credit: canucks.nhl.com

The NHL Playoffs have thus far been provided intense action and some great hockey. It seems any given game could go to multiple overtimes, and any series, a game 7.

Hockey fans are at times the most diehard in all of sports. Just sit in a bar in Boston during a Bruins game, where the sheer hatred of rival teams (like the Flyers) combined with a few beverages of the adult variety mix for an atmosphere of pure chaos. Or experience downtown Vancouver after a Canucks playoff-series win, where all traffic and public transit shut down in lieu of Canadian-style “riots”, which tend to involve more hugs and cheering than couch burning.

Out of the remaining four teams, which city is the most amped to see there team in the Conference Finals? Check out the rankings below, based on the overall average ticket price for each home game, not including game 7.

NHL Playoffs Tickets: Conference Finals

1. Vancouver Canucks tickets: $653
2. San Jose Sharks tickets: $509
3. Boston Bruins tickets: $292
4. Tampa Bay Lightning tickets: $250

As we expected, Canucks tickets are far and away the hottest of the Playoffs. They have been atop our list as far back as our regular season rankings, and through the Playoffs, they have been the hottest team by three digits. San Jose and the Bay area is also happy to have their team this close to a Stanley Cup as well, as Sharks tickets are averaging almost $200 more than Bruins tickets.

Check back at FanSnap for the best NHL tickets at the best possible values.

Photo Credit: Canucks/NHL

We took a look at the average ticket market price for each Round 2 team’s home tickets. The hottest tickets to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs belong to the Vancouver Canucks… and it’s not close. The average price for a Canucks ticket on the ticket market is $526. That is nearly $200 more than the next hottest ticket — the Caps ($335). Conversely, the Canucks’ round 2 opponent, the Preds tickets’ average $195. Given that disparity, you can bet there will be Canucks fans checking the prices for flights from Vancouver to Nashville. Tickets on the glass in Vancouver average between $600 and $800. In Nashville, tickets on the glass can be had for less than $300.

Round 2: Stanley Cup Playoffs

1. Vancouver Canucks Tickets average: $526
2. Washington Capitals tickets average: $335
3. Boston Bruins tickets average: $313
4. Philadelphia Flyers tickets average: $264
5. San Jose Sharks Tickets average: $259
6. Tampa Bay Lightning tickets average: $213
7. Nashville Predators Tickets average: $195
8. Detroit Red Wings Tickets average: $141

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinals

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets

Tampa Bay sweeps Caps 4-0.

Boston Bruins vs Philadelphia Flyers Tickets

Bruins sweep Flyers 4-0 and will face the lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference Semifinals

Vancouver Canucks vs Nashville Predators Tickets

Canucks win series over the Preds 4-2.

San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Tickets

San Jose leads the series 3-2. Sharks miss opportunity to sweep the Wings.

Frederick Stanley, Earl of Derby famously danated a trophy for the best team in hockey. Today, the best teams in the NHL play for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and this year’s road to Lord Stanley’s Cup is going to be good.

The Vancouver Canucks finished with the best overall record in the NHL, going 54-19. The Canucks face off against the defending Stanley Cup champ Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, which will be one of the more competitive of the first round match-ups.

Canadian golden-boy Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins start their playoff run against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while rival Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals take on the New York Rangers in the first round.

Which city is most hyped up for their respective team’s opening games? Check out the most in-demand NHL Playoffs tickets below. We averaged each team’s average ticket price for the first two home games in the first round to determine what city is most amped for this year’s chase for the Cup.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Tickets: Hottest Round 1 Home Teams

1. Vancouver Canucks tickets: $448
2. Montreal Canadiens (Habs) tickets: $375
3. Boston Bruins tickets: $275
4. New York Rangers tickets: $239
5. Washington Capitals tickets: $232
6. Chicago Blackhawks tickets: $226
7. Pittsburgh Penguins tickets: $225
8. Buffalo Sabres tickets: $200
9. San Jose Sharks tickets: $185
10. Philadelphia Flyers tickets: $172
11. Los Angeles Kings tickets: $156
12. Nashville Predators tickets: $109
13. Phoenix Coyotes tickets: $105
14. Anaheim Ducks tickets: $100
15. Detroit Red Wings tickets: $90
16. Tampa Bay Lightning tickets: $86

Canada loves it some hockey: both the Canucks and the Habs have the most in-demand tickets out of all 16 playoff teams. In fact, the Canucks tickets are almost $200 more on average than Bruins tickets.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Tickets: Hottest Round 1 Matchups

1. Canucks - Blackhawks tickets average: $337
2. Habs – Bruins tickets average: $325
3. Rangers – Caps tickets average: $236
4. Sabres – Flyers tickets average: $186
5. Sharks – Kings tickets average: $171
6. Pens – Lightning tickets average: $156
7. Ducks – Preds tickets average: $105
8. Wings – Yotes tickets average: $98

(Based on average ticket price for the series)

Check out the latest on Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tickets to the Conference Semifinals (Round 2)

The Flyers: The team that won their final game of the season by shootout to secure the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference. The team that was down 3 games to none against the Bruins in the second round before putting together one of the great playoff series comebacks in NHL history. The Flyers just knocked off the top seed Canadiens 4-1 and once again we are seeing the swagger of the “Broad Street Bullies” as the Flyers return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years.

Flyers tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals average $753
Blackhawks tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals average $1,080

At those prices, the Stanley Cup is among the hottest sports event of the year and well ahead of the NBA Finals.

