NHL: Insights on first 17 video games of 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs – ESPN

Anze Kopitar finds the again of the web early in additional time to carry the Kings to a Recreation 2 win over the Oilers. (1:05)
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have delivered all of the requisite thrills that followers have come to anticipate from the best postseason in sports activities.
However by means of the primary 17 video games — three for Boston Bruins–Toronto Maple Leafs, and two for each different collection — we have additionally discovered some classes about every membership, whether or not it is new info coming to mild or affirmation of our pre-playoff thoughts.
To assist kind by means of all of that new information — and establish which developments will proceed to affect the remainder of the primary spherical and past — ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski current their takeaways from the primary wave of first-round video games.
With a purpose to win the Stanley Cup, a workforce wants to have the ability to win in a wide range of methods. Some nights are robust defensive battles. Some nights are shootouts. Some nights are going to be disjointed, penalty-filled affairs the place physicality reigns. What’s been spectacular concerning the New York Rangers up to now towards the Washington Capitals is, properly, the vary.
Their Recreation 1 win noticed them dominate in 5-on-5 play, which felt like a 60-minute response to analytic skepticism about their even-strength play. Their Recreation 2 win was a grueling, nasty affair through which the groups each scored twice on the facility play however the Rangers’ penalty kill — third finest within the league this season — scored the game-winner.
Eleven totally different Rangers have notched a degree within the first two video games, together with all three members of their checking line — Matt Rempe, Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow — that might change into a kind of cult hero trios for a championship workforce.
“All 12 months it has been that method,” coach Peter Laviolette stated of his depth. “We have relied on lots of people. I feel it is useful in the midst of the playoffs that when the bump and grind comes into it, and hopefully the longevity of the playoffs, it is good to have it.” — Wyshynski
How a lot have the Dallas Stars struggled towards the Vegas Golden Knights lately? Recreation 2’s defeat makes six straight losses, and so they’ve additionally misplaced 9 of their final 11 mixed regular-season and playoff video games to Vegas.
Final 12 months’s Western Convention finals noticed the Stars fall into an 0-2 collection after two additional time video games. They’d fall right into a 0-3 gap earlier than successful two video games to pressure Recreation 6, then struggling a season-ending loss to the Golden Knights.
They face one other 0-2 deficit, and should work out tips on how to recuperate shortly towards the defending Stanley Cup champions. Stars coach Peter DeBoer stated after the Recreation 2 loss that he felt just like the Golden Knights carried the play final season, whereas he believes each groups now “are much more evenly matched.”
This season noticed the Stars end tied for a league-high 26 highway wins. Stars ahead Tyler Seguin stated the objective is to now parlay that success on the highway into one thing that might assist them climb again into the collection.
“I do not know for those who may be too bodily in playoffs, however possibly we’re nearly being pissed off by final 12 months by figuring out how good of a workforce we’re,” Seguin stated, whereas referencing how the Stars completed with 53 hits. “Particularly 5-on-5. We’ll take a day tomorrow and reset and get excited for this problem forward of us.” — Clark
Sergei Bobrovsky is an achieved regular-season goalie, with two Vezina Trophies to his credit score and nice stats this season for the Florida Panthers (36-17-4, .915 save share, six shutouts). However within the postseason, he turns into Playoff Bob. And Playoff Bob can do magical issues.
In opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Recreation 2, Bobrovsky made some of the exceptional saves of this or any postseason: Robbing Matt Dumba along with his again going through the Lightning defenseman, his left arm prolonged to permit the puck to bounce off his forearm and hold the sport tied. The Panthers would finally win in additional time to take a 2-0 collection lead, with Playoff Bob making 21 saves.
“It was desperation, I attempted to throw as a lot physique as potential and was capable of make the save,” he stated.
Take a look at this sensational save from Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky in Recreation 2 vs. the Lightning.
It was the form of save that immediately goes viral. The form of save that is already impressed a T-shirt that includes Bobrovsky stretching throughout the crease with the phrases “The Bobbery” above it. The form of save that coach Paul Maurice believed might encourage younger followers in South Florida to take up the crease.
