Second round of the NHL playoffs | Duel of titans in Florida, the Avalanche finally in the semi-finals?

Mathias Brunet analyzes the forces present in the series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers and that between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues.

Mathias Brunet
The Press

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning needed to go to the limit to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, thanks to two goals from Nick Paul in the seventh and final game. And Tampa still allowed 24 goals in 6 games to the Leafs. On the eve of the first clash against the Panthers, it was still unclear if the brilliant Brayden Point would heal in time for the start of the series. Fortunately, late-season acquisitions Paul, the hero of Game 7, and Brandon Hagel provide depth. Tampa, we recall, is trying to become the first club since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s to win three consecutive Stanley Cups.

The best team in the season with 122 points, the Panthers had some jitters against the Washington Capitals, but won three straight games to eliminate the Caps and advance to the first round for only the second time in their history, after their Cup final Stanley in 1996.

The Panthers defeated the Capitals despite being ineffective on the power play. They were indeed cleared… in 18 attempts!

Besides, the big guns of the Panthers were rather discreet in the attack against Washington; Carter Verhaeghe and Claude Giroux sit atop the team’s scorers after six games. If Huberdeau, Reinhart and Bennett had to explode in the second round…

Defender Aaron Ekblad seems to be well recovered from his season injury and he is tasked with former Canadiens defender Ben Chiarot to face the big opposing lines. Goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, whose position seemed threatened at times over the winter, had a solid first round.

Players to follow

Tampa: The most important player in Tampa remains defenseman Victor Hedman, seven points in the first round, 25:42 of use, 3 minutes more than the second in this chapter, Mikhail Sergachev.

Florida: Center Aleksander Barkov remains the key player in Florida. He has Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair as wingers, while Sam Reinhart and Claude Giroux are spread across the other lines.

Players under the radar

Tampa: Acquired from the Ottawa Senators against Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-round pick, the colossus Nick Paul, 6’3″, 225 lbs, is not only tough, he can also score important goals.

Florida: To everyone’s surprise, Carter Verhaeghe, abandoned by the Lightning a few years ago because of the salary cap, amassed 12 points in 6 games in the first round!

Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues

Eliminating the Nashville Predators, deprived of their number one goalie, was something of a formality for the Colorado Avalanche.

Now the pressure begins: Denver hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since 2002, and this group of talented players know it all too well. Despite total dominance in the season, the Avalanche have lost in the second round the last three years, and we will not accept such a failure again this year after a season of 119 points.

But the St. Louis Blues will not be an easy opponent. They have amassed 109 points in the season and they probably have the best balanced offense in the NHL.

With the emergence of young Robert Thomas, 77 points in 72 games at just 22, St. Louis has the luxury of placing two scorers of 60 or more on a third line, Ivan Barbashev (60) and Jordan Kyrou (75). The Blues have seven scorers with 24 or more goals: Vladimir Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, Kyrou, Barbashev, Brayden Schenn, David Perron and Brandon Saad.

Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper suffered an eye injury in Round 1, but his absence was not felt against the poor Predators. He should be back in time for the second round.

The Blues’ new number one goaltender, Ville Husso, was entering uncharted territory, having never played in the playoffs, and he cracked against the Minnesota Wild. The hero of the Cup conquest in 2019, Jordan Binnington, awful in season, returned to his position with efficiency.

Players to follow

Colorado : Defender Cale Makar has an incredible 10 points in 4 games in the first round.

St. Louis : David Perron is still in top form in the playoffs. He scored five goals in six games against the Wild.

Players under the radar

Colorado : The colossus Valeri Nichushkin has been slow to exploit his immense talent, but, at 27, he has just had his best season of his career with 25 goals and 52 points in just 62 games. He plays to the left of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in the first line.

St. Louis : 23-year-old rookie Scott Perunovich, a 2020 Hobey-Baker Trophy-winning 5-foot-10 defenseman, entered the fray due to injury and had three assists in as many first-round games.