Your Sunday Evening Open Thread & NHL Second Round Partial Preview

So, it’s the strange NHL COVID circumstance that the second round will play out like the first – with intradivisional matchups taking place. It has actually made for quite fun hockey, as the animosity that built up over the season is coming out in the shape of gritty play, the annual Nazem Kadri suspension, and double OT games that end 6-5. I’m sure Grapes is sitting at home slowly dying inside.

So, even though Boston & the Islanders played yesterday, today marks the start of the [DFO] observance of the NHL’s second round of hot playoff action!

Central Division Final: Tampa Bay Lightning (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (1)

Tampa’s strategy of keeping Kucherov out all season, but active on the roster so as to save his playoff spot, paid off as he was one of the catalysts that helped get them past a surprisingly strong Florida team. His fresh legs seemed apparent as he seemed able to find another gear that other players didn’t have. The result was a series that seemed closer than it was, and the ‘underdog’ Lightning came out streets-ahead & ready to keep defending their 2020 title.

The Predators let me down. They seemed able to hang with the not-Whalers at first, but let too many leads slip away and left too many ‘Canes open during overtime for them to do the Lord’s work & send Brind’Amour’s bo’ys ho’me. So, it’s time to face the fact that Jordan Staal & Sebastian Aho might be the actual leaders I ignored they might be. The Hurricanes do have some great alliterative names in Nino Niederreiter, Teuvo Teravainen, and Max McCormick, and all-time Canadian name Dougie Hamilton. I slept on the success that was not-European goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, OH), because I assumed any team with James Reimer & Petr Mrazek on their roster wasn’t going very far. I still don’t want them to win, but analysis shows a few things to like.

This series should be high-scoring, given the on-ice firepower, but if one of these goalies starts riding a heater, it could be over quick.

Prediction: Lightning in six.

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West Division Final: Vegas Golden Knights (2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (1)

The NHL got what it wanted here. Two flashy offences; two solid defences; two goalies trying to write enhanced narratives for themselves. If this were a Cup final Bettman would have an erection you could see from space, as it would vaildate his two-pronged strategy of taking teams out of Canada and expanding into non-traditional markets. (Don’t mention the Coyotes.)

If anyone had doubts, the first round put them aside – Nathan MacKinnon is the real deal. He’s still on his second contract, so the Avs are able to bulk up on talent while he’s still on the discount. They have 2-3 more years before they have to make the costing decisions that usually price teams out of their championship window. And boy, is he surrounded by weapons. Donskoi, Landeskog & Soderberg are all dynamite pieces to this offence. The sleeper on this team is Mikko Rantanen – he’s a 6’4″ Finn, and has a nasty streak reminiscient of Esa Tikkanen. The defence has three rock-solid pairings, and Grubauer has been ridiculous in net. They are the class of the Western Conference, and should be the favourites to challenge for the Cup.

But Vegas, baby.

They faced a tougher challenge from Minnesota than was expected, almost blowing a 3-1 series lead. But they showed they still have all of their weapons when it counted. Led by Mark Stone, they still roll three interchangeable lines, although not as frequently as they did during their inaugural season when it was a new thing that flummozed most teams & led them to the Cup final. Jonathan Marchessault looks to be rolling into form, and Max Pacioretty provided their Game 7 spark versus the Wild. Their defence is a solid mix of vets & young players, and they suffer few mental laspes. Speaking of mental lapses, their goaltending tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury & Robin Lehner haven’t shown one yet, but since Fleury is guaranteed to have at least one case of the yips, having a solid backup on Zoloft is the best you can hope for in the playoffs.

If Gary Bettman did indeed sign that deal with the Devil, this series goes seven games and each one ends 7-6 in OT. I don’t think it’ll go that long, but it’s clearly the marquee series, and hopefully is the showcase for the game the league desperately needs.

Prediction: Avs in six.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Tampa Bay at Carolina – 5:00pm | NBCSN / Sportsnet
  • Vegas at Colorado – 8:00pm | NBC / CBC / Sportsnet
• NBA:
  • Nets vs. Celtics – 7:00pm | TNT / TSN4
  • Clippers vs. Mavericks – 9:30pm | TNT / Sportsnet360
• MLB:
  • Braves vs. Mets – 7:00pm | ESPN / TSN
• Futbol:
  • Liga MX:
    • Cruz Azul vs. Santos Laguna – 9:15pm | UNI / Fox Sports 2 / FOX Deportes
  • MLS:
    • Portland vs. Philadelphia – 7:00pm | TSN3
    • Seattle vs. Austin – 9:30pm | TSN3
• Left turns:
  • NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600 – 6:00pm | FOX / TSN5

Tonight is good, but tomorrow will be great – GAME 7, BAY-BAY!