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Blues 2, Kings 1 F/OT (Blues lead 1-0)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 4th player since 1990 with postseason short-handed goal in OT (Source: Elias Sports Bureau)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 2nd career OT goal (1st in postseason)
* Alexander Steen (STL): scored both goals in game (didn't have a multi-goal game this season)
* STL: snap 8-game losing streak vs LA dating back to last season (reg. season and postseason)
* Justin Williams (LA): scored game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in game
* LA: was 4-0 in OT in last year's postseason
* LA: 1st defending champ to lose 1st postseason game in OT since Red Wings on April 10, 2003
FROM ELIAS:
Shorthanded Goals In Overtime
Stanley Cup Playoffs Since 1990
Team
Tue. Alexander Steen Blues
2006 Fernando Pisani Oilers
2006 Jason Pominville Sabres
1990 Tony Granato Kings

Ducks 3, Red Wings 1 (Ducks lead series 1-0)
* Teemu Selanne (ANA): 42nd career playoff goal (7th among active players); 11th career GW playoff goal (T-6th most among active players)
* Ducks: 2-4 on power play (led Western Conference in power-play pct during regular season)
* Jonas Hiller (ANA): 21 saves on 22 shots (fewest shots faced, fewest saves in a playoff game in his career)
* Red Wings: lost playoff opener for 2nd straight year (lost in 5 games in 1st round last year)
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Teemu Selanne broke a 1-1 tie with a power play goal early in the third period and the Ducks went on to take a 3-1 victory over the Red Wings in Game One. The 42-year-old Selanne became the second-oldest player ever to score a game-winning goal in the NHL playoffs; Mark Recchi was 43 when he was credited with the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ 8-1 victory over the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. (Recchi scored early in the second period of that game, making the score 2-0, and was credited with the game-winning goal in a game in which Boston had a 5-0 lead at the time that Vancouver scored in the third period.)

Blackhawks 2, Wild 1 (Blackhawks lead series 1-0)
* Bryan Bickell (CHI): game-winning goal in OT (2nd career OT goal in postseason, has 0 career in regular season)
* Marian Hossa (CHI): 37th career playoff goal (tied for 100th most all-time with Wendel Clark, Simon Gagne and Larry Murphy)
* Blackhawks: 1st series lead since winning Stanley Cup in 2010
* Cal Clutterbuck (MIN): 1st career playoff goal
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: The Blackhawks defeated the Wild, 2-1, in their playoff opener, when Bryan Bickell scored 16:35 into overtime. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville was behind the bench in a Stanley Cup game for the 140th time in his career, while Minnesota’s Mike Yeo was coaching in his first NHL postseason game. The 139-game difference in playoff experience between the two head coaches is the largest in an NHL postseason series since the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, when Detroit’s Scotty Bowman (348 games of playoff experience entering the series) faced Carolina’s Paul Maurice (30 games); Bowman and the Red Wings won that series in five games.

The 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Tuesday as 3 Western Conference quarterfinals series begin. The Kings, trying to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Red Wings in 1998, will take on the Blues. The Blackhawks, trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup after having the league’s most points in the regular season since the Red Wings in 2008, take on the Wild. And the Red Wings, making their 22nd straight playoff appearance, take on the Ducks.

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarterfinals
8 Wild at 1 Blackhawks – Game 1 - 8 ET
* Blackhawks: went 2-0-1 vs Wild during regular season
* Blackhawks: won Presidents’ Trophy for league’s best regular season record (77 pts); a team has not won Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in same season since 2007-08 Red Wings
* Blackhawks: led all Western Conference teams in goals during regular season (155)
* Blackhawks: led NHL in team goals-against average during regular season (1.98)
* Wild: 1st playoff appearance since 2007-08 season
* Wild: have not won a playoff series since 2003 Western Conference Semifinals vs Canucks
* 1st-ever playoff series meeting between these teams

Playoff Results For Presidents’ Trophy Winners Since 2007-08
Winner Points Playoff Result
2012-13 Blackhawks 77 ?
2011-12 Canucks 111 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2010-11 Canucks 117 Lost, Cup Final
2009-10 Capitals 121 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2008-09 Sharks 117 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2007-08 Red Wings 115 Won Stanley Cup

