NHL Postseason- 1st Round Review & 2nd Round Preview

There are many points in the hockey season that are my favorite but there is nothing like the beginning of playoff hockey. For the fans of the 16 teams in the postseason, it begins with optimism that this is the year that they win the Stanley Cup. For 15 teams, that dream will not come to fruition. Eight teams will have that dream crushed before it ever really gets a chance to develop. These first two weeks will weed out some teams as the best of the best will rise to the top. When it's all said and done, it's going to have been an excellent ride. 

Boston Bruins v. Florida Panthers (Florida wins 4-3)

Game 1- Boston 3, Florida 1- Despite some on the team dealing with an illness, the Bruins picked up where they left off from the regular season. David Pastrnak opened the scoring on the power play early in the first period. Brad Marchand added to the lead in the second period. Matthew Tkachuk tried to will his team back into it by cutting the Boston lead in half but a late goal in the second period from Jake DeBrusk would be enough. Alex Lyon was good but he wasn't good enough to defeat Linus Ullmark on this night. 

Game 2- Florida 6, Boston 3- After playing a good road game in Game 1, Florida was finally rewarded in Game 2. The scoring didn't start until the second period and it was back and forth. Sam Bennett broke the ice early. Brad Marchand capitalized on a bad turnover to get a short-handed marker to tie it. Eric Staal responded quickly to regain the lead before Tyler Bertuzzi scored on the power play. Florida scored four answered goals in the third with Brandon Montour scoring twice along with Carter Verhaeghe and Eetu Luostarinen. Taylor Hall would make it look respectable but Florida earned it. 

Game 3- Boston 4, Florida 2- The Bruins continued to play without their captain and while the final score shows this as a two-goal game, it was the Bruins that ran the show all night. Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle scored in the first two periods to take a 2-0 lead. David Pastrnak and Nick Foligno scored 3:13 apart in the third period to double the lead and it was more than enough. Gustav Forsling would get a short-handed marker and Sam Reinhart would bring Florida within two with 4:01 left to give the Panthers some hope but the Bruins would hold on as Linus Ullmark bounced back from a rough Game 2 to give Boston the series lead once again. 

Game 4- Boston 6, Florida 2- The trip to Florida was a major success for the Bruins as they swept both legs. The power play led the way early with Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk giving Boston a 2-0 lead 1:52 into the second period. Matthew Tkachuk infused some life into the crowd by scoring a between-the-legs goal to make it 2-1 heading into the third. Boston outscored Florida 4-1 in the third period with DeBrusk scoring his second goal, Tyler Bertuzzi getting one, and Taylor Hall scoring twice to finish a four-point game as Boston ran roughshod over the Panthers with a chance to finish things at home. 

Game 5- Florida 4, Boston 3 (OT)- Falling behind in the series 3-1, Florida turned to Sergei Bobrovsky to keep the team in the playoffs. It wasn't the prettiest of games but he served his purpose. Florida and Boston alternated goals for three periods, beginning with Anthony Duclair finishing a shot after a brutal turnover by Boston in their defensive zone. Brad Marchand struck on the power play early in the second but Sam Bennett put Florida back ahead with just over a minute left in the period. Patrice Bergeron, playing in his first game, scored another power-play goal to tie it again. 41 seconds later, Sam Reinhart put Florida ahead again on the power play but this lead also wouldn't last long as Taylor Hall scored his fifth goal of the series. Boston had a chance to win the game at the very end of regulation as Marchand was denied by Bobrovsky, sending the game to overtime. Boston's hopes of advancing crumbled quickly as Linus Ullmark turned the puck over behind his own net, leading to Matthew Tkachuk spoiling the fun with the overtime winner with Ullmaek down and out. It allowed Florida to survive to fight another day with the series moving back to Sunrise. 

Game 6- Florida 7, Boston 5- The first two periods read similarly to Game 4 as the two teams alternated goals for 40 minutes. Brandon Montour and Tyler Bertuzzi each scored on the power play and Matthew Tkachuk knocked one home in the final minutes to make it 2-1 over 20 minutes. David Pastrnak (PP) and Aleksander Barkov traded goals in the second period as Florida continued to lead through two periods. The third period was absolutely insane. Bertuzzi and Pastrnak (PP) each scored their second goal of the game to put Boston ahead 3:53 into the period. Less than four minutes later, Zac Dalpe scored his first postseason goal to tie it again at four. Jake DeBrusk scored while short-handed but during the same penalty, Tkachuk scored his second goal to tie it again. Eetu Luostarinen scored the eventual game-winner and Sam Reinhart iced it to make it 7-5 as the Panthers survived again, forcing a Game 7 against the best regular-season team in league history. 

Game 7- Florida 4, Boston 3 (OT)- I'm not quite sure words can describe what we just witnessed as hockey fans. The best regular-season team in the history of the NHL just lost in the first round after taking a 3-1 series lead and getting two chances to finish the series at home. The Bruins got their captain back in Game 5 and didn't win a game after that. Florida jumped on the Bruins early as Brandon Montour scored on the power play in the first and Sam Reinhart scored early in the second. Boston swung the momentum back on their side as David Krejci scored on the power play to respond. Florida held their 2-1 lead into the third period but Tyler Bertuzzi (PP) and David Pastrnak scored in the first 4:11 of the period to take the lead. Boston looked like they were about to advance before Montour buried a rebound chance with 59.3 left to tie the game and force overtime. Jeremy Swayman, starting in place of Linus Ullmark, made two huge stops on Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe in overtime but Verhaeghe would get his chance to rectify that and he snapped it over a screened Swayman to stun the crowd in Boston and the rest of the hockey world as they won the series and possibly retired Patrice Bergeron. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Tyler Bertuzzi (BOS)- 5 goals, 5 assists

2- Brandon Montour (FLA)- 5 goals, 3 assists

1- Matthew Tkachuk (FLA)- 5 goals, 6 assists

Toronto Maple Leafs v. Tampa Bay Lightning (Toronto wins 4-2)

Game 1- Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 3- This is not how you wanted the playoffs to start if you're a Toronto fan. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored 78 seconds into the game and Tampa wouldn't look back. Anthony Cirelli doubled the lead a few minutes later and Nikita Kucherov scored in the final five seconds of the first to make it 3-0. Toronto responded with two goals on the power play in the second from Ryan O'Reilly and William Nylander to get back into it. However, Tampa would score three more on the power play with Brayden Point scoring twice and Corey Perry getting the other. Ross Colton made it 7-2 in the third and Calle Jarnkrok brought it back to within four as the Lightning dominated Toronto on the road. 

