The Stanley Cup Playoffs are heating up as we head into round two, with just eight teams left fighting for hockey’s biggest prize.
The action kicks off Monday when the defending champion Florida Panthers face the Toronto Maple Leafs up north.
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The Western Conference matchups are set to be intense.
The Dallas Stars pulled off an incredible comeback against Colorado, with Mikko Rantanen stealing the show against his old team with a hat trick in Game 7. Their coach Peter DeBoer has been unbeatable in Game 7s – he’s now 9-0 in those do-or-die situations.
They’ll face the Winnipeg Jets, who survived a nail-biter against St. Louis that went to double overtime in Game 7. The Jets are trying to do something pretty special – they could be the first team since the 2012-13 Blackhawks to win both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup.
In the other West matchup, Vegas takes on Edmonton. The Oilers looked unstoppable after falling behind 2-0 to LA, winning four straight with Connor McDavid racking up 11 points.
Over in the East, the Washington Capitals made quick work of Montreal in five games. They’re now up against Carolina, who looked equally dominant in taking down New Jersey.
The Panthers-Maple Leafs series should be fascinating. Florida’s been Toronto’s kryptonite this year, winning three of their four regular season matchups. Sam Reinhart’s been on fire for the Panthers, while William Nylander’s been lighting it up for the Leafs with nine points in round one.
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