By Jason Bryden
Elm Staff Writer
Stanley Cup Playoffs
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues as 16 teams try to hoist the cup. Entering Wednesday night’s games, the President’s Trophy Vancouver Canucks and the Pittsburgh Penguins trail 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers respectively. If the Canucks, the top seed in the west, get swept by the Kings, they will be the first team to get swept after finishing with the top overall NHL record. The East’s top seed, the New York Rangers, lead 2-1 over the Ottawa Senators. The seventh seeded Washington Capitals trail the second seed and reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, 2-1.
The other series are in the west, 2-St. Louis Blues up 2-1 on the 7-San Jose Sharks, 3-Phoenix Coyotes up 2-1 on the 6-Chicago Blackhawks, and 4-Nashville Predators up 3-1 on the 5-Detroit Red Wings.
In the east, the 3-Florida Panthers lead 6-New Jersey Devils, 2-1. The games are on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC and NHL Network.
NBA Regular Season Concludes
The 2011-12 66-game NBA regular season concludes. The race for the top seed in the East is between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat as of the end of the Tuesday night games. The Bulls lead the Heat by two-and-a-half games as the Bulls are 46-15, while the Heat are 43-17. The race for the final two spots are between the New York Knicks (32-29), Philadelphia 76ers (31-30) and the Milwaukee Bucks (29-31).
Out West, the San Antonio Spurs lead the Oklahoma City Thunder by a half-game, the Spurs are 44-16, while the Thunder are 44-17. There is a three-way race for the final spot out West between the Phoenix Suns (32-29), Houston Rockets (32-29) and the Utah Jazz (32-30). As of April 17, the Suns hold the final spot. Who will make it?
NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL Draft is a three-day event that begins on Thursday night in New York City with the first round of the NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts own the first pick and are expected to take Andrew Luck from Stanford. The Washington Redskins, who traded up with the St. Louis Rams to get the second pick, are predicted to take Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III. The teams of interest here at Washington College besides the Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens pick 15th and 29th respectively. The second and third rounds are Friday, and the fourth to the seventh rounds are on Saturday.