Game 2- Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 2- The Maple Leafs returned what the Lightning gave them in the opening game, hanging up seven goals on Andrei Vasilevskiy. John Tavares recorded a hat trick, Mitch Marner scored two of his own, and William Nylander and Zach Aston-Reese rounded out the scoring for the Leafs. Morgan Rielly added four assists and Ilya Samsonov stopped 20 shots in the win. Ian Cole and Corey Perry scored for Tampa Bay and Vasilevskiy refused to be pulled after the second period, allowing all seven goals. Things got a bit heated in the third period with Tanner Jeannot and Luke Schenn having a spirited tilt as Toronto routed the Bolts 7-2 to even the series. 

Game 3- Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3 (OT)- We finally got a solid back-and-forth game from this series. Noel Acciari and Anthony Cirelli traded goals 1:26 apart to make it 1-1 before the game was five minutes old. Auston Matthews would pick up his first goal of the series, redirecting a shot from Mitch Marner to put Toronto ahead again. Brandon Hagel would knot the game with 32 seconds left in the first to make it 2-2 after one period. Darren Raddysh buried one in the second period to give Tampa Bay the lead and it would hold for most of the third period. Ryan O'Reilly would find some magic as he put home a rebound with one minute left in regulation to force overtime. The Lightning dominated the overtime session but Ilya Samsonov was not breaking. With 45 seconds left, Morgan Rielly fired a sneaky wrister from the boards that managed to elude and silence the crowd as Toronto took a 2-1 series lead.  

Game 4- Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 4 (OT)- If we're being honest, I wasn't surprised by how this game started. After Toronto found some overtime magic in Game 3, I knew Tampa Bay was going to dominate the game early. Alex Killorn (PP) broke a long postseason goalless drought and Mikhail Sergachev added to the lead before the end of the first period. Noel Acciari scored to make it 2-1 but Steven Stamkos and Killorn for a second time gave Tampa Bay a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes. It would take a comeback of epic proportions to win this game. They waited a little while to get it going but with three goals in 6:20, two from Auston Matthews, and the game-tying goal from Morgan Rielly, the Leafs stormed back to tie it and force overtime once again. Early in the first overtime, Alex Kerfoot redirected a shot on the power play past Andrei Vasilevskiy to win the game, winning both games in Tampa Bay, and putting Toronto one win away from breaking their postseason streak. 

Game 5- Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 2- I think we all knew that it wasn't going to be that easy for Toronto to finish the series. Morgan Rielly sent the crowd into a frenzy to open the scoring before Anthony Cirelli tied it 26 seconds later to ruin the party. It stayed very competitive until Mikey Eyssimont scored a very soft goal against Ilya Samsonov for the only goal of the second period as Tampa led 2-1. Nick Paul fought hard to get a rebound to go to make it 3-1. Auston Matthews scored his third goal in two games to make it a one-goal game again with 3:34 left and it started to feel like Games 3 and 4. Toronto was one shot away from sending the series to its third straight overtime game. Alex Killorn thought better of it, scoring into the empty net to put Toronto away for the night and forcing Game 6 back in Tampa Bay. 

Game 6- Toronto 2, Tampa Bay 1 (OT)- Even for someone that is not a Maple Leafs fan, this is a very surreal thing to say. The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to the second round of the playoffs. To put it in perspective, I became a hockey fan in 2006 when I was eight years old. This is the first time I've ever seen Toronto win a series. After Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov dominated the game for most of the first two periods, Auston Matthews blasted a one-timer past the Bolts' goalie to put Toronto ahead. The lead would hold through the end of the period but Steven Stamkos tied it up early in the third period to make things a little tense for the Maple Leafs. The series went to overtime for the third time and for the third time in the series, it was Toronto that would come out on the right side of it. John Tavares came out from behind the net, spun a shot at the net, and got a fortuitous bounce off of the skate of Darren Raddysh as the series came to an end and an entire city was able to take a collective breath. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Austin Matthews (TOR)- 5 goals, 4 assists

2- Morgan Rielly (TOR)- 3 goals, 5 assists

1- Mitch Marner (TOR)- 2 goals, 9 assists

Carolina Hurricanes v. New York Islanders (Carolina wins 4-2)

Game 1- Carolina 2, New York 1- Antti Raanta and Ilya Sorokin battled it out in the first game and nearly went save-for-save for 60 minutes. Carolina's power play proved to be the difference in the game as Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen each scored on the man advantage to propel the Canes to the opening win. Ryan Pulock scored New York's only goal of the game and Sorokin, despite taking the loss, was very solid. 

Game 2- Carolina 4, New York 3 (OT)- Game 2 featured some big momentum shifts for each side. The Canes scored the first two goals as Paul Stastny and Stefan Noesen (PP) gave the Canes the early advantage. New York responded with three straight from Kyle Palmieri, Mathew Barzal, and Brock Nelson to take their first lead of the series. Jaccob Slavin used Ilya Sorokin's head to find the equalizer before Jesper Fast scored the game-winner in overtime to push the Canes ahead 2-0 in the series.

Game 3- New York 5, Carolina 1- What looked like it was going to be an overtime defensive struggle very quickly turned into a rout in the final minutes. The game sat at 1-1 for most of the third period with Casey Cizikas and Jesper Fast (SH) scoring for each side until Kyle Palmieri scored on a redirection on the power play to break the tie with less than four minutes left. This would unload the floodgates as New York scored four goals in 2:17, setting a new postseason record, as the Islanders defended home ice to earn their first win of the series. 

Game 4- Carolina 5, New York 2- The Canes' woes on the road game to an end with the help of an unlikely source. Carolina played easily their best game of the series. The power play got the team going as Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas each scored with the man advantage. In his team debut, Mackenzie MacEachern made an impact, assisting on a 2-on-1 goal for Sebastian Aho to make it 3-0 after two periods. Jarvis scored his second of the game on a breakaway early but Ryan Pulock responded quickly to give the Islanders some life. MacEachern added a fifth goal for the Canes and though New York got one late, the Canes snapped their road losing streak and put the Islanders' backs against the wall. 

Game 5- New York 3, Carolina 2- Self-inflicted mistakes cost the Canes dearly as their chance to finish the series on home ice was wasted. Pierre Engvall capitalized on a mistake in the first period and Brock Nelson showed some excellent hand-eye coordination as he batted a puck that hit Sebastian Aho in the face out of mid-air. Paul Stastny got the Canes on the board with a redirection but Mathew Barzal made the Canes pay for a turnover in the neutral zone, finishing a 2-on-1 during a 4-on-4 to make it 3-1 after two periods. Aho, sporting a bloody lip, scored his third goal of the series to make it 3-2 but it wouldn't be enough as New York survived to force a sixth game. 

