NHL Playoffs: 2nd Round Previews

The second round, the Division Finals, of the NHL playoffs begin on Monday. Here’s our preview of each series:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division: Toronto vs. Florida (-175)
The Maple Leafs finished first in this division during the regular season, while the Panthers finished third. But Florida is the team that has come out of the East two straight years and won the Stanley Cup last year, while Toronto has a star-crossed playoff history. Florida is the team that played fantastic hockey in the first round in demolishing Tampa Bay, while Toronto struggled to put away a pedestrian Ottawa team. Hence, the Panthers are the favorite.

The offenses are mirror images of each other. Toronto doesn’t generate a lot of shots, but they make the most of their chances. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies can all light the lamp. Florida gets a lot of shots, but not necessarily a lot of goals. The Maple Leafs have to continue to play that kind of precision hockey in a physical playoff series against a defense that is excellent at denying clean looks, and a veteran goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, that can bail out defensive mistakes. That’s a tall order for Toronto. Florida in 5.

Metropolitan Division: Washington vs. Carolina (-170)
Another series were the lower-seeded team is favored. This looks like an extremely even matchup. Both the Capitals and Hurricanes are excellent on the penalty kill. Both Washington and Carolina are getting good goaltending, and both were efficient in winning their first-round matchups in five games. Goals promise to be tough to come by.

It comes down to a similar offensive dynamic as the Toronto-Florida series. The Capitals are the team that makes the most of their chances—they only rank 22^nd in getting shots, but are second where it matters, at lighting the lamp. Alex Ovechkin has been this way his entire career. The Panthers are the team that floods the zone with a lot of shots. In a series where I expect everything to come hard for both teams, I’ll take my chances with the team that gets the most opportunities. Carolina in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division: Dallas vs. TBD

Winnipeg plays St. Louis on Sunday night (7 PM ET, TBS) to fill out this round

Pacific Division: Vegas vs. Edmonton (-115)
Vegas has gotten here by playing complete, team-oriented hockey all season long. While there are no stars, they do almost everything well, including execute on the power play. Edmonton is fueled by star power, from Connor McDavid to Leon Draisaitl. They attack the net relentlessly, but can leave themselves exposed defensively, and their power play execution on both sides is pedestrian.

That said…the Oilers are on a roll, having gotten their offense going to take out a good defensive team in the Los Angele Kings. The Golden Knights were less than impressive, barely surviving the mediocre Minnesota Wild. If Edmonton can contain the Vegas power play, they’ll win this series. Edmonton in 6.