Let’s hope that round 2 two can be as crazy as round one! The Jets vs. Blues series was one for the ages. Round two of the playoffs began last night in Toronto, so with that in mind, here are the Stanley Cup playoffs power rankings for round 2:
1. Washington Capitals
Washington conceded a game to Montreal but finished them off in game 5. They will now host the Hurricanes, who dismantled the Devils in 5 games
2. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton was down 2-0 against Los Angeles, but impressively, they came back and won the next four games to win the series. They went to game 7 of the Cup Finals last year and are poised to make another deep run.
3. Florida Panthers
The Panthers hit the ground running in their series against the Lightning. Having all their players back on the ice made all the difference in the world, and they now look like true defending champions. They lost game 1 to the Leafs, but to their credit, they made it close after being down 4-1 entering the third period.
4. Vegas Golden Knights
The Knights had a harder time with the Wild than anticipated. They won game 5 in OT and won game 6 to finish the series off. Now they face the Oilers, which will be no easy task.
5. Winnipeg Jets
This game 7 was crazy, the Blues were up 3-1 late in the game before the Jets scored with just under 2 minutes left, then with 3 seconds left to force OT. They came away with the OT win and move onto round 2. No one could have expected the Blues to make this series so competitive, but the team that was the best in the West during the year is moving on.
6. Dallas Stars
The Stars won game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, but lost game 6 to the Avs in Colorado. They have overcome quite a few challenges this year, and they had a better offense and defense all season than the Avs, and it showed in their game 7 victory.
7. Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina won their series over the Devils pretty handily. It will now be Hurricanes vs. Capitals in round 2. Carolina has been great all season, but they will have a difficult time taking on Washington.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs survived a comeback from the Sens in round one, and they survived another comeback attempt last night in game 1 against Florida. The Panthers were down 4-1 before storming back and making it a 4-3 game. The Leafs eventually won 5-4, and if they were facing any other team but the defending champs, they would be higher on this list.