5 Kings at 4 Blues – Game 1 – 8 ET
* Kings: trying to be 1st team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since Red Wings in 1997 & 1998
* Kings: 4th straight playoff appearance (team’s longest streak of playoff appearances since making playoffs 7 straight years from 1986-87 through 1992-93)
* Kings: went 3-0-0 vs Blues during regular season
* Kings: swept Blues in 2012 Conference Semifinals
* Blues: only 3rd playoff appearance in last 8 seasons (2nd straight playoff appearance)
* Blues: have won 2 of previous 3 playoff meetings vs Kings all-time

7 Red Wings at 2 Ducks – Game 1 – 10:30 ET
* Red Wings: 22nd straight playoff appearance (longest active postseason streak in the 4 major pro sports)
* Red Wings: went 2-1-0 vs Ducks during regular season
* Red Wings: 7 seed in team’s lowest seed since current playoff format was adopted in 1993-94 (are a 5 seed or lower for 3rd time in last 4 seasons)
* Henrik Zetterberg (DET): 3rd among active players in playoff goals (51)
* Ducks: only 2nd playoff appearance in last 4 seasons after making playoffs in 4 straight seasons from 2005-06 through 2008-09
* Ducks: 2 seed matches highest playoff seed in franchise history (2007 – won Stanley Cup that postseason)
* Ducks: led all Western Conference teams in power play percentage at 21.5 pct (4th overall)
* Red Wings have won 3 of 5 playoff series meetings vs Ducks all-time (Red Wings won last meeting in 2009 Conference Semifinals)

Longest Active Playoff Appearances Streaks
In The Four Major Pro Sports
NHL 22 Detroit Red Wings, 1990-91 to 2012-13
NBA 16 San Antonio Spurs, 1997-98 to 2012-13
NFL 5 Baltimore Ravens, 2008 to 2012
MLB 4 New York Yankees, 2009 to 2012

Blues 3, Blackhawks 1
Capitals 3, Bruins 2 (F/OT)
* Bruins: one point behind Canadiens, need win Sunday vs Senators to clinch Northeast Division and 2 seed
* Mike Green (WSH): 2 goals (11, 12); 3rd multi-goal game in last 3 seasons
* Eric Fehr (WSH): Goal (9); second game-winning goal this season
* Capitals: 7-0-1 in last 8 home games; 3 seed in East
FROM ELIAS: Capitals defenseman Mike Green scored two goals, both on power plays, in Washington’s 3–2 overtime win against the Bruins. It was the 14th multiple-goal game of Green’s NHL career and his sixth game with two power play goals. Green’s total of 14 multi-goal games stands second among active NHL defenseman, behind Sergei Gonchar (22); in addition, Green’s total of six multi-PPG games is the highest by any current D-man.

* Blues: clinch 4 seed (final home-ice spot) in Western Conference with win
* Jaden Schwartz (STL): 2 goals (7); had just 1 point in previous 11 games
* Blues: finish regular season having won their last 3 games overall and their last 6 home games
* Blackhawks: 2-game win streak ends; will be 1 seed in Western Conference playoffs
FROM ELIAS: Rookie Jaden Schwartz scored two goals in a game for the first time in his brief NHL career to help the Blues post a season-ending 3–1 win over the Blackhawks. Schwartz is the second St. Louis freshman to record two goals in a game this season, joining Vladimir Tarasenko, who did that twice (January 19 and March 28). The only other NHL team to have more than one rookie with multiple-goal games this season is Tampa Bay (three: Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson and Richard Panik).

Wild 3, Avalanche 1
* Wild: clinch playoff berth for 1st time since 2007-08 season, will face Blackhawks in 1st round
* Wild: 4-1-0 in last 5 road games
* Zach Parise (MIN): Goal (18); 3rd goal in last 6 games
* Devin Setoguchi (MIN): Goal (13); team's 1st power play goal in last 5 games

Flyers 2, Senators 1
* Flyers: 4th straight win, also won 3 straight road games
* Flyers: 2nd win in last 10 games at Senators
* Claude Giroux (PHI): assist (200th assist of career)
* Senators: trail Rangers by 2 points for 6th spot and Islanders by 1 point for 7th spot in Eastern Conference (finish season Sunday at Bruins)
FROM ELIAS: Flyers goaltender Steve Mason stopped 43 of the Senators’ 44 shots on goal in his 2–1 win at Ottawa on Saturday night, after facing 41 shots while posting a victory over the Bruins in his last game (Tuesday). Over the last 40 years, the only other Flyers goaltender to win consecutive games in one season while facing at least 40 shots on goal in each game was Robert Esche in 2006–07 (Dec. 28 and Jan. 2).

