NHL 2009 Playoffs

Whew. On to the second round.

After the dismissal of the President's Trophy winner and two razor-close Game 7 showdowns in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins are the new owners of home ice advantage throughout the playoffs--as long they are in contention for hockey's coveted Stanley Cup. Boston will open up at home against Carolina Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) after the Hurricanes scored two goals in the last 80 seconds of Game 7 in New Jersey Tuesday night.

The other Eastern matchup will feature Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to visit Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who pulled out their own 2-1 Game 7 heart-stopper Tuesday. That series begins Saturday afternoon in D.C. (1 p.m. ET)

The matchups in the Western Conference were set Monday night after the No. 8 Anaheim Ducks closed out intrastate rival and top seed San Jose in six, and Chicago's young Blackhawks did the same six-and-out number on the Flames at the Saddledome. Anaheim travels to Detroit to open its second-round series Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) in a battle of the last two Stanley Cup championship teams, while Chicago travels to Vancouver to open its conference semifinal series in the second round's opening game Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.