As conference calls go, these are tough. The St. Louis Blues seem like a team with some kind of providential influence pulling them along, moving into the Western Conference Final with two Game 7 victories in hand.
Since entering the league in 1967, the Blues have yet to win a Stanley Cup. They haven't even played in a Cup final since Richard Nixon was president in 1970.
And yet, the San Jose Sharks seem like destiny's darling, too. These teams have made the playoffs in most every season since the late 1990s, but neither has made it to a Cup final.
One of them will make it, and it will seem surreal perhaps to their long-suffering fans. For the team that doesn't make it, the heartbreak will be worse than ever.
In the East, it's a tough call as well. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the second round and have been red-hot since Mike Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston as head coach on Dec. 12.
Pittsburgh is 41-19-5 under Sullivan entering this series against Jon Cooper and the Lightning.
The Lightning h ...
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Article written by Adrian Dater