Stanley Cup Second Round Predictions

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The first round went according to plan for most series with the favorites, save for Toronto and Minnesota all winning.

Ryan went 7-1

Mark went 7-1

Michael went 6-2

Corey went 6-2

Matthew went 5-3

Jeffrey went 4-4

Here are our predictions for Round 2

Below are all the comments for each series.

Carolina-New York Rangers

Ryan – The Rangers certainly left something to be desired against Pittsburgh, but I think they also deserve credit for fighting even when they fell behind in the series 3-1 and eventually pulling through. The big X-Factor here is Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers need him to be better against Carolina than he was against Pittsburgh, but he’s certainly capable of that. Now that he has some NHL playoff experience, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up playing like the Vezina/Hart contender we know he is.

Mark – My Stanley Cup pick, the Rangers, barely escaped the first round, but I was impressed by their ability to make in-game adjustments even when facing several deficits against the Penguins. Igor Shesterkin faced all kinds of offensive pressure in Round 1 and my real worry for the Rangers is that they come out flat on tired legs versus Carolina. If they can get past the pure exhaustion of that series against Pittsburgh, I think they take this one in relatively straightforward fashion.

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Michael – While Shesterkin played well in Game 7, he really has not played up to his level since March 10. The Hurricanes have home ice advantage and that will be major if it goes seven games. I like the Hurricanes depth at forward to carry them to the series win while Raanta has provided the team with excellent goaltending.

Corey – The Hurricanes didn’t look great on the road in the previous round against Boston, but overall I thought they played well. On the other hand, the Rangers were a bit of a disappointment. They did battle back from a 3-1 series deficit, but were outplayed for the majority of the series even though Pittsburgh was missing some key players and had a third-string goalie between the pipes. I don’t see them being able to keep up with Carolina.

Matthew – This is where the Hurricanes make a statement in the playoffs. Carolina looked really good in all their wins against a very experienced Boston Bruins team and they have the firepower to go really far. The Rangers, while a young and fun team, weren’t very convincing against Pittsburgh, who with all due respect, started a third-string goalie for most of that series.

Jeff – Some would say the Rangers were lucky to get by the Penguins and with Igor Shesterkin playing un-Shesterkin like, they may be right. Igor needs to get back to MVP form to advance to the next round while the Hurricanes just need to keep playing their game and they’ll be fine.

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Florida-Tampa Bay

Ryan – Going into the playoffs I would have picked the Panthers to win this series. Florida has such an amazing offense this year, I would peg them to overwhelm almost any team through that alone. However, Florida showed some significant vulnerabilities in the Washington series and Tampa Bay demonstrated the value of experience during their series with Toronto. Plus I think there was this general feeling that the Lightning were worse this year or at very least couldn’t keep up their inertia for a third straight Cup run and after watching them play the Leafs, that doesn’t seem to be the case. This is very much a Lightning team that can measure up against the last two years’ and that should worry the Panthers.

Mark – Florida may have won their series against Washington, but they did so despite several so-so games. While they were a better team than the Lightning in the regular season, I don’t love this matchup for the Panthers. Tampa Bay has the recent postseason experience that Florida simply lacks. And while Andrei Vasilevskiy was not in elite form for most of the series against Toronto, I still see the Lightning as having a clear advantage in-crease.

Michael – The Lightning had a very tough matchup with the Maple Leafs and finally Andrei Vasilevskiy played like his old self in the last four periods of the season. The Lightning have too much experience and will prevail as Sergei Bobrovsky will have his troubles in net in Round 2.

Corey – The Lightning have won nine straight series and I honestly wasn’t impressed by what I saw from the Panthers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I think they will be better against Tampa Bay, but I don’t have enough confidence in Florida when it comes to being able to take the next step yet.

Matthew – The Lightning may not have had the most convincing win over Toronto, but going through adversity is a good thing. From the second half of Game 6 on, Andrei Vasilevskiy returned to form and I don’t see a scenario where he regresses to how he played at the beginning of that series. Meanwhile on the other side, the Panthers had a bunch of comeback victories against the Capitals in round 1 which were impressive. However, falling behind against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champs is a recipe for disaster.

