After an unprecedented first-round that saw every division winners get upset, the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs starts on Thursday. Here are our predictions.
The first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs further proved how hard it is to predict hockey. Every time people think they have it figured out, something weird happens. Last year, an expansion team made it to the Stanley Cup Final. The 2016-17 Ottawa Senators nearly made it to the Stanley Cup Final. This year, the victims were every single division winner.
2018-19 will be remembered by NHL fans as the year of the upset. It started when the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished with the best record of any team in the salary cap era, got destroyed by the Columbus Blue Jackets in four games.
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Everyone assumed the battle-tested Pittsburgh Penguins would step up against the New York Islanders. Instead, they got swept. Even the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals weren’t exempt, as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. At least the Boston Bruins beating the Toronto Maple Leafs provided fans with something expected.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche beat the top-seeded Calgary Flames in five games. The San Jose Sharks came back from a 3-1 series deficit and a 3-0 deficit in the third period of Game 7 to beat the Vegas Golden Knights. The Dallas Stars upset the Nashville Predators in six games. Finally, the St. Louis Blues send the Winnipeg Jets home after six games.
Don’t worry about how bad your bracket looks right now. Everyone’s looks bad. So with a clean slate, let’s look at each of the second round series.