The second round of the playoffs is finally here and we have a few games on tap for tonight. The first game of a seven game series is always an important first step. The stakes are that much higher as the teams will scrap and claw to determine who will advance to the Conference finals. Who’s playing and who will win? Find out here.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh will host the first of two games tonight against the New York Rangers before the series heads back to Madison Square Garden. Pittsburgh and New York split the season series this season with each team getting a win at the other team’s arena. The key for tonight is for Evgeni Malkin to continue his hot streak, Sidney Crosby to start scoring and for Marc-Andre Fleury to have a great game in goal for the Penguins. This is the first second round series he has started in over four years. Pittsburgh boasts a 3-1 record in their last four Game 1’s, which will be important to gain a quick upper hand in the series. With that being said, I think history repeats itself and Pittsburgh goes to 4-1 in their last five and swipes an early lead. Penguins 3 Rangers 1.

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks

This is a rematch from the first round of last year’s playoffs when Chicago knocked the Wild out in five games. Minnesota’s only victory was an overtime victory in game three. The Wild stunned the Avalanche the other night and now have some huge momentum going into this series against Chicago. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter lead the way as the Minnesotans look for a measure of revenge against the defending champs. This is a much different Minnesota team from last year and it’s going to be a great opening game tomorrow in Chicago. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and company will be key in the first game and in the end I see Chicago taking game one in this series. Blackhawks 3 Wild 2.