Game 6- Carolina 2, New York 1 (OT)- Carolina made an interesting choice to start Frederik Andersen over Antti Raanta, who'd started the first five games. For 40 minutes, Game 7 felt like it was inevitable. Cal Clutterbuck scored his first of the series in the first period and it would be the only goal of the first two periods. Sebastian Aho found a way to tie it in the third period, scoring in his third straight game, and the score would remain tied 1-1 after 60 minutes. In overtime, Paul Stastny banked a puck off of the right pad of Ilya Sorokin from a tough angle to win the game and the series in front of a stunned New York crowd. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Brent Burns (CAR)- 0 goals, 5 assists

2- Ilya Sorokin (NYI)- 2-4, 2.60 GAA, .929 SV%

1- Sebastian Aho (CAR)- 4 goals, 3 assists

New Jersey Devils v. New York Rangers (New Jersey wins 4-3)

Game 1- New York 5, New Jersey 1- The experience of the Rangers ruled the day as New York jumped all over New Jersey. Vladimir Tarasenko got things going early in the first and Chris Kreider became the Rangers' leading playoff goal scorer with a tally on the power play late in the period. Ryan Lindgren found some daylight in the second period and Kreider scored his second on the power play to make it 4-0 in the third. Jack Hughes would break the shutout of Igor Shesterkin with a penalty shot late in the game. Filip Chytil provided the dagger into the empty net as the Rangers, led by four assists from Adam Fox, took control of the series. 

Game 2- New York 5, New Jersey 1- New York loved their performance so much in Game 1 that they decided to do it again in Game 2. Erik Haula put New Jersey ahead on the power play and the Devils led 1-0 after the first period. From there, the Rangers had their way with the Devils. Vladimir Tarasenko scored for the second straight game. Chris Kreider scored two more power-play goals. Patrick Kane scored his first postseason goal as a Ranger. Kaapo Kakko put the nail in the coffin. It was as thorough a beatdown as the first game as the Rangers took both games on the road to take a big 2-0 series lead. 

Game 3- New Jersey 2, New York 1 (OT)- For Game 3, the Devils made a big decision to bench Vitek Vanecek and start Akira Schmid as he made his postseason debut. It's even crazier when you realize that it was on the road at Madison Square Garden. Clearly Lindy Ruff knew what he was doing. Chris Kreider opened the scoring early in the second period, making it five goals in the first three games of the series, but Jack Hughes scored on the power play to tie the game just past the halfway point in the period. Schmid and Igor Shesterkin battled it out in the third period without giving an inch. It continued for a good portion of overtime until Dougie Hamilton snapped one past Shesterkin to win the game and get the Devils right back into the series.  

Game 4- New Jersey 3, New York 1- After his brilliant debut in Game 3, the Devils stuck with Schmid and that was clearly the correct choice. Jack Hughes scored for the third time in the series, beating Igor Shesterkin with some filthy moves to put New Jersey ahead 2:50 into the contest. The lead remained 1-0 early into the third period before Vincent Trocheck scored 1:42 into the third period to break the shutout. The eventual game-winner came from a very unlikely source as Jonas Siegenthaler scored his first career postseason goal to put the Devils ahead by a goal. Ondrej Palat scored an empty-net goal late to join the fun as Schmid stopped 22 shots to even the series at two games apiece.  

Game 5- New Jersey 4, New York 0- Moving back to New Jersey with all of the momentum, the Devils made it look pretty easy. Ondrej Palat scored 39 seconds into the game to get things going quickly and put the Rangers in a tough spot. Akira Schmid did a good job of helping the situation. New Jersey would use its special teams to increase the lead as Erik Haula scored his second power-play goal of the series and Dawson Mercer scored while the Devils were short-handed to make it 3-0. Haula would add one more into the empty net as the Rangers pulled Igor Shesterkin early and all of a sudden, New York found themselves on the brink of elimination after winning the first two games on the road. Schmid stopped 23 shots to record his first postseason shutout and put the Devils in the driver's seat. 

Game 6- New York 5, New Jersey 2- The Rangers kept their season alive by finding the offense that had sorely been missed for the last three games. Curtis Lazar got New Jersey on the board first before the Rangers scored five unanswered goals, spanning all three periods. Chris Kreider scored his sixth goal of the series and his fifth on the power play to tie it. Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the second period and Barclay Goodrow and Braden Schneider added to the lead in the third period, chasing Akira Schmid from the game. Dawson Mercer would score on the power play to make it look a little closer but the Rangers dominated from start to finish to force a seventh game.  

Game 7- New Jersey 4, New York 0- For as well-built as the Rangers appeared to be, they had no answer for the Devils in this winner-take-all game. It felt like New Jersey was giving New York all of the chances in the world to score on the power play in the first period but Akira Schmid looked like he did in Games 3, 4, and 5. It was all about effort and the Devils had tons more of it than the Rangers. It was evident in both goals in the second period. While short-handed, Ondrej Palat stripped the puck and set up Michael McLeod for a beautiful goal to break the tie. A few minutes later, John Marino walked in and missed wide but had the wherewithal to get a pass back to Tomas Tatar to make it 2-0. Schmid made some huge saves in the second and third periods, allowing Erik Haula to score his fourth of the series to put the game away and Jesper Bratt to add an empty-netter to send the fans into a frenzy. Schmid stopped 31 shots, outdueling the reigning Vezina winner to push his team to the second round. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Erik Haula (NJ)- 4 goals, 2 assists

2- Igor Shesterkin (NYR)- 3-4, 1.96 GAA, .931 SV%

1- Akira Schmid (NJ)- 4-1, 1.38 GAA, .951 SV%, 2 shutouts

Colorado Avalanche v. Seattle Kraken (Seattle wins 4-3)

Game 1- Seattle 3, Colorado 1- Seattle didn't seem too concerned that they were playing the defending champs in their first playoff series. Eeli Tolvanen scored the first postseason goal in Seattle history to get the Kraken ahead early in the first. Nathan MacKinnon connected with Mikko Rantanen to find the equalizer later in the period. Alexander Wennberg broke the tie 80 seconds into the second period and that would be enough. Morgan Geekie added one more for good measure in the third period as Seattle won its first playoff game. Philipp Grubauer made 34 saves to backstop the upset victory. 

Game 2- Colorado 3, Seattle 2- The entire league was a little surprised when Seattle took the first one, putting the defending champs on the defensive. I was even more surprised when Seattle came out and scored the first two goals of the second game. Justin Schultz picked up the first goal 2:40 into the first period and Brandon Tanev added a short-handed tally to stun the Colorado crowd. It felt like the Avalanche got back to their game in the second period. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin scored 48 seconds apart in the second period to tie things up, sending the game to the third period tied. Neither team could find an answer until Devon Toews found some room and beat Philipp Grubauer to take the lead with 7:01 left as Colorado held on to even the series. 

