The 2011 NHL playoffs began on Wednesday with five games. Three more games will be played on Thursday as the rest of the first round gets started. In order to keep track of the eight different matchups, SB Nation has put together a 2011 NHL playoff bracket. The printable bracket also has a list of the different blogs for each team in the playoffs so you can quickly find out where to check for the local take on all of the action.
Wednesday's games included matchups between the Capitals/Rangers, Penguins/Lightning, Red Wings/Coyotes, Canucks/Blackhawks and Ducks/Predators. The Red Wings won their game, 4-2, and Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay by a score of 3-0. The Caps/Rangers game is currently tied at 1-1 in overtime and the other two games just got started recently.
Thursday's slate of games includes the following matchups: Bruins/Canadiens, Flyers/Sabres and Sharks/Kings.
Game 2 of all these series will take place on Friday and Saturday.