NHL Postseason- 2nd Round Review & Conference Finals Preview

To put the first round into one word, it would simply be described as "chaos". The Florida Panthers eliminated the top regular-season team in NHL history with a shocking come-from-behind series win by erasing a 3-1 deficit and winning Game 7 on the road in overtime. The Seattle Kraken eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions in their first-ever series as a franchise. The Toronto Maple Leafs ended a 19-year postseason drought by eliminating the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions in six games. There were plenty of individual performances that caught us all by surprise too. Akira Schmid took over the net for the New Jersey Devils and helped them climb out of an early 2-0 series hole to eliminate the New York Rangers in seven games. The Oilers' power play continued to tear the league apart, striking on over half of their attempts in a six-game victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights each held serve as division champions with solid victories over the New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets, respectively, and the Dallas Stars rattled off three straight victories against the Minnesota Wild behind some brilliant goaltending by Jake Oettinger. Now, the road to the Stanley Cup runs through the second round with the best eight teams remaining. The second round brought three never-before-seen postseason matchups and one that was seeping with postseason history. Some of the league's best players remained and the race for the Stanely Cup suddenly felt more wide-open than ever with the betting favorite out of the running. 

Toronto Maple Leafs v. Florida Panthers (Florida wins 4-1)

Game 1- Florida 4, Toronto 2- Toronto is in the same boat that Florida was in last season. After Florida broke their postseason win drought in 2022, the Maple Leafs finally broke their curse this season. Now that they're in the second round, Toronto is in uncharted territory. Florida didn't allow them much time to celebrate. Nick Cousins scored the lone goal of the first period and Sam Bennett scored in the second period to double the lead. Matthew Knies responded 11 seconds later with his first NHL goal and Michael Bunting tied the game with 5:09 left. A defensive breakdown from Toronto cost them the game as Carter Verhaeghe got in on a breakaway and buried a shot late in the period to take the lead back. Brandon Montour added a goal in the third period as the Panthers spoiled the party to win their fourth straight game. 

Game 2- Florida 3, Toronto 2- Sensing the blood was in the water, Toronto came out and got it going early in the second game. Alex Kerfoot opened the scoring 2:20 into the game and Ryan O'Reilly buried a shot on the power play to make it 2-0 before the game was six minutes old. Sam Reinhart helped get the Panthers back into the game by making a beautiful pass to Anton Lundell to fake out Ilya Samsonov and make it a one-goal game again. The Panthers' attack started the second period strong. Aleksander Barkov snapped a seemingly harmless shot under the glove of Samsonov to tie the game and Gustav Forsling gave Florida their first lead of the night 47 seconds later. From there, Sergei Bobrovsky circa 2019 came out. He kept Toronto off the board for the rest of the night, finishing with 35 saves as Florida took both games in Toronto to take a 2-0 lead with the series moving to Sunrise.  

Game 3- Florida 3, Toronto 2 (OT)- After failing to defend home ice, the Maple Leafs needed to travel to Florida and take a game away to get back into the series. They got off to a perfect start as Sam Lafferty finished a one-timer less than 2:30 into the game on a perfect pass from David Kampf. It would take an entire period for the Panthers to respond as Anthony Duclair scored on the power play. The goal came shortly after Joseph Woll had to come in and relieve Ilya Samsonov after he left with an injury. Puck luck would follow Toronto as Erik Gustafsson's pass to the front of the net deflected past Sergei Bobrovsky to take the lead back. This lead lasted less than five minutes as Carter Verhaeghe redirected a shot with his backside to tie it once again. Neither team scored for the remainder of the second period and the entire third period as the game went to overtime. Early in overtime, Sam Bennett would take a pass from Anton Lundell while he was behind the net and would finish a wrap-around chance past a surprised Woll to win the game and take a commanding 3-0 series lead.  

