With the second round starting on Tuesday, which teams will qualify?
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s reward for a hard-fought first-round victory is a meeting with the best regular-season team.
The Lightning beat state rival Florida Panthers in six games in the first round last season en route to a second straight Stanley Cup title.
“A lot of people said it could have been the playoff series,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “They’ve revamped their squad and brought some big names in there and it should be a lot of fun.”
Since that meeting, the Panthers have added Claude Giroux, Sam Reinhart and Ben Chiarot, as well as number 1 defenseman Aaron Ekblad who is in good health. The Lightning had to rebuild their third line due to salary cap issues, and Brayden Point will miss Game 1 and possibly more through injury.
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The Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues also meet in a rematch of last year’s first-round series (Colorado won in a sweep). The Carolina Hurricanes swept the New York Rangers in the 2020 Qualifying Round. The fourth series is the Calgary Flames against the Edmonton Oilers, the Alberta Battle’s first playoff game since 1991.
USA TODAY Sports’ NHL staffers make their second-round predictions:
Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues
Jimmy Hascup: Avalanche in six. We haven’t talked enough about the Blues who won against the Wild with half their usual defense. If Torey Krug and Marco Scandella return to this series, it will do wonders for the competitiveness of this series, but not necessarily the end result. The Avs are well rested and just too good.
Mike Brehm: Avalanche in five. The Avalanche are full of talent and the Blues have nine 20-goal scorers. But Cale Makar was seemingly unstoppable in the first round. If the Blues can’t slow him down, it’ll be a short streak, especially with goaltender Darcy Kuemper recovering from an eye injury.
Jace Evans: Avalanche in six. This has the potential to be a great series. The Avs are under real pressure to get through this round, but they need to be rested and ready.
Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers
Hascup: Flames in five. The Flames’ expected field goal percentage of 59% in their seven-game win over the Stars was second-highest after the Penguins in the first round, underscoring how well goaltender Jake Oettinger played. Add to that the Flames’ better finishing talent than the Kings and my lack of confidence in Edmonton goaltender Mike Smith and it could be a quick series.
Brehm: Flames in six. They went 9-5 this season (won by Calgary), which shows the teams’ offensive firepower. But the playoffs are more about limiting chances and Flames coach Darryl Sutter has done just that. Additionally, goaltender Jacob Markstrom was marginally better than Mike Smith in the playoffs.
Evans: Flames in Seven: Two teams that hate each other with some of the best offensive players in the game. What could be better?
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Hascup: Panthers in Sept. It’s Florida’s passing of the torch for conference supremacy, and NHL fans won’t be disappointed with this series. The Panthers can rival the Lightning in top talent on offense, defense and depth. The main questions will be in goal, where Andrei Vasilevskiy is simply better than Sergei Bobrovsky, and training adjustments. Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper has proven himself while Andrew Brunette is in his first playoffs.
Brehm: Panthers in Sept. The Panthers appeared to set up this roster to handle a rematch with the Lightning. If Point can’t play or is limited, it could be the difference in this tied series. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who lost the slot in the first round last season, is playing better. The last three consecutive champions have lost in the second round. It could happen again.
Evans: Lightning in six. The comebacks have been nice, but that Florida needed them to beat a mediocre Capitals team doesn’t bode well.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers
Hascup: Hurricanes in six. After becoming the first team to win three consecutive playoff playoff games in a series, by ESPN Stats and Information, the resilience of Rangers cannot be questioned. But the Hurricanes are a much deeper and more skilled team than the Penguins, and the Rangers are seemingly too reliant on their top two lines and goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Brehm: Hurricanes in six. The Hurricanes play a very structured game, so it will be difficult for the Rangers to come back if they fall behind. Igor Shesterkin didn’t play as well as he did in the regular season.
Evans: hurricanes in five. Kudos to the Rangers for recovering from a 3-1 deficit to reach the second round in spectacular fashion, but Carolina is a different class of competition than the Penguins.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoff picks: Who will win the second round?