Elise Amendola/Associated Press
Only eight teams remain in the 2014 NHL playoffs, and only one of those teams will hoist the coveted Stanley Cup.
Round 1 featured plenty of upsets and a plethora of overtime action. It brought about as many twists and turns as an M. Night Shyamalanmovie.
So far, the second round of action has not failed to entertain as well.
As each series continues to move along, let's take a look at the updated playoff bracket and current standings and glance at all of the most recent action.
Update Bracket
The complete bracket can be viewed on NHL.com.
Standings
No. 3 Chicago Blackhawks 1-0 No. 4 Minnesota Wild
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Game 1 of this series was the Patrick Kane show. He scored twice in the third period, including a remarkable top-shelf goal that helped lift the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory.
It wasn't all Chicago, though.
Minnesota looked great in the beginning of the third period, quickly scoring two goals to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Wild, that was just before Kane took over.
Minnesota is getting some nice production, outshooting the Blackhawks 31-22 in Game 1. However, Chicago found the back of the net frequently against some shaky goaltending.
After the game, Wild coach Mike Yeo spoke of his team's performance with the Associated Press, via ESPN.com:"We had some good moments in this game, but what it came down to we weren't complete enough in this hockey game. We weren't complete enough collectively and individually."
The Wild will get their chance to rebound in Game 2 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
No. 1 Anaheim Ducks 0-1 No. 3 Los Angeles Kings
Alex Gallardo/Associated Press
The first game for these in-state rivals was decided in overtime. This has been an ongoing trend in this year's postseason for practically every team involved.
Saturday's showdown between these two powerhouses was exhilarating.
With the game appearing to be in hand for the Ducks in the waning seconds of regulation, the near impossible happened.
The Kings pulled Jonathan Quick with just more than one minute remaining to gain the extra attacker. The move paid off. With just seven seconds left, Marian Gaborik wristed a rebound from a Mike Richards shot past Jonas Hiller to send the game into overtime.
Gaborik didn't stop there.
In overtime, he redirected anAnze Kopitar shot for the winner, effectively defeating the Ducks.
This series is set to bring plenty of intensity, and these teams will take the ice once again on Monday at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
No. 1 Boston Bruins 1-1 No. 3 Montreal Canadiens
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
After disposing of their first-round opponents rather easily, the Bruins and Canadiens began their series early, already putting two games in the books.
The first game of this series was pure adrenaline-filled action. Montreal got off to a hot start, entering the third period up 2-0. Boston fought back, leveling the score at 3-3 with just two minutes remaining to send the contest into overtime.
The first overtime was a defensive struggle and didn't produce a goal. However, in the second overtime, P.K. Subban finished the game just as he started it—by finding the back of the net.
His goal lifted Montreal to a 4-3 win and a 1-0 series lead.
It wouldn't last long though, as Boston leveled things on Saturday.
Once again, Boston found itself down two goals in the third period. This time, the offense stepped up, as the team would not be denied a victory.
The Bruins scored four times in just eight minutes, with Reilly Smith scoring the go-ahead goal with just more than three minutes left in the game. When all was said and done, Boston earned a crucial 5-3 victory and evened the series at 1-1.
Torey Krug couldn't hide his excitement after the win during a press conference with the Associated Press, via ESPN.com:"It was a fun last part of the third period.We're very excited with how things turned out, but we've got to move along from it pretty soon."
These teams will continue this thrilling series on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 0-1 No. 2 New York Rangers
Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
To very little surprise, the first game of this highly anticipated series was decided in overtime.
The Rangers got off to a hot start, beating Marc-Andre Fleury twice in the opening period. However, it was a tale of two periods for these teams. The Penguins looked sharp in the second, matching the two early Rangers goals.
After a defensive third period that featured plenty of shots but no goals, the game headed into overtime.
It didn't take long to determine a winner. Derick Brassard's wrister in front of the goal appeared to have hit the crossbar at first glance, and Benoit Pouliot netted one of his own just a few seconds later.
After further review, Brassard was awarded the goal, and the Rangers got the 3-2 victory.
Pouliot spoke of the overtime period after the game during a press conference with the Associated Press, via ESPN.com:"I found out way later (Brassard) got the goal. Good for him. We've been playing well against Philly and now tonight. We deserved that."
New York will look to continue its hot hand, while Pittsburgh will attempt to rebound when these teams take the ice again on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
