NHL Western Conference News

It's home-ice advantage and after working all season to obtain it, it's what the Blackhawks yielded to the Red Wings on Saturday when they dropped Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at the United Center.

Damien Brunner had one eye on the Chicago Blackhawks and another on the world hockey championship taking place in Sweden on Sunday.

The Winnipeg Jets showed this season that they are just a few pieces short of being a legitimate playoff contender.

The Sharks are hoping for a lift from the notoriously loud HP Pavilion crowd Saturday night for a vital Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Kings.

The San Jose Sharks were already facing an uphill battle in their Western Conference Semifinals matchup versus the Los Angeles Kings , and now the underdogs might be hemorrhaging on offense.

Brianwa Flores, left, and Katie Cosentino from Illinois State Lottery greet hockey fans before Game 2 of an NHL hockey playoff Western Conference semifinal between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The way Don Cherry sees it, the NHL is targeting San Jose Sharks agitator Raffi Torres, who this week was handed a heavy penalty following a controversial hit on L.A. Kings centre Jarret Stoll.

Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are the three finalists for the 2012-13 Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success," the National Hockey League announced today.

Heading into the lockout-shortened season that promised rare challenges to players and coaches alike, Joel Quenneville had three things he wanted the Blackhawks to accomplish over the 48 games to be a contender.

On Wednesday night, the Detroit Red Wings began their Western Conference semifinal series with their longtime rival and Original Six companion Chicago Blackhawks .

Maybe you recall the former No. 1 overall pick hitting the Internet last season, when photos show him partying in Madison, Wis.

Pavel Datsyuk is one of the NHL's most feared scorers, a wizard with the puck who is equally adept at setting up his teammates for easy plays.

Each remaining NHL playoff team has played at least one game in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

After failing to make the playoffs in six full- or part-time seasons with Columbus, Derick Brassard appears to be making up for lost time during the current playoffs with the New York Rangers, with two goals and a whopping eight assists for 10 total points.

The quest for a Stanley Cup centers on team cohesion and consistency. Each squad is only as good as the sum of its parts.

Torres is on the end of another arbitrary suspension by NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan as he was suspended for "the remainder of the second round of the playoffs," according to the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Boston's leading goal-scorer during the regular season scored his first of the postseason with 4:20 left in the first overtime and the Bruins beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night in the first playoff game in 40 years between the Original Six teams.

Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau, Ottawa's Paul MacLean and Joel Quenneville of Chicago have been named finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL.

Although his stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs ended in heart-breaking fashion, there's still some playoff hockey left for Oshawa's Ryan Hamilton.

San Jose Sharks left wing Raffi Torres, left, lunges for the puck next to Vancouver Canucks defenceman Alexander Edler during the first period of Game 3 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, May 5, 2013.