manage one game win.

Western Conference

 * The Detroit Red Wings won their series over the Nashville Predators 4 games to 2.


 * Colorado Avalanche won over Minnesota Wild in a 4-2 series.


 * Dallas Stars won against Anaheim Ducks, 4-2 for their series.