Penguins 8, Hurricanes 3
* Penguins: season-high 8 goals (tied 3-3 after 2nd period)
* Penguins: 5th straight home win vs Hurricanes
* James Neal (PIT): 3 goals, assist; 3rd career hat trick
* Penguins: 11 players had at least 1 point
FROM ELIAS: James Neal, playing in his first game after being sidelined for three weeks due to a concussion, scored three goals for the Penguins in their 8–3 win over the Hurricanes. It was the third career hat trick for Neal, who had scored only one goal in his last 13 games when he was injured on April 5. Before that slump, Neal was tied for second in the race for the NHL goal-scoring leadership, having scored 17 times in his first 26 games (through March 10).

Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 1
* Canadiens: move into 1st place in Northeast Division by 1 point over 2nd place Bruins with win and Bruins OT loss at Capitals (MTL season completed, BOS is home vs OTT Sunday)
* Canadiens: only 3rd win in last 8 games (3-5-0)
* Lars Eller (MTL): Goal (8), 2 assists
* Maple Leafs: locked into 5 seed in Eastern Conference due to Senators regulation loss to Flyers
FROM ELIAS: Lars Eller contributed a goal and two assists to the Canadiens’ 4–1 win over the Maple Leafs. Eller finished the season with a total of 30 points in 45 games but he did the majority of his scoring in a relatively small number of games. Eller’s 10 multiple-point games (3 three-point games and 7 two-point games) accounted for 23 of the 30 points he registered this season.

Red Wings 3, Stars 0
* Red Wings: clinch 22nd consecutive playoff appearance (5th-longest streak in NHL history)
* Red Wings: won 4 straight games to end regular season (longest win streak of season)
* Henrik Zetterberg (DET): goal, 2 assists (10 points in last 4 games)
* Pavel Datsyuk (DET): 3 assists (8 points in last 3 games)

Most Consecutive NHL Playoff Appearances
Active Streaks
Stanley Cups
Red Wings 22<< 4
Sharks 9 0
Penguins 7 1
Bruins 6 1
Capitals 6 0
>>Franchise record (also had 20 straight from 38-39 to 57-58)
FROM ELIAS: Henrik Zetterberg scored the Red Wings’ first two goals and assisted on their third as Detroit clinched a playoff berth for the 22nd consecutive season with its 3–0 win at Dallas on Saturday night. Zetterberg scored 10 points over the Red Wings’ final four games this season (two goals, eight assists) with at least two points in each game. He’s the first Detroit player to record two or more points in each of four consecutive team games in one season since Pavel Datsyuk had a four-game streak in December 2011. It’s the third time that Zetterberg has registered four straight multiple-point games (he also did that in 2006–07 and again in 2007–08).

Most Consecutive Playoff Appearances
NHL History
Seasons
Bruins 27 1967-68 to 1995-96
Blackhawks 28 1969-70 to 1996-97
Blues 25 1979-80 to 2003-04
Canadiens 24 1970-71 to 1993-94
Red Wings 22 1990-91 to 2012-13
Canadiens 21 1948-49 to 1968-69

Blue Jackets 3, Predators 1
* Blue Jackets: score 3 goals in 3rd period (trailed 1-0 after 2 periods)
* Blue Jackets: finish regular season with 3 straight wins
* Blue Jackets: eliminated from playoff contention with wins by Red Wings & Wild
* Brandon Dubinsky & Cam Atkinson (CBJ): Goal & assist each
FROM ELIAS: The Blue Jackets trailed, 1–0, heading into the third period of their game against Nashville, but they won after outscoring the Predators, 3–0, over the final 20 minutes and outshooting them, 25–5 in the final period. The 25 shots on goal set a Columbus franchise record for one period, and were the most shots by one team in a single period in an NHL game this season, topping the previous high of 24, done three times.