Game 3- Colorado 6, Seattle 4- The offense exploded for both sides in the third game. Seattle, as they have in the two games prior, scored first as Jaden Schwartz opened the scoring in Seattle's first home postseason game. Colorado scored twice in the final four minutes as JT Compher (SH) and Nathan MacKinnon gave Colorado the lead after the first. Cale Makar added to the lead early in the second before Jamie Oleksiak and Matty Beniers scored 19 seconds apart to tie it after two periods. Colorado's stars took over in the third as Mikko Rantanen scored twice and MacKinnon scored his second of the game to push the lead to 6-3 and though Schwartz got one back late, Seattle fell short in front of their fans. 

Game 4- Seattle 3, Colorado 2 (OT)- The Kraken, now behind in the series, really needed to do something to get their fans going early. Will Bergen took it into his own hands as he scored 3:56 into the game to get Seattle off and running. A scary situation transpired a few minutes later. After the whistle had blown, Cale Makar gave Jared McCann an unnecessary shove into the boards, sending him to the ice and into the locker room for the rest of the night. Makar was given a penalty and Daniel Sprong made him pay by scoring on the subsequent power play. Mikko Rantanen put the team on his back once again, scoring twice in the second period, including a power-play goal with 50 seconds left in the second period, to tie it. The third period was scoreless, giving us the first overtime game of the series. Josh Manson would be called for tripping and Seattle ended it as Jordan Eberle deposited a rebound past Alexander Georgiev to win the game and even the series again. 

Game 5- Seattle 3, Colorado 2- Before the start of the game, it was announced that Cale Makar would be out after being handed a one-game suspension for his hit on Jared McCann, who also was ruled out. The offense waited until the second period to start as Morgan Geekie and Nathan MacKinnon scored 1:20 apart to get each team on the board. Making his NHL debut for the injured McCann, Ty Kartye put Seattle back ahead, where it would stand after 40 minutes. Yanni Gourde scored 1:20 into the third period to make it 3-1 and Philipp Grubauer held down the fort. Evan Rodrigues pinballed a puck into the net with 3:37 left to give Colorado some hope but the comeback wouldn't come to fruition as Seattle sat one game away from winning their first-ever series. 

Game 6- Colorado 4, Seattle 1- Colorado had no intention of starting their offseason early when they arrived in Seattle for Game 6. Bowen Byram had a goal taken off of the board early in the game due to the play being offside and Vince Dunn responded by scoring for Seattle, giving the first goal in all six games. Mikko Rantanen made sure to tie things before the end of the period, scoring with 20 seconds left before the intermission. From there, Colorado took over. Erik Johnson and Artturi Lehkonen each scored in the second period and Lehkonen added the empty-netter in the third period as Colorado scored four unanswered to win the game and force Game 7 back in Colorado. 

Game 7- Seattle 2, Colorado 1- The madness of the first round continued in Denver as the surprises kept coming. I'm not sure Seattle was given much of a chance by anyone when this series started. Even I picked Colorado to win in five games. The Kraken had different plans. Oliver Bjorkstrand was the star of the show offensively for Seattle. He opened the scoring 3:24 into the second period after throwing a backhand to the front of the net that pinballed around before ending up in the back of the net. He made a more definitive statement when he fired a shot off the post and in just under four minutes later to make it 2-0. Mikko Rantanen had a one-timer by Nathan MacKinnon deflect off of his butt and into the net to break the shutout in the final seconds of the period. From there, Philipp Grubauer took over. Colorado had a goal taken back because of the play being offside and that would be the only puck to beat Grubauer in the third period. He finished the night with 33 saves as Seattle held on to win and stun the defending champs as they were sent on an early vacation. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Devon Toews (COL)- 1 goal, 8 assists

2- Mikko Rantanen (COL)- 7 goals, 3 assists

1- Philipp Grubauer (SEA)- 4-3, 2.44 GAA, .926 SV%

Dallas Stars v. Minnesota Wild (Dallas wins 4-2)

Game 1- Minnesota 3, Dallas 2 (2OT)- The Wild went on the road to start the series and put their trust in Filip Gustavsson in his first postseason start. Kirill Kaprizov scored a late goal on the power play in the first to break the ice. Dallas responded with two goals on the power play just 2:05 apart from Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson to take the lead. Sam Steel tied it up in the second period and the score would sit there at 2-2 for the rest of regulation, giving us our first overtime game of the postseason. Both Gustavsson and Jake Oettinger made some huge stops to keep it tied through the first overtime before Ryan Hartman found the winner early in the second overtime to take game one as Gustavsson made 51 stops.

Game 2- Dallas 7, Minnesota 3- Whoever thought it was a good idea to let Marc-Andre Fleury start after the game Filip Gustavsson had should be fired. Dallas dominated the game with its special team. Roope Hintz scored an early short-handed goal and Tyler Seguin added one on the power play to give Dallas an early 2-0 lead. Oskar Sundqvist legally redirected a puck off of his skate to cut into the lead. Jamie Benn added another on the power play and Evgenii Dadonov made it 4-1 1:27 later. Minnesota pulled to within one with goals 11 seconds apart from Marcus Johansson (PP) and Frederik Gaudreau. Dadonov ruined the fun with his second of the night before Hintz scored his second of the night 48 seconds later. Hintz would complete the hat trick on the power play in the third period as Dallas cruised to the victory.  

Game 3- Minnesota 5, Dallas 1- Minnesota turned back to Filip Gustavsson as the series shifted to Minnesota and he was strong once again. It helped that the offense showed up for him. Mats Zuccarello broke the ice late in the first period and Marcus Johansson added to the lead 2:14 into the second. Luke Glendening responded to Johansson's goal 11 seconds later but that is all Dallas would get against Gustavsson. Marcus Foligno added on the power play in the second period, Zuccarello scored his second of the game, and Ryan Hartman scored into the empty net to earn a 5-1 win and take control of the series. 

Game 4- Dallas 3, Minnesota 2- After two blowout games, the defensive struggle kicked in for the fourth game of the series. No one could beat either Jake Oettinger or Filip Gustavsson for nearly 35 minutes. All it took was a very questionable call on Marcus Foligno to get the Stars going. Tyler Seguin scored late in the second period to finally get some offense into this game. It didn't stop there as Evgenii Dadonov and former Star John Klingberg each scored in the first six minutes of the third period to make it 2-1. Another tough call on Foligno gave the Stars another chance on the power play and Seguin once again found the back of the net as the lead expanded to 3-1. The second Seguin goal would lead to Ryan Hartman getting sent home early. Frederick Gaudreau scored on the power play late for Minnesota but it wouldn't be enough as they lost 3-2 as the Stars evened the series. 

