THE PARTY GOES ON
Red-hot Rangers set for Round 2 matchup with ’Canes
A few minutes after his Rangers moved on to the second round of the playoffs by beating the Penguins, Gerard Gallant had not mentally moved on to what’s next.
“I don’t even know who we play,” Gallant said with a chuckle.
It’s the Hurricanes, coach. Game 1 is Wednesday night. Shortly after, the Flames host the Oilers in the first playoff rendition of the Battle of Alberta in 31 years.
Carolina and the Rangers last met in the postseason in the best-of-five opening round of the 24-team expanded bubble playoffs in 2020. The fifth-seeded Hurricanes swept the 12th-seeded Rangers.
Before the Rangers beat the Penguins, Carolina captain Jordan Staal said either team would present a major challenge.
The Rangers advanced to the second round for the first time since 2017 by beating the Penguins, 4-3, in overtime in Game 7 Sunday night. It was the third consecutive comeback victory for the Rangers, who trailed 3-1 in the series.
“We’re not done,” Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said.
OILERS-FLAMES
Connor McDavid carried Edmonton past Los Angeles with 14 points in the hard-fought seven-game series. The previous time the Oilers and Flames met in the playoffs was almost six years before he was born.
Despite playing two seasons for Calgary, Oilers goaltender Mike Smith’s response Saturday night to who he’d rather play was a simple, “I don’t really care.”
The hockey community will gladly take the first Flames-Oilers series since 1991. A year after the creation of the North Division guaranteed a Canada-based team in the final four, the same will happen with one from Alberta.
Calgary last reached the Cup finals in 2004 and Edmonton in 2006. Montreal in 1993 was the last team from Canada to win it all.
LIGHTNING-PANTHERS
Panthers deadline addition Brandon Montour may not have had a rooting interest in Game 7 between the Lightning and Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Many of his teammates who got eliminated by the Lightning were happy to see the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions win to become their next opponent.
“I think a lot of guys wanted to play this team,” Montour said Sunday. “It’s always a battle against these guys, and we’re up for the challenge and everyone’s excited in there.”
Lightning-Panthers is one of two second-round series that are rematches from last year. The top-seeded Avalanche faces off against the Blues.
BLUES-AVALANCHE
This was the first matchup of the second round to get locked in after Colorado swept Nashville and St. Louis beat Minnesota in six. It also could be the feistiest, especially in the aftermath of Avalanche center Nazem Kadri concussing Blues defenseman Justin Faulk with an illegal check to the head in the series last year that prompted an eightgame suspension.
Kadri is having a career season, the Blues have already dealt with a series of injuries on their blue line and no one has forgotten that hit or the lopsided nature of the series.