Game 4- Toronto 2, Florida 1- Toronto's season was on the line after three underwhelming performances to start the series. To make it even more interesting, the Maple Leafs had to turn to Joseph Woll in the net with Ilya Samsonov too hurt to play as he made his first postseason start. Opposite Woll was Sergei Bobrovsky, who has arguably been the hottest goalie for the last two weeks. Toronto needed their big boys to step up and that's what they got. After a scoreless first period, William Nylander would benefit from a friendly bounce as Michael Bunting's pass hit the referee's knee and found Nylander at the front of the net all alone. His backhand would hit the post and trickle across the line after hitting Bobrovsky in his back to get Toronto ahead. It would be the only goal of the period and the only goal for a long time. Mitch Marner would finally break through Bobrovsky again with a long wrister that had eyes as it missed everything in front of the net. Florida found some life with a power-play goal from Sam Reinhart just over two minutes later but Woll would shut it down from there. Toronto staved off elimination with a 2-1 victory and got the series back to Toronto as they try to complete the comeback. 

Game 5- Florida 3, Toronto 2 (OT)- The Florida Panthers went in for the kill with Toronto forcing a fifth game back in Ontario. They started by capitalizing on an early penalty from Jake McCabe by scoring as Aaron Ekblad slapped one past Joseph Woll. The Toronto goalie got a piece of it but not enough to keep it out. Florida would be on the prowl again at the end of the period and would once again capitalize on a misplay from the Leafs. Toronto's defense couldn't control a puck at their own blue line and it allowed Florida to come in for a 3-on-2. All it took was one pass as Anthony Duclair passed it up to Carter Verhaeghe, who slapped it past a sprawling Woll. For two periods, Toronto scratched to get back into the game. Morgan Rielly got a great bounce to beat Sergei Bobrovsky in the second period and with time winding down in regulation, William Nylander found some daylight over Bobrovsky's shoulder to tie it up with 4:27 left. For the second time in three games, they would go to overtime. Each team had their chance to win during overtime but it would take almost the entire 20 minutes for there to be some resolution. With Florida moving in transition, Nick Cousins fired a shot to the short side of Woll's net as the arena went silent except for the cheering and hollering of the Panthers on the ice. Behind 50 saves from Bobrovsky, the Panthers sent the Maple Leafs home for the summer and advanced to their first conference finals in 27 years. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Aaron Ekblab (FLA)- 1 goal, 4 assists

2- Carter Verhaeghe (FLA)- 3 goals, 1 assist

1- Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA)- 4-1, 1.89 GAA, .943 SV%

Carolina Hurricanes v. New Jersey Devils (Carolina wins 4-1)

Game 1- Carolina 5, New Jersey 1- This had to feel like deja vu for the Devils after losing Game 1 to the Rangers by the same score in the last round. The Canes were the more-rested team heading into this game and they certainly played like it. They scored more goals in the first period than New Jersey had shots with Brett Pesce and Seth Jarvis each scoring while the Devils finished with one shot. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 1:55 into the second, spelling the end of the night for Akira Schmid. Nathan Bastian responded by getting the Devils on the board but they could not draw any closer before the end of the second. Brady Skjei made it 4-1 and Jesper Fast added an empty-netter late as the Canes cruised to a 5-1 victory to open the series. Frederik Andersen, making his second straight start, stopped 17 shots on a night when he wasn't too busy. 

Game 2- Carolina 6, New Jersey 1- The offensive outburst from the Canes continued once again in Game 2 as they decided to one-up themselves by scoring six times. Both Frederik Andersen and Akira Schmid were perfect in the first period but Jesperi Kotkaniemi broke the scoreless tie in the second period with two goals just 2:23 apart, the first coming on the power play, to get the Canes up 2-0. Carolina struck twice at the end of the second with Jordan Staal and Martin Necas scoring in the final few minutes to end the period up 4-0. Miles Wood made New Jersey feel like they had a chance to come back with a goal early in the third period but Jordan Martinook and Stefan Noesen scored 54 seconds apart as the Canes eased to a 6-1 victory and a 2-0 series lead. 