Game 5- Dallas 4, Minnesota 0- The tone for this game was set early as Marcus Foligno received five minutes and a game for kneeing just 2:14 into the first period. Tyler Seguin scored his third power-play goal in three periods just eight seconds into the penalty and while that would be all they'd get during the five minutes, it would've been enough with how Jake Oettinger was playing. Jason Robertson did score another power-play goal in the first period to add to the lead. Mason Marchment and Ty Dellandrea (EN) made sure the result was never in doubt as Oettinger stopped 27 shots for the shutout. 

Game 6- Dallas 4, Minnesota 1- The Wild's season was a ticking time bomb and the Stars make sure to explode it very quickly. Roope Hintz dangled around the defense and snapped a shot past Filip Gustavsson 6:22 into the elimination game and it probably should've ended there. Wyatt Johnston scored his first postseason goal and Mason Marchment scored with 0.5 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-0. Frederick Gaudreau spoiled the perfect night to make it look like Minnesota was competitive but a final goal from Max Domi (EN) ended the series as Jake Oettinger allowed just three goals in the final three games to earn Dallas a berth in the second round. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Tyler Seguin (DAL)- 4 goals, 2 assists

2- Jake Oettinger (DAL)- 4-2, 2.01 GAA, .929 SV%

1- Roope Hintz (DAL)- 5 goals, 7 assists

Vegas Golden Knights v. Winnipeg Jets (Vegas wins 4-1)

Game 1- Winnipeg 5, Vegas 1- Winnipeg went into the Fortress for Game 1 and never allowed Vegas to find their game. After a scoreless first period, Kyle Connor would find paydirt early in the second period and he would be joined by Pierre-Luc Dubois 62 seconds later to give Winnipeg a 2-0 lead. William Karlsson would get Vegas on the board late in the second but that would be it for the Golden Knights. Blake Wheeler made it 3-1 early in the third period and Adam Lowry would add two goals in the final 1:21 as the Jets soared to an uncontested 5-1 victory. Connor Hellebuyck wasn't busy but he was good as he stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced. 

Game 2- Vegas 5, Winnipeg 2- From the looks of the beginning of the game, Winnipeg looked like they were picking up right where they left off. Adam Lowry scored his third of the series on the power play for the lone goal of the first period. However, Vegas finally woke up and got it going in the second. William Karlsson tied it and Jack Eichel scored his first career playoff goal to take the lead. Kevin Stenlund tied it late in the period but it was all Vegas in the third period. Chandler Stephenson pulled Vegas ahead and Mark Stone scored twice as Vegas knotted the series. 

Game 3- Vegas 5, Winnipeg 4 (2OT)- For Game 3, Vegas was the squad that carried their performance over from the game before. Chandler Stephenson and Jack Eichel (PP) both scored in the first 6:18 before Kyle Connor pulled it within one before the midway point in the period. Eichel scored a second power-play goal and Keegan Kolesar added to the lead and it felt like the rout was on. The Jets woke up in the third period. Nino Niederreiter made it 4-2 just over two minutes into the period. Mark Scheifele scored on the power play to pull the Jets within one with 5:52 left. The comeback was completed as Adam Lowry banged home a rebound with 22 seconds left to force overtime. The first overtime ended scoreless and 3:40 into the second extra session, Michael Amadio ripped a shot off of the crossbar and in to end it and spoil the Jets' party and take a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 4- Vegas 4, Winnipeg 2- After failing to defend home ice in Game 3, Winnipeg came out and scored the first goal as Blake Wheeler scored on the power play 5:53 into the game. Brett Howden put Vegas on his back and evened it four minutes later. The Golden Knights took over from there. William Karlsson scored his third of the series and Ivan Barbashev added his first to make it 3-1 after two periods. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored on the power play early in the third to help the comeback-minded Jets get back within one goal. Laurent Brossoit shut the door on the Jets from there. He stopped 24 shots in the game as Howden put one into the empty net to make it a 4-2 victory for Vegas, giving them a 3-1 series lead. 

Game 5- Vegas 4, Winnipeg 1- It felt like Winnipeg's goose was cooked early in Game 5. Chandler Stephenson scored 50 seconds into the game and Vegas never let go of the lead. The Golden Knights added three more goals in the second with Mark Stone, William Karlsson, and Stephenson (PP) scoring to make it 4-0. Kyle Connor broke the shutout in the third period but Laurent Brossoit was phenomenal again as he stopped 29 shots to haunt his former team in five games. The real action came after the game when Rick Bowness laid into his team during his postgame interview and it wasn't taken well by Blake Wheeler and others in the locker room. It doesn't matter now because they're done for the season as Vegas moves on. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Jack Eichel (VGK)- 3 goals, 2 assists

2- Mark Stone (VGK)- 3 goals, 5 assists

1- Chandler Stephenson (VGK)- 4 goals, 4 assists

Edmonton Oilers v. Los Angeles Kings (Edmonton wins 4-2)

Game 1- Los Angeles 4, Edmonton 3 (OT)- After largely dominating for two periods it looked like Edmonton was going to cruise to a Game 1 victory. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard (PP) each scored in the first and things were looking good. Adrian Kempe scored 52 seconds into the third to give Los Angeles some life but Draisaitl scored his second of the night to regain a two-goal lead. That's about when the wheel fell off. Kempe picked up his second of the night a few minutes later and Anze Kopitar scored on the power play with 17 seconds left to force overtime. In overtime, the Kings would complete the comeback as Vincent Desharnais would be called for a penalty and Alex Iafallo would bury the winner on the ensuing power play to stun the Oilers. 

Game 2- Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 2- The script read very similarly for the Oilers and the Kings in Game 2 as it did in Game 1. The Oilers jumped out to a dominant 2-0 lead on goals by Derek Ryan and Leon Draisaitl (PP). They held the Kings without a shot for almost the entire first period but Los Angeles stormed back in the second. Phillip Danault and Gabe Villardi scored in the final 5:30 of the period to enter the third period tied. Edmonton wouldn't let the same thing happen this time as Klim Kostin broke the tie 2:20 into the third and Evander Kane scored into the empty net to even the series. Draisaitl finished with three points and Connor McDavid picked up his first point of the series after being held scoreless in Game 1. 

