Three of the four conference semifinals begin tonight, as Toronto, which swept Ottawa, visits defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey. St. Louis will play at Dallas, the two-time defending Western Conference champ, on Friday. The Red Wings won the first two games from the Kings, but then L.A. swept the next four games. We were down and we never quit. New Jersey, the top seed in the East, survived a scare from the Carolina Hurricanes but advanced in six games.
New Jersey plays a Toronto team that it eliminated in six games in last year's second round.
Goalie Curtis Joseph , bothered recently by an injury to his right hand, led Toronto's upset of the Senators with shutouts in the first two games. He gave up just three goals in the series. That's the type of goaltender he is. He is going to be good. The Devils clinched last year's series by holding the Leafs to only six shots in the final game.