Philadelphia Flyers def. Montreal Canadiens 4-2
The Flyer got all they could handle with the scrappy Habs, but were able to pull it out on the heels of solid performances in net from Carter Hart. For the first time since Bernie Parent, the Flyers finally have a goalie.
Before this series began, the Knights and the Flyers both seemed to be the best teams in the bubble to my estimation, but the Flyers has some issues come to the surface that put them slightly below Vegas.
For starters, the Flyers need more production from their captain, Claude Giroux. Giroux has had stretches in his career where he seems to lose confidence and can't find himself a spot on the score-sheet. If the Flyers want a chance against the stout New York Islanders, they're going to need him to start making an impact in the zone. The same goes for Travis Konecny, who only has three points so far in the bubble. It's hard to tell if the Canadiens were able to shut some of the Flyers key players down or if they're just riding the struggle bus, but something has got to give in round two.
Carter Hart is another wild card, as he is a double edged sword. He was able to produce back to back shut outs but was also chased from the net once and almost a second time during this series. He's still young and there's a lot left to learn. Hart is adding valuable playoff experience to his resume, the ups and the downs. That will help in the future, but what about now? What Hart will we see show up against New York?
The Habs deserve a lot of credit as well. They not only took out the Pens in the qualifying round, but really gave it to the Flyers throughout the series. Like a hang nail, the never let the Flyers off the hook, applying constant, throbbing pains to the Flyer's defense with their pesky play. I believe if Brendan Gallagher didn't break his jaw and was able to play, the Habs would have forced a game seven. The future is bright in Montreal. I know their fans are starved for the team's 25th Stanley Cup Championship.
Boston Bruins def. Carolina Hurricanes 4-1
The big, bad Boston Bruins are back in town as the B's take out the young, budding Hurricanes in five.
The impressive part for the Bruins was their quick work of the Hurricanes despite missing their number one goaltender and top line winger. Tuukka Rask opted out earlier in the series and David Pasternak was held out of a few games as he was deemed unfit to play by the team. Without two pivotal pieces, the Bruins managed to make it look easy, working it on the power play and shutting down the Hurricanes offense for most of the series.
The resurgence of David Krejci was a welcomed surprise for Boston, as he currently leads the team in playoff points and scored a slew of timely goals for the Bruins throughout the series. The Bruins also were able to get the top line going again, shaking off the dust from the Round Robin and finding their special offensive touch. Bruin's fans also saw some surprising performances from Jaroslav Halak in net, replacing Rask without missing a beat.
The Hurricanes, with all of their glamour and grace, discovered the team's one true problem from this series: Goal-tending.
Petr Mrazek and James Riemer aren't going to get it done. In the Bergeron's OT goal early in the series, Mrazek took an angle so bad that it was comical. The Canes will hopefully use the off-season to fix their weakest link. If they're able to find a decent answer in net, this will be my team to beat next season. They're so stacked in all other areas it's insane. Seabastian Aho has really turned into a top player in this league and soundly led his team in playoff points with 12, the next closest being 7.
New York Islanders def. Washington Capitals 4-1
The New York Islanders do in the playoffs defeating the stacked Capitals in surprising quick fashion.
You can tell when a team has bought in entirely to a system that works for them and that's where the Islanders are at right now. Each Islander understands their specific role that they play in the system and it combines to create a near-impenetrable fortress in their own end along. While this team lacks scoring, it doesn't mean that the ability isn't there and this series showcased that.
Matthew Barzal, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle are all top tier offensive players that are dangerous in the O-zone. Barzal is probably the most skilled player the Islanders have, scoring a beautiful OT winner in game three that gave his team the curshing 3-0 lead on the series.
What make the Islanders even more difficult to play against is the amount of depth they have. They have a cache of solid two-way forwards who can contribute offensively. Derick Brassard was a key off-season pickup who has plenty of playoff experience and transformed his game over the years to find a good fit for himself on the island. Anthony Beauvillier took his game to the next level this playoff as well, leading his team in the playoffs with six goals and nine points. Josh Bailey has probably been the most effective player in both ends for the Islanders, leading his team in points and excelling in the role Barry Trotz has set for him.
The Capitals once again find themselves packing after the first round o the playoffs. Last season, they got bounced by the Hurricanes in game seven, and now the Islanders in just five games.
Something clearly isn't working for the Caps as they haven't been the same since Barry Trotz left just a few months after winning the Stanley Cup with them. Their roster is absolutely loaded with talent even without super star Alex Ovechkin. The back end is solid as well with a Norris Trophy candidate in John Carlson. The only real questions remain in net and behind the bench.
Brayden Holtby had a season to forget as he slowly lost the starting job during the regular season but got another chance due to injuries in their goal-tending ring. Todd Reirden hasn't had much success in the postseason having not won a single round, but he has also only been the bench boss for two seasons. The Capitals have a tough decision this off-season regarding Reirden, considering the Caps aging roster and time is ticking on their championship window.
Tampa Bay Lightning def. Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1
The Tampa Bay Lighting exercise some demons and move on to round two after taking the series in six games.
Tampa Bay learned a great deal from their embarrassment last season after having a historic regular season only to get swept in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Lighting played a much more complete 200 foot game against the Blue Jackets, something that they failed to do last season.
The Lighting still faced a lot of adversity in this series. That adversity wore two pillows around his legs and number 70 for the Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo was a brick wall in net and made things difficult for the Lighting offense. The Lighting stuck with their game plan and found ways to get the puck past Korpisalo as the series wore on.
Brayden Point was a monster, scoring two overtime game winners for the Lighting in the series and leading his team in playoff points with 10. Nikita Kucherov was another nightmare for the Blue Jackets, always finding himself in the right spot and dishing puck around with seven assists.
What this series showed me about the Blue Jackets is John Tortorella is an amazing hockey coach. To have the ability to take this roster to the playoffs four years in a row is incredible. The roster also looks to be on the rise with young talent starting to finally fill out its form, with guys like Dubois and Wennberg making a difference.
Seth Jones was a horse throughout the bubble as well. If he wasn't in a smaller market, I believe he would have been a Norris Trophy candidate.
Blue Jackets fans are in good hands with Torts. The last few years have been evidence that Columbus is on the rise and has to tools to become a force in the future.
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