Florida Panthers (2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (3)
While the Capitals-Bruins series certainly was entertaining to watch, I thought this series took things to another level.
The speed, intensity and physicality of this match-up was something to behold. Tampa ultimately came out on top, outscoring Florida 24-17 (and 8PPG to 6) with perennial performer Nikita Kucherov looking none the worse for wear, cap-(shenanigans)-ing off the final game with two assists to give him a total of 3 goals and 11 points in six games.
Again, goaltending was a major factor as Panthers’ Chris Driedger and Sergei Bobrovsky struggled (.871 and .841) while Andrei Vasilevskiy (.929) shut the door.
Result: Tampa Bay in 6
My Bracket: Tampa Bay in 5
Colorado Avalanche (1) vs. St. Louis Blues (4)
Other than seeing Nazem Kadri suspended for the third(!) time in the post-season, everything went pretty smoothly for Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, with 9, 8 and 7 points, respectively, torched the Blues and made life miserable for Jordan Binnington, who finished with an .899 save % in the four game series. St. Louis was outscored by a whopping 20-7 margin and lost each game by at least three goals. Not many surprises here.
Result: Colorado in 4
My Bracket: Colorado in 5