“There’s most likely quite a few children within the driveway this weekend, all of them need to play objective for the primary time, proper? For me, that is the way it occurs. They see one thing form of magical, and so they all go and take a look at it,” he stated.
The Lightning have their palms full with their state rivals for lots of causes, and certainly one of them is Playoff Bob, who’s second within the postseason with a 1.95 goals-against common, enjoying behind the Panthers’ league-best workforce protection. — Wyshynski
There’s been no official phrase on what ails William Nylander. However there is not any doubt his absence is having an impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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The Leafs’ winger tends to return alive within the postseason, with constant manufacturing (he is tallied 40 factors in 50 playoff video games so far) and Toronto’s often potent offensive assault has been dulled with out Nylander within the combine. Credit score to Boston there too, after all; the Bruins have been stingy providing up scoring alternatives.
After which there is a trickle-down impact by means of the remainder of Toronto’s prime 9 with out Nylander obtainable, from slotting rookie Matthew Knies onto the second line to preserving Nick Robertson — a wholesome scratch on quite a few events throughout the season — on the third line. Their lack of expertise does not give Toronto the identical apparent benefit having Nylander on the ice would supply (though Knies did rating Toronto’s opening marker in Recreation 3, off a fairly cross from Mitch Marner).
Plus, the Leafs’ listless energy play would profit from a Nylander enhance — Toronto entered Recreation 3 having gone 1-6 with the additional man, and the Leafs instantly added to their very own disappointment with 5 scoreless energy performs in Wednesday’s outing. Timothy Liljegren isn’t any alternative there for what Nylander does. The Leafs want their 40-goal scorer again, badly. — Shilton
A primary-period deficit overcome. A second interval through which the Colorado Avalanche scored 4 targets from 4 totally different gamers. A stable efficiency from Alexandar Georgiev, stopping 28 of the 30 pictures he confronted simply days after he allowed seven targets in a Recreation 1 loss.
All of that led to a 5-2 Avs win, tying their collection towards the Winnipeg Jets. Might these developments play a job within the Avs reversing their fortunes towards a Jets workforce that is given them vital issues all through the season?
A part of the narrative coming into this collection was how the Jets had been 3-0 towards the Avs within the common season, outscoring them by a 17-4 margin. That features a 7-0 loss again on April 13, an acute trigger for concern in Colorado.
That is what made Recreation 1 so fascinating. On one hand, the Avs scored extra targets in a single recreation towards the Jets than they did in three video games within the common season. Then again, the Jets scored seven targets for a second straight recreation towards Colorado.
So does Recreation 2 imply the Avs have discovered a solution — or are at the least nearer to discovering a solution towards the Jets? Or was Recreation 2 an outlier towards a Jets workforce that may strike again with an offensive outburst in Recreation 3? — Clark
Connor Hellebuyck comes out of the crease however slips on the ice, resulting in a Colorado objective.
If there’s one factor that is helped drive the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s success in current seasons, it is depth. The Lightning have prioritized including gamers on the deadline who improve — and complement — their core stars, and GM Julien BriseBois did that once more grabbing Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba in March.
However Tampa Bay is not repeating the rewards of a deep roster but of their collection towards the Florida Panthers … but. The Lightning are in an 0-2 gap after scoring solely 4 targets (and solely two at 5-on-5) by means of two video games — a pair from Steven Stamkos, one from Brandon Hagel and one other from Brayden Point.
The Lightning have regarded top-heavy, and that is not essentially a recipe for fulfillment when the Panthers have three traces that may do harm (and Florida has already proven a killer intuition in relation to scoring well timed targets).
Now, if it weren’t for The Save by Sergei Bobrovsky on Dumba in Recreation 2, this may very well be a wholly totally different dialog. However as it’s the Lightning shall be determined for offense going into Recreation 3 of a collection the place they’ve but to carry a lead. That in itself is a tricky tablet to swallow. — Shilton
Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner and Los Angeles Kings goalie Cam Talbot had been each not excellent in Recreation 2. However Talbot made just a few key saves within the Kings’ win, together with a breakaway cease on Ryan McLeod and two enormous saves on Leon Draisaitl on a late second-period energy play, whereas Skinner didn’t.
