The Carolina Hurricanes took the fight to the reigning Stanley Cup champions in their series opener, only to see the Washington Capitals record the knockout blow due in large part to their special teams play. The Hurricanes aim to pick themselves off the mat on Saturday afternoon when they play Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Washington.

Having already stolen home-ice advantage in their Western Conference first-round series, the Dallas Stars have an opportunity to take a commanding lead in their best-of-seven set when they visit the Nashville Predators for Game 2 on Saturday night. Dallas, seeded seventh after claiming the top wild card, overcame an early deficit to post a 3-2 win in Wednesday's series opener.

The setting of the Toronto Maple Leafs' recent postseason nightmares has been the beautiful city of Boston, but the visitors could go a long way toward exorcising those demons on Saturday when they play Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Bruins. The Maple Leafs answered a pair of demoralizing Game 7 losses in Boston with an emphatic 4-1 win in the series opener on Thursday.

Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Calgary Flames entering their Western Conference first-round playoff series was their goaltending, but those concerns were allayed for at least one night. Buoyed by veteran netminder Mike Smith's sensational performance in Game 1, Calgary looks to take a 2-0 series lead against the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.