How is Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Shaping Up?
With round one of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs seeing so many upsets, round two has some very unlikely matchups and some of them are already halfway through their series. So who currently sits where, and what’s to happen next? No one really knows the answer to that last question during the playoffs, but you can take a pretty good guess by looking at the current standings.
After beating out the best team in the league in five games, the Los Angeles Kings were one of the first teams to enter round two. Now they’re facing off against another one of the best teams during regular season, the St. Louis Blues, and beating them too. Having only played one game in the series so far, the Kings currently still lead the way at 1-0 with the second game to be played tonight in St. Louis. This is a tough one to call but based on stats alone, the Blues should take this one.
The other contest in the West during round two is the one between the Nashville Predators and the Phoenix Coyotes — two teams that were both expected to do fairly well during the first round, and both did. In a competition between the third (Coyotes) and fourth (Predators) placed teams in the West, this one is a very hard series to call. But considering that Phoenix has already won the first two games, it looks to be leaning their way.
The Eastern conference had its own surprises during the first round, and one of the biggest was that of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the Rangers (and some others) had them beat for being best in the league, the Penguins were one team that most thought would do very well in the playoffs, but they met their match with the Philadelphia Flyers. After the Flyers won the series in six games, they moved on to face the New Jersey Devils — who were also a surprise when they beat out the Florida Panthers in their series. Philadelphia currently holds a 1-0 lead in the series over New Jersey, and they’ll probably win this one to move onto round three.
The first round series between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins held its own surprises — with the Caps unseating the defending champions and knocking them out of the running for the Cup this year. It took them seven games to do and the series before them doesn’t look any easier. This time they’re playing the New York Rangers, who were first in the East, and the Rangers have already won the first game. The series continues tonight in New York, and it will most likely be another win along the way of the Rangers’ second round victory.
Categorized in: NHL