Either Zdeno Chara or Vincent Lecavalier will be presented with the Prince of Wales Trophy.

With four teams still remaining with the chance to hold the Stanley Cup in less than four weeks, the conference finals started Saturday night with the East leading things off. With 10 days off since sweeping the Washington Capitals, the Tampa Bay Lightning was the one that didn’t seem bothered by the long rest period as they were able to score three goals in a span of 1:25 en route to defeating the Boston Bruins on the road 5-2.

The win was the eighth straight for the Bolts, which was able to suck the life out of the crown at TD Garden with the game going from 0-0 to 3-0 quicker than it took someone to get a bag of popcorn from the concession stand. The first goal was scored by Sean Bergenheim at 11:15 when he was able to slam home a rebound from Tim Thomas. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Dominic Moore and Victor Hedman.

The second Lightning goal was scored by Brett Clark when he lifted a simple backhanded shot over the shoulder of Thomas. The goal came 19 seconds after the Bergemehim goal. Just over a minute later, Teddy Percell worked the 1-3-1 forecheck style to perfection when he forced a turnover to the left of Thomas behind the net and was able to stuff it in to send the Boston crowd into loud booing and jeers for the home side.

Boston bench boss Claude Julien called timeout to regroup his team and it worked. Playing in his first game of the playoffs, rookie sensation Tyler Seguin got the crowd on its feet when he went 1-on-1 with Mike Lundin, crossed him over and was able to fire a snap shot below the glove of Dwayne Roloson to cut their deficit to 3-1.

It would be over two hours real-time before the next goal was scored when Marc-Andre Bergeron scored a power play goal with just over six minutes remaining. Late-game goals were scored by Simon Gagne and Johnny Boychuk. Seguin got the assist on the Boychuk goal, putting him with two playoff points in his first career playoff game.

In goal, both goalies faced 33 shots. The difference is that Thomas made 29 saves while Roloson stopped 31 shots from the Bruins. Game two is Tuesday night, and the teams will play every-other day until someone will be presented with the Prince of Wales Trophy.

Yesterday the “small” three conferences were previewed. Today, the “big” three conferences are previewed.

Hockey East: Terriers Hope to eat Competition Again

Boston University won the National Championship in one of the greatest hockey games you will ever see. With an extra-attacker on the ice and trailing Miami 3-1, the Terriers scored twice in the final minute and took the title 11:47 in the first OT period to win the title for the first time since 1995. In one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Terriers received six of the 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll. In addition to the Terriers, look for UMass-Lowell and  Boston College attempt to dethrone Boston U with Vermont leading the rest of the teams in the conference.

CCHA: Both Coaches and Media Hail to the Victors in Michigan

Michigan forward Louie Caporusso hopes to lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four at Ford Field in April.

For the first time in four years, both the coaches and media agree on the same team in the preseason poll. The Wolverines are always a favorite in the conference, as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 years in a row. That is quite an astonishing streak considering the amount of turnover due to graduations and players turning professional. Like Michigan State in basketball, Michigan hockey has the chance to play for a national title in its own backyard as it’s only 44 miles from Yost Ice Arena to Ford Field. Look for Miami and Notre Dame to challenge Michigan at the top of the standings, with Miami taking the tournament championship.

WCHA: Pioneers are Head of the Class

Denver finished last season with a bad taste in its mouth. One of the top teams in the nation, they lost to #5 seed Minnesota- Duluth in the WCHA Championship game. The following weekend they lost in the first round to eventual runners-up Miami. The Pioneers look to bounce back in what was a down year for the league as only three teams qualified for the tournament. A sharp contrast compared to 2005 when five teams qualified and all Frozen Four participants came from the WCHA. There’s several teams that can challenge the Pioneers, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Look for the Badgers to take the conference title this season.

ECAC: Bulldogs are Favored in Both Polls

Last season, Yale won both the regular-season and conference championships. They earned a #2 seed in the East Regional before losing in the first round to Vermont. Both the coaches and media are picking the Bulldogs to repeat. They return virtually all of their offense as each of their top-ten scorers return for this season. While Yale is the favorite, don’t sleep on contenders Cornell and Princeton.

Atlantic Hockey: Air Force Looks to Keep Flying High

Air Force has qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. Last season, they tied for the regular-season championship with RIT, but it was the Falcons who not only won the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, but upset #4 seed Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons are picked to win the conference again this season, but expect the Tigers and Mercyhurst Lakers to take a shot at knocking down the Falcons.

Bemidji State will have to go through Niagra if they want to achieve the same magic as last season.

College Hockey America: Beavers and Purple Eagles Split Final CHA Preseason Poll

In the final season of College America, Bemidji State and Niagra are head of the class while Robert Morris and Alabama- Huntsville follow behind. With four teams in the conference, it feels like a band going out on tour one last time before disbanding. The Beavers are going to the WCHA next season, while Robert Morris and Niagra are moving to Atlantic Hockey. The Chargers are still looking for a conference after being denied by the CCHA over the summer. The Beavers were the Cinderella team last season, advancing to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. as a #4 seed. Only one team will come out of this conference, will the Beavers qualify again? Will the Purple Eagles want some of the Cinderella magic the Beavers had this season? Expect Bemidji State to take the conference title again.