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The Stars missed the NHL playoffs in eight of the previous 10 seasons and now have their eye on advancing to the second round.
They defeated the Predators 5-3 Saturday to take a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals.
The Blue Jackets are in the second round for the first time in their 19-year history. The Avalanche won an opening-round series for the first time since 2008. Last week, the Islanders downed the Penguins to record their first playoff sweep in 46 years.
Welcome to the new NHL, where your past doesn’t matter and the Stanley Cup is up for grabs.
According to BetOnLine, the Lightning (2-1), Flames (8-1), Bruins (9-1), Predators (12-1) and Capitals (12-1) had the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning and Flames have been eliminated, but the Bruins staved off elimination when they beat Toronto 4-2 Sunday to tie their series. The defending champion Capitals have had their hands full taking on the Hurricanes, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2009. The Capitals lead the series 3-2 and have to play without key forward T.J. Oshie, who is out with an upper body injury.
If the Hurricanes beat the Capitals and the Stars defeat the Predators, then all four wild-card qualifiers will be in the second round. Lower seeds win on average 37.5% of the time in the first round, but this year’s results seem to suggest the NHL is experience a changing of the guard.
Here’s why:
❚ Not much difference between the top and bottom: The Blue Jackets are the No. 8 qualifier in the Eastern Conference, but they were a 98-point team. With more luck, they could have won the Metropolitan Division. The wild-card Stars ranked No. 2 in the NHL in goals-against. In today’s parity NHL, even wild cards are formidable.
❚ Goaltending is still the great equalizer: Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is going into the second round with a .932 save percentage. Islanders goalie Robin Lehner is at .956 with a 1.56 goals-against average. Philipp Grubauer was a major factor for the Avalanche in the first round with a 1.89 GAA and .939 save percentage. Dallas goalie Ben Bishop is a Vezina Trophy finalist.
❚ Favorites had flaws: Tampa Bay’s stars couldn’t find their way against Columbus. Johnny Gaudreau didn’t get going for Calgary. Nashville had scoring challenges all season. The Predators seem stale.
❚ Lower teams have elite players: Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is often as dangerous as Connor McDavid. Mikko Rantanen is also a star. The Stars’ top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov is one of the league’s best. They combined for three goals and seven points Saturday. Columbus’ Seth Jones is one of the league’s best twoway defensemen. Carolina boasts several quality young players. The elite talent has been spread around the league more than it has been.