Game 3- Los Angeles 3, Edmonton 2 (OT)- Game 3 was a battle of two power plays that felt like they were going to score every time they touched the ice. Alex Iafallo, the Game 1 hero, scored the lone even-strength goal of the game in the first period with 33 seconds left before the intermission. Connor McDavid finally woke up in the second period, scoring twice on the power play 1:40 apart to put Edmonton ahead. The lead was short-lived as Leon Draisaitl was called for a penalty after the second McDavid goal and Adrian Kempe tied it on the power play 18 seconds later. As was the case in Game 1, the game would go to overtime and Edmonton would take a penalty. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took an early slashing penalty and Trevor Moore was the hero as he beat Stuart Skinner to win the game. The referees did go back and review the play to see if the puck was knocked down by a high stick before the goal. I'll be honest, I think the puck grazed a high stick and the goal shouldn't have counted but the crew in Toronto disagreed, ruling there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the goal as Los Angeles won the game. 

Game 4- Edmonton 5, Los Angeles 4 (OT)- I'm not sure I've ever seen two more polar opposite periods than we got in Game 4. Los Angeles dominated the first period, getting goals from Gabe Vilardi, Viktor Arvidsson, and Anze Kopitar (PP) to lead 3-0 after the first. Edmonton put Jack Campbell in for Stuart Skinner to start the second period and the Oilers responded. Evan Bouchard scored his second goal of the series on the power play and Leon Draisaitl scored twice, his second goal coming on the power play, to tie the game at three after two periods. Matt Roy scored early in the third to put the Kings back ahead but Evander Kane snapped one off of the post and in to tie it again and force the third overtime game of the series. Bouchard made a beautiful pass off of the boards to Zach Hyman and he snuck a shot under the arm of Joonas Korpisalo to win the game and even things up once again in the series. 

Game 5- Edmonton 6, Los Angeles 3- The offense continued to come in the fifth game as the two teams combined for five goals in the first period. Evander Kane finished one on the power play and Leon Draisaitl scored his sixth of the series to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead. Alex Iafallo scored to get the Kings on the board but Brett Kulak scored a minute later to restore the two-goal lead. Adrian Kempe got Los Angeles back within one goal a few minutes later and the score sat at 3-2 after 20 minutes. The second period was all Edmonton as Nick Bjugstad scored his first of the series and Zach Hyman scored another power-play goal to push the lead to three goals. Bjugstad scored his second of the night early in the third period and though Quinton Byfield scored shortly after, it was not nearly enough as Edmonton took a 3-2 series lead as they doubled up the Kings. 

Game 6- Edmonton 5, Los Angeles 4- The Oilers got the job done but it didn't come easy. Connor McDavid got it going early for Edmonton before Sean Durzi tied it up before the midway point of the first. Klim Kostin, after missing an open net early in the game, scored his second of the series with a quick snap past Joonas Korpisalo. The lead was extended early in the second as McDavid's seam pass hit Leon Draisaitl as he converted on the power play. Los Angeles was rewarded with two power plays of their own with Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala each scoring to tie the game. Kostin, having the game of his life, put Edmonton back ahead during a scramble at the top of the crease as Edmonton entered the third period 20 minutes away from advancing. A costly mistake from Stuart Skinner almost cost them the chance. With the Oilers on the power play, Skinner tried to hit his teammates with a stretch pass but his stick broke, leaving Phillip Danault with an open net as Skinner couldn't dive back to deny him. Kailer Yamamoto would bail his goalie out with a sneaky shot with 3:03 left to beat Korpisalo. This goal would stand as the game-winner as the Oilers avoided a seventh game to set up a date with Vegas. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Connor McDavid (EDM)- 3 goals, 7 assists

2- Evan Bouchard (EDM)- 2 goals, 8 assists

1- Leon Draisaitl (EDM)- 7 goals, 4 assists

Final Thoughts for the First Round

• Boston/Florida- This was easily the series of the first round. If Matthew Tkachuk wasn't considered to be one of the best players in the league, he certainly should be after this series. It's baffling to me that Boston got Patrice Bergeron back with a 3-1 series lead and couldn't finish the job. Sergei Bobrovsky strikes again with the same magic we saw during the 2019 postseason against Tampa Bay. I guess this shouldn't be too surprising since Florida has been playing playoff hockey for the last month as they fought to get in. It's honestly hard to feel bad for Boston. If this is it for Bergeron, it's a tough way to go out.
• Toronto/Tampa Bay- I think it's time to put the narrative to bed now that Toronto has won a series. Toronto looked like the deeper team and their stars played like it. Guys who are usually solid playoff performers like Brayden Point (4 points), Steven Stamkos (4), and Victor Hedman (3) didn't provide much help. Andrei Vasilesvskiy looked like a shell of himself for most of the series. He was probably the biggest disappointment of them all. Matthew Knies is going to be a solid player. He handled the pressure well. Toronto will be a team to watch with the East now wide open. 
• Carolina/New York- The Islanders were a popular upset pick given Carolina's injuries and I can see why people would be concerned. Having watched them all season, I was a little less concerned. This team relies on depth to win games and that's how they won this series. 16 of the 20 skaters that suited up for the Canes recorded a point. They also did a good job of keeping New York's stars off the board for most of the series. If Ilya Sorokin can get a competent team in front of him, he'll be a Vezina contender every year. He's really the only reason New York won two games. 
• New Jersey/New York- I gave the Rangers way too much credit for what they did at the deadline. Igor Shesterkin showed up for seven games but the rest can't be said for the rest of his team. You can't point the finger at their deadline acquisitions for not stepping up either. Vladimir Tarasenko was second to Chris Kreider in goals with three and Patrick Kane was third on the team in points with six. It was Artemi Panarin only having two points and Mika Zibanejad scoring once that hurt them more. New Jersey had an unsung hero rise up as Akira Schmid began the story of the first round. He only allowed seven goals in five games and shut out the Rangers twice. It was a balanced attack all series. Timo Meier not recording a point in seven games is a little bit worrisome. 
• Colorado/Seattle- While likely not on the same level as Florida over Boston, this is going to be an upset that we'll talk about for a while. On paper, Colorado should've mopped the floor with Seattle. The Kraken beat Colorado at their own game. Colorado led the league in game-opening goals but Seattle scored first in all seven games. They forced Colorado to play from behind and it's hard to win a series when you have to do that every game. Seattle also spread the wealth more in the series. Philipp Grubauer and Oliver Bjorkstrand took over Game 7. Grubauer faced and stopped the most shots of anyone in the first round. There were obviously some issues off the ice for Colorado but that can't be blamed for why they lost. 
• Dallas/Minnesota- The turning point in this series was starting Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 2 after Filip Gustavsson shut down Dallas in Game 1. I'm not guaranteeing the Wild win Game 2 but Dallas might not have found its offensive confidence. Jake Oettinger might be the best goalie left in the postseason. He was phenomenal in Games 4, 5, and 6. Roope Hintz might've been the MVP of the first round. Kirill Kaprizov only having one goal in six games is unacceptable. Minnesota lacked the offensive weapons that Dallas seemed to have an abundance of. 
• Vegas/Winnipeg- For some reason, this series felt a lot closer than it really was. It might've been because Winnipeg won Game 1 and nearly won Game 3 but otherwise, Vegas delivered the most thorough beatdown of the first round. They were the only team that needed five games to win, giving them plenty of rest before the second round. Jack Eichel looked like he was having fun in his first postseason. Laurent Brossoit was one of the bigger surprises of the round. Mark Stone looks like he's back to normal and Chandler Stephenson looked really good too. I get the feeling we could see Winnipeg move into a rebuild within the next few seasons. Their postgame issues after Game 5 might be the catalyst. 
• Edmonton/Los Angeles- Obviously, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are going to be the focus but Edmonton got the depth scoring it sorely needed. Evan Bouchard had ten points. Evander Kane and Klim Kostin scored three goals each. Nick Bjugstad scored twice. Zach Hyman had a pair of goals, including an overtime winner. Kailer Yamamoto scored the series winner. All but one player that dressed for the series recorded a point. The only area they should be concerned about is goaltending. Stuart Skinner was fine but it's hard to ignore Jack Campbell stopping 27 of 28 shots in relief in Game 4. Los Angeles put up an excellent fight and had they managed to hold on in Game 4, we might be talking about them winning this series. 
• Saturday 4/29 and Sunday 4/30 might go down as one of the craziest weekends in postseason history. Not only did we see Toronto finally win a series but they beat the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs to do it. Then, the greatest regular-season team of all time lost to a team that finished with 43 fewer points than they did. Lastly, the defending champions were knocked out by a team in their second season ever and their first postseason series ever. 
• Of the eight teams remaining in the postseason, Carolina is the team that has most recently won the Stanley Cup, doing so in 2006. Only they and New Jersey (2003) have won the Stanley Cup in the 21st Century. Dallas has most recently played in the Stanley Cup Final, losing in 2020 to Tampa Bay. 
• My 1st Round Predictions
• If I completed a bracket based on my heart, I correctly picked 7 winners with Tampa Bay being the only team(s) that lost. With my heart, I predicted Seattle, Florida, and New Jersey to win in 7 games. 
• If I completed a bracket based on my brain, I correctly picked 4 winners. The only 2 series that I picked the correct winner and the correct number of games were Dallas and Carolina, who both won in 6 games.

