The first round of the peculiar 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs has drawn to a close with eight teams one step closer on their mission to the coveted greatest trophy in sports.
While most of the higher seeds advanced, there were some surprise performances from scrappy young lineups, as well as some upsets of regular season juggernauts. Before we march into the second round and examine the match-ups that lie ahead, let's readjust our rear view mirror real quick and take a look back on the chaos from round one in the bubble.
Vancouver Def. St. Louis 4-2
This was by far and away my favorite series to watch in round one. In episode 10 of the Central Valley Hockey Podcast, I predicted the Canucks to take this series in seven games, as I wasn't full convinced that the Blues were the same team that hoisted the Stanley Cup last year. The Canucks must've heard me and kicked it into overdrive, eliminating the Blues a few days earlier than i predicted and did it in dominating fashion.
The Canucks were much too fast for the bad boy Blues. New captain Bo Horvat led the way early in the series, stepping up his offensive game to a level that nobody had seen before, scoring some beautiful goals that will live on in a Canuck's highlight reel for years to come. Elias Pettersson was another key player for Vancouver, dishing it around and scoring goals in the first three games of the series. Pettersson is currently tied with Nathan Mackinnon for the most points in the playoffs with 13.
What really separated Vancouver from the Blues was their special teams, scoring at will on the power play and racking up some goals short-handed as well. Of their 22 goals in the series, 9 came on special teams, a ridiculous stat that the Golden Knights should keep an eye on for their upcoming dance with Vancouver.
The Blues troubles started in net with Jordan Binnington, who struggled to find his game in the bubble. After a tremendous performance against Colorado in the Round Robin, it seemed like Binnington was fighting the puck and couldn't get comfortable. Vancouver didn't make it an easier on the young goalie, consistently peppering shots on net and whipping it around on the power play. Binnington was replaced by Jake Allen in games three, four, five and got chased in game six.
The Blues also lacked depth on account of a laundry list of injuries. Vlad Tarasenko, who suffered a major injury at the start of the 2020 season, would get hurt once again and wasn't able to return in the final two games of the series, along with a few other important depth players. This lack of depth hurt the Blues on both ends of the ice, disabling them from fully committing to their hard-nosed style of hockey that had the tendency to wear teams down over time, especially in a seven game series.
Colorado def. Arizona 4-1
This series was one Darcy Kuemper out-of-body goaltending extravaganza away from being a yawn-inducing sweep.
Colorado controlled the play for the vast majority of the series, throwing more pucks on the Arizona net than in the warm-up. Might as well have been a warm-up with the lack of a push from the Coyotes, especially in games four and five.
After Arizona took game three despite being badly outshot and outplayed, Colorado turned it up a notch and scored 14 goals in the next two games, chasing Darcy Kuemper in both contests while giving up almost nothing in their own end.
Colorado has always been one of the favorites since entering the bubble, but how they played against Arizona showcased how good the Avalanche really are. Nathan Mackinnon is a super star in this league, tied with Elias Pettersson with the league lead in playoff points. He's not just one of the fastest players in the league, but also one of the strongest. especially with the puck on his stick. He can blow by you or run straight through you. His dominance was on full display for the world to see as he really took his game to a level that many, besides Avalanche fans, haven't seen.
Nazem Kadri took a big step for the Avalanche, scoring five goals in five games, with four coming on the power play. Kadri was an off-season addition who dealt with injury through most of his first season with the Avalanche, but benefited from the long break and was a key player throughout round one.
Despite the romping, the Coyotes have a bright future ahead. Young guns Conor Garland and Clayton Keller have lots of promise, along with a mainstay in net with Darcy Kuemper. There's a few more pieces they need to acquire in order to compete moving forward, but that series win over Nashville proved they're on the right track.
While I liked the addition of Taylor Hall when they made the move early in the season, his style of play doesn't fit in with the system Arizona currently employs, which is why him moving during the off-season doesn't affect my belief that they will become a tough squad to beat in the next few years. If they can find a suitor at the draft, they might be able to get something out of him before he's gone for good.
Vegas def. Chicago 4-1
The Vegas Golden Knights look like the team to beat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they take a sound series win over the young Chicago Blackhawks.
If you just happened to hop on the Golden Knights bandwagon when they entered the NHL, you've had yourself a fun ride. This team has been competitve all three years in the league, making it to a Stanley Cup Final and looking fit for another deep run.
The Knights are pretty sound in all areas with the only question being in net, but with Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury as the outcomes, you're chances of winning are never too far out of reach. Riley Smith since coming to Vegas has been a borderline star, really coming into his own offensively which pairs nicely with his abilities in his own end. Shea Theodore is another player who stands out to me. The young D-man is solid in his own end and can chip in some offense from the blue line as well.
Vegas has also seen a lot from their trade deadline acquisitions. Alec Martinez has added significant depth to the blue line and Robin Lehner answered the looming questions in net with Fleury struggling during the regular season. Everyone is chipping in for the Golden Knights and they come in waves with their relentless transition offense.
Chicago shouldn't sulk over this one, either. The Hawks saw significant improvements from their young rookies like Kubalik and Dach. Kubalik, who was nominated for the Calder, produced at veteran levels during their small run and Dach found his game during the Knights series as well. The Hawk's mixture of past and present could become interesting within the next few seasons. The only real question mark for me is in net, as Corey Crawford has seen better days and the last few seasons haven't been kind to his health. But Chicago saw a vintage Crow game in their lone win, where on the heels of his impressive play in net the Hawks were able to walk away with at least one victory.
Dallas def Calgary 4-2
The turtle-slow start for Dallas is a thing of the past as they cruise on by Calgary in strange fashion.
This was by all means Calgary's series to win. A year after taking the top seed and getting their doors blown off by the eighth seed Colorado Avalanche, the Flames were looking for redemption against a struggling Stars team who struggled to score since entering the bubble. They took game one soundly and despite a tough start in game two, were cruising to a comeback late in the third period. what do ya know, they tie it up...and then proceed to look completely lost with 30 seconds left. Dallas, who had zero momentum, waltzed down and scored with a wide open Jamie Oleksiak chilling all alone with nobody within 10 feet. I've never seen a team work so hard to tie a game up and then forget how to play so quickly. That was pretty much the story for the Flames. In their elimination game, they took a quick 3-0 lead and then proceeded to allow SEVEN unanswered goals. SEVEN. In an elimination game.
The Flames have some serious issues that need to be addressed this off-season. Their top line guys struggled with consistency, including Johnny Gaudreau who has similar problems last season. The Flames are passing the torch (lol) over to Matthew Tkachuk as their premier top line scorer, and Johnny Hockey's time in Calgary could be coming to a close. The Flames also need to figure something out in net. David Rittich can go through a few decent stretches, same with Cam Talbot, but neither look to be that rock that can help the Flames move past the first round.
The Stars are following the same trend as the Bruins, finding their game at the perfect time. Their depth have really helped carry some of the dead weight from the top line and their young Defensive core have also chipped in with solid performances on both ends. This was the Dallas team we saw during the regular season, the one that earned a top four bid in the West before the playoffs began.
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