Running analysis of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Our hockey writers share their observations and insights throughout Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sunday, April 26

All eyes on premier matchup in Habs-Bolts

The Canadiens and Lightning have both scored five five-on-five goals through three games. Montreal leads 2-1 in an extremely tight series thanks to a 4-3 edge in special teams goals and better execution over three overtime periods.

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Instead of relying on a traditional shutdown line, Lightning coach Jon Cooper has pitted Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel/Nikita Kucherov against the Canadiens' No. 1 line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky. We saw this in the Tampa Bay contests and Game 3 in Montreal.

It's worked out wonderfully for Cooper so far. The Suzuki line, which finished the regular season with a sparkling plus-19 five-on-five goal differential, has failed to score while allowing three goals against in 36 five-on-five minutes.

Interestingly, Habs coach Martin St. Louis hasn't shied away from the premier matchup or hinted at different usage and deployment for his star forwards in his media availabilities ahead of Sunday's Game 4. Buckle up. - John Matisz

Will Game 4 be it for Kopitar?

The Avalanche-Kings series has unfolded about how we imagined it would - the action's not overly compelling and Colorado can sweep L.A. on Sunday.

But, wait, there's still good reason for fans across the league to tune in for Game 4. Future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar may be pulling a Kings jersey over his head one last time. The 38-year-old career-long King, competing in his 20th NHL season, is retiring at the end of the campaign and, frankly, L.A. looks toast.

Kopitar is one of two Slovenians ever to make the NHL. The two-way center was a driving force of Los Angeles' two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, and is the franchise leader in points. He won the Selke Trophy twice and finished top five in voting on five other occasions. A classy man off the ice who rarely takes penalties despite playing a defense-first style, Kopitar's also accumulated three Lady Byng Trophies, with a fourth potentially coming this season.

It's safe to say Kopitar's on the short list for most underappreciated players of his generation. If this is it, happy trails to the man they call Kopi. - John Matisz

Saturday, April 25

Vladar, Flyers fumble close-out opportunity

The goalie storyline ahead of Penguins-Flyers Game 4 was straightforward. How would Pittsburgh's Arturs Silovs fare in relief of No. 1 Stuart Skinner?

The dude in the other net stole the headlines Sunday - for all the wrong reasons.

Dan Vladar, who enjoyed a strong regular season and start to the playoffs, allowed three goals - including two softies - on 20 shots in a 4-2 Flyers loss.

The opening marker featured Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, goalless through three games, unleashing a one-timer from the high slot. Unscreened and square, Vladar managed to get only a piece of the puck with his glove.

Pittsburgh's second goal came off some poor puckhandling. Vladar stopped a dump-in behind the Flyers' net, then hesitated. Rickard Rakell smelled blood and swarmed the Czech goalie. The puck popped out of Vladar's grasp, allowing Rakell to pull off an impressive diving wraparound.

Vladar was screened by a jumping Crosby on the 3-1 goal scored by Kris Letang. The 32-foot slap shot was destined for the back of the net.

The Flyers, up 3-1 in the series, remain in control after the loss, and Vladar's lackluster showing doesn't warrant a change between the pipes. But he needs to be better (along with Philly's skaters) in Monday's Game 5. - John Matisz

Third time's a charm for Wild's Boldy

What an overtime performance from Matt Boldy on Saturday night. Or, more specifically, what a final six minutes of the first overtime period, in which the Wild star winger skated for roughly three minutes across three different shifts.

Boldy almost ended Game 4 of Minnesota-Dallas with 5:45 left in OT. He corralled an off-target Kirill Kaprizov pass, spun around, and whipped the puck at the Stars' net, but goalie Jake Oettinger made a heroic lunging save.

Boldy was at the netfront again around 5:30. This time, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound American elected to kick the puck out of midair. It hit his knee before spinning past Oettinger and into the net. The goal was prompted called off.

The 25-year-old finished the job for real two shifts later, craftily tipping a Jared Spurgeon point shot with 29 seconds left. Boldy leaped into the Grand Casino Arena glass in celebration of the 3-2 winner. The Wild and Stars, a pair of Western Conference titans, are now tied, 2-2. Game 5 goes Tuesday in Dallas.

Boldy is one of the NHL's most clutch players because he craves having the game on his stick, is a dominant one-on-one player, and instinctively seeks out high-percentage scoring areas in the offensive zone. - John Matisz

Poor power play, injuries sink Sens in sweep

So much for the "watch out for the sneaky Sens!" narrative.

