Adventure AquariumNow that we've got sealife involved, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers matchup is officially a series.

So as to distance themselves as far as possible from their hockey rivals, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey (10 minutes from Philadelphia) has decided to bring actual penguins into the mix.

Adventure Aquarium

Beginning Thursday, the names of their penguins at the aquarium will be re-named through the end of the series. Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Ilya Bryzgalov, Max Talbot, Sean Couturier, Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Bayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Jaromir Jagr will all have penguins named after them.

According to Kim Walker, Public Relations Manager for Adventure Aquarium, the personalities of the African penguins will be matched with that of a Flyer. The penguin showing the most leadership skills will become "Giroux", said Walker. That must make the oldest one "Jagr".

In addition, the penguins' current home, "Penguin Island" (seen above from a 2009 event), will become "Flyers Island" and covered in team paraphernalia.

It remains to be seen how Adventure Aquarium's penguins will take to supporting the Flyers via a name change seeing as how Mario Lemieux has been their emperor since 1984.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Spiffy new "Because It's The Cup" ad that debuts Wednesday night.

Game 1 Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m. ET. Forward Danny Briere and defenseman Nicklas Grossmann are back for the Flyers as this epic battle begins. Philly is using that Mac Miller song heard during 24/7 as their battle cry, saying it'll take 16 "Knock Knocks" to win the Cup.

Game 1 Preview: Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET. Darren Helm is back for the Red Wings, while Hal Gill was a game-time decision for the Preds. This is fun: A downloadable Pekka Rinne mask to wear to the arena.

After the St. Louis Blues clinched the Central Division, local rock band Brookroyal unleashed "Bleed Blue" on an unsuspecting public, full of arena bombast and vague references to the current roster.

Now, from the South Side of St. Louis comes Deuce, a hip-hop duo with their own attempt at a Blues playoff anthem called "Blue Note Boogey." Fair warning, via their YouTube page: "This Video is for promotional purposes only & is intended to rally the St. Louis Blues to their 1st Stanley Cup Title. Lets Go Blues!!!"

"We in the play-yoffs/We in the play-yoffs!"

Sample prose:

"I'm a Blue fan/A true St. Loo fan
Just give the puck to my boy Oshie/
Let'em shoot man (shoot man)"

Now, granted, there are a few quibbles with their flow. "All" and "Hull" rhyme not so much. But otherwise, the "Blue Note Boogey" is a reminder that (a) St. Louis has playoff fever entering its game against the San Jose Sharks and (b) every hip-hop song should begin with a  goal horn and (c) two white boys can drop a track every bit as culturally impactful and aurally bewildering as Nelly's "Air Force Ones." (Get me tooper!)

They name-checked Patrik Berglund. That's gotta count for something. And besides, when's the last time a Deuce dropped something on you?

Pass or Fail: "Blue Note Boogey," the St. Louis Blues hip-hop anthem.

s/t to readers Mike Tonjes and Matthew Portell.

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, and by the end of it you'll feel like The Walking Dead. Hence, zombie motif!

Detroit vs Nashville

Midway through the season, Nashville Predators' GM David Poile reached a crossroads. He could either trade Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, knowing full well he might be unable to retain them both come July, or he could hold on to them and go all-in for a Cup run in the hopes of convincing the pair that the organization was interested in winning. He chose the second option.

The Predators are all-in this postseason, having brought Alexander Radulov back from Russia, traded a first-round pick for Paul Gaustad, reunited the Kostitsyns, and brought in Hal Gill for defensive insurance. More than any other team, this group is ostensibly Going For It, and thus far, they've been rewarded for their gusto with home-ice advantage in the first round.

That said, if there's one thing I've learned from South Park, it's that you can hardly call a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings a reward. They are, to put it mildly, quite good.

This Predators team is better than last year's team, which saw the second round for the first time in Predators history, but with Detroit standing in the way, there's no guarantee that Nashville won't return to its one-and-done ways.

