The conference finals have been thrill-a-minute, thrill-a-period, thrill-a-game. As they both fittingly go to Game 7s, let's take a look at our favorite moments from each. What a ride!
@ESPN_Burnside: This is the second year in a row I've had the privilege of covering a Western Conference finals that has gone the distance (sorry, Pierre). Didn't think there could be anything that could touch last year's raucous Chicago Blackhawks-Los Angeles Kings seven-game tilt, but this current clash between the Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks is every bit as compelling. For me, the moments that define this series were late in Game 5. There was the shock of Jonathan Toews' goal-line shot from the corner boards banking off netminder Frederik Andersen's left foot/pad and entering the net to tie a game the Ducks had led 3-0 well before Chicago's first shot. It was Toews' second goal in the final two minutes, both scored with goalie Corey Crawford on the bench for the extra attacker. At that moment, as the Ducks stared up at the scoreboard in disbelief, was there anyone -- except perhaps among the hardiest of Ducks fans and the Ducks themselves -- who didn't think Chicago was destined to win this game? This was the kind of comeback that defined the Blackhawks and all they have accomplished in recent years, in becoming as close to a dynasty as we might know in the salary-cap era. And yet it was Matt Beleskey snapping home the rebound of a hard Ryan Kesler shot just 45 seconds into overtime that ended the game and gave the Ducks a 5-4 victory and a 3-2 series lead. There have been other moments like that in this series, moments that defy logic -- even description -- but when I think of those frenzied Game 5 moments at the Honda Center, the range of emotions felt on both benches and among the fans, it was a vivid reminder of the unpredictability of the game that makes this time of the year so grand, so unique in sport.
@CraigCustance: The Western Conference finals have had a bit of everything, but I'm not sure I'll ever witness three goals in 37 seconds -- live, during a playoff game -- the rest of my life. It was absolutely stunning to watch the United Center go from a frolicking building celebrating a two-goal lead in the third period of Game 4 to one absolutely stunned in less than a minute. As good as the Blackhawks are, you couldn't help but wonder whether you were witnessing the absolute collapse of this championship group right there when the Ducks scored those three goals. Of course, it wasn't the start of a collapse. In fact, it became the footnote in a wild overtime game that ended in the second overtime on a goal by a guy (Antoine Vermette) who was a healthy scratch the game before. One goal by Vermette wiped out a stretch of hockey by Kesler, Beleskey and Corey Perry that would have gone down as the most memorable in franchise history had the Ducks won. If nothing else, that stretch of hockey captured the wild up-and-down nature of a classic matchup between the Ducks and Blackhawks, one I'd love to see again next spring.
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@Real_ESPNLeBrun: Since I'm covering the Eastern Conference finals between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, it's got to be Game 3 and the wild, 1980s-like affair we got that night at Amalie Arena. It was a 6-5 overtime game -- I love that score because it evokes memories of the 1987 Canada Cup, best-of-three final when the former Soviet Union and Canada played three consecutive 6-5 games, but I digress -- and certainly this game had it all. The Rangers jumped ahead 2-0 on goals by Derick Brassard and Jesper (you bet I'm) Fast. You would think a 2-0 lead would be safe for the Rangers, given their defensive acumen, especially in these playoffs. Oh, but no. Four straight goals next by the Lightning, Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn lighting the lamp. Amalie Arena was rocking, baby. Ah, but don't count out the wily Rangers. Fast -- Fast! -- made it 4-3 late in the second period before Ryan McDonagh's power-play goal tied the score at 4-4. Crazy. But far from done. When Palat got his second of the night at 14:05 of the third, it seemed as if the home team was ahead to stay. Not so. Good ol' Dan Boyle, what exactly was he doing in the Lightning goal crease, you ask? Well, he was tying the score with 1:56 to go. Overtime it is. And then, after all these crazy goals, Nikita Kucherov takes on four Rangers players while his linemates head to the bench for a change, thinking he was going to dump it in and peel back, too, but instead the dynamic Russian winger beats Henrik Lundqvist with a quick-release wrist shot. Game over. What a blast. Maybe I'm showing my age, given when 6-5 games were the norm, but I miss that kind of hockey. Thank you, Tampa Bay and New York, for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
@ESPNJoeyMac: There have been amazing goals scored and highlight-reel saves made in the Eastern Conference finals between the Rangers and Lightning. My favorite moment could easily be when veteran Lightning forward Ryan Callahan, who had had an emergency appendectomy in the days before Game 1, scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 6 to cut Tampa's deficit to 2-1. The entire play was incredible. Defenseman Anton Stralman threaded an eye-popping, tape-to-tape pass through the neutral zone that sprang Callahan on a breakaway. His backhander beat Rangers goaltender Lundqvist high to the stick side for the power-play goal. Callahan was pumped up. He looked at the bench and screamed, "Let's go, boys!" But that play wasn't my favorite of the conference finals. My top play was a little more subtle than that. In Game 2, the Rangers were trailing 3-2 but were picking up momentum. New York was buzzing around the offensive zone. At one point, Tampa goaltender Ben Bishop misplayed the puck and was caught behind his net. Rangers forward James Sheppard collected the puck and had a golden opportunity to tie the score with a wraparound. Knowing his goalie was not in a position to make a save, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman reacted quickly and slid through the crease to keep the puck from going in. If New York scores on that play, tying the score, Game 2 could have had a completely different ending, but Tampa forward Tyler Johnson finished with a hat trick en route to a 6-2 win at Madison Square Garden. Hedman's willingness to sacrifice his body is a perfect example of how the best players play when a berth to the Stanley Cup finals is on the line. Hedman has been outstanding for Tampa, and, if the Lightning win Game 7 on Friday in New York, advance to the finals and find a way to hoist the Cup in a couple of weeks, Hedman should be considered for the Conn Smythe.
