2012 NHL Playoffs: Series That Are Sure to Go 7 Games

NHL fans look to be in for a treat this postseason with a number of highly competitive series.

There are few things in sports more exciting than a hockey Game 7 between two evenly matched teams and this schedule could feature a few of them.

Fans of these teams should be ready to continue watching the first round deep into April.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers

The battle for Pennsylvania will be as intense of a series as we see all postseason.

Pittsburgh is extremely talented and has been playing as well as any team in the NHL, but the Flyers have a bunch of quality scorers as well.

Philadelphia finished the season 4-2 against the Penguins, giving the team confidence going into the series.

This might have been the toughest draw that Pittsburgh could have had after a successful season.

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

Nashville has had a very good season, but the Red Wings will be a tough team to get past.

Detroit has plenty of playoff experience that will keep the team in the series. The franchise has not lost in the first round since 2006.

However, the Red Wings have struggled on the road this season and might have a hard time closing out the series away from Joe Louis Arena.

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks

Phoenix earned the No. 3 seed after winning the Pacific Division and they come into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as hot as anyone.

Mike Smith is playing great in goal and it will be an interesting battle between him and the great scorers for Chicago.

The Blackhawks can come at you from a bunch of different ways and this series is sure to go back and forth throughout.