The Senators, a popular Round 1 underdog pick in playoff brackets, were swept by the Hurricanes and eliminated Saturday. Here are a few things that put Ottawa on the wrong end of the 11-5 series scoreboard.

Missing in action: Five Sens recorded 50 or more points in the regular season. Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, and Jake Sanderson carried their share of the offensive load against the Hurricanes with a combined eight points. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk decidedly did not. Stutzle, the club's most dynamic player, contributed one assist, and it didn't come until Game 4. Tkachuk went pointless while racking up a series-high 13 penalty minutes. Both players failed to execute despite generating a fair number of quality scoring chances.

Power outage: Ottawa's power play scored just once on 22 opportunities against Carolina's aggressive penalty kill. The Sens had a five-on-three man advantage for 1:28 in Game 3 and 2:10 in Game 4. Not only did the Sens fail to make Carolina pay, they rarely even looked dangerous. It was painful to watch.

Consistently overmatched: Injuries depleted the Sens' blue line. Nick Jensen missed the whole series, Tyler Kleven was out for Games 1 and 2, Artem Zub played eight minutes in Game 1, and, most importantly, Sanderson missed half of Game 3 and all of Game 4. Ottawa was unlucky, too, striking five posts and a crossbar. However, in the aggregate, the Sens were simply outclassed by a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Canes, led by a terrific second line of Logan Stankoven between Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, are a well-oiled machine that's won at least one playoff series in eight consecutive seasons. - John Matisz

Friday, April 24

Dach gets redemption in Game 3

Kirby Dach deactivated his Instagram account following harassment from fans after he made a pair of errors in Game 2's overtime that led to the Tampa Bay Lightning's winning goal. Three days later, Dach got redemption as he played a major role in Montreal retaking the series lead.

The 25-year-old assisted on Alexandre Texier's opening goal before tying the game in the second with a tally of his own. Dach also helped provide the screen on Lane Hutson's overtime winner.

Dach's line with Texier and Zack Bolduc was excellent and rebounded from a tough start to the series. In seven minutes at five-on-five, the trio finished with a 3-0 advantage in goals and an 11-4 edge in shot attempts.

"The night after (Game 2), you kinda think about it, and you feel shitty," Dach told Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas after the Game 3 win. "You just move on. You have to move on. I don't think you have a choice; it's the playoffs. You gotta be ready for the next game. That was kinda my mentality. Get back at practice, just continue to work at it."

Over 20,000 fans at Bell Centre chanted "Kir-by" before the puck dropped. The Canadiens' faithful repeated the chant after Dach's assist in the first and then again following his second-period goal. As you'd expect in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was a special night in Montreal. - Kyle Cushman

Thursday, April 23

Avalanche's offense ready to explode?

The Colorado Avalanche are certainly pleased being up 2-0 on the Los Angeles Kings entering Thursday's Game 3, but they've yet to win in the convincing fashion many expected out of the Presidents' Trophy winners, earning back-to-back 2-1 victories.

Yes, the Kings sit back and play an ultra-defensive game that can frustrate opponents, and journeyman Anton Forsberg has been a great story in net, but the dam will break sooner or later. An early goal or two from the Avalanche, which would force the Kings to open up their game, might be all it takes.

Colorado's been credited for 7.45 expected goals through two games, nearly double the amount they've actually converted, per Natural Stat Trick. Nathan MacKinnon has been limited to just one assist. Cale Makar has been held off the scoresheet entirely. Eventually, the big dogs are going to eat. - Josh Wegman

Sabres' goalie change shouldn't come as surprise

The Buffalo Sabres turning to Alex Lyon between the pipes for Game 3 is right on brand with what the club has done all season. The Sabres carried three goalies for most of the campaign, with Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen each making 34 starts, and Colten Ellis making 14. Luukkonen's struggles to open the series, highlighted by his embarrassing gaffe in Game 2, made this an easy call for head coach Lindy Ruff.

Lyon played well this season, posting a .906 save percentage while stopping 23.56 goals above expected, the 16th-best mark in the league, per Evolving-Hockey. The 33-year-old, who started three playoff games for the Florida Panthers in 2023, has earned this shot. And if he falters, Ruff can go right back to a rested UPL for Game 4. - Josh Wegman

Wednesday, April 22

McDavid still searching for 1st point

The pyramid of elite forwards in the Oilers-Ducks series looks like this:

Oiler Connor McDavid at the top. His teammate Leon Draisaitl on the second level. Three Ducks - Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke - comprising the base.