Game 3- New Jersey 8, Carolina 4- After two very lopsided losses in Raleigh, the Devils figured it was a good time for their offense to explode. Goals in the first period from Timo Meier, Jack Hughes, and Michael McLeod (SH) plus an early goal in the second period by Nico Hischier would chase Frederik Andersen from the game just 53 seconds into the middle period. Sebastian Aho scored to extend his point streak and get Carolina on the board but Damon Severson scored quickly after to restore the four-goal lead. Jordan Martinook continued his excellent series by scoring on a short-handed penalty shot as the Devils led 5-2 after two periods. Miles Wood would make it 6-2 and Hughes would add to the lead with his second of the night to earn their largest lead of the game early in the third. Carolina's penalty kill was just about the only good thing for them as Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis each scored during the same kill. Ondrej Palat would put the game away on the power play as New Jersey earned their first win of the series with an 8-4 win at home. 

Game 4- Carolina 6, New Jersey 1- When Jack Hughes redirected an early shot from Timo Meier past Frederik Andersen, Canes fans were starting to have some flashbacks back to Game 3. The crowd in New Jersey was alive and kicking with the early goal but that feeling wouldn't last. Martin Necas tied the game late in the first period to help Carolina build some momentum heading into the second period. This momentum would lead to one of the most one-sided periods of the series. The 1-1 tie would quickly explode into a 5-1 lead for Carolina as they scored four goals in 5:20, setting a new franchise postseason record. It began with Necas scoring a nearly identical goal to give the Canes the lead early in the period. Brett Pesce, Jesper Fast, and Brent Burns would complete the sequence. This would end Vitek Vanecek's night, much to the delight of the fans. At the end of the period, Jordan Martinook would complete a three-point night by snapping a shot off of the crossbar and in to make it 6-1 and complete the third five-goal period in Canes postseason history. The third period would be largely uneventful as the Canes cruised to their third ugly win of the series to send things back to Raleigh with a chance to end the series. 

Game 5- Carolina 3, New Jersey 2 (OT)- With an elimination game in Raleigh, New Jersey got on the board first with Dawson Mercer finishing a beautiful pass from the point by Timo Meier to get the Devils the only goal of the first period. Carolina wasted little time responding in the second period as Jaccob Slavin's shot from the point deflected off the stick of Jonas Siegenther and past Akira Schmid, getting the start over Vitek Vanecek, to even things up. The Canes' penalty kill had a rare misstep a few minutes later as Meier was able to clean up a rebound at the top of the crease to put the Devils back ahead. The defense from Carolina jumped into the play once again as Brent Burns scored for the second straight game with 38 seconds left in the period to send things into the intermission tied 2-2. Schmid and Frederik Andersen went save-for-save in the third period, forcing the first overtime game of the series. A delay-of-game penalty from Siegenthaler would end up being New Jersey's undoing as Jesper Fast redirected a shot from Jesperi Kotkaniemi past Schmid 7:09 into overtime to end the series and send the Canes to the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth time in franchise history. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Jordan Staal (CAR)- 2 goals, 4 assists

2- Frederik Andersen (CAR)- 4-0, 2.01 GAA, .918 SV%

1- Jordan Martinook (CAR)- 3 goals, 7 assists

Dallas Stars v. Seattle Kraken (Dallas wins 4-3)

Game 1- Seattle 5, Dallas 4 (OT)- Joe Pavelski returned to the lineup for the Stars as they looked to get things going, scoring the first goal of the game to send the fans into a frenzy. Jaden Schwartz tied it a little later in the period but Pavelski scored his second of the game 43 seconds later. This would be all that the Dallas fans would be able to cheer about for the next little while. Seattle blitzed the Stars, with Justin Schultz and Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring 11 seconds apart and Jordan Eberle making it 4-2 for the third goal in 52 seconds. The score stayed the same through the second period before Pavelski found more magic. He scored twice in 3:33 for his third and fourth goals of the game, becoming the oldest player to ever score four goals in a postseason game in NHL history. More importantly, it tied the game 4-4 after things were looking very bleak. Unfortunately for Dallas, the good times came to an end as Yanni Gourde scored in overtime to get Seattle the win as they shocked the Stars to take Game 1.  

