Update on Stanley Cup Playoffs

 After the first week of playoff play, some teams have a really good chance of moving on to the next round and getting closer to playing for the Stanley Cup while others can see their chances becoming slimmer and slimmer each day. 

The Carolina Hurricanes are up three games to one on the New York Islanders and are one win away from moving on. They have looked exactly the way the series is looking right now- dominant. Another team that is winning at the same pace as the Hurricanes are the Boston Bruins. I would be lying to you if I said the world is shocked by this, as they set the record for the most wins ever in a season. The underdog Florida Panthers stole game two away from the Bruins but games one, three and four have all been ugly for them. Boston is elite.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are up two games to one over the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game one beat down, the narrative was quickly that Toronto would be out in the minimum four games. They lost game one in disgusting fashion, 7-3. Well, they came back and scored seven of their own goals to win game two, 7-4. In game three, they won in an overtime thriller, 4-3. The Maple Leafs are halfway to winning the series, something they would rather not discuss. Game four will tell the truth.

The New York Rangers were close to having a three game advantage over New Jersey, but the Devils fought hard and got the win in overtime Saturday night. The Rangers have looked like the better team, but this series has potential to go further than most people thought.

The Las Vegas Knights have a one game lead over the Jets from Winnipeg. A game one loss has flipped into two consecutive wins for the Knights. Game four lasted nearly two overtime periods, as Vegas scored and won with just under four minutes in the second overtime. Winnipeg has been in contention to win more than once and has probably should've, but just haven't sealed the deal. Winnipeg also lost one of their best, John Morrisey early in game three and he won't be playing in game four.

The Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken is a pretty fun series so far. The Avalanche have the one game advantage, two games to one. I think one thing that is certainly in Colorado's favor is the amount of playoff experience they have. Seattle has been good, but not good enough. 

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are tied with two wins each through four games. Wow, this series has been insane. One of the hardest hits was taken by Dallas Star, Joe Pavelski, and he has been out with a concussion ever since. The physicality has been there each game. This series has the recipe to go as long as possible, seven games.

Last but not least, the Edmonton Oilers are tied with the Los Angeles Kings at two games each through four games. If you're looking for excitement, this series has that and more. Through four games, three have gone to overtime. It just seems like one team gets an edge and tries to pull away but the other team won't let them. It's the epitome of playoff hockey.