Here's the breakdown of the Predators and Red Wings, complete with Zombified observations …

Getty ImagesAs we noted last week, the Phoenix Coyotes enter the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs without the heavy hearts they had in the previous postseason, when relocation to Winnipeg seemed like a certainty.

Calling their chances of remaining in Glendale optimistic might be pushing it, but there's no question the vibe is sunnier than it was a year ago.

The Arizona Republic reported on Tuesday night that city manager Ed Beasley believes "we're going to get this done, and I feel it will be soon."

On Wednesday, the eve of the Phoenix Coyotes' home playoff opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal reports that the city of Glendale has chosen to focus on former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison's group as potential owners after a private meeting with the City Council this week.

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.

Mad Men!

• The Mad Men-themed header image for this Pens/Flyers preview may be the best thing you see today. [The 700 Level]

• Love this: Newark mayor Cory Booker's feud with the New Jersey Devils has reached its boiling point, where poetry is born. Booker wrote the following on his Blackberry last weekend at the height of the disagreement: "I will not lie down and I'll never say die/Fallen to the ground — I still believe I can fly/Curse me and you just make me strong/Say I can't and I will prove you wrong." [NJ]

• Alain Vigneault confirms that Daniel Sedin will not suit up for Game 1, as his father told Swedish newspapers Tuesday night. [PITB]

• Jonathan Toews expects to play in Game 1 for the Chicago Blackhawks. [NY Times]

• Jeff Carter also expects to play in Game 1 for the Los Angeles Kings. [NHL]

• The Blues have named Jaroslav Halak their Game 1 starter, which comes as no surprise since Brian Elliott is nursing an upper-body injury. [NHL]

• Think Corey Crawford is tired of being asked about going up against Mike Smith? "I think I've been asked that probably 10 times already. I'm not scoring on him, unless I fire a lucky one from 200 feet. … I'm not playing against just him. I've got to worry about their forwards, not what he's doing on the other side. Let our forwards and our D worry about him." [CBC]

• The NHL playoffs channel finder allows you to enter your zip code to learn which networks are airing the postseason game you're looking for. [MSNBC]

• Here's a playoff primer for the uninitiated. Who's good? What should I watch? What should I say if cornered by hockey nerds (besides "That's my purse! I don't know you!")? [Business Insider]

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, and by the end of it you'll feel like The Walking Dead. Hence, zombie motif!

Braiinnnnssss
It seemed destined that the Ottawa Senators would end up facing the Boston Bruins in the first round, but the end of the NHL's regular season can provide surprises -- such as this No. 1 vs. No. 8 series that some believe is closer than it appears.

The New York Rangers dominated the Eastern Conference  for majority of the 2011-12 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins nipped at their heels near the end, but New York has been quite comfortable atop the standings. They fell short of winning the Presidents' Trophy, but really, there's only one piece of silverware that teams at this time of year worry about.

Before the season, to even suggest that Ottawa would make playoffs would get you laughed at. Everyone, us included, didn't expect competitive hockey out of Canada's capital, but then Erik Karlsson blossomed into a Norris Trophy contender; Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek returned to old forms; and captain Daniel Alfredsson was re-born, healthy and playing at a level that has many believing the 39-year-old will delay retirement for another year.

The Senators have come this far already. Can they make a little noise in the East?

Here's the breakdown of the Rangers and Senators, complete with Zombified observations …

8-bit Hunwick

After the season they've had, not to mention watching the draft lottery turn into a snuff film before their very eyes, Columbus Blue Jackets fans probably aren't eager to sit down and take in anymore NHL-related content. No doubt they want to put this atrocious year behind them.

But this season wrap-up video by Clevelander Brett Ireland is awesome, especially because it's 8-bit themed. Is there anything more soothing than old-school video game music and pixellated headshots? I say no. This rules.

A million points to anyone who can tell me which game this music is from.

After watching this video, it's clear that Scott Howson's biggest failing as a GM this season was failing to press Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right B, A, Start in the preseason. And also to reset the game when James Wisniewski got suspended.

Come to think of it, he might need more help than that. Let's pitch in and buy him a Game Genie.

s/t to Trevor Presiloski.