Second Round Shenanigans: The Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap Continued

With eight teams left in the running, the second round was as entertaining as they come. Each of the four series in this round lasted a different number of games which essentially meant a game a day – any hockey fans dream. Every team gave their all but now only four remain. Want to know how it happened? Read on.

Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues:
With drama off and off the ice, the chippy series between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues had fans on the edge of their seats. With elite center Nathan MacKinnon and star caliber defenseman Cale Makar on their side, Colorado was more than confident against a St. Louis’ team that was hungry for a second Stanley Cup run in the span of four years. In game three of the series Colorado forward Nazem Kadri fell full speed into St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington who left the game with a lower body injury. The crash into the net seemed accidental but with their starting goalie out for the rest of the series, the Blues couldn’t get it done. The Avalanche came out victorious, winning 3-2 in the sixth game of the series. NHL Game 6 Highlights | Avalanche vs. Blues – May 27, 2022

Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames:
To start off, in what was the most unbalanced matchup of the first round, the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche only met for four games out of a possible seven in the series. Ending the regular season with 119 points in 82 games – second only to the Florida Panthers – the Avalanche slid into the first round of the playoffs with confidence and composure. The Predators however, ended their regular season significantly behind the league’s top contenders with 97 points in 86 games played. Nashville clinched their spot in the playoffs later than most, and as the 16th seed overall, the “Preds” were the clear underdog in this first series. The Avalanche swept the Predators easily, winning 4 games in a row against their unfortunate competitors. NHL Game 5 Highlights | Oilers vs. Flames – May 26, 2022

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning:
A hyped up series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning ended quicker than anticipated with a goalie show like no other. With the most points out of every team in the regular season, the Panthers felt good with an edge up on Tampa due to their home ice advantage. However, with Vasilevskiy in net for the Lighting, even a high scoring team like Florida couldn’t seem to break the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. In a wild turn of events, the Lighting swept the Panthers easily winning the four first games of the series in a row. As for the poor Panthers, they are in for an interesting offseason. NHL Game 4 Highlights | Panthers vs. Lightning – May 23, 2022<

New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes:
A defensive series between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes lasted the full seven games leading up to the third round. While most teams had already met their second round fate, New York and Carolina continued to battle up to the very end. For the Rangers it came down to the young guns. Made up of young forwards Alexi Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil, New York’s “Kid Line” seemed to break out this series becoming true offensive weapons for the boys in blue. Carolina’s lineup depth was impressive but up-and-coming stars Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho failed to perform as hoped. Unfortunately for Carolina, the Rangers and their star power would come out on top this time. NHL Game 7 Highlights | Rangers vs. Hurricanes – May 30, 2022