Stanley Cup Playoff Takeaways: Round 1

Photo from ESPN

Only one game 7 in the first round?

This sport is literally falling apart.

But despite that, it was still a good first round.

Here’s what we learned from a the first round.

Hurricanes defeat Senators 4-0

An incredibly dominant defense first Hurricanes team stifled a messy and disjointed Sens team easily.

Not too much to see here, frankly.

Flyers defeat Penguins 4-2

This series is a perfect story about how it’s better to start early.

The Flyers came to play in this series from the get go, easily being the better team in games 1, 2, and 3, and taking a 3-0 series lead.

Then the Penguins woke up and handled business in 4 and 5.

But game 6 was an evenly matched, gritty, tough battle that could have gone either way.

In the end, it went to the Flyers, and that was all she wrote.

They didn’t need to be perfect in the remaining games.

They just needed to get one.

Sabres defeat Bruins 4-2

I was worried about the Sabres in this series.

Game 1 was an incredible comeback from 2-0 down in the final 10 minutes to get a win, but it was followed by a very poor game 2.

I thought game 1 was simply an outlier due to the crowd and atmosphere, but Boston would handle business.

But the Sabres fought back hard and won all 3 games on the road in Boston to win the series.

Now, we’re in uncharted territory in Buffalo.

The second round.

Canadiens defeat Lightning 4-3

The Habs had nine shots on goal in game 7

That’s it. Nine shots.

And yet, two goals was all that was needed thanks to an awesome performance from goaltender Jakub Dobes for the Habs to move on to the second round.

Riding a hot goalie isn’t the worst method to success for postseason success, but I don’t recommend having less than 10 shots in a game going forward.

But hey, what do I know? They’re the ones advancing.

This will also be the first time since 2019 a team from Florida won’t be going to the Stanley Cup Final.

Huh. That reminds me.

I haven’t heard anyone complaining about state income tax this year…

Avalanche defeat Kings 4-0

Turns out the best team in the league didn’t really have any trouble beating a team who lost more games than they won this year.

Who could’ve seen that coming.

Wild defeat Stars 4-2

In theory, this series should have been between two very evenly matched teams.

In reality, the Wild were absolutely dominant 5 on 5 and didn’t give the Stars anything to work with.

It was a masterful series for Minnesota, and their series against Colorado should be a great one.

Golden Knights defeat Mammoth 4-2

Playoff experience matters.

The Mammoth were very much in this series, and frankly could have easily won it.

But the Mammoth are led by a lot of young players who are experiencing their first taste of the playoffs, while the Golden Knights are playoff pros.

Which is why in multiple overtime’s this series, it was Vegas who came out on top instead of Utah.

Good run for the Mammoth, but they showed they weren’t ready for the moment.

Ducks defeat Oilers 4-2

It’s time to rebuild, Edmonton.

Connor McDavid did not sign a long term extension. He signed a short one, giving you a chance to prove you could compete for Stanley Cups.

You didn’t, and you’re not going to.

We saw what the Canucks got for Quinn Hughes with two years left on his contract, and even though Hughes is maybe the best defenseman in hockey and an incredible player, he’s not Connor McDavid.

McDavid would fetch you a TON of prospects and draft capital.

So you have a couple options.

Keep trying to win, fall short, and lose McDavid for nothing, or start the rebuild now.

I know what path I would choose.

I also know which path you’ll take.

But hey, you guys are probably right. Maybe Connor Ingram truly is the answer in goal.