STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

The Eastern Conference witnessed a massive amount of drama in Round 1. For the first time since 2019, the Eastern Conference will be represented by a team not named the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bolts won 2 Stanley Cups and 11 straight playoff series during their run, but couldn’t find winners in 3 Overtime losses to Toronto. The Leafs ended the Bolts run with history of their own. Toronto won their first playoff series since 2004 (I was in high school in 2004…I’m 37 now) and maybe have lifted a tremendous curse. Speaking of a curse, the failure of the President’s Trophy winner to lift the Stanley Cup carries on after the Florida Panthers clawed back from a 3-1 deficit to win Game 7 in Boston. A historic regular season for the Bruins is wasted by this jaw dropping early exit. The Carolina Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division and destroyed the Islanders in the opening round. The upstart New Jersey Devils and veteran New York Rangers went the full 7 games with the young Devils prevailing. New Jersey has a quick turn around before they face the Category 5 Hurricanes. The door is open for each of the remaining squads now that perennial powers in Tampa Bay, Boston and New York all exited very early.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are Wild are truly prove how hard it is to win a cup. The Bolts, Bruins and Rangers have all hit the golf course, while the 8 seeded Panthers and upstart Devils are still playing. I think we’re going to see a ton of goals between Florida and Toronto and the exact opposite in the other series. Players to watch in the Second Round are Auston Matthews, Matthew Thachuk, Sebastian Aho, and Jack Hughes as the on ice leaders for each remaining team.

FLORIDA PANTHERS VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS:

• THE PANTHERS ARE RIDING HIGH AFTER WINNING 3 STRAIGHT TO KNOCK OUT BOSTON.
• CAN TKACHUK, MONTOUR, VERHAEGHE, BARKOV, BENNETT AND THE STAAL BROTHERS KEEP PUSHING THE CATS TO NEW HEIGHTS?
• THE FLORIDA DEFENSE WAS STOUT DOWN THE STRETCH, LED BY RADKO GUDAS & AARON EKBLAD.
• WHOEVER IS IN NET FOR FLORIDA, THEY NEED TO BE MUCH BETTER….BOBROVSKY & LYON BOTH HAD A GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE OF 3.26 OR WORSE IN ROUND 1.
• THIS IS FOREIGN TERRITORY FOR THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS….THE SECOND ROUND.
• IS THE CURSE LIFTED OR JUST A LUCKY 7 GAME SERIES VICTORY WITH 3 OT WINNERS?
• THE LEAFS HAD 6 PLAYERS WITH 7 POINTS OR MORE AGAINST TAMPA, LED BY MITCH MARNER’S 11.
• AUSTON MATTHEWS, JOHN TAVARES, MITCH MARNER, WILLIAM NYLANDER AND RYAN O’REILLY SHOULD PLAY MUCH BETTER GOING FORWARD NOW THAT THE PRESSURE TO WIN A SERIES IS LIFTED.
• THEY MUST STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX…..CAN’T GIVE THE PANTHERS LIFE.
• THE LEAFS POWER PLAY IS LETHAL….6 POWER PLAY GOALS IN THE FIRST ROUND.
• THE LEAFS SCORED 23 GOALS IN ROUND 1…THE PANTHERS SCORED 26 GOALS
• VERY EVENLY MATCHED TEAMS
• TORONTO WON THE SEASON SERIES 3-1
• GAME 1: TUESDAY. 7PM EST. ESPN
• GAME 2: THURSDAY. 7PM EST. TNT
• PREDICTION: LEAFS WIN THE SERIES IN 6 GAMES

NEW JERSEY DEVILS VS CAROLINA HURRICANES:

• SEBASTIAN AHO WAS THE STORM IN ROUND 1 WITH 7 POINTS FOR THE CANES
• CAROLINA IS A FIESTY DEFENSIVE ORIENTED CLUB THAT WILL HIT YOU AND SCORE WHEN NEEDED.
• BRENT BURNS IS A TOUGH AND RUGGED VETERAN DEFENSEMAN WHO CAN SCORE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
• CAN THE CANES CONTINUE THEIR QUIET / UNDER THE RADAR DOMINANCE?
• THE CANES MUST GET PRODUCTION FROM STASNY, NECAS, NOESEN, JARVIS, FAST, STAAL AND OTHERS
• THEY ALSO MUST REMAIN OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX AND AVOID DOUBLE DIGIT DEFICITS
• THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS WERE BOTTOM DWELLERS LAST YEAR….WOW …WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR CAN MAKE.
• DEVILS LOST GAMES 1 & 2 BY A SCORE OF 5-1 EACH…..STORMED BACK. TO WIN 4 OF NEXT 5
• DEVILS ONLY SCORED 17 GOALS AGAINT NEW YORK…..WILL NEED MORE AGAINST CAROLINA IF THEY WANT TO ADVANCE.
• THE DEVILS ARE A YEAR OR 2 AHEAD OF SCHEDULE….ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN NOW
• JACK HUGHES IS THE OFFENSIVE LEADER OF THIS TEAM…..CAN HE GO HIGHER?
• ONDREJ PALAT AND DOUGIE HAMILTON ARE PLAYOFF VETS WHO CAN KEEP HAULA, HISCHIER, BRATT AND OTHER DEVILS FOCUSED.
• WHICH GOALIE SHOWS UP FOR THE SERIES….YOUND AKIRA SCHMID (DEVILS) OR VETERAN ANTTI RAANTA (CANES)
• THE DEVILS AND HURRICANES SPLIT THE SEASON SERIES 2-2
• THESE ARE 2 SCRAPPY DEFENSIVE TEAMS….GOALS WILL BE AT A PREMIUM.
• GAME 1: WEDNESDAY. TBD
• GAME 2: FRIDAY. TBD
• PREDICTION: DEVILS IN 7 GAMES

Both of these series should be a great showcase of rugged hockey. The stakes are much higher and teams that are undisciplined pay the price. As painful as it is for me to admit (Lightning Fan), it is good for hockey that these clubs and their markets are still alive.