It is on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this evening. Eight teams advancing, leaving eight defeated squads in their wake.
There were surprises and some inevitable outcomes on the losing side and we thought 
we would take a look at the losers.
The Chicago Blackhawks entered the post season as the number one seed in the west and quickly exited in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators. That loss was ensured by the stellar goaltending of Pekka Rinne but also was guaranteed by the Hawks’ anemic, perhaps absent, offense as they scored three goals in the four games. Over the four games, they yielded 13 goals. That is not going to get it done. It really was no surprise or at least shouldn’t have been. Chicago’s big scorers were absent most of the season with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews having trouble finding the back of the net all season. What didn’t help was their failure to make the stops when needed and while blame should not be placed on Corey Crawford he had a difficult series. Is it too soon to talk aging?
The Calgary Flames were also swept from the playoffs this season. The Anaheim Ducks made short work of their series win. The Flames were outscored 14-9 and were at least competitive. The real problem for Calgary was the magic that was Brian Elliott in the last half of the regular season was dispelled by the Ducks in the four games. Elliott was a mere mortal. The Flames were unable to hold late leads and were outmatched by the more experienced Ducks. The exit may not have been a surprise but the sweep certainly was.
The Minnesota Wild bowed out early and if you were a betting fan you would have looked at the man behind the bench and laid the C note on the exit. Bruce Boudreau has been marked by his teams’ early exits from the playoffs in Anaheim especially but that stain moved to St Paul. The Wild were not desperately outplayed by the St Louis Blues but they also were not as good as the Blues contrary to Boudreau’s comments at the end of the series. More was expected from Minnesota but they failed to deliver on the promise or expectation.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were supposed to ride the talent and abilities of Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. The Jackets managed one win, on home ice, that forced a series-clinching Game 5 in Pittsburgh for the Penguins’ win. Bobrovsky was adequate but Columbus needed him to steal a game or two from the defending Stanley Cup champs, he didn’t. More than that, the Jackets went flat and were a pale reminder of the force from the regular season. How does a team go that limp just days after setting franchise records for the season?
The San Jose Sharks went into a late season swoon that saw them yield the Pacific Division’s top spot to the Anaheim Ducks. That spiral down the ladder continued into the post season in a 4-2 series loss to the Edmonton Oilers. But the Sharks are getting old, their window of opportunity is closing for many of their stars whose peaks are in the rearview mirror. Game 6 of the series showed a team that was gassed. The Oilers need some credit for that though. They were clearly more energized and younger. Add in Cam Talbot and the Sharks were doomed. Now the question is what will the Sharks look like next campaign?
The Boston Bruins stopped listening to Claude Julien early in the 2016-17 season. It happens. The Bruins’ front office recognized it and made the tough call to fire Julien and bring in Bruce Cassidy who quickly motivated the club to make the playoffs after a long winning streak. But age and injuries caught up with the B’s in a 4-2 series loss to the Ottawa Senators. It wasn’t for lack of effort or heart, just tired legs and tired bodies. They listened to Cassidy, there was just no answer after the wearying NHL schedule that can beat down an already broken frame.
Pundits are saying the Montreal Canadiens were exposed for their lack of a center. Claude Julien found a new home in Montreal after departing the Bruins but he was unable to get the Habs over the line in their 4-2 series loss to the New York Rangers. The Rangers? Even after taking a 2-1 series lead after the Rangers laid an egg in Game 3, the Habs were unable to put an end to the Rangers’ efforts. They let them up off the ice and lost three straight. With a focus on heavy hitting and close checking, the Canadiens forgot about the offense and beating Henrik Lundqvist in the Rangers’ net. In Game 6, the Habs forgot about Mats Zuccarello, who is a consummate passer, and let him score twice in a series-clinching 3-1 win. As the Los Angeles Kings have come to realize, the NHL is swinging back to speed, youth and skill and away from the bruising, heavy hitting style played by the Habs. What next for Montreal?
The series that ended as most would have predicted was the most exciting. The Toronto Maple Leafs fell in a six-game series in round one but were competitive, extremely competitive in the 4-2 loss. Indeed, five of the six games went to overtime. Auston Matthews was a solid performer in the series and Frederik Andersen acquitted himself well. The Leafs are set for the future and an addition here or there will mean deeper runs in the post season in the near future.
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