@ESPNChiPowers: Outside of hockey, I enjoy watching soccer, and the Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw found a way to bring the two sports together in the Western Conference finals. In the second overtime of Game 2, a shot deflected off Ducks goaltender Andersen and the puck bounced up. Shaw was standing in front of the net and saw an opportunity to use some of his pregame soccer skills. He timed his jump as the puck was descending, knocked the puck downward with his forehead and sent it into the net. Shaw began celebrating right away as everyone tried to comprehend what just happened and analyze whether it was actually legal. Shaw skated to center ice, and teammates joined him in full-out celebration. Others were a little apprehensive. Andersen remained at the net and just shook his head. Soon after, the goal was disallowed because a player cannot deliberately head-butt the puck into the net (or direct it in with anything other than a stick). Even without it counting, it was quite a memorable moment. Shaw certainly thought it should have been good for the simple reason of its level of difficulty. "Yeah, I understand, but I think if anyone can ever pull that off, it should still be a goal," Shaw said. The Chicago Fire of MLS have had some fun with it as well. They sent Shaw a personalized gift package, which included a No. 65 Shaw jersey. Fire coach Frank Yallop was asked about it and didn't disappoint with his answer: "That was great technique. I'll give him that." Shaw got that, just not the goal. He did happen to be on the ice for the Blackhawks' game winner in the third overtime, so all was not lost.
@KatieStrangESPN: One of my favorite moments from the conference finals was Rangers center Brassard's breakout Game 6, which fueled the Blueshirts' season-saving 7-3 win over the Lightning. Brassard's inspired effort, in which he recorded a hat trick and two assists, was a pretty neat glimpse into just how far the young pivot has come since his playing days with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's hard to imagine that this is the same kid who went through a period of being scratched seven out of 10 games before his agent, Allan Walsh, blasted Blue Jackets' then-head coach Scott Arniel (now the Rangers' associate coach, coincidentally) and called his client's situation "untenable." Drafted at No. 6 in 2006, Brassard entered the organization with high expectations and, when those didn't exactly pan out, was shipped to New York in a multiplayer deal for sniper Marian Gaborik at the 2013 trade deadline. Since arriving in New York, Brassard has blossomed into an elite playmaker, and it's no surprise. Anyone who knows the 27-year-old can see his personality is suited for big-city life. He relishes the bright lights and the big stage, and he has really thrived with the change of scenery under coach Alain Vigneault (and Arniel -- Arniel and Brassard have said they had no lingering issues when reunited in the Big Apple). So far this postseason, Brassard has been a key offensive threat for the Rangers, and he has stepped up in critical situations, as he did for Game 6. After the game, he revealed that Vigneault had challenged him and fellow centerman Derek Stepan to be better. Brassard was, and then some. To think, Brassard could have been labeled a bust had he not kept working at his game or had he lost his confidence. Instead, he has evolved into a premier center, with all those struggles in Columbus a distant reflection in the rearview mirror. "Yeah, it was really hard. I had a hard time in Columbus, but I stuck with it," Brassard told reporters Wednesday. "I came here to New York, and they showed me a lot of confidence right away, and I think it really helped me to adjust to a new team and come here and have some success." Kudos to Brassard for figuring it out, and to the Rangers, as well, for putting their faith in a young talent and helping him grow into the type of player he has become despite some early struggles.