Staples Center (Getty)

Since it opened in October of 1999, the Staples Center in Los Angeles has had a good problem: It's home to three teams -- basketball's Lakers and Clippers, and hockey's Kings -- but only the Lakers are ever really all that competitive. In the last 13 years, the Kings have made the playoffs seven times, and the Clippers only twice; prior to this season, the two clubs had played past the first round just once each.

Springtime at the Staples Center tends to be a Laker-centric affair.

This year, however, things are different. For the first time in the history of the building, all three teams made the playoffs, and what's more, all three have advanced to the second round. (The Kings are in Round 3.)

And here's where things get especially tricky: Due to what Staples Center Senior Vice President and General Manager Lee Zeidman is describing as a perfect storm of scheduling, each of the three teams will be playing two playoff games in the building between May 17 and May 20.

The Staples Center staff will be facilitating six arena changeovers in four days.

"It's unprecedented in the history I believe of any arena," said Zeidman, "And I don't think it will ever be duplicated anywhere else but here."

Getty ImagesGame 1 Preview : New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET. The Battle of the Hudson will take place for the third time since the lockout beginning with Game 1 tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Devils and Rangers split their six-game regular season series which was highlighted by a March line brawl to open the game. The Rangers are coming off back-to-back seven-game series, while the Devils have had five days off. Will there be any signs of rust for New Jersey early on? And will New York look tired in Game 1 having eliminated the Washington Capitals on Saturday night?

Evening Reading

• Listen to  today's Marek Vs. Wyshynski here.

• Craig Custance talked to the agent for Alex Semin and told him that his client will be hitting the open market on July 1. A return to Washington doesn't sound like it's in the cards: "It was good while it lasted. With the lack of playoff success, with the direction they are going. They decided to change directions. That's within their rights. Alex doesn't fit into that system obviously." [ESPN]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is a hockey fan and sure knows how to play to a crowd. [Sean's Ramblings]

• Finland's Anssi Salmela was given a 3-game suspension for his hit from behind on Team USA's Alex Goligoski. [IIHF]

• Finally, is there anything better than video of general manager's getting upset watching their team in the press box? Example: George McPhee of the Washington Capitals from Game 7:

Puck Daddy Reader Comment of the Day: The Los Angeles Kings' Twitter feed continues it comedy reign:

"During practice Slava Voynovs stick snapped on a slapshot and flew into the stands. Sadly media personal [sic] were quick to get out of the way."

Bold Prediction: Devils grab Game 1 with a 2-1 win.

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is are the Boston Bruins bloggers from Days of Y'Orr, fondly recalling the 2011-12 Washington Capitals. Again, this was not written by us ... OK, by all of us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By Days Of Y'Orr

The definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results … like believing an Eastern Conference Finals game will be played in Washington D.C. after the turn of the century.

Welcome to the Washington Capitals Eulogy. We would, firstly, like to welcome all the Capitals fans in attendance. If this were 2003, we're sure the room would be less crowded, but we have enough chairs that all 300 of you should be cozy. We'll have our PA announcer say something whenever we need you to cheer throughout the eulogy, just in case you're as lost here as you are during an actual hockey game. We'll try to refrain from making "Alexander Ovechkin looks like the lovechild of the Geico Caveman and Adam Sandler's boss from 'Happy Gilmore'" jokes, but just know that they're there; they're there.

Before the season began, the media always plays its favorite guessing game known as "NHL Predictions," and every season the same ole story happens. People pick the Washington Capitals to finish first in their division and either first or second in the Eastern Conference with Pittsburgh somewhere around them.

Every year, writers pat Alexander Ovechkin on the backside and immediately pencil him in for a 90-100 point season while scoring 50-60 goals and being Russia's version of Superman. Well if Ovechkin is the Russian Superman, then clearly his kryptonite is the NHL playoffs.

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

Getty Images• Yeah, about that …

• The latest Bovada odds on winning the Stanley Cup: Los Angeles Kings (7/5); New York Rangers (11/5); New Jersey Devils (10/3); Phoenix Coyotes (6/1).