Game 2- Dallas 4, Seattle 2- The Stars got back on track by bouncing back in Game 2, much like they did in the first round. After a scoreless first, Wyatt Johnston scored his second goal of the postseason and Evgenii Dadonov added to the lead by finishing a wrap-around as the Stars got off and rolling. Tye Kartye got Seattle back in the game with an incredible snipe but Joe Pavelski scored his fifth goal in as many periods on the power play to regain the two-goal lead. Tyler Seguin made it 4-1 in the third period and though Jordan Eberle brought it back to within two goals, it was already too late. Jake Oettinger made 25 stops, outdueling Philipp Grubauer as the Stars evened the series. 

Game 3- Seattle 7, Dallas 2- After two relatively close games, Seattle decided they weren't playing any games in their first home game of the series. After a scoreless first period, the Kraken scored four goals in just over six minutes with Jordan Eberle, Alex Wennberg, Carson Soucy, and Matty Beniers each being Jake Oettinger. Mason Marchment would break the shutout for Dallas but Eeli Tolvanen scored in the final minute of the period to make it 5-1. Oettinger's night would be done after the second period as Scott Wedgewood took over. Yanny Gourde rudely welcomed him to the game with a short-handed goal less than two minutes into the period. Jani Hakanpaa slapped one past Philipp Grubauer to cut the lead to four goals. Justin Schultz scored on the power play late in the game to put an emphatic end to the game as Seattle regained the series lead with a 7-2 victory. 

Game 4- Dallas 6, Seattle 3- The pendulum kept swinging in this series as Dallas' offense came to life again. Jamie Benn snapped a shot past Philipp Grubauer on the power play late in the period to get the Stars ahead and it would help to ignite Dallas in the second period. The Stars added to their lead thanks to Thomas Harley before Max Domi and Joe Pavelski (PP) scored 1:25 apart to swell the lead to 4-0. Jaden Schwartz cut into the lead with a goal for Seattle but Roope Hintz, following Seattle's gameplan in Game 3, scored in the final minute to make it 5-1 after two periods. Schwartz scored his second of the game early in the third and Adam Larsson made it 5-3 late in the period but Domi's second of the game into the empty net would be all she wrote as Dallas evened the series and booked their tickets for a return trip to Seattle in Game 6. 

Game 5- Dallas 5, Seattle 2- The Stars managed to put together two strong games in a row as they now are one win away from advancing to the conference finals. Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz scored less than two minutes apart to get Dallas a 2-0 lead less than six minutes into the first period. Joe Pavelski added his seventh goal of the series just 35 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0. Seattle found some life as Adam Larsson scored 1:24 later and Jared McCann scored in his return to the lineup to bring the Kraken back within a goal with plenty of time left. The score stayed that way after the second period and with Hintz scoring his second goal of the game more than halfway through the third, effectively killing any momentum Seattle had built. Radek Faksa added the empty-netter to put it away for good as the Stars defended home ice before moving the series to Seattle with a chance to put the Kraken away. 

Game 6- Seattle 6, Dallas 3- The Kraken lived to fight another day as they forced their second straight Game 7. They did it by getting to Jake Oettinger early and often. Yanni Gourde opened the scoring and while Mason Marchment responded 31 seconds later, Jordan Eberle struck on the power play late in the period to put Seattle back ahead. Eeli Tolvanen and Tye Kartye each scored in the first 4:30 of the second period to make it 4-1 and that would be all for Oettinger as he was lifted for Scott Wedgewood. Joe Pavelski scored another goal on the power play with a beautiful deflection to make a quick response but that's all Dallas would find in the second. Matty Beniers seemingly put the game away with a breakaway to make it 5-2 but Joel Kiviranta scored 15 seconds later, cutting the lead back to two goals. Eberle would put it away for good with an empty-net tally with less than a minute left to officially earn the victory and send the series back to Dallas with a chance to make their first conference finals. 

