The second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs starts Monday, so it’s time to predict them.
Your humble correspondent is riding high, as we went 4-0 in our first-round Eastern Conference predictions, including the Toronto Maple Leafs winning in six games over Ottawa, and the Carolina Hurricanes needing five games to beat New Jersey.
We’ll have to wait a couple of days to see how our Western Conference picks turned out, but it’s time to make some educated guesses for who wins the second-round matchups in the East between the Washington Capitals and Hurricanes and between the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
Game 1 between the Leafs and Panthers is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. ET, while the Hurricanes and Capitals kick off their series on Tuesday.
As always – and before you skewer us in the comment section – remember that what follows are educated guesses. With that said, let’s get down to business:
Washington Capitals (M1) Vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M2)
Season series: 2-2 tie
Why Washington will win:The Capitals got a good test from the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, but they weathered the storm to eliminate the Habs in five games.
Washington’s high-octane offense was better than the Canadiens’ offense, but it ultimately was the Caps’ defense that was the deciding factor, as they allowed only six goals in their four victories.
Against the Hurricanes, Washington has the edge in goal. Logan Thompson has delivered as advertised, while his counterpart in Carolina, veteran Frederik Andersen, always seems to be an injury risk.
With the Capitals’ speed, coaching and depth, a series win for Washington is definitely within the realm of possibility. They were the best team in the East for good reason, and they can get to the Eastern final for the fourth time in franchise history.
Washington Capitals To Renew Bad Blood With Carolina Hurricanes In Round 2As the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday, the first second-round matchup of the Stanley Cup playoffs is set.
Why Carolina will win: Playing against an injury-depleted New Jersey team in the opening round, the Hurricanes could’ve taken their foot off the gas and given the Devils a chance to get a couple of wins under their belt.
Instead, Carolina kept its foot on New Jersey’s neck, limiting the Devils to only four goals in their first three wins.
The Hurricanes also showed they could run-and-gun, beating New Jersey 5-4 in double overtime in the deciding fifth game. So Carolina can beat you any way you want.
The Hurricanes’ best players met expectations in Round 1, with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov combining for 10 goals and 19 points. With a solid defense corps that is superior to Washington’s, Carolina has what it takes to get back to the Eastern final for the second time in the past three seasons and the third time since 2018-19.
Prediction: Hurricanes in six games
The Capitals and Hurricanes are two well-above-average teams with very few flaws, but the latter looked slightly more dominant against New Jersey than Washington was against Montreal. So long as Andersen stays healthy, the goaltending picture between the two teams is more or less even.
Washington won’t be swept in this showdown, as it has too much talent and is too well-coached to be sent home in shame.
But the Hurricanes’ power play and penalty kill were better than Washington’s in the first round. Carolina also had the NHL's top penalty kill in the regular season. If that success continues, that could be the difference in the Hurricanes’ favor, so we’re going with them in what will almost assuredly be a ferociously contested series.
Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) Vs. Florida Panthers (A3)
Season series: 3-1 Florida
Why Toronto will win:The Maple Leafs were playing to save their jobs in the first round against the Ottawa Senators.
Although there were some hiccups for Toronto in eliminating the Sens, coach Craig Berube pushed all the right buttons – for example, sticking with veteran left winger Max Pacioretty in Game 6, when some were calling for him to be scratched and replaced with youngster Nick Robertson.
Pacioretty came through with the game-winning goal, and the Buds lived to fight another day, getting out of the first round for the second consecutive year.
Beating the Panthers will take everything the Leafs have, but this year’s Toronto defense is far and away a better unit than last year’s ‘D’ corps.
Meanwhile, Florida’s elite collection of agitators will find they can’t goad the Maple Leafs into taking dumb penalties. And Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz is a Grade-A battler who will be helped out immensely by his defensemen who constantly limit opponents’ shots to the outside fringe.
It all adds up to a drastically different Buds team, and Florida has its flaws like any group, so Toronto has a golden opportunity to shock the Panthers and get to the third round for the first time since 2001-02.
This is the best Maple Leafs team in ages, and they may finally have the right recipe to going far for the first time in a generation.
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Why Florida will win: When you’re the defending Cup champions, you should never be counted out, and we’re certainly not going to do so at this juncture.
The Panthers made quick work of a very good Tampa Bay Lightning team in Round 1, beating them in five games, while scoring 18 goals in their wins. Toronto will quickly find Florida is significantly better than Ottawa right now.
The Panthers’ trade deadline acquisitions of defenseman Seth Jones and Brad Marchand make an already-talented squad all the more dangerous. The return to action of star left winger Matthew Tkachuk had an obvious boost for Florida in the opening round, with five points in five games.
There isn’t a more tenacious team than the Panthers, and they’ve had the Leafs’ number in the regular season, so they’re going to be favored until Toronto proves it can beat them.
With goalie Sergei Bobrovsky looking solid as ever, posting a 2.21 GAA and one shutout in the first round, the Panthers will give the Maple Leafs all they can handle.
Prediction: Maple Leafs in seven games.
The Panthers have played a lot of playoff hockey in recent years, with a combined 60 games in the past four post-seasons.
At some point, the toll on their core has to turn into fatigue.
We’re not saying that was true of Florida against the Lightning, but the Leafs are a well-coached, very deep, resilient team that has all the motivation in the world to pull off a win in this series. They will constantly challenge the Panthers by pushing into their defensive zone and grinding them into submission.
If the Maple Leafs get rolled in four or five games against the Panthers, their win over Ottawa will recede quickly into the minds of Leafs fans and ownership. Toronto’s players are still playing to keep the team and its management together.
Regardless of who wins this series, we see it going to seven games. And this is where Toronto’s home-ice advantage may play out in their favor. This year’s Maple Leafs are as dynamic and determined as any Leafs team in recent memory, and we expect them to outlast the Panthers.
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