• Neither Game 7 of the conference finals will appear on NBC, but rather on NBC Sports Network. [Puck The Media]

• Simon Gagne has been cleared for contact for the Los Angeles Kings, but won't begin practicing quite yet. [LA Kings Insider]

• Who might coach the Washington Capitals now that Dale Hunter's out? How about Marc Crawford, Ron Wilson or Patrick Roy? [NHL]

• Nikita Filatov will play in the KHL next season, which is probably the best thing for all parties. [TSN]

• Here's Yahoo! Sports' own Nick Cotsonika on the Evolution of John Tortorella: "Tortorella's style has worked with the team because he has the right players, stays consistent and, yes, shows another side of himself behind closed doors." [Y! Sports]

• It's only $900 to watch the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. Wow. [NYT]

• Dater picks the Devils in six: "The Rangers have lived dangerously this spring, barely escaping their series against Ottawa and Washington. You can only do that for so long. The Devils have more offensive depth than those teams, and they like to forecheck. Brodeur has won four conference titles. Lundqvist? Zero." [SI]

• Ken Campbell on how the Rangers' shot-blocking style is terrible for the NHL: "I think the New York Rangers are bad for hockey. And if we've learned anything about the NHL over the past century, it's that once one style of play garners some success, teams will be lined up to steal the blueprint." [THN]

• Patrick Kane's drunken weekend in Madison has now become fodder for the Chicago media, urging for the Blackhawks to trade him. From Steve Rosenbloom: "Everyone at the Madhouse on Madison would have a reason for wanting to be rid of Kane. The reasons would be legit, too, more legit than Kane playing center. So, maybe the Hawks' silence isn't because they're hoping this goes away but because they're fighting to see who gets the honor of making the problem child go away." [Tribune]

The second round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs lacked both the nuttiness and the Game 7 drama of the opening round, but it still offered its share of intriguing facts and figures.

Puck Daddy infographic ace Dan Gustafson of SixteenWins.com looks back at the round that was in handy infographic form:

Sixteen WinsInteresting contrast with Round 1: Scoring increased for Game 6 in the opening round, but not in the second round.

(Dan will be working with Puck Daddy on creating some whimsical and informative NHL graphics throughout the season. If you have any requests, email us at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com. Visit Dan at Sixteen Wins and follow him on Twitter here.)

• Illustrated guide to 2012 Stanley Cup Playoff first round
• Illustrated guide to the 2012 Frozen Four
• Illustrated guide to NHL All-Star Game MVPs and their accomplishments
• Illustrated guide to NHL players that logged 1,000 or more games with one team
• Illustrated guide to USA vs. Canada in World Juniors
• Illustrated guide to the 2011

Getty Images"Right now I'm going to home to the farm, the team, and the family."

To the surprise of not many, Dale Hunter stepped down this afternoon as head coach of the Washington Capitals after taking over for Bruce Boudreau in November. Almost as soon as he took on the coach, the speculation began about how long Hunter would last in D.C. after signing a 1-year deal and having a successful junior hockey team in London of the OHL to fall back on should things not work out.

They did work out as Hunter led the Capitals within a victory of the Eastern Conference Final, but in the end the choice came down to family.

Via Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post:

"It's a tough decision," Hunter said. "When I retired as a hockey player, I had to retire because I wasn't that good anymore, I guess you want to say. This was a tough decision. I enjoyed coaching these guys here and being back to the team. I always figure, it's not my team but Ted's team, but it's still my team. It was the right thing for me and my family."

"It was a tough choice," Hunter said when asked if he was tempted to see his work done this season into the next. "Even if they win the Stanley Cup next year, I feel like I'm part of it. I'll always be part of it."

Hunter's London Knights team that he co-owns with his brother Mark will be playing in the Memorial Cup beginning this weekend. He said he doesn't plan to return behind the Knights' bench this season, preferring to be "a fan" during the tournament.

Here's Hunter:

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Getty ImagesThe No. 1 seed New York Rangers and the No. 6 seed New Jersey Devils will clash in the Western Conference Final beginning Monday night at MSG. Here are 10 items for your consideration about this matchup.

1. Rangers defense vs. Devils offense

It's just odd reading that, isn't it? That a New Jersey franchise synonymous with tedium-for-victory is arguably the most exciting offensive team left in the playoffs, and that a New York team will be tasked with stopping them?

At even strength (1.85 goals for/against ratio), the Devils are the best team in the playoffs, to go along with a 20.9-percent conversion rate on the power play. They average 3.00 goals per game to the Rangers' 2.07. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have been consistently good; David Clarkson, Adam Henrique and Dainius Zubrus have all had their moments.

What they haven't faced: A goalie as good as Henrik Lundqvist. But if the Rangers concede puck possession to the Devils in the same way the Capitals did to the Rangers in the semifinals, New Jersey might have enough weapons running hot to make them pay.

It's a Monday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Stars: Dave Lozo of NHL.com joins us to break down the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils and generally be funnier than we are.

• In which Marek and Wysh discuss Dale Hunter's departure as Capitals coach.

• The LA Kings roll in Game 1.

• Puck Headlines and Talking Points

Question of the Day: 'Give the Stanley Cup Conference Finals a name (e.g Frozen Four)'

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

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