Rangers 4, Devils 0
* Rick Nash (NYR): 2 goals (21); 4th multi-goal game of season
* Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): 20 saves; 2nd shutout of season
* Rangers: finish regular season 5-1-0 in final 6 games
* Rangers: finish regular season with 56 points, will be 6th seed in Eastern Conference (even if OTT beats BOS Sunday to tie NYR in points, NYR has regulation/OT wins tiebreaker edge {have 22, OTT can only get as many as 21})
FROM ELIAS: Rick Nash reached the 20-goal plateau for the ninth consecutive season when he scored the first of his two goals in the Rangers’ 4–0 win over the Devils. Nash, who was traded to the Rangers by the Blue Jackets last summer, will finish the 2012–13 NHL campaign as the only active player with a current streak of at least nine straight 20-goal seasons. Five players who had entered this year having scored 20-or-more goals in each of the past nine NHL seasons had their streaks come to an end largely because of the lockout-shortened 48-game schedule: Jarome Iginla (13 seasons), Marian Hossa (12), Vincent Lecavalier (12), Ilya Kovalchuk (10) and Martin St. Louis (9).

Panthers 5, Lightning 3
* Panthers: score 3 goals in 3rd period (trailed 3-2 after 2 periods)
* Martin St. Louis (TB): Goal (17), assist; wins NHL point scoring title with 60 points - becomes oldest player to win scoring title (will be age 37 yrs, 314 days when regular season concludes Sunday)

Oldest NHL Scoring Champions
Age<<
2012-13 Martin St. Louis TB 37-314
1932-33 Bill Cook NYR 36-165
1962-63 Gordie Howe DET 34-358
1993-94 Wayne Gretzky LA 33-78
1948-49 Roy Conacher CHI 32-166
<FROM ELIAS: Martin St. Louis all but officially wrapped up his second NHL scoring title when he had a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay’s season-ending loss to the Panthers. St. Louis, who also won the Art Ross Trophy in the 2003–04 season, finished with a total of 60 points while playing in all 48 games for the Lightning this year; he never went more than one game without scoring points. He racked up 12 points in January (in six games), 13 in February (14 games), 18 in March (14 games) and 17 in April (14 games). The only other NHL players with a double-figure point total in all four calendar months this season were Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Patrick Kane.

Coyotes 5, Ducks 3
* Radim Vrbata (PHX): 4th career hat trick (10, 11, 12); 1st hat trick since Jan. 24, 2008
* Jason LaBarbera (PHX): 43 saves (22 in 3rd period)
* Coyotes: go 3-1-2 in final 6 road games of season
* Ducks: 3-game winning streak ends; will enter playoffs as 2 seed in Western Conference (will play DET in Conf. Quarterfinals)

Oilers 7, Canucks 2
* Nail Yakupov (NAY-uhl Ya-kuh-pov) (EDM): 1st career hat trick; finishes season with 17 goals (leads all rookies in goals)
* Oilers: score 6 goals in 3rd period (game was tied 1-1 after 2 periods)
* Oilers: 1st win in last 7 home games (1-6-0)
* Canucks: finish regular season 2-3-0 in last 5 games; will enter playoffs as 3 seed in Western Conference

Kings 3, Sharks 2
* Justin Williams (LA): Goal (11), assist; 1st goal in his last 11 games
* Kings: snap 2-game losing streak & earn 5 seed in Western Conference; will play Blues in Conference Quarterfinals
* Sharks: finish regular season 1-3-0 in final 4 games; will be 6 seed in Western Conference playoffs & play Canucks in Conference Quarterfinals

The Chicago Blackhawks are down to four potential Western Conference first-round opponents after the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues assured themselves higher seeds with wins on Tuesday.

The Detroit Red Wings is the team of note on Wednesday. The Red Wings can move into the eighth spot by picking up at least a point against the Los Angeles Kings.

Here's a closer look at all four potential first-round opponents with their records, ROW (regulation + overtime wins, which is used as a tiebreaker), remaining games and best-and-worst-case scenarios.

• Minnesota Wild, 25-18-3, 53 points (seventh place): 21 ROW, two games remaining (vs. Edmonton Friday, at Colorado on Saturday), best case (57 points, fifth place), worst case (53 points, out of the playoffs)
• Columbus Blue Jackets, 22-17-7, 51 points (eighth place): 17 ROW, two games remaining (at Dallas on Thursday, vs. Nashville on Saturday), best case (55 points, seventh place), worst case (51 points, out of the playoffs)
• Detroit Red Wings, 21-16-8, 50 points: 19 ROW, three games remaining (vs. Los Angeles on Wednesday, vs. Nashville on Thursday, at Dallas on Saturday), best case (56 points, seventh place), worst case (50 points, out of the playoffs)
• Dallas Stars, 22-20-4, 48 points: 20 ROW, two games remaining (vs. Columbus on Thursday, vs. Detroit on Saturday), best case (52 points, eighth place), worst case (48 points, out of the playoffs)