- Dan Rosen: The Eastern Conference finals will start in Pittsburgh on Saturday at 8 pm ET. Mark Lazerus: If the Blackhawks win tonight, Game 1 would be on Saturday at 5 pm ET, with Game 2 going on Sunday at 8 pm ET.
- John Shannon: Hearing that there was lots of pressure to have the Eastern Conference Final start on Thursday.
- Pierre LeBrun: Kings Jarret Stoll could be back as early as Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, barring any setback.
- Pierre LeBrun: Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was playing through a hairline fracture in his right foot that he suffered in Game 4. It was frozen every game so that he was able to play.
- Pierre LeBrun: Sharks Logan Couture had an ankle injury that received a shot every game. Couture said it didn’t affect his performance.