Second Round Preview

Toronto Maple Leafs v. Florida Panthers

I would say that the Maple Leafs might've been the biggest winners of the first round after advancing and avoiding the Bruins but the way Florida is playing, I wouldn't want to face them right now. While one curse was broken, they benefitted a little from another. For the first time since 2004, Toronto will be playing in the second round of the playoffs after vanquishing the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs in six games. Toronto had a flair for the dramatic, winning three games in overtime on the road, including the series-clinching game on Saturday night. It was the usual stars that led the way for Toronto as Mitch Marner led the team in points (11) and Austin Matthews led the team in goals (5). Ilya Samsonov outdueled one of the best goalies in the world to get the job done. Florida just did what I and most other people didn't think they could do. They beat the Boston Bruins, the greatest regular-season team of all time. Florida did it despite falling behind 3-1 in the series by winning three straight games, including two overtime games in Boston. In both Games 6 and 7, the Panthers entered the third period with a lead, lost it, and eventually came back to win it. In Game 7, it took a last-minute goal from Brandon Montour and an overtime-winner from Carter Verhaeghe to win the series. 

Season Series Breakdown

Florida- 1-1-2, 4 points, 10 goals

Toronto- 3-0-1, 7 points, 15 goals

Three of the four meetings went to overtime and Toronto won both games in Florida

FLA leading scorers- Brandon Montour- 2 goals, 3 assists in 4 games, Aleksander Barkov- 1 goal, 3 assists in 4 games

TOR leading scorers- Mitch Marner- 1 goal, 5 assists in 4 games, Auston Matthews- 5 goals, 0 assists in 4 games

Goalies

FLA- Alex Lyon- 1-0-1, 1.92 GAA, .938 SV%, Sergei Bobrovsky- 0-1-1, 4.99 GAA, .841 SV%

TOR- Ilya Samsonov- 2-0-1, 1.44 GAA, .953 SV%, Matt Murray- 1-0-0, 4.41 GAA, .860 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This will be the first postseason meeting in the two team's histories. 

Prediction

We're in a fever dream right now because the thought of Toronto winning two series in a postseason seems like a work of fiction. With Boston out, they have to be seen as the favorite in this series. My only concern is that they'll fall into a trap similar to what Florida experienced last season. Before winning the President's Trophy last season, Florida hadn't won a playoff series since 1996. Then, they won in the first round and it felt like they had no clue what to do against Tampa Bay in the second round. It was almost as if they were asking "What now?". I think there are plenty of similarities between the two sides. Both teams have excellent offenses and I think Florida might have the better defense on both ends of the ice. Still, it's hard not to look at Toronto and pick against them. 

Toronto in 6

Carolina Hurricanes v. New Jersey Devils

The two best teams in the Metropolitan Division are set to battle to determine whether the regular-season standings truly reflect where they each stand. Carolina finished one point ahead of New Jersey to claim the crown. The Canes were given a tough test by the Islanders in the first round. They claimed the first two games at home before splitting on the road to take a 3-1 lead in the series. New York fought off elimination in Game 5 but the decision to start Frederik Andersen in Game 6 after Antti Raanta carried the load through five games paid off as the Canes won Game 2-1 in overtime on a winner from Paul Stastny. Sebastian Aho was the best player on the ice the entire series, leading both teams with four goals and seven points in the six games. Ilya Sorokin wasn't given much to work with as he tried to will New York to a seventh game. We knew coming into the playoff that New Jersey was going to have a tough test with New York's other team, the Rangers. The series went seven games despite the Rangers winning both games in New Jersey to begin the series. After Vitek Vanecek started both games, Lindy Ruff turned to Akira Schmid to get the Devils back into the series. He not only got them back into it, but he also won them the series, winning four of the next five games, including a 31-save shutout in Game 7 to seal the deal. Erik Haula scored four times in the series and Jack Hughes was as eclectic as ever to get the Devils to this point. 