Average ticket prices for comparable events:
- BCS National Championship ticket =  $865 – $1,000
- World Series game tickets =  $910 – $1,100
- Super Bowl tickets =  $2,200 – $3,200
- Olympic Gold Medal Hockey (U.S. v Canada) tickets =  $3,600 – $4,300
- 2010 MLB Opening Day (Yankees @ Red Sox) tickets = $600
- Final Four Championship tickets = $230

FanSnap searches 60+ ticket sites so fans don’t have to. We’re currently seeing nearly 5,000 ticket listings for the Flyers Stanley Cup Finals games. Nine sites currently have tickets for the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fans can use FanSnap to compare Stanley Cup Finals tickets from StubHub, TicketNetwork, RazorGator, TicketsNow, ABC Tickets, eBay, Wanamaker Ticket Office, ASC Ticket Company, Totally Tickets.

Showing the most comprehensive selection of Flyers tickets from so many ticket sites let’s FanSnap show fans the Best Value Tickets available for the Flyers games. The single Best Value Tickets are in Lower Center for $759. That is 53% less than comparable tickets.

FanSnap shows Best Value tickets in a variety of sections throughout the venue and at a variety of price points to make is easy for fans to find those just-right tickets and a great value any time.

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

Also check out Stanley Cup Tickets by the Numbers

Following your favorite hockey team as they make their way through the NHL playoffs, on their way to the Stanley Cup can be confusing. Keeping track of NHL playoffs tickets can be harder still. We’ve gone ahead and made it easy to follow your favorite NHL team’s tickets throughout the playoffs. We dropped the NHL playoff teams into an NHL Western Conference bracket and and NHL Eastern Conference bracket. They show playoffs matchups with a link to tickets for that matchup.

NHL Western Conference Bracket 2010

NHL Eastern Conference Bracket

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

Also check out Stanley Cup Tickets by the Numbers

I just got home from a blazing NHL playoff game and I can’t wait to watch the SportsCenter highlights!  The Sharks, down in the series 1-0 after the Avalanche got the road win the other night, matched every Avs goal and actually scored in the last minute of EVERY period tonight to force a 5-5 overtime, which the Sharks went on to win 6-5 on a power play goal by Devin Setoguchi.

So that means all five NHL series where the first two games have been played are knotted at 1-1!

Senators – Penguins tickets

Devils – Flyers tickets

Predators – Blackhawks tickets

Coyotes – Red Wings tickets

Avalanche – Sharks tickets

Of course, Bruins – Sabres tickets for game #2 tomorrow are available as well!  Using FanSnap, fans can save a substantial amount on great NHL playoff tickets!

Have fun!

Which NHL Playoffs tickets are hottest?

The Canadians — just like the Olympics — are in the lead. The Canucks and Canadiens tickets are both averaging $293 for each team’s two home games. The Pens, Caps and Blackhawks round out the top 5. Team number six was a bit of a surprise. Sabres tickets are averaging $163, placing Buffalo fans at number six on the fan demand list.

That puts the Sabres tickets ahead of historically hot hockey tickets like Wings, Bruins, Avs and Devils. Sabres tickets are even outpacing Preds tickets — the NHL ticket with the biggest post-Olympic bounce.

Hottest NHL Playoffs tickets – Round 1

Vancouver Canucks (tickets) -   $293
Montreal Canadiens (tickets) -  $293
Pittsburgh Penguins (tickets) – $246
Washington Capitals (tickets) – $246
Chicago Blackhawks (tickets) – $210
Buffalo Sabres (tickets) -          $163
San Jose Sharks (tickets) -        $159
Philadelphia Flyers (tickets) –   $155
Los Angeles Kings (tickets) -    $142
Ottawa Senators (tickets) -       $137
Nashville Predators (tickets) -  $137
Detroit Red Wings (tickets) -    $127
Boston Bruins (tickets) -          $126
Colorado Avalanche (tickets) – $123
Phoenix Coyotes (tickets) –      $119
New Jersey Devils (tickets) -    $97

NHL Best Value Tickets(sm)

Hottest teams is interesting, but we took it a bit deeper. We’re seeing tremendous choice available right now — from roughly 1,000 to 5,000 ticket listings per game.  With that comes tremendous variability in price for comparable tickets. The biggest variations in Home Game 1 tickets are in Boston where comparable tickets vary by as much as 52%. Interestingly, we’re seeing the more searches for Bruins tickets than any other NHL team right now. Today, Bruins ticket searches rival what we are seeing for the Yankees and Twins Home Openers.

Which conference has the hotter tickets?

Eastern Conference            Average ticket price (home games)
1. WASHINGTON CAPITALS   $246
2. NEW JERSEY DEVILS           $98
3. BUFFALO SABRES              $163
4. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS     $246
5. OTTAWA SENATORS         $137
6. BOSTON BRUINS               $126
7. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS      $155
8. MONTRÉAL CANADIENS   $293

Average Eastern Conference ticket = $183

Western Confernece            Average ticket price (home games)
1. SAN JOSE SHARKS              $159
2. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS    $210
3. VANCOUVER CANUCKS     $293
4. PHOENIX COYOTES           $119
5. DETROIT RED WINGS         $127
6. LOS ANGELES KINGS         $142
7. NASHVILLE PREDATORS    $137
8. COLORADO AVALANCHE   $123

Average Western Conference ticket = $163.75

The fun thing about tickets is this will all be different tomorrow. We’ll stay on top of it and report back.

Christian