Jeff – The battle of Florida should be a nice heavyweight tilt between arguably the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. Andrei Vasilevskiy didn’t quite look like the dominant goaltender we saw during Tampa’s back-to-back runs and that is the reason why I’ve given the edge to the Panthers. Florida won’t let Vasilevskiy get away with shaky nights.

Colorado-St. Louis

Ryan – I’ve changed my mind a bit on the Panthers, but I still love the Avalanche. Granted, they were the heavy favorites going into the Nashville series, but they still deserve credit for the sweep. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington is hot going into this series, which adds an interesting wrinkle and St. Louis’ depth shouldn’t be overlooked, but even still Colorado is the better team and I think this group is ready to push beyond their previous playoff disappointments.

Mark – While we saw multiple first-round series end with Game 7 bangs, neither Colorado nor St. Louis had to face playoff elimination against the Preds and Wild, respectively. I loved the energy I saw from the Avalanche in Round 1 and I like them to keep up that pace in the Western Semifinals. The overall talent in this matchup favors Colorado. So does, I think, the motivational fire.

Michael – The Avalanche are the class of the West and have so much talent that the Blues are going to need Jordan Binnington to play like he did in 2019 when they won the Stanley Cup. I don’t think that is possible. The Avs are more talented at every position than the Blues and should win it in five games.

Corey – – The Avalanche swept the Blues a year ago in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. St. Louis is a better, deeper team this time around, but Colorado improved as well. I don’t think the gap has been narrowed enough and the Blues have a banged up defense corps.

Matthew – I think this series is going to be closer than a lot of people think. The Blues are a battle-tested group who really impressed in their win over the Minnesota Wild. But, there is just way too much firepower on this Colorado team. There’s still a long road ahead but it looks like this might be the year where the Avalanche live up to the hype.

Jeff – It just feels like the year for the Avalanche. They got the goaltending and can get goals from anyone and everyone. Artturi Lehkonen’s addition is going to prove to be sneaky good in this series.

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Calgary-Edmonton

Ryan – Evander Kane has given the Oilers another big offensive weapon, which is something they sorely needed in the past, but even still, the Oilers’ depth is suspect. Oilers goaltender Mike Smith held his own against the Kings, but the Calgary Flames will be a far bigger test for him. On top of that, the Flames have Jacob Markstrom in their net and it’s easy to see him as the better goaltender in this series. The Flames just look like the more complete team and I expect them to pull through.

Mark – Maybe it is folly to bank on the aged Mike Smith turning in gem after playoff gem, but he really has been great for Edmonton down the stretch and into the postseason. And I don’t know what to make of Calgary after their series against Dallas, a series which I thought the Flames would take with relative ease. The unit I trust most in this series is Edmonton’s offense.

Michael – The Oilers will gain a lot of confidence from their first-round win and have Connor McDavid carry them once again to victory over their provincial rivals. Calgary had trouble scoring against the Stars (Jake Oettinger was sensational) but it is tougher to score in the playoffs and that will be Calgary’s downfall.

Corey – The Flames and Oilers had more trouble with their first-round opponents than most pundits thought they would. I did pick the Kings for an upset win over Edmonton, but the Oilers managed to battle back in that series. Calgary ended up winning what was a goaltender duel between Jacob Markstrom and Jake Oettinger. I think the stinginess of the Flames will serve them well again in Round 2.

Matthew – This is going to be the best series of the second round. Two teams that hate each others’ guts and play a physical, fast-paced style of hockey. Calgary has the deeper team, but there is no denying that Edmonton has the higher end talent. Connor McDavid will get his due, but ultimately when it all comes down to it, it’s Jacob Markstrom against Mike Smith. I’ll take the Vezina Trophy finalist.

Jeff – Ah! The much-anticipated Battle of Alberta… I think the depth of the Flames will just be a bit much for Connor McDavid and the Oilers in a seven-game series.