Draisaitl put forth a superstar performance in Monday's opener, despite it being his first game in a month thanks to a knee injury. The German's skating looked hindered, but he assisted on two Kasperi Kapanen goals in a wild Oilers win.

Gauthier, who broke out for 40 goals in the regular season, stole the spotlight Wednesday. The 22-year-old center wired a long-range shot past Oilers goalie Connor Ingram in the first period, earned a primary assist in the second, and buried a loose puck near the crease with 4:52 left in the third for the victory.

Somehow, in a 1-1 series with 17 total goals, McDavid doesn't have a point.

Is the best player in the world's signature moment coming Friday in Anaheim?

The smart money is on "yes," given McDavid's otherworldly abilities and the Ducks' suspect defense. Then again, he left Game 2 for a stretch to attend to an apparent leg injury then didn't look quite himself upon returning to action. - John Matisz

Everybody contributing as Philly rolls on

It was a scene straight out of a "Mighty Ducks" movie.

Trevor Zegras scored a power-play goal early in the second period to tie Game 3 of the Battle of Pennsylvania, 1-1. He slammed his fist against the Flyers' penalty box window in celebration. There were five rowdy teammates inside. A few feet away, six Penguins players slumped inside the other sin bin.

The Flyers have toyed with the Penguins in just about every way in what's evolved into a highly entertaining yet lopsided series. Philadelphia took Wednesday's messy, penalty-filled contest by a 5-2 final score to go up 3-0.

Nine Flyers have recorded two or more points against the Pens. The most notable: sensational 19-year-old rookie Porter Martone. He scored the winning goals in Games 1 and 2, pitched in an assist in Game 3, leads the team in shot attempts (16), and co-leads in shots on goal (nine). Martone, seemingly made in a lab to be a Flyer, is enjoying one of the finest starts to a career in recent memory. He's amassed 13 hard-earned points in 12 games since leaving Michigan State to sign his entry-level deal with the Flyers in March.

Philly's power play ranked 32nd in the regular season, failed to capitalize on eight PP opportunities to start the playoffs, then bagged two goals on three opportunities Wednesday. It was that kind of night for Pittsburgh's psyche.

The Flyers' top defense pairing of Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen has been tasked with minimizing Penguins captain Sidney Crosby during five-on-five action. A frustrated Crosby is still looking for his first point, period.

Fourth-line center Sean Couturier (three points, excellent defensive work) and goalie Dan Vladar (71 saves on 75 shots) round out the top of a very long list of impressive performances on a dialed-in Philly squad. - John Matisz

Waiting on Sid's arrival

One of the most prominent storylines leading into this year's postseason was Sidney Crosby's return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a three-year absence. Two games in, the hockey world is still waiting for the most accomplished player of his generation to create a signature moment.

Crosby has been held off the scoresheet. He needs to find a way to give Pittsburgh's offense life against what's been a suffocating defensive effort from the Flyers. Crosby's metrics are positive so far in the series; the Penguins are controlling 62.75% of shot attempts and 60.1% of expected goals with the captain on the ice at five-on-five. But at this point, the Penguins can't afford another night of puck possession that doesn't translate to the scoreboard.

Crosby traditionally feasts on the Flyers and has especially dominated on the road, recording 62 points in 45 games in Philadelphia. Maybe a change of scenery and a must-win game is all the motivation Crosby needs. - Sean O'Leary

Utah's young guns overwhelming Vegas

Welcome to the Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther show.

Utah's most lethal offensive players have dazzled in their first playoff series. In 17 five-on-five minutes spread across two games, the Cooley line (which also features Kailer Yamamoto) is up 24-13 in shot attempts, 13-5 in shots on goal, 1.71-0.31 in expected goals, and 2-0 in actual goals against the Golden Knights, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Utah has generated 54 total scoring chances against Vegas. Cooley and Guenther have combined for 21 chances, or 39% of the Mammoth's entire offense, according to data tracked by hockey analyst Dimitri Filipovic.

Cooley, a 21-year-old center with sublime skating, has potted a pair of goals. He logged 17:20 a night during the regular season to rank fourth among Mammoth forwards. He's now pacing the group at 20:49 in the postseason.

Guenther, a 23-year-old right winger with one of the quickest releases in the sport, scored on a one-timer and then earned an assist on Cooley's game-winning goal by exposing Vegas off the rush Tuesday night. Guenther averaged 17:24 in the regular season. He's been upgraded to 19 minutes even in the playoffs.

The Mammoth-Knights series is tied 1-1. Game 3 goes Friday in Utah. - John Matisz

Past analysis

Check out all our archived items from previous days here.

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