There is one question circling around the packs of hockey fans watching the second round of the NHL playoffs: Where are the Washington Capitals? But, despite the Caps’ first round exit, playoff hockey is as intense as ever.

The Montreal Canadiens, winner of 24 Stanley Cup championships, defeated the Capitals and now face “Sid the Kid” Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Montreal, who entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, split the first two games with Pittsburgh and will now return to home ice for the next two games.

Pittsburgh has been here before, however. The Penguins split the first two games of their opening round series against the Ottawa Senators. They eventually won the series in six games.

Montreal’s rivals, the Boston Bruins, are facing the Philadelphia Flyers. Boston has taken the first two games at home and hopes to keep its momentum as the team plays the next two games in Philadelphia. If both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia advance, it would be the second time in three years that the Eastern Conference Finals would be a Pennsylvania civil war.

Out west, the first seeded San Jose Sharks slugged out two victories on home ice against the Detroit Red Wings, who are looking to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight year. The Sharks have never been to the Finals.

San Jose was the one seed last year as well, but they fell in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks. They hope to avoid a similar fate this year.

The other western series is tied one game apiece. The Chicago Blackhawks lost the opening game on home ice to the Vancouver Canucks. Now the series goes to Vancouver, where the Canucks won two of the three games played on their ice in the first round.

From potential upsets to repeat championships to Canadian pride to the title of Hockeytown, U.S.A., the NHL playoffs are alive and rich with excitement even without those Washington Capitals.