Three Belarusians may play in the Stanley Cup
The regular season of the National Hockey League has ended and the playoff (Stanley Cup) pairings have been formed.
«Pittsburgh» has won the Stanley Cup five times. Photo: Rich Graessle/NHL via Getty Images
Eastern Conference
- «Buffalo» — «Boston»;
- «Tampa» — «Montreal»;
- «Carolina» — «Ottawa»;
- «Pittsburgh» — «Philadelphia».
Western Conference
- «Colorado» — «Los Angeles»;
- «Dallas» — «Minnesota»;
- «Vegas» — «Utah»;
- «Edmonton» — «Anaheim».
Thus, three Belarusians may play in the playoffs: goalkeeper Alexei Kolosov («Philadelphia»), as well as two defenders — Vladislav Kolyachonok («Dallas») and Ilya Solovyov («Pittsburgh»).
However, only Solovyov is with the main team, while Kolyachonok and Kolosov are with American Hockey League teams; they last played in the NHL in December (Kolyachonok) and January (Kolosov).
The first game between «Philadelphia» and «Pittsburgh» will take place on April 19, the series goes to four wins.