The first round is full of playoff surprises
Some superstars are looking their best, while others head off for the golf course
The Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens failed to advance past the first round, the Pittsburgh Penguins survived the first round without their starting goalie and Connor McDavid and Zack Kassian temporarily swapped roles for the Edmonton Oilers.
Beyond the upsets, the first round of the playoffs have been nothing short of surprising. From Carey Price’s inability to cover up Montreal’s mistakes to Erik Karlsson almost singlehandedly steering the Ottawa Senators to a 4-2 series victory over the Boston Bruins, here are 10 storylines that have come out of the first round.
Erik Karlsson is MVP: Karlsson may or may not win the Norris Trophy this season (I voted for him again, by the way). But if anything, these playoffs have demonstrated why he should be a Hart Trophy finalist. Karlsson, who finished with six points in Ottawa’s six-game series win over Boston, has been Ottawa’s MVP. He forced overtime with a beautiful pass in Game 2, assisted on the overtime winner in Game 3 and set up the winning goal in Game 4.
Bring out the brooms: Anaheim swept Calgary, but let’s be honest: most didn’t think the Flames had a shot of beating the Ducks. The real shocker was the Blackhawks losing in four straight to the Nashville Predators. Goal scoring was obviously a problem, with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews combining for two goals. The Price is right (the Habs are not): Poor Carey Price. The best goalie in the world allowed only 12 goals in six games against the
New York Rangers. Normally, it should have been enough to advance the Habs to the second round. But with Max Pacioretty failing to score a single goal, it was a recipe for failure.
McDavid conquers goliaths: After winning the Art Ross Trophy with 100 points, all eyes were on Connor McDavid as he entered his first playoffs. So far, the 20-year-old has not disappointed. McDavid scored two goals and four points, including the empty-netter in a series-clinching Game 6 against the Sharks. But his best play might have been when he crushed Marcus Sorensen in Game 5.
From Vezina to early vacation: It was bad enough that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky allowed 20 goals in five games against the Penguins. What made it worse was hearing head coach John Tortorella’s critique of the Vezina finalist after Bobrovsky once again failed to advance past the first round. “Listen, Bob isn’t that experienced in the playoffs. He hasn’t played a ton of playoff games,” Tortorella told reporters.
They’re on a role: Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are atop the scoring race, but it’s been the role players who have grabbed the spotlight — especially in overtime. Edmonton’s Zack Kassian scored two game-winners, while Washington’s Tom Wilson entered Game 6 on Sunday with three goals. The kids are all right: At times, it might seem Toronto has the market cornered on teenage rookies. But the first-round was a coming-out party for the league’s first-year players. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel leads the postseason with five goals, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy (who was in college a few weeks ago) was among the ice-time leaders and Kevin Fiala scored twice, including an overtime winner, for Nashville.