Season Series Breakdown

Carolina- 2-2-0, 4 points, 12 goals

New Jersey- 2-1-1, 5 points, 13 goals

The Canes won the first two before New Jersey won the last two with each team picking up a road win also.

CAR leading scorers- Sebastian Aho- 2 goals, 2 assists in 3 games, Jesperi Kotkaniemi- 2 goals, 1 assist in 4 games

NJ leading scorers- Jesper Bratt- 4 goals, 2 assists in 4 games, Jack Hughes- 3 goals, 2 assists in 4 games

Goalies

CAR- Antti Raanta- 1-0-0, 3.69 GAA, .857 SV%, Pyotr Kochetkov- 1-2-0, 2.68 GAA, .904 SV%

NJ- Vitek Vanecek- 2-1-0, 2.25 GAA, .915 SV%, Mackenzie Blackwood- 0-0-1, 3.53 GAA, .907 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This is the only series to feature opponents that have met before as this will be the fifth meeting in the postseason. The Canes lead the all-time series 3-1 with New Jersey's winning coming in six games in 2001 before the Canes won three straight in 2002 (4-2), 2006 (4-1), and 2009 (4-3). This will be the first time the Canes have faced the Devils with a goalie other than Martin Brodeur in the net. 

Prediction

This is probably the best series on paper for the second round. Rest in the playoffs is a tricky thing because you never really know how a team is going to come out depending on the number of days off. New Jersey has played twice since the last time Carolina did. The Devils have been forced to play for their season while the Hurricanes have been in the second round since Friday. The other questions come on the injury front. Is Timo Meier good to go after the massive hit he took in Game 7? Could we see Teuvo Teravainen back by the end of the series? I think this is a more favorable matchup for the Canes than the Rangers would've been but that doesn't mean it's a good one for them. Still, I'm sticking to my guns and taking the Canes. Carolina in 7

Dallas Stars v. Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken had ensured that we will be getting a new Stanley Cup champion this season after beating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. It's one of the bigger upsets in recent memory because Colorado is such a good team. Goaltending had a lot to do with the series win as Philipp Grubauer was challenged often and didn't back away. All but one of the games was decided by two goals or fewer with all four of Seattle's wins coming in tight contests. No one on the team took over and led the charge offensively, opting to do it by committee. Yanni Gourde led the team with six points as Jaden Schwartz and Justin Schultz each had five. Oliver Bjorkstand scored both of his goals in Game 7. It was a group effort, much like it has been all season. Dallas got a little bit of everything from their series with Minnesota. It was a very physical series with everyone from the players to the coaches having a go at one another. A Game 1 hit on Joe Pavelski didn't seem to rattle the team as Roppe Hintz put up 12 points, including a team-leading five goals. Tyler Seguin also looked like he did in his prime with four goals and six points. Jake Oettinger allowed three goals in the final three games to keep the Minnesota offense in check as the Stars won three straight games to beat the Wild. 

Season Series Breakdown

Seattle- 1-1-1, 3 points, 10 goals

Dallas- 2-0-1, 5 points, 14 goals

The Stars scored four or more goals in all three meetings and won both games in Seattle. 

SEA leading scorers- Vince Dunn- 0 goals, 4 assists in 3 games, Brandon Tanev- 2 goals, 1 assist in 3 games

DAL leading scorers- Miro Heiskanen- 2 goals, 5 assists in 3 games, Jamie Benn- 2 goals, 4 assists in 3 games

Goalies

SEA- Philipp Grubauer- 1-0-0, 3.78 GAA, .840 SV%, Martin Jones- 0-1-0, 5.00 GAA, .844 SV%

DAL- Jake Oettinger- 2-0-1, 3.30 GAA, .884 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This will be their first playoff meeting since it's Seattle's first postseason.

Prediction

Seattle was a great story in the first round but now that Colorado is gone, this really feels like Dallas' conference to lose. However, this is the exact same type of series Seattle was in during the first round. On paper, Dallas is the much stronger team in all areas of the game. They have better scorers that can take over games with a solid defensive core. The difference in the series is going to be goaltending. Jake Oettinger is much tougher than Alexander Georgiev. Oettinger has more playoff experience too. I'm not saying Seattle can't do it again but I think the likelihood of it happening is significantly smaller. 

Dallas in 5

Vegas Golden Knights v. Edmonton Oilers

The Golden Knights enter the series as the only team to need just five games to win in the first round. They would've last played on Thursday, making them the most-rested team entering the second round. After dropping the first game at home, Vegas outscored 18-9 in four straight victories to close the series and get the job done. Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone each finished with eight points and Laurent Brossoit got some revenge on his old team by eliminating them from the postseason. Edmonton's journey to the second round was a little tougher as they fought hard against the Kings to advance in six games. Their power play charged the offense, converting nine times in 16 attempts (56.3%), as Leon Draisaitl scored seven times, three of which came on the power play. The defense left a little to be desired with Stuart Skinner not exactly standing on his head. They allowed 20 goals but managed to simply outscore the Kings. Edmonton scored at least three goals in all six games, including five or more in their last three games, all wins. 

Season Series Breakdown

VGK- 1-2-1, 3 points, 14 goals

EDM- 3-0-1, 7 points, 18 goals

Three goals were decided by one goal but Edmonton won both games in Vegas in regulation

VGK leading scorers- Jonathan Marchessault- 3 goals, 2 assists in 4 games, Jack Eichel- 1 goal, 4 assists in 4 games

EDM leading scorers- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- 1 goal, 8 assists in 4 games, Leon Draisaitl- 5 goals, 3 assists in 4 games 

Goalies

VGK- Laurent Broissoit- 1-0-0, 2.91 GAA, .886 SV%, Adin Hill- 0-0-1, 3.96 GAA, .826 SV%, Logan Thompson- 0-1-0, 4.10 GAA, .892 SV%, Jonathan Quick- 0-1-0, 9.00 GAA, .824 SV%

EDM- Stuart Skinner- 2-1-0, 3.59 GAA, .878 SV%, Jack Campbell- 1-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .900 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This will be the first postseason meeting in the two team's histories. 

Prediction

This is going to be another high-scoring series because I'm not quite sure how much longer Brossoit can keep this pace going. Vegas has an offense that could likely keep up with the Oilers but unless they find a way to slow down Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, they'll be done for the season. I think Skinner is better overall than Brossoit but the Vegas defense is stronger top-to-bottom than Edmonton's. Unless Draisaitl and McDavid fall off the face of the Earth, they'll be impactful. Of the teams left, I think Vegas has the best chance of holding the Oilers in check. This is going to be a tough one to predict but I'll stick with Edmonton. 

Edmonton in 6