Game 7- Dallas 2, Seattle 1- The only Game 7 of the second round went down in Dallas and while some were expecting to see some goals, it turned into a goaltending duel between Jake Oettinger and Philipp Grubauer. Most people will remember the amazing Game 7 performance from Oettinger in the first round last season that resulted in a loss to Calgary. Tonight, he was nearly perfect. However, it was Grubauer that was stealing the show early. He made some huge stops on the Stars with plenty of excellent chances. It wasn't until Roope Hintz scored late in the second period that Grubauer was beaten and it was a perfect shot that beat him. Wyatt Johnston added to the lead midway through the third period after he elevated a backhander over the shoulder of Grubauer. A last-minute goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand made it feel a little bit closer but the Stars held on to defeat the Kraken to advance to their second Western Conference Final in four years. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Jordan Eberle (SEA)- 5 goals, 3 assists

2- Max Domi (DAL)- 2 goals, 6 assists

1- Joe Pavelski (DAL)- 8 goals, 1 assist

Vegas Golden Knights v. Edmonton Oilers (Vegas wins 4-2)

Game 1- Vegas 6, Edmonton 4- It was almost like Vegas and Edmonton saw what happened the night before in Dallas and decided to do the same thing without any overtime needed. Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play to open the scoring but Ivan Barbashev responded 40 seconds later to spur three unanswered goals with Michael Amadio and Mark Stone (PP) adding to the fun. Draisaitl made it 3-2 at the end of the period to keep things close. After a scoreless second period, Draisaitl scored another goal on the power play to complete the hat trick and tie the game early in the third. As they did in the first period, Ivan Barbashev responded, scoring 1:01 after Draisaitl tied it and Chandler Stephenson scored 50 seconds later to make it 5-3. Draisaitl scored his fourth of the game to pull back within a goal with more than half of the period left. Jack Eichel closed it out by taking the puck away from Connor McDavid and scoring into the empty net to put Game 1 away. 

Game 2- Edmonton 5, Vegas 1- By the end of the first period, it was evident that Edmonton was going to win this game. Edmonton's special teams were the story of the night once again. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard each scored on the power play in the first 7:01 of the game and Connor McDavid scored while short-handed to make it 3-0 early. Draisaitl added another goal, his 13th of the postseason, late in the period to send the game into the first intermission with Edmonton holding a 4-0 lead. McDavid scored his second of the night, this time on the power play as Edmonton led 5-0 after two periods. Ivan Barbashev broke the shutout in the third period, scoring the only goal of the final frame as Edmonton's stars led them to a win to split the two games in Vegas. 

Game 3- Vegas 5, Edmonton 1- Coming off of a win in Vegas in Game 2 and with the series shifting to Edmonton, you would expect the Oilers to come in with a ton of energy and momentum. To their credit, they scored the first goal of the game as Warren Foegele scored his first goal of the postseason just 2:45 into the game. After that, Vegas took control. Jonathan Marchessault scored twice to respond to Edmonton's goal to lead 2-1 after the first. Between Marchessault's two goals, Laurent Brossoit would exit the game after fighting off a shot from the Oilers and laboring to get off of the ice. Zach Whitecloud picked a corner on Stuart Skinner and Jack Eichel picked up his third point of the night on a goal that would chase Skinner from the game. Chandler Stephenson made it 5-1 before the end of the second period and Adin Hill shut down the Oilers in the third period as he finished with 24 saves in relief to earn a 5-1 victory on the road. 