“They’re getting some good puck luck proper now. And the puck luck wasn’t on my aspect tonight,” Skinner stated after the 5-4 additional time loss on Wednesday evening. “Each shot that they take appeared to go off a man’s stick or a man’s skate.”
Nobody expects Skinner to dominate within the postseason. He had an .883 save share and a 3.68 goals-against common in 12 begins final postseason. He is the basic “you do not have to win us a collection, however you may’t lose us a collection” goaltender behind a robust contending workforce.

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Via two video games towards Los Angeles, he has an .857 save share, having given up 9 targets on 63 pictures. Each video games had their share of funky deflections and defensive breakdowns in entrance of Skinner, however Recreation 2 was near that “do not lose us the collection” concern.
“Any time he is had an off recreation, he is been capable of play very properly for us,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch stated.
The coach famous a recreation again in Dec. 2023 when Skinner gave up 5 targets on 22 pictures to the Lightning. He would go on to win 12 of his subsequent 13 video games, giving up just one objective in six of these victories.
After the Kings tied the collection 1-1 on Anze Kopitar‘s additional time objective, Skinner gave the impression of somebody assured that he can rebound for the Oilers.
“Video games like this, the place you’re feeling just like the universe is towards you and the puck’s not working properly for you, it is a part of life. It is a part of playoffs too. I am certain I am going to really feel this once more in some unspecified time in the future,” he stated. “The takeaway from tonight is to simply wash it out. I do know my recreation and I do know who I’m.” — Wyshynski
Blocking 30 pictures of their series-tying 4-1 win Tuesday towards the Vancouver Canucks is simply the most recent instance of the defensive identification the Nashville Predators have established throughout Andrew Brunette’s first season in cost.
His time because the interim coach of the Panthers and as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils noticed these groups rating targets at a livid price with Brunette behind the bench. Whereas the Preds completed tenth in targets per recreation this season (3.24), there was additionally an emphasis on protection that Brunette preached all through the season. The message he relayed to the Predators’ gamers was to function as a five-player unit that might finally thrive in conditions that noticed them play with out the puck.
Recreation 2 may need been the strongest instance of how the Preds discovered success without having the puck. Pure Stat Trick’s metrics present the Canucks had a 74.42 shot share share, which meant they managed the puck for practically three-fourths of the sport however struggled to attain due partly to the Preds blocking 30 pictures.
Getting in the best way of all of these pictures allowed them to create much less work for Juuse Saros, who saved 17 of the 18 that acquired by means of. It is also the primary time all season that Saros completed a recreation with fewer than 20 saves that did not contain him getting pulled. — Clark
There are some positives the New York Islanders can take from their two video games towards the Carolina Hurricanes. They performed the Canes evenly by means of two durations in Recreation 1. They constructed a 3-0 lead within the first 23:54 of Recreation 2. However they misplaced each video games within the third interval — and in an especially painful method in that Recreation 2 loss, because the Hurricanes scored the game-tying and successful targets simply 9 seconds aside.
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“This one’s lengthy from over, however proper now, this one hurts the intestine,” Islanders captain Anders Lee stated after the 5-3 loss in Raleigh in Recreation 2. Coach Patrick Roy stated the workforce stopped successful one-on-one battles. Defenseman Noah Dobson stated the Islanders tried to sit down on a lead quite than proceed pushing. That manifested in a 110-to-28 shot try benefit for Carolina within the recreation.
So it turns into gut-check time for the Islanders in Recreation 3 on Thursday evening. They will swap out goalie Semyon Varlamov in favor of Ilya Sorokin. They will attempt to feed off their house followers like Carolina did theirs. And as star ahead Mathew Barzal stated just a few instances on Wednesday, they will attempt to keep in the correct mindset for a rally.
“We had been pissed off. There isn’t any hiding that. There wasn’t a ton of smiles after that,” Barzal stated. “However that is the playoffs. We’re in good spirits right here, whatever the [series] rating. Now we have an opportunity now at an epic comeback.” — Wyshynski

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