May 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo on on the ice before game two in the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The first month of the Stanley Cup playoffs is coming to a close, and as promised, we’ll continue to provide weekly updates for what’s happening around the league.

Western Conference

Series A

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have met their match with the Detroit Red Wings, who currently lead the semi-final series two games to one. And though Chicago notched the first victory of the series 4-1, Detroit has battled back to beat Chicago in fascinating style, 4-1 and 3-1, in games two and three. Marian Hossa, Jonathan Towes and Patrick Kane continue to put points on the board for the Blackhawks, while Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk have only three points in the series combined for the Red Wings. Game four kicks off Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in Detroit. The game will be shown on NBCSN.

Series B

The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings currently lead the San Jose Sharks two games to one in the semi-final series. The Kings shut out the Sharks 2-0 in game one, but games two and three came down to a single goal. Los Angeles won game two 4-5, but San Jose battled back in game three to beat Los Angeles in overtime, 2-1. Mike Richards, Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown have kept the pressure on the Sharks, and Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture have combined for five points in the series, including Couture’s game-winner in overtime Saturday. The Sharks are currently winning game four in San Jose, 2-0.

Eastern Conference

Series C

The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold a 2-1 series lead over the Ottawa Senators, and despite Pittsburgh taking game one in decisive fashion with a 4-1 final score, the Senators have proven they won’t go down without a fight. Game two and game three were decided by a single goal, 4-3 for Pittsburgh in game two and 2-1 for Ottawa in double overtime in game three. Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby continue to play significant roles in Pittsburgh’s victories, and Colin Greening has become the backbone of the Senators this series, scoring a goal in all three games, including the game winner in Ottawa Sunday. The teams face off in game four tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NBCSN.

Series D

Boston seems to have discovered what it takes to disassemble the Rangers, and is looking to land the final blow in game four, clinching a spot in the conference finals as the only team to sweep its opponent in the semi-finals. It hasn’t been an easy battle for the Bruins though, who held off New York by a single goal in both game one and game three. Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Brad Marchand have been momentous for the Bruins. Chara and Marchand notched two points each in game one, and Krug and Marchand recorded two each in game two. Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh have recorded two points each for the Rangers. Game four starts Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

UPDATE: The San Jose Sharks won game four against the Los Angeles Kings 2-1, tying the series 2-2.

Photo courtesy of www.sportslogos.net

With last Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Barons in Oklahoma City, the Texas Stars’ run for the 2012-2013 Calder Cup has come to an end. The victory clinched a spot in the Western Conference finals for the Barons, who took the seven-game semi-finals series against Texas in five games. The Stars only victory came May 11 in Texas’ final game on home ice.

The Barons took the lead late in the first period when Teemu Haritkainen grabbed the puck off a faceoff, sent it ricocheting it off the left post and into the Stars net. Despite heading into the first intermission down 1-0, the Stars outshot the Barons 12-8 in the period.

Just a minute and a half into the second period, the Barons launched into a four-on-two breakaway that paved the way for Taylor Fedun to send a backhanded puck over the glove of Texas goalie Cristopher Nilstorp.  Oklahoma stretched the lead to 3-0 halfway through the period off a two-on-one breakaway that allowed C.J. Stretch to tap in a rebound off a Toni Rajala shot that bounced off the post. Justin Dowling and Mike Hedden returned the two-on-one, but Hedden’s pass missed Dowling, leaving the Stars down 3-0 headed into the second intermission.

Taking advantage of an early-period power play, the Barons went up 4-0 a minute and a half into the third with a goal by Garrett Stafford. Despite a valiant effort by Texas’ offense, Oklahoma’s Mark Arcobello scored the final goal of the game for the Barons. Despite being denied by Oklahoma’s goaltender Yann Dannis all night, the Stars refused to allow another shutout in the series. With three minutes remaining in regulation, Reilly Smith and Alex Chaisson fed Dowling for his first goal of the playoffs, and Texas’ only goal in the game.

In total, both teams launched 34 shots on net.

The Barons advance to the Western Conference final where Oklahoma City will face the Grand Rapids Griffins for a coveted spot in the Calder Cup final. In the Eastern Conference, the Syracuse Crunch hold a spot in the Eastern Conference final while the Providence Bruins and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head into game seven tomorrow night.