Game 4- Edmonton 4, Vegas 1- The Oilers came out of the gates hot once again and while their stars weren't scoring goals, their fingerprints were all over it. Nick Bjugstad buried a wrap-around and Evan Bouchard added a power-play goal 52 seconds later. Mattias Ekholm added one before the end of the period. Vegas hadn't played a bad period but the Oilers made them pay for every small mistake. It remained 3-0 for most of the second period before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finally broke out of his drought with a goal. Though Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl hadn't found the back of the net, they were still impacting the game. Nicolas Roy broke the shutout early in the third period but the real fireworks came after the goal. After two men on each team were given an early exit, Alex Pietrangelo gave Draisaitl a tomahawk chop to the arm after he'd gotten rid of the puck, earning him an early shower. About 40 seconds later, Darnell Nurse would be cited with an instigator penalty that would lead to a fight between him and Nicolas Hague. The Oilers would win the game to even the series and ensure a sixth game in the series but it would come with consequences for both teams. Both Nurse and Pietrangelo were given one-game suspensions, meaning they'll both miss Game 5. 

Game 5- Vegas 4, Edmonton 3- Vegas once again wasn't deterred by the potency of the Edmonton power play. Connor McDavid scored early in the first period on the power play but Jack Eichel responded 50 seconds later to even it up. Zach Hyman would get Edmonton's second power-play goal of the period just before the halfway point of the period as Edmonton led 2-1 at intermission. The second period was all Vegas. Mark Stone and Reilly Smith each scored on the power play and Nicolas Hague added one more to make it three Vegas goals in 1:29, chasing Stuart Skinner from the game to take a 4-2 lead into the third period. McDavid scored his second power-play goal of the game early in the third to pull within one goal with plenty of time left in the game. Adin Hill would have none of it as he finished the game with 32 saves to hold onto the lead and win Game 5 to send the series back to Edmonton with a spot on the conference finals on the line. 

Game 6- Vegas 5, Edmonton 2- The offense wasted no time to show up in full force. Reilly Smith needed just 24 seconds to get Vegas on the board. Connor McDavid had a quick response to Smith by scoring 31 seconds later to make it 1-1 before the game was a minute old. Warren Foegele buried a beautiful pass from Derek Ryan less than two minutes later as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead less than three minutes into the game. It stayed that way for the rest of the period and in the second, it became a one-man show. Jonathan Marchessault scored three goals in the period to stun the crowd in Edmonton and put the Golden Knights up 4-2. An empty-net goal from William Karlsson would put an end to Edmonton's season as Adin Hill made 38 stops to secure the series victory and a spot in the Western Conference Final for the fourth time in franchise history. 

