NHL Playoff Bracket 2012: Conference Semifinal Matchups Set

The Conference Semifinal round of the 2012 NHL playoffs is finally here, and while we’ve known the Western Conference matchups for what seems like forever, the Eastern Conference matchups are now set as well.

The schedule has yet to be released for the Capitals vs. Rangers series, and as of now, we don’t even know what day the series will start. But we do know these two teams will face off against one another, and if the first round was any indication, these teams will play a tight-checking, low-scoring series that could go longer than the No. 1 vs. No. 7 matchup would lead you to believe.

Teams re-seed after each round in the NHL playoffs, meaning that the top-remaining seed always plays the lowest remaining seed and so on. The Los Angeles Kings may have knocked out the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Vancouver, but their road gets no easier against the impressive Blues.

The Coyotes won the Pacific Division on the last day of the regular season, and that continues to benefit the club in the second round as they hold home-ice edge over the Nashville Predators. Nashville, for the record, finished with more points than Phoenix in the regular season, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.