Friday, hockey fans will get to see the beginning of two playoff series. One in the Eastern Conference and one in the West.

In the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be hosting the New York Rangers at the Consol Energy Arena for game one. The Penguins finish the season with six more wins and will have home ice advantage in this series. This match up evened up 2-2 in the regular season, however it paints a bad picture historically for the Rangers. The Rangers are 0-4 all time against the Penguins all time in the playoffs. The Penguins were able to advance to the second round by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets in a six game series, despite Sidney Crosby not playing as well as he's capable of playing.

The Rangers just finished a thrilling seven game series with their rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers won the series, but it may have taken a lot out of them. The Rangers also show inconsistency by never winning consecutive games against the Flyers, but they did show a lot of heart. It looks as if the Penguins have the edge in this series, but nothing is certain.

This game will be played at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.

Over in the Western Conference, we get a battle of the Midwest teams. The Minnesota and Chicago don't just hate each other on the football field, it's extending to the ice. The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Minnesota Wild at the United Center in game one in Chicago. The Blackhawks have ice advantage in this series. The defending Stanley Cup champions, eliminated the St. Louis Blues in the first round in six games. The Blackhawks have won two of the last four Stanley Cups.

Their opponent, the Wild, may be underdogs, but they did defeat the Blackhawks three out of five games in the regular season. The Wild showed a lot of endurance in their first round series by sending the Colorado Avalanche home in a grueling seven game series. The Blackhawks will easily be the favorites to win this series, but they can't underestimate the Wild.

This game will be played at 9:30 PM Eastern Time.

The winner of the Rangers and Penguins series will verse the winner of the Canadiens and Bruins series. The winner of the Blackhawks and Wild series will take on the winner of the Ducks and Kings series. There's a lot at stake in this year's postseason. The Wild have never won a Stanley Cup and the Rangers haven't won since 1994. The Penguins are looking to make their third appearance in the last seven years, and the Blackhawks are trying to win back to back Stanley Cups for the first time in franchise history.