Three Stars of the Series

3- Connor McDavid (EDM)- 5 goals, 5 assists

2- Adin Hill (VGK)- 3-1, 2.19 GAA, .934 SV%

1- Jonathan Marchessault (VGK)- 5 goals, 3 assists

Final Thoughts for the Second Round

• Toronto/Florida- I mentioned this after Game 1 of the series but Toronto appeared to be in the "What now?" stage when they made it to the second round. It's exactly where Florida was last season when they beat Washington in six games in the first round before they were then swept in four games by Tampa Bay in the second round. Scoring ten goals in five games isn't going to win you a series, especially when three of your four most expensive players combine for one goal and six points. We can talk about how great it is for Toronto to win a round and how well they played against Tampa Bay but that doesn't make up for their performance in this round. With Boston out of the postseason, this was their opportunity to make some waves. Then they ran into Sergei Bobrovsky. Florida used the entire team to get the job done by shutting down such a potent offense. The Panthers are riding a serious wave of momentum right now and have earned every ounce of their success. 
• Carolina/New Jersey- While I had the series going the distance, I don't think anyone expected to see some of the lopsided games that we did. The magic of Akira Schmid clearly ran out and by the time they tried to change the momentum, it was too late. It also didn't help that their stars didn't show up until Game 3 when they were already down 2-0. The series we just witnessed from Jordan Martinook was special, especially as someone that follows the Canes as closely as I do given how his season went. Frederik Andersen also showed up in a big way for the Canes, playing like the #1 goalie we all knew he could be. New Jersey's fourth line was their most effective line and that's not the best formula to win a series. Despite the quick exit, New Jersey has a lot going for it and they'll be a tough team to face for years to come. Carolina looked like a well-oiled machine. 12 different players scored a goal and while no one scored more than three goals, eight players had more than one in the series. They should be considered the favorite to win the Prince of Wales Trophy. 
• Dallas/Seattle- Both teams showed how important their depth was in this series. 18 Stars and 18 Kraken recorded at least one point, including seven on each side with at least five points. Dallas won this series with Jason Robertson scoring a goal, which feels crazy to me. Joe Pavelski returned in a major way, leading the series with eight goals and nine points. The defensive struggle in Game 7 was a far cry from what we'd seen in this series. Philipp Grubauer nearly stole the series for Seattle but Jake Oettinger was phenomenal in another Game 7. Otherwise, neither goalie really had a great series. Both finished with a sub-.880 SV% and allowed over 20 goals over the seven games. Assuming Florida doesn't win the Stanley Cup, Seattle will likely be the biggest surprise story of the playoffs. They knocked off the defending champs in the first round and were two goals away from winning this series. Ultimately, it was Dallas' star power that got them over the hump in this one. Roope Hintz was stellar once again. Max Doni proved that he was a great deadline addition. Wyatt Johnston scored three goals, including the series winner. Dallas took the long way to win this series after entering as the clearly superior team. 
• Vegas/Edmonton- Canada's hopes to end their Stanley Cup drought have been shot down once again, running it up to 30 years. It just goes to show that shutting down one of Edmonton's stars will help you go far. Leon Draisaitl was held scoreless in three of the final four games, all three were losses for the Oilers. It doesn't matter how good Connor McDavid is. If he doesn't have a proper support system, Edmonton can't do anything. The same issues we always point out with Edmonton were true in this one too. The Oilers scored 19 goals in the series, 11 of which came from McDavid and Draisaitl. Meanwhile, 11 different Golden Knights scored a goal, led by five from Jonathan Marchessault. The difference in goaltending was also staggering. Adin Hill stepped in for Laurent Brossoit and put together an amazing series. On the other hand, Stuart Skinner struggled mightily. Vegas was clearly the deeper team and they earned this series victory. It's a shame the world's best player won't keep playing but it opens up the field even more now. 
• The second round was full of blowouts with 12 of the 23 games being decided by three or more goals. The Florida-Toronto series was the only exception with all but Game 1 decided by one goal. For all of the blowouts, all but the Vegas-Edmonton finale was decided by one goal, including Carolina and Florida each advancing in overtime of Game 5. 
• My 2nd Round Predictions- I correctly picked two of the four winners (Carolina & Dallas) but I was wrong about how many games each series would go to. 

Conference Finals Preview

Eastern Conference Final- Carolina Hurricanes v. Florida Panthers

Just as we all expected, the Florida Panthers are in the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996. They did so by pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history in the first round and dominating Toronto in the second round. Sergei Bobrovsky was magnificent in all five games, holding the Maple Leafs to two goals in each game with Auston Matthews and John Tavares combining for zero goals and three points. While Matthew Tkachuk didn't score a goal either, he finished with a team-high five assists, tying him with Aaron Ekblad for the team lead in points. Nine different players finished with multiple points but it was their defense that truly shone in the series. For Carolina, they beat New Jersey by putting on an offensive barrage at Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek for the entire series. The Canes scored four or more goals in the first four games, winning Games 1, 2, and 4 by scores of 5-1, 6-1, and 6-1. Jordan Martinook had one of the most productive series in franchise history, scoring ten points to tie the team record for points in a series. Outside of a rough start in Game 3, Frederik Andersen was also spectacular, allowing two or fewer goals in all four wins. 12 players finished with three or more points to outscore the Devils 24-13 in the series. 

Season Series Breakdown

Carolina- 2-1-0, 4 points, 10 goals

Florida- 1-2-0, 2 points, 7 goals

The two teams split decisions in Florida and Carolina won the only game in Raleigh. 

