Previewing The 2nd Round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs

Bruins Stanley Cup?

With a hectic Game 7 that resulted in the elimination of the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights, the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has officially wrapped up. Eight teams have been knocked off, and eight more continue their quest for the Stanley Cup in the second round. I’ve previewed this round’s exciting slate of games and predicted the winners for each series. 

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers (#1) vs Carolina Hurricanes (Metro #2)

The Carolina Hurricanes have loaded up on one of their best rosters in recent memory. Trade deadline acquisitions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov will hope to add the clutch scoring the Hurricanes have desperately needed in past playoffs. The team’s stingy defense and solid depth at forward make the Hurricanes extremely difficult to play against in the close-checking playoff environment. They will face the President’s Trophy winning New York Rangers, who easily breezed through their first round matchup in 4 games. Led by crafty playmakers Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad and backstopped by star goalie Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are poised for a deep run. However, the team’s lethal powerplay and solid penalty kill mask their struggles at 5v5, a combination which often cripples contenders in the playoffs. The home team will win each of the first 6 games, but Carolina steals Game 7 on the road to move on.

Prediction: Carolina in 7

Florida Panthers (Atlantic #1) vs Boston Bruins (Atlantic #2)

The Panthers took down the consistently strong Tampa Bay Lightning in only five games, moving into round two with considerable momentum. Florida has no issues scoring goals, averaging four goals per game on future Hall of Fame goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky had an up and down first round, but has looked nearly unbeatable at times and is entirely capable of stealing games for the Panthers. Florida will meet Boston, who survived a first round scare from injury-riddled Toronto with a narrow Game 7 overtime win to move on. Clinging to the strong play of goaltender Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins back into the second round as losers of two of their last three games, having been outshot and outchanced in all three. A revolving door of defensemen and an inconsistent forward corps do not inspire confidence, and stars David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk must find the back of the net more if the Bruins hope to solve Sergei Bobrovsky. A boisterous TD Garden helps the Bruins take one of the games at home, but the Panthers complete the gentleman’s sweep in Florida as Boston’s playoff woes continue. 

Prediction: Panthers in 5

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks (Pacific #1) vs Edmonton Oilers (Pacific #2)

Can anyone stop the Oilers’ offense? Look no further than the Vancouver Canucks, who gritted their way through a low-scoring first round series with the Nashville Predators to advance. Star goaltender Thatcher Demko and backup Casey Desmith remain sidelined due to injury, so rookie Arturs Silovs must keep up his impressive showing for the Canucks to have success. He was assisted by a defense that limited Nashville to 30 shots or fewer in his games, a feat which must continue against the high-powered Oilers offense. No team has even been able to slow down the Oilers’ duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that finished first and second in points in the first round, respectively. Opponents must hope to crack the Edmonton’s often shaky defense and goaltending to take down the Oilers, who have yet to translate regular season dominance into playoff success. McDavid and the Oilers will simply be too much to handle for the young Canucks, who will struggle to keep games close. 

Prediction: Oilers in 5

Dallas Stars (#1) vs Colorado Avalanche (Pacific #3)

Finally, the top-seeded Stars are set to take on the high-flying Colorado Avalanche in what should be the most exciting series of the second round. The Stars leaned on breakout 20-year-old forward Wyatt Johnson and steady Jake Oettinger in net to carry them through a challenging first round. Dallas will need to get more production out of underrated scorers Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz to match Colorado’s offense. The Avalanche, who averaged a whopping 5.6 goals per game in the first round, have proven to be an offensive force with bonafide superstars up and down the lineup. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, the predicted weak link to the Avalanche roster, has rebounded from a dismal Game 1 to produce 4 straight quality starts. Stellar performances out of Jake Oettinger boost the Stars to two wins in front of Dallas’s raucous home crowd, but Colorado’s offense comes alive to win 4 straight and take the series. 

Prediction: Colorado in 6

Caio Bernardini