Devils trip up Kane, Rangers, but former Hawks' D-man McCabe a big hit for Toronto
What an unbelievable first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Truly. Un-be-lievable.
• Boston and its 65 victories? Spat out by the Panthers
• The uber-talented defending champion Colorado Avalanche? Sunk by the Kraken.
• The supposedly dangerous New York Rangers, stacked with Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin and Vladimir Tarasenko? Bedeviled by their nasty neighbors.
• Tampa Bay's talented group that's earned three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances? Blown off course by the Leafs.
To be sure, the opening round was jam packed with intense storylines, games flipping back and forth and - of course - plenty of controversial calls (and non-calls) by officials.
With the Bruins out, the East is suddenly wide open. It truly feels like any team could go all the way, although my money's on Toronto. It feels like the Leafs have figured things out.
Still, don't count out the Hurricanes. Their disciplined approach is a big reason they've been such a force the last few years.
As for the Rangers, they just didn't bring the intensity needed game in and game out against New Jersey. Kane and Co. should have been able to put a stranglehold on the series after winning the first two games, but instead sleepwalked through Games 3, 4 and 5.
And it cost them. Dearly.
After notching 2 assists in the series opener, Artemi Panarin did not record another point. That's the first time he's gone six straight games without recording a point. Kane, who had a goal and 2 assists in Game 2, flashed here and there but wasn't close to being the superstar the Rangers needed him to be.
When it was over, coach Gerard Gallant gave a brutally honest assessment of his squad.
"Talent doesn't mean a thing," Gallant said. "It's great to have talent, but you've got to play together and work hard together.
Obviously the four games we lost we had two goals, so that's the bottom line. You're not going to win if you get two goals in four games that you lost. ... I love to have talent, but you love to have work ethic and more forecheck and stuff like that. We just didn't get it done."
In the West, beware of the Kraken. The hardworking underdogs are very deep and understand what it takes to win in the postseason.
Still, if I'm rooting for anything it's to see Connor McDavid and the Oilers steamroll their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Imagine the back-and-forth action against another high-octane squad in Toronto.
That would be a series for the ages.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on the three former 2022-23 Blackhawks who are still hoping to hoist the Cup: Toronto's Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, and Dallas' Max Domi.
After 504 regular-season games spanning a decade, McCabe is finally getting a taste of playoff hockey. The powerful 205-pound defenseman made perhaps the biggest impact of any of the guys that Hawks GM Kyle Davidson traded, delivering a bevy of painful open-ice hits to the Lightning. He doled out 32 in all, with perhaps the biggest coming when he plowed into Mikey Eyssimont at the blue line in Game 1. The Lightning center barely managed to wobble back to the bench.
McCabe also sent Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Corey Perry flailing to the ice.
"This is what you always dreamed of, that chance to play for the Stanley Cup," McCabe said. "We are all focused on the same goal."
Great stuff.
The playoffs always are.
Stanley Cup playoffs: Second-round predictions by John Dietz
<b>Eastern Conference</b>New Jersey (52-22-) vs. Carolina (52-21-9)
Advancement: Devils eliminated Rangers in 7; Hurricanes eliminated Islanders in 6
The skinny: Carolina scored just 16 goals in six games against New York, winning three times by one goal (with two victories coming in OT). That's exactly how the defensive-minded Hurricanes are built. They only allowed the Islanders to take more than 30 shots on goal twice while averaging 35 themselves. The Devils used the astounding play of 22-year-old goalie Akira Schmid (.951, 1.38 GAA) to squeak past Patrick Kane and the Rangers. This will be a low-scoring, intense series, but the Hurricanes are good enough to roar past the Devils.
Prediction: Hurricanes in 6
<b>Western Conference</b>Edmonton (50-23-9) vs. Vegas (51-22-9)
Advancement: Oilers eliminated Kings in 6; Golden Knights eliminated Jets in 5
The skinny: If the Oilers, who scored 25 times against the Kings, played even mediocre defense they'd be a lock to reach the Stanley Cup Final. But they allowed L.A. to steal Game 1 with a pair of late goals and they never seem to be able to put a playoff game away. It's not a great formula. Having said all that, I still like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Co. to figure out a way to play their cards right and bust Vegas out of the postseason.
Prediction: Oilers in 7