CAR leading scorers- Brent Burns- 2 goals, 2 assists in 3 games, Seth Jarvis- 0 goals, 4 assists in 3 games 

FLA leading scorers- Brandon Montour- 0 goals, 3 assists in 3 games, Radko Gudas- 0 goals, 3 assists in 3 games

Goalies

CAR- Antti Raanta- 1-1-0, 1.03 GAA, .964 SV%, Frederik Andersen- 1-0-0, 4.00 GAA, .882 SV%

FLA- Spencer Knight- 1-1-0, 2.00 GAA, .946 SV%, Alex Lyon- 0-1-0, 4.22 GAA, .882 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This will be the first time Carolina and Florida have met in the postseason. 

Prediction

The Southeast Division will rise again as the winner of the series will be the third different team from the old division to win the Prince of Wales since the divisions realigned. Both teams will be well-rested after finishing their series in five games, so I'm expecting some serious fireworks in Game 1. The focus of the series is likely to be on the Staal brothers as the three active Staals will all take the ice with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. I think this series is wide open because I'm not underestimating the Panthers anymore. Still, I'm sticking to my team and taking the Hurricanes. I think they're the deeper team and will finally fulfill their destiny. 

Hurricanes in 6

Western Conference Final- Dallas Stars v. Vegas Golden Knights

It might be accurate to describe what Dallas did as surviving after they fended off Seattle in Game 7 to advance to their second conference final in four years. Seattle gave Dallas everything it could as they fell just a goal short. It took an amazing performance from Jake Oettinger to get the job done in an otherwise messy series for Dallas. After finishing the Wild in six games, the Stars barely got through the second round. Joe Pavelski returned from his scary injury in Game 1 of the first round to put up eight goals against the Kraken. Max Domi added eight points. Oettinger wasn't great but he was good enough to get Dallas through. Vegas had its own fight as they defeated Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in six games. While Edmonton's power play dominated the special teams' fight, Vegas was the far superior team at 5-on-5. Nine points from Jack Eichel and a Game 6 hat trick from Jonathan Marchessault propelled Vegas to their fourth conference final in their six-year existence. Adin Hill was another big part of the series win, relieving Laurent Brossoit of his starting duties and allowing just nine goals in five appearances. 

Season Series Breakdown

Dallas- 3-0-0, 6 points, 9 goals

Vegas- 0-1-2, 2 points, 3 goals

The final two meetings were decided in a shootout after Dallas shut out Vegas on the road. 

DAL leading scorers- Jamie Benn- 1 goal, 2 assists in 3 games, Ty Dellandrea- 0 goals, 3 assists in 3 games

VGK leading scorers- Jack Eichel- 1 goal, 0 assists in 2 games, Brett Howden- 1 goal, 0 assists in 2 games 

Goalies

DAL- Jake Oettinger- 3-0-0, 0.96 GAA, .967 SV%

VGK- Jonathan Quick- 0-0-1, 0.93 GAA, .960 SV%, Laurent Brossoit- 0-0-1, 1.85 GAA, .953 SV%, Logan Thompson- 0-1-0, 3.25 GAA, .914 SV%

Prior Postseason Meetings

This is the second time the Stars and the Golden Knights have met in the postseason. Their previous meeting was in the bubble in 2020, also in the conference finals. Dallas won the low-scoring series in five games. There were only 17 goals scored in total with Dallas winning Game 5 in overtime on a goal by Denis Gurianov. Dallas would lose in the Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay in six games. 

Prediction

Both teams used their depth to get to this point. Both teams are capable of scoring in bunches. I think the big question in this series will be which goaltender shows out the most? Jake Oettinger will be looking to recover from a tough series against Seattle while Adin Hill will be trying to replicate his performance from the second round as he controls the net for the first time in his career in the postseason. There is plenty of familiarity between these two teams having met so recently in the playoffs. Dallas needs to get Jason Robertson going. While Dallas managed to survive without him scoring against Seattle, Vegas is a different test. My better judgement tells me to pick Vegas but I'm going to stick with the Stars. I think they are incredible to watch when they are clicking on all cylinders and I think they have what it takes to make it to the Stanley Cup Final again. 

Dallas in 7