The Playoffs Just Got Colder 🏒
The NBA isn’t the only playoff party right now…On the ice, the chase for the Stanley Cup is heating up, and for many of us, it’s a whole new world.
Whether you’re a hockey lover or just here for the drama, we’ve got you covered.
🏀 Quick Crossover
Before we hit the ice, let’s take a quick bounce through the NBA action.
🚀 Houston Rockets at 🌉 Golden State Warriors
🕒 This was a 2-point game heading into the 4th quarter…Want to see who took over the last 12 minutes and got the win?
Click here to watch on NBA.com before you keep reading!
Rockets win 115-107 and tie the series 3–3
Game 7 is Sunday night in Houston
⛵️ LA Clippers at 🏔️ Denver Nuggets
Game 7 TODAY…so it’s win or go home
Will it be Jokić’s do-it-all magic or Kawhi’s calm, cool jumper that carries their team to Round 2?
Experts say: 56% chance Nuggets win
❄️ Ice to Meet You
Now let’s swap sneakers for hockey skates. Here’s the basics:
Each team has 6 players on the ice: 1 goalie and 5 skaters
The skaters usually include 1 center, 2 wingers, and 2 defensemen, and they all have to work together to move the puck and protect their net
Each game has 3 periods, not 4 quarters like basketball
It’s loud. It’s fast (the puck flies at speeds over 100 miles per hour!). And yes, players can crash into each other (that’s called checking).
🎤 Does hockey remind you more of soccer, basketball, football, or something totally different? Ask your family what they think and see if you agree!
🏆 Trophy Time
Now that you know the basics…let’s talk playoffs. The NHL and NBA playoffs are identical in how they work:
16 teams qualify
Each round is a best-of-7 series
To win the championship, a team must win 4 rounds
With Round 1 nearly wrapped, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and see how the full playoff bracket is shaping up:
🎤 Can you find how many Round 1 series are heading to Game 7s?
Sure, we’ve got matchups…but what’s the story behind the scores?
🐾 Champs Are Chilling: The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup just last year. And they’re already back in Round 2. They cruised past the Lightning and are chasing a rare repeat: only 3 NHL teams in the last 25 years have gone back-to-back including the Lightning in 2021.
Need a hint? Their star player is the best 3-point shooter in NBA history!
🥅 Goalies Take Over: Want to know one secret to winning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? A goalie who turns into a wall. 🧱 So far, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals have the hottest goalies in the playoffs…and guess what? They’re facing off in Round 2!
🎩 Hat Trick Hero: In Round 1, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes delivered a “hat trick.” A hat trick is when a player scores 3 goals in a single game. Why’s it called that? In the 1800s, in a sport called cricket, players who pulled off great performances were awarded hats. The tradition carried over to hockey, where fans celebrate a hat trick by tossing their hats onto the ice.
We’re coming to the end of today’s story, so you decide:
💡 What We Learned Today
Even if you’ve never picked up a hockey stick, following the Stanley Cup chase is thrilling! And just like the NBA, the deeper you go the better the stories get.
Hockey reminds me of soccer, I think because I haven’t watched much of either sport and I don’t know the strategies or rules! Thanks for teaching me about hockey. Go Nuggets!