The 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is almost history, except the final game between the Rangers and the Devils. The 1st round had a lot of great action, tense games, and heartbreaking losses for some fan bases. Counting tonight, there were 3 Game 7’s in the opening round and I know fans enjoy seeing that. Hopefully the 2nd round will lend itself to better matchups and hopefully if your team is still in it, they can keep moving on. This is the most hockey I have ever watched, and I have to say that I can't get enough of it. Let’s breakdown the Western Conference series matchups coming up.

Seattle Kraken (R1: def. COL, 4-3) vs. Dallas Stars (R1: def MIN, 4-2)

The first Western Conference Semifinal action will go down in Dallas tomorrow. The Stars will be favored in the series, but I wouldn't count out the Kraken. They defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champion, Colorado Avalanche. They forced the reigning champs to Game 7 and took the series last night in a 2-1 victory. It is the first playoff series win for them in franchise history. The Kraken didn’t win in pretty fashion, but they got the job done. They averaged 2.57 GPG in the series win, but I just don’t think that will cut it against Dallas. They’re going to have to step up their game. Yanni Gourde was their top scorer on the team with 6 points in the series and it was a pretty even spread for the rest of the team. 2 players each scored; 5,4, and 3 points. Six players scored 2 points. I think the Kraken fans were expecting more out of Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn. They combined for only 2 points and Adam Larsson underperformed a little as well. The goaltender, Philipp Grubauer didn’t underperform though. He allowed 2.44 GPG and had a 92.6% save percentage. He played in all 7 of the First-Round games and will likely guard the net in the rest of the games for Seattle. We’ll see what the NHL’s newest franchise has for the Stars.

The Stars handled the Wild pretty easily in the first round. Much easier than I thought. That’s not a knock against the Stars though. They’re a very good team and it looks like they’re not done making more noise. Their first game against the Wild was a 2OT loss and they wound up winning 4 of the last 5. Roope Hintz scored an astounding 12 points in Round 1 and unless Chris Kreider scores 4 points or Adam Fox score 5 points tonight, he will be the sole point leader in the playoffs. Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin also showed up on the attack. Miro Heiskanen also did his part and is leading the playoffs with over 29 minutes per game on the ice on average. Goalie work by Jake Oettinger was phenomenal. He only allowed 2.01 GPG and saved 92.9% of the shots fired at him. I think the Stars are going to be a tough matchup for the Kraken. Dallas took the regular season series 2-0-1 and both wins were in Seattle.

Series Prediction: Stars in 6

Edmonton Oilers (R1: def. LAK, 4-2) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (R1: def WPG, 4-1)

The NHL’s most electric team advanced to the 2nd round by beating the Kings in 6 games. The Oilers averaged 4.17 GPG, which was by far the most in the playoffs. They are now the odds-on favorites to win the Cup along with the Maple Leafs. Draisaitl, McDavid, and Evan Bouchard all scored above 10 points in the opening round and I don’t anticipate them slowing down anytime soon. They’re just different than the rest of the league. People expect them to be great because they have two of the league’s best players and if they can finally win a Cup, those haters will be shut up. This team is so stacked and if they can't win it this year, considering the top teams are out already, I don’t know when they will. Their only issue is the goaltending. Stuart Skinner was in front of the net for all 6 games, but he was pulled in Game 4 after giving up 3 first period goals. Jack Campbell played the remaining 50 minutes and only gave up 1 goal. Skinner averaged 3.43 goals allowed per game, which is less than ideal, especially considering the fact that they’re favored to win the Cup. With that being said, the Knights aren’t slouches.

Vegas had no trouble closing out the series after dropping Game 1 in the opening round to the Winnipeg Jets. The Knights averaged 4.5 goals in their last 4 games/wins. Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone both had a share of the team points lead with 8. Stephenson scored on 50% of his shots. Alex Pietrangelo chipped in 5 points and provided over 25 minutes of ice time per game. Brett Howden’s Plus/Minus was 8 for the series, which was the second most during the playoffs. They also had a great showing from Laurent Brossoit, who minded the goal during the whole series. He allowed on 2.42 GPG and saved 91.5% of shots. I think the series will be a close one, but the regular season suggests that the Oilers have it in the bag. The Oilers took the regular season series 3-0-1. The Knights will have home ice advantage. The Knights are the better home team in terms of wins, but not in points. It is the opposite on the road. The Oilers have the road point advantage, but not win advantage. It should be a great series.

Series Prediction: Oilers in 7

Yacs

2023 Stanley Cup Playoff Round 2 Western Conference Preview

Series Prediction: Stars in 6

Series Prediction: Oilers in 7