Wednesday’s show was already full of first-round Stanley Cup playoffs. Now, after a five-hour overtime game on Tuesday, there will be even more to watch at the time of the first round.
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in the overtime thriller, the fourth-longest game in Stanley Cup playoff history, in Toronto on Tuesday, prompting the first game in the Carolina Hurricanes-Boston Bruins series. postponed for Wednesday morning. This will be the first of the first set matches to take position as the rest of the first round series begins.
The Bruins and Hurricanes played in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, with Boston sweeping the series in four games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. But this year’s series may be more competitive, as Carolina gained momentum after sweeping the New York Rangers into the qualifying round.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s show, followed by some of the day’s main clashes.
Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes No. Five v Boston Bruins No. 4, 11 a.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 1: No. 6 of the New York Islanders at No. of the Washington Capitals, p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 1: 7 Arizona Coyotes in Colorado Avalanche Game 2, 5:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 1: Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers Number 1, p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 1: Vancouver Canucks at 4th St. Louis Blues, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Everything can be broadcast on NBC Sports Live.
Can Capitals outperform their former head coach?
In 2018, Barry Trotz led the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Then, the two sides parted ways. Trotz left to become the head coach of the Islanders, while Washington hired Todd Reirden to be its new head coach.
It is imaginable that this will happen for the Caps who oppose Trotz himself as they prepare to face their former leader in the first playoff circular this year. Washington scored twice in their circular-robin games to become the No. 3 seed, while the New Yorks won a four-game circular qualifying series against the Florida Panthers.
“This organization has a lot of pedigree,” Trotz said of the Capitals, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. “They have a lot of stellar strength and they won a championship. They are well provided in many areas. So the biggest challenge is to play them equivalent and play them hard and they will do the same because I know a lot about this team. “
An attractive game will be watching New York’s attack on Washington goalkeeper Braden Holtby. Although Holtby struggled during the normal season, the Capitals will depend on the 30-year veteran with Ilya Samsonov absent for the rest of the season due to injury. Holtby is about to become a loose agent during the upcoming off-season, so this may be a vital postseason for him.
Will Canadians or coyotes continue as outsiders?
This year’s rating circular gave more groups the chance to succeed in the playoffs, a direct result of the four-and-a-half-month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. If that hadn’t happened, it’s imaginable that groups like the Canadiens and Coyotes wouldn’t even make it to the playoffs.
Instead, Montreal and Arizona are in position to play the first-round series after being disappointed in the qualifying round. And while any of them will still be overlooked, it’s imaginable that one of them will warm up and make an unlikely run in the playoffs.
The Canadiens were the twelfth seed in the Eastern Conference in the qualifying round, beating the Penguins, fifth seeded in four games. Now they will look for the disappointed Flyers, who led 3-0 in their all-against-all games to secure the No. 1 seed.
In the Western Conference, the Coyotes were the No. 11 seed and toppled the Nashville Predators, seeded No. 6, in four games. Arizona also faces a difficult task when faced with second seed Colorado, who has a 2-1 record in all-against-all games, and his only loss is a loss to Vegas.
If any of these groups run a deep race, it would be one of the biggest surprises in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as it began as the No. 11 or No. 12 seed. But lately they’re both playing well, so maybe we can stay warm and bring more surprises along the way.
The Blues start their career to see how to protect themselves as champions
The Stanley Cup protective champions will begin their way to the practice session on Wednesday, as the Blues are in a position to open their first-round series against the Canucks. And although St. Louis played well the normal season, scoring 9 four numbers (most of them in the Western Conference), the team was 0-3 in their all-on-all games to fall into fourth place.
So there may be some adversity on the way to St. Louis, starting with a difficult game against the Canucks, who beat the Minnesota Wild in four games in the qualifying round. But if the Blues can return to the playing point they showed in the normal season, they may be in one position for another playoff series.
And the Blues are sure they can do it again.
“I think for any team in this league, it will be hard to win in four games against us,” said the Blues’ left winger, David Perron, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
However, a smart start can be vital for the Blues as they try to recover from their difficult functionality in all-against-all contests. But each and every playoff that played St. Louis last season lasted six or seven games, making it an experienced organization that knows what it takes to win a competitive playoff game.
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Our selections for opening series