Following a qualifying round that saw the lowest seeds in both conferences upset their opponent and advance to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL has somewhat stabilized as we enter Round 2. The top seeds in both the Eastern and Western conferences — the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights — both advanced out of Round 1, and six of the top eight teams who played in the Round Robin are still alive.
The best news of all is that, logistically, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are proceeding as smoothly as the ice after a Zamboni sweep. After four weeks of daily COVID testing among all 52 members of each team’s travelling party, there still hasn’t been a single positive test result inside the bubble. What’s more, because none of the First Round matchups went to seven games, Round 2 started three days ahead of schedule, which means the Stanley Cup is likely to be awarded before Oct. 1.
Add it up and, much like the players themselves, NHL fans have to feel pretty good right now (unless you’re a Blues supporter). Check out the Round 2 schedule, along with previews of each series, below:
WESTERN CONFERENCE (Rogers Place – Edmonton)
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (5)Vancouver Canucks
Game 1: Golden Knights 5, Canucks 0
Game 2: Tuesday, Aug. 25 - 9:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 3: Thursday, Aug. 27 - 9:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 4: Saturday, Aug. 29 - 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 5: Monday, Aug. 31 – TBD
*Game 6: Tuesday, Sept. 1 – TBD
*Game 7: Thursday, Sept. 3 – TBD
*if necessary
Vegas seems to be breezing through these playoffs like a team from another planet. After going undefeated in the Round Robin and wrapping up their First Round series in a tidy five games, they slammed the Canucks with a 5-0 final score in Game 1 of this round. But the Canucks are used to being the underdogs – they put down the defending Stanley Cup champs in the first round despite all premonitions to the contrary. If they can stay out of the box and put more pucks on net, they might be able to pull off a repeat performance. Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes helped light the fire for Vancouver in Round One, and they’ll need another ignition sequence like that to fight back in this series.
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (3) Dallas Stars
Game 1: Stars 5, Avalanche 3
Game 2: Monday, Aug. 24 - 9:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 3: Wednesday, Aug. 26 - 10:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 4: Friday, Aug. 28 - 10 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 5: Sunday, Aug. 30 – TBD
*Game 6: Monday, Aug. 31 – TBD
*Game 7: Wednesday, Sept. 2 – TBD
The Avalanche ended their Round One series against the Coyotes like a bull in a china shop, absolutely burying them under a mountain of 14 goals in the last two games. But Game 1 against the Stars was a different tune entirely — sloppy defense led to a 5-3 victory for Dallas. Colorado will need to seriously tighten up if they want to skate through this series to the Conference Finals. These two teams have a rich playoff history, and though the Avs managed to steamroll them in a 4-0 Round Robin win, the Stars have had their number for years. The Avs lost their top goaltender Philipp Grubauer in Game 1 to a likely repeat of his groin injury from earlier in the season, but all hope isn’t lost — this Colorado team is young, fast, and well-conditioned. If they can curb the careless mistakes and get a burst, the older and slower Stars will have a hard time keeping up.
Eastern Conference (Scotiabank Arena – Toronto)
(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New York Islanders
Game 1: Monday, Aug. 24 - 7 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 2: Wednesday Aug. 26 - 3 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 3: Thursday, Aug. 27 - 7 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 4: Saturday, Aug. 29 - 12 p.m. ET – NBC
*Game 5: Monday, Aug. 31 – TBD
*Game 6: Wednesday, Sept. 2 – TBD
*Game 7: Thursday, Sept. 3 – TBD
The Flyers clearly kept their regular-season mojo alive after the pause, and it seems the Islanders have found some of their own. Through five games against the Washington Capitals, New York scored a combined 17 goals that came from a diverse selection of players. Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey are leading the team with solid numbers, and Semyon Varlamov has been solid in net. But the Flyers are going to bring a new kind of challenge to the Isles — Carter Hart is surely riding the high of besting his goaltending idol in a playoff series when Philadelphia beat Carey Price and the Canadiens, and their offensive fire is raging. The puck drops on Game 1 of that series on Monday, August 24, and it will certainly be interesting to see which way the ice tilts.
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (4) Boston Bruins
Game 1: Bruins 3, Lightning 2
Game 2: Tuesday, Aug. 25 - 7 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 3: Wednesday, Aug. 26 - 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Game 4: Friday, Aug. 28 - 7:30 p.m. ET – USA Network
*Game 5: Sunday, Aug. 30 – TBD
*Game 6: Tuesday, Sept. 1 – TBD
*Game 7: Wednesday, Sept. 2 – TBD
This matchup is going to be a tight race to the finish line. Both teams are experienced, elite, and clearly hungry to prove their reputations. They both wrapped up their Round One series in five games, sending the underdog Hurricanes and Blue Jackets out of the bubble. Game 1 was a close 3-2 victory for Boston, and seems to be a glimpse into the future of the series; comparable play tipping the scales slightly to either side and back again. Boston has adjusted well to losing Tuuka Rask in net halfway through Round One, and top players like Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are putting up consistent performances. Tampa Bay has found a hero in Brayden Point, who put the 5-overtime game to bed with his victory goal and has been regularly finding the back of the net. This tug-of-war could easily be the first full seven game series of the postseason.
Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs started Saturday, August 22. For the best coverage of NHL Playoffs on NBCSN, USA, NHL Network and more, sign up for Sling Blue + Sports Extra!
