The 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2

The National Hockey League (NHL)’s search for a Stanley Cup Champion has reached the next tier. First round match-ups in the Eastern Conference were very competitive. The style of play got aggressive as punches were thrown and brawls ensued. Overtime heroes were created with names like Kevin Hayes (New York Rangers), John Tavares (New York Islanders), and Brent Seabrook (Chicago Blackhawks). There was one series sweep in the Western Conference brackets; The Eastern Conference had two match-ups go to seven games.

 Round 2 contains the winners of the initial inter-division match-ups. Those eight successful teams face off along the contents of their bracket to decide who advances to the conference finals.  : 1-The Minnesota Wild test their toughness against The Chicago Blackhawks;   2-West Coast meets Western Canada as the Anaheim Ducks play the Calgary Flames; 3-The Montreal Canadiens represents Canada as they draw the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 2; 4-A rivalry is renewed as The New York Rangers face a familiar playoff adversary in the Washington Capitals.

Here’s how the 16 qualifying teams became a field of 8, starting with the Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division

#1- Montreal Canadiens-won in 6 games

#4-Ottawa Senators

-Montreal used brute force and offense to go on a 3 games to 0 series lead early on…Ottawa kept the games close and even stretched Game 3 into overtime… The Senators would not get swept as they were able to score the only goal in a 1-0 Game 4 victory and defeated Montreal 5-1 in Game 5… The back-to-back losses were motivation for the Canadiens, who would punch their ticket to the next round with a 2-0 shutout win the following game.  

  

#2-Tampa Bay Lightning-won in 7 games

#3-Detroit Redwings

-Tampa Bay and Detroit traded victories throughout the first six games of this series…Detroit would gain brief control of the series through 2 shutout wins while Tampa Bay used their offensive prowess to overtake that lead from their opponents…It would come down to Game 7, when Tampa Bay finished this bracket with a 2-0 shutout win to move on to Round 2.

Metropolitan Division

#1, President’s Trophy winners, and Eastern Conference Champions-The New York Rangers-won in 5 games

#4-Pittsburgh Penguins

-As advertised, this series was intense. The Pittsburgh Penguins kept the scores of each game within one goal, which is the essence of great hockey…What was not great: the way this rivalry led to altercations during regulation time that could have resulted in serious injury. Both sides were able to antagonize one another while the refs turned a blind eye to the proceedings when the hostilities and tensions went beyond the buzzer…Discipline may have been the issue behind the Penguins’ downfall. They were often in the penalty box, which gave New York numerous powerplay opportunities…Rebounding from a Game 2 loss, the New York Rangers won the next three games-the last two in overtime-to advance to the next round.

#2-Washington Capitals-won in 7 games

#3-New York Islanders

-This match-up had its fair share of bad blood that is sure to follow into the 2015-2016 season… The play was aggressive as the series lead was constantly shifting…. When Tom Wilson of the Capitals hit New York Islander Lubomir Visnovsky from behind during Game 4, Wilson may have made himself an enemy in the Metropolitan Division…With the series even at 3 games, New York worked hard to get that Game 7 victory, but fell within one goal of advancing…. The Washington Capitals move on to the next round.

The Western Conference:

Central Division

#1 –St. Louis Blues

#4-Minnesota Wild-won in 6 games

-Minnesota and St. Louis kept gaining the edge in the series only to lose it. The first game’s score had the Wild declared the winners by 2 goals…With the series knotted at 1 game, the two traded wins to keep the series even …The Minnesota Wild would win the next two games to advance to round two. 

#2-Nashville Predators

#3-Chicago Blackhawks-won in 6 games

 -Nashville got hit with the injury bug. Playing an offensive threat like Chicago is a challenge without adding the news that defenseman Shea Weber would be out…After the series was tied at 1 game, Chicago won the next two games, the second of the two in triple overtime…Nashville would gain a victory in Game 5, but that glimmer of hope was not enough as they lost the series-ending sixth contest by one goal. 

Pacific Division

#1 and Western Conference Champions-Anaheim Ducks-won in 4 consecutive games

# 4-Winnipeg Jets

-California’s lone playoff entrant-The Anaheim Ducks- dominated their Round 1 match-up against the Winnipeg Jets. Anaheim achieved a series sweep and had time to observe the second match-up in the division that would determine their opponent…Winnipeg brought back the “White-Out” tradition when they encouraged fans to dress in white to show support for their hometown team. The fans of Winnipeg truly supported their team and saluted them as the final seconds of the final game in the series as ticked off the clock. 

#2-Vancouver Canucks

#3-Calgary Flames-won in 6 games

-This Western Canadian series was dominated by the Calgary Flames… This was one of two brackets that all games were decided solely in regulation (the other being the St Louis Blues versus the Minnesota Wild)… The games were mostly decided by 3 goals or less…A Calgary Flames win concluded the series.

Final Thoughts: 1-Anaheim and Chicago both have the skilled offenses to advance; 2-Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin gets to prove his prowess against the speedy New York Rangers; 3-Canada’s hopes of winning the Stanley Cup rest on the shoulders of Calgary and Montreal.

Round 2 starts April 30^th